Truth really can be stranger than fiction.
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La verdad puede ser más extraña que la ficción.
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Was There A Curse On Helen's Romantic Life?
The Third Man by Angela Sheffield is based on a true story. Read chapter one now!
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¿Qué tiene que ver conmigo? por Teófila Gottfried
Lo que leemos en la Biblia tiene que ver con todos los seres humanos, sean cristianos o judíos, ateos o agnósticos, budistas, musulmanes o adherentes a alguna de las filosofías o nuevas religiones que surgen en el mundo. ¿Por qué? Ver mayor información sobre este interesante libro.
Scripture of The Day - St. John 14:6
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Escritura del día - San Juan 14,6
Jesús le dijo: Yo soy el camino, y la verdad, y la vida; nadie viene al Padre, sino por mí.
Bibelstelle des Tages - Johannes 14,6
Jesus spricht zu ihm: Ich bin der Weg und die Wahrheit und das Leben; niemand kommt zum Vater, denn durch mich!
A Talking Serpent in the Garden of Eden?
The Talking Serpent of Genesis
Genesis 3:1- reads, "Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And, he SAID unto the woman (Eve), Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?" There we have it in scripture--an animal that talked. Some have suggested that the talking serpent did not communicate with Eve in an audible voice, but rather he influenced her thoughts.
Good questions that have been raised include: Why didn't Eve think it strange that an animal spoke to her? Did the Devil take on the form of a serpent or did he possess the animal? Why did God curse the serpent, if he was simply an innocent animal used by Satan? Since God did curse the serpent, are we to think that animals can sin? Does scripture really answer any of these legitimate questions? Let's find out now.
Eve's Conversation With the Serpent: Audible or Mental?
The scripture of 2 Corinthians 4:3-4 is one of many that lets us know that Satan (the devil) is the god of this present world. However, in the beginning, he did not rule the world, righteous man ruled. We read, "...God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them...have DOMINION over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth." Before Adam and Eve sinned, they had dominion over the earth, including the animals, which included the serpent. Where there is dominion, there is communication. So, Adam and Eve, because they ruled over the animals as scripture declares, certainly were able to freely communicate with them.
What we don't know is whether the talking serpent spoke to Eve in an audible voice or whether he spoke to her mind. However, Christians who believe that he spoke audibly to her should not be considered gullible. Scripture says that the serpent SAID words to Eve. It does not say that he sent thoughts to her. Also, let's consider the scripture of 2 Corinthians 11:3-4, which says, "But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel...."
Adam and Eve had already received the gospel, which was very simple; it consisted of only one commandment: Do not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The serpent went to Eve with another "gospel," which said that they would not die if they ate from the forbidden tree. When Paul spoke to the Corinthians about the danger of being deceived into believing another gospel, he said, "...if he that cometh preacheth another gospel." Are we to think that the preachers of a false Jesus or a false gospel preached their doctrines by directing thoughts at people?
Although the enemy certainly is capable of influencing our thoughts, if we let him, he also uses people who have audible voices. Paul explains that, just as it was the devil "behind" the serpent's words to Eve, it is the same enemy behind the audible words of preachers of a false gospel. This comparison by the apostle Paul cannot be used to say dogmatically that the talking serpent in the garden of Eden was audible. But, it definitely confirms that the serpent has inspired, and continues to inspire the speaking of audible words that contradict God.
Let's also consider the truth that the Bible does confirm that animals have a thought process. We even have scripture that tells of when an animal was moved to actually talk! Numbers 22:30 reads, "And the ass said unto Ba'laam, Am not I thine ass, upon which thou hast ridden ever since I was thine unto this day? Was I ever wont to do so unto thee? And he (Ba'laam) said, Nay."
Did Ba'laam think it strange that his donkey spoke to him? No, he did not. Why would Eve, in the world in which she lived, have thought it strange that the most subtle of all animals in the field (Gen. 3:1), the serpent, spoke? Also, it should not be considered a wild idea that there was a talking serpent. Are not parakeets talking animals who need no spiritual influence to use their God-given vocal chords.
How Did Satan Use the Serpent?
Some people, including Christians, believe that the Devil possessed the serpent. Others, also including Christians, believe that he took on the form of the serpent. We can only go by what scripture reveals. There is no scripture that supports the belief that the devil took the form of a serpent. So, we do not believe that that is what he did. This means that he would have worked through the serpent. Scripture does not tell us whether he actually possessed him or not, only that he spoke through him. Let us not forget that Satan works in and through his ministers, who are the ministers of unrighteousness (2 Cor. 11:14-15).
We also see in scripture when God told his servant, Ezequiel, to speak directly to the devil who was behind the evil audible words and actions of a king. Notice that Ezekiel addressed the king himself with words that were not only for him, but for the evil entity that influenced or possessed him. We read, "Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, take up lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and SAY unto him, Thus saith the Lord God; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. Thou has been in Eden the garden of God..." (Ezekiel 28:11-13).
The king of Tyrus himself had never been in the garden of Eden, but Satan had. Adam and Eve are the only people who were ever in the garden of God. This is only one part of the passage that confirms that as Ezekiel addressed the king, he was also addressing the evil spirit "behind" the king--Satan himself.
The devil was able to use the king of Tyrus to work a diabolical plan. That same devil had already worked a diabolical plan in Eden through the talking serpent. Some might argue that the serpent could not have been used like the king, because he was an animal. Nevertheless, scripture told us that the serpent was the most subtle beast of the field (Gen. 3:1). That statement amounts to no less than calling the serpent a wise creature. Do we forget that Jesus said to his servants, "...Be ye therefore WISE AS SERPENTS..." (Mat 10:16).
The serpent was a wise creature, period. It had an intelligent thought process. Does this mean that it allowed itself to be used by Satan? Did the animal somehow cooperate with the enemy? Would this not mean then that the talking serpent sinned? There are a number of scriptures that do appear to suggest that animals might have enough of a thought process to sometimes willingly be instruments of the enemy (Satan).
In Genesis 9:2, we see that God spoke a strong fear of man into all of the animals. Man is wicked; therefore animals need to fear him. And, many animals have the strength to kill a man. So, the fear that God put into animals can be thought of as an intended protection for both sides. Nevertheless, we read of when a lion roared against Samson. The Spirit of God came over Samson, giving him the strength to tear the lion into pieces (Judges 14:5-6). Did that lion "defy" the spirit of fear that should have been in him? This sounds strangely familiar to the words of the apostle Peter, who taught that, "...the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour" (1 Peter 5:8).
Lions do not have a reputation for attacking people. They are animals; and into them was spoken the same fear of man as any other animal. Did Satan "inspire" the young roaring lion to attack God's servant, Samson? The Lord did not have to kill the lion. Remember that when Daniel was thrown into the Lion's den, God simply sent an angel to shut the lions' mouths (Daniel 6:22). He did not tear them into pieces like he did with the lion that roared against Samson.
We also read of when the Lord descended onto mount Sinai in Exodus 19:13. The scripture says, "...There shall not an hand touch it (mount Sinai), but he shall surely be stoned or shot through; whether it be beast or man, it shall not live...." Finally, we have the scripture of Exodus 21:28-29, which speaks of the law to stone an ox to death if he kills someone. If the ox had shown himself aggressive and the owner had been notified of this, but did not keep the animal restrained, both the owner and the ox were to die.
In either case, if the ox killed someone, God said that the animal was to be killed. But, is it really logical to think that animals have enough intelligence to cooperate with Satan like the talking serpent might have done? Again, animals have a thought process as has been proven by scripture. The scriptures also reveal that they have a spirit (Ecclesiastes 3:21).
Does that then mean that the talking serpent sinned just like Adam and Eve? Scriptures does NOT say that. We read, "...by one MAN sin entered the world... (Rom. 5:12). The scripture does NOT say that sin entered the world by one serpent. It says, "by one man." Remember, the truth that animals cannot sin like man can sin does not mean that they don't have enough of a thought-process to willingly cooperate with Satan.
Was it really Satan who was in or who worked through the talking serpent in the garden of Eden? We read, "And he laid hold on the dragon, that old SERPENT, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years" (Revelation 20:2).
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In Depth Bible Study by Heavenly Manna Vol. I
Based on true events, The Third Man by Angela Sheffield, brings the Bible up close and personal as the characters face real issues of life: Betrayal, deceit, romance, bitterness, anger against God, hopelessness, will power, perplexity, triumph, unforgiveness, mental illness, and the "Alcohol made me do it" excuse. Read chapter one FREE now.
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