= the Crooked Serpent, the DevilUnknown to most Jews and Christians, the ancient Israelites were well aware of the swastika due to their ancient contact with the Hindu civilizations of the east. The Hindu religions, as well as Buddhism, have been using the two swastikas since even before King David made the hexagram his official coat-of-arms around the year 1,000 B.C. Rest assured, the Biblical writers most probably had the swastika in mind when discussing the crooked serpent (the Devil) as well as his evil, crooked ways and paths. The best way to illustrate this is simply to list the numerous quotes related to the swastika. Careful study reveals that the prophets most certainly meant the swastikas symbolically when using the term 'crooked'.
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| Crooked | Straight | Crooked |
| Crooked Path | Straight Path | Crooked Path |
| Crooked Way | Straight Way | Crooked Way |
The Crooked Serpent
He divides the sea with His power and by His understanding He smites through the proud. By His Spirit, He has garnished the Heavens. His hand has formed the crooked serpent. (Job 26:12-14)
In that day the LORD with His hard, great and strong sword shall visit leviathan the serpent, and leviathan, the crooked serpent, and shall slay the whale that is in the sea. In that day there shall be singing to the vineyard of pure wine. 'I am the Lord that keep it, I will suddenly give it drink, lest any hurt come to it, I keep it night and day.' (Isaiah 27:1-3)
For it was requisite that inevitable destruction should come upon them that exercised tyranny: but to these it should only be shewn how their enemies were destroyed. For when the fierce rage of beasts came upon these, they were destroyed with the bitings of crooked serpents. But Your wrath endured not for ever, but they were troubled for a short time for their correction, having a sign of salvation to put them in remembrance of the commandment of thy law. (Wisdom 16:4-6)
Crooked Paths
They do not know the way of peace and there is no justice in their tracks. They have made their paths crooked, no one who walks in them will know peace. (Isaiah 59:8)
Even when I cry out and call for help, He shuts out my prayer. He has blocked my ways with hewn stone. He has made my paths crooked. He is to me like a bear lying in wait, like a lion in secret places. (Lamentations 3:8-10)
The wise in heart accept commands, but a chattering fool comes to ruin. The man of integrity walks securely, but he who takes crooked paths will be found out. (Proverbs 10:8-10)
As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, saying, "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare you the way of the LORD, make His paths straight. Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill shall be brought low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.'" (Luke 3:4-6)
Her feet go down to death, her steps lead straight to the grave. She gives no thought to the way of life, her paths are crooked, but she knows it not. (Proverbs 5:5-7)
Discretion will guard you. Understanding will watch over you, to deliver you from the way of evil, from the man who speaks perverse things, from those who leave the paths of uprightness to walk in the ways of darkness; who delight in doing evil and rejoice in the perversity of evil, whose paths are crooked and who are devious in their ways. (Proverbs 2:11-15)
Crooked Ways
Do good, O LORD, unto those that are good and to them that are upright in their hearts. As for such as turn aside unto their crooked ways, the LORD shall lead them away with the workers of iniquity, but peace shall be upon Israel. (Psalm 125:4-5)
Better is the poor man walking in his simplicity, than the rich in crooked ways. (Proverbs 28:6)
The violence of the wicked will drag them away because they refuse to act with justice. The way of a guilty man is crooked, but as for the pure, his conduct is upright. (Proverbs 21:7-9)
Saul, who was also known as Paul, filled with the Holy Ghost, fixed his gaze on him and said, 'You who are full of all deceit and fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease to make crooked the straight ways of the LORD? Now behold, the hand of the LORD is upon you and you will be blind and not see the sun for a time.' And immediately a mist and a darkness fell upon him and he went about seeking those who would lead him by the hand. (Acts 13:9-11)
Woe to them that are fainthearted, who believe not God and therefore they shall not be protected by Him. Woe to them that have lost patience and that have forsaken the right ways and have gone aside into crooked ways. What will they do, when the LORD shall begin to examine? (Sirach 2:15-17)
The Crooked Cannot be Made Straight
That which is crooked cannot be made straight: and that which is wanting cannot be numbered. (Ecclesiastes 1:15)
Consider the work of God; for who can make straight that which He has made crooked? (Ecclesiastes 7:13)
The LORD God will make the Crooked Straight
The voice of one crying in the desert: 'Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the wilderness the paths of our God.' (Gospels)
Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall become straight and the rough ways plain. The glory of the LORD shall be revealed and all flesh together shall see, that the mouth of the LORD has spoken. (Isaiah 40:3-5)
I will lay waste the mountains and hills, and will make all their grass to wither. I will turn rivers into islands and will dry up the standing pools. I will lead the blind into the way which they know not and, in the paths which they were ignorant of, I will make them walk. darkness light before them, and I will make crooked things straight. These things have I done to them and have not forsaken them. They are turned back. Let them be greatly confounded that trust in a graven image, that say to a molten image: 'You are our god.' (Isaiah 42:15-17)
The Crooked
To the faithful you show yourself faithful, to the blameless you show yourself blameless. To the pure you show yourself pure, but to the crooked you show yourself astute. (Psalm 18:25-27)
To the faithful you show yourself faithful, to the blameless you show yourself blameless. To the pure you show yourself pure, but to the crooked you show yourself shrewd. (2 Samuel 22:26-28)
He is the Rock, His work is perfect for all His ways are judgment. A God of truth and without iniquity; just and right is He. They have corrupted themselves. Their spot is not the spot of His children, they are a perverse and crooked generation. (Deuteronomy 32:4-6)
Do all things without grumbling or disputing so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world, (Philippians 2:14-15)
He who loves transgression loves strife. He who raises his door seeks destruction. He who has a crooked mind finds no good, and he who is perverted in his language falls into evil. (Proverbs 17:19-21)
For my mouth will utter truth and wickedness is an abomination to my lips. All the utterances of my mouth are in righteousness. There is nothing crooked or perverted in them. (Proverbs 8:7-8)
When pride comes, then comes dishonor, but with the humble is wisdom. The integrity of the upright will guide them, but the crookedness of the treacherous will destroy them. (Proverbs 11:2-4)
For wisdom is a safeguard, as money is a safeguard, but the excellency of knowledge is that wisdom gives life to them that have it. Consider the work of God; for who can make straight that which He has made crooked? In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity consider this: God also has set the one over against the other, to the end that man should find nothing after him. (Ecclesiastes 7:12-14)
I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit. That which is crooked cannot be made straight: and that which is wanting cannot be numbered. I communed with mine own heart, saying, 'Lo, I am come to great estate and have gotten more wisdom than all they that have been before me in Jerusalem.' Yea, my heart had great experience of wisdom and knowledge. (Ecclesiastes 1:14-16)
A man who is laden with the guilt of human blood will be a fugitive until death, let no one support him. He who walks blamelessly will be delivered, but he who is crooked will fall all at once. (Proverbs 28:17-19)
Crooked Things
Yet they tempted and provoked the most high God, and they kept not His testimonies. They turned away and kept not the covenant: even like their fathers they were turned aside as a crooked bow. They provoked him to anger on their hills and moved him to jealousy with their graven things. (Psalms 77:56-58)
(He) uses the chips of his work to dress his meat, and taking what was left thereof, which is good for nothing, being a crooked piece of wood, and full of knots, carves it diligently when he has nothing else to do, and by the skill of his art fashions it and makes it like the image of a man or the resemblance of some beast, laying it over with vermillion and painting it red, and covering every spot that is in it. (Wisdom 13:12-14)
Say to Aaron: 'Whoever of your seed throughout the families (that) has a blemish, he shall not offer bread to his God. Neither shall he approach to minister to Him: If he be blind, if he be lame, if he have a little, or a great, or a crooked nose.' (Leviticus 21:17-19)
The Street called Straight
Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias; and the Lord said to him in a vision, 'Ananias.' And he said, 'Here I am, LORD.' And the LORD said to him, 'Get up and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying, and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him, so that he might regain his sight.' (Acts 9:10-12)
May the LORD God bless you in the name of the Judeo-Christian tradition.
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