I think that when you get right into it, the snake is part of a process that leads humanity to a place where they are able to have a more meaningful role in YHWH's life. The original Adam and Eve are like children in their naïveté. The snake deceives the woman which causes Adam to willfully sin when he decides to eat the fruit. This leads to a chain of events in which humanity chooses what relationship it wants to have with YHWH. I think within the framework of the myth all beings are free. The snake is free to be in the garden, Adam and Eve are free to eat the fruit. If there is a theme to the 66 books of the bible it is that the snake challenges JHVH's sovereignty and questions whether or not humanity would choose god's rule or if they are able to run their own kingdom. JHVH finds that there are some humans that would choose him and would even sacrifice their only begotten son to him (Isaiah) so he decides it is worth sacrificing his only son for them to redeem them and create a new kingdom for them.
The Adam & Eve story illustrates the First Commandment in Exodus 34:11-16. It also shows that freedom of religion isn't tolerated. When the Israelites wanted to exercise freedom of religion by worshiping the golden calf Moses went nuts and killed 3,000 of them.
There is a difference between the Israelites and you, the Israelites and Adam and Eve. The difference is a covenant or agreeement. The agreement between Adam and God was not to eat the fruit. The agreement between the Israelites and God was that the Israelites had to follow a complex set of confusing and sometimes ridiculous laws. The agreement now is you can have faith, knowledge and some feelings in your heart. Remember the charge is that humans won't acknowledge his sovereignty and will want to do things their own way. You are free not to but there are always consequences.
My theory is that the plan of YHWH..... was to eventually bring that magic talking snake to repentance........ genuine Teshuvah........ and usher in an age in which....... those who are forgiven much.... love much.......
The snake is just a metaphor for sly Satan to show how he can influence people. SATAN - "Hmm, that apple looks yummy.." EVE - "I'm not supposed to touch it" SATAN - "Don't be daft, if you don't have it Adam will, and then laugh at you for being a dumb little girly, you know how men are" EVE - "I'm forbidden to have it" SATAN - "Hmm...Your skin looks a bit dry, fresh fruit would work wonders for your complexion" EVE - "Leave me alone!" SATAN - "It'll just rot if left on the tree, what a waste.." EVE - "Shut up" SATAN - "Apples are good for teeth, you don't want yours to turn black do you?" EVE - "Oh be quiet!" SATAN - "You'll get scurvy without vitamin C and your gums will puff up like a boxers gumshield".. EVE - "Clam up!" SATAN - "Okay okay, scuse me for breathing, none of my business if you want to end up looking like a cross between Mike Tyson and Ugly Betty".. EVE - "Hmm okay, I'd better eat it, but don't tell anyone" SATAN - "Sure, sure, you can trust me"..
Actually.. .the magic talking snake was merely a Covering Cherub...... whereas Azazel..... and the other Watchers were sons of G-d... and were capable of having children with the daughters of men...... no wonder the magic talking snake got jealous of the sons of G-d...... and led them to their fall........ http://www.politicalforum.com/index...d-and-divide-the-kingdom-of-satan-and.369227/ Does a major fallen angel return to G-d and divide the kingdom of Satan and... .... cause it to fall? "but the goat on which the lot fell for Aza'zel shall be presented alive before the LORD to make atonement over it, that it may be sent away into the wilderness to Aza'zel."(Leviticus 16:10 RSV) In a nutshell I have came to strongly suspect that Azazel is the fallen angel who will be somewhat like General Abner who brought the ten tribes over to King David or to Rav Shaul/Paul who repented of persecuting Christians and followers of God. I suspect that when the fallen angel Azazel returns to the God of Abraham with his whole heart...when Yom Kippur is completely fulfilled....then a major step will have been taken toward the ushering in of a truly new era of worldwide peace where even the eating habits of wild animals like lions will be altered! "And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand:And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand?" (Matthew 12)
LOL! Good one! What do you personally think of the explanation for the fall of Covering Cherub Lucifer as shown to near death experiencer Dr. Richard Eby? It tends to verify Old Earth and Gap Theory which is certainly an improvement over Young Earth Creationism. http://www.near-death.com/science/articles/richard-eby-and-secomd-coming-of-christ.html#a03
Eby seems to be saying in different words what the Bible already says.. PS- This is a good image of Satan in Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ", always sly, scheming, lurking, reading our minds to pick up on any personality flaws that he can make flare up to use against us- We know he can read our minds because Jesus warned his disciples- "Satan wanted to sift you" (Luke 22:31) Generally, Christians can sense when Satan is probing their minds and guard against it, but atheists and nonchristians are easy meat for him and he can twist them round his little finger, hence the warnings- "Don't give the devil a foothold" (Eph 4:27) "Resist the devil and he'll flee from you" (James 4:7) Kirk- "Report Mr. Spock" Spock- "We're being probed Captain, source and origin unknown" Kirk- "Shields up, red alert!"
I agree...... and if the theory about the return of the fallen angel Azazel to the G-d of Abraham with his whole heart...... does in fact lead to the fall of the kingdom of Satan...... .... and if Azazel is in a sense The General Abner Type and if Lucifer is typified by King Saul......... then you would tend to think that a thousand year prison sentence would produce a significantly different attitude............. than is indicated in these verses??? Rev 20:2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, Rev 20:3 And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season. Rev 20:7 ¶ And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, Rev 20:8 And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.
Yes, Satan may well have been on the loose for a while already, just look around at how he's using muslim terrorists as his puppets..
If you have the free time the video included in this article is originally in Hebrew but the subtitles are well worth reading......... Details for latter day events are added that I would not have guessed..... http://www.politicalforum.com/index...dicts-70-nations-unite-against-israel.491503/ Fifteen year old Israeli has NDE and predicts 70 nations unite against Israel.
But it also took him another 40 days and 40 nights to do the second set. He should have used some magic.
God made both Adam and Eve so he already knew that they would be deceived by the snake. That makes the whole farce in the garden of eden a case of entrapment. No honest court with a jury of their peers would find them guilty once it was established that god set them up with the snake and knew in advance that they would eat the fruit.