How do you explain the talking snake??

[mooduck1]

Question - Well, context then question-

I've always read Genesis 3:15 as the first prophesy of the coming messiah. I've always thought that way because I believe that the Genesis Stories speak symbolically of an actual event. I have always seen the snake as a symbol for the devil who first tempted man. After the devil did this God said - ' I will put hatred between you and the woman and between your off spring and hers and he will crush your head and you will bruise his heal.'
My Question is - How do literal creationists read these passages. I assume since you read it literally, that anything that I might see refering to Jesus would have to be wrong in the eyes of a literalist, since there is no room for symbolic meaning in a literal understanding. But maybe I'm missing something. Can someone help me?

 

[Merlin]

Simple
it wasn't a snake.

 

[gluadys]

Simple
it wasn't a snake.

Does that mean literal creationists read it symbolically or that you do not consider yourself a literal creationist?

 

[juvenissun]

I have always seen the snake as a symbol for the devil who first tempted man.

So, it was a snake with evil spirit. Satan can do almost anything. What is the surprise?

 

[Joykins]

It was a serpent. The serpent served the role of tempter.

The serpent is later associated with Satan, Rev. 20:2 He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years.

 

[Tinker Grey]

Hey Juve, why don't you go back to the "What if you are God" thread and answer the question "So is Jesus not God?"

 

[DailyBlessings]

So, it was a snake with evil spirit. Satan can do almost anything. What is the surprise?

That you seem to be mistaking Satan for God? Since when is Satan omnipotent?

 

[juvenissun]

That you seem to be mistaking Satan for God? Since when is Satan omnipotent?

You are not a very careful reader, even to such a short sentence.
Did you see the word "almost" ?

 

[juvenissun]

Hey Juve, why don't you go back to the "What if you are God" thread and answer the question "So is Jesus not God?"

I thought that was a joke. OK, I will do it.

 

[Merlin]

Does that mean literal creationists read it symbolically or that you do not consider yourself a literal creationist?

Neither. It means the critter wasn't a snake!

 

[gluadys]

Neither. It means the critter wasn't a snake!

Well, the story says it was a snake.

If you say it was not a snake, doesn't that mean you are interpreting the snake symbolically i.e. not literally?

After all, it is not the story that tells you it was not a snake. So where do you get the idea that it was not from?

 

[Merlin]

Well, the story says it was a snake.

If you say it was not a snake, doesn't that mean you are interpreting the snake symbolically i.e. not literally?

No.

After all, it is not the story that tells you it was not a snake. So where do you get the idea that it was not from?

I do such studies in Hebrew, rather than English.
It avoids such misunderstandings

 

[DailyBlessings]

You are not a very careful reader, even to such a short sentence.
Did you see the word "almost" ?

I saw it, but you are assigning incredible powers to Satan, if you think that he can work supernatural miracles for his own ends. Where in Scripture is this even suggested?

 

[Assyrian]

I have always seen the snake as a symbol for the devil who first tempted man.

So, it was a snake with evil spirit. Satan can do almost anything. What is the surprise?

How do you jump from snake as symbol to snake with evil spirit? Do you think Jesus was talking of demon possessed 'birds of the air' in the parable of the sower?

 

[gluadys]

No.



I do such studies in Hebrew, rather than English.
It avoids such misunderstandings

Where and how does the Hebrew indicate that the snake was not a snake?

 

[juvenissun]

I saw it, but you are assigning incredible powers to Satan, if you think that he can work supernatural miracles for his own ends. Where in Scripture is this even suggested?

It is always interesting to consider how would satan even try to resist God. he did attract 1/3 of the angels (really wonder why would those angels chose him. I do think angels are quite stupid). But he knows that he is no match with the power of God. So, what is he fighting for?

 

[Joykins]

Serpent. No one pays attention to me

 

[RobertByers]

Question - Well, context then question-

I've always read Genesis 3:15 as the first prophesy of the coming messiah. I've always thought that way because I believe that the Genesis Stories speak symbolically of an actual event. I have always seen the snake as a symbol for the devil who first tempted man. After the devil did this God said - ' I will put hatred between you and the woman and between your off spring and hers and he will crush your head and you will bruise his heal.'
My Question is - How do literal creationists read these passages. I assume since you read it literally, that anything that I might see refering to Jesus would have to be wrong in the eyes of a literalist, since there is no room for symbolic meaning in a literal understanding. But maybe I'm missing something. Can someone help me?

Yec dude here. Yes the devil spoke through the snake. The snake creature was just used. Snakes don't talk. The audience of the bible would be expected to understand this. In fact skeptics of the bible would have to say this is the authors intention. Likewise the snake was not killed but cursed along with all other creatures. Indeed the snake is one of the few creatures to have vestigial evidence, legs, of a previous anatomical state when if evolution was true this would be common. Despite losing its legs the snake is still within kind and so a example for all creature adaptation potential.
The snake being subtile was about the creature and not satan. Satan seeing this decided to enter the snake. Ece thought she was talking to the snake creature.
Yes this is where the reason is set up for a person to come and destroy the snake. This sets up about Abraham and his seed being the line to the snake destroyer.

 

[gluadys]

Yec dude here. Yes the devil spoke through the snake. The snake creature was just used. Snakes don't talk. The audience of the bible would be expected to understand this. In fact skeptics of the bible would have to say this is the authors intention. Likewise the snake was not killed but cursed along with all other creatures. Indeed the snake is one of the few creatures to have vestigial evidence, legs, of a previous anatomical state when if evolution was true this would be common. Despite losing its legs the snake is still within kind and so a example for all creature adaptation potential.
The snake being subtile was about the creature and not satan. Satan seeing this decided to enter the snake. Ece thought she was talking to the snake creature.
Yes this is where the reason is set up for a person to come and destroy the snake. This sets up about Abraham and his seed being the line to the snake destroyer.

So you agree that the snake is to be interpreted symbolically, not literally, and this would have been clear to the first audience.

 

[Mallon]

Indeed the snake is one of the few creatures to have vestigial evidence, legs, of a previous anatomical state when if evolution was true this would be common.

Don't forget whales, dolphins, caecilians, amphisbaenians, etc.