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NASB | John 3:14 "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | John 3:14 "Just as Moses lifted up the [bronze] serpent in the desert [on a pole], so must the Son of Man be lifted up [on the cross], [Num 21:9] |
Bible Question:
Should we love snakes or hate them as in John 3:14 and Genesis 3:1? Love and Respect, Giam |
Bible Answer: Greetings Giam! Re Gen 3 and John 3 The serpent and the snake are NOT the same! First of all, satan was a beautiful yet beguiling creature - just because he is called a serpent in Gen 3:1 does not mean that we are to classify him as a "snake." In fact,because of what God says in Gen 3:14 . . . "Cursed are you above all livestock and wild animals," . . . it seems reasonable to me that the serpent was not ANY of the species that God created in Gen 1:24-25! I have reached this conclusion BECAUSE when God surveyed what he had created, He declared it GOOD! Jesus said, "No one is good--except God alone." Luke 18:19. So, following this line of thinking, that old serpent (Satan) and snakes cannot be connected! All snakes are placed in the class Reptilia and the order Squamata (meaning "the scaly ones"), along with the lizards. Snakes are in the suborder Serpentes. Yes, the bronze snake of Moses was in this "suborder" Serpentes! (Check out what happened to it in 2 Kings 18:4!) But this snake is NOT to be confused with the serpent of Gen 3! Feel free to love snakes . . .in a herpetorium or in a handbag! Blessings! Mommapbs RE: God's curse on the serpent Satan in Gen 3:14. Frankly, I think that the most important aspect of this verse is the "crawling on the belly" part. What do you think this means? |