Marco 16:17 refutation of the Pentecostal doctrines

And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons, speak with new tongues, They shall take up serpents; even if they drink some poison, they will not have any harm; they will lay their hands on the sick and they will heal.

These verses are quoted by Pentecostals in support of their belief that the gifts of the Holy Spirit, they operate within their movement. Testimonials of healing “divine” they are cited as proof of the existence of the gift of healing. Those who claim to possess this gift are sometimes referred to as “healers”.

God answers the prayer of faith to heal the sick. What is not highlighted however, is proof that the gift of the Spirit (eg, the gift of healing, 1 Cor. 12:9) still exists today.

The passage from the Gospel of Mark says that the following signs are those that will accompany those who would believe:

• they are able to cast out demons;
• they can speak languages ​​they don't know;
• they can handle snakes without hurting themselves;
• they can ingest deadly poisons without having any consequences;
• could heal the sick by laying on of hands.

The gift of the Spirit should be demonstrated by all of these signs.

Denying existence, to the present day, of the gifts of the Spirit non it means denying the healing done by God to people by praying for intercession, hence the miracles. Catholics and Pentecostals are very similar in this: both argue that miracles and spectacular signs (in Catholics it is the apparitions, in the Pentecostals the tongues, the prophesy, etc.) have divine origin, but not really like that. We know that Satan is capable of performing miracles and healing. For which, healings are not a sign of being right. If we ask a Pentecostal if the healings performed by Our Lady are divine, they say no, indeed they are demonic, but they have no doubt that the healings that take place within their movement come from God.

 

The "healing powers" of the relics have been exploited beyond belief, bringing large profits to the Roman Catholic Church. And malati, who trusted the church, made payments, and in some cases large fortunes have been accumulated from these donations. The following are included among the relics: the wood of the “croce” on which Jesus Christ was hung, the tears of the Savior, the Virgin Mary, and Peter (allegedly brought back from the Holy Land centuries after his death), the blood of Jesus, a monastery in Jerusalem put up for sale that owned the finger of the “Holy Spirit”, and another monastery, where it was stated there was a feather of the Holy Spirit. In the twelfth century, the sanctuary of Cologne claimed to have obtained the skulls of the wise men of the East. The relics were effective in “cure” some ailments, even when it was made known that the relics were counterfeit. For example the bones of San Rosalia, preserved in Palermo (a source of income for the Roman Church and the city) they have cured diseases for many centuries, even when, examined by an anatomist, turned out to be goat bones. See Bertrand Russell, Science and Faith, (Oxford University Press, 1947).

All this to say that, around these alleged healings there is a very great one business, both among Catholics and Pentecostals!

Healing among the Pentecostals

Pentecostals often report testimonies of former paralytics, former deaf and former drunkards as proof of the healing powers of “Holy Spirit”. The comments below are from a physician and indicate that these examples are not proof of a cure divine:

“Diseases can be divided into three classes: first, those which originate entirely from the mind, second, physical ones, but that can be cured, and third, physical ones, but not curable. From eighty to ninety percent diseases belong to the first two classes. A man with mental paralysis in his leg would recover at the hands of a healer, a chiropractor, or even taking medicine. Unlike, diseases such as diphtheria, malaria, syphilis, cancer, diabetes, tuberculosis, and pernicious anemia do not heal with a healer, chiropractor or psychoanalyst. Entrusted to a healer these patients would die ". (Howard W. Haggard, MD, Devils, Drugs & Doctors : The Story of the Science of Healing from Medicine-Man to Doctor, (Pocket Books, Inc., New York, 1959), p. 305, 306)

“None of the parts of the body are superlative or independent, they are all dependent and related. Every organ of the body when it has a problem manifests a characteristic disorder, and this disorder involves all parts of the body that depend on the functioning of that organ… The basis of healing by faith lies in the influence of the mind on the activity of the body. The mind is a function of the brain and through the brain it is in constant communication with every part of the body by means of the nerves extending to and from the brain.. The activity of every organ in the body is controlled by the nervous system.”

“Paralysis of a limb and lameness are common symptoms of hysteria. The limb can deform as a result of hysteria, or people with hysterical paralysis may become deaf or blind, their feelings can cause all of this, they may stubbornly vomit or lose their appetite. Hysterical women may believe they are pregnant and show all the signs of this condition, the absence of the cycle, colostrum from the breast, morning sickness, and swelling of the abdomen. This can continue for nine months.”

“Not all people who are healed by faith are hysterical. There are numerous cases of bedridden patients paralyzed by rheumatism and unable for years to put a foot on the ground, which however under conditions of great stress, like their house on fire, have shown a notable return to activity. Rheumatism, that had paralyzed them, they were real in the beginning, but during a long illness they convinced themselves that they were paralyzed. They had lost faith in themselves and had resigned themselves.”

Even in the time of the apostles, some who failed to understand the truth in Jesus Christ, they did not hesitate to falsely claim miraculous powers in his name:

“Now some Jewish itinerant exorcists also tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus on those who had evil spirits, saying: «I adjure you, for that Jesus whom Paul announces "”. (proceedings 19:13).

Beware that this would be the case and is explicitly indicated in the following biblical references:

Jesus – “Not whoever tells me: lord, lord! he will enter the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day: “lord, lord, we did not prophesy in your name and cast out demons in your name and do many mighty works in your name?” Then I will declare them: “I have never known you; get away from me, evildoers!” (Matteo 7:21-23).

Because false Christs and false prophets will arise, and they shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch, if it were possible, even the elect.(Matteo 24:24).

Giovanni – “Dear, do not believe every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God:, because many false prophets have arisen in the world”. (1 Teacher. 4:1).

Paolo – “know this, that difficult times will come in the last days – But wicked men and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving others and being deceived…” (2 Tim. 3:1,13).

And modern “healers” they cannot say which of their patients will be cured and which will not. When instead it was Jesus and his apostles who performed miracles, these had no such doubt about the positive outcome of the cure.

Conclusion

This passage in Mark indicates that God confirmed the Word with signs. Today, the Word is complete and it is so from the completion of the New Testament, with the end of the prophecies of the apostles. The gifts of the Spirit such as healing, or languages, they are therefore finished, just as the apostle Paul also said they would end:

Love never fails. Prophecies will be abolished; tongues will cease; and knowledge will be abolished; since we know in part, and in part we prophesy; but when the perfect is come, what is only partially, will be abolished. When i was child, I spoke as a child, I thought as a child, I reasoned as a child; but when I became a man, I stopped things as a child. Because now we see as in a mirror, in an obscure way; but then we will see face to face; now I know in part; but then I will know fully, as well as I was perfectly known. (1 Cor. 13:8-12)

And now the believer walks by faith in God's Word in a way perfect. Faith and the message of salvation are perfect. We have perfection: God's Word.