Buford
Rookie
- Banned
- #21
"They will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all."
Snake-handlers are hypocrites. They handle poisonous snakes, but they don't drink deadly poison. They're not acting out of faith, they know drinking poison will kill them. They act out of hope, hope that the snakes won't bite. Maybe they're worse than hypocrites, they're probably con men who milk the snakes before putting on the show.
For believers, there's the issue of what this verse refers to. Does it mean to deliberately pick up snakes to put on a show or test God? Or, does it mean that the saints will be resistant to attempts to harm them, until God decides it's time for them to come home? There's also the issue of the scope of this promise, "they" doesn't necessarily mean each and every individual for all time.
Some scholars believe that passage believe that passage should not even be there. I don't agree with the snake handlers because I believe it is referring to God's protection in case you get bit or drink poison. These people are obviously tempting God and are clearly wrong. Ignorance.