Gen 3:1

(1) Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

(Note 1: Def: Serpent = Hebrew: nâchâsh = naw-khawsh': a snake (from its hiss): - serpent.)

Who is this “Serpent”?

The “Serpent” in context…

Rev 12:7-9 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. 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.

Rev 20:1-3 And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.

A Warning to the Church concerning the Serpent:

2 Cor 11:2-4 For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.

(Note 2: Subtle = Hebrew: ‛ârûm = aw-room': Passive participle of H6191; cunning (usually in a bad sense): - crafty, prudent, subtil.)

Notice the first four words out of the serpents mouth – “Yea, hath God said” – In his subtlety he dares to be so arrogant as to question the legitimacy or accuracy of the Words of God. “Yea hath God said”, carries the same thought as, “Did God really say?” However we also see that the serpent changed what God said. Notice the rest of the question… “Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?” The old serpent knew that that was not what God had said, he took partial truth and partial error and put them together to cause question as to what God really did say. Many cults and religions are doing that today! People are adding to the Word of God many yokes that are not biblical, causing people to stumble, and question the truth. How many times do we hear people say, “Did the Bible really say…” Or “Did God really say…”? These questions have become stumbling blocks to many sincere Bible seekers. One church says one thing, and another church says something else and yet another something else. Causing people to become confused and ask, “What did God really say?” The Bible teaches us:

Rom 15:6 That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

2Co 13:11 Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you.

Phi 1:27 Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;

Phi 2:2 Fulfill ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.

1Pe 3:8 Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous:

Here we see a conglomeration of terms that all indicate to us that we should not be a multi-denominational Church. In fact there should only be one denomination, and that one denomination should be preaching and teaching the truth of the gospel of Christ, else they should be quiet and stop causing confusion. This multi-denominationalist church culture has got to be the most confusing stumbling block to the lost world that Satan has ever thrown. The Serpent is just a subtle today as he always was. What’s more, churches of the same denomination are all saying something different. People God is not the author of confusion (1 Cor 14:33), that’s Satan’s job!

If we were to all read the scriptures as they are, (not as Satan interprets them to us) we wouldn’t think that they needed to be updated, and we would learn that they are as powerful today as they have ever been. Take those phony books that Satan authored and throw them in the trash! Get back to the King James – “Authorized Version” – of 1611. We don’t need another book; we need a better understanding of the only Bible in the English Language that was “Inspired” by the Holy Spirit! (2 Tim 3:16) If we all read it as it is written, and stop putting our beliefs in with it we will all end up being of one mind. There would be no legalism, and there would be no liberalism. There would be no denominations. God would be glorified as God (Rom 1:21), Christ would be recognized as God’s only begotten Son (John 3:16-18) and one third of the trinity, who came to earth, suffered, died and was buried and on the third day arose again! (Mark 6:6) In whom we have faith unto eternal life! (Rom 5:1) We would understand that at the very moment we are saved the Holy Spirit of God makes his abode inside each and everyone of us (Eph 1:12-14), never to leave or forsake us (Heb 13:5)! He is God! We would understand that there was nothing we could do to save ourselves, so there is nothing that can be done to un-save us! (Rom 8:35-39) Praise God for Grace! (Eph 2:8-9) We would understand that it was God who gave us the knowledge of God so that we cold have faith to believe in the first place! (Job 32:8)

Why then do we have so many Bible versions? Because people want to argue over the words! They don’t like the way it is written. You don’t see them changing Shakespeare’s writings, but they all want to change God’s Word. (They are both written in the Olde-English) The Bible warns us about teachers who want to question and strife over words:

1Ti 6:4 He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings.

I guess that classifies Drs. Wescott and Hort.

We must remember that not everyone out there who says that God has called them is really called of God. Not every one who preaches preaches the truth.

Phi 1:15 Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife; and some also of good will:

Not all ministers are ministers of the Lord’s.

2 Co 11:13-15 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.

I said all of that to say this: The Serpent is just as subtle today as he ever was. He is deceiving the majority of Christians and Lost Folk alike. If you want to know what the truth of God’s Word is, Read God’s Word! Don’t let someone else tell you what it says, find out, that you be not deceived!

(2) And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:

(3) But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.

Here we see that the woman had knowledge of the law of God, but that knowledge was limited. Notice the addition to what God had really said: “neither shall ye touch it”. God never said not to touch it! Remember what God said?

Gen 2:16-17 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

Seeing how that the woman was not completely ignorant concerning the Law, Satan had an open door to cause the woman to sin in her partial ignorance. This is one of the reasons that the serpent spoke to the woman, the man knew the Law of God, for God told him it personally. The woman was under the impression that if she were even to touch it she would die. The Devil decided to play on her error.

This opened the woman up for the next line of attack!

(4) And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:

This was s subtle denial of God’s judgment on those who break the Laws of God. You see, Satan knew that the woman would not die if she touched the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. If he could get her to touch it, she would not die, and then she would believe him about everything else. What a snake!

(5) For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.

Now he turns the point of attack! He tells a half-truth about God’s motive in telling them not to eat from the tree. He causes the woman to doubt God, by making God out to be an overbearing self-centered being. Satan has used his slimy slithering craftiness to cause the woman to distrust God, and combined it with temptation, and…

(6) And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

The fall! He used his three famous Temptations:

1Jo 2:16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

(Note 1: the three temptations:

Good for food = the lust of the flesh

Pleasant to the eyes = the lust of the eyes

Desired to make one wise = the pride of life)

Notice where else he used the same temptations:

Mat 4:1-11 Then was Jesus led up of the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward hungry. And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. (the Lust of the flesh) But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple (the pride of life), And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and showeth him all the kingdoms of the world (The lust of the eyes), and the glory of them; And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.

Notice that Jesus went each time back to the scriptures; if we would learn the scriptures we would be able to resist the devil in the same way and have a lot less heartache in life!

A lack of knowledge of the Law of God will always catch you in the snare of Satan.