The Seed of the Serpent

[Before we get into this topic, I want to mention to readers of this blog that there are often comments posted (at the end of my daily postings) that contain very insightful and therefore valuable information concerning our studies here. Sometimes these comments aren't posted the same day, sometimes its several days later; but I hope, when you get the chance that you will open up the comment section beneath each daily posting and see what other readers are saying about these topics, even going back the past few days to see what has been commented on. And if you have comments but have held back from posting them, I sure hope you will consider commenting yourself. Remember that your comments can remain anonymous; no one has to know who you are (in case you're the shy type). Even if your comments only include more questions, we welcome those questions as well. It is from questions that we grow in our knowledge as we strive together to understand the answers to those questions from the Word of God. So, please do consider adding to our study with your comments. Thanks! JAG]

Considering the seed of the serpent is a bit of a let-down compared to studying the seed of the woman; but as diligent students of the Word, we must understand as well all that the Word is willing to tell us about the serpent. In studying this, I had to do some deeper research, because I had more questions than answers regarding the serpent.

There are several very good commentaries that I like to refer to in my studies. My two favorites are 1) Jamieson, Fausett and Brown (a six volume commentary written over a hundred years ago by three conservative pastors of churches in England); and 2) Matthew Henry (written in the 1700's by another pastor in England). Famous evangelical preachers, Charles Spurgeon and George Whitefield, highly recommended these commentaries during their own lifetimes. Here are quotes from both of these commentaries that explain more about the serpent and/or who was controlling it.

"The fall of man was effected by the seductions of a serpent. That it was a real serpent is evident…but the material serpent was the instrument or tool of a higher agent, Satan or the devil, to whom the sacred writers apply…the reproachful name of "the dragon, that old serpent" (Revelation 20:2 and 20:10). There being in the pure bosoms of the first pair no principle of evil to work upon, a solicitation to sin could come only from "without," as in the analogous case of Jesus Christ (Matthew 4:1-11); and as the tempter could not assume the human form, there being only Adam and Eve in the world, the agency of an inferior creature had to be employed. The dragon-serpent seemed the fittest for the vile purpose; and the devil was allowed by Him who permitted the trial, to bring articulate sounds from its mouth." JFB Commentary

"It is certain it was the devil that beguiled Eve. The devil and Satan is the old serpent (Revelation 12:9), a malignant spirit, by creation an angel of light and an immediate attendant upon God's throne, but by sin become an apostate from his first state and a rebel against God's crown and dignity. Multitudes of the angels fell; but this that attacked our first parents was surely the prince of the devils, the ring-leader in the rebellion: no sooner was he a sinner than he was a Satan, no sooner a traitor than a tempter, as one enraged against God and his glory and envious of man and his happiness. He knew he could not destroy man but by deceiving him. The game therefore which Satan had to play was to draw our first parents to sin, and so to separate between them and their God….the adversary and enemy is that wicked one. It was the devil in the likeness of a serpent. Whether it was only the visible shape and appearance of a serpent (as some think those were of which we read in Exodus 7:12), or whether it was a real living serpent actuated and possessed by the devil, is not certain: by God's permission it might be either. The devil chose to act his part in a serpent. Perhaps it was a flying serpent…one of the seraphim…for the fiery serpents were flying ( Isaiah 14:29)." MH Commentary

If you read the scriptures supplied within these quotes you will see that the devil (Satan) is also known as a "deceiver," and the first deceit was carried out on Adam and the woman. The reason this information above is important to us is because once we determine who was "controlling" the serpent, we will have a better idea of what is meant by the "seed of" the serpent. Understanding then that it was Satan himself, and knowing that God used the personal pronoun "he" when referring to the seed whose head would be bruised by the seed of the woman, we can assume that the one whose head will be bruised will be a man and that man will also be "controlled" by Satan. In fact, the bible speaks of such a man (we will see in our continuing study) and he is called the anti-christ. Knowing that Satan is evil, a liar, a corrupter of the innocent, hater of God, and out to destroy mankind, we can safely assume that the anti-christ will also have all of these characteristics. In fact, the bible has a bit to say about the anti-christ, but we will not go into that detail today. Actually, there will be many who will be called seeds (plural) of the serpent (specifically because of their rebellion against God and these will be comprised of both men and fallen angels); but there is only one "seed" (singular) that God is speaking of here.

The promise that the serpent's (Satan's) head would be bruised speaks of this: the seed of the woman will raise up to trample upon him (Satan), to spoil him, to lead him captive and to triumph over him (Collossians 2:15). He shall bruise his head, that is, Jesus shall destroy all Satan's politics and all his powers, and give a total overthrow to Satan's kingdom and interests…a wound to the head of this beast, that can never be healed. By the grace of Jesus Christ, he treads Satan under the feet of his people (Romans 16:20) and will shortly cast him into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:10).

As for the serpent, it was cursed to crawl on its belly, when obviously it was either upright on legs or had wings prior to the curse. It was the most subtle (wily) of all creatures of the field, and it became more cursed than any creature of the field. Nevertheless, as Matthew Henry went on to say "the devil's instruments must share in the devil's punishments. Thus, the bodies of the wicked, though only instruments of unrighteousness, shall partake of everlasting torments with the soul, the principal agent. Even the ox that killed a man must be stoned (Exodus 21:28-29)…the serpent's crime was that he tempted Eve to eat that which she should not; his punishment was that he was necessitated to eat that which he would not: dust thou shalt eat."