65 Was the Devil the snake in the Garden of Eden

Believer says: The snake in the Garden of Eden is the devil in disguise.

But skeptic says: It’s always strange to me that Satan was the snake in the Garden of Eden according to the Christian view. After God showed up in the Garden (because Eve ate the forbidden fruit), Satan wasn't punished for fooling Eve. But the snake was punished for it, and so were all other snakes; they were made to crawl on their bellies from that time on. But apparently Satan got away scot-free

Genesis 3:14 [T]he Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you above all the livestock and all the wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life.”

Later in the Bible Satan showed up again and was doing just fine. And he wasn't crawling on his belly 

Job 1:6 When the day came for the heavenly beings to appear before the Lord, Satan was there among them.7 The Lord asked him, "What have you been doing?" Satan answered, "I have been walking here and there, roaming around the earth." 

And what's more, Paul teaches that the devil is still at large and is up to his usual old tricks 

1 Thessalonians 2:18 We wanted to return to you. I myself tried to go back more than once, but Satan would not let us.

Further, Peter teaches that the devil is still going around doing bad things, too 

1 Peter 5:8 Be sober and alert. Your enemy the devil, like a roaring lion, is on the prowl looking for someone to devour.

Recap: Christians teach that the devil was the snake in the Garden of Eden. However, punishment was dished out to the serpent, which ended up on its belly. Meantime, Satan remained at large “walking here and there” (Job 1:6). So, after the Garden of Eden incident, it didn't appear as if Satan crawled on his belly or ate dust.