The physical realm speaks of the
spiritual.
God gave us nature to help
us understand the spiritual realm. By referring to Satan as a
snake, He is telling us everything about Satan that we ever need to
know.
Snake
methods of attack
Spitting
snake attacks
Some snake types are
capable of shooting venom over a distance. A spitting snake may
spit as much as thirty or forty times in succession. Satan can
similarly launch his destructive thoughts from a distance. The
bible refers to them as burning arrows.
"At all times carry faith
as a shield; for with it you will be able to put out all the
burning arrows shot by the Evil One." (Eph 6:16 GNB)
A spitting snake usually
aims for the eyes of a their victims. A direct hit in the eye will
cause temporary shock and blindness. Satan similarly attacks the
spiritual eyes of the believers.
"The eyes are like a lamp
for the body. If your eyes are sound, your whole body will be full
of light; but if your eyes are no good, your body will be in
darkness. So if the light in you is darkness, how terribly dark it
will be!" (Mat 6:22-23 GNB)
"If we say that we are in
the light, yet hate others, we are in the darkness to this very
hour. If we love others, we live in the light, and so there is
nothing in us that will cause someone else to sin. But if we hate
others, we are in the darkness; we walk in it and do not know where
we are going, because the darkness has made us blind." (1Jn
2:9-11 GNB)
Unbelievers have all been
blinded by the enemy.
See what Jesus had to say about the spiritual leaders of His
time.
"Don't worry about them!
They are blind leaders of the blind; and when one blind man leads
another, both fall into a ditch." (Mat 15:14 GNB)
Jesus said, "I came to
this world to judge, so that the blind should see and those who see
should become blind." (Joh 9:39 GNB)
Contact with the skin is
not normally dangerous, but open wounds may allow the venom access
into the bloodstream. Similarly Satan attacks the weak spots in
your armor. That is way the bible states that we have to put on the
whole armor of God.
"Put on the whole armor of
God so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the
devil." (Eph 6:11 MKJV)
Blindness caused by a snake
spit can become permanent if left untreated, but no serious results
should occur if the snake venom is washed away immediately with
plenty of water.
This washing with water speaks of the word of God.
"That He might sanctify
and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word."
(Eph 5:26 MKJV)
In Jesus' ministry on earth,
one of the miracles he performed most frequently, was the healing
of blindness, both physically and spiritually. This was also one of
His last commands to his apostles.
"You are to open their eyes and turn them
from the darkness to the light and from the power of Satan to God,
so that through their faith in me they will have their sins
forgiven and receive their place among God's chosen people.'"
(Act 26:18 GNB)
Biting snake
attacks
Some snake types will
discharge their venoms the moment their fangs penetrate the skin,
and then immediately let go. Others would close their jaws like a
bulldog after biting, and hold on firmly for a considerable time.
In either case the snake venom will get exhausted after several
bites and the glands will have to recuperate before the snake can
attack again. Similarly, Satan cannot continue his attack on you
indefinitely, but will leave for a period of time, before he will
attack again.
"And when the Devil had ended every
temptation, he departed from Him for a time." (Luk 4:13
MKJV)
Constrictor
snake attacks
Constrictors use sight,
smell and heat-sensing to locate their prey.
Similarly, Satan uses his spiritual senses, smelling spiritual
activity.
"God uses us to make the
knowledge about Christ spread everywhere like a sweet fragrance.
For we are like a sweet-smelling incense offered by Christ to God,
which spreads among those who are being saved and those who are
being lost. For those who are being lost, it is a deadly stench
that kills; but for those who are being saved, it is a fragrance
that brings life."
(2Co 2:14-16 GNB)
Like most types of snake,
constrictors don’t chase their prey, rather they hunt by
ambush.
Satan also hunt by laying down snares and traps.
"And then they will come
to their senses and escape from the trap of the Devil, who had
caught them and made them obey his will." (2Ti 2:26
GNB)
Constrictors grab their prey
with their teeth, then quickly coil their bodies around their preys
and squeeze tightly so that the prey animals cannot breath and die
of suffocation. A constrictor snake then swallows its prey whole,
usually head first.
"But those who want to get
rich fall into temptation and are caught in the trap of many
foolish and harmful desires, which pull them down to ruin and
destruction." (1Ti 6:9 GNB)
Snake
venoms
The venom
of a poisonous snake fall into three distinct
categories:
-
Neurotoxic snake venom:
affecting the nervous system, causing paralysis, disorientation and
depressed respiration; leading to everything from seizures to
death.
-
Cytotoxic snake venom:
affecting the flesh locally, causing rapid breakdown of skeletal
muscle tissue.
-
Hemotoxic snake venom:
affecting the blood and organs, causing breakdown and inflammation
in the body.
Satan
also affects you in the same three
areas:
"But we should not lose heart in
well-doing, for in due season we shall reap, if we do not
faint." (Gal 6:9 MKJV)
"For God has not given us the spirit of
fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." (2Ti 1:7
MKJV)
"Sell all your belongings and give the
money to the poor. Provide for yourselves purses that don't wear
out, and save your riches in heaven, where they will never
decrease, because no thief can get to them, and no moth can destroy
them. For your heart will always be where your riches are."
(Luk 12:33-34 GNB)
"Do not be afraid of those who kill the
body but cannot kill the soul; rather be afraid of God, who can
destroy both body and soul in hell."
(Mat 10:28 GNB)
"Keep watch and pray that you will not
fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is
weak." (Mat 26:41 GNB)
"Keep away from profane and foolish
discussions, which only drive people farther away from God. Such
teaching is like an open sore that eats away the flesh."
(2Ti 2:16-17 GNB)
"But now, in union with Christ Jesus you,
who used to be far away, have been brought near by the blood of
Christ." (Eph 2:13 GNB)
"For this reason Jesus also died outside
the city, in order to purify the people from sin with his own
blood." (Heb 13:12 GNB)
"But if we live in the light---just as he
is in the light---then we have fellowship with one another, and the
blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from every sin." (1Jn 1:7
GNB)
The methods
a snake uses to protect itself
-
Disguise: Some types of
snake are very hard to see because they look like their
environments.
-
Imitation: Many types of
snake protect themselves by imitation. The cobra for example, has
spots on the back of his head that resembles the eyes of a large
predator.
-
Increased size: Puff
adders for example, can blow themselves up much larger than its
original size. Cobras flatten their necks to look
bigger.
-
Frightening sounds: may
snake types produce load hissing or make other frightening sounds
to scare enemies away.
Similarly, Satan can disguise
himself like an angel or imitate a lion. He can pretend to be as
large as Jesus, the lion of Judah, and make roaring noises to scare
us.
"Even Satan can disguise
himself to look like an angel of light!" (2Co 11:14
GNB)
"Be alert, be on watch! Your enemy, the
Devil, roams around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to
devour." (1Pe 5:8 GNB)
Ways to protect yourself against snake
bites
The ways that we use to
avoid snake bites in the natural realm also
have their exact counterpart in the spiritual realm.
-
Avoid snake territory - don't
enter into areas where Satan can tempt you.
-
Avoid walking in the dark or in
dark places - don't walk with lies and deceit.
-
Do not put your hands or feet
into places you cannot look - use Godly wisdom.
-
Don't sit down without looking
around carefully - don't relax your guard against Satan.
-
Know the type of snake that you
may encounter - discern the spirits.
-
Wear appropriate protective
clothing - put on your spiritual armor against Satan.
-
Don't ever walk alone - you are
part of the Body of Christ.
-
Do not go out of your way to
kill a snake - we are to resist the Satan, not to hunt
him.
Treating snake bites
This is a spiritual
matter, do not try to counter it in the flesh!
-
Keep calm - in Christ there is
always hope.
-
Get safely away from the snake
- forsake Satan and sin.
-
Apply the appropriate snake
antidote - confess your sins and accept God's
forgiveness.
-
Treat for shock - give the
victim lots of love.
-
Preserve body heat - fellowship
with other Christians.
-
Remove all restricting items
from the bitten extremity - allow for emotional
reactions.
-
Wash the snake bite with soap
and water - apply the Word of God to the spiritual
wound.
-
DO NOT try to suck out the
snake venom by mouth - don't expose yourself to Satan's
poison.
-
DO NOT cut the snake bite -
don't condemn the victim or aggravate the situation.
-
DO NOT apply a tourniquet to
the snake bite - don't bind the victim with lots of
rules.
-
DO NOT apply ice packs to the
snake bite - don't give the victim a cold shoulder.
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As you can see, there are
many similarities between Satan in the spiritual realm and a snake
in the physical realm.
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