. . . OR IS HE? by Tim Chaffey
MOST CHRISTIANS KNOW ALL ABOUT THE SERPENT IN THE GARDEN OF EDEN AND THE FRUIT HE OFFERED EVE. OH REALLY? STOP FOR A MINUTE AND TAKE A CLOSER LOOK. WHAT DOES THE BIBLE REALLY REVEAL ABOUT THAT SLY CREATURE WHOSE TEMPTATION BROUGHT RUIN UPON MANKIND?
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E’RE ALL FAMILIAR with the sorry scene when the first man and woman rebelled against their Creator. One sunny day Eve wandered through the trees perusing the luscious fruit that God had placed throughout the Garden of Eden, when suddenly she heard a voice. Turning, she saw that the words came from a serpent. No big deal. Many animals talked. Eve was innocent, so she never suspected a sinister scheme and readily engaged in conversation. Wait. Stop. Hold on. That’s not what happened, not exactly. You see, as Eve walked through the garden admiring the tasty assortments, a mighty angelic being called a cherub approached her and
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Illustration by Cory Godbey
struck up a discussion. Given that Eve had regularly seen angels in her untainted home at Eden, she had no reason to be wary. Whoa! That’s not in the Bible either. Eve was helping Adam tend the garden when she accidentally wandered away from Adam and came too close to the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Satan seized the opportunity to deceive the woman by possessing a serpent, which slithered down the tree to speak to her. Right? When we talk about famous Bible events, like David and Goliath, we often assume we know what happened in rich detail, until someone asks, “But where’s that in the Bible?” Then we realize how
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