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Satan the Shining One
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Everyone knows the story of Eve and the Serpent in the Garden. Our familiarity with the account has removed all questions we might have regarding the event. But what if those questions were brought back into our consciences? How would we answer them?
How did the serpent speak? Snakes don’t have vocal cords. Wasn’t Eve surprised when the snake spoke up? Did any of the other animals speak? How clever was the snake and why isn’t it so clever anymore? Before it was cursed to crawl on its belly, how many legs did it have? Did it stand on two legs or walk on four?
I began thinking about this after reading, “This was His Faith” by the great G. Campbell Morgan. In it, He makes the following points regarding Genesis 3:1:
“’any beast of the field’ is misleading.”
“‘chay’, which means simply ‘living things’”
“Nawshash or ‘shining one’”
“Satan appeared to the woman as a ‘shining one’”
Wait a second. What was G. Campbell Morgan saying? Did he mean that the “serpent” was not a “serpent” but a “shining one”? I needed to do some more research. I found the appendix in the Companion Bible, edited by EW Bullinger. Researching Bullinger, I am not sure I would agree with everything he believes, but I think what he says regarding this has value.
I am going to do more research on this. I might want to add it to my book, “Rethinking Some Popular Christian Teachings” if it turns out to be fully valid.
In the meantime, I don’t have much to add to Bullinger’s Appendix 19, so I recommend that you click on the link and read it yourself. What I’ll do here is give you a summary.
The Serpent
First, I will quote the start of the Appendix:
In Genesis 3 we have neither allegory, myth, legend, nor fable, but literal historical facts set forth, and emphasised by the use of certain Figures of speech.
Bullinger makes the point that we have confused a Figure (serpent) for a literal object (Satan). We would not make this mistake if not for Genesis 3:14.
…On your belly you will go, and dust you will eat all the days of your life; – Genesis 3:14
We don’t make this mistake when we read Revelation 12:9 or Revelation 20:2.
And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; – Revelation 12:9
And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; – Revelation 20:2
In other words, normally we don’t actually think of Satan as a serpent. We recognize “serpent” as a Figure. Nachash, translated “serpent” in Genesis 3:1, means shining one and in Chaldee it means brass or copper. The word “Nehushtan”, in 2 Kings 18:4, comes from this.
In 2 Corinthians 11:3, Paul says he fears that the Corinthians would be deceived by the serpent in the same way that Eve was. Certainly, he does not think they will be deceived by a snake, but Satan. Eleven verses later, in 2 Corinthians 11:14, Paul tells us that Satan is an angel of light. Paul has put together that the serpent is a shining one.
Bullinger writes:
We cannot conceive Eve as holding converse with a snake, but we can understand her being fascinated[1] by one, apparently “an angel of light” (i.e. a glorious angel), possessing superior and supernatural knowledge.
And
When Satan is spoken of as a “serpent”… it no more means a snake than it does when Dan is so called in Genesis 49:17; or an animal when Nero is called a “lion” (2 Timothy 4:17), or when Herod is called a “fox” (Luke 13:32); or when Judah is called “a lion’s whelp” (Genesis 49:9).
Heel-bruising, Head-crushing, Belly-crawling and Dust-eating
Other figures are used in Genesis 3:15. We don’t think Satan will actually simply bruise Christ’s heel. “He shall crush the head” surely means more than crushing the head of a serpent. The former means that Christ will be crucified; the latter that His Resurrection, Ascension and Second Coming will bring utter defeat to Satan and his plans.
One verse earlier, we read “on your belly you will go” (Genesis 3:14). In Ezekiel 28:17, Satan is cast to the ground because his wisdom was corrupted by his brightness. We understand properly that being cast to the ground means ultimate humiliation. Just like Psalm 44:25 means utter submission.
“Dust you shall eat” is no different than “his mouth shall be filled with gravel” (Proverbs 20:17). Nor does “biting and devouring one each other” (Galatians 5:15) mean cannibalism.
These are all figures of speech. We see it in the promise of a Savior in Genesis 3:15. The punishment of the shining one in the previous verse (Genesis 3:14) is similar in substance and style. It should become clear that these are being written in figurative language.
Hence, there would seem to be good evidence that when Eve spoke to that Serpent of old, it wasn’t an actual serpent; it was Satan, appearing as a shining one.
Our Turn
I will do some more study on this. I will let you know if it turns out that Morgan’s and Bullinger’s argument is faulty. Please do your own research as well and let me know in the comments below if you find anything that would be helpful.
[1] It is remarkable that the verb nachash always means to enchant, fascinate, bewitch; or of one having and using occult knowledge. See Genesis 30:27; 44:5, 15. Leviticus 19:26. Deuteronomy 18:10. 1 Kings 20:33. 2 Kings 17:17; 21:6. 2 Chronicles 33:6. So also is the noun used in Numbers 23:23; 24:1. (From Bullinger’s Appendix 19)
Thank you for posting this!! I have long felt that the traditional understanding of satan the serpent didn’t feel right, especially when I learned that the equating of the “Shining One” to a snake was a Jewish tradition that is not based on the meaning of the word that we then continue to translate because of that tradition as “serpent.” Understanding the literal and historical truth of Genesis is very close to my heart and I’m afraid the traditional translation of this passage using “serpent” instead of “shining one” really gives Christians trouble when trying to give an apologetic defense to a logical world that scoffs at the idea of a talking snake. This article was very helpful – thank you!
Could it be that Adam and Eve, alone in the garden, the conversation was from within? The struggle with good and evil and free will from God.
It certainly could mean this, if we were to take this more symbolically. That said, I am more apt to understand this more literally, recognizing that Satan, the Shining One, is a real being and that the conversation was a real, physical interchange amongst the participants. Thanks for the question. God bless you as you continue in your faith walk!
I just googled, “satan shining david,” and your writings came up.
I googled because im watching Ghost Adventure: Horror at Joe Exotic Zoo. 1hr 22min approx., and on the evp machine, after asking “who is here?” the name “David,” is said. Immediately following, the words, “Satan Shining.” Of course, the investigators looked in bible for same thing and they informed viewers that it was another name for Satan.
Just an fyi. But, find your writing on this matter, extremely interesting. Thank you.
To be brief….I link present day UFO activity to satan. Thus it’s useful to “reverse engineer” what we see going on and extend it back to Genesis. Major mind control is involved, telepathy even. What is clear is satan is a shape-shifter, as UFOs are. Saucers, tic-tack boxy shapes, flying triangles…yes to all of them.
So “shining one” gives us a key clue. Satan clothed himself with light because Adam and Eve were clothed with light, being made in the image of God.
I’m late, but Adam and Eve wore light? Also Jacques Vallée points out the similarities of aliens and Faries. Here is a video of it https://youtu.be/lmLE0X5FRFc
People often misquote scripture, such as money is the root of all evil. Its not. The Love of money it says. It doesn’t say he is an angel of light. It says he disguises himself as an angel of light.
I’ve had a 5 year field day with Genesis 3 alone.
Would be interested in reading my dissection on this passage sometime? It’d be great to know where to send it.
Id like to read it
The stories the bible borrowed were used as the vehicle for the witness to Jesus. The Caduceus, Nehushtan, or Bronze Serpent, relates to his sacrifice from a ‘made to be sin’ perspective. Likewise, the Lawless One, Thief in the Night, First and Second Beast, Leviathan, Red Dragon, and the Shepherd of the flock to be slaughtered and the Foolish Shepherd of Zechariah 11. The imagery represented in the Crucifixion are the first and second coming, within the same generation, at the end of the ages, as the sacrifice and resurrection. They are the stories of Joshua as the sacrifice and Moses as the resurrection. The day of the lord and the way of the lord in the desert.
As the Shepherd of the flock to be slaughtered, he is given the power and throne of the Snake, along with great authority, Rev 13:2. The Lawless One, appearing to be a part of the workings of the Snake, with all the power, signs and wonders at the disposal of falsehood, 2Th 8-10, leads them astray as if with a bridle in the jaws of the people, Is 30:25-28.
The sin of Adam, as the sacrifice, is represented in the sword guarding the way to the tree of life. Likewise, Noah treads the winepress of God’s wrath. Esau, the first born, lives by the sword and serves his brother, Jacob, who was born grasping at his heel, or like the Snake (Shining One) striking at the heel of Adam.
Behemoth’s bones are as bronze and his frame as iron, Job 40:18. The sky will be as Bronze and the earth as iron for Jacob/Israel, Deut 28:23. The king of Babylon, as the large tree, is a stump fettered in iron and bronze. Leviathan considers iron as straw and bronze as rotted wood, Job 41:27. David, the Morning Star, has an eternal covenant with the Lord working for all his salvation and every desire, 2Sm 23:5. Jesus rules from David’s throne and over his kingdom, preserving it for him.
The Ancient Serpent of Old, king of Babylon, the king of kings, and ruler of this world, becomes much greater than before, as the Ancient One of Days, David, you king, whom I will raise up for you, taking a seat upon on of the thrones that are set up on the Mount of Assembly. The Son of Man being presented before him is Jesus washing the feet of Peter, to whom he said, “Get behind me Satan”.
This time take the gear of a foolish shepherd. (Zec 11:15 NABO) For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength. (1Co 1:25 NABO) for power is made perfect in weakness (2Co 12:9 NABO) and when he was made perfect, he became the eternal source of salvation (Heb 5:9 NABO)
And then the lawless one will be revealed (bronze serpent held up), whom the Lord (Jesus) will kill with the breath of his mouth and render powerless (destroy the idol, the Cross, made by the second beast) by the manifestation of his coming, (2Th 2:8 NABO)
Once all things have been placed under his feet, Jesus will destroy all power, rule and authority, hand the kingdom over to the Father, subject himself to the One who made all things subject to him, 1Cor 15:27-28 and then he will ascend beyond the heavens themselves, Eph 4:10.
The Father and I are one. (Joh 10:30 NABO) that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us (Joh 17:21 NABO)
A thief comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy; I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly. (Joh 10:10 NABO) If you do well, you can hold up your head; but if not, sin is a demon lurking at the door: his urge is toward you, yet you can be his master. (Gen 4:7 NABO) Who, robed in splendor, judges nations, crushes heads across the wide earth, Who drinks from the brook by the wayside and thus holds high the head (Psa 110:6-7 NABO)
Id like to read it
Anyone ever consider Jesus is Satan? Serpent meaning Shinning one and more cunning, serpent made of bronze put on pole, lucifer meaning shinning one and called morning star, jesus called morning star, jesus having bronze feet in Revelation, Lucifer described as sitting on northside of mount of congegration, a cherub sits on the northside of mercy seat on ark of covenant and the other on the southside, daniel 11 speaks about king of north coming to his end that describes jesus to the T, jesus being the beast of the sea because he recieved a deadly wound yet lived which jesus describes himself in Revelation chapter 1 i believe. How much more can i go on about the connection?