This section was developed for people with not alot of time but a need to ruminate deeply.
I will endeavour to pull up some of the best spiritual topics.
vicky.
Starting with.....
http://www.paradisecafediscussions.net/s...p?tid=3642
I can't seem to find the original research of BR.
Basically the Westcott and Hort text says... Broad is the
gate and spacious the road leading to destruction.
The NWT has lost a gate. We are not born on the broad and spacious road, instead there are two gates and we have a choice of entry.
This is a post by BR
She researches deeply, takes time to get to the point but has come up with fabulous information.
E.g. The Bible does not say in Genesis 3, about Eve,
"
Afterward she gave some also to her husband
when with her"
http://www.scripture4all.org/OnlineInter...f/gen3.pdf
And when the woman
saw that the tree [was] good
for food, and that it [was]
pleasant to the eyes, and a
tree to be desired to make
[one] wise,.........
she took of the
fruit thereof, and did eat,
and gave also unto her
husband with her; and he
did eat.
No word for 'afterward' nor for 'when', occurred in the original text.
Hi my brother ... :hibye::D
I just KNEW somehow that your answer would be the kind of answer I would get ...:P:giverose::love::D
Neither of them was the first ever serpent.
Being a wee bit silly ...as to saying that this 'wasn't the first serpent' ... welllllll ...
We don't 'really' know that do we ...? It 'could' have been the first serpent that was created ... maybe a grampy or something ... :dontknow::huh::love::whistle:;)
What we DO agree on is this statement that you made ...
it is not really saying that Satan was the actual, literal serpent in the account
I really don't think anyone here (I am 'assuming' here and we all know where that can get ya;):funnyface:) believe Satan WAS a snake ... after all he WAS an ANGEL from heaven after all ... and I don't think snakes can really fly ...;) but that he USED the snake as a 'front' as it were ...
I too looked up the Greek word used for original ... and found some pretty interesting stuff ... things that would seem to me to show that there was something MORE going on than just what a literal snake would be CAPABLE of ...
Bear with me please while I dig out my books ...?:happyheart::read:
The word that is used for 'snake' is
Nachash meaning ...
A snake (from its hiss):- serpent
According to Strong's it comes from the word 'nachash' which means ...
a prim. root; prop. to hiss, i.e. whisper a (magic) spell; gen. to prognosticate:- x enchantment, learn by experience, x indeed, diligently observe
Interestingly I found the definition of 'prognosticate' to also cause me to sit and think a while ...
The meaning of prognosticate is according one dictionary I have ...
To foretell (future events, etc.) by present indications. To indicate beforehand; foreshadow
And is this not what the 'serpent' did ... did he not 'foretell' future events for Adam and Eve? From what we know of animals, birds, fish, reptiles, mammals and such ... including snakes ... do we know of ANYTHING that has this 'capability' ...?
I know of none ... so there must be SOMETHING MORE or the meaning of the word 'snake' came to mean more because of what had happened in the Garden of Eden musn't there?
Soooo what does all this mean to me ...?:redface:
IMHO I do not think that a 'snake' has all the 'capabilities' that word for 'serpent' seems to imply ... beyond hissing that is ... perhaps I should had spitting and biting and striking and coiling as well to be more accurate? ;)
I found the root word for serpent very interesting ... and it is perhaps the REASON why the Devil CHOSE a SNAKE in the first place ... and when you look at the various qualities used for a snake in the Bible ... they are usually always in a 'negative' context are they not ... and so STRIKINGLY EXACT as to what we know about the Devil and his 'personality' and 'actions' ...:devil: :rant::angry::bangin::fightingmad::beatoverhead: except of course when he is trying to 'appear' like an angel ... :innocent:
I found myself thinking of the Robin Hood cartoon when I read the definition of 'enchantment' or 'whisper' (a magic spell) in the section where the snake was in the tree and his eyes started to go in a circle and he was singing ... trust in me ... not sure if you seen it ... but I think it might be a good illustration here ...
When I read this it got me to wondering if perhaps that is how come that Eve was so THOROUGHLY DECEIVED ... that Satan used some of this kind of 'power' on her perhaps ...? Not sure if it could be proven or anything ... but I just had it as thought based on the definition above ... and maybe that is another reason why Jehovah judged them as he did ... :dontknow:
In any event ... for sure the 'serpent' came to be used as a 'metaphor' for the Devil ...:happyheart:
Not sure if I made any sense here ... oh well ... you jusssssst have to read between the linesssss ... :P
A bratty but everluvin BR just adding another thought or two ... :sheepy: :bouncyhearts: