The word nāchāsh, in Hebrew נָחָשׁ, is translated into English “Serpent” (to hiss, mutter, whisper, as do enchanters. Secondary senses are to divine and enchant. Various Biblical passages tell us that Satan possesses a glorious appearance, and that the Hebrew term includes a sense to fascinate.

2 Cr 4:4 “…he has hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.”

  Without doubt, the being in the garden was the same being, (Satan) who tempted Christ in the desert.

There shall not be found among you [any one] that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, [or] that useth divination, [or] an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. For all that do these things [are] an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee. Deut 18:10-12

  The Nāchāsh, or serpent, who beguiled Eve (2 Cor. 11. 3) is spoken of as an “angel of light” in verse 14. It seems clear that the angel to whom Eve paid such diligent attention and obeisance was a not a snake, but a being of glorious aspect, apparently an angel who possessed superior knowledge and wisdom, (i.e., worldly wisdom).

  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.

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. Thou [wast] perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee. Ezec 28:12-15

   Satan was the most exalted, mightiest supernatural being that God had ever created: an angel perfect in beauty and wisdom. What enticing wisdom did Satan exact upon the mind of Eve? Having never sinned, she and Adam were pure; creatures of body, soul and spirit.

 The Hebrew word rendered “subtle” in Gen 3:1 means wise (in a good sense or a bad sense).

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. Ezekiel 28

The Rotherham Emphasized Bible has an informative translation of this verse.

Lofty was thy heart in thy beauty, Thou didst corrupt thy wisdom because of thy splender…

   Satan had free will to act in accordance with God’s will, as do all of God’s reasoning created beings: angles and men.It becomes clear that the wisdom of Satan was corrupted, as is the wisdom of this world (a corruption and a counterfeit to all that God has planned for His glorious creation). Although God gave free will, He did not expect man to fail when He created him and placed him in the garden.

   We have the same antagonist; Satan is a master of craftiness, at labor for generations, he is able to remain concealed even within the ways of men, even those who will to worship the Creator. Most Christians do not anticipate their enemies’ movements, because they don’t even believe he exists. The reason most Christians don’t believe there is an arch enemy is because they do not read God’s Word. The reason they don’t read God’s Word is because they rely on other men to feed. The diet many times lacks spiritual nutrition.

For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness. 1Cr 3:19

  The word “beast” also, in Gen 3. 1 chay denotes a living being, and it is wrong to have been translated zõa beasts. As in Rev 4 where it is translated beasts, it is equally in error. Specifically, it doesn’t say that either a serpent or Satan was a beast, but only that he was “more wise” than any other living being in the garden.

  Who can even envision Eve speaking with a snake? Of being convinced by a snake to disobey both God and her husband, who had instructed her in what God had commanded? We can, however, fully understand that if an angel of light, a tempting, fascinating and alluring creature of great beauty, were to present to her the wisdom of the world—she might be tempted to listen. And she was.

  Therefore, the point is this: Satan is alluring. He is your enemy. He is a worldly-wise angel relegating great authority throughout the systems of the world. What wisdom is that? It is the five senses wisdom of the world. Carnal knowledge; of the flesh; lacking spirit. Along the river of “the ways of the world” flow his ideas, aspirations and his plot of conquest. Victory at all cost. A scorched earth policy. I do not know if he realizes yet, that he has lost this war. I know one thing: he will rack ruin until the final and concluding end point. He will fight to the finish, until Christ finally bruises his head in defeat and he is heaved into the eternal fire of death.

  You and I will never be prosperous (allowing the will of God to take place in your life) by taking heed to the thoughts or ideas the God of this world lays before us.

For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of [his] good pleasure. Phl 2:13

  Our position is in Christ. You and I are seated in the heavenlies, in Christ Jesus. We will never be victorious by operating according to the world’s standards of worldly wisdom. Our wisdom is the wisdom of the spirit within, and the Word of God. If we endeavor to live according to the standards of the world, something will always be amiss. We will be tricked just like Eve. Whether, wealth, health or our walk with the Father. Our lives are hid in Christ. This world is not our home.

For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. It is through the walk by the spirit that we both overcome the “old man nature” and triumph in Christ. Col 3:3

 The standard of truth and wisdom is God and His Word. Our ideas come from Him. The written Word (The Bible) proclaims Jesus Christ, and Jesus Christ proclaims the Father.

These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. Jn 16:33

O LORD, I know that the way of man [is] not in himself: [it is] not in man that walketh to direct his steps. Jer 10:23

You are Righteous Now

   We are righteous, justified and sanctified before God as if we were standing in the garden of paradise before the fall. Better than that, now we have all the fullness of God in Christ in us. We can walk like Jesus Christ did, performing in his stead signs, miracles and wonders.

Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater [works] than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. John 14:12  KJV

   We are ambassadors on earth, representatives for the heavenly family of God, our Father, the Creator; and you are given the same power as Jesus Christ was given in order to engage the powers of darkness. Oh, many will try to talk you out of it. But you just have to instill within your mind that you are what God says you are. Because when you are a son (child) of God you are a new creation, created in righteousness and true holiness. You are a brand new man or woman, not a rebuilt one.

And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. Ephes 4:24

God Stands Acquitted of all Charges

   So then God stands acquitted of the charges spewed by the always ungrateful. And you, you stand as living proof of the goodness of God. As the grand counterfeiter, the devil has cleverly shifted the blame for the sometimes dire difficulties of this life from himself, onto God. Satan has managed even to trick the whole world into believing that God is responsible for death. That God, when he is ready, takes those he chooses to heaven. This is in opposition to the scriptures and negates the truth that Christ is coming back in the fullness of time to gather all that are alive and believe, and that together, we will meet him in the clouds. You are a living testament to the goodness of God!

But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep[die]in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive [and] remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent [precede] them which are asleep [have died in Christ]. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive [and] remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 1Th 4:13-17 KJV

   Death is an enemy. Christ is coming back for you, if you except Jesus Christ as Lord and if you are alive at the gathering together. Then you will meet him in the clouds. You will follow those that have died in Christ who will rise first. Then sometime later there will be a resurrection of the just and of the unjust, of which the church of this presents age, will not be judged. Why? The almost unimaginable grace of God is that we already have been judged in Christ Jesus and we have been found blameless. We may walk into God’s living room with great thankfulness. We are his dearly beloved kids. We are holy and blameless before him in love and Christ makes intercession for us.

  According to the scriptures there is no one else is in heaven now but God’s angels and Jesus Christ. We need to read what is written, make the Bible our source for truth and not rely upon the words on men, which are sometimes very mistaken. God’s plan of redemption for you and I was a legal rule of law which has been tested and found true by the supreme judge of all creation.

   The reason things are not as they should be is that your enemy is still seeking God's place in man's heart. He demands man's worship, and for the most part he receives it. The charge against God, “that His creation is flawed and that man cannot live righteously or godly,” had to be met. Mankind is born into this life a legal criminal, and if he was ever to stand with God, his redemption had to be completed and accomplished on legal grounds.

   Glory be to God.  It has been accomplished, and our redemption is complete! So God stands exonerated before the tribunal of universal human consciousness. He did not leave man after his treason without a means of salvation. Unfortunately, man's penalty for treason still has to be met. If man will not accept God's perfect Son Jesus Christ as his substitute, he will have to suffer the consequences of his rejection.

   Man no longer has to yield to Satan unless he chooses to yield. Satan has no power over the believer. All the arguments against God and His Son Jesus Christ's legal redemption of us fall useless. God’s plan of redemption for you and I is a legal rule of law which has been tested and found true by the supreme judge of creation, God Almighty, the creator of the heavens and the earth. 

   The Justice of God demands, and it requires, judgment; but the love of God provides grace. Until Jesus Christ came and paid the legal price for man’s redemption, all men were under the power and authority of the devil. All men had a death penalty upon their heads and there was no way that they could pay the sentence. Those that walk by their own ways still remain a part of Satan’s kingdom; under his rule, knowingly or not.

   Having originally endowed all of his reasoning creation with free will, Satan, as well as all angels and men were granted equal rights. If God had not given his reasoning creatures free will, to choose of their own volition, to act as they decided, men and angels would have been mere robots. No reasoning created being of God is required or compelled to follow, to trust, to believe or to act except by their free will choice. It is the love of God that leads men to repentance. Salvation is complete wholeness and a reuniting of God and man. It is man once again with body, soul and Spirit. It is man in communication with his Creator.

Man could not pay the just penalty for his crime. Man was unable to pay even the interest

•       Man could not save himself. God had to provide a redeemer or mankind was doomed.

•       The redeemer was required to adequately meet every demand of justice. It was required that the redeemer be a man like Adam.

•       It was required that he be conceived and born in such a manner that he would not be a subject of Satan’s Kingdom. It was required that he walk a perfect walk and fulfill the entire Old Testament law.

•       It was required that he have the same dominion and authority that the first man, Adam, had before his fall.

•       He must meet all the requirements that justice demands for a substitute, capable of suffering all that men suffer, tempted in all things.

Jesus Christ received what we deserved, that we may receive what Christ earned

    In order to accomplish your redemption and mine, Jesus Christ had to walk a perfect walk under the same conditions which Adam could have done, but did not. Having accomplished that, Jesus Christ did not have to die. He was not born under a death sentence and yet, he gave his life in payment for ours. Born sinless, he chose (by his freewill) to live a sinless life.

   Jesus Christ received what we deserved so that we may receive what Christ earned. He suffered the pain, the sting, the agony of sickness, sin and death. Jesus Christ the redeemer experienced death for every man so that every man would have a legal right to eternal life and sonship with God. God stands vindicated and man's mouth is closed forever in silence. Man no longer has a case against God for God sent His only begotten Son; one who came to earth and paid the penalty of man's guilt without asking man to take any part in the awful transaction. He did not have to die; he was the Son of God. He let himself be killed as a legal substitute for our penalty; he paid that penalty with his life.

The New Birth—You Are Righteous Now

   The debt against us is not viewed as simply cancelled, but is fully paid. Christ's blood and life, which he surrendered for us, was the "ransom" by which the deliverance of his people from the servitude of sin and from its penal consequences was secured.

And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; Col 2:13 KJV

   To be born again (the new birth) is a miracle. The new birth offers the only solution to life's mysteries and gives man a reason for existence. It makes life with its burdens, sorrows and grief culminating in death, tolerable. It throws light on the human problems for which we can gain light from no other source. God has surely answered the criticism of every man against His justice. There is no reason for any human being to suffer, for God has vindicated us in Christ Jesus. Man's penalty for treason had to be met. God brought about the only means of rescue, the life of His Son.

   But what if some do not believe? Shall their unbelief make the faith of God of no effect? Please, God is true and every man is a liar. The price he paid was unspeakable. In return he gave that which was so dear to him. And still, men protest.

   It’s as though a group of people were trapped within a burning building. The roof is about to cave in just as a fireman brakes in through a hidden door. He calls out that he is there to rescue everyone. “Follow me! I will save you. I know the way out.” But instead of following, the people trapped begin to argue and complain. “Well, we want to leave a different way.” Many call out. “There’s got to be more than one way out of this burning inferno!” Instead of following the rescuer to safety, they demand more options. Ultimately the roof caves in and they suffer the consequences of their own folly.

   If a man will not accept God's perfect Son, Jesus Christ, he will have to suffer the consequences of his rejection. There is no other means. No other option. Man does not have to yield to Satan unless he chooses to yield. The new birth gives eternal life to all men and the promise of being in the gathering together at the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. It's not enough to just take him as your savior, you must recognize his lordship over your life. Many people would like to have Jesus as a savior, but they do not want him as their lord. They do not want him as the ruler in their lives. The new birth is supernatural. True Christianity is not a religion—it is the Father and His family. Our legal redemption was enacted in the courthouse of heaven.

   At the moment you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord, and believe God raised him from the dead, you are then saved and found innocent of all charges and blameless.

True Christianity is Not a Religion—it is the Father and His family

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. [And] having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it. Col 2:14-15 KJV

   You are legally adopted into the family of God. Jesus Christ has publicly represented you before the Father and you are legally reconciled to the Father, and thus, you are righteous right now. The old man along with whatever wicked works he did, is now dead. As a son (child) of God, you have a legal right to the Father's protection and to Jesus Christ as your intercessor (defense attorney.) You have become a son (child) in the royal household and family of God. You have been given the rights to a son's inheritance and the right to use the powerful “devil-feared” name of Jesus Christ. You have now passed from death unto life and become a joint-heir with your brother Jesus Christ.

He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me ...is passed from death unto life; John 5:24 KJV

That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. [10] For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. Rom 10:9-10 KJV

These things have I written unto you...that you may know that you have eternal life.

These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. Jhn 16:33

   This is reality right now! If any man receives Christ as his savior, that man is a new creation. He is not a rebuilt one, or one who has been refurbished and repaired. He is now begotten not of corruptible seed but incorruptible seed. He is begotten by the will of God, the book of James says. We are not illegitimate children or hybrids or half-breeds or even legally adopted, but legitimately born children of God. The believer is free from the dominion of law, the dominion of sin, the dominion of spiritual death, and the dominion of Satan—because he is under the rule and authority of the grace and power of God, and Jesus Christ is his Lord.

We have peace with God

O LORD, I know that the way of man [is] not in himself: [it is] not in man that walketh to direct his steps. Jer 10:23

Blessed [be] the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly [places] in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Eph 1:3-4 KJV

Joy in service with you,

Tony Barbera