Showing posts with label snake. Show all posts
Showing posts with label snake. Show all posts

Thursday, 1 March 2012

Why did Eve listen to Satan and eat the forbidden fruit?

Wow! That’s an awesome question! There are actually two reasons and they kind of relate to each other. First, Eve was deceived by the serpent. That wily old snake came to Eve and confused her. He twisted God’s words (which, by the way, he does all the time with you and me) and made her question God.

Remember what he said to her? He first said, “Did God really say ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden?’” So, he first got her to question God. Then he said, “You will not surely die!” Again, making her question what God said!

Then, Satan added, “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Now here’s where it gets interesting. Satan first got Eve to question God, then he appealed to her pride. He told her she could be “like God.”

Did you know that pride is one of the sins God absolutely detests? In Proverbs 6:16-19, it lists seven things that are detestable to God and pride is listed first. That is because pride was the first sin ever committed, even before the creation of man. In fact, it was Lucifer (Satan) that committed the sin of pride when he wasn’t satisfied just being an angel and wanted to be “like God.” (Sound familiar?). His sin of pride also took a third of the angels with him.

So, Satan both deceived Eve and appealed to her pride, which caused her and Adam to eat the forbidden fruit. The result: sin entered mankind.

Now, if that were the end of the story, our lives would be hopeless! The Bible tells us that the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). But, God, in His infinite mercy and by unending grace gave us His One and Only Son, in the person of Jesus Christ, and it is through our acceptance of Jesus as our Lord and Savior that we are spared death and assured eternal life in Heaven. The key is that you have to accept that gift of grace. The beautiful part is, you don’t have to do anything to earn it! It’s His gift to you! Have you made that commitment yet? If you have, are you living out your faith every day?

Thursday, 28 July 2011

Who was the snake in the garden with Adam and Eve?

That is an awesome question!!! Although the Book of Genesis never actually refers to the snake, or serpent, as Satan, we can determine who this serpent was (or rather who was controlling and speaking through this serpent) from other passages of the Bible.

In Ezekiel 28:13, it indicates that Satan was in the Garden of Eden. The only other people that were in the garden were God, Adam and Eve. The snake spoke to Eve and we know that no other animals spoke to Adam or Eve. So, someone was speaking through the snake. And since the Bible shows that there were only four people in the garden, it stands to reason that Satan had possessed the snake.

Next, we can see from Revelation 12:9, 12:15 and 20:2 that the serpent is called “the devil and Satan” not once, but three times! When we combine those passages with what the Apostle Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 11:3, the identification of the serpent in the Garden of Eden with Satan is unmistakable.

Also, in Genesis 3:14-15 we see God cursing the snake. And in that passage it says that God will put “enmity” (which is hatred and warfare) between the seeds (future generations) of the snake and the woman. This makes no sense if the snake were simply a physical animal.

Finally, although the snake wasn’t actually the devil, the devil was working through the snake and had assumed the snake’s identity. Remember, this is very close to the time of creation or the beginning of time. And it says in 1 John 3:8, “He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.” Here it shows that Satan was around near the beginning of time, which further supports that he was in the Garden of Eden.

Additional Scripture Citations:

“You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone adorned you: ruby, topaz and emerald … Your settings and mountings were made of gold; on the day you were created they were prepared.” Ezekiel 28:13

“The great dragon was hurled down – that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.” Revelation 12:9

“Then from his mouth the serpent spewed water like a river, to overtake the woman and sweep her away with the torrent.” Revelation 12:15

“He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years.” Revelation 20:2

“But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.” 2 Corinthians 11:3