WAT004 – The Serpent and the Seraphim

This is one of those blog posts today where I feel like I either have to explain a whole lot of my background and understanding or risk leaving the reader feeling like I’m making ridiculous leaps of logic without any basis in fact. Once again I struggle with the difference between writing a blog of my thoughts vs a book intended to persuade or prove something to the reader. Man, I wish I didn’t constantly go back and forth on this topic! Suffice it to say, I’m going to try and be brief in my “proofs” or evidence but still try and demonstrate it’s not just a total leap of faith without basis. The topic specifically at hand is that of demonstrating that the “serpent” in the garden was most likely none other than a Seraphim angel and why that makes a big difference to the understanding of the story of the Watchers.

Satan as the Serpent

Traditionally, I believe, Christians have viewed the serpent in the Garden of Eden story as being “the devil”, “Satan” or “Lucifer”. Unfortunately there are just SO many side tangents I could take with this that I don’t even know where to begin . For example, the name Lucifer appears only once in the Bible and, under critical examination, most likely was a human being (a king to be more exact), and possibly a king of Babylon who aspired to become like the gods. The terms “satan” and “devil” are not proper names but rather descriptions of character. Modern Christianity tends to equate Lucifer, Satan, and “the devil” as all being the same being (which I believe they very likely are not based on a critical examination of the biblical writings). Furthermore, Christianity has long equated the serpent in the Garden of Eden with the devil based on a single and potentially misleading passage. Because of this they tend to get caught up in the “who” is the serpent rather than the “what” is the serpent of the story in the Garden.

It’s worth examining the single passage equating the “devil” with the serpent or “the devil”.

⁷ And war broke out in heaven; Michael and his angels fought against the dragon. The dragon and his angels fought back, ⁸ but they were defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. ⁹ The great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.

Revelations 12:7-9, NRSVUE

A critical examination of the text above will demonstrate that the verse above does not specifically state that the “serpent” in this passage is the same serpent in the Garden of Eden. This is ASSUMED to be true by most because they believe the serpent “deceived” Eve and thus, through her, sin entered the whole world. Thus the logical jump is that the serpent in the garden is the one who deceived the whole world. I’ll admit that this isn’t a bad series of logic BUT one must also admit that it doesn’t specifically equate the serpent in the Garden with the serpent in the above verses. That is simply an assumption we are making.

I also want to point out that the author of the book I’m reviewing lists Michael as one of the “watchers”. The case for “Michael” being a watcher has not sufficiently been established yet but, if it were true, here again we see a “watcher” leading angels in a fight against some entity referred to as a “great dragon” and “ancient serpent”. IF, as the author will likely conclude, watchers are indeed seraphim angels that look like serpents then what we would have here is a story about one watcher going to war with another watcher regarding something that happened here on earth. Just keep this at the back of your mind as we go forward.

Too few Christians, I feel, realize that the Greek “devil” or the Greek/Hebrew “Satan” are actually not proper names of a being but rather are titles or descriptors. Both “the devil” (or diabolos in Greek) and “satan” (derived from a Hebrew word satan) both mean something like accuser or adversary. If examined critically, one will see that in the Old Testament, “ha Satan” (or “THE accuser”) has a free roaming relationship with “God” and even comes and goes freely from heaven and carries out orders for God on his behalf. There are verses I can show if you care to see the LORD commanding “THE satan” to do something for him on his behalf but again, I’m not writing a book here. The point is that the verses above simply refer to a being who is like a dragon and a serpent and is an accuser or adversary of some sort.

So for the moment I suggest focusing more on WHAT a serpent is (or isn’t) rather than WHO it is because I think the serpent in the garden may not be whom we think it is (or at least it’s not as simple as calling it “the devil”).

Seraphim as Serpents

Part of the key to understanding the serpent I think is brought out wonderfully by the author of this book. For example, he points out about Seraphim angels that:

According to Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words, “Seraphim may imply either a serpentine form (albeit with wings, human hands, and voices) or beings that have a ‘glowing’ quality about them” (1985, Old Testament Section, “To Burn”).

The Watchers: Lost Secrets of Ascension, Resurrection and Perfection
William Henry, location 65

In other words, the author points out that a specific type of angel, ones known as the Seraphim, often are described as having the appearance and qualities of a serpent. This is not just wild-ass speculation by the author but is supported also by a well-known scholarly work such as Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary”.

The author goes on to say:

The Watchers are the mighty Seraphim, the ‘winged and fiery serpents’ and ‘burning ones’, whose swirling bodies are composed of pure love and light and are full of eyes, an appropriate attribute of those who watch or guard God’s throne. In Christian art, the Seraphim are portrayed as six-winged and covered with feathers.

The Watchers: Lost Secrets of Ascension, Resurrection and Perfection
William Henry, location 37

I PERHAPS take issue with the phrasing the author uses here of “bodies composed of pure love and light” or “full of eyes”. I have not personally found that verbiage and the author has not supplied the support for it yet so I’ll just point out I may or may not agree with the author. I don’t really know.

Furthermore, the author points out several references that appear to liken angels to flying serpents:

Isaiah provides the eye-witness account of the prophet who saw the pure and holy Seraphim. They were calling to one another, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty” (Isaiah 6:1-4). He also uses the word [presumably Seraphim] in close association with words to describe snakes (nachash, the generic word for snakes, in 14:29, and epheh, viper, in 30:6).

The Watchers: Lost Secrets of Ascension, Resurrection and Perfection
William Henry, location 51

I’ll briefly quote these passages here and how they have been translated in English for reference:

6 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lofty, and the hem of his robe filled the temple. ² Seraphs were in attendance above him; each had six wings: with two they covered their faces, and with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. ³ And one called to another and said,

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
the whole earth is full of his glory.”

⁴ The pivots^[a] on the thresholds shook at the voices of those who called, and the house filled with smoke.

Isaiah 6:1-4, NRSVUE

So in the verses above we have “Seraphs”, a specific type of angel”, described as having wings. If, as we shall see, saraphs are also described as “serpent-like” or appearing like serpents then we seem to have a clear biblical explanation for a winged or flying serpent being an angel. Remember, the serpent in the Garden of Eden story was given a curse to crawl upon it’s belly from that day forward. This might suggest that before this curse, the serpent could fly, thus it’s punishment was removing it’s wings.

I should point out briefly my own personal observations of “wings” in the Bible. I have come to believe that “wings” often are less likely literal and rather alagorical to describe the fact that certain “angels” had the ability to “fly” back and forth from the spiritual and material plane. The wings were a way of signifying their ability to leave the physical realm and travel back to the spiritual realm. Thus, the image or allegory of an angel losing it’s wings suggests that it is no longer allowed to travel back and forth to the spiritual realm. It is now bound here in the material world with the rest of us. This would make a LOT of sense in light of many other verses in the Bible talking about angels being “cast down” and chained to the earth. Their ability to come and go from the spiritual realm as “watchers” has been removed and they are stuck in the material world reserved for a day of judgement.

Continuing on with the author’s cited verses:

Do not rejoice, all you Philistines,
    that the rod that struck you is broken,
for from the root of the snake will come forth an adder,
    and its fruit will be a flying fiery serpent.

Isaiah 14:29, NRSVUE

and

⁶ An oracle concerning the animals of the Negeb.

Through a land of trouble and distress,
    of lioness and roaring^[a] lion,
    of viper and flying serpent,
they carry their riches on the backs of donkeys
    and their treasures on the humps of camels
    to a people that cannot profit them.

Isaiah 30:6, NRSVUE

Even though the modern Church has come to reject the book of Enoch today, it was, at the time of Jesus, a widely read and accepted book treated as “scripture”. The author notes the following about the book of Enoch:

Seraphim appear in the Book of Enoch. In this Essene story of a man translated or transported to heaven, which we will explore momentarily. Enoch saw the Seraphim, They are designated as drakones (“serpents”), and are mentioned, in conjunction with cherubs as the heavenly creatures standing nearest to the throne of God. In fact, they are guardians of God’s Throne.

The Watchers: Lost Secrets of Ascension, Resurrection and Perfection
William Henry, location 56

Note the word “drakones” above. This is the root of the word “dragon”. Thus, the Seraphim could be referred to as “that old dragon” such as is used in the book or Revelations we quoted above. I hope that you are following along. I understand that there is a lot of random parts being put together here.

The Shining Ones

Furthermore, the author points out, Seraphim (and by extension serpents) were described in the Bible as having a brilliant “burning” or “glowing” appearance.

The word seraph, literally “burning ones”, is normally a synonym for serpents, especially winged or feathered serpents, when used in the Hebrew Bible. In Numbers and Deuteronomy the Seraphim are winged serpents.

The Watchers: Lost Secrets of Ascension, Resurrection and Perfection
William Henry, location 51

Moses and the Serpent

The author then goes on to shed some insight into the strange story appearing in the Bible regarding Moses and the serpent.

The most notable example of Seraphim contact and healing is found in Numbers 21:5-9 where Yahweh instructed Moses to make a brass serpent or fiery serpent, a Seraph, and put it on a pole known as the Nehushtan. If anyone was bitten by a serpent and then looked upon this fiery serpent, his life was saved. Numbers directly states that the ‘fiery flying serpent’ that heals is a Seraph.

The Watchers: Lost Secrets of Ascension, Resurrection and Perfection
William Henry, location 70

Let’s look at the English translation:

⁵ The people spoke against God and against Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we detest this miserable food.” ⁶ Then the Lord sent poisonous^[a] serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many Israelites died. ⁷ The people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned by speaking against the Lord and against you; pray to the Lord to take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people. ⁸ And the Lord said to Moses, “Make a poisonous^[b] serpent, and set it on a pole, and everyone who is bitten shall look at it and live.” ⁹ So Moses made a serpent of bronze and put it upon a pole, and whenever a serpent bit someone, that person would look at the serpent of bronze and live.

Numbers 21:5-9, NRSVUE

The author goes on to explain:

Interestingly, the Hebrew word for serpent, nachash or nahash, literally means “shining ones.” Indeed, a literal translation of Numbers 21:6 would be: “And sent Yahweh among the people the shining ones, the burning ones, and they bit the people.” The original shining being is the serpent in the Garden of Eden, which is often portrayed in Judeo-Christian art as a half-human, half-serpent being.

The Watchers: Lost Secrets of Ascension, Resurrection and Perfection
William Henry, location 73

The point the author is making, and rightly so, is that the story makes MUCH more sense if the “serpent” here is understood not to be a LITERAL snake but rather a Seraphim (burning, glowing, shining, winged serpent-like creature).

As the author comments:

Clearly this radiant creature made or manifested by Moses is not an ordinary snake. Instead, it is a supernatural angelic or divine light being with serpentine features.

The Watchers: Lost Secrets of Ascension, Resurrection and Perfection
William Henry, location 77

Jesus and the Serpent

Lastly, this might shed new light into Jesus strange pronouncement that he must be lifted up like the serpent of Moses. Consider for example that the Seraphim are spiritual beings able to shape-shift and manifest both in the spiritual and physical realms. Thus:

Jesus compares his imminent crucifixion to Moses’ raising, making or assembly of the Nehushtan (John 3:14-21). Jesus said:   “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:14-15).   Here, Jesus is telling us to duplicate the craft of Moses and produce the Seraph and its healing substance. As Jesus tells us, this substance promises eternal life or immortality.

The Watchers: Lost Secrets of Ascension, Resurrection and Perfection
William Henry, location 86

I’m not fond of the authors wording here but the point is PERHAPS that Jesus viewed himself as becoming a spiritual being like a Seraphim and, like the Seraphim that the people in the wilderness had to look to for saving in the Old Testament, he too would become a spiritual Seraphim-like being that people could look to for salvation.

What’s the point?

The radical thought here is what if the “serpent” in the garden is a “burning one” or “shining one,” a Seraphim angel who has serpent like characteristics? Then the punishments in the Biblical Garden of Eden story starts to make a lot more sense to me. If the “watchers” were angels that were meant to just observe and assist primitive man in some way but then violated a rule of the spiritual realm and manifested themselves within our physical world and intermingled with us (perhaps even intimately), then the punishments in the garden of a woman’s pain in childbirth make more sense. What if the well-known curse to the serpent is somewhat sexual in nature? Notice the reference to “offspring”.

I will put enmity between you and the woman
    and between your offspring and hers;
he will strike your head,
    and you will strike his heel.”

Genesis 3:15, NRSVUE

Is this perhaps another way of saying that there will be struggles from here out between spiritual Seraphim and physical man? Between the offspring of spiritual beings and the offspring of men? Considering what the ancients believed about the story of the watchers, I believe this makes total sense.