.
• Gen 3:1a . . Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field
which the Lord God had made.
Probably no other creature in the Bible provokes so much skepticism as the
Serpent. It just smacks of mythology.
But this particular serpent was no ordinary reptile. It was indeed a
remarkable creature. Not only was it capable of language, and able to
communicate on a very sophisticated level with human beings, but it had an
exceptional IQ too. It grasped the significance of a supreme being, and
totally understood the workings of human nature and the human mind. No
mere animal is capable of that degree of insight, cognition, and
communication.
The final book in the New Testament confirms the Serpent's true identity,
and it is none other than the dark spirit being well known to everyone as the
Devil and Satan. (Rev 20:1-3).
According to Christ, Mr. Serpent was in the world from the very beginning;
and his stock in trade was murder and deception right from the get go.
(John 8:44)
Since Rev 20:1-3 has not yet come to pass, then the Serpent remains at
large and very active in today's modern world. It is highly skilled at mental
suggestions: secretly guiding mankind along a road to self destruction. It is
the source of much of the world's political tensions, and certainly the
impetus behind all large scale anti-Semitic agendas.
I have never seen the Serpent myself; nor would I care to. But I know from
Matt 4:1-11 that Christ saw it, and spoke with it. From that passage it's
obvious that the Serpent is capable of human speech, understands human
needs and weaknesses, believes in the existence of God, understands the
concept of worship, a master of sophistry, understands the Bible, and
understands the advantages of manipulating human minds, and world
power.
The Serpent certainly wasn't squeamish about tempting the Son of God to
sin; so it should come as no surprise that it wouldn't hesitate to entice a
little nobody like Eve. But Eve was extremely strategic; she was the high
ground in the battle for men's minds, because Eve was destined to be the
mother of all subsequent human beings. If the Serpent could get to the root
of humanity, it would surely gain control over the entire human race; and it
did. (Eph 2:1-3)
The Serpent seems possessed with a strange, criminal mentality: beyond
comprehension. But then, so are pedophiles, serial killers, unabombers, ISIS
extremists, terrorists, and men like Son of Sam, Ted Bundy, Paul Bernardo,
Karla Homolka, Ted Kaczynski, and Jack the Ripper. Those kinds of criminals
are prisoners of dark minds clouded with anti-social inclinations. The
Serpent, though surely an incredible genius; is nonetheless an evil genius;
not unlike the nefarious masterminds in action comics.
Psychopaths are a cunning breed of predators who lack empathy, remorse,
and impulse control; readily violating social rules and exploiting others to get
what they want. Curiously, psychopaths are often so charming and
manipulative that they are well-concealed behind a mask of normalcy
sometimes for years and even their entire lives.
But the origin of the Serpent's twisted mind is really puzzling. How did it get
that way? Was it a birth defect? Did it bump its head?
I don't know; but one thing is for sure though: the Serpent's fondness for
deceit is living proof that angels are not mindless robots created to obey the
will of God without thought or question. No; they too have a mind of their
own, and the freedom of choice between good and evil-- the very same
choices that Man is at liberty to exercise. Satan chose poorly, and his human
counterparts oftentimes do too.
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