When the prophet Moses describes Satan as an ancient serpent, and Apostle John by the way describes him as an ancient dragon, they’re not intending to tell us what Satan looks like they want to teach us what Satan is like. We know that immediately in John’s revelation because when he says dragon we know a dragon is the stuff of mythology not theology. If we think of Satan as either a slithering snake, therefore, or a fire breathing dragon we not only misunderstand the nature of fallen angels, but we might also suppose that Jesus triumphed over the work of the devil by stepping on the head of a snake rather than through His passion on the cross we see in Colossians chapter two. Eve was not deceived by a talking snake (snakes don’t have vocal cords) rather Moses used the symbol of the snake to communicate the wiles of the evil one who deceived Eve through mind to mind communication precisely as he seeks to deceive you and me. Satan is real and the metaphor is used to communicate just how lethal he is if we do not put on the full armor of God. If we reject the truth that God gives us we decide to be the arbiters of truth ourselves.