Snake--serpent?

I think it is pretty much an SDA idea...

I believe the serpent had wings, and because Satan can transform himself into anything including an angel of light, I don't see why he wouldn't have changed himself into a serpent.
I guess from then on the snake was seen as 'evil/bad/deadly' etc, since God had banished him to crawling on his belly and eating dust.

(what I posted in the other topic

Satan had wings because he was a fallen angel, remember, so God took his wings away, and said he'd be like a snake. Satan can appear as anything, including an angel of light, so it wouldn't have been strange for him to appear as a snake.

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pwettyfunny said:

In another forum someone brought up the topic of the former serpent (now snake) in the Garden of Eden and how it looked looked. Wondering what had changed to make God say "upon thy belly shalt thou go".
Well, what immediately popped into my head that it had legs, wings and how it was once a beautiful creature, or something...
Thats what I was taught, but I really haven't studied it myself lol
Not many people there understand the same,so is this just an SDA thing?
Is this description found in Ellen Whites books?
If so which one? are there any other bible verses that describe it?

How do you understand the serpent to have looked?

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Here is a quote from Mrs. White from Patriarchs and Prophets, Ch.3 pp53-54: "The angels had cautioned Eve to beware of separating herself from her husband while occupied in their daily labor in the garden; with him she would be in less danger from temptation than if she were alone. But absorbed in her pleasing task, she unconsciously wandered from his side. On perceiving that she was alone, she felt an apprehension of danger, but dismissed her fears, deciding that she had sufficient wisdom and strength to discern evil and to withstand it. Unmindful of the angels' caution, she soon found herself gazing with mingled curiosity and admiration upon the forbidden tree. The fruit was very beautiful, and she questioned with herself why God had withheld it from them. Now was the tempter's opportunity. As if he were able to discern the workings of her mind, he addressed her: "Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?" Eve was surprised and startled as she thus seemed to hear the echo of her thoughts. But the serpent continued, in a musical voice, with subtle praise of her surpassing loveliness; and his words were not displeasing. Instead of fleeing from the spot she lingered wonderingly to hear a serpent speak. Had she been addressed by a being like the angels, her fears would have been excited; but she had no thought that the fascinating serpent could become the medium of the fallen foe. " hope this helps. May God bless you in your studying.

pwettyfunny said:

In another forum someone brought up the topic of the former serpent (now snake) in the Garden of Eden and how it looked looked. Wondering what had changed to make God say "upon thy belly shalt thou go".
Well, what immediately popped into my head that it had legs, wings and how it was once a beautiful creature, or something...
Thats what I was taught, but I really haven't studied it myself lol
Not many people there understand the same,so is this just an SDA thing?
Is this description found in Ellen Whites books?
If so which one? are there any other bible verses that describe it?

How do you understand the serpent to have looked?

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sorry i didn't quote it all. this paragraph comes right before the rest. "In order to accomplish his work unperceived, Satan chose to employ as his medium the serpent--a disguise well adapted for his purpose of deception. The serpent was then one of the wisest and most beautiful creatures on the earth. It had wings, and while flying through the air presented an appearance of dazzling brightness, having the color and brilliancy of burnished gold. Resting in the rich-laden branches of the forbidden tree and regaling itself with the delicious fruit, it was an object to arrest the attention and delight the eye of the beholder. Thus in the garden of peace lurked the destroyer, watching for his prey."

I don't think it's just an SDA idea, but the Bible doesn't say anything about snakes having wings before sin; it doesn't give us any details about what they looked like. The Bible just says that the snake was cursed to crawl on its belly afterward. The speculation about what snakes were like originally is probably tradition that's been handed down.

If it is a curse for the serpent to crawl on its belly afterwards, then it obviously didn't crawl on its belly before.

Many pagan religions depict their god in a winged serpent: the devil in its uncursed form.

OntheDL said:

If it is a curse for the serpent to crawl on its belly afterwards, then it obviously didn't crawl on its belly before.

Many pagan religions depict their god in a winged serpent: the devil in its uncursed form.

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That's true; however, snakes could just as easily have had legs but not wings that were taken away when they were cursed. We can't really say for sure just based on the Bible. That's why I say that these ideas have been handed down by tradition because we see them in the traditions of many cultures and religions.

Yeah, to think about it... the dragon is a serpent with wings and legs.

True.