The Bible says it was not a cross by prophecy
Jesus made reference to Moses' lifting up of the copper serpent in the
Wilderness.
John 3:14-15 14 And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the
wilderness, so the Son of man must be lifted up, 15 that everyone
believing in him may have everlasting life.
That reference was from:
Numbers 21:7-9 7 Finally the people came to Moses and said: "We
have sinned, because we have spoken against Jehovah and against you. Intercede
with Jehovah that he may remove the serpents from upon us." And Moses
went interceding in behalf of the people. 8 Then Jehovah said to
Moses: "Make for yourself a fiery snake and place it upon a signal
pole. And it must occur that when anyons to
look at it and so must keep alive." 9 Moses at once made a
serpent of copper and placed it upon the signal pole; and it did occur
that if a serpent had bitten a man and he gazed at the copper serpent,
he then kept alive.
When they looked upon the copper serpent they were saved. That is a
prophecy leading to our looking to Jesus likewise who had died upon a pole.
Our putting faith in him will save us.
It had to be as the copper serpent was set upon.
However the copper serpent did not end there.
2 Kings 18:1-5 18 Hez·e·ki'ah the son of A'haz
the king of Judah became king. 3 And he continued to do what was
right in Jehovah's eyes, according to all that David his forefather had
done. 4 He it was that removed the high places and broke the sacred
pillars to pieces and cut down the sacred pole and crushed to pieces the
copper serpent that Moses had made; for down to those days the sons of
Israel had continually been making sacrificial smoke to it, and it used
to be called the copper serpent-idol. 5 In Jehovah the God of Israel
he trusted; and after him there proved to be no one like him among all
the kings of Judah, even those who had happened to be prior to him.
For centuries
the copper serpent, something that saved them once, was being used as
an idol. The same is going for the instrument that people believe Christ
died upon. They worship the cross by wearing it as a necklace, or earrings.
People have it in their churches, houses, etc. But it is still idolatry
just as it was back then.