The KJV Longer Ending Preserves an Early Church Conclusion

The KJV prints the longer ending; the earliest manuscripts do not

The King James text displays Mark 16:9-20 as a traditional conclusion: Jesus appears first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils; she tells them that have been with him, as they mourn and weep, and they believe not. He appears in another form unto two of them as they walk into the country; they go and tell it, and neither believe they them. Afterward he appears unto the eleven as they sit at meat, and upbraids them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen. He says, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. Signs following them that believe include casting out devils, speaking with new tongues, taking up serpents, drinking any deadly thing without harm, and laying hands on the sick. After the Lord has spoken unto them, he is received up into heaven, and sits on the right hand of God. They go forth, and preach every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following.

Display these verses. Do not hide them, and do not pretend the church never received them. Also do not hide their status: Mark 16:9-20 is absent from the earliest and best Greek manuscripts, and many early witnesses know a Gospel that ended at 16:8. The manuscript evidence does not permit concealing the KJV verses or pretending their originality is undisputed. Therefore do not build a doctrine — especially about handling serpents, drinking poison, or a required sign-list that proves salvation — only from this longer ending. Read 16:9-20 as a traditional summary printed in the KJV, marked as a later ending, and let the undisputed witness of 16:1-8 carry the weight: Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified, is risen, and he goes before his own.