The empty tomb changes everything. When Jesus conquered death through resurrection, He didn't just complete His earthly mission - He transformed human existence itself by proving that death has lost its ultimate power.
In this deeply meaningful exploration of Mark 16, we confront the varied reactions to Jesus' resurrection. The women fled in fear. The disciples refused to believe. Even after multiple eyewitness accounts, many remained skeptical until personally encountering the risen Christ. This pattern of initial disbelief followed by life-altering conviction mirrors how many people respond to resurrection claims today.
But what made the disciples willing to later face torture and execution without recanting? What transformed these frightened followers into bold witnesses ready to die for their testimony? Only the undeniable reality of having seen, touched, and spoken with the resurrected Jesus can explain such extraordinary commitment.
The theological implications stretch far beyond mere historical curiosity. As Paul writes, "If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile." The resurrection validates Jesus' claims about His identity, demonstrates His power over death, and guarantees the future resurrection of all believers with glorified, imperishable bodies. It's the firstfruits promise that transforms our understanding of both life and death.
This resurrection hope provides profound perspective when facing life's greatest challenges. If Jesus conquered humanity's ultimate enemy - death itself - then what problem in your life could possibly be too great for Him to overcome? The empty tomb reminds us that God's power extends beyond any limitation we might imagine.
Jesus' final commission calls believers to share this good news throughout the world, a mission that continues today. His ascension to sit at God's right hand confirms His royal authority, the completion of His redemptive work, and His promise to return as King.
Have you encountered the risen Christ? Has the reality of resurrection transformed how you view your problems, your future, and your purpose? Join us in discovering the power and hope found only in the One who conquered death.
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May God Bless you!! - Glenn and Steve
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:21):
Hey, steve, guess what?
He is risen.
He is risen, indeed, he reallyis risen.
We saw that last time we metJesus, who had died on the cross
and rose from the dead.
The greatest event in humanhistory is Jesus' victory over
death.
We saw last time he had risenfrom the dead and the women had
seen that, had seen that.
(00:48):
Today we're going to get to thelast part of Mark 16, where now
is the reactions to theresurrection and how all the
people around him are takingthis news.
So, steve, what happens todaywhen people hear about the
resurrection of Jesus?
Speaker 2 (00:59):
Well, there's scoffers today, just like there
were scoffers back then.
As to a resurrection, theydon't want to believe that it
took place.
We have the various stories outthere that the body was stolen,
that he really didn't die, thathe swooned on the cross and was
taken down, which really meanshe just passed out, and that he
(01:21):
later woke up in this burialtomb.
Then you have others thatactually do investigate it and
come to a conclusion that theresurrection is a true story.
But the resurrection is centralto our faith.
Paul even puts it if Jesusdidn't rise from the dead, that
our faith is in vain.
So the resurrection is thecentral point of our faith.
(01:43):
I think people sometimesoverlook that.
They talk about his death andthe payment for our sin, but
without the resurrection then wedon't have anything really.
It's the resurrection thatgrants us that we're going to
have eternal life.
Speaker 1 (02:01):
What the Bible presents is that the tomb was
empty.
The same exact body that diedon the cross was the one that
rose from the dead and becamealive again.
The word resurrect means thestanding up of the body.
The Gospels used the wordrising from the dead, so it
(02:21):
wasn't a recreation fromJehovah's memory, it wasn't some
other body and they got itmixed up.
None of those things.
We saw that and again, thevictory over death, as we're
going to see, and we'll quotesome passages here to show the
implications of that.
But in the passage the lasthalf of Mark 16, we have the
(02:42):
reaction of the people who wereexperiencing this resurrection
for the very first time.
There's a bit of a technicalquestion that we need to answer
first, I think, or at least adocumentary question.
In many of our translations, ifthey do what they should,
starting in Mark 16, verse 9,they'll either have brackets or
(03:07):
they'll have a footnote orsomething along these lines,
where they'll indicate that inthe Greek manuscripts, the
handwritten copies before theprinting press, there's some
distinctions here and we want totake a quick minute to explain
this.
The New Testament was writtenin Greek and today we have about
(03:28):
5,800 Greek manuscripts, again,once the printing press
happened.
Then the world changed becauseyou could mass-produce things
and they would all be exactlythe same.
Prior to that, they were allhandwritten and we have again
5,800 Greek manuscripts.
We also have many times morethan that if we count the early
(03:50):
translations that were done inthe early years of the church.
The church translated andcopied the gospel accounts very
vigorously from even theearliest days very vigorously
from even the earliest days.
If we go back, we have againthousands of the original
manuscripts in Greek that werecopied.
(04:11):
And then we have, even morethan that, tens of thousands of
copies of various translationsin other languages that were all
done in the early years of thechurch.
The vast majority of those havethe ending in Mark that we see
in our Bibles.
There's a very few of them thatstop at 16, verse 8.
(04:35):
The question is this very few.
Why would we even consider themwhen the vast majority have the
regular ending that we haveknown and come to love?
Well, it's because those veryfew that don't have it are the
earliest ones.
There are some of the veryearly copies that don't have the
(04:59):
last part of Mark, chapter 16.
They stop at verse 8.
The ones that stop at verse 8are some of the oldest.
Most scholars believe that theolder copies are better.
There's less chance formisspellings and copy errors to
creep in.
The scholars now have aconundrum.
What do we do?
How do we conclude?
(05:19):
Did the original one end at16.8?
How did this second, endingwith verses 9 through the end of
the chapter, happen?
It appears that the earlychurch fathers were debating
this, were they not, steve they?
Speaker 2 (05:33):
were debating it.
One way that we know that theywere debating it is that some of
these other copies of the 5800that you mentioned they have
left a space in there whichwould fit the same frame of
these particular verses beingput in there.
(05:54):
In case it was in theinvestigation comes out that no,
these verses should be put inthere.
It shows that in those copiesthis debate was going on and
that some of these manuscriptswere already known that it is
something that might have beenadded by someone else.
They provided a blank space insome of those copies to where,
(06:16):
if it was came to a point thatyes, it needs to be included,
that they could go back andinclude them in those particular
copies.
So this isn't something that'sjust recent.
I think this shows that it'ssomething that has been going on
for quite a while, and the lastcomment I have on it is it
shows to me once again thatthere's nothing trying to be
(06:38):
hidden in Christianity.
When these manuscripts werefound that didn't have this part
of it, then there's a note herethat depicts it.
Some of the earlier manuscriptsdon't have this there.
Once again, whenever somethingis discovered like this, it's
not covered up, it's not triedto be hidden somewhere.
It's made notable and it'sdealt with so we can trust our
(07:04):
scriptures that we have.
I think it's a way to verifythat.
Speaker 1 (07:08):
We have questions like this because the Christian
fathers did not do what theearly Muslim fathers did, which
was gather up all the copiesthat didn't read the same and
burn them.
So if you do that, then youreally don't have any questions.
To answer, the passage that allof these old Greek manuscripts
(07:28):
have ends at 16.8.
And 16.8 says this they wentout and fled from the tomb, for
this is the women, by the way,that were there on that morning.
The women went out and fledfrom the tomb, for trembling and
astonishment had gripped them.
They said nothing to anyone.
As we said, the vast majorityof the manuscripts we have have
(07:53):
the longer ending that we'regoing to read in a moment, but
some of them end at that verse,verse 8.
So the question amongst Bibleteachers and Bible scholars is
was verse 8 the original ending?
There's disagreements with someof the teachers.
To me it just sounds like.
In my personal opinion, it's avery awkward place to end it
(08:13):
with women running around afraid.
That's just it.
Some teachers hold that well,that Fitzmark style.
He was very short and terse andpossibly it would have ended
there.
No one really knows.
What we do know is that verses9 and following were held from
the earliest days and, again,most of the church fathers.
(08:35):
I think we should give themmore credit than many modern
scholars do today.
They were just as intelligentas we are.
They included it in most of thecopies.
However, even in just Englishyou can tell the style's
different.
It includes some phrasingsthat's not in the rest of the
Gospel of Mark.
The Bible teachers tell us thatin the Greek.
(08:55):
The Greek grammar is a littledifferent in this last half of
Mark than in the rest of thebook.
There are some legitimatequestions.
No one really knows the answer.
What we do know is that themain parts of the faith of
Christianity are not challengedby any of this that are in the
last half of Mark, and we'regoing to go ahead and teach it
(09:16):
as if we would any text, simplybecause it's here, it's before
us and has been accepted formany centuries to be part of it.
Speaker 2 (09:28):
Steve, can you go ahead and just start at verse 9
and read down to verse 13?
Now, after he had risen earlyon the first day of the week, he
first appeared to MaryMagdalene, from whom he had cast
out seven demons.
She went and reported to thosewho had been with him while they
were mourning and weeping.
When they heard that he wasalive and had been seen by her,
they refused to believe it.
(09:49):
After that he appeared in adifferent form to two of them
while they were walking along ontheir way to the country.
They went away and reported itto the others, but they did not
believe either.
Speaker 1 (10:03):
With this.
The women had been there thatmorning.
They saw the empty tomb andthey go and report to the
disciples that Jesus had risen.
It says the disciples did notbelieve their story, steve,
still today.
We go around today and tellpeople that Christ has risen,
(10:25):
and some believe and some don't.
What should we do when we gotell people about Jesus and they
don't believe our account?
Speaker 2 (10:33):
Being resurrected from the dead is a supernatural
event and the skeptics and theatheists the very first thing
they do is they discreditanything supernatural.
If you're trying to explain tothem that your belief in the
resurrection, they're not goingto believe anything that you say
(10:53):
because they don't believe insupernatural events.
In and of itself, it's a lostcause on many of these atheists
to try and convince them.
But if you take it just fromcritical thinking and things of
what's going on in theeyewitness accounts, not only
here in Mark but also in theother Gospels, and then follow
(11:15):
it up with what the apostles didafterwards and their teachings
and the beatings and thepersecution they went through
and even the deaths that most ofthem went through of horrific
deaths being boiled, beingcrucified, heads cut off, being
run through with swords beingthrown off of the walls of the
(11:38):
city of Jerusalem, they all wentto different types of deaths,
still not recanting theirstories.
What would bring that about?
Well, a supernatural event ofsomething of resurrection would
make somebody go to that extentto not go back on their stories
that they have been givingthroughout the rest of their
(12:01):
lives and the teaching that theywere giving to all other
Christians, shepherding themthrough that.
To me that is a bolster of whythe resurrection is true, not to
mention the personal thingsthat I have of a relationship of
Jesus Christ, knowing thatthere's a resurrection.
(12:21):
Outside of that, I think thescript itself and the lives of
the apostles and their writingsthat we have and what they've
done testifies very strongly fora resurrection.
Speaker 1 (12:33):
In this account.
The women go and tell about theresurrected Jesus and people
don't believe them.
We go tell people about Jesusand not all of them believe us.
What should we do?
Just continue to tell.
Just continue to be a goodwitness.
We can't make anyone believe.
God has to work on their heart.
(12:54):
God has to influence them withthe Holy Spirit.
We tell what we've seen andwhat's happened to us, and our
job is to tell the story ofJesus.
It's great news.
Our job is just to go and telland to be a minister for the
kingdom.
It's their job to believe inGod, to work in their lives.
(13:14):
Then we have this idea of theresurrection.
Steve, I want to ask atheological question.
What does it mean to us thatJesus has risen from the dead?
Why is it just dying on thecross enough?
We say he died on the cross topay for our sins.
Why is the resurrection so?
Speaker 2 (13:36):
important.
As I mentioned before, paulsays if Jesus didn't rise from
the dead, then our faith is invain.
It's the final proof as to whohe was and what he claimed to be
.
He claimed to be the Son of God, and he's not dead.
Like every other person thatdies, their bones go back to
(14:02):
dust.
There's a grave that you can goto and visit and know that
they're there.
No, so it proves that he is whohe said he is, and I'm using
the present tense because he'salive, not using the past tense.
He was either mad or a liar, ortelling the truth.
(14:22):
The resurrection proves that hewas telling the truth of his
claim of who he was.
Speaker 1 (14:28):
The rest of the New Testament makes it quite clear
that the resurrection is key toour faith.
If Jesus were to just die, andthat's it, then why should we
care?
If we're going to be basicallyannihilated, then why should we
care if our sins are paid for?
But because Jesus overcamedeath, it proves that there is
(14:54):
an eternal life that's out there.
This is a major theme of theNew Testament.
Just a few verses to hold thatquote.
As Christ was raised from thedead through the glory of the
Father, so we too might walk innewness of life, romans 6.4.
We too are looking forward tonewness of life Now, today.
(15:18):
It says walk in newness of life.
Because why Jesus raised again?
If the Spirit of Him who raisedJesus from the dead dwells in
you?
He who raised Christ Jesus fromthe dead will also give life to
your mortal bodies through hisSpirit who dwells in you.
It says in Romans 8, 11.
So because Jesus raised fromthe dead, then he can give us
(15:43):
life as well.
He conquered death so he cangive us life.
But now Christ has been raisedfrom the dead, the firstfruits
of those who are asleep.
For since by a man came death,by a man also came the
resurrection of the dead.
For as in Adam all die, so alsoin Christ all will be made
(16:06):
alive.
1 Corinthians 15, starting inverse 20.
Because Jesus rose from thedead, it says we all will be
made alive, so also is theresurrection of the dead.
It is sown a perishable body,it is raised an imperishable
body.
It is sown in dishonor.
It is raised in glory.
(16:27):
It is sown in weakness.
It is raised in power.
It is sown a natural body.
It is raised a spiritual body.
If there is a natural body,there is also a spiritual body.
1 Corinthians 15, starting inverse 42.
Steve, all those passages tellus that we're going to get a
(16:47):
glorified body, we're going tobe raised from the dead.
We'll have eternal life.
It's all proven.
Because of Jesus' resurrection,the tomb is empty, the stone is
rolled away and now we have agreat hope, a great proof of
eternal life.
Speaker 2 (17:04):
I'm looking forward to that glorified body that I'm
going to have.
It is the resurrection thatgives me the hope for it.
As I pointed out earlier thatthe depiction of Jesus on the
cross of the crucifix, that'snot the end of the story, and
the end of the story is hisresurrection.
It's key to everything.
(17:26):
That's what we should includein our testimony to other people
.
Jesus is alive.
Today we're going to haveeternal life and it's proof,
because he is the firstfruits ofthat resurrection.
Speaker 1 (17:38):
To my listeners out there.
What I would say is I don'tknow what problems you have
today.
To be perfectly honest, I can'tfix them, even if I knew what
they were.
I can't even fix my ownproblems, let alone yours.
I'm not much help to you, but Ican tell you that Jesus rose
(17:58):
from the dead.
If Jesus rose from the dead, isyour problem too big for him?
I can't help you.
You may not even be able tohelp yourself, but I can tell
you about my Jesus, who rosefrom the dead.
If he rose from the dead andconquered death, then there's no
problem that you or I have.
That is too big for him.
(18:20):
He can handle our problems.
Why?
Because he rose from the dead.
Steve, can you start at verse14 and read down to verse 20?
Speaker 2 (18:30):
Afterward he appeared to the eleven themselves as
they were reclining at the table, and he reproached them for
their unbelief and hardness ofheart, because they had not
believed those who had seen himafter he had risen.
He said to them Go into all theworld and preach the gospel to
all creation.
(18:51):
He who has believed and hasbeen baptized shall be saved,
but he who has disbelieved shallbe condemned.
These signs will accompanythose who have believed in my
name.
They will cast out demons, theywill speak with new tongues,
they will pick up serpents andif they drink any deadly poison,
(19:13):
it will not hurt them.
They will lay hands on the sickand they will recover.
So then, when the Lord Jesushad spoken to them, he was
received up into heaven and satdown at the right hand of God,
and they went out and preachedeverywhere, while the Lord
worked with them and confirmedthe word by the signs that
(19:36):
followed Back in verse 14, itintroduces this next section,
and in verse 14 and 15, steve,who is he talking?
to.
He's talking to the disciples.
What Mark doesn't put here isthat Jesus had told them to go
to Galilee and that he wouldmeet them there.
This is also what the womentold them when they came back
(19:58):
from the tomb at the angels andsaid Jesus said, go to Galilee
and he'll meet you there.
Well, they didn't do that.
They stayed there in Jerusalem.
Then they were also notbelieving the accounts that were
coming back from the women.
Earlier in the verse it saysthe two other witnesses we know
from the other accounts.
These are the two men on theroad to Emmaus.
(20:21):
They didn't believe them thatthey had also seen it.
So there's some confusionamongst the disciples of what's
going on and what they should do.
Jesus is reproaching them, Ithink rightfully so, in that you
haven't believed these otherwitnesses that have come to you
and told you about myresurrection.
Speaker 1 (20:41):
Exactly right.
In verse 14, he says hereproached them because they had
not believed those who had seenhim after he'd risen.
They didn't believe the reportsof the eyewitnesses of the
resurrection, so he reproachedthem.
I submit that today he will dothe same for us.
(21:01):
If we don't believe the reportsof those who had seen him
resurrected, then he will judgeus as people read the Bible.
That is, the eyewitnessaccounts of those who saw the
resurrection.
1 John, the first three verses,says we touched him, our hands
(21:24):
handled him, we saw him, weheard him.
Those are the eyewitnessaccounts of the resurrection.
If we believe it, we will beblessed.
If we don't believe it, then,just like he reproached these
people for not believing, hewill reproach us for not
believing as well.
What is our application here?
Well, he's talking to thedisciples later to be apostles,
(21:49):
and what he's saying hereapplies to them.
Now we can take it and apply itto our lives, but the immediate
context is that he's talking tothem.
I think that's very importantwhen it gets into these sign
miracles, Verse 15,.
What is our assignment, Steve?
What are we to do?
In verse 15?
Speaker 2 (22:09):
To go into all the world and preach the gospel to
all creation.
The gospel means good news.
The gospel that we are topreach includes the resurrection
.
I think Paul puts that theright way over in 1 Corinthians,
chapter 15, that Jesus diedaccording to the scriptures, was
buried according to thescriptures and resurrected
(22:31):
according to the scriptures.
That's the gospel that we needto tell and it's to tell to all
creation, everybody that we knowwe should be a witness for this
resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Speaker 1 (22:44):
We should all be a witness.
We should all play a part ingetting out the message of Jesus
.
What we're not going to all dois all be the same ministry.
We're not all a mouth, we'renot all hands, we're not all
feet.
So we have different ministriesthat we do.
We have different gifts andtalents and we should exercise
(23:05):
those.
We're not all public speakers,we're not all helpers, but we
should all play a part.
Then we have in verse 16, ittalks about let me read that
again he who has believed andhas been baptized shall be saved
, but the one who hasdisbelieved shall be condemned.
Since this mentions baptism, itmentions a behavior.
(23:26):
Then of course there'scontroversy around it.
Human beings being what we are,we're always looking for
something to do, some religiousritual, rite or sacrament, so we
can feel like we've donesomething, and we go around
holding others to our favoritebehaviors.
This is one of those passages.
(23:46):
Steve does it not say righthere he who has believed and has
been baptized.
So is that making baptism arequirement?
Speaker 2 (23:56):
for salvation.
We've gone through this severaltimes, as we've gone through
Mark.
Baptized means to be immersed,and I think this is a throwback
to when James and John came toJesus and said Lord, whenever
you come into your kingdom, canwe sit on your right and your
(24:18):
left?
Jesus's question to them wasare you capable of being
baptized or being immersed inwhat I'm going to go through?
And their reply was yes, lord,we are very capable and willing
to be baptized or immersed inwhat you're going through.
I think that that's more of theframe of mind of what's being
(24:42):
written here when it says thosewho believe and have been
immersed in the belief of JesusChrist, of who he is, what he's
done, the resurrection and allof that, shall be saved.
I think it's talking aboutfaith, being immersed in the
(25:02):
faith, the true, firmlypersuaded belief of Jesus and
who he is.
I believe that that's what it'stalking about here.
Speaker 1 (25:06):
In this sentence, verse 16, the grammar and logic
of the sentence.
Just in plain language he whohas disbelieved shall be
condemned.
The condemnation which is thedistinction between salvation of
our souls and condemnation ofour souls in this sentence
(25:26):
depends on the belief or thedisbelief.
That's what he's saying here.
The implication in this passageis that all who believe will
get baptized.
Again, if it's baptized into afull, immersed into Jesus Christ
, as opposed to a water baptism.
I can hold to that.
(25:47):
But even if it were talkingabout water baptism, then the
logic of the sentence hinges onbelief or disbelief, not on the
water baptism.
We can't logically say fromthis verse that those who are
believed but are not baptizedare lost.
It doesn't say that and itdoesn't mean that the hinge
(26:10):
point of the condemnation or thesalvation is on the belief.
Theoretically, there could besomebody out there that had true
faith but wasn't baptized.
But the sentence implies thatif you have faith, then you're
going to be baptized.
I would submit that ifsomebody's out there that says,
yes, I have faith in JesusChrist, I'm a follower of his,
(26:33):
but I'm not going to getbaptized, something's wrong.
Something's wrong there,because anybody that does want
to follow Christ is going to dowhat he commands us to do, which
is water baptism.
Nevertheless, again, thecondemnation is on the disbelief
.
There's nothing in here thatsays, oh, you can believe, but
(26:56):
if you're not water baptized,then you're not saved.
Doesn't say that Doesn't meanthat.
It would also contradict thevast quantity of other passages
in the New Testament that tellus that we're saved by faith,
namely, quote he that believeson the Son has everlasting life,
(27:16):
and he that believes not theSon shall not see life.
John 3.36.
Again, very plain the eternallife hinges on belief.
Quote Abraham believed God andit was counted as righteousness.
And it was counted asrighteousness.
It says that in three places inthe Bible Genesis 15.6,
galatians 3.6, romans 4.3, andall those places it's belief is
(27:42):
where we get righteousness,which is salvation.
It's the point of belief.
That's the exact point he'smaking in Galatians 3 and Romans
4.
And then quote the promise byfaith in Jesus Christ might be
given to those who believe,Galatians 3.22.
If someone obeys Christ in allbehaviors, including baptism,
(28:05):
but doesn't believe, they're notsaved.
Let me say that again Ifsomeone obeys Christ, even to
the point of water baptism, butdoesn't really have faith,
according to all these passages,including this one in Mark,
you're not saved.
And, at the same time, nowheredoes it say that if you believe
(28:27):
and are not baptized, you're notsaved.
Therefore, it's the belief ofwhat you're saved and not the
water baptism, and the Biblemakes that abundantly clear, and
it's only people that want todo some legalism that really
points to water baptism asessential.
Verses 17 and 18, jesus startsspeaking of signs, and he talks
(28:51):
about the signs of the apostle.
Starts speaking in here,casting out demons, speaking
with tongues, picking up snakesand drinking poison.
One of the places we can showthat this is not a categorical
one is simply because it saysthey will speak with new tongues
(29:12):
at the end of verse 17.
Well over in 1 Corinthians12.30, paul is asking a
rhetorical question do all speakin tongues?
The context of what he's sayingthere is that they don't.
Not all are apostles, not allare teachers, not all speak in
tongues, according to 1Corinthians 12.
And so therefore, whatever thismeans, it's not saying that
(29:36):
every single person is going tospeak in a foreign language or a
heavenly language.
The reality is that, if we justlook at history and look at
those around us, christians havedied from their last disease
Every Christian in fact everyonethat's died has died from their
last disease.
It says in here they will layhands on the sick and they will
(30:01):
recover.
Nevertheless, everyone dies oftheir last disease.
If someone is claiming this asa guarantee of healing and a
guarantee of immunity fromsnakebites and a guarantee of
immunity from poison, then itwould have to mean that no
Christian ever in the historyhas ever died from a snakebite
(30:21):
or from poisoning, which is justflatly not true.
It would also mean that ifagain, they lay hands on the
sick and they will recover,we'll go empty out every
hospital.
If you're not doing that, thenyou're sinning.
It has to mean something else,does it not?
Steve.
Speaker 2 (30:37):
Well, as I look at this list here, glenn, I haven't
done any of these things.
I'm a believer, I'm a firmbeliever.
So I do think that this isreally talking about the
apostles that it's depictinghere.
They're the ones that had theattesting signs of who they were
.
The attesting miracles.
That's what that word signsthere attesting miracles.
(30:58):
We see that depicted in theActs and we also see it depicted
in some of their letters thatthey wrote back to the others.
It also says will accompanythose who have believed, which
kind of makes me think thatJesus is talking about his
apostles and the class that isthere that he's talking about.
Do I think that categorically,anyone who believes are going to
(31:22):
be able to do any or all ofthese things?
Well, god can work throughpeople and the Holy Spirit can
do great things through people.
But I don't think it's a litmustest to whether or not someone
is a believer or not, because,as I said before, I've done none
of these things, but yet I'm afirm believer.
Speaker 1 (31:41):
There is a relatively small sect of people that are
known as snake handlers thathandle venomous snakes, and they
take this exact passage and saysee, the Bible guarantees that
we're not going to be harmed bypoisonous snakebites.
I would just submit that theones of them that had enough
faith in that but yet died fromsnakebites leads me to believe
(32:04):
that it's not a good idea to gohandling venomous snakes.
I trust that you will noteither.
Lastly, the end of verse 19 inthis passage, I think, has a
much greater implication andlesson for us.
It says there that Jesus satdown at the right hand of God.
Steve, what is the significanceof Jesus rising from the dead
(32:29):
and then sitting at the righthand of God, as you've?
Speaker 2 (32:32):
pointed out many times, glenn, throughout our
studies that in the court, theking's throne room, the only
ones that sit are other royalty.
Everyone else stands.
I think that Jesus beingdepicted here as sitting at
God's right hand first of allshows that he is the Son of God.
Second thing I think it depictsis that the work and the
(32:55):
purpose that he came for it's asign that it's finished and that
he has sat down, he is resting,he's at the right hand of God.
The last thing that I think itdepicts is that this isn't the
kingdom that he has promised tobring about of the Messiah.
I think that's still a kingdomthat is coming in the future In
(33:18):
other texts that we have, whereJesus once again rises from this
position where he's at and hecomes back to rescue Israel from
the nations that are attackingthem and to rule from Jerusalem
once again.
That's clearly depicted inZechariah and the other prophets
from what we call the OldTestament.
(33:40):
I think at least those threethings are depicted here by
Jesus sitting down at the righthand of God.
What do you think?
Speaker 1 (33:48):
I think as well.
I agree with you.
Sitting at the right hand ofthe Father is a sign of royalty,
a sign of glory.
He's the heir to the throne, heis the prominent one.
The only one that sits in athrone room is royalty.
I also am reminded of in Acts7.56, stephen.
As he's stoned to death, hesays I can see Jesus at the
(34:12):
right hand of God.
So that is the glorious thing.
Here we have a victorious Lord.
He was victory over death andhe is now in the throne room of
God.
He is going to come back andhe's conquered death so we can
have eternal life.
Any of you that have made itthis far through our study of
(34:34):
Mark and haven't given your lifeto Christ, then I think now
would be the time.
Speaker 2 (34:38):
We thank you so much for following along with us as
our study of Mark.
We hope that you sincerely haveenjoyed it.
We also invite you to go andlook at our other studies that
we've done in other books of theBible.
You can go to our website,ReasoningThroughhebiblecom, go
to our book series from thedrop-down menu at the top and
(35:04):
select any of the books that wehave gone through.
And also keep up with us,because we're going to continue
going through all of the booksof the Bible and we hope that
you would join us there.
You can also find our resourcepage.
We have things there that youcan do to teach these lessons to
other people and do just whatJesus has for our believers is
to proclaim the gospel to allcreation.
We thank you so much forwatching and listening.
(35:25):
May God bless you.
Hey, steve, guess what?
He is risen.
He is risen, indeed, he reallyis risen.
We saw that last time we metJesus, who had died on the cross
and rose from the dead.
The greatest event in humanhistory is Jesus' victory over
death.
We saw last time he had risenfrom the dead and the women had
seen that, had seen that.
(00:48):
Today we're going to get to thelast part of Mark 16, where now
is the reactions to theresurrection and how all the
people around him are takingthis news.
So, steve, what happens todaywhen people hear about the
resurrection of Jesus?
Speaker 2 (00:59):
Well, there's scoffers today, just like there
were scoffers back then.
As to a resurrection, theydon't want to believe that it
took place.
We have the various stories outthere that the body was stolen,
that he really didn't die, thathe swooned on the cross and was
taken down, which really meanshe just passed out, and that he
(01:21):
later woke up in this burialtomb.
Then you have others thatactually do investigate it and
come to a conclusion that theresurrection is a true story.
But the resurrection is centralto our faith.
Paul even puts it if Jesusdidn't rise from the dead, that
our faith is in vain.
So the resurrection is thecentral point of our faith.
(01:43):
I think people sometimesoverlook that.
They talk about his death andthe payment for our sin, but
without the resurrection then wedon't have anything really.
It's the resurrection thatgrants us that we're going to
have eternal life.
Speaker 1 (02:01):
What the Bible presents is that the tomb was
empty.
The same exact body that diedon the cross was the one that
rose from the dead and becamealive again.
The word resurrect means thestanding up of the body.
The Gospels used the wordrising from the dead, so it
(02:21):
wasn't a recreation fromJehovah's memory, it wasn't some
other body and they got itmixed up.
None of those things.
We saw that and again, thevictory over death, as we're
going to see, and we'll quotesome passages here to show the
implications of that.
But in the passage the lasthalf of Mark 16, we have the
(02:42):
reaction of the people who wereexperiencing this resurrection
for the very first time.
There's a bit of a technicalquestion that we need to answer
first, I think, or at least adocumentary question.
In many of our translations, ifthey do what they should,
starting in Mark 16, verse 9,they'll either have brackets or
(03:07):
they'll have a footnote orsomething along these lines,
where they'll indicate that inthe Greek manuscripts, the
handwritten copies before theprinting press, there's some
distinctions here and we want totake a quick minute to explain
this.
The New Testament was writtenin Greek and today we have about
(03:28):
5,800 Greek manuscripts, again,once the printing press
happened.
Then the world changed becauseyou could mass-produce things
and they would all be exactlythe same.
Prior to that, they were allhandwritten and we have again
5,800 Greek manuscripts.
We also have many times morethan that if we count the early
(03:50):
translations that were done inthe early years of the church.
The church translated andcopied the gospel accounts very
vigorously from even theearliest days very vigorously
from even the earliest days.
If we go back, we have againthousands of the original
manuscripts in Greek that werecopied.
(04:11):
And then we have, even morethan that, tens of thousands of
copies of various translationsin other languages that were all
done in the early years of thechurch.
The vast majority of those havethe ending in Mark that we see
in our Bibles.
There's a very few of them thatstop at 16, verse 8.
(04:35):
The question is this very few.
Why would we even consider themwhen the vast majority have the
regular ending that we haveknown and come to love?
Well, it's because those veryfew that don't have it are the
earliest ones.
There are some of the veryearly copies that don't have the
(04:59):
last part of Mark, chapter 16.
They stop at verse 8.
The ones that stop at verse 8are some of the oldest.
Most scholars believe that theolder copies are better.
There's less chance formisspellings and copy errors to
creep in.
The scholars now have aconundrum.
What do we do?
How do we conclude?
(05:19):
Did the original one end at16.8?
How did this second, endingwith verses 9 through the end of
the chapter, happen?
It appears that the earlychurch fathers were debating
this, were they not, steve they?
Speaker 2 (05:33):
were debating it.
One way that we know that theywere debating it is that some of
these other copies of the 5800that you mentioned they have
left a space in there whichwould fit the same frame of
these particular verses beingput in there.
(05:54):
In case it was in theinvestigation comes out that no,
these verses should be put inthere.
It shows that in those copiesthis debate was going on and
that some of these manuscriptswere already known that it is
something that might have beenadded by someone else.
They provided a blank space insome of those copies to where,
(06:16):
if it was came to a point thatyes, it needs to be included,
that they could go back andinclude them in those particular
copies.
So this isn't something that'sjust recent.
I think this shows that it'ssomething that has been going on
for quite a while, and the lastcomment I have on it is it
shows to me once again thatthere's nothing trying to be
(06:38):
hidden in Christianity.
When these manuscripts werefound that didn't have this part
of it, then there's a note herethat depicts it.
Some of the earlier manuscriptsdon't have this there.
Once again, whenever somethingis discovered like this, it's
not covered up, it's not triedto be hidden somewhere.
It's made notable and it'sdealt with so we can trust our
(07:04):
scriptures that we have.
I think it's a way to verifythat.
Speaker 1 (07:08):
We have questions like this because the Christian
fathers did not do what theearly Muslim fathers did, which
was gather up all the copiesthat didn't read the same and
burn them.
So if you do that, then youreally don't have any questions.
To answer, the passage that allof these old Greek manuscripts
(07:28):
have ends at 16.8.
And 16.8 says this they wentout and fled from the tomb, for
this is the women, by the way,that were there on that morning.
The women went out and fledfrom the tomb, for trembling and
astonishment had gripped them.
They said nothing to anyone.
As we said, the vast majorityof the manuscripts we have have
(07:53):
the longer ending that we'regoing to read in a moment, but
some of them end at that verse,verse 8.
So the question amongst Bibleteachers and Bible scholars is
was verse 8 the original ending?
There's disagreements with someof the teachers.
To me it just sounds like.
In my personal opinion, it's avery awkward place to end it
(08:13):
with women running around afraid.
That's just it.
Some teachers hold that well,that Fitzmark style.
He was very short and terse andpossibly it would have ended
there.
No one really knows.
What we do know is that verses9 and following were held from
the earliest days and, again,most of the church fathers.
(08:35):
I think we should give themmore credit than many modern
scholars do today.
They were just as intelligentas we are.
They included it in most of thecopies.
However, even in just Englishyou can tell the style's
different.
It includes some phrasingsthat's not in the rest of the
Gospel of Mark.
The Bible teachers tell us thatin the Greek.
(08:55):
The Greek grammar is a littledifferent in this last half of
Mark than in the rest of thebook.
There are some legitimatequestions.
No one really knows the answer.
What we do know is that themain parts of the faith of
Christianity are not challengedby any of this that are in the
last half of Mark, and we'regoing to go ahead and teach it
(09:16):
as if we would any text, simplybecause it's here, it's before
us and has been accepted formany centuries to be part of it.
Speaker 2 (09:28):
Steve, can you go ahead and just start at verse 9
and read down to verse 13?
Now, after he had risen earlyon the first day of the week, he
first appeared to MaryMagdalene, from whom he had cast
out seven demons.
She went and reported to thosewho had been with him while they
were mourning and weeping.
When they heard that he wasalive and had been seen by her,
they refused to believe it.
(09:49):
After that he appeared in adifferent form to two of them
while they were walking along ontheir way to the country.
They went away and reported itto the others, but they did not
believe either.
Speaker 1 (10:03):
With this.
The women had been there thatmorning.
They saw the empty tomb andthey go and report to the
disciples that Jesus had risen.
It says the disciples did notbelieve their story, steve,
still today.
We go around today and tellpeople that Christ has risen,
(10:25):
and some believe and some don't.
What should we do when we gotell people about Jesus and they
don't believe our account?
Speaker 2 (10:33):
Being resurrected from the dead is a supernatural
event and the skeptics and theatheists the very first thing
they do is they discreditanything supernatural.
If you're trying to explain tothem that your belief in the
resurrection, they're not goingto believe anything that you say
(10:53):
because they don't believe insupernatural events.
In and of itself, it's a lostcause on many of these atheists
to try and convince them.
But if you take it just fromcritical thinking and things of
what's going on in theeyewitness accounts, not only
here in Mark but also in theother Gospels, and then follow
(11:15):
it up with what the apostles didafterwards and their teachings
and the beatings and thepersecution they went through
and even the deaths that most ofthem went through of horrific
deaths being boiled, beingcrucified, heads cut off, being
run through with swords beingthrown off of the walls of the
(11:38):
city of Jerusalem, they all wentto different types of deaths,
still not recanting theirstories.
What would bring that about?
Well, a supernatural event ofsomething of resurrection would
make somebody go to that extentto not go back on their stories
that they have been givingthroughout the rest of their
(12:01):
lives and the teaching that theywere giving to all other
Christians, shepherding themthrough that.
To me that is a bolster of whythe resurrection is true, not to
mention the personal thingsthat I have of a relationship of
Jesus Christ, knowing thatthere's a resurrection.
(12:21):
Outside of that, I think thescript itself and the lives of
the apostles and their writingsthat we have and what they've
done testifies very strongly fora resurrection.
Speaker 1 (12:33):
In this account.
The women go and tell about theresurrected Jesus and people
don't believe them.
We go tell people about Jesusand not all of them believe us.
What should we do?
Just continue to tell.
Just continue to be a goodwitness.
We can't make anyone believe.
God has to work on their heart.
(12:54):
God has to influence them withthe Holy Spirit.
We tell what we've seen andwhat's happened to us, and our
job is to tell the story ofJesus.
It's great news.
Our job is just to go and telland to be a minister for the
kingdom.
It's their job to believe inGod, to work in their lives.
(13:14):
Then we have this idea of theresurrection.
Steve, I want to ask atheological question.
What does it mean to us thatJesus has risen from the dead?
Why is it just dying on thecross enough?
We say he died on the cross topay for our sins.
Why is the resurrection so?
Speaker 2 (13:36):
important.
As I mentioned before, paulsays if Jesus didn't rise from
the dead, then our faith is invain.
It's the final proof as to whohe was and what he claimed to be
.
He claimed to be the Son of God, and he's not dead.
Like every other person thatdies, their bones go back to
(14:02):
dust.
There's a grave that you can goto and visit and know that
they're there.
No, so it proves that he is whohe said he is, and I'm using
the present tense because he'salive, not using the past tense.
He was either mad or a liar, ortelling the truth.
(14:22):
The resurrection proves that hewas telling the truth of his
claim of who he was.
Speaker 1 (14:28):
The rest of the New Testament makes it quite clear
that the resurrection is key toour faith.
If Jesus were to just die, andthat's it, then why should we
care?
If we're going to be basicallyannihilated, then why should we
care if our sins are paid for?
But because Jesus overcamedeath, it proves that there is
(14:54):
an eternal life that's out there.
This is a major theme of theNew Testament.
Just a few verses to hold thatquote.
As Christ was raised from thedead through the glory of the
Father, so we too might walk innewness of life, romans 6.4.
We too are looking forward tonewness of life Now, today.
(15:18):
It says walk in newness of life.
Because why Jesus raised again?
If the Spirit of Him who raisedJesus from the dead dwells in
you?
He who raised Christ Jesus fromthe dead will also give life to
your mortal bodies through hisSpirit who dwells in you.
It says in Romans 8, 11.
So because Jesus raised fromthe dead, then he can give us
(15:43):
life as well.
He conquered death so he cangive us life.
But now Christ has been raisedfrom the dead, the firstfruits
of those who are asleep.
For since by a man came death,by a man also came the
resurrection of the dead.
For as in Adam all die, so alsoin Christ all will be made
(16:06):
alive.
1 Corinthians 15, starting inverse 20.
Because Jesus rose from thedead, it says we all will be
made alive, so also is theresurrection of the dead.
It is sown a perishable body,it is raised an imperishable
body.
It is sown in dishonor.
It is raised in glory.
(16:27):
It is sown in weakness.
It is raised in power.
It is sown a natural body.
It is raised a spiritual body.
If there is a natural body,there is also a spiritual body.
1 Corinthians 15, starting inverse 42.
Steve, all those passages tellus that we're going to get a
(16:47):
glorified body, we're going tobe raised from the dead.
We'll have eternal life.
It's all proven.
Because of Jesus' resurrection,the tomb is empty, the stone is
rolled away and now we have agreat hope, a great proof of
eternal life.
Speaker 2 (17:04):
I'm looking forward to that glorified body that I'm
going to have.
It is the resurrection thatgives me the hope for it.
As I pointed out earlier thatthe depiction of Jesus on the
cross of the crucifix, that'snot the end of the story, and
the end of the story is hisresurrection.
It's key to everything.
(17:26):
That's what we should includein our testimony to other people
.
Jesus is alive.
Today we're going to haveeternal life and it's proof,
because he is the firstfruits ofthat resurrection.
Speaker 1 (17:38):
To my listeners out there.
What I would say is I don'tknow what problems you have
today.
To be perfectly honest, I can'tfix them, even if I knew what
they were.
I can't even fix my ownproblems, let alone yours.
I'm not much help to you, but Ican tell you that Jesus rose
(17:58):
from the dead.
If Jesus rose from the dead, isyour problem too big for him?
I can't help you.
You may not even be able tohelp yourself, but I can tell
you about my Jesus, who rosefrom the dead.
If he rose from the dead andconquered death, then there's no
problem that you or I have.
That is too big for him.
(18:20):
He can handle our problems.
Why?
Because he rose from the dead.
Steve, can you start at verse14 and read down to verse 20?
Speaker 2 (18:30):
Afterward he appeared to the eleven themselves as
they were reclining at the table, and he reproached them for
their unbelief and hardness ofheart, because they had not
believed those who had seen himafter he had risen.
He said to them Go into all theworld and preach the gospel to
all creation.
(18:51):
He who has believed and hasbeen baptized shall be saved,
but he who has disbelieved shallbe condemned.
These signs will accompanythose who have believed in my
name.
They will cast out demons, theywill speak with new tongues,
they will pick up serpents andif they drink any deadly poison,
(19:13):
it will not hurt them.
They will lay hands on the sickand they will recover.
So then, when the Lord Jesushad spoken to them, he was
received up into heaven and satdown at the right hand of God,
and they went out and preachedeverywhere, while the Lord
worked with them and confirmedthe word by the signs that
(19:36):
followed Back in verse 14, itintroduces this next section,
and in verse 14 and 15, steve,who is he talking?
to.
He's talking to the disciples.
What Mark doesn't put here isthat Jesus had told them to go
to Galilee and that he wouldmeet them there.
This is also what the womentold them when they came back
(19:58):
from the tomb at the angels andsaid Jesus said, go to Galilee
and he'll meet you there.
Well, they didn't do that.
They stayed there in Jerusalem.
Then they were also notbelieving the accounts that were
coming back from the women.
Earlier in the verse it saysthe two other witnesses we know
from the other accounts.
These are the two men on theroad to Emmaus.
(20:21):
They didn't believe them thatthey had also seen it.
So there's some confusionamongst the disciples of what's
going on and what they should do.
Jesus is reproaching them, Ithink rightfully so, in that you
haven't believed these otherwitnesses that have come to you
and told you about myresurrection.
Speaker 1 (20:41):
Exactly right.
In verse 14, he says hereproached them because they had
not believed those who had seenhim after he'd risen.
They didn't believe the reportsof the eyewitnesses of the
resurrection, so he reproachedthem.
I submit that today he will dothe same for us.
(21:01):
If we don't believe the reportsof those who had seen him
resurrected, then he will judgeus as people read the Bible.
That is, the eyewitnessaccounts of those who saw the
resurrection.
1 John, the first three verses,says we touched him, our hands
(21:24):
handled him, we saw him, weheard him.
Those are the eyewitnessaccounts of the resurrection.
If we believe it, we will beblessed.
If we don't believe it, then,just like he reproached these
people for not believing, hewill reproach us for not
believing as well.
What is our application here?
Well, he's talking to thedisciples later to be apostles,
(21:49):
and what he's saying hereapplies to them.
Now we can take it and apply itto our lives, but the immediate
context is that he's talking tothem.
I think that's very importantwhen it gets into these sign
miracles, Verse 15,.
What is our assignment, Steve?
What are we to do?
In verse 15?
Speaker 2 (22:09):
To go into all the world and preach the gospel to
all creation.
The gospel means good news.
The gospel that we are topreach includes the resurrection
.
I think Paul puts that theright way over in 1 Corinthians,
chapter 15, that Jesus diedaccording to the scriptures, was
buried according to thescriptures and resurrected
(22:31):
according to the scriptures.
That's the gospel that we needto tell and it's to tell to all
creation, everybody that we knowwe should be a witness for this
resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Speaker 1 (22:44):
We should all be a witness.
We should all play a part ingetting out the message of Jesus
.
What we're not going to all dois all be the same ministry.
We're not all a mouth, we'renot all hands, we're not all
feet.
So we have different ministriesthat we do.
We have different gifts andtalents and we should exercise
(23:05):
those.
We're not all public speakers,we're not all helpers, but we
should all play a part.
Then we have in verse 16, ittalks about let me read that
again he who has believed andhas been baptized shall be saved
, but the one who hasdisbelieved shall be condemned.
Since this mentions baptism, itmentions a behavior.
(23:26):
Then of course there'scontroversy around it.
Human beings being what we are,we're always looking for
something to do, some religiousritual, rite or sacrament, so we
can feel like we've donesomething, and we go around
holding others to our favoritebehaviors.
This is one of those passages.
(23:46):
Steve does it not say righthere he who has believed and has
been baptized.
So is that making baptism arequirement?
Speaker 2 (23:56):
for salvation.
We've gone through this severaltimes, as we've gone through
Mark.
Baptized means to be immersed,and I think this is a throwback
to when James and John came toJesus and said Lord, whenever
you come into your kingdom, canwe sit on your right and your
(24:18):
left?
Jesus's question to them wasare you capable of being
baptized or being immersed inwhat I'm going to go through?
And their reply was yes, lord,we are very capable and willing
to be baptized or immersed inwhat you're going through.
I think that that's more of theframe of mind of what's being
(24:42):
written here when it says thosewho believe and have been
immersed in the belief of JesusChrist, of who he is, what he's
done, the resurrection and allof that, shall be saved.
I think it's talking aboutfaith, being immersed in the
(25:02):
faith, the true, firmlypersuaded belief of Jesus and
who he is.
I believe that that's what it'stalking about here.
Speaker 1 (25:06):
In this sentence, verse 16, the grammar and logic
of the sentence.
Just in plain language he whohas disbelieved shall be
condemned.
The condemnation which is thedistinction between salvation of
our souls and condemnation ofour souls in this sentence
(25:26):
depends on the belief or thedisbelief.
That's what he's saying here.
The implication in this passageis that all who believe will
get baptized.
Again, if it's baptized into afull, immersed into Jesus Christ
, as opposed to a water baptism.
I can hold to that.
(25:47):
But even if it were talkingabout water baptism, then the
logic of the sentence hinges onbelief or disbelief, not on the
water baptism.
We can't logically say fromthis verse that those who are
believed but are not baptizedare lost.
It doesn't say that and itdoesn't mean that the hinge
(26:10):
point of the condemnation or thesalvation is on the belief.
Theoretically, there could besomebody out there that had true
faith but wasn't baptized.
But the sentence implies thatif you have faith, then you're
going to be baptized.
I would submit that ifsomebody's out there that says,
yes, I have faith in JesusChrist, I'm a follower of his,
(26:33):
but I'm not going to getbaptized, something's wrong.
Something's wrong there,because anybody that does want
to follow Christ is going to dowhat he commands us to do, which
is water baptism.
Nevertheless, again, thecondemnation is on the disbelief
.
There's nothing in here thatsays, oh, you can believe, but
(26:56):
if you're not water baptized,then you're not saved.
Doesn't say that Doesn't meanthat.
It would also contradict thevast quantity of other passages
in the New Testament that tellus that we're saved by faith,
namely, quote he that believeson the Son has everlasting life,
(27:16):
and he that believes not theSon shall not see life.
John 3.36.
Again, very plain the eternallife hinges on belief.
Quote Abraham believed God andit was counted as righteousness.
And it was counted asrighteousness.
It says that in three places inthe Bible Genesis 15.6,
galatians 3.6, romans 4.3, andall those places it's belief is
(27:42):
where we get righteousness,which is salvation.
It's the point of belief.
That's the exact point he'smaking in Galatians 3 and Romans
4.
And then quote the promise byfaith in Jesus Christ might be
given to those who believe,Galatians 3.22.
If someone obeys Christ in allbehaviors, including baptism,
(28:05):
but doesn't believe, they're notsaved.
Let me say that again Ifsomeone obeys Christ, even to
the point of water baptism, butdoesn't really have faith,
according to all these passages,including this one in Mark,
you're not saved.
And, at the same time, nowheredoes it say that if you believe
(28:27):
and are not baptized, you're notsaved.
Therefore, it's the belief ofwhat you're saved and not the
water baptism, and the Biblemakes that abundantly clear, and
it's only people that want todo some legalism that really
points to water baptism asessential.
Verses 17 and 18, jesus startsspeaking of signs, and he talks
(28:51):
about the signs of the apostle.
Starts speaking in here,casting out demons, speaking
with tongues, picking up snakesand drinking poison.
One of the places we can showthat this is not a categorical
one is simply because it saysthey will speak with new tongues
(29:12):
at the end of verse 17.
Well over in 1 Corinthians12.30, paul is asking a
rhetorical question do all speakin tongues?
The context of what he's sayingthere is that they don't.
Not all are apostles, not allare teachers, not all speak in
tongues, according to 1Corinthians 12.
And so therefore, whatever thismeans, it's not saying that
(29:36):
every single person is going tospeak in a foreign language or a
heavenly language.
The reality is that, if we justlook at history and look at
those around us, christians havedied from their last disease
Every Christian in fact everyonethat's died has died from their
last disease.
It says in here they will layhands on the sick and they will
(30:01):
recover.
Nevertheless, everyone dies oftheir last disease.
If someone is claiming this asa guarantee of healing and a
guarantee of immunity fromsnakebites and a guarantee of
immunity from poison, then itwould have to mean that no
Christian ever in the historyhas ever died from a snakebite
(30:21):
or from poisoning, which is justflatly not true.
It would also mean that ifagain, they lay hands on the
sick and they will recover,we'll go empty out every
hospital.
If you're not doing that, thenyou're sinning.
It has to mean something else,does it not?
Steve.
Speaker 2 (30:37):
Well, as I look at this list here, glenn, I haven't
done any of these things.
I'm a believer, I'm a firmbeliever.
So I do think that this isreally talking about the
apostles that it's depictinghere.
They're the ones that had theattesting signs of who they were
.
The attesting miracles.
That's what that word signsthere attesting miracles.
(30:58):
We see that depicted in theActs and we also see it depicted
in some of their letters thatthey wrote back to the others.
It also says will accompanythose who have believed, which
kind of makes me think thatJesus is talking about his
apostles and the class that isthere that he's talking about.
Do I think that categorically,anyone who believes are going to
(31:22):
be able to do any or all ofthese things?
Well, god can work throughpeople and the Holy Spirit can
do great things through people.
But I don't think it's a litmustest to whether or not someone
is a believer or not, because,as I said before, I've done none
of these things, but yet I'm afirm believer.
Speaker 1 (31:41):
There is a relatively small sect of people that are
known as snake handlers thathandle venomous snakes, and they
take this exact passage and saysee, the Bible guarantees that
we're not going to be harmed bypoisonous snakebites.
I would just submit that theones of them that had enough
faith in that but yet died fromsnakebites leads me to believe
(32:04):
that it's not a good idea to gohandling venomous snakes.
I trust that you will noteither.
Lastly, the end of verse 19 inthis passage, I think, has a
much greater implication andlesson for us.
It says there that Jesus satdown at the right hand of God.
Steve, what is the significanceof Jesus rising from the dead
(32:29):
and then sitting at the righthand of God, as you've?
Speaker 2 (32:32):
pointed out many times, glenn, throughout our
studies that in the court, theking's throne room, the only
ones that sit are other royalty.
Everyone else stands.
I think that Jesus beingdepicted here as sitting at
God's right hand first of allshows that he is the Son of God.
Second thing I think it depictsis that the work and the
(32:55):
purpose that he came for it's asign that it's finished and that
he has sat down, he is resting,he's at the right hand of God.
The last thing that I think itdepicts is that this isn't the
kingdom that he has promised tobring about of the Messiah.
I think that's still a kingdomthat is coming in the future In
(33:18):
other texts that we have, whereJesus once again rises from this
position where he's at and hecomes back to rescue Israel from
the nations that are attackingthem and to rule from Jerusalem
once again.
That's clearly depicted inZechariah and the other prophets
from what we call the OldTestament.
(33:40):
I think at least those threethings are depicted here by
Jesus sitting down at the righthand of God.
What do you think?
Speaker 1 (33:48):
I think as well.
I agree with you.
Sitting at the right hand ofthe Father is a sign of royalty,
a sign of glory.
He's the heir to the throne, heis the prominent one.
The only one that sits in athrone room is royalty.
I also am reminded of in Acts7.56, stephen.
As he's stoned to death, hesays I can see Jesus at the
(34:12):
right hand of God.
So that is the glorious thing.
Here we have a victorious Lord.
He was victory over death andhe is now in the throne room of
God.
He is going to come back andhe's conquered death so we can
have eternal life.
Any of you that have made itthis far through our study of
(34:34):
Mark and haven't given your lifeto Christ, then I think now
would be the time.
Speaker 2 (34:38):
We thank you so much for following along with us as
our study of Mark.
We hope that you sincerely haveenjoyed it.
We also invite you to go andlook at our other studies that
we've done in other books of theBible.
You can go to our website,ReasoningThroughhebiblecom, go
to our book series from thedrop-down menu at the top and
(35:04):
select any of the books that wehave gone through.
And also keep up with us,because we're going to continue
going through all of the booksof the Bible and we hope that
you would join us there.
You can also find our resourcepage.
We have things there that youcan do to teach these lessons to
other people and do just whatJesus has for our believers is
to proclaim the gospel to allcreation.
We thank you so much forwatching and listening.
(35:25):
May God bless you.
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