Signs Follow the Word

(Mark 16:15-18 NKJV) And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. (16) He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. (17) And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; (18) they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

The resurrected Lord Jesus—the anointed living Word of God (John 1:1-4, 14)—instructed his graduating class of apprentices to go everywhere preaching the Word to everyone. If anyone would believe it to the point of trusting Jesus as their Lord, they would be saved. This would be evidenced by their primary act of humble, submissive obedience: baptism.

Then Jesus listed “signs” that would “follow,” accompany, or attend the preached gospel and receptive believing hearts in his name: exorcisms, tongues, protection from snakebites and poison, and healing.

(Mark 16:20 NKJV) And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen.

In obedience to Jesus’s commission, his graduates obediently went out and preached everywhere. God’s word emphatically states that the “Lord” was working “with” them, and “confirming the word through the accompanying signs.” If you were to read this in a print version of the kjv or nkjv, you would see that the word “them” is in italics. This shows that it is not a word translated directly from the Greek language. Without the supplied word, “them,” the sentence reads:

(Mark 16:20 DKJV) And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen.

Now we can see a clearer picture of what is happening. Jesus’s apostles were preaching the living Word. The Lord was working with it from his exalted position at God’s right hand. Via the supernatural Holy Spirit, he was confirming the [preached / living] word with supernatural signs. We shouldn’t be surprised at this; it has always been the pattern of how the Triune Godhead works:

(Genesis 1:1-3, 26-27 NKJV) In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (2) The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. (3) Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. ... (26) Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” (27) So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

This passage describes how God creates: “Let us make ...” This phrase shows a community or team at work in cooperative unity in a creative process. Next, “God said, “Let there be ...” This is the living Word spoken in creative description. The Holy Spirit—who was “hovering” in attendance—burst forth with creative genius, unlimited power, infinite skill, and wisdom; he created exactly what the living Word (Jesus) described. The living Word was an exact expression of what the loving father-heart of God the Father had envisioned. Thus, the whole Godhead worked together in cooperative unity to create.

When Jesus instructed his apostles to go and preach the living Word, they were his mouthpiece on earth. Nothing else in God’s creative process had changed: Father was still dreaming and envisioning; the Holy Spirit was with them hovering and waiting for the living Word to come forth in pure divine authority so he could enact it; and Jesus was still describing and expressing his Father’s heart and vision. Only now, his word was coming out through eleven or more mouths on earth.

Being omnipresent, the Holy Spirit could work with each apostle (and future trainee, including us) to enact the living Words coming from Jesus. Jesus is now seated at his Father’s right hand. As head of the church, he is running its operations, directing his body. As Lord, he has the complete overview of the universe, and his God-given role is controller of everything. And as the anointed, resurrected, living Word of God, he is not only “upholding all things by the word of his power” (Heb. 1:3 nkjv); he is still speaking on earth today—through our mouths. The Holy Spirit is here with us, and in us. He is “hovering”—ready and able to enact what Jesus says through us. He is simply waiting for our faith and our words to be pure.

Let’s now look at the Aramaic version of Mark. (This may arguably have been the original language of this Gospel.)

(Mark 16:19-20 APE) ... Our Lord, after he was speaking with them, ascended into Heaven, and he sat down at the right side of God. (20) But they went forth and they preached in every place, and Our Lord was helping them and confirming their words with the signs that they were doing.

Here we see clearly that the “Lord” was “confirming their words with the signs.” We also see that he did this from his new position, seated at God’s right side.

Today, our role is clear:

Love, praise, worship, and fellowship with God;

Invest ourselves into our top priority—sitting at the Master’s feet, listening to his word (Mat. 6:33, Luke 10:42),

Putting our work efforts into our faith—conceiving it, growing it, overcoming all obstacles to it, purifying it amid trials and testings, and finally expressing it as the living Word of God (John 6:28-29).

Then the wonderful Holy Spirit can enact it. Through his words in our hearts and overflowing from our mouths, and through the unseen supernatural work of the Holy Spirit, Jesus—the anointed living Word of God—will:

Do the signs and wonders (Mark 16:20),

Build his church (Mat. 16:18),

Add new people to it (Acts 2:47).

Again, I encourage you to put your work and effort into the work that God requires of us:

(John 6:28-29 NKJV) Then they said to Him, “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?” (29) Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.”

(Luke 10:39, 42 NKJV) Mary ... sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word. ... (42) “But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.”