In Mark 16:14-29 resides verses inspired that have caused many in the “charismatic movement” some hope that it is speaking to them. The problem with all this is the setting and who was present, and why. When Jesus arose from the dead His disciples had had explicit instructions for as yet they believed not on Him. John 16:30-31, 20:27,29 He had told them He would “go before them into Galilee” Matthew 26:32, “Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them. And when they saw Him, they worshipped Him; but some doubted” Matthew 28:16-17 Who doubted, who did not believe, who went to a mountain Jesus had appointed? Did you ever ask a tongue-speaking Pentecostal of today’s breed which mountain, where, and when? Between verses 19 and 20 of Matthew is verses 17-19 of Mark, verses 36-49 of Luke, 19 and 20 of John, and 9-11 of Acts 1. Read the whole story and you will have no trouble figuring out to whom Jesus was speaking in Mark 16:17-20!! Listen to verse 20 of Mark; “And they (who?, they who believed) went forth, and preached every where (how?, they were baptized in the Holy Spirit by Christ, Acts 1:4-5, when (?) on the day of Pentecost, Acts 2:1, 26:18), the Lord working with them (“God also bearing them witness both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to His won will” Hebrews 2:4) These miracles, wonders, and signs “CONFIRMED unto us what at first began to be spoken by the Lord”, Hebrews 2:3, “and they, the believers, went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, confirming the word with signs following.” Unless you can find some holy roller who was with Jesus in Galilee, you have no right to use these verses OR misunderstand them!!
As a matter of interest, we all affirm that some uses of the physical tongue are definitely from the Devil; such as slander, lying, gossip, back-biting, proud words, and demeaning denials. It is interesting that we have not been so quick to ostracize these performers of their father from the fellowship as we have the tongue-speaker!!, and we should, only they are the more common among us!! We cannot allow those who lie, impugned, or destroy a brother or sister with the tool of their father Satan any more than we would allow a tongue-speaking denominationalist to preach for our assembly!!
It is commendable that some today desiring a “closer walk” with God and are open to all they think God has for them. This, they think allows them to dabble in the Spirit. Some have thought the “new birth” (being of water and the Spirit) has something with tongue-speaking. Jesus was telling Nicodemus about a CHANGE of venue concerning parentage, not the elements of instruction He would use when the “regeneration” would be!! Nicodemus did not come to Jesus requiring or asking for a sign or a miracle, he came to find out HOW to enter the Kingdom Jesus and John had been preaching was to come!! John NEVER mentioned the Spirit and Jesus only ONCE, during their public speaking. You talk about “grabbing at straws”; you would have to prune the whole hay field to get this to work!! Others have thought that since we are to “fight against spiritual wickedness in high places” when we “put on the whole armour of God”, Ephesians 6, we must have supernatural weapons to fight the cosmic spiritual battle in which we are engaged!! We SO and ARE in a spiritual fight. We are to use the tools GIVEN, not invented by some emotionally-over-charged-tongue speaker!! When in God’s Army one uses God’s weapon, the Sword of the Spirit, the Word of God, Ephesians 6:17, that is the ALL THAT IS NEEDED!! in GOD’S ARMY!!!
