In genesis, I can't find any reason why the serpent is considered to be Satan. Can somebody please explain why this can't in fact just be the "crafty" creature as written? Thank you for your feedback.
[size=+2] I took some time to type this out It should address your question and a little more.
How dose Satan look ?
Snake , fire breathing Dragon with great wings. Horned Devil ? The question has been asked so ; there is only one place to find answers, that is The Bible.
God's word teaches us a lot. So lets see what is said.
Keep in mind: This is to get an idea of his visual appearance and character .
There will be a list of description notes,. taken from what we cover here. at the end of this post.
Revelation 12:7-12
King James Version (KJV)
7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,
8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.
9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceive the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
We are given some of Satan's names here :
-Old Serpent
-The Devil
-Satan
-Dragon
-Deceiver
So we read right here in the world of God many of Satan's names all together where now there should be no doubt. But we can search the scriptures for a better description. Ezekiel 28: is fairly known . Lets see what we can glean from there.
Here Satan is called a rock. That is what Tyrus means in the Hebrew. Lets see what we can learn from this chapter about Satan being called serpent. And his visual appearance even.
In this chapter : The prince after his fall . King would be before his fall.
I will put in "quotations" and "color" ,to put emphasis on parts that reveal clues and answers ; about his looks and character.
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Ezekiel 28
King James Version
28 The word of the Lord came again unto me, saying,
2 Son of man, say unto the prince of Tyrus, Thus saith the Lord God; Because thine heart is lifted up, ""and thou hast said, I am a God,"" I sit in the seat of God, in the midst of the seas; yet thou art a man, and not God, though thou set thine heart as the heart of God:
3 Behold,
"""thou art wiser than Daniel; there is no secret that they can hide from thee:"""
4 With thy
""wisdom and with thine understanding"" thou hast gotten thee riches, and hast gotten gold and silver into thy treasures:
5 By
thy great wisdom and by thy traffick hast thou increased thy riches, and thine heart is lifted up because of thy riches:
6 Therefore thus saith the Lord God;
""Because thou hast set thine heart as the heart of God;""
7 Behold, therefore I will bring strangers upon thee, the terrible of the nations: and they shall draw their swords against
the beauty of thy wisdom, and they shall defile thy brightness.
8 They shall bring thee down to the pit, and thou shalt die the deaths of them that are slain in the midst of the seas.
9 Wilt thou yet say before him that slayeth thee, I am God? but thou shalt be a man, and no God, in the hand of him that slayeth thee. < Everyone is a man compared to God, even a Cherubim.
10 Thou shalt die the deaths of the uncircumcised by the hand of strangers: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord God.
11 Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
Now, this will be before Satan's fall : Important parts in quotations "" "" and colored red . ( we also find out he was in Eden in this chapter, And will help your question and had a double witness for Revelation 12:7-12 that you read at the start .)
12 Son of man, take up a 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.""
13
""Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God"""; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: ""the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that
" thou wast created."
14
"Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth ; and I have set thee so" :
"thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire."
15
"Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created", till iniquity was found in thee.
16 By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and
I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.
17
""Thine heart was lifted up because of thy"" beauty"", ""thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness:"" I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee.<( Rev12:7-12.)
18 Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee. < future 2nd death.
19 All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more................................................................................................
Where ells is Satan written of ? This place here is a little less known. Due in part because of the Symbols used to describe what is happening.
Think of a symbol as an object lesson. Say its hard for a kid to picture numbers in their mind; for example: So how would we teach them ?
1, 2, 3. A symbol can be used in place of the numbers to teach the lesson. Much easier to picture three apples: ` O O O' ; then for a kid to understand what the figure 3, represents . So you can show this in a object lesson. That is what symbolism helps with .
Symbols can say a lot more then what is written. Symbols use less words, and say much more.
At the same time Symbolism can be used to protect some one from knowing something they shouldn't, for whatever reason. These are sthe ways symbols are used....
Satan is addressed as the Assyrian here in Ezekiel 31: . We find out that he was in Eden in this chapter as well. Just like we read in Ezekiel 28. We also see the same prideful boasting present there.
One Symbol you will see used throughout , The Heavenly Father's word is a " Tree " . Tree is often used in God's word to symbolize people.
God even compared Himself to a fir tree ( evergreen tree ) In Hosea .
( Hosea 14: 8 Ephraim shall say, What have I to do any more with idols? I have heard him, and observed him:
I am like a green fir tree. From me is thy fruit found.
9 Who is wise, and he shall understand these things? prudent, and he shall know them? for the ways of the Lord are right, and the just shall walk in them: but the transgressors shall fall therein.)
Ezekiel 31:
Behold, the Assyrian was a cedar in Lebanon with fair branches, and with a shadowing shroud, and of an high stature; and his top was among the thick boughs.
4 The waters made him great, the deep set him up on high with her rivers running round about his plants, and sent her little rivers unto all the trees of the field.
5 Therefore his height was exalted above all the trees of the field, and his boughs were multiplied, and his branches became long because of the multitude of waters, when he shot forth.
6 All the fowls of heaven made their nests in his boughs, and under his branches did all the beasts of the field bring forth their young, and under his shadow dwelt all great nations.
7 Thus was he fair in his greatness, in the length of his branches: for his root was by great waters.
8
The cedars in the garden of God could not hide him: the fir trees were not like his boughs, and the chestnut trees were not like his branches; nor any tree in the garden of God was like unto him in his beauty.
9 I have made him fair by the multitude of his branches: so that all the trees of Eden, that were in the garden of God, envied him.
10 Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Because thou hast lifted up thyself in height, and he hath shot up his top among the thick boughs, and his heart is lifted up in his height;
11 I have therefore delivered him into the hand of the mighty one of the heathen; he shall surely deal with him: I have driven him out for his wickedness.
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Here Satan is addressed as Lucifer. That means bright morning star. Use a good concordance to see for yourself. From the other scriptures we just read, Satan wants to be God.
Its no wounder why he would copy one of Christ names here. But as we read, you see its the same M.O.
Isaiah 14:
12 How art thou
fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
13
For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:" ( God's throne )
14
" I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; "I will be like the most High."
15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.
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NOW; we can put all scripture notes together from the places we read from .So we can start to see a portrait of Satan. his looks and his character. Form what we have just read .
`~ And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels~'
``~And the
great dragon was cast out, that"old serpent", called the Devil, and Satan, which "deceiveth the whole world": he was cast out into ""the earth~,"" and his angels were cast out with him. <( future)
Satan
...........................................................................................................notes from Ezekiel 28
- - I am a God,
-- wiser than Daniel; there is no secret that they can hide
--wisdom and understanding
--great wisdom
-- heart is lifted
--full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty .complete.
--been in Eden the garden of God
--anointed Cherub that Covers
( protected seat of Christ.) picture the winged creatures on the Ark of the Covenant , but this was his role then, before he fell )
--walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire ( that is where God's Throne is. )
--perfect
-- Covering Cherub
-- beauty
-- wisdom
--brightness
............................................................................................................... notes from Ezekiel 31:
--waters made him great ( waters you will find is symbolic of people in Revelation chapter 17. )
-- height was exalted above all the trees
- -fair in his greatness
--The cedars in the garden of God could not hide him
-- nor any tree in the garden of God was like unto him in his beauty. [ Garden of God = Eden ]
-Made him fair by the multitude of his branches: so that all the trees of Eden, that were in the garden of God, envied him < [and here Eden is even mentioned ]
- heart is lifted up in his height
................................................................................................................... notes from Isaiah 14:
- I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God
- I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.
.................................................................................................Since Dragon is mentioned in connection with Serpent as his name I will post this scripture just for more detail ..Notes from Revelation 13: future.
- I disguise with two horns like a lamb, and yet I spake as The Dragon.
- I exercise all the power of the first beast before me that I healed.
- I make great wonders, so that fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, ( The word fire here in the Greek is >
pur
pur
poor
a primary word; "fire" (literally or figuratively, specially, lightning):--fiery, fire.)
Revelation chapter 13:
11 And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.
12 And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.
13 And "he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,
14 And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.
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2nd Thess. Chapter 2
3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.< ( Here we see the same M.O. The same pride the same desire to take God's place and be worshiped as God )
5 Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?
6 And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.
7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. ( My opinion as to the he' that has to be taken out of the way before that wicked be revealed, is Micheal In Revelation 12:7-12 )
8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:
9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
2nd Corinthians 11:
13 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.
14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light....... [/size]
[size=+1]This should clear a lot of your question up . [/size]