Where does the gospel of Mark end? Modern day snake handlers derive their practice from Mark 16:17-18 (KJV)
Where does the gospel of Mark end?
“I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book”—Revelation 22:18 NKJV
Promoters and believers in faith healing often use Mark 16:17-18 as Biblical support for their healing practices:
“They will lay their hands on the sick and they will recover” (Mark 16:18 NKJV).
SNAKE HANDLING AND DRINKING POISON
These last few verses of Mark are very important to snake handling “Christians” because they say: “They will take up serpents” (Mark 16:18 NKJV). The Weymouth translation reads, “They shall take up venomous snakes”. read more
“EVOLUTION” DID NOT INTERVENE ON ‘MONSTER’ PENGUINS
According to mainstream scientists macro-evolutionary assertions, things start small and work up the evolutionary chain, the so-called survival of the fittest.However, let’s take a look at an article published on December 13, 2017 entitled “Evolution intervened on ‘monster’ penguins” in USA Today:
“Talk about your big bird. Scientists on Tuesday announced the discovery of a new species of an ancient giant penguin, one that was nearly 6 feet tall and weighed about 220 pounds, roughly the same height and size as an average man.read more
Billy Graham Regretted His Involvement in Politics
Prominent preacher Billy Graham was involved in politics for much of preaching career, and confessed his major life regret in an interview late in life. You would think that anyone who had personally known and associated with so many prominent people for so long, including 12 U.S. Presidents, would be proud of such hobnobbing with the political “stars” of the world. But guess what he confessed?
Evangelist Billy Graham dies at 99
“If I had to do it over again, I would avoid any semblance of involvement in partisan politics.”read more
The woman caught in adultery story is well known today among Christians, and even in popular Western culture, but there are questions about it’s authenticity.
THE INSPIRED SCRIPTURES ARE FLAWLESS AND CANNOT BE IMPROVED
“Yahweh’s promises are promises unalloyed; natural silver which comes from the earth seven times refined”—-Psalm 12:6 NJB
“Every word of God is flawless . . . Do not add to his words or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar”—Proverbs 30:5,6 NIVread more
Belshazzar – Discoveries Prove Bible True and Critics Wrong!
The ancient Greek historian Herodotus recorded history that confirms the Bible’s predictions of the fall of Babylon.
“Babylon will suddenly fall and be broken”—Jeremiah 51:9 NIV
“A drought will strike her water supply, causing it to dry up”—Jeremiah 50:38 NLT
“Her mightiest warriors no longer fight. They stay in their barracks, their courage gone . . . The news is passed from one runner to the next as the messengers hurry to tell the king that his city has been captured. All the escape read more
Jesus is the Mediator between God and man. Yet Trinitarians claim Jesus is God.
The Bible says there is only ‘one mediator between humans and God.’ Who, or what, is that?
WHAT THE SCRIPTURES SAY
“This, then is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven . . . ‘”—Matthew 6:9 NIV.
“No one comes to the Father except through me”—John 14:6
“There is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus”—1 Timothy 2:5 NIV
While they all give ‘lip service’ (Mark 7:6-13) to the principles that the scriptures above express, Christian denominations have differing views on the exactly how the mediatorial relationship between them and God operates. So, yes, they all “say” that Jesus is the mediator, but in actual practice things are not exactly the way the Bible says they should be. For example, Catholics teach that Christians must go through their priesthood and their hierarchy, including their Pope, to have a relationship with God. Others teach that one can only have a relationship with God through their particular denomination, organization, or church. Some have even thought, or taught that a relationship with God was only possible through one particular pastor. Trinitarians often simply ignore this vital relationship. Let’s make clear what the scriptures say about this:
“The true worshippers will worship the Father”—John 4:23
“I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved”—John 10:8 NIV.
The Father of Jesus, Almighty God, is the only one who should be worshipped, according to the scriptures. But we must go through his Son, Jesus Christ, to have this relationship. Why?
“Christ came as high priest of the good things that are now already here”—Hebrews 9:11 NIVread more
PROPHETIC ACCURACY! DANIEL – ANTIOCHUS IV EPIPHANES
Actions of this Syrian King, Antiochus IV Epiphanes, are foretold over 350 years in advance by Daniel’s God Yahweh, revealing them to his prophet for recording in Daniel 8:9-12, 23-25; Daniel 11:21-39. These visions are so extremely accurate in prophetic detail that critics, doubters and unbelievers claim that it is impossible that Daniel could have recorded them “in the first year of Darius the Mede”, which was in 537-536 BCE (read more
Science & Bible Agree: Expanding Universe Had Early Beginning
If the universe is expanding, it had a beginning. The Bible tells us what happened in the beginning, and why.
In the last 100 years, science has discovered that the universe is expanding. However, the men who wrote the Bible spoke of this concept when it was written about 2,500–3,500 years ago. But many people believe the Bible and science contradict one another, primarily because of the unscriptural assertions of “Young-Earth Creationism” (the earth and the universe were created in six 24-hour days about 6,000). Is this really so? Let’s examine some basic scientific concepts about the universe, and see how they compare to what the Bible says.
First Law of Thermodynamics – E = MC2
The first law of thermodynamics states that energy can be transformed from one form to another, but can be neither created nor destroyed. Matter and energy are interchangeable (E=mc2).
Now, keeping these things in mind, let’s consider a few verses from the Bible:
“Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.” (Isaiah 40:26 NIV)read more
Antiochus IV Epiphanes–Accurately Foretold by Daniel
Antiochus IV Epiphanes ruled the Seleucid (Syrian) kingdom from 175 to 164 BCE, and was foretold by Daniel, prophet of Yahweh. Epiphanes means “manifest,” and the name indicates that he claimed to be the earthly manifestation of Zeus. Antiochus attempted to unify his empire by imposing Hellenistic culture upon all its inhabitants. This policy brought him into sharp conflict with the Jews of the region later known as Palestine. Most Biblical scholars believe Antiochus to have been the “small” horn in Daniel 8:9 and the “contemptible person” of 11:21. His relations with the Jews are recorded in 1 and 2 Maccabees (Apocryphal books) and are prophetically depicted in Daniel 8:9-14,23,25 and 11:21-34. “Then from one of the prominent horns came a small horn whose power grew. very great. It extended toward the south and the east and toward the glorious land of Israel” (Daniel 8:9 NLT). He was infamous for establishing pagan worship in the Jerusalem temple.Roman bronze of a man leading a boar to be sacrificed (Jews did not sacrifice swine of any kind)
In about 174 BCE, Jason, the leader of a pro-Greek faction in the Jerusalem priesthood, bribed Antiochus to install him as high priest, after which Jason set about turning Jerusalem into a Greek city (2 Maccabees 4:7-22). In 171 BCE, however, another man, Menelaus, in turn bought the priesthood from Antiochus. Jason, believing that Antiochus had died, seized Jerusalem by force. But Antiochus returned in 169 and carried out a massacre of the city. “Its power reached to the heavens, where it attacked the heavenly army, showing some of the heavenly beings and some of the stars to the ground and trampling them” (Daniel 8:10 NLT). He then moved upon Egypt but was humiliated by the Roman legate C. Popilius Laenas and forced to make an undignified withdrawal to the north. Thereafter, this tyrant vigorously sought to Hellenize Jerusalem.
In 167 BCE, Antiochus dispatched his tax collector Apollonius against Jerusalem with 22,000 men. They attacked on the Sabbath, killing most of the male population and enslaving the women and children. Jerusalem’s walls were demolished and a Seleucid military garrison stationed immediately south of the temple. All Jewish rites were outlawed, resulting in the cessation of the daily sacrifice. An altar to Zeus was erected over the Jewish altar of burnt offerings, and worship of Zeus was instituted in the temple.
“It even challenged the Commander of heaven’s armies by canceling the daily sacrifices offered to him and by destroying his Temple.The army of heaven was restrained from responding to this rebellion. So the daily sacrifice was halted, and truth was overthrown. The horn succeeded in everything it did” (Daniel 8:11,12 NLT). read more
