Snakes and serpents in the Scriptures
5. Satan as the ‘Serpent of Old’ – Revelation
Just as it began with a temptation from the serpent, so the Bible ends with the destruction of the serpent.
In Scripture’s climactic book, the Apostle John is shown a vision of “that ancient” serpent — Satan — and his angels being cast out of Heaven forever:
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“The great dragon was hurled down — that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.” (Revelation 12:9)
While this passage is believed to be just the beginning of an age-old “holy war” in Heaven in which the devil and his angels are cast out, it’s not until the final act of Revelation that we see Satan consigned to the ash heap of history, as he joins the satanic duo of the Beast and the false prophet in eternal torment: "And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever." (Revelation 20:10)
Whereas the serpent in the Garden was concerned with fruit, in Revelation we see the great dragon perishing eternally in fire.
