Cockatrices
And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice’ den.
(Isaiah 11:8) KJV
There’s mythological creature which, it turns out, isn’t mythological. The Cockatrice appears in a couplet with Asp, so they’re equivalent, and this gives us its classification as a Serpent.
In the context of our lips speaking lies and separating us from God, something caused the Cockatrice, an egg-layer which formerly had legs and wings, to take on the form of a limbless snake. Any guesses? Here’s a rather perfunctory description from Wikipedia:
A cockatrice is a mythical beast, essentially a two-legged dragon or serpent-like creature with a rooster’s head.
– Wikipedia
Rejoice not thou, whole Palestina, because the rod of him that smote thee is broken: for out of the serpent’s root shall come forth a cockatrice, and his fruit shall be a fiery flying serpent.
(Isaiah 14:29) KJV
If God creates in a systematic manner and builds complexity with each successive iteration of beings then this may represent either a “dead end,” or it could be the origin of the feathered birds (Aves) as a group. Notice we used the word iteration, not generation, since we’re not talking about the changes in character traits between parent and offspring. It may be that the Cockatrice served as the root of both the Seraphim which inhabit the atmosphera, and for the group Aves.
For, behold, I will send serpents, cockatrices, among you, which will not be charmed, and they shall bite you, saith the LORD.
(Jeremiah 8:17) KJV
It appears that the word is being used to refer to something which is still in existence, since it’s included in both the prophecy about the millennial kingdom (Isaiah 11:8), and it’s referred to in the present tense in the time of Jeremiah. There’s nothing that we know of in the natural world which fits this description. This leads to an interesting issue which we must resolve:
- Is the Bible referring to something which doesn’t exist?
- Is the Bible referring to something which existed but which has changed over time so that it’s descendants don’t look anything like what the Bible describes?
Option 1. undermines our premise. If we believe that God cannot lie and that His Word is true then there can’t be anything in His Word that isn’t true. As such we have to consider Option 2.
Option 2. means that the Cockatrice, a two-legged dragon with a rooster’s head, used to exist as a two-legged dragon with a rooster’s head, but now, through the process of evolutionary change which started at the fall of man in Genesis 3, doesn’t have legs, wings or a rooster’s head. In this instance the genetic makeup of a modern-day serpent may be traced back to the Cockatrice, but there’s no living analog of its former type.
They hatch cockatrice’ eggs, and weave the spider’s web: he that eateth of their eggs dieth, and that which is crushed breaketh out into a viper.
(Isaiah 59:5) KJV
This is the first time we have seen a mention of members of the Serpent suborder laying eggs. Since having two legs, feathers and laying eggs are features of the group Aves then, in evolution-speak, this could be the common ancestor although, again, we’re not talking about development over successive generations of offspring (evolution). We are talking about the outflowing of God’s creative will (abiogenesis).
If the Word of God is true, and there once was a creature of reptilian origin which had wings, 2 legs, a roosters head, a serpent’s tail and laid eggs, where is it now? and what happened? Isaiah 59:5 gives us an interesting clue, but we need to back up a little and look at the verse in context:
But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear. For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue hath muttered perverseness. None calleth for justice, nor any pleadeth for truth: they trust in vanity, and speak lies; they conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity. They hatch cockatrice’ eggs, and weave the spider’s web: he that eateth of their eggs dieth, and that which is crushed breaketh out into a viper.
(Isaiah 59:2-5) KJV
The context is about being separated from God, our sins have hid his face from us. In this context we also see the Cockatrice‘s eggs bringing forth vipers (a snake). It shouldn’t take a genius to figure this one out… But we’ll keep you in suspense. Today’s image is from here.
Salvation
- Call upon the name of Jesus Christ,
- believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead,
- confess your sin.
Read through the Bible in a year
| Reading plan | May 11 | |
| Linear | Esther 7-9 | |
| Chronological | 2 Samuel 10 1 Chronicles 19 Psalms 20 |
Matty's Paradigm 