A Little Light Reading.
The Savior And The Serpent.
Doug Bachelor.
And as Moses lifted up the serpent
in the wilderness, even so must
the Son of Man be lifted up, that
whoever believes in Him should
not perish but have eternal life
(John 3:14, 15).
An Amazing Fact: It is estimated that between
30,000 and 40,000 people die from snakebites
each year, 75 percent of whom live in densely
populated India. The most deadly snakes in
the savior &
the serpent
by doug batchelor
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India are the cobra, Russell’s viper, and the
Indian krait. Burma has the highest snakebite
mortality rate, however, with 15.4 deaths per
100,000 people per year. Ironically, Australia
has some of the world’s most poisonous snakes,
but the average death toll there is only six
persons per year. In South America about
4,500 people die annually from contact with
the Fer-de-lance. None of the snakes already
mentioned are found in the United States,
where the chief offenders are coral snakes,
copperheads, cottonmouths, and rattlesnakes.
Four times in one year, John Fretwell’s
air conditioning equipment com-
pany in Dallas was robbed. Fed up
with it, Fretwell went up to Oklahoma
for a snake hunt and brought back what
might be the ultimate in burglar protec-
tion: seven diamondback rattlesnakes.
During business hours, he now displays
the snakes in the window of his business
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office, labeled with a sign: DANGER:
SNAKES BITE.
Before going home at night, he frees
the five-foot rattlers to glide around the
premises. In the morning, armed with a
hooked stick and a burlap bag, he rounds
them up. The seven rattlers seem to be
working like a charm to ward off burglars.
The key to his success is that most
people find these creatures among the
most revolting and terrorizing beasts on
Earth. My mother was so deathly afraid of
snakes that she would jump around and
scream even if she saw one on TV. My
brother and I would sometimes capitalize
on her phobia by placing a rubber snake
in her dresser drawer to enjoy a cruel
laugh when she discovered it.
Why Study Snakes?
Few people relish the idea of studying
snakes. It might not sound like a very ap-
pealing subject, but these cold-blooded,
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legless reptiles are mentioned in Scripture
from Genesis to Revelation. The
Scriptures are an epic record of the battles
between our Savior and the serpent and,
ultimately, how Jesus wins the war. This is
why it is very profitable for us to compel
ourselves to consider these unusual crea-
tures, which are often used to symbolize
the enemy.
Throughout the Bible, the serpent
generally represents the devil. It was in
the form of a snake that the devil first
manifested himself to the human race
(Genesis 3:1). Through the snake in the
forbidden tree, our first parents were en-
ticed to sin, hence the symbol stuck all the
way to Revelation 20:2, where he is called
“the dragon, that serpent of old, who is
the Devil and Satan.”
There can be some great benefits to
understanding this slithery creature,
which has traits analogous to our enemy.
When I lived in the desert hills as a young
man, rattlesnakes were abundant. A basic
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knowledge about their habits and behav-
ior helped me to avoid ever being bit, de-
spite several close encounters.
The Bible says that “the serpent was
more cunning than any beast of the
field which the Lord God had made”
(Genesis 3:1). Perhaps this is why Jesus
commands us to be “wise as serpents and
harmless as doves” (Matthew 10:16). In
order to be as “wise as serpents,” we must
understand at least a little something
about them.
Master Counterfeiter
Snakes are the ultimate experts in cam-
ouflage and counterfeits. Whether hiding
in the grass or entwined in the branches
of a tree, they are masters at blending into
the scenery to remain undetected. When
threatened, the harmless bull snake will
coil up and vibrate its tail in the dry leaves
to sound and look like its venomous cous-
in, the rattler.
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Satan, too, is a clever counterfeiter.
In Revelation 12:9 he is called “that ser-
pent of old...who deceives the whole
world.” For every truth of God, Satan has
a convincing counterfeit. He has counter-
feit baptisms, a counterfeit Holy Spirit,
a counterfeit of speaking in tongues, a
counterfeit Sabbath, and even a counter-
feit for love.
In the Exodus story, the Pharaoh’s ma-
gicians were able—to a point—to coun-
terfeit the power and miracles of God.
So Moses and Aaron went in to
Pharaoh … just as the Lord com-
manded. And Aaron cast down
his rod before Pharaoh and before
his servants, and it became a ser-
pent. But Pharaoh also called the
wise men and the sorcerers; so the
magicians of Egypt, they also did
in like manner with their enchant-
ments. For every man threw down
his rod, and they became serpents.
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But Aaron’s rod swallowed up their
rods (Exodus 7:10–12).
Likewise, Satan is most dangerous and
effective when he is imitating God’s mir-
acles and messengers. “And no wonder!
For Satan himself transforms himself into
an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14).
Flying Dragons
In the Scriptures, the devil is called
both a serpent and a dragon. Among
many cultures around the world, stories
and legends abound regarding flying
dragons. These images can be frequently
seen in their ancient carvings and art.
Legends are generally rooted in some
element of truth, and this appears to be the
case with flying dragons. Paleontologists
have found amazing fossil evidence
all over the globe of giant flying rep-
tiles called pterosaurs, or “winged liz-
ards.” Pterosaurs were flying reptiles,
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some with a wingspan of nearly 40 feet.
(That’s about the size of a small Cessna
airplane!) They appear to be the largest
flying animals that ever lived on Earth.
They had lightly-built, hollow bones but
300-pound bodies. By comparison, the
heaviest bird alive today, a Kori Bustard, is
only 42 pounds.
The pterosaur had a long, thin beak
with toothless jaws. The neck was 10
feet long, and the legs were more than
seven feet. To someone watching from
the ground, the long legs trailing behind
a flying pterosaur might have looked
like a pointed tail. The pterosaur had a
large brain and big eyes, and a fur-like
fuzz might have even covered some of its
body. We can’t tell from the bones, but
it is also possible that some of these ex-
tinct “dragons” were red. It had a bony
crest on its head that some think acted as
a rudder for flying. Other scientists have
surmised that the chambers in the skull
could have contained chemicals, like the
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bombardier beetle, that were mixed and
expelled, spraying a fiery liquid from its
mouth. Some of these creatures might
have survived long after the Flood. The
Greek historian Herodotus wrote about
“winged serpents” living in Arabia in the
fifth century before Christ.
According to the Bible, at least one
dragon has managed to survive much lon-
ger than that! “He laid hold of the dragon,
that serpent of old, who is the Devil and
Satan, and bound him for a thousand
years” (Revelation 20:2).
The Bible itself alludes to the existence
of flying serpents. One prophecy states,
“Do not rejoice, all you of Philistia, be-
cause the rod that struck you is broken;
for out of the serpent’s roots will come
forth a viper, and its offspring will be a fi-
ery flying serpent” (Isaiah 14:29).
Genesis 3:14 even explains why we do
not see flying snakes today. “So the Lord
God said to the serpent: ‘Because you
have done this, you are cursed more than
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all cattle, 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.’ ”
If the serpent was cursed to go upon his
belly after he tempted Eve, it is obvious
that before the curse, he propelled him-
self differently.
Satan is called “the prince of the power
of the air, the spirit who now works in the
sons of disobedience” (Ephesians 2:2).
Just as the serpent was grounded by the
curse, the fallen angel Lucifer also had
his wings clipped when he was cast to
the earth.
Satan and the Sword
The first question found in Scripture is
actually posed by the serpent, who sought
to discredit God’s words. He asked Eve,
“Hath God said?” (Genesis 3:1).
From that first insidious query to the
present, Satan has been ever seeking to
cast doubt on the Word of God in order
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to undermine the faith of God’s chil-
dren. Sin, suffering, and death entered
the world after Satan succeeded in lead-
ing our first parents to disbelieve God’s
words. Planting seeds of doubt regarding
the dependability of Scripture remains
the devil’s primary war tactic.
Jesus explained this truth in His par-
able of the sower. “Behold, a sower went
out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed
fell by the wayside; and the birds came and
devoured them” (Matthew 13:3,4). Later,
explaining the parable, Jesus says, “When
anyone hears the word of the kingdom,
and does not understand it, then the wick-
ed one comes and snatches away what was
sown in his heart. This is he who received
seed by the wayside” (Matthew 13:19).
However, victory comes to God’s chil-
dren when they embrace and believe the
powerful promises in the Word, “by which
Heidi Smith been given to us exceedingly great
and precious promises, that through these
you may be partakers of the divine nature,
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having escaped the corruption that is in
the world through lust” (2 Peter 1:4).
When Jesus did combat with the arch
villain in the wilderness of temptation, He
deflected every assault with a word from
Scripture. Indeed, the serpent trembles
when God’s people take hold of the living
sword of His Word! (See Hebrews 4:12.)
The Snake and the Seed
Genesis 3:14, 15 is where we find the
first prophecy recorded in the Bible, and
this prediction tells of the ongoing battle
that would exist throughout mankind’s
history between the woman (the church)
and the serpent (Satan). This passage
also promises the ultimate victory of the
woman’s seed (the coming Savior), who
would crush the head of the snake.
Verse 15 says, “And I will put enmity
between you and the woman, and be-
tween your seed and her Seed; He shall
bruise your head, and you shall bruise
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His heel.” The seed of the woman is, of
course, Jesus.
Now a great sign appeared in heav-
en: a woman clothed with the sun,
with the moon under her feet, and
on her head a garland of twelve
stars. Then being with child, she
cried out in labor and in pain to give
birth. And another sign appeared
in heaven: behold, a great, fiery red
dragon having seven heads and ten
horns, and seven diadems on his
heads. His tail drew a third of the
stars of heaven and threw them to
the earth. And the dragon stood
before the woman who was ready
to give birth, to devour her Child
as soon as it was born. She bore a
male Child who was to rule all na-
tions with a rod of iron. And her
Child was caught up to God and
His throne (Revelation 12:1–5).
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Notice in the Genesis prophecy that
the serpent bites the heel of the woman’s
seed, not the toe. The heel is the back of
the foot, the lowest part of the body. Satan
gets us from behind, when we are at our
lowest point. Likewise, he came to Jesus
when He was weak and tired after 40 days
of fasting.
The good news is that Satan only man-
ages to bruise the heel of Christ and the
church; the church continues to limp
along, so to speak. On the other hand, the
serpent receives a mortal wound to the
head, promising the ultimate victory of
Jesus over the devil.
Power Over Serpents
When the Lord commissioned Moses
to return to Egypt and lead His people to
freedom, at first the great leader was reluc-
tant. Then the Lord gave Moses a strange
command concerning his shepherd’s rod.
“And He said, ‘Cast it on the ground.’ So
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he cast it on the ground, and it became a
serpent; and Moses fled from it. Then the
Lord said to Moses, ‘Reach out your hand
and take it by the tail’ (and he reached out
his hand and caught it, and it became a
rod in his hand)” (Exodus 4:3, 4).
A rod in the Bible is a symbol of
power (Revelation 12:5) and protection
(Psalm 23:4). When Moses’ rod turned
into a serpent, it signaled that God would
give him power over and protection from
the forces of evil as he ventured into the
snake pit of Pharaoh’s palace. This same
power is promised to all of God’s children
who seek to work with Jesus to liberate
others from slavery to Satan.
Luke 10:19 states, “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.” And Psalm 91:13 declares, “You
shall tread upon the lion and the cobra,
The young lion and the serpent you shall
trample underfoot.”
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Don’t Play With Snakes
A rattlesnake only two minutes old can
strike effectively. During a family picnic,
a two-year-old girl discovered a brood of
baby rattlesnakes. The unsuspecting child
began to play with what she thought were
merely pretty worms, until she had been
repeatedly bitten beyond hope.
Likewise, some people feel there is no
harm in toying with the devil. Or they be-
lieve that little sins are harmless and in-
consequential, but these “baby” sins often
prove more fatal in the long run than the
more robust transgressions.
While we should never tempt the devil,
we also should not fear him. This power
over evil is what Jesus was talking about
when He said, “And these signs will fol-
low those who believe … they will take up
serpents” (Mark 16:17, 18).
Some misguided pastors have inter-
preted this passage to mean that Christians
should double as snake charmers and
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prove their faith by collecting and han-
dling rattlesnakes or other venomous vi-
pers. For obvious reasons, the member-
ship in these congregations has always
remained small. But the New Testament
account of Paul’s shipwreck reveals how
to correctly interpret this passage:
Now when they had escaped, they
then found out that the island
was called Malta. And the natives
showed us unusual kindness; for
they kindled a fire and made us all
welcome, because of the rain that
was falling and because of the cold.
But when Paul had gathered a bun-
dle of sticks and laid them on the
fire, a viper came out because of the
heat, and fastened on his hand. So
when the natives saw the creature
hanging from his hand, they said to
one another, “No doubt this man is
a murderer, whom, though he has
escaped the sea, yet justice does not
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allow to live.” But he shook off the
creature into the fire and suffered
no harm. However, they were ex-
pecting that he would swell up or
suddenly fall down dead. But after
they had looked for a long time and
saw no harm come to him, they
changed their minds and said that
he was a god (Acts 28:1–6).
Notice that Paul did not go looking
for this snake, but after it bit him he took
it up and hurled it into the fire. Just as
God saved Paul from the venom of that
serpent, He will save us from the poison
of sin. However, we are never to delib-
erately seek out snakes to flirt with di-
saster. That would be tempting the Lord
(Matthew 4:7).
Most Famous Verse
Probably one of the most well-known,
beloved, and memorized verses in the
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Bible is John 3:16. But if you were to ask
the average Christian what the two verses
are that precede John 3:16, I would ven-
ture to guess not one person in 50 could
quote them. Yet that immortal verse we
all know is actually the continuation of a
thought begun in the preceding two vers-
es. Here they are all together:
And as Moses lifted up the serpent in
the wilderness, even so must the Son
of man be lifted up: that whosoever
believeth in him should not perish,
but have eternal life. For God so loved
the world, that he gave his only be-
gotten Son, that whosoever believeth
in him should not perish, but have
everlasting life (John 3:14–16 KJV).
These three verses together encap-
sulate the entire great controversy be-
tween the serpent and the Lord. Let’s look
back at the original story to which Jesus
was alluding:
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And the people spoke against God
and against Moses: “Why have you
brought us up out of Egypt to die
in the wilderness? For there is no
food and no water, and our soul
loathes this worthless bread.” So the
Lord sent fiery serpents among the
people, and they bit the people; and
many of the people of Israel died
(Numbers 21:5, 6).
Remember that sin first entered the
world when the serpent succeeded in
tempting our first parents to doubt God’s
Word. Like Adam and Eve, the chil-
dren of Israel also became dissatisfied
with the food God was providing them
and wanted something more. “Nor let
us tempt Christ, as some of them also
tempted, and were destroyed by serpents”
(1 Corinthians 10:9).
In this story, after the children of Israel
rejected God’s bread (a symbol for Jesus
and the Word), the serpents bit them. It is
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the Word of God that keeps people from
sin (Psalm 119:11). Let’s read on:
Therefore the people came to
Moses, and said, “We have sinned,
for we have spoken against the
Lord and against you; pray to the
Lord that He take away the ser-
pents from us.” So Moses prayed
for the people. Then the Lord said
to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent,
and set it on a pole; and it shall be
that everyone who is bitten, when
he looks at it, shall live.” So Moses
made a bronze serpent, and put it
on a pole; and so it was, if a serpent
had bitten anyone, when he looked
at the bronze serpent, he lived
(Numbers 21:7–9).
The Lord did not immediately take
away the serpents, but He provided a
remedy. Likewise, the devil might still
be in our world, but God has provided
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healing for sin as we behold “the Lamb of
God who takes away the sin of the world”
(John 1:29).
Snake on a Stick
But why did God ask Moses to do this,
and what did it mean? For this nation of
shepherds, the serpent lifted on a pole
served as a vivid symbol that they all well
understood. Snakes are a deadly menace
to sheep. A dog might get bit by a rattle-
snake yet survive without special treat-
ment, but sheep are much more fragile.
This is one of the reasons why shepherds
carried a rod.
When I lived in the desert wilderness,
I had a snake stick that served a couple of
purposes. If I found a venomous intrud-
er in my cave, I would club it to “bruise
his head.” But a mortally wounded snake
still might continue to thrash and writhe
for hours. So rather than grab it with my
hand, I would lift it up with the rod to
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move it far away from my premises or
a trail.
A snake on a stick is a vivid sym-
bol of a defeated serpent. Beyond this,
there is a much richer prophetic signifi-
cance to this symbol. Christian author
E.G. White writes:
All who have ever lived upon the
earth have felt the deadly sting of
‘that old serpent, called the devil,
and Satan.’ Revelation 12:9. The
fatal effects of sin can be removed
only by the provision that God has
made. The Israelites saved their lives
by looking upon the uplifted ser-
pent. That look implied faith. They
lived because they believed God’s
word, and trusted in the means
provided for their recovery. So the
sinner may look to Christ, and live.
He receives pardon through faith
in the atoning sacrifice. Unlike the
inert and lifeless symbol, Christ has
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power and virtue in Himself to heal
the repenting sinner (Patriarchs
and Prophets, p. 431).
She also writes, “The people well knew
that in itself the serpent had no power to
help them. It was a symbol of Christ. As
the image made in the likeness of the de-
stroying serpents was lifted up for their
healing, so One made ‘in the likeness of
sinful flesh’ was to be their Redeemer”
(The Desire of Ages, p. 174).
Jesus said, “And I, if I am lifted up from
the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself ”
(John 12:32). It is by looking to Jesus on
the cross that we are drawn by His love for
us. By gazing in faith at our Redeemer’s
sacrifice, we are saved from the sting of
the serpent.
Again, God did not take away the
serpents but instead provided a remedy.
This world is something of a snake pit;
as long as we are in this world, we will
have to contend with the devil. However,
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God has provided an abundance of anti-
venom in the blood of Jesus to save us
from the viper’s bite! When Jesus was on
the cross, although His heel was pain-
fully bruised, the serpent’s head was
mortally crushed.
Good Luck Charms
God did not intend for the bronze ser-
pent Moses forged and elevated on the
stick to become an idol. Nevertheless, this
bronze relic somehow managed to sur-
vive all the wanderings and battles of the
Israelites for more than 700 years. Most
of the surrounding pagan Canaanite na-
tions worshiped serpents as gods of fer-
tility and mystical power. Over time, the
Israelites began to imitate their neighbors
and to treat this symbol of God’s forgive-
ness as a deity in and of itself.
Pelumi Hezekiah removed the high
places and broke the sacred pillars,
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cut down the wooden image and
broke in pieces the bronze serpent
that Moses had made; for until
those days the children of Israel
burned incense to it, and called it
Nehushtan [something made of
copper] (2 Kings 18:4).
Like the ancient Israelites, millions
around the world today are inadver-
tently worshiping the serpent thinking
they are worshiping the Lord. They have
slowly and unwittingly been sucked into
base idolatry.
Indeed, many Christians have done
the same thing with the symbol of the
cross as the ancient Israelites did with the
bronze serpent. But as the Israelites were
not to worship the serpent on the pole,
we are not to bow down to the cross.
Neither are we commanded anywhere in
Scripture to make the sign of the cross
or to wear a cross on our persons. While
the symbol of the cross has evolved into
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a logo for Christianity, there is no mys-
tical power or virtue in praying to this
shape of the ancient Roman implement
of torture.
When Jesus said to His disciples, “If
anyone desires to come after Me, let him
deny himself, and take up his cross, and
follow Me,” He was commanding His fol-
lowers to bear the cross, not to wear the
cross (Matthew 16:24).
Revelation speaks of being saved not
by the cross, but by the blood of Jesus. It
was the cross as a demonstration of Jesus’
love and sacrifice that Paul and the dis-
ciples exalted, not the revolting instru-
ment itself. Hebrews 12:2 says, “Looking
unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our
faith, who for the joy that was set before
Him endured the cross, despising the
shame, and has sat down at the right hand
of the throne of God.” The redemption
of the cross is what should be the focus
of Christians.
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The Cup of Sin
In the Topkapi Museum in Istanbul,
Turkey, there rests a very precious goblet.
In the center of the inside of that goblet
is a gold serpent. It has ruby eyes and
diamond fangs; its mouth is open, ap-
pearing ready to strike. When the goblet
is filled with wine, the red liquid covers
the snake. As the wine is drunk, suddenly
the serpent with its menacing appearance
is revealed.
Jesus, nearing the time of His cruci-
fixion, shrank from the thought of sin
and separation from the Father when He
prayed, “O My Father, if it is possible, let
this cup pass from Me” (Matthew 26:39).
Yet humbling Himself, He drank the cup
of sin down to the dregs. “Nevertheless,
not as I will, but as You will.” At Calvary,
the serpent, which had been lingering
through it all, struck with all of his dia-
bolical vengeance. The intensity of evil …
Jesus bore it all!
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Defeated Foe
Some have wondered, “If Satan was
defeated by Jesus on the cross, then why
do we still see and feel so much evidence
of his evil works?” The devil knows he
was defeated at the cross, but he is crazed
with pride and anger. In order to inflict
as much heartache on God as possible, he
continues to fight tenaciously, wanting to
take down with him as many human be-
ings as possible.
Revelation 12:12 declares, “Woe to the
inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For
the devil has come down to you, having
great wrath, because he knows that he
has a short time.” Satan is now thrash-
ing about wildly in his final death throes,
striking any and all within his reach.
However, the Bible promises that, ul-
timately, Satan and his angels will be cast
into the lake of fire. This also holds true
for those people who follow the devil.
“Serpents, brood of vipers! How can
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you escape the condemnation of hell?”
(Matthew 23:33).
The good news is that in heaven, we
will no longer need to walk through the
woods in fear. Isaiah 11:8, 9 describes a
paradise without harmful snakes:
The nursing child shall play by the
cobra’s hole, and the weaned child
shall put his hand in the viper’s den.
They shall not hurt nor destroy in
all My holy mountain, for the earth
shall be full of the knowledge of the
Lord as the waters cover the sea.
In the Father’s Hands
A father and his eight-year-old daugh-
ter were driving down a busy highway one
balmy summer afternoon. Suddenly the
little girl screamed and covered her head.
A honeybee had flown in one of the open
windows and was buzzing angrily around
the cab looking for a way out.
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What so terrified the child was that,
after having nearly died from them once
before, she knew she was deathly allergic
to bee stings. The father reached for the
bee as it was buzzing, cornered between
the windshield and the dashboard. The
determined little creature escaped his
grasp and now looked even more furious.
The young girl pled, “Daddy! He’s going
to sting me! I’ll die!”
The father tried to calm her. “Don’t
worry, sweetie. He can’t hurt you now.”
“But, Daddy, he’s getting closer!”
Then the father held out his right hand
to his frightened daughter; there she saw
a little stinger in his palm. “I took the
stinger so he can’t hurt you now. All he
can do is buzz around till he dies.”
We can also rest assured Satan is
doomed. Jesus has taken the venom of the
enemy into His own body that we might
be saved. Yes, the devil might still be
rampaging through this world, but God’s
children don’t need to be frightened. Jesus
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promised, “You are of God, little children,
and have overcome them, because He
who is in you is greater than he who is in
the world” (1 John 4:4).
A Little Light Reading.
The Savior And The Serpent.
Doug Bachelor.
And as Moses lifted up the serpent
in the wilderness, even so must
the Son of Man be lifted up, that
whoever believes in Him should
not perish but have eternal life
(John 3:14, 15).
An Amazing Fact: It is estimated that between
30,000 and 40,000 people die from snakebites
each year, 75 percent of whom live in densely
populated India. The most deadly snakes in
the savior &
the serpent
by doug batchelor
The Savior and the Serpent Text.indd 1 12/20/11 10:19 AM 2 The Savior & the Serpent
India are the cobra, Russell’s viper, and the
Indian krait. Burma has the highest snakebite
mortality rate, however, with 15.4 deaths per
100,000 people per year. Ironically, Australia
has some of the world’s most poisonous snakes,
but the average death toll there is only six
persons per year. In South America about
4,500 people die annually from contact with
the Fer-de-lance. None of the snakes already
mentioned are found in the United States,
where the chief offenders are coral snakes,
copperheads, cottonmouths, and rattlesnakes.
Four times in one year, John Fretwell’s
air conditioning equipment com-
pany in Dallas was robbed. Fed up
with it, Fretwell went up to Oklahoma
for a snake hunt and brought back what
might be the ultimate in burglar protec-
tion: seven diamondback rattlesnakes.
During business hours, he now displays
the snakes in the window of his business
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office, labeled with a sign: DANGER:
SNAKES BITE.
Before going home at night, he frees
the five-foot rattlers to glide around the
premises. In the morning, armed with a
hooked stick and a burlap bag, he rounds
them up. The seven rattlers seem to be
working like a charm to ward off burglars.
The key to his success is that most
people find these creatures among the
most revolting and terrorizing beasts on
Earth. My mother was so deathly afraid of
snakes that she would jump around and
scream even if she saw one on TV. My
brother and I would sometimes capitalize
on her phobia by placing a rubber snake
in her dresser drawer to enjoy a cruel
laugh when she discovered it.
Why Study Snakes?
Few people relish the idea of studying
snakes. It might not sound like a very ap-
pealing subject, but these cold-blooded,
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legless reptiles are mentioned in Scripture
from Genesis to Revelation. The
Scriptures are an epic record of the battles
between our Savior and the serpent and,
ultimately, how Jesus wins the war. This is
why it is very profitable for us to compel
ourselves to consider these unusual crea-
tures, which are often used to symbolize
the enemy.
Throughout the Bible, the serpent
generally represents the devil. It was in
the form of a snake that the devil first
manifested himself to the human race
(Genesis 3:1). Through the snake in the
forbidden tree, our first parents were en-
ticed to sin, hence the symbol stuck all the
way to Revelation 20:2, where he is called
“the dragon, that serpent of old, who is
the Devil and Satan.”
There can be some great benefits to
understanding this slithery creature,
which has traits analogous to our enemy.
When I lived in the desert hills as a young
man, rattlesnakes were abundant. A basic
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knowledge about their habits and behav-
ior helped me to avoid ever being bit, de-
spite several close encounters.
The Bible says that “the serpent was
more cunning than any beast of the
field which the Lord God had made”
(Genesis 3:1). Perhaps this is why Jesus
commands us to be “wise as serpents and
harmless as doves” (Matthew 10:16). In
order to be as “wise as serpents,” we must
understand at least a little something
about them.
Master Counterfeiter
Snakes are the ultimate experts in cam-
ouflage and counterfeits. Whether hiding
in the grass or entwined in the branches
of a tree, they are masters at blending into
the scenery to remain undetected. When
threatened, the harmless bull snake will
coil up and vibrate its tail in the dry leaves
to sound and look like its venomous cous-
in, the rattler.
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Satan, too, is a clever counterfeiter.
In Revelation 12:9 he is called “that ser-
pent of old...who deceives the whole
world.” For every truth of God, Satan has
a convincing counterfeit. He has counter-
feit baptisms, a counterfeit Holy Spirit,
a counterfeit of speaking in tongues, a
counterfeit Sabbath, and even a counter-
feit for love.
In the Exodus story, the Pharaoh’s ma-
gicians were able—to a point—to coun-
terfeit the power and miracles of God.
So Moses and Aaron went in to
Pharaoh … just as the Lord com-
manded. And Aaron cast down
his rod before Pharaoh and before
his servants, and it became a ser-
pent. But Pharaoh also called the
wise men and the sorcerers; so the
magicians of Egypt, they also did
in like manner with their enchant-
ments. For every man threw down
his rod, and they became serpents.
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But Aaron’s rod swallowed up their
rods (Exodus 7:10–12).
Likewise, Satan is most dangerous and
effective when he is imitating God’s mir-
acles and messengers. “And no wonder!
For Satan himself transforms himself into
an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14).
Flying Dragons
In the Scriptures, the devil is called
both a serpent and a dragon. Among
many cultures around the world, stories
and legends abound regarding flying
dragons. These images can be frequently
seen in their ancient carvings and art.
Legends are generally rooted in some
element of truth, and this appears to be the
case with flying dragons. Paleontologists
have found amazing fossil evidence
all over the globe of giant flying rep-
tiles called pterosaurs, or “winged liz-
ards.” Pterosaurs were flying reptiles,
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some with a wingspan of nearly 40 feet.
(That’s about the size of a small Cessna
airplane!) They appear to be the largest
flying animals that ever lived on Earth.
They had lightly-built, hollow bones but
300-pound bodies. By comparison, the
heaviest bird alive today, a Kori Bustard, is
only 42 pounds.
The pterosaur had a long, thin beak
with toothless jaws. The neck was 10
feet long, and the legs were more than
seven feet. To someone watching from
the ground, the long legs trailing behind
a flying pterosaur might have looked
like a pointed tail. The pterosaur had a
large brain and big eyes, and a fur-like
fuzz might have even covered some of its
body. We can’t tell from the bones, but
it is also possible that some of these ex-
tinct “dragons” were red. It had a bony
crest on its head that some think acted as
a rudder for flying. Other scientists have
surmised that the chambers in the skull
could have contained chemicals, like the
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bombardier beetle, that were mixed and
expelled, spraying a fiery liquid from its
mouth. Some of these creatures might
have survived long after the Flood. The
Greek historian Herodotus wrote about
“winged serpents” living in Arabia in the
fifth century before Christ.
According to the Bible, at least one
dragon has managed to survive much lon-
ger than that! “He laid hold of the dragon,
that serpent of old, who is the Devil and
Satan, and bound him for a thousand
years” (Revelation 20:2).
The Bible itself alludes to the existence
of flying serpents. One prophecy states,
“Do not rejoice, all you of Philistia, be-
cause the rod that struck you is broken;
for out of the serpent’s roots will come
forth a viper, and its offspring will be a fi-
ery flying serpent” (Isaiah 14:29).
Genesis 3:14 even explains why we do
not see flying snakes today. “So the Lord
God said to the serpent: ‘Because you
have done this, you are cursed more than
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all cattle, 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.’ ”
If the serpent was cursed to go upon his
belly after he tempted Eve, it is obvious
that before the curse, he propelled him-
self differently.
Satan is called “the prince of the power
of the air, the spirit who now works in the
sons of disobedience” (Ephesians 2:2).
Just as the serpent was grounded by the
curse, the fallen angel Lucifer also had
his wings clipped when he was cast to
the earth.
Satan and the Sword
The first question found in Scripture is
actually posed by the serpent, who sought
to discredit God’s words. He asked Eve,
“Hath God said?” (Genesis 3:1).
From that first insidious query to the
present, Satan has been ever seeking to
cast doubt on the Word of God in order
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to undermine the faith of God’s chil-
dren. Sin, suffering, and death entered
the world after Satan succeeded in lead-
ing our first parents to disbelieve God’s
words. Planting seeds of doubt regarding
the dependability of Scripture remains
the devil’s primary war tactic.
Jesus explained this truth in His par-
able of the sower. “Behold, a sower went
out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed
fell by the wayside; and the birds came and
devoured them” (Matthew 13:3,4). Later,
explaining the parable, Jesus says, “When
anyone hears the word of the kingdom,
and does not understand it, then the wick-
ed one comes and snatches away what was
sown in his heart. This is he who received
seed by the wayside” (Matthew 13:19).
However, victory comes to God’s chil-
dren when they embrace and believe the
powerful promises in the Word, “by which
[has] been given to us exceedingly great
and precious promises, that through these
you may be partakers of the divine nature,
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having escaped the corruption that is in
the world through lust” (2 Peter 1:4).
When Jesus did combat with the arch
villain in the wilderness of temptation, He
deflected every assault with a word from
Scripture. Indeed, the serpent trembles
when God’s people take hold of the living
sword of His Word! (See Hebrews 4:12.)
The Snake and the Seed
Genesis 3:14, 15 is where we find the
first prophecy recorded in the Bible, and
this prediction tells of the ongoing battle
that would exist throughout mankind’s
history between the woman (the church)
and the serpent (Satan). This passage
also promises the ultimate victory of the
woman’s seed (the coming Savior), who
would crush the head of the snake.
Verse 15 says, “And I will put enmity
between you and the woman, and be-
tween your seed and her Seed; He shall
bruise your head, and you shall bruise
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His heel.” The seed of the woman is, of
course, Jesus.
Now a great sign appeared in heav-
en: a woman clothed with the sun,
with the moon under her feet, and
on her head a garland of twelve
stars. Then being with child, she
cried out in labor and in pain to give
birth. And another sign appeared
in heaven: behold, a great, fiery red
dragon having seven heads and ten
horns, and seven diadems on his
heads. His tail drew a third of the
stars of heaven and threw them to
the earth. And the dragon stood
before the woman who was ready
to give birth, to devour her Child
as soon as it was born. She bore a
male Child who was to rule all na-
tions with a rod of iron. And her
Child was caught up to God and
His throne (Revelation 12:1–5).
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Notice in the Genesis prophecy that
the serpent bites the heel of the woman’s
seed, not the toe. The heel is the back of
the foot, the lowest part of the body. Satan
gets us from behind, when we are at our
lowest point. Likewise, he came to Jesus
when He was weak and tired after 40 days
of fasting.
The good news is that Satan only man-
ages to bruise the heel of Christ and the
church; the church continues to limp
along, so to speak. On the other hand, the
serpent receives a mortal wound to the
head, promising the ultimate victory of
Jesus over the devil.
Power Over Serpents
When the Lord commissioned Moses
to return to Egypt and lead His people to
freedom, at first the great leader was reluc-
tant. Then the Lord gave Moses a strange
command concerning his shepherd’s rod.
“And He said, ‘Cast it on the ground.’ So
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he cast it on the ground, and it became a
serpent; and Moses fled from it. Then the
Lord said to Moses, ‘Reach out your hand
and take it by the tail’ (and he reached out
his hand and caught it, and it became a
rod in his hand)” (Exodus 4:3, 4).
A rod in the Bible is a symbol of
power (Revelation 12:5) and protection
(Psalm 23:4). When Moses’ rod turned
into a serpent, it signaled that God would
give him power over and protection from
the forces of evil as he ventured into the
snake pit of Pharaoh’s palace. This same
power is promised to all of God’s children
who seek to work with Jesus to liberate
others from slavery to Satan.
Luke 10:19 states, “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.” And Psalm 91:13 declares, “You
shall tread upon the lion and the cobra,
The young lion and the serpent you shall
trample underfoot.”
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Don’t Play With Snakes
A rattlesnake only two minutes old can
strike effectively. During a family picnic,
a two-year-old girl discovered a brood of
baby rattlesnakes. The unsuspecting child
began to play with what she thought were
merely pretty worms, until she had been
repeatedly bitten beyond hope.
Likewise, some people feel there is no
harm in toying with the devil. Or they be-
lieve that little sins are harmless and in-
consequential, but these “baby” sins often
prove more fatal in the long run than the
more robust transgressions.
While we should never tempt the devil,
we also should not fear him. This power
over evil is what Jesus was talking about
when He said, “And these signs will fol-
low those who believe … they will take up
serpents” (Mark 16:17, 18).
Some misguided pastors have inter-
preted this passage to mean that Christians
should double as snake charmers and
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prove their faith by collecting and han-
dling rattlesnakes or other venomous vi-
pers. For obvious reasons, the member-
ship in these congregations has always
remained small. But the New Testament
account of Paul’s shipwreck reveals how
to correctly interpret this passage:
Now when they had escaped, they
then found out that the island
was called Malta. And the natives
showed us unusual kindness; for
they kindled a fire and made us all
welcome, because of the rain that
was falling and because of the cold.
But when Paul had gathered a bun-
dle of sticks and laid them on the
fire, a viper came out because of the
heat, and fastened on his hand. So
when the natives saw the creature
hanging from his hand, they said to
one another, “No doubt this man is
a murderer, whom, though he has
escaped the sea, yet justice does not
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allow to live.” But he shook off the
creature into the fire and suffered
no harm. However, they were ex-
pecting that he would swell up or
suddenly fall down dead. But after
they had looked for a long time and
saw no harm come to him, they
changed their minds and said that
he was a god (Acts 28:1–6).
Notice that Paul did not go looking
for this snake, but after it bit him he took
it up and hurled it into the fire. Just as
God saved Paul from the venom of that
serpent, He will save us from the poison
of sin. However, we are never to delib-
erately seek out snakes to flirt with di-
saster. That would be tempting the Lord
(Matthew 4:7).
Most Famous Verse
Probably one of the most well-known,
beloved, and memorized verses in the
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Bible is John 3:16. But if you were to ask
the average Christian what the two verses
are that precede John 3:16, I would ven-
ture to guess not one person in 50 could
quote them. Yet that immortal verse we
all know is actually the continuation of a
thought begun in the preceding two vers-
es. Here they are all together:
And as Moses lifted up the serpent in
the wilderness, even so must the Son
of man be lifted up: that whosoever
believeth in him should not perish,
but have eternal life. For God so loved
the world, that he gave his only be-
gotten Son, that whosoever believeth
in him should not perish, but have
everlasting life (John 3:14–16 KJV).
These three verses together encap-
sulate the entire great controversy be-
tween the serpent and the Lord. Let’s look
back at the original story to which Jesus
was alluding:
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And the people spoke against God
and against Moses: “Why have you
brought us up out of Egypt to die
in the wilderness? For there is no
food and no water, and our soul
loathes this worthless bread.” So the
Lord sent fiery serpents among the
people, and they bit the people; and
many of the people of Israel died
(Numbers 21:5, 6).
Remember that sin first entered the
world when the serpent succeeded in
tempting our first parents to doubt God’s
Word. Like Adam and Eve, the chil-
dren of Israel also became dissatisfied
with the food God was providing them
and wanted something more. “Nor let
us tempt Christ, as some of them also
tempted, and were destroyed by serpents”
(1 Corinthians 10:9).
In this story, after the children of Israel
rejected God’s bread (a symbol for Jesus
and the Word), the serpents bit them. It is
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the Word of God that keeps people from
sin (Psalm 119:11). Let’s read on:
Therefore the people came to
Moses, and said, “We have sinned,
for we have spoken against the
Lord and against you; pray to the
Lord that He take away the ser-
pents from us.” So Moses prayed
for the people. Then the Lord said
to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent,
and set it on a pole; and it shall be
that everyone who is bitten, when
he looks at it, shall live.” So Moses
made a bronze serpent, and put it
on a pole; and so it was, if a serpent
had bitten anyone, when he looked
at the bronze serpent, he lived
(Numbers 21:7–9).
The Lord did not immediately take
away the serpents, but He provided a
remedy. Likewise, the devil might still
be in our world, but God has provided
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healing for sin as we behold “the Lamb of
God who takes away the sin of the world”
(John 1:29).
Snake on a Stick
But why did God ask Moses to do this,
and what did it mean? For this nation of
shepherds, the serpent lifted on a pole
served as a vivid symbol that they all well
understood. Snakes are a deadly menace
to sheep. A dog might get bit by a rattle-
snake yet survive without special treat-
ment, but sheep are much more fragile.
This is one of the reasons why shepherds
carried a rod.
When I lived in the desert wilderness,
I had a snake stick that served a couple of
purposes. If I found a venomous intrud-
er in my cave, I would club it to “bruise
his head.” But a mortally wounded snake
still might continue to thrash and writhe
for hours. So rather than grab it with my
hand, I would lift it up with the rod to
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move it far away from my premises or
a trail.
A snake on a stick is a vivid sym-
bol of a defeated serpent. Beyond this,
there is a much richer prophetic signifi-
cance to this symbol. Christian author
E.G. White writes:
All who have ever lived upon the
earth have felt the deadly sting of
‘that old serpent, called the devil,
and Satan.’ Revelation 12:9. The
fatal effects of sin can be removed
only by the provision that God has
made. The Israelites saved their lives
by looking upon the uplifted ser-
pent. That look implied faith. They
lived because they believed God’s
word, and trusted in the means
provided for their recovery. So the
sinner may look to Christ, and live.
He receives pardon through faith
in the atoning sacrifice. Unlike the
inert and lifeless symbol, Christ has
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power and virtue in Himself to heal
the repenting sinner (Patriarchs
and Prophets, p. 431).
She also writes, “The people well knew
that in itself the serpent had no power to
help them. It was a symbol of Christ. As
the image made in the likeness of the de-
stroying serpents was lifted up for their
healing, so One made ‘in the likeness of
sinful flesh’ was to be their Redeemer”
(The Desire of Ages, p. 174).
Jesus said, “And I, if I am lifted up from
the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself ”
(John 12:32). It is by looking to Jesus on
the cross that we are drawn by His love for
us. By gazing in faith at our Redeemer’s
sacrifice, we are saved from the sting of
the serpent.
Again, God did not take away the
serpents but instead provided a remedy.
This world is something of a snake pit;
as long as we are in this world, we will
have to contend with the devil. However,
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God has provided an abundance of anti-
venom in the blood of Jesus to save us
from the viper’s bite! When Jesus was on
the cross, although His heel was pain-
fully bruised, the serpent’s head was
mortally crushed.
Good Luck Charms
God did not intend for the bronze ser-
pent Moses forged and elevated on the
stick to become an idol. Nevertheless, this
bronze relic somehow managed to sur-
vive all the wanderings and battles of the
Israelites for more than 700 years. Most
of the surrounding pagan Canaanite na-
tions worshiped serpents as gods of fer-
tility and mystical power. Over time, the
Israelites began to imitate their neighbors
and to treat this symbol of God’s forgive-
ness as a deity in and of itself.
[Hezekiah] removed the high
places and broke the sacred pillars,
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cut down the wooden image and
broke in pieces the bronze serpent
that Moses had made; for until
those days the children of Israel
burned incense to it, and called it
Nehushtan [something made of
copper] (2 Kings 18:4).
Like the ancient Israelites, millions
around the world today are inadver-
tently worshiping the serpent thinking
they are worshiping the Lord. They have
slowly and unwittingly been sucked into
base idolatry.
Indeed, many Christians have done
the same thing with the symbol of the
cross as the ancient Israelites did with the
bronze serpent. But as the Israelites were
not to worship the serpent on the pole,
we are not to bow down to the cross.
Neither are we commanded anywhere in
Scripture to make the sign of the cross
or to wear a cross on our persons. While
the symbol of the cross has evolved into
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a logo for Christianity, there is no mys-
tical power or virtue in praying to this
shape of the ancient Roman implement
of torture.
When Jesus said to His disciples, “If
anyone desires to come after Me, let him
deny himself, and take up his cross, and
follow Me,” He was commanding His fol-
lowers to bear the cross, not to wear the
cross (Matthew 16:24).
Revelation speaks of being saved not
by the cross, but by the blood of Jesus. It
was the cross as a demonstration of Jesus’
love and sacrifice that Paul and the dis-
ciples exalted, not the revolting instru-
ment itself. Hebrews 12:2 says, “Looking
unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our
faith, who for the joy that was set before
Him endured the cross, despising the
shame, and has sat down at the right hand
of the throne of God.” The redemption
of the cross is what should be the focus
of Christians.
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The Cup of Sin
In the Topkapi Museum in Istanbul,
Turkey, there rests a very precious goblet.
In the center of the inside of that goblet
is a gold serpent. It has ruby eyes and
diamond fangs; its mouth is open, ap-
pearing ready to strike. When the goblet
is filled with wine, the red liquid covers
the snake. As the wine is drunk, suddenly
the serpent with its menacing appearance
is revealed.
Jesus, nearing the time of His cruci-
fixion, shrank from the thought of sin
and separation from the Father when He
prayed, “O My Father, if it is possible, let
this cup pass from Me” (Matthew 26:39).
Yet humbling Himself, He drank the cup
of sin down to the dregs. “Nevertheless,
not as I will, but as You will.” At Calvary,
the serpent, which had been lingering
through it all, struck with all of his dia-
bolical vengeance. The intensity of evil …
Jesus bore it all!
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Defeated Foe
Some have wondered, “If Satan was
defeated by Jesus on the cross, then why
do we still see and feel so much evidence
of his evil works?” The devil knows he
was defeated at the cross, but he is crazed
with pride and anger. In order to inflict
as much heartache on God as possible, he
continues to fight tenaciously, wanting to
take down with him as many human be-
ings as possible.
Revelation 12:12 declares, “Woe to the
inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For
the devil has come down to you, having
great wrath, because he knows that he
has a short time.” Satan is now thrash-
ing about wildly in his final death throes,
striking any and all within his reach.
However, the Bible promises that, ul-
timately, Satan and his angels will be cast
into the lake of fire. This also holds true
for those people who follow the devil.
“Serpents, brood of vipers! How can
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you escape the condemnation of hell?”
(Matthew 23:33).
The good news is that in heaven, we
will no longer need to walk through the
woods in fear. Isaiah 11:8, 9 describes a
paradise without harmful snakes:
The nursing child shall play by the
cobra’s hole, and the weaned child
shall put his hand in the viper’s den.
They shall not hurt nor destroy in
all My holy mountain, for the earth
shall be full of the knowledge of the
Lord as the waters cover the sea.
In the Father’s Hands
A father and his eight-year-old daugh-
ter were driving down a busy highway one
balmy summer afternoon. Suddenly the
little girl screamed and covered her head.
A honeybee had flown in one of the open
windows and was buzzing angrily around
the cab looking for a way out.
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What so terrified the child was that,
after having nearly died from them once
before, she knew she was deathly allergic
to bee stings. The father reached for the
bee as it was buzzing, cornered between
the windshield and the dashboard. The
determined little creature escaped his
grasp and now looked even more furious.
The young girl pled, “Daddy! He’s going
to sting me! I’ll die!”
The father tried to calm her. “Don’t
worry, sweetie. He can’t hurt you now.”
“But, Daddy, he’s getting closer!”
Then the father held out his right hand
to his frightened daughter; there she saw
a little stinger in his palm. “I took the
stinger so he can’t hurt you now. All he
can do is buzz around till he dies.”
We can also rest assured Satan is
doomed. Jesus has taken the venom of the
enemy into His own body that we might
be saved. Yes, the devil might still be
rampaging through this world, but God’s
children don’t need to be frightened. Jesus
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promised, “You are of God, little children,
and have overcome them, because He
who is in you is greater than he who is in
the world” (1 John 4:4).
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