16:17-18 Are the signs Jesus refers to here valid for today or were they only for the first century church, as many believe?

Signs are the outworking in believers of the baptism in the Holy Spirit - which Jesus promises to everyone who will believe on Him (cp Mt 3:11; Lk 11:11-13; Jn 7:37-39; Ac 2:36-39; Ga 3:13-14, 26-29).

All that are afar off in Ac 2:39 includes us today, and all who will come to Christ in the future (cp Ac 5:32).

All who obey God refers to every believer in every age from Pentecost onwards (cp Mt 28:20).

Jesus qualifies the life-span of His commands to the church here by adding "…and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world."

That means that Christ was not only speaking to His disciples of that era, but to His disciples throughout the whole of the church age.

What applied then applies for today too. This clearly refutes any teaching that the signs of Mk 16:17 were only for the first century church. Signs were not limited to the first century church any more than the Lord's command to preach the gospel and baptize repentant sinners was (cp Mk 16:15-16; 2Cor 5:18-20).

Signs are the evidence to a lost world that Jesus is alive - He confirms the ministries of all who do the work of God with signs following (cp Mk 16:20; Ac 5:12). Signs are a demonstration of the Spirit and of power that awakens unbelievers to a consciousness of the presence and the power of God, which raises their faith in Jesus, and they get saved (cp Jn 20:30-31; Ac 2:41-47; 3:1-4:4; 5:12-14; 8:6-7; Ro 15:18-21; 1Cor 14:22).

Signs include speaking in tongues, prophecy, healings, miracles - the dead being raised up to life, etc, demons being cast out, exercising authority over the elements, walking on water, restoring sight to the blind - anything that Jesus did He said believers could do also (cp Jn 14:12).

This also is a promise to every believer in every age, including believers today. It is clearly inconsistent with scripture to teach that God only empowered the first century church for service and that the same empowering is not for today.

If the contemporary church is also to fulfil Christ's command to disciple all nations, then it has to have the same empowering which the first century church had, and to teach otherwise is wrong.

All we have to do is believe God's word and act on it, and God will soon confirm that word with signs following.

(See also comments on Jn 14:12-14 and author's studies Baptism in the Spirit in his book Foundational Truths of the Christian Faith, Signs and Wonders in God's Redemptive Plan in his book Advanced Studies in the Christian Faith (Volume 1), and The Work of the Holy Spirit in the New Testament Church in his book Advanced Studies in the Christian Faith (Volume 2).

These Studies by Br Val Boyle may be downloaded and freely distributed but not sold for profit.

Mark:-