Is the serpent Satan?

loreocookie · #1 24th December 2003, 11:22 AM

Is the serpent of the book of Genesis understood to be Satan? Is Satan emulating a serpent and deceiving Eve? If not, then the serpent is just a "beast of the field" as the book of Genesis says. The serpent exercised free will through the deceiving of Eve. Then couldn't one say that animals do have souls?

Mylinkay Asdara · #2 24th December 2003, 11:30 AM

I never really knew if the serpent was Satan or just influenced by Satan so I have no idea.

onionring · #3 24th December 2003, 11:49 AM

Good question.

Satan seems to be a separate entity from the serpent. Though the serpent does seem evil. Was there anything/anyone, other than Satan and his crew, that was EVIL at that time? Had Satan been cast down (to earth?) from heaven at that time, or later?

Was the Serpent a "dragon" or perhaps an animal that was not allowed to live past the "Flood" (theory on the extinction of dinosaurs).

TheOriginalWhitehorse · #4 24th December 2003, 03:05 PM

Originally Posted by onionring

Good question.

Satan seems to be a separate entity from the serpent. Though the serpent does seem evil. Was there anything/anyone, other than Satan and his crew, that was EVIL at that time? Had Satan been cast down (to earth?) from heaven at that time, or later?

Was the Serpent a "dragon" or perhaps an animal that was not allowed to live past the "Flood" (theory on the extinction of dinosaurs).

Yes, you're right-he is a separate entity. Whether satan appeared as a serpent, or whether satan possessed a serpent, we do not have a full answer from scripture. I would lean toward the first, because I don't think an animal would be responsible for being possessed. And the serpent/satan was cursed.

It is quite possible that God meant to reveal things to us in His creation, and He does use such illustrations in the Bible. This is part of what called "general revelation." Maybe the snake and the goat were always meant to symbolize evil and rebellion. But one thing is clear-God is addressing satan, not just an animal. The curse that the serpent would bite the heel of Eve's offspring, and the offspring would crush its head took place at the cross. Therefore, God is addressing satan, not just a benign snake.

Yes-aparently he had been cast down out of heaven, because rebellion and evil started with satan himself. I

Lyle · #5 24th December 2003, 03:40 PM

Well satan is called a serpent (or such along theose lines) several times throughout the Bible.. The grounds of the serpent's arguement run right along the same grounds that Satan uses over and over throughout Scripture..
But if it were just a serpent, animals don't have any soul, or any grasp of right and wrong... Therefore it wouldn't seek to decieve Eve, because it would see no reason too..

Blissman · #6 24th December 2003, 04:23 PM

Did Eve, being innocent of right and wrong commit a sin by trusting a beast whom could speak? Was the first appearance of the serpent in the Book of Genesis when the serpent was the devil (or possesed by the devil)?

Lyle · #7 24th December 2003, 04:25 PM

Did Eve, being innocent of right and wrong commit a sin by trusting a beast whom could speak?

Aye, because she already have a command not to eat, or even touch. She knew this and even brought it up in their conversation//

Was the first appearance of the serpent in the Book of Genesis when the serpent was the devil (or possesed by the devil)?

but could Satan possess anything, since evil had not yet entered itno the world? No, the serpent was satan

TheOriginalWhitehorse · #8 24th December 2003, 04:38 PM

I agree, Lyle, that she had sinned becaue she had been commanded not to eat. I think when she said she had been commanded not to touch, though, she was already giving in to the devil's scheme. Because the serpent asked her if God had really said she couldn't touch every tree. (Of course, it was just the one, but he was exaggerating so as to make Eve doubt God's goodness.)

She bit the bait when she added something God hadn't actually said.

Genesis 2

2:16And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:

2:17But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

Genesis 3

3:1Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

3:2And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:

3:3But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.

Blissman · #9 24th December 2003, 05:08 PM

Originally Posted by Whitehorse

I agree, Lyle, that she had sinned becaue she had been commanded not to eat. I think when she said she had been commanded not to touch, though, she was already giving in to the devil's scheme. Because the serpent asked her if God had really said she couldn't touch every tree. (Of course, it was just the one, but he was exaggerating so as to make Eve doubt God's goodness.)

She bit the bait when she added something God hadn't actually said.

Genesis 2

2:16And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:

2:17But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

Genesis 3

3:1Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

3:2And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:

3:3But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.

Thank you.
A question: Was 'death' meant to be a spiritual death?

TheOriginalWhitehorse · #10 24th December 2003, 06:54 PM

Bliss, for many this will be true, but in God's curse there on Adam and Eve, no. Because we have the curse on the serpent with the first gospel message: The seed of the woman would crush the serpents head, and he would strike his heel.

When Jesus died on the cross, he was "bitten." He took the curse of death for us. But because of who He was (God), death couldn't hold Him. In the same way He took the curse, He imparted righteousness to us. In doing so, He destroyed the power of death and the one who held this power-satan. And after the judgment, satan himself will die a death of eternal torment.

But how do we know that this blessing of salvation applied to Adam and Eve? How do we know they were elect? First, because they were given the promise, and secondly, by the coverings given them by God. These were the first blood sacrifice. Adam and Eve contrived coverings (fig leaves) that were insufficient because they provided it themselves [Genesis 3:7] which they could not do because they are sinners. They cannot earn their own salvation. Plus, the fig leaves were not a blood sacrifice that pointed to the Savior's sacrifice. The new covering was provided by God, in accordance with His promise, and required the death of the animal [Genesis 3:21].