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Mark 16:20
ESV And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by accompanying signs.]]
NIV Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.
NASB And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them, and confirmed the word by the signs that followed.]] [[ And they promptly reported all these instructions to Peter and his companions. And after that, Jesus Himself also sent out through them from east to west the sacred and imperishable proclamation of eternal salvation. ]]
CSB And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the word by the accompanying signs.]
NLT And the disciples went everywhere and preached, and the Lord worked through them, confirming what they said by many miraculous signs.
KJV And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.
NKJV And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen.

What does Mark 16:20 mean?

This verse, although not found in the earliest manuscripts, summarizes the book of Acts. Peter preached in Jerusalem (Acts 2:14–41) and Caesarea (Acts 10). Paul and Barnabas preached all over modern-day Turkey, Greece, Italy, and possibly beyond. Church tradition records that the other disciples spread the gospel from India to Spain.

As the disciples preached, the Holy Spirit allowed them to perform miraculous signs, most often healing, casting out demons, and speaking in the language of their audience. This was necessary because the entire gospel was being transmitted through the words of men, often men the listeners hadn't met before. The miracles validated the disciples as chosen by God. This let the listeners know that their message was sent by God.

There is a great deal of debate as to whether Christ-followers can still perform these miracles. Speaking in another language has been twisted into "speaking in tongues," which people purport to mean speaking in a language only God knows. The act of expelling demons has become terribly abused; some church leaders teach that everything from ill health to unemployment is caused by demons that need to be exorcised. Undoubtedly God still heals today. But He usually works either within the context of medical treatment or directly, without a human messenger. There are more charlatans in the world than healers empowered by the Holy Spirit.

The message, however, is the same. Jesus is God and the Son of God. He came to earth as a baby through a virgin birth. He lived a sinless life. He was crucified and died on the cross. He was buried for three days and rose again in a physical, glorified body. His death was the sacrifice that paid for our sins because there is nothing we can do to earn forgiveness from God. His resurrection is the sign that God accepted His sacrifice and is willing to forgive us. If we accept Jesus as our Savior and accept His sacrifice for payment of our sins, we will be saved. The Holy Spirit will live inside of us. After we die, we will also receive new, glorified bodies. And we will live in paradise with Him forever.
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