Many atheists gleefully attempt to use Mark 16:17 to "trip up" Believers in Christ:

Mark 16: 17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well."

One blogger even insisted that people cannot call themselves "real Christians" unless they can do all the above.

Unfortunately, this is just another example of how people without the Holy Spirit cannot possibly understand God or the Bible. If they would only attempt to be open-minded about God instead of exhibiting raw hatred against something they know nothing about, they might have understood that this passage is a metaphor.

While it is clear that with Yahweh all things are possible, and that His Son said that we would move mountains and do greater tasks than his with faith, this phrase in Mark 16:17 is not to be taken literally. It is one of a series of metaphors, such as "if your eye offends, pluck it out" which use graphic imagery in Aramaic to make an abstract spiritual point. In the case of plucking out one's eyes, this means "remove sinful thoughts from your mind as if blind to them".

Similarly, the Apostle Paul's recovery from a snakebite not withstanding, the handling of snakes and such is directly taken from the imagery of Psalm 91, which relates to faith in Yahweh overcoming the obstacles of the world.

Finally, since Yeshua told the Accuser (Satan) that "you shall not put Master Yahweh thy Elohim to the test", I think it is safe to say His admonition also applies to those who profess to follow Him. And so, while victory in Messiah Yeshua clearly belongs to the faithful, it is unwise to risk human life on a metaphor.