Snake Handlers
Serpent-handling pastor profiled earlier in Washington Post dies from
rattlesnake bite
[What does the Bible Mean by What It Says?, Part 2
Grace to You] "...[T]hey're talking about the serpents and the poison
and everything there in Mark 16:18. This is what they say. Who wants to
go out and handle snakes? We certainly don't. And we [are] equally sure
that God doesn't intend for you to go out and put your hand in a basket
of rattlesnakes to see whether or not they're going to bite you. What
does this verse mean then?
Well, do you remember what happened to Paul when he was shipwrecked in
Acts 28:3-5. He picked up a serpent by accident. Well, I'll just add a
footnote. It doesn't say he picked up a serpent, but we won't discuss
that. He did not run around telling everyone look at me, look at me, I
can handle snakes with safety. No, he just shook it off into the fire
and praised God because He protected him.
We certainly don't intend to go around drinking poison just to prove
we're immune because we believe we'd soon find out we're not..." Full
text:
What does the Bible Mean by What It Says?, Part 2 Grace to You
See:
What does the Bible say about snake handling? Should we be handling
snakes in church?
