The Serpent Bite
In the Old Testament, the children of Israel were being tried in the wilderness by God before they could enter into the Promised Land. Many of them stumbled and God taught them a lesson:
Numbers 21:5-9 KJV - And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread. [6] And the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died. [7] Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord, and against thee; pray unto the Lord, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people. [8] And the Lord said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live. [9] And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.
The children of Abraham tempted the LORD in the wilderness for 40 years (Hebrews 3:7-11), and one of the punishments was fiery serpents. I believe this is a symbol of giving the people over to Lucifer (the Serpent) for not trusting in the LORD and His goodness. They are unable to defend themselves against the fiery serpent without the leading and protection of the LORD.
• Is Satan Real?
The children of Abraham in the wilderness were bitten by the serpents, and whoever looked upon the brass serpent which was lifted up by Moses was healed. In the same manner, whoever has been bitten by the serpent (Lucifer) in this age, can be healed by looking to Christ on the Cross.
John 3:14 KJV - And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:
Everyone has been bitten by Lucifer, the god of this world, as all have sinned against God and all are on their way to hell. All have been blinded by the Serpent (2 Corinth 4:4), unless the glorious gospel of Christ should shine unto them, and they be healed by their faith in Jesus.
Also, if we come to the truth, the knowledge of Christ, and begin to walk wayward, God will deliver us over to the serpent, so that we may be saved:
1 Corinthians 5:3-5 KJV - For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed, [4] In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, [5] To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.
Likewise, in the wilderness many of the Children of Abraham walked disorderly and were destroyed because of disobedience:
1 Corinthians 10:1-12 KJV - Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; [2] And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; [3] And did all eat the same spiritual meat; [4] And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ. [5] But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness. [6] Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted. [7] Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play. [8] Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand. [9] Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents. [10] Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer. [11] Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. [12] Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.
In a way, all of us Christians are walking in the desert, being nourished spiritually by the bread of life, the mana from Heaven, which is the Holy Spirit. We are all on our way to the new promised land where we will dwell with Christ forever if we stumble not and do not fall into sin and unbelief.
It is true our sins were paid for on the Cross by Christ, but we must repent and be converted, walking on the narrow path of righteousness by the Spirit (Galatians 5) through faith.
Also, scripture reveals the Jesus made an open showing of the evil ones. Christ defeated the Serpent by means of the Cross, and as He was lifted up as an innocent man, who was God in the flesh, and the evil principalities and powers in the spiritual realms were exposed and put to shame:
Colossians 2:14-15 KJV - Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; [15] And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.
Lucifer (the Serpent) and the principalities and powers in the spiritual realms (Ephesians 6:12) were spoiled and defeated on the Cross. Those being the Fallen Angels and the demonic spirits that rule over the jurisdictions of the world (Article Here). Jesus going to the Cross bruised the head of the serpent as foretold in Genesis:
Jesus was the emnity between the seed of the serpent and the seed of woman. Jesus Christ was not born of man, but by the Holy Spirit:
Matthew 1:20 KJV - But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.
Jesus broke the curse of Adam's original sin, by being God in the flesh and living a perfect life in the face of the serpent (Lucifer) and his many temptations:
1 Corinthians 15:22 KJV - For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
1 Corinthians 15:45-47 KJV - And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. [46] Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. [47] The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.
Jesus paid for our salvation on the cross as the lamb of God (Article Here). Thus, He redeemed us from the law of sin and death that we have all failed.
John 1:29 KJV - The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
I also wrote about this in my article:
• Victory at Golgatha
So we can draw from this study that all will be bitten by the serpent Satan and die unless we repent and believe in the finished work of Jesus on the Cross.
• Glimpses of Salvation
Please see some of these other disciple resources:
• Unplug
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