The Serpent That Was There

Marty Pickup

In a recent article for the 2003 Florida College Lectures, I discussed Genesis 3 and the curse that God pronounced on the serpent in the garden of Eden. I apparently expressed myself very poorly, however, because some readers have drawn the conclusion that I thought the Genesis account did not record historical fact or that Genesis 3 is a myth. Nothing could be further from the truth. I greatly regret my choice of words seeing that those words have been read in such a wrong way. So let me now be very clear: the Genesis account of Satan’s temptation of Eve is completely historical in every way. The being identified in the Bible as the serpent was really in the garden and he really tempted Eve . I never intended to suggest anything to the contrary. Continue reading “The Serpent That Was There”

The Serpent That Was Not There

by Marc W. Gibson & Harry Osborne

Throughout history, the truth of God has been assaulted by those interpreting figurative symbols as literal history and by those interpreting literal history as figurative symbols. Premillennialists have advocated their theories by interpreting the figurative symbols of books like Daniel and Revelation as literal history. Those denying the literal, historical facts presented in the Bible have taken the opposite tack, interpreting literal facts as figurative symbols. Both have violated a simple and fundamental rule for interpreting Scripture:

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O’Neal’s Letter To Caldwell Concerning the 2002 Postscript

01-10-2001

Dear Colly:

Donnie Rader sent me a copy of the note that you are going to put in the 2002 Florida College lecture book.

I knew last year that Donnie delivered an outstanding speech at the lectures but I did not realize how powerful it was until I got the note from him. It was so powerful that you are still trying to destroy its effect.

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