Genesis 24; Nehemiah 12; Matthew 23; Acts 23
Matthew 23:33 Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?
Jesus made this statement to a group of extremely religious people. The scribes and Pharisees were some of the religious leaders of his day. They said they believed the Bible. They were zealous for the Law of Moses. They prayed, they made proselytes, they kept the Sabbath, they believed in the resurrection of the dead. However, Jesus told them they were serpents. What did he mean by this? He was taking them all the way back to the Garden of Eden and comparing them to Satan. Imagine their shock and outrage at Jesus' comparison. He just called them vipers! Remember, God cursed the serpent in the Garden. He also pronounced his demise.
Genesis 3:15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
God said that the seed of the woman would bruise the serpent's head. However, God said the seed of the serpent and the seed of the woman would have enmity. In other words, they would be at war with each other. Here is Jesus reminding these religious people that they were the seed of the serpent! Another time he told them:
John 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
They were following their father – Satan. Wow! How scary to think that someone as religious as the Pharisees would actually be acting like Satan. How does that happen? It happens when someone who is lost takes up the Bible and tries to be religious. They create a religious system devoid of Christ. They will find themselves to be fighting against the Lord and his people. These religious leaders opposed Christ at every turn. They hated him and eventually they were shouting, "Crucify him; crucify him!"
Realize that in every generation, there is a group of vipers who use the Bible to try to lead people AWAY from Christ. Be warned and make sure that you are following Jesus. Be sure that you know him through a relationship by faith. If you are holding to a form of godliness or morality that is based on what you do, you have been deceived by the enemy. Salvation is by grace through faith in Christ. Religion cannot save you and it cannot make you good. Only Jesus Christ and his Holy Spirit can do that!
In Christ,
Rody
