Snake on a Stick

   One of the most well-known, beloved, and memorizes verses in the Bible is John 3:16, which reads: “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” However, if you were to ask people-even Christians-to quote the two verses that precede this one, I would venture that not in fifty could do it! Yet, verse 16 is actually the continuation of a thought begun before it. Here are the verses when read together:

   As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life (John 3: 14-16).

   It is interesting to consider that just before John 3:16 we read about the serpent. In fact, these three verses together encapsulate the entire great controversy between the serpent and our Lord. Let us look at the Old Testament story to which Jesus was alluding in the Gospel of John:

   The people spoke against God and against Moses: “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and our souls loathes this worthless bread.” So the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and many of the people of Israel died (Numbers 21: 5,6).

   Remember that sin entered the world when the serpent succeeded in tempting our first parents to doubt God’s word. In this story, after the children of Israel rejected God’s bread (a symbol for the Jesus and the Word), the serpents bit them.  Let’s read on:

   Therefore, the people came to Moses, and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against you; pray to the Lord that He will take the serpents from us.” So, Moses prayed for the people. Then the Lord said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live.” So Moses made a bronze serpent, and put it on a pole; and so it was, if a serpent had bitten anyone, when he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived (Numbers 21: 7-9).

   For a nation of shepherds, the serpent raised on the pole served as a strong symbol that each of them understood well. Snakes are deadly menace to sheep and goats. A dog might survive a rattlesnake bite without a specialized treatment, but sheep and goats are much more fragile. This is one of the reasons why shepherds must carry a rod.

   Thus, to the Jews, a snake on a stick vividly symbolized a defeated serpent. Beyond this, however, the symbol had a much richer prophetic significance.

   All who ever lived upon the earth have felt the deadly sting of “that old serpent” called the Devil…” (Revelation 12:9) The fatal effects of sin can be removed only by the provision that god has made. The Israelites saved their lives by looking in faith upon the uplifted serpent. They lived because they believed God’s word, and trusted in the means provided for their recovery. So, the sinner may look to Christ, and live. He receives pardon through faith in the atoning sacrifice. Unlike the inert and lifeless symbol, Christ has power and virtue in Himself to heal the repenting sinner. *

   In short, as Jesus said, “I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to myself” (John 12:32). A much-loved and well-respected book on the life of Christ says:

   The people well knew that in itself the serpent had no power to help them. It was a symbol of Christ. As the image made in the likeness of the destroying serpents was to lifted up for their healing, so One made “in the likeness of sinful flesh” (Romans 8:3) was to be their Redeemer. *

   *Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets (Nampa, Idaho: Pacific Press, 1913), 431.   

   As John 12:32 says, it is when we look to Jesus on the cross that we are drawn to Him by His love for us. When we gaze in faith at our Redeemer’s sacrifice for us, we are saved from the sting of the serpent and the power of his venom is neutralized-just as the story of the Jews affirms.

   Notice that in this Bible story, God did not take away the serpents. Instead, He provided the remedy. As long as we are in this world, we will always have the devil to contend with. However, in the blood of Jesus, God has provided us an abundance of antivenom to save us from the viper’s bite! When Jesus was on the cross, although that old serpent, the devil, painfully bruised His “heel,” Jesus mortally crushed the serpent’s head, smiting it with the root of Jesse (see Isaiah 11:1).

   In the Topkapi Museum in Istanbul, Turkey, very precious goblet stands in a prominent place. A gold serpent is poised in the very center of the cup. It is decorated with ruby eyes and diamond fangs, its mouth is open, and it looks like it is ready to strike. When the goblet is filled with wine, the red liquid hides the snake; but as the wine is drunk, the serpent, with its menacing appearance, is revealed.

   When Jesus came to die for us, He shrank from the thought of bearing our sin and the separation from the Father that would entail. That’s why He prayed< “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will” (Matthew 26:39). Then, humbling Himself, Jesus drank the cup of sin down to the dregs. And while He was raised on the cross, the serpent, which had been enjoying every lash and insult Jesus suffered, struck with all of his diabolical vengeance. Yet, Jesus bore it all.

*Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages (Nampa, Idaho: Pacific Press, 1940), 174.

Good-Luck Charms

   All snakes are cold-blooded creatures that depend on outside sources for heat and cooling. They are also “cold blooded” regarding their offspring. After baby snakes are born, or hatched, the parents generally abandon them. In some cases, they even devour them. Satan has roughly the same level of warmth, compassion, and loyalty for those who serve him. He is heartless, cold-blooded epitome of evil.

   The bronze serpent Moses forged and elevated on the stick somehow managed to survive all the wanderings and battles of the Israelites for more than seven hundred years. Most of the surrounding pagan nations worshiped serpents as gods of fertility and mystical power, and over time, the Israelites began to imitate their neighbors. They were soon treating the bronze relic of God’s forgiveness as deity in and of itself (see 2 Kings 18: 3,4).

   Like the ancient Israelites, millions of souls around the world today are inadvertently worshiping the serpent while thinking they are worshiping the Lord. They have slowly, unwittingly, been seduced into base idolatry. Furthermore, many Christians have sadly adopted this same practice, treating the symbol of the cross much like the bronze serpent of the ancient Jews.

   However, just as the Israelites were not to worship the serpent on the pole, we are not to bow down or pray before a cross. Neither are we commanded to make the sign of the cross on our persons. Indeed, there is no mystical power or virtue in this image of an ancient torture implement! “Jesus said of His disciples, ‘If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up the cross, and follow Me’” (Matthew 16:24). He was commanding His followers to bear the cross, not to wear the cross. Revelation says we are saved not by the cross but by the blood of Jesus. It was the cross as a reminder of Jesus’ love and sacrifice that Paul and the others apostles exalted, not the revolting instrument itself. “He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross” (Philippians 2:8).

   Therefore, it is the redemption provided on the cross on which Christians should focus. Hebrews 12:2 says it perfectly: “Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was before Him endured the cross, despising the shame.”

The Devil’s Demise

   A newspaper in Texas reported that a taxidermist was bitten by a frozen rattlesnake. Robert Herndon buys poisonous rattlers, freezes them to death, and markets the preserved remains. He usually tapes their mouths before he starts cutting into them, but he apparently skipped the tape that time. So, again, the warning proved true: “Never assume a poisonous snake is dead.”

   Some people have wondered, “If Jesus defeated Satan at the crucifixion, why do we still see and feel so much evidence of his evil activity?”

   The devil knows he was defeated at the cross, but he is also completely crazed with pride and anger. So that he can inflict as much heartache on God as possible, he continues to fight tenaciously, wanting to take down with him as many as possible. “The devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time” (Revelation 12:12). Satan is now thrashing about wildly in his final death throes, striking at anyone still within his reach.

   When Robinson Crusoe’s good man Friday asked him why God did not do something about the devil, Crusoe gave him the right answer. He said, “God will destroy him.” The Bible promises that Satan will ultimately be destroyed for his deadly rebellion.

   In the story of the demoniac, the demon-filled swine drowned in the lake. The Bible promises that ultimately, Satan and his angels will meet a similar fate. They will be cast into the lake of fire. “The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone” (Revelation 20:10). In a prophecy of the devil’s end, Ezekiel wrote:

   I will cast thee to the ground; I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee. Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffic, therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee. All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more (Ezekiel 28: 17-19, KJV). *  

   This frightening doom also holds true for those here on earth who follows the devil. “He [Christ] will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels’” (Matthew 25:41). 

   An enemy terrorist has kidnapped this planet. However, Jesus came to pay the ransom and destroy the archterrorist. “For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8). Matthew 23:33 echoes, “Serpents, brood of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of hell?”

   The good news is that in heaven, we will no longer need to walk in fear. Isaiah 11: 8,9 describes a paradise without harmful snakes-or devils:

   The sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice’ [viper’s] den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea (KJV).

   *Isaiah 14:15 also foretells of the devil, “You shall be brought down to Sheol, to the lowest depths of the Pit.”   

A Lion With a Plan

   Every year, Butte, Montana, hosts as amazing ice sculpting competition. Every artist is given a large block of solid ice. As the sculptors begin chiseling on their fresh block of frozen water, they have a blueprint in their minds of what the final work will be. One might choose to chisel a dragon, another might sculpt an angel-but all of them have an ultimate plan in mind.

   The Bible is not content to identify Satan with a serpent-it also compares his tactics to those of a lion. “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” (1 Peter 5:8).

   Lions use craftiness and diversion to capture their prey. Like the devil, they spring suddenly and unexpectedly upon their victims and care, nothing about their prey’s suffering. And lions always seem to have a plan for taking down their targets in the quickest manner possible. 

   Most people recognize that God has a plan for their lives, but I am frequently met with troubled and bewildered stares when I ask, “ Do you know that the devil has a plan for your life?” It’s true. And the horror of it is that the devil’s ultimate plan for you is the same as the one he had for the demoniac! 

   As far as possible, the devil wants to erase the image of God from the mind of his prey using any means possible including disguising himself.  Unwisely, and unbiblically, many assume Will openly appear as God’s enemy in the end-time, but this is far from reality. Although Satan is indeed God’s bitterest enemy, he will fate being righteous (see Matthew 24:24). He will appear as a glorious angelic being and will seek worship of the masses (see 2 Corinthians 11: 13-15; Revelation 13:12).

   Scripture is clear that his godly appearance will be so convincing that virtually “all the world” will wonder after the beast (Revelation 13:3). Even God’s children are nearly deceived (see Matthew 24:24). We can safely resist Satan only by first giving our hearts to God and trusting completely in His Word! “Submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. (James 4:7,8).

   The incredible deliverance of the demoniac highlights the two great blueprints for every person’s life. It is a vivid display of what God has planned for humanity and what the devil would do to God’s creatures.

    Jesus reveals the perfect image of God; the lunatic, the image of Lucifer. And every day, little by little, we are being transformed into the image of the master we decide to follow. The way we choose to respond to the trials and temptations that come each day determines our choice. However, we must remember that Jesus is by far a stronger master; we can rely on Him for victory.” ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord of hosts” (Zechariah 4:6).

   Most people would never be foolish enough to fight a grown lion with their bare hands. However, Samson and David were able to slay lions when the Spirit of God came upon them. It is only by the power of God’s Spirit that we can resist the devil. Psalm 91:13 declares, “You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra, the young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot.”

A Cosmic Contrast

   Just before the first bell of a boxing match, the boxers generally stand in the middle of the ring while the referee reviews with them the rules of engagement. The tension is often electric as the audience watches the two opponents face off, staring at each other. Sometimes one of them will glare with anger or flash a sarcastic smile, while others exude a calm, knowing confidence.

   The story of the demoniac is the story of a big fight. In the end-time scenario, it is just before the “main event.” The principle fighters have battled before, during the war in heaven. This is a cosmic rematch on an isolated, beachside ring on earth. 

   In one corner, we see Jesus, the Prince of light-the perfect reflection of the Father. God’s plan is for every soul to reflect Jesus-that’s why He became a man. In the other corner, we have the raving demoniac, the devil’s ultimate plan for every soul. It is an amazing scene, and if we could peer behind the spiritual veil, we would see an audience of angels-some fallen, some holy cheering for their respective leaders.

   Amazingly, this is the only place where the Bible pictures Jesus engaging in any form of conversation with demons. He did help us realize the tremendous significance of this experience. The armies of heaven and hell were arrayed against each other on that beach, fighting over the soul of that desperate man. And Jesus meant for us to see these two sides competing for your soul every day, because we need to see how different they really are. 

   To look at it from a slightly different perspective, award-winning photography is a combination of framing, focus, composition, light, and perfect timing. The story of the demoniac is the ultimate photograph; scripture depicts no greater contrast.

   Jesus is the sum total of everything good; He is filled with God. “In Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.” (Colossians 2:9). By contrast, the demoniac was the epitome of badness; he was filled with demons! * So many, in fact, that there is no other instance in the Bible of anyone possessed by anywhere near this number of demons.

   *Throughout Rome’s history, the number of soldiers in a legion varied between 4,500 and 6,000. Sometimes there were more. Bible commentator Matthew Henry said, “What multitudes of fallen spirits there must be, and all enemies to God and man, when here was a legion in one poor wretched creature!”

   Incarnation is our term for God becoming a man in the person of Jesus. The demoniac is the closest thing we see in the Bible to the incarnation of Satan. So, in this story we have a freeze-frame of God becoming a man to save a man who had become a devil!

   These two leaders can also be said to represent the trees in the Garden of Eden. Jesus was to the tree of life, and the devil, in the form of the demoniac, was the tree of death. These two trees put out different kinds of fruit. Eating from Jesus’ tree, we fill our lives with God’s plan and take on the mind of Jesus. We walk in His steps, do His good works, and enjoy “the fruit of the Spirit [which are] love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Galatians 5:22, 23; see also Philippians 2:5; John 20:21; 1 Peter 2:21; 1 John 2:6).

   However, eating from the devil’s tree, we are filled with “adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murder, drunkenness, revelries, and the like, of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in times past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God” (Galatians 5:19, 20). The madman modeled perfectly this destructive plan of the devil.

   What fighter will you back? What pictures do you want to look at? What tree will you eat from? If we choose the right one, we are promised that we will speak to God face to face and see him eye to eye. 

The Sin of the Devil Is Our Own

   A man from the town of Grand Forks, North Dakota, traveled to Fargo to rob the First Community Bank. He scribbled a note demanding money and gave it to the teller. Frightened, she gave the man what he asked for and watched him run out the door. Police searches of the surrounding area turned up nothing. However, upon reviewing the robber’s note, the police discovered he had written his note on his bank deposit slip, which of course had his name and address! The police arrested the robber on his own front porch.

   Sin makes us do crazy things and, let us face it, some dumb things too. I once saw a bumper sticker that read, “Insanity is hereditary-you get it from your children.” In reality, we are all born with the seeds of insanity. I was once told that people in psychiatric hospitals use the words I, me, my, mine, and myself ten times more frequently than those who are considered sane. It is a practical illustration that selfishness and sin breed insanity. It so happens that the Bible also teaches us about the only antidote: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all those who do His commandments” (Psalm 111:10).

   There is little doubt that this demoniac was not born in the depraved condition in which we found him, so naturally we have to wonder, “How did this man get this way?” The story of King Nebuchadnezzar, found in Daniel 5, contains one clue. Unrestrained pride and sensuality led the Babylonian monarch to a state of animalistic insanity.

   Pride, of course, was the sin that led to the devil’s fall. It is an attitude that accompanies almost every other sin too. We find it also in the story of King Saul. It ultimately led him to a brooding demonic depression.

   The state of Illinois gets it name from an Indian word that means “tribe of superior men.” I do not imagine that present day residents of that state ordinarily boast of themselves as superior, but throughout history, many have regarded themselves superior to others. One of the worst examples, of course, comes from Nazi Germany, where Hitler taught that the Aryan Germans and related peoples were a superior race. Here is an instance in which the spirit of pride led an entire nation into beastlike sin.

   The Bible urges us not to think more highly of ourselves than we ought. It also asks that we honor others above ourselves (see Romans 12:10). “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. Better to be of a humble spirit with a lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud” (Proverbs 16: 18,19).

   The devil is not impersonal, like a statue. Rather, he is passionate antithesis of all that God is. While Jesus is meek and humble, pride has driven Satan to a rage. While God is selfless love, the devil is unadulterated selfishness. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life; the devil is a liar, and his ways leads to death. That is why his actions are everything that God would never do, and that is why he resorts to some nasty tricks.

   Indeed, you might have heard the story of the unscrupulous lawyer who asked the defendant in the courtroom, “have you stopped beating your wife?” No matter how the accused answers, he will be guilty. Similarly, Satan is a master at superimposing his own sick characteristics upon the Lord. When a natural disaster strikes, insurance companies call it an “act of God.” However, the book of Job teaches that Satan has the power to cause natural disasters.

   In the very worst cases, when people see innocent children suffer, they react by shaking their fists at God and calling Him a sadist. The demons in our story reacted this way. They said, “What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High? I implore You by God that You do not torment me”  (Mark 5:7, emphasis supplied). If we really want to understand God’s character, all we have to do is to look at the person of Jesus. He said, “He who has seen Me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). By looking at Him, His humble ways, we will more often deny those selfish passions that draw us to the path of the devil-that path that opens us up to his influence and possession.

Demon Possession in Three Easy Steps

   The subjects of devils and demon possession seem fantastic and superstitious to “sophisticated,” modern-day Americans. These days, even the most fundamental Christians are inclined to relegate demonic activity to pagan lands and missionary experiences, or to pass it off as a mental disturbance poorly diagnosed by some religious zealot. *

   However, Bible-believing Christians have always accepted the notions of demons and their worldwide activity-New Testament offers ample examples. For instance, John 13:27 says of Judas, “Satan entered him.” Even a supernatural acceptance of the Bible will compel you to see the reality of demoniac activity.

   Before moving on, we should probably also understand that there is a big difference between demon possession and demon harassment. Everybody’s tempted or harassed by the devil. If you do not think you are ever tempted by the devil, it is likely that you are nearly possessed. Only those who are swimming against the current feel the pull of the river. Of course, it is not a sin to be tempted; we sin only when we surrender to temptation.

   There is little likelihood that we can attribute the deplorable condition of the crazed man in our story to anything but demon possession. How can he become possessed? Contrary to what Rosemary’s Baby portrayed, children are not typically born demon possessed. It is also not likely that the demoniac woke up one day and announced, “Hey, I’d like to be demon possessed!” And he probably did not “come down” with it quickly, as happens with the flu or measles.

   Quite the opposite, the devil moves in very slowly and quietly until he can take complete control of his prey-he is the camel working his nose into the tent. As S.D. Gordon opined, “It is startling to think that Satan can actually come into the heart of a man in such close touch with Jesus as Judas was. And more-he is cunningly trying to do it today. Yet he can get in only through a door opened from the inside. Every man controls the door of his own life.” *  

   At some time this man made a conscious decision to be free-not from evil, but from God’s influence. He is likely ached to be free from the restrictions and responsibilities of life. He wanted to be free to do what he wanted to do. Satan often uses the idea of being “one’s own person” and doing “one’s own thing” to tempt people into sin. They want to “be free!”

However, the truth is that when we surrender to sin, we lose control. So, in one sense, the demoniac did become free any human restraint could hold him. He was no longer bound by social conventions that told him how to dress or how to behave. He was free from social obligations, because society no longer wanted him. He became totally free. However, his freedom cost him more than he could have ever imagined. Sin became his cruel master.

   *It is true that there have been many cases of people who have had medical conditions, such as epilepsy, who were falsely accused of being demon-possessed. However, there also might be far more cases of the people who are demon-possessed whose bizarre behavior is seen as medically solvable-often with the result that the demoniac is medicated into a complacent stupor. 

   *S.D. Gordon, “The Bent-Knee Time,” Christianity Today, vol. 33, no. 10. 

    Do you know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? But God be thanked that though you were slaves to sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness (Romans 6:16-18).  

   Thomas Brooks said, “Satan promises the best, but pays with the worst; he promises honor and pays with disgrace; he promises pleasure and pays with pain; he promises profit and pays with loss; he promises life and pays with death.”

   Satan cannot possess us without our help. Demon possession generally takes hold when people through long and continued submission to the devil’s suggestions, lose nearly all of their will and capacity to resist. Their will is no longer their own, just as the madman in manacles was not his own.