The Ancient Serpent

In the book of Revelation chapter 12:9, the great red dragon, the ancient serpent is called the devil and Satan. Stephen and Tim seek to understand what this means by studying the symbology of a serpent in the Bible. Join us as we go from Genesis to Revelation discovering the keys to understanding more about this difficult passage.

For more background, listen to episode 43 on The Curse of the Serpent.

Key Verse:

“And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.” Revelation 12:9

Outline:

  1. Introduction
    1. Reading Rev. 12 and symbology
    2. Did the Satan become or serpent or did the serpent become a Satan?
  2. Incidents involving serpents
    1. The crafty serpent (Gen. 3:1) that the Lord God made
    2. Key words in the curse on the serpent (Gen. 3:13-15) – Lies, eat the dust, crush the head, treading under foot
    3. Moses’ rod turning into a serpent (Exodus 4:1-9) represents Pharoah and Egypt (Ezek. 29:3)
    4. Fiery serpents in the wilderness (Num. 21:5-9)
      1. How were people saved?
      2. Why a serpent on a pole? Brass a symbol of sin.
      3. Jesus relates it to the cross (John 3:14)
  3. The Serpent Symbol
    1. The serpent symbol in relation to men (Deut. 32:32-33; Job 20:12-16; 58:3-5; Psa. 140:1-3; Isa. 59:4-5; Rom. 3:10-13; James 3:7-8)
    2. The seed of the serpent (Matt. 3:7; 12:34; 23:33)
  4. The Serpent Subdued
    1. Kingdom pictures (Isa. 11:8; 65:25)
    2. Bible echoes (Psa. 72:9; Isa. 49:23; Micah 7:16-20)
  5. Conclusion

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The Curse of the Serpent

After the fall of man, God pronounces a curse upon the serpent which includes an enigmatic statement concerning a future enmity. Jesse joins Tim for the first time to discuss this earliest of prophecies about the Lord Jesus Christ and how he would crush the head of the serpent. Listen in as we break down each of the characters and what the allegory all means.

Key Verse: “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” Gen 3:15

Show Notes:

Introduction

  • The Edenic covenant in Genesis 3:15 is the first prophecy and promise of the Bible. It is an allegory using events to represent another spiritual meaning.
  • Quick overview of what is represented by the serpent, woman and the two seeds.

The Serpent

  • More subtle than any beast of the field that God had made (3:1)
  • Spoke based on animal instincts to speak a lie therefore represents the mind of the flesh at enmity with God (Rom. 8:7)

The Woman

  • She proclaimed the truth of God’s revelation even though she was beguiled.
  • The woman represents the mind of the Spirit (Rom. 8:5)

The Seed of the Serpent

  • The wicked are described as a generation of vipers (Psalm 58:4; 140:3; Matt 23:33; John 8:44)
  • The seed of the Serpent are therefore those ruled by the mind of the flesh.

The Seed of the Woman

  • Represents those who have the mind of the Spirit.
  • First of all, this is Jesus (Gal. 3:16; 4:4)
  • Second, it is all those who seek to be like Jesus, transforming their minds (Rom 6:11-13; Gal 3:26-29; Eph 4:22-24)

The Defeat of Sin

  • “Bruise” = crush. The difference between a wound to the heel and head.
  • How that relates to Christ’s death and resurrection (Heb. 2:14)

Conclusion