Lifting Up the Serpent: Raising Assumptions Beyond Limitation

In John 3:14, Jesus says:

“As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up.”

This statement links two powerful symbols—the serpent raised by Moses and Jesus being “lifted up” on the cross—both representing the spiritual act of lifting your assumptions —"I AM", Exodus 3:14 — out of limitation and unconsciousness into conscious creative belief. Notice both verse numbers are 3:14.

The Serpent and the Fall of Imagination

At the very beginning, God says to the serpent:

“Upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat…” (Genesis 3:14)

Neville interprets this as the imagination—your creative power—falling asleep and descending into the physical body, the “dust.” The serpent, which symbolises this creative power, has become dormant, tied to the senses and the material world, unconscious of its true nature.

It lies still in the “dust” — in the body, the senses, the skull — asleep, limited by physical experience and the illusion of separation.

Raising the Serpent: Awakening Creative Power

The serpent lifted by Moses is the call to raise this sleeping imagination back to conscious awareness. It is the inner power that has been “in the dust,” limited by fear and negative assumptions, now lifted up and illuminated.

This lifting up is the act of raising your assumptions beyond limitation and unconscious belief—the venomous thinking that poisons your creative power is overcome by the conscious assumption of healing, freedom, and manifestation.

Jesus Lifted Up: The Resurrection of Assumption

Jesus being lifted up on the cross is the ultimate symbol of this process. It is the resurrection of imagination—lifting your inner assumptions from the dust of limitation and doubt to the heights of creative consciousness and faith.

John 12:32-36 calls us to walk in this light:

“And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” (John 12:32)
“Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you.” (John 12:35)
“Believe in the light while you have the light, that you may become sons of light.” (John 12:36)

Walking in the light means holding fast to elevated assumptions, the conscious awareness of your creative power, before the shadows of doubt or fear reclaim your imagination.

The Heart of Neville’s Teaching

Neville Goddard teaches that assumptions shape reality. The “lifting up” stories invite you to raise your inner assumptions above limitation, old fears, and negative thinking—toward the victorious belief in your creative power.

The serpent raised by Moses and Jesus lifted on the cross are two expressions of the same inner process: resurrection through the law of assumption.

---

Summary: From Dust to Divine

• The serpent in Genesis represents imagination asleep in the dust (the physical, limited mind).

• Moses lifting the serpent is the conscious act of raising your assumptions beyond fear and limitation.

• Jesus being lifted up symbolises the full resurrection of imagination—the faith that transforms your inner world and manifests your desires.