I have been requested by a couple of people to try and explain some issues that have been troubling their minds. So I dedicated this to CaptynGaza , james.whyte.104, DieGesteweldeKat en Bruning, who is my No 1 stalker.
Firstly I have to list a couple of verses, so that we all know what is being discussed…
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Gen%203&version=NKJV
Genesis 3
3 Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?”
2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; 3 but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’”
4 Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die.”
Luk 10: 18 – 21
The Seventy Return with Joy
17 Then the seventy[e] returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.”
18 And He said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. 20 Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather[f] rejoice because your names are written in heaven.”
Jesus Rejoices in the Spirit
21 In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight. 22 All[g] things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.”
23 Then He turned to His disciples and said privately, “Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see; 24 for I tell you that many prophets and kings have desired to see what you see, and have not seen it, and to hear what you hear, and have not heard it.”
Now for some back ground Jesus sent out other people to heal the sick and cast out demons in other towns. In vers 17 they returned.
Now, back to the talking snake…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shedim
I am quoting only the necessary, but feel free to read all of it. If there is doubt in your mind check other references, and check the footnotes references as well…
“Shedim is the Hebrew word for demons. The word shedim appears only twice (always plural) in the Tanakh, at Psalm 106:37 and Deuteronomy 32:17. It was possibly a loan-word from Akkadian in which the word sedu referred to a protective, benevolent spirit. Both times the term appears in the Tanakh, it deals with child or animal sacrifice to false gods that are called demons.”
“According to one legend, the shedim are descendants of serpents, or of demons in the form of serpents, alluding to in the serpent in Eden as related in Genesis.”
So the snake or serpent referred to in Genesis, was not a snake as we know it today, but a demon, in which ever form it was confined to. And here is why I say so.
Gen 3 : 14 So the Lord God said to the serpent:
“Because you have done this,
You are cursed more than all cattle(beasts),
And more than every beast of the field;
On your belly you shall go,
And you shall eat dust
All the days of your life.
15 And I will put enmity
Between you and the woman,
And between your seed and her Seed;
He shall bruise your head,
And you shall bruise His heel.”
The eating of dust refers to the custom that the followers would walk behind the Rabbi that taught them, and therefor whilst walking the dust from the Rabbi would be in their face, almost like eating his dust. The “ on your belly you will go” refers to being conquered and submitting to someones will.
Just to keep your attention here, verse 15 refers to the battle between the demons seed and that of the woman seed. This refers to Jesus and that of His mother. Maria didn’t not need the seed of a man to fall pregnant, hence Genesis doesn’t mention the seed of Adam, but only that of the woman.
“He shall bruise your head” refers to the words of Jesus spoken in Luk 10 : 19
“19 Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you”
Here Jesus speaks about man’s ability to cast out demons in God’s name. As can be seen, the returning disciples seemed arrogant that they could do this. Arrogant is a human trait thinking he is unconquerable. Jesus said they should be happier that their names are in the book of life, that all the accomplishments here on earth. It is good to note that none of the disciples could perform any miracles from thereon till after Jesus’s death, resurrection and Ascension. Arrogance has a price to pay…
Now I know this is known by some, and even ones that would disagree with it, using all the usual atheists comebacks. The one thing to keep in mind here is to check the facts, and consult others on the matter. And if you still don’t trust, then ask for guidance. He said” Ask and you shall receive”. Atheists, show the kind and compassionate trait that you favourite Christian, MerryMartin sees in you.
I sincerely hope this helps you, however if you choose to reject it, it remains a choice and should not say the answer didn’t suffice to your needs.
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