If you cannot believe the genesis account....

[Arikay]

Or snake, same thing.
Although god cursed the snake with slithering on the ground and eating dirt, I never remember him taking away the snakes speaking ability, so that must mean snakes can talk.

 

[MQTA]

I always wondered why, of all the animals around, the serpent was speaking our language, especially if the serpent was so crafty.

Maybe they can talk, they're just "not talking to us any more", not after the last time! He told the truth and lost his legs!

 

[Skillz151]

Or snake, same thing.
Although god cursed the snake with slithering on the ground and eating dirt, I never remember him taking away the snakes speaking ability, so that must mean snakes can talk.

Actually the 'serpent' was meant to be symbolic or a symbol for Satan... Satan has a couple of different names such as Dragon,Serpent,Devil... Observe:

Revelation 12 : 9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

When God casted Him down and said you shall eat dust for the rest of your days, that simply meant that Satan (serpent) would no longer be able to leave Earth. He was then bound to this planet and no longer able to explore God's Universe...

 

[Arikay]

MQTA: LoL, yeah I bet that shut the rest of the animals up pretty quickly.


Skillz: Although I disagree that the snake is specifically the devil, I don't have my references so thats for another discussion. The symbolism does work though, but shhhh, we aren't talking symbolism right now, symbolism is an evil word when it comes to taking the bible literally.

Actually the 'serpent' was meant to be symbolic or a symbol for Satan... Satan has a couple of different names such as Dragon,Serpent,Devil... Observe:

Revelation 12 : 9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

When God casted Him down and said you shall eat dust for the rest of your days, that simply meant that Satan (serpent) would no longer be able to leave Earth. He was then bound to this planet and no longer able to explore God's Universe...

 

[lucaspa]

Actually the 'serpent' was meant to be symbolic or a symbol for Satan... Satan has a couple of different names such as Dragon,Serpent,Devil... Observe:

Revelation 12 : 9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

When God casted Him down and said you shall eat dust for the rest of your days, that simply meant that Satan (serpent) would no longer be able to leave Earth. He was then bound to this planet and no longer able to explore God's Universe...

This interpretation ignores Job. After Satan supposedly betrays God in Genesis, Satan is still God's betting buddy in Job and God trusts him enough to do his commands and nothing more! Also, do you really think that Satan went out and bred so that all snakes today are his descendents?!

Sorry, but Revelation simply calls Satan a serpent; it doesn't mean that the serpent in Genesis 3 was Satan.

BTW, if you really believe that, why aren't creationists sequencing the DNA of snakes. After all, you should be able to get Satan's DNA that way! Or do "heavenly beings" have DNA? Anyway, finding DNA that is totally different from other DNA on earth would go a long way to "proving" this version of creationism, wouldn't it?

 

[MQTA]

Actually the 'serpent' was meant to be symbolic or a symbol for Satan... Satan has a couple of different names such as Dragon,Serpent,Devil... Observe:

Revelation 12 : 9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

When God casted Him down and said you shall eat dust for the rest of your days, that simply meant that Satan (serpent) would no longer be able to leave Earth. He was then bound to this planet and no longer able to explore God's Universe...

Where's that said? I never understood the connection to Satan in the OT. Revelation is the NT. The symbolism didn't occur until then, no?

 

[Skillz151]

This interpretation ignores Job. After Satan supposedly betrays God in Genesis, Satan is still God's betting buddy in Job and God trusts him enough to do his commands and nothing more!

What does this have to do with anything I've said?

Also, do you really think that Satan went out and bred so that all snakes today are his descendents?!

What?!?!?! I don't understand what you are trying to say....

Sorry, but Revelation simply calls Satan a serpent; it doesn't mean that the serpent in Genesis 3 was Satan.

Ok then who was it? An actuall snake... Bahaha

BTW, if you really believe that, why aren't creationists sequencing the DNA of snakes. After all, you should be able to get Satan's DNA that way! Or do "heavenly beings" have DNA? Anyway, finding DNA that is totally different from other DNA on earth would go a long way to "proving" this version of creationism, wouldn't it?[/

I'm lost? Sequencing the DNA of snakes?? Either A. I Don't understand what you are saying B. You don't know what you are saying or C. You're misunderstanding what I'm saying.

Please clarify.... I'm not saying that it was an ACTUAL SNAKE. I'm saying that the 'serpent' is Satan. The serpent symbolizes Satan.. Just as the Dragon symbolizes Satan. Not that Satan is an actual snake or an actual dragon.

 

[Skillz151]

Where's that said? I never understood the connection to Satan in the OT. Revelation is the NT. The symbolism didn't occur until then, no?

It is said right here...

Revelation 12 : 9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

That old serpent CALLED the Devil and Satan. IT IS THE SAME ENTITY. The serpent IS Satan. And there is symbolism all throughout Scripture... not just in revelation.

For instance the book of Daniel is saturated with symbolism... The pharoah's dream's...you know, with the 7 fat and thin cows, representing 7 fruitfull years and 7 years famine. Not to mention the Millennium
Statue with the Head of Gold, arms and chest of silver etc... which symbolize different Kingdoms....

 

[TheSleepWalker]

Please clarify.... I'm not saying that it was an ACTUAL SNAKE. I'm saying that the 'serpent' is Satan. The serpent symbolizes Satan.. Just as the Dragon symbolizes Satan. Not that Satan is an actual snake or an actual dragon.

Then if the serpent was a symbol then maybe the tree of life was a symbol also.. and maybe Adam and Eve where symbols also. Thank you for defending our point

 

[Pondering]

ANYONE, and Ill confirm Im saying this .....ANYONE........, who tries to say that Genesis 1 is refering to ANYTHING other than single earth-rotation days is either; 1) bold-faced lying; 2) dazed and confused; 3) too lazy to study the Hebrew and the language in Genesis 1.......

No animals were harmed in the making of this comment.....

Hi. I am 2)Dazed and confused, and 3)too lazy to study the Hebrew language. But quite happy to read the work of lots of other people who have studied and learnt Hebrew. There are so many good resources out there now. Even some good ones that look not only at the Hebrew language employed in Genisis 1, but also look at the cultural understanding of what Narrative, story, faith and theology had to do with each other. Personally, I tend towards the 1 day thing, but there are some very very good cases to be made out there for the idea that a scientific understanding of creation was not the intention of the writers. Yeah, thats what I believe. No I don't, I think that common near middle eastern myth of formlessness and void as part of the great cosmic battle suggest a gap between v1 and v2. NO Wait, it because of the words used Bara and the other one, yeah, 1 day, thats what I believe.
I think I just stood on the cat. But only ONE animal was slightly maimed during this post. John Drane who is not 1, 2 or 3 had some good stuff to say about that, but I can't remember where I put that book.

Ponderingly

(ok some small insects as well, but that was an accident.)

 

[Nathan Poe]

Actually the 'serpent' was meant to be symbolic or a symbol for Satan... Satan has a couple of different names such as Dragon,Serpent,Devil... Observe:

Revelation 12 : 9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

When God casted Him down and said you shall eat dust for the rest of your days, that simply meant that Satan (serpent) would no longer be able to leave Earth. He was then bound to this planet and no longer able to explore God's Universe...

ANYONE who tries to say that the serpent in Genesis is ANYTHING other than a serpent is either 1) bold-faced lying 2) dazed and confused 3) too lazy to read the book.

 

[JohnR7]

Satan is still God's betting buddy in Job and God trusts him enough to do his commands

God trusts him? God is only going to send one (1) angel to bind satan in chains and throw him into the bottomless pit. I do not think it is so much a question of trust as it is perdictability. That is why you are either in or out with God. He does not allow people to sit on the fense very long. The reason being is he can not perdict what someone will do if they are in and out back and forth with Him. That is why people need to fully commit, and be all the way in with God. Otherwise they may find themselves on the outside looking in.

Also, if God can command the limit to the ocean, and can so you can only go so far and no further. God can put a limit on people or satan also.

 

[JohnR7]

1) bold-faced lying 2) dazed and confused 3) too lazy to read the book.

Interesting how people are "too lazy" to read the book.
But they can feed on junk books all day long.
Just like some people are to lazy to put up a proper post.
But they can put up junk posts all day long.
Present company excluded of course

 

[the_cloaked_crusader]

[randomly posting]
A better question would be how someone could call God "loving" and "just", and yet have millions of years of death and mayhem and natural selection before man even exists, let alone sins . . .
[/randomly posting]

 

[lucaspa]

God trusts him? God is only going to send one (1) angel to bind satan in chains and throw him into the bottomless pit.

Yes, God trusts Satan in the book of Job. God sends Satan out to deprive Job of all his property. Then later God sends Satan out to hurt Job but not to kill him. Both times God is trusting Satan not to exceed God's wishes!

That is why you are either in or out with God.

Well, that doesn't apply if Satan is the serpent in Eden. So you have made one more argument that the serpent is not Satan. After all, the serpent is out in Genesis 3, but Satan is in in Job. So, by your logic, John, the serpent can't possibly be Satan.

 

[the_cloaked_crusader]

God trusts Satan in the book of Job

I think a better interpretation would be that God knows Satan can't do anything outside God's command. God's will is worked no matter what. And God wasn't just on the throne in heaven, he was down in the house with Job, too. Satan knew this; he couldn't get away with anything.

 

[lucaspa]

[randomly posting]
A better question would be how someone could call God "loving" and "just", and yet have millions of years of death and mayhem and natural selection before man even exists, let alone sins . . .
[/randomly posting]

Simple. Death is not the "evil" you make it out to be. Death is simply part of life. You are born and the second law of thermodynamics guarantees that you will die sometime.

What mattered in Genesis 2-3 was not whether Adam and Eve were going to physcially die; they were. What mattered was whether they were with God or cut off from Him. The "death" there was a spiritual death. After all, God tells Adam he will die "in the day" he eats the fruit. But Adam lives for another 930 years! Yet as soon as Adam and Eve eat the fruit, they are hiding from God. They are immediately cut off from Him.

The punishment for their disobedience is very specific and very limited. There's nothing in the text to support the Fundamentalist theory that all of creation was changed.

 

[lucaspa]

I think a better interpretation would be that God knows Satan can't do anything outside God's command. God's will is worked no matter what. And God wasn't just on the throne in heaven, he was down in the house with Job, too.

Not according to a literal reading of Job. God sits up in heaven and Satan is the one wandering about on earth. If Satan had wanted the sores to kill Job, there's nothing in the text of Job to suggest Satan could not have done that. As I said, Satan is God's betting buddy there, not the betrayer of the serpent in Genesis 3.
Job 1:12 "All right," the Lord said to Satan, "everything he has is in your power, but you must not hurt Job himself."

2:6 "So the Lord said to Satan, "All right, he is in your power, but you are not to kill him."

Of course, Satan then wins the bet, because Job begins cursing God, just as Satan predicted!

 

[Nathan David]

ANYONE, and Ill confirm Im saying this .....ANYONE........, who tries to say that Genesis 1 is refering to ANYTHING other than single earth-rotation days is either; 1) bold-faced lying; 2) dazed and confused; 3) too lazy to study the Hebrew and the language in Genesis 1.

Was Augustine bold-faced lying, dazed and confused, or too lazy to study the Hebrew?

 

[Nathan David]

Actually the 'serpent' was meant to be symbolic or a symbol for Satan

So the six days and order of creation are literal, but the serpent is symbolic. Gotcha.