Numbers 21:8-9 And the Lord said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live. And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.
The devil is often portrayed as a serpent in the Bible. It seems odd that people would be healed by a serpent. Especially peculiar that this brass serpent is on a pole like Christ on the cross.
The reason it is appropriate is because Jesus was resurrected. Jesus defeated death and the cross. The one who was defeated by the crucifixion was the devil.
Jesus cried out, “My God, why have you abandoned me?” because God had turned His face from the crucifixion. When God looked away, the devil openly cursed God not knowing that Jesus is the Lord. Jesus was able to witness the spiritual world that we humans cannot detect. Jesus is a witness against the devil.
All are under the Law of God, including the devil. Satan cannot open commit a sin, but at the crucifixion he didn’t know that Jesus is the Lord. To this very Day, Jesus is at the Right Hand of God which is a transcending level of Heaven. The devil still doesn’t know that Jesus is Lord.
The Brass Serpent is Cast Out
Luke 17:28-30 Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.
The day will come when it will be revealed in Heaven that Jesus is Lord. Then it will be known that God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are all witnesses against the devil. Not just the devil, all the egocentric arrogant spirits that remain in Heaven.
Like the children of Israel, we are bitten by a serpent. The devil poisons us as his influence gives us a sinful nature. Satan doesn’t cause us to sin; he causes us to become sinful. The devil influences us, but many people and spirits will influence who we become. We are responsible for our sins. Part of our redemption comes from Christ defeating the devil on the cross. Just as the children of Israel were cured by looking at the brass serpent.
