Signs Follow Believers Always

Mark 16:17-18 “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.”

This series is intended to provide a biblical framework for believers concerning encounters with the Holy Spirit. Because these encounters are supernatural, it is crucial to understand what the Word of God teaches about them. One of the strategies our adversary, the devil, employs to lead saints into error is through counterfeit displays of the supernatural. Therefore, knowing the truth enables us to identify and avoid the false.

In this section, we will explore biblical accounts of encounters believers can have with the Holy Spirit after their initial baptism. As we will see, scripture supports the occurrence of such encounters. These subsequent supernatural manifestations or signs can be categorized into two main groups: Signs that the church can expect to see manifested at all times and signs that occur only as the Holy Spirit wills. In this section we will focus on the first category.

The supernatural manifestations that believers can expect to occur consistently are those mentioned by our Lord Jesus Christ in the passage of scripture quoted above. These signs include: Casting out demons, laying hands on the sick for healing and praying for saints to be filled with the Holy Spirit and speak in tongues.

The reference to "taking up serpents" in this scripture pertains to dealing with demonic forces, not the literal handling of snakes. This aligns with the authority Christ gave us to trample on serpents and scorpions and overcome all the power of the enemy (Luke 10:19). Similarly, "drinking anything deadly" refers to divine protection for saints, such as from unknowingly consuming contaminated water. It does not imply drinking poison as a demonstration of faith.

Believers can expect these signs because they are activated by faith alone. Jesus explicitly said, “These signs will follow those who believe.” While these signs may also manifest through the operation of the gifts of the Spirit, such as the working of miracles and gifts of healings, they differ in that they are not entirely reliant on the Spirit’s gifts. By contrast, all other manifestations of the gifts of the Spirit occur only as the Spirit wills and cannot be accessed by faith alone.

Jesus set an example for us in His earthly ministry, as recorded in the Gospels. Three consistent aspects of His ministry were: Preaching the Word of God, healing the sick and casting out demons.

These were the primary reasons people attended His ministry events. The only reason Jesus did not fill anyone with the Holy Spirit so they could speak in tongues was that He had not yet been glorified. Otherwise, this would have been a regular part of His ministry.

Jesus seldom displayed other gifts of the Spirit, such as prophetic gifts (prophecies, words of knowledge, and words of wisdom). While Jesus did operate in the office of a prophet (Matthew 13:57) and occasionally used prophetic gifts, such as during His interaction with the woman at the well in Sychar (John 4:16-19), this aspect of His ministry was secondary. People did not attend His ministry for prophetic manifestations.

Jesus consistently preached the Word, healed the sick, and cast out demons because these activities align with God's will at all times. Other gifts of the Spirit, however, manifest only as the Holy Spirit wills. Even Jesus adhered to these parameters in His earthly ministry. While it is always God’s will to proclaim His Word, heal the sick, and cast out demons, the manifestation of other spiritual gifts occurs at the discretion of the Holy Spirit.

This understanding emphasizes the balance between what believers can expect through faith and what occurs solely under the direction of the Holy Spirit. Jesus' ministry provides a model for how these principles operate in practice.

Mark 3:22-26 “And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, "He has Beelzebub," and, "By the ruler of the demons He casts out demons."  (23)  So He called them to Himself and said to them in parables: "How can Satan cast out Satan?  (24)  If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.  (25)  And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.  (26) And if Satan has risen up against himself, and is divided, he cannot stand, but has an end.”

It is important to note that the three signs that the church can expect to see manifested at all times; casting out demons, healing the sick and filling the saints with the Holy Spirit so they can speak in tongues, are signs that Satan cannot counterfeit.

The sign of casting out demons can only be performed by the power of God. Our Lord Jesus taught us that truth in the above quoted passage of scripture when He said that Satan cannot cast out Satan. Jesus knows what He is talking about, and if He says that Satan can’t do that, then he can’t.

How demons gain access to individuals and how those people can be delivered, is another topic entirely and falls outside the scope of this teaching. Nevertheless as far as this teaching is concerned, I wanted to establish the truth that Satan has no ability to cast out demons. This means that false ministers of the gospel are therefore unable to perform this sign in their attempts to deceive the church through the display of the supernatural.

Acts 10:38 “how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.” 

The sign of healing the sick through laying on of hands can only be performed by the power of God. In the above quoted passage of scripture we are taught the truth that Jesus is the healer and the devil is the one who oppresses individuals with sickness. In other words, the devil has the ability to place sickness on people but he has no ability to heal.

To illustrate this point we can look at the example of the magicians that stood in Pharaoh’s court when Moses confronted them. Those magicians were Satan’s ministers who performed their signs by demonic powers. Through the use of demonic power they were able to perform many of the same signs that Moses performed. However, when Moses placed boils on the Egyptians, which included the magicians, those same magicians were powerless to reverse the sickness that came upon them (Exodus 9:11). The reason for that is because the devil has no power to heal.

The topic of sickness and healing is vast; including God’s role, Satan’s role, nature’s role and the role of men, and therefore certainly falls outside the scope of this teaching. Nevertheless as far as this teaching is concerned, I wanted to establish the truth that contrary to popular belief, Satan has no ability to heal the sick. And so he cannot perform this sign through his ministers in their attempts to deceive the church through the display of the supernatural.

Michael E.B. Maher

Holy Spirit Encounters

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