Good afternoon, All. I've just now listened to Brad Smith's, "they shall cast out devils" piece on Mark 16:17 at the BRF website. I commend it to anyone who wants a fine example of a garden variety Revivalist pastor seeking to explain away something he clearly doesn't understand, using references to the Greek language about which he clearly has no personal familiarity. To him 'devils' must be metaphorical because they exist outside the RF's collective experience, which is the same argument used to explain away the snake handling and poison drinking bits a little further into the verse. I've spoken at length about this passage elsewhere on this site, so I feel no need to rehearse the matter again, here. Now despite him quoting the authority of Strong's Concordance as to the supposed meaning of the Greek word for 'devils', I'd first refer Smith back to what the term 'sign' signifies in our passage. A sign isn't a metaphor; in the New Testament it's a distinguishing mark by which something is known. In the standard reference for the biblical Greek language, Mark 16:17 is listed under the sub-heading that identifies something specifically miraculous: σημεῖον, ου, τό (s. prec. entry; Aeschyl., Hdt.+; ins, pap, LXX, pseudepigr., Philo, Joseph., apolog.; loanw. in rabb.; Hippol., Ref. 6, 27, 4; Did., Gen. 115, 9 ‘symbol’; gener. ‘sign’) ... ① a sign or distinguishing mark whereby something is known, sign, token, indication ... ② an event that is an indication or confirmation of intervention by transcendent powers, miracle, portent ⓐ miracle α. a miracle of divine origin, performed by God himself, by Christ, or by men of God. (cp. Diod S 5, 70, 4 πολλὰ σ‌. of the young Zeus; 16, 27, 2 ἐγένετο αὐτῷ σημεῖον ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ τοῦ Ἀπόλλωνος; Strabo 16, 2, 35 παρὰ τ. θεοῦ σ‌.; Appian, Ital. 8 §1 σημείων γενομένων ἐκ Διός, Hann. 56 §233; SIG 709, 25 [c. 107 B.C.] διὰ τῶν ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ γενομένων σαμείων; PGM 1, 65; 74; Jos., Ant. 2, 274; 280; Mel., P. 78, 568): Mt 12:38f; 16:1 (σ‌. ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ), 4; Mk 8:11 (σ‌. ἀπὸ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, as Synes., Prov. 1, 7; s. OLinton, The Demand for a Sign from Heaven, StTh 19, ’65, 112–29; JGibson, JSNT 38, ’90, 37–66, a phenomenon suggesting divine deliverance), 12; 16:17, 20; Lk 11:16 (σ‌. ἐξ οὐρανοῦ), 29 (s. 1 above); 23:8; J 2:11, 18, 23; 3:2; 4:54; 6:2, 14, 26, 30; 7:31; 9:16; 10:41; 11:47; 12:18, 37; 20:30 (on σημ. as a designation of Jesus’ miracles in J s. Hdb. on J 2:11 and 6:26; JBernard, ICC John 1929, I introd. 176–86; CBarrett, The Gosp. acc. to St. John, ’55, 62–65); Ac 4:16, 22 (τὸ σ‌. τῆς ἰάσεως the miracle of healing); 8:6; 1 Cor 1:22; Agr 9. τί εἴδετε σημεῖον ἐπὶ τὸν γεννηθέντα βασιλέα; what kind of sign did you see over the newborn king? GJs 21:2 (codd.). τὸ σημεῖον τὸ ἐνάρετον the marvelous sign AcPl Ha 3,16.—σημεῖα καὶ τέρατα (Polyb. 3, 112, 8 σημείων δὲ καὶ τεράτων πᾶν μὲν ἱερόν, πᾶσα δʼ ἦν οἰκία πλήρης; Plut., Alex. 706 [75, 1 sing.]; Appian, Bell. Civ. 2, 36 §144 τέρατα καὶ σημεῖα οὐράνια; 4, 4 §14; Aelian, VH 12, 57; Philo, Mos. 1, 95, Aet. M. 2; Jos., Bell. 1, 28, Ant. 20, 168. Oft. in LXX: Ex 7:3; Dt 4:34; 6:22; 7:19 al.; Is 8:18; 20:3; Jer 39:21; Wsd 8:8; 10:16) J 4:48; Ac 2:43; 4:30; 5:12; 6:8; 7:36; 14:3; 15:12; Ro 15:19; Hb 2:4; 1 Cl 51:5; B 4:14; 5:8. δυνάμεις καὶ τέρατα κ. σημεῖα Ac 2:22; 2 Cor 12:12b (SSchreiber, Paulus als Wundertäter: BZNW 79, ’96) σημεῖα καὶ δυνάμεις Ac 8:13.—1 Cl 25:1; 2 Cl 15:4. SMc-Casland, JBL 76, ’57, 149–52; MWhittaker, Studia Evangelica 5, ’68, 155–58. Arndt, W., Danker, F. W., Bauer, W., & Gingrich, F. W. (2000). In A Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament and other early Christian literature (3rd ed., p. 920). University of Chicago Press. Long story, short: Brad Smith doesn't know what he's talking about. Blessings, Ian