March 2010 Awake~Snake Handling (page 2)

jehovahsheep

their haughtiness in believing ANY belief system outside them has to be from satan.the dirty little secret is that they are satans most deceptive creation out there.

Michelle365

Maybe it's because some of the antidotes to snake bites have blood or blood products in them? We know the dubs can't accept those so the wonderful GB is just protecting the flock again. *snicker*

DaCheech

and the snake/staff mentioned in moses' day?

they had to look at it? like worshipping?

JWoods

It is funny, Michelle, but I really think that Purplesofa has pointed out something big here:

This article actually calls into question the validity of a long-settled verse in their own NWT bible!!! (hints of a corrected NWT on the way? -

note that they did not mention that the "oldest manuscripts" don't include YHWH either!)

Secondarily, (and maybe somebody can help us out here) - it seems to denounce the Israelite copper serpent - which I always thought the witnesses just wrote off as a sort of inexplicable anomoly of the OT (but not a pagan thing like the golden calf).

Terry

Isn't it odd; even mysterious that Christians think Jesus could be represented by a serpent?

NUMBERS 21:8 And the LORD said unto MOSES, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live. 21:9 And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived. Wikipedia

IN ancient times and places a serpent wrapped around a pole was a kind of magic fetish, often worshipped. Your own doctor probably has one of those symbols. It is the Caduceus.

It is a pole with two serpents wrapped around it and little wings on the top. Ever see one? The snake and the stick pop up in many pagan religions. Moses first miracle involved snakes and a staff, remember?

Don't you find it weird that Christians see nothing peculiar about believing that Christ is foreshadowed by this incident?

Often in pagan religions a flying serpent or fire-breathing dragon is represented. The Hebrew word saraph is often translated as a kind of Angel! But, the feathered serpent and the angel are pretty much our contemporary choice alternatives. Jesus crucified on that pole and the copper serpent: WHAT DO YOU THINK?

JWoods

Thanks, Terry.

Again, if I am reading that Awake article that Purplesofa found correctly, it DENOUNCES ancient Israel for (making sacrifices to) Moses' serpent, but does not mention that there was a direct command to make it in the first place?

It never mentions the usual christian argument that gifts of the spirit would be done away with, but tries to shed doubt on the validity of the serpent verse in their own NWT bible?

Pretty sloppy theocratic editing in the Awake here, I would have to say.

purplesofa

I had a started a thread about this some time back,

The article is off the net and all the comments to the thread are gone.

It was not a very great discussion but I wish I could refer back to it.

Back then my thoughts were, snake-handling was outlawed as it was dangerous and could lead to death and maybe some day refusing blood would be outlawed too as it can lead to death too.

I think/hope someday the refusal of blood will look just as silly and superstitious as some other religious practices.

undercover

I think I'll get a tattoo of a snake on a cross with blood dripping from his fangs...

purplesofa

http://www.gotquestions.org/snake-handling.html
Question: "What does the Bible say about snake handling? Should we be handling snakes in church?"

Answer: Mark 16:17-18 records, “and these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will … pick up snakes with their hands.” As a result of this text, there are some churches that practice snake handling. During church services, people actually handle poisonous snakes, supposedly giving evidence that they are true believers who are empowered and protected by God. Is that what Mark 16:17-18 is really instructing us to do?

First, it is very important to remember that there are some questions regarding whether Mark chapter 16, verses 9-20 belong in the Bible. There is some evidence that these verses were not originally part of the Gospel of Mark. Some of the oldest and most reliable Greek manuscripts of the Gospel of Mark do not contain verses 9-20. Some other manuscripts contain Mark 16:9-20 , but set them apart from the rest of the Gospel of Mark. As a result, it is not wise to use anything from Mark 16:9-20 as the sole basis for a doctrine or practice. Snake handling is one such example of a dubious concept from Mark 16:9-20 . For more information, please read Should Mark 16:9-20 be in the Bible?.

If we assume, despite the evidence to the contrary, that Mark 16:17-18 does belong in Scripture, does it teach that we should be handling snakes in church? The answer to that question is a definitive no. Mark 16:17-18 does not contain any imperatives. It does not say, “Go out and handle snakes.” It says “they will pick up snakes with their hands.” It is describing something that will occur, not commanding that something should occur. An example of this is the Apostle Paul in Acts 28:3-5 , “Paul gathered a pile of brushwood and, as he put it on the fire, a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand … But Paul shook the snake off into the fire and suffered no ill effects.” Notice that Paul did not seek out to handle a snake. The snake bit Paul, but God protected Paul from the effects of the snake bite. Mark 16:17-18 is saying that if you are faithfully serving God in the spread of the Gospel, He can protect you from anything that may cross your path.

If the snake handling churches were consistent, they would also follow the second part of Mark 16:18 , “…and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all.” Scripture is consistent that God can and will protect us, according to His will, as we are serving Him. Scripture is also consistent that we are not to put the Lord to the test ( Exodus 17:2 ; Matthew 4:7 ). Just as Jesus refused to jump off the pinnacle of the temple, even though God would send angels to protect Jesus, so are we to not intentionally put ourselves in situations that require God’s miraculous intervention. First Corinthians 10:9 , while not speaking directly of snake handling in churches, says it best, “We should not test the Lord, as some of them did — and were killed by snakes.”

purplesofa

I think I'll get a tattoo of a snake on a cross with blood dripping from his fangs...

ohhhh sexy, and with that parrot on your shoulder and eye patch, even better...

hope you have it all ready when the elders visit!!!!

March 2010 Awake~Snake Handling

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