The Law of Moses

"That old serpent"
The only passage in the New Testament that seems to teach the opposite is Revelation 12, where in verse 9 a weird creature with seven heads is referred to as "that old serpent, called the Devil and Satan". But, as is shown in the Appendix to this booklet, this passage is not describing what happened in the Garden of Eden. It is a parable, speaking of future events on earth. It does not tell us that the serpent in Eden really was a fallen angel. Instead, it describes a serpent with seven heads. Does anyone believe that the serpent in Eden was like that?

So the message of Genesis, and of other Bible writers who refer to Genesis, is plain. Don't blame a fallen angel for the sinfulness of human nature. Put the blame where it belongs: on Adam, and on his sinful children—including ourselves.

The Law of Moses
The first five books of the Bible—Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy—are together called "The Law of Moses", because he wrote them. They form a little over one-sixth of the Bible that we have today, but for hundreds of years they were the only Bible that God's people had, because the rest of the Bible had not been written then.
Nevertheless the Law of Moses was a complete guidebook for the people of God at that time. It told them how to avoid sin and how God wanted them to live. But it never mentions the devil, or Satan—not once.
This fact provokes an important question. If there really is a fallen angel who tricks men into sinning, why did God not warn His people about this deadly danger when He gave them this early Bible, the Law of Moses? It rather looks as if God did not intend His people in those early days to believe in a fallen-angel devil.

Of course, an argument based on silence can never be conclusive on its own. But at least this is a valuable fact to bear in mind as we continue our study.