Thank you for the question on Lucifer, “If Lucifer have been considered an archangel before he rebelled against God, would he then have become the serpent in the Garden of Eden immediately after?”
Here are some thoughts for one consideration about Lucifer being a serpent:
A. Lucifer remains as an fallen angel before and after deceiving Eve.
There are Christians that think that Lucifer is bound to the appearance of a serpent. I may be wrong, but it doesn’t appear to be so as the Apostle Paul states that Satan even appears as an angel of light.
II Corinthians 11 says this, “14 And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. 15 It is not surprising, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.” (NIV).
B. Lucifer may be able to transform, adopt himself to different forms.
The text in Genesis 3 is unclear whether Lucifer possessed a snake or enter the snake.
Luke 22 says that Satan entered Judas Iscariot, “Now the Festival of Unleavened Bread, called the Passover, was approaching, 2 and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were looking for some way to get rid of Jesus, for they were afraid of the people. 3 Then Satan entered Judas, called Iscariot, one of the Twelve. 4 And Judas went to the chief priests and the officers of the temple guard and discussed with them how he might betray Jesus. 5 They were delighted and agreed to give him money. 6 He consented, and watched for an opportunity to hand Jesus over to them when no crowd was present” (NIV).
Since Satan and his demons are able to enter or possess humans and pigs (Matthew 8). It appears that Satan and or demons can control the person or animal’s conduct.
C. The primary reason for cursing Satan for possessing or taking the form of a serpent was for his deception.
Satan is known as the god of this world, the Great Deceiver. It may be that he deceived the other angels to follow him in rebellion against God. He deceived Eve and he continues to deceive humans. Satan has blinded the eyes of humans so that they are not able to believe in Christ.
II Corinthians 4 says this, “4 The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (NIV).
Revelations 4 says this, “9 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” (NIV).
The title, serpent, is attributed to Lucifer for his deception of humans. The subtlety of the approach of Lucifer is still operational today. Humans want to know good and evil, to determine their own beliefs and values. Does Lucifer actually crawls on the ground. In my opinion, he does not.
SUMMARY: Lucifer’s appearance as an angel remains although he may appear in different forms while possessing certain individuals.
For more perspectives: