The prophet's dictionary guide to the supernatural

1317. Seraphim—The plural of seraph. See Numbers 21:6–8 and Isaiah 6:2, 6. They are also alluded to as being winged serpents according to Isaiah 14:29, which uses the same word saraph to describe them. 1318. Serpent—A) Creepers. B) A snake. C) A creature that from antiquity is believed to symbolize magic powers, mysterious knowledge, fertility, and powers of darkness. The serpent was the favored deity symbol of ancient people and is mentioned in the Bible many times. More than a few of those references pertain to the occult. The serpent is introduced in Scripture in the book of Genesis, identified as an animal that apparently walked uprightly and had the power of speech as well as superior intellect. The serpent deceived Adam’s wife, as she was still called then, in order to gain lawful entry into the earth through the seed of humanity. His plan worked because Adam’s wife believed the serpent who had befriended her and convinced her husband to rebel against his Maker. From that time forward the serpent has been hallowed and celebrated by fallen humanity. When the serpent shows up again in Scripture it is in Egypt where Moses confronts its by then powerful spiritual dominance in his clash with Pharaoh. The encounter that brought Moses face to face with the king of Egypt was spiritually calculated by Israel’s God. See Exodus 7:9. The serpent was the worshipped and celebrated creature of the powerful kingdom. Pharaohs credited the beast for their supernatural as well as political knowledge and power. Egyptian Pharaohs wore serpents on their crowns, in particular the cobra. So when the Lord gave Moses the power of transmutation it was to the end that His prophet would manifest the Lord as the true Creator and more powerful than the serpent and his regents. Pharaoh’s magicians had been performing the hoax of transmutation forever and easily changed their rods to serpents as Moses did. Conjuring up serpents was a favorite palace trick. What had never been seen before was the conquest of one transmuted object over another. That sign served to warn Pharaoh and Egypt’s gods (Exodus 12:12) that the reign of the serpent over Jehovah’s people and eventually in the world was coming to an end. Successively, as the contest wore on, every one of Egypt’s gods and beliefs were slaughtered by the God of the Jews until He triumphantly led His people out from under Satan’s (synonymous with serpent) grip. The serpent resurfaces in the wilderness as a fiery destroyer and was again used by the Lord to accomplish His practical ends (Numbers 21:9). Job 26:13 says the Almighty formed the crooked serpent. The serpent from God’s perspective is credited with flying, fire, and poisonous venom. In Isaiah 27:1, the serpent is called Leviathan, crooked, and in this