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In the previous message we studied the first fall of man, considering its cause, process, and result. We have seen how dreadful was the cause, how awful was the process, and how terrible was the result. Thank God that Genesis 3 does not stop here! Genesis 3 not only unveils the cause, process, and result of man's first fall, but also reveals the way God used to deal with this fall. His way is the way of salvation, and the message or the word regarding His way is the gospel. We are preaching the gospel to all who read this message. The first occurrence of gospel preaching in the entire universe is recorded in chapter three of Genesis. Do not think that Genesis 3 is a negative chapter; it is very positive. Although this chapter begins with the evil one, the subtle, crafty serpent, this serpent opened the way for the seed of the woman to come in. This is wonderful!
Who is the seed of the woman? Jesus. Jesus was born of a woman, not of a man. The so-called higher critics, who attacked the book of Genesis and Revelation, also claimed that Jesus was not born of a virgin, alleging that He was born of Joseph, the carpenter. Such an assertion is the greatest blasphemy against the Lord Jesus. The Lord was not the son of that carpenter who later became the husband of the virgin Mary, of which virgin Jesus was born. Thus, Jesus was not the seed of any man; He was the seed of a woman, a virgin, as prophesied in Isa. 7:14, fulfilled in Matt.1:23, and confirmed by Paul (Gal. 4:4). In Galatians 4:4 Paul says that Christ was born of a woman. Therefore, Jesus was not the seed of man. He was the seed of a woman, born to fulfill the promise given by God as the gospel in Genю 3:15. The first fall of man opened the way for the seed of woman to come in. This is the gospel.
Now we need to consider God's way of dealing with the first fall of man. God did not judge man. Immediately after the fall both Adam and Eve realized that they were not very good. They condemned themselves, hid themselves, and used fig leaves to cover themselves (Gen. 3:7-8). Adam and Eve hid themselves from the presence of God. They knew that they had violated God's prohibition against eating of the fruit of the tree of knowledge and that the result of their transgression was to be death. Therefore, they hid themselves from the Lord's presence, awaiting the sentence of death. However, God came in, not to declare the sentence of death, but to preach the gospel. God did not pronounce the sentence of death; He sounded the voice of the gospel.
Do you know what was the first word of this gospel preaching? It was the question found in Genesis 3:9: "Where art thou?" In the earlier years of my ministry when I preached the gospel I used this question as my topic several times. I asked people, "Where are you? Gentlemen, where are you? Ladies, where are you? Young people, doctors, professors — where are you? You must know where you are." This question is not the pronouncement of a judgment; it is the opening proclamation of the glad tidings. God was seeking man, asking, "Where art thou?"
After the fall, man was no longer sincere and honest. If Adam had been honest when God asked him where he was, he would have confessed his transgression immediately, but he did not do this. However, in his answer he acknowledged that he was naked (v. 10). Then God asked him, "Who told thee that thou was naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?" Adam should have made an honest confession, saying, "Yes, God, I did eat of it. Please forgive me." However, instead of forthrightly confessing his own transgression, he discharged himself of the responsibility by placing it upon the woman. Adam said, "The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat" (v. 12). His answer implied that he blamed God for giving him the woman who gave him to eat of the fruit of the tree. Only then did he admit that he ate it. Adam seemed to be saying, "It's not my fault, God. You must bear the responsibility for the trouble caused by the woman You gave me. If You hadn't given me the woman, I would never have eaten of that tree. You gave me the woman, she gave me to eat, and I ate." Nevertheless, God did not rebuke him, because God had not come to judge but to save. God came to man in the garden in the same way that His Son was to come many centuries later: He came to save, not to judge (John 3:17).
Then God turned to the woman asking, "What is this that thou hast done?" (v. 13). Like Adam, Eve did not forthrightly confess her fault. She said, "The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat." Ever since the time of man's first fall, human beings have acted in this way. Whenever little children misbehave, they never confess, but always blame someone or something else. A child may even place the responsibility on the pet cat, saying, "Mommy, if you did not have a cat, I would never have done that thing. It's not my fault. It's yours for having a cat."
It is very clear that as God dealt with the first fall of man He was seeking the lost man as His Son was to do many years later in seeking to save man (Luke 19:10). God did not seek him to condemn man, but to preach the gospel to him.
When God came to Adam and Eve He asked them questions, but when He turned to the serpent He asked no questions at all. He immediately condemned the serpent. God did not ask the serpent, "Serpent, have you done this?" When God came to Adam He asked him, "Where art thou?" (v. 9). He also asked him, "Who told thee that thou wast naked?" and "Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?" (v. 11). God also asked the woman, "What is this that thou hast done?" (v. 13). God did not ask Adam and Eve all these questions because He had the intention of condemning them. God asked these questions to lead them to confession. However, when God turned to the serpent He did not ask him anything. Instead, God said to the serpent, "Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life" (v. 14). This was God's judgment upon the serpent.
It was certainly a curse for the serpent to creep on his belly and to eat dust all the days of his life. In this curse pronounced upon the serpent something is hidden and implied. As God judged the serpent, He limited Satan's activity and move to the earth. A bird is free and can soar in the air whenever it wishes. The serpent, on the contrary, has no such freedom, but is restricted to the earth. As long as we are above the earth, the serpent, the Devil, Satan, cannot touch us. When we are transcendent, we are over him. However, if we also creep on the earth, we will be where he is. We will become his companion and creep together with him and all the other creeping things. But we are not creeping on this earth — we are transcendent.
A second aspect of the curse pronounced upon the serpent was that the serpent was limited to eating only dust. Dust is the serpent's food. We were made from dust. If we are earthy, living in an earthy manner, we become the serpent's food and he will devour us (1 Pet. 5:8). If you are an earthy person, dealing with your wife or living with your husband in an earthy way, you will immediately become food for the Devil. Many families are completely swallowed up by the Devil because they are so earthy. Why does it seem that your marriage life is being devoured by the Devil? Because your marriage life is earthy and full of dust.
In God's condemnation upon the serpent He gave Satan a limitation: the serpent cannot move above the earth and he cannot eat anything except dust. God created man with a spirit, a soul, and a body. Although the body and the soul are earthy, the spirit is not. Since our spirit is not earthy, it is not supposed to be Satan's food. The serpent is only allowed to eat the dust. Our fallen body and soul are the food of Satan, but our spirit is different. The human spirit is not earthy; so it should not be Satan's food. Whenever we walk in our flesh we become a delectable dish for Satan, and whenever we are soulish we become a meal for the Devil. However, whenever we turn to the spirit, forgetting the body and the soul, Satan has nothing to eat. When we turn to the spirit, Satan is limited. Praise the Lord for the limitation that God in His judgment has pronounced over the serpent.
We do not need to creep on the earth and we do not have to be earthy. Sisters, when your husband or children give you a difficult time, you do not need to remain on the earth. You can exercise your spirit and immediately soar to the heavens, and the Devil will be unable to touch you. The "serpent" is limited to the earth and is only permitted to eat the earthy things. If you soar to the third heavens you will say, "Satan, what are you doing there? You are just playing with my husband and with my naughty children. Satan, I am here in the third heaven, and you cannot touch me. You cannot devour me. I can crush you under my feet." "Now the God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet" (Rom. 16:20). In order to crush Satan we must be above him. If we are under him, how can God crush him under our feet? Since "the serpent" has been limited to this earth, it is so easy for us to tread upon him. Praise the Lord that in judging "the serpent" God preached the gospel. God has limited Satan's move and diet. After pronouncing this judgment on the serpent, God proclaimed the glad tidings found in Genesis 3:15.
In Gen. 3:15 we see the wonderful promise that God made to man after the fall. "And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." This promise certainly is good news.
The background of God's promise was that man had been tempted by the serpent and had fallen into sin (v. 13). At that time man was under the fear of God, waiting for the sentence of death (vv. 8, 10). However, God did not condemn him. He judged the serpent (v. 14).
In Genesis 3:15 God said to the serpent, "And I will put enmity between thee and the woman..." We do not like the word enmity because we do not want to be involved in fighting or warfare, but God said that He would put enmity between the serpent and the woman. God did not relinquish control of the situation and He did not allow the woman and the serpent to fend for themselves. God seemed to be saying, "I will manage this situation. I will maintain control over everything. I will put enmity between you and the woman." Shortly we shall see who the woman is. In Genesis 3:15 God continued to say that He would put enmity between the serpent's seed and the woman's seed, that the woman's seed would bruise the serpent's head, and that the serpent would bruise the heel of the woman's seed. This reveals that the seed of the serpent and the seed of the woman will be enemies, that the woman's seed will bruise the serpent's head, and that the serpent will bruise the heel of the woman's seed. To bruise the head of the serpent means to destroy and kill him. According to Genesis 3:15, the seed of the woman would destroy the serpent, but the serpent could only injure the heel of the woman's seed.
Like most of the items mentioned in Genesis 1 through 3, Genesis 3:15 is a seed, a tremendously significant seed of the gospel. It was in Genesis 3:15 that God first proclaimed His full gospel. Therefore, we need to spend considerable time on this verse to see who is the woman, who is the seed of the serpent, and who is the seed of the woman. We must become familiar with three classes of people — the woman, the seed of the serpent, and the seed of the woman. Firstly, let us see who the woman is.
As I have previously mentioned, nearly everything in Genesis 1 through 3 is a seed as well as a sign or symbol. Thus, we need to allegorize this portion of the holy Word. After reading the foregoing message we should realize that the proper position of human beings is that of a woman. Whether we are male or female we all have the position of a woman before God. If we claim that we are men before Him, we will immediately be devoured by Satan. Undoubtedly, the woman mentioned in Genesis 3:15 is Eve, and Eve signifies all the people of God, the people who take the position of a woman trusting in God. As long as we trust in God, we are His people, His wife. Hence, the woman of Genesis 3:15 is firstly Eve and secondly all the people who rely upon God and who put their trust in God. In brief, all the people of God are the woman. Therefore, the enmity between the serpent and the woman is the enmity between Satan and Eve, between Satan and all of God's people. Eve signifies all the people of God.
In Rev. 12:1 we see the sign of a universal woman. This woman, a great sign, is clothed with the sun, has the moon under her feet, and has a crown of twelve stars upon her head. Therefore, this woman is not a single, local, individual woman; she is a universal woman, a sign that symbolizes all of God's people from Adam to Abraham, from Isaac to Moses, from Moses to the apostles, and from the apostles to the present time. All the people of God compose this woman and are included in her. The twelve stars represent the patriarchs such as Adam, Abel, Enoch, Abraham, and Jacob. Those patriarchs were stars, not yet formed as a unit. Following them we have the people of Israel. Since they lived during the dark night they are represented by the moon. However, when the Lord Jesus came, day dawned and the sun shone brightly. Thus, the church people are represented by the sun. Hence, all of God's people — the patriarchs, Israel of the Old Testament, and the church of the New Testament, including all the believers — compose this universal woman. The universal woman of Revelation 12 was symbolized by the individual woman, Eve, of Genesis 3:15. Eve in Genesis 3 was a symbol of this universal woman.
In the glad tidings which God announced in Genesis 3:15 God said that He would put enmity between the serpent and the woman. This means that throughout the centuries Satan, the Devil, has been fighting against all the people of God. The serpent not only fought against Eve, but has also fought against the people of God in every generation. An illustration of this is the murder of Abel by his brother Cain. According to 1 John 3:12, this act of murder was not merely a crime perpetrated by Cain, but a deed performed by the wicked one, by the serpent. The serpent used Cain to kill Abel. If we do not put our trust in God, we are not the people of God. If we are not the people of God, we are in the same category as Satan, and he will not fight against us. However, once you turn to God and become a person who trusts in God, the serpent will immediately attack you. This is the enmity between the serpent and the woman.
Adam and Eve were waiting for death, thinking themselves to be under the sentence of death. Hence, the mention of a seed came as glad tidings to them. They thought it was impossible for them to have a seed because they were doomed to die immediately. When Adam heard that the woman was going to have a seed, he called his wife's name Eve, which in Hebrew means "living." As Adam and Eve were awaiting the sentence of death in fear and trembling, there suddenly came the glad tidings that this woman would have a seed, and Adam spontaneously said, "Living. You are not dying, you are living. Your name is Eve. You are living." As we have seen in message seventeen, when Adam first saw Eve in Genesis 2:23 he was excited, saying, "This time it is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh." However, in Genesis 3 Adam was also excited. Instead of receiving the sentence of condemnation, he heard the gospel. So, Adam called his wife, "Living." We have all heard these glad tidings and we all should call ourselves "Living." If you ask me my name, I will tell you that my name is "Living."
God preached the gospel in verse 15, and Adam reacted to the gospel in verse 20. If Adam had not reacted to the gospel, he would have called his wife "Dying," saying, "Poor woman, don't you know that you are the cause of death? Your name should be Dying." On the contrary, after Adam heard God's preaching of the gospel he was happy and called his wife's name Eve — "Living." The whole world today is under the sentence of death, and we must go to them proclaiming Genesis 3:15. When the people hear the glad tidings of Genesis 3:15, receiving the gospel and responding to it, they will shout, "Now we are living. Praise the Lord!"
The seed of the serpent are the people who follow Satan. The Bible uses various terms to describe them. In Matt. 3:7 they are called the "brood of vipers." In Matt. 13:38 they are designated "the sons of the evil one." In John 8:44 the Lord Jesus referred to them as being of their father, the Devil. In 1 John 3 the Apostle John said that everyone who practices sin is of the Devil (v. 8); he also used the term "the children of the Devil" (v. 10). All of these titles indicate that the people who follow Satan are the seed of the serpent. Whether they are called brood of vipers, sons of the evil one, or children of the Devil, the meaning is the same: they are the seed of the serpent and they persecute and fight against the Lord Jesus and the overcomers.
The seed of the woman is the Lord Jesus. He was born of the virgin Mary (Isa. 7:14; Matt. 1:23; Gal. 4:4). Thus, He is truly the seed of the woman. He is the very seed prophesied in the glad tidings proclaimed by God Himself in Genesis 3:15. He is the One who bruised the serpent. There is great enmity between the people who follow Satan and the Lord Jesus.
The Lord Jesus, the seed of the woman, has bruised the head of the serpent. The Lord has destroyed Satan, the one who holds the power of death. This is fully revealed in Hebrews 2:14 and 1 John 3:8.
While the Lord Jesus was destroying the serpent on the cross, the serpent bruised His heel. This means that Satan wounded the Lord Jesus by nailing His feet to the cross (Psa. 22:16).
Who are the overcomers? As we have seen already, the woman in Genesis 3:15 firstly is Eve and secondly is all the people of God, including the virgin Mary, as signified by Eve. Hence, the seed of the woman is mainly the Lord Jesus who was born of Mary. However, more regarding the seed of the woman can be seen in Revelation 12. The woman depicted in Revelation 12 and signified in Genesis 3:15 is a universal woman, and within her is a part called the manchild (Rev. 12:1, 2, 5). In a biblical sense, woman represents weakness, for the woman is the weaker vessel (1 Pet. 3:7). The man, especially the manchild, represents strength. The universal woman of Revelation 12 has two parts: the outer part, which is the woman herself, and the inner part, which is the manchild. The outer part, the woman, is the weaker part; the inner part, the manchild, is the stronger part. All the people of God are the woman, who is somewhat weak, but among all the people of God is a stronger part, which is the manchild, the overcomers. In the churches some of the saints may be comparatively weak, being a portion of the woman, but other saints may be quite strong, being a portion of the manchild. This manchild may also be considered as a part of the seed of the woman. The manchild is the stronger part among the people of God. The entire people of God are the woman, and the stronger part of the people of God is the manchild. Therefore the manchild is also a part of the seed of the woman.
I like to compare Revelation 12 with Genesis 3. In Genesis 3:15 we have three main items: the serpent, the woman, and the seed of the woman. We find the same three items in Revelation 12, where we see the old serpent, the universal woman, and the manchild. Have you seen how these two chapters correspond to one another? The "ancient serpent" of Revelation 12:9 is the serpent of Genesis 3, the universal woman of Revelation 12:1 is the woman of Genesis 3:15, and the manchild of Revelation 12:5 is a part of the seed of the woman that is also mentioned in Genesis 3:15. If you do not understand Revelation 12, you will not be clear in full about Genesis 3:15. In this small verse three major items were unfolded — the serpent, the woman, and the seed of the woman. It is difficult for us to understand these three items without reading through the entire Bible until we come to the book of Revelation. As we come to Revelation 12 we discover that the serpent of Genesis 3:15 is the Devil, for Revelation 12:9 speaks of "the ancient serpent, he who is called the Devil and Satan." The woman is not only Eve, but all the people who put their trust in God, including the virgin Mary, for God's people occupy a feminine position before Him. Furthermore, we see that within the woman is a stronger part called the manchild. Therefore, the manchild of Revelation 12 is a part of the seed of the woman mentioned in Genesis 3:15.
Some may ask who the manchild is. There are different schools of teaching in Christianity regarding this. Some say that the manchild is the Lord Jesus. I agree with this in a sense because the Lord Jesus is the Head, the center, the reality, the life, and the nature of the manchild. However, this manchild is not individual; he is corporate. Since the woman herself is not individual, but universal and corporate, her child must also be universal and corporate. This corporate manchild includes the Lord Jesus as the Head, center, reality, life, and nature of the manchild. This can be proved from the Scriptures. Psalm 2:8-9 prophesies that the Lord Jesus, God's Anointed One, will rule the nations with a rod of iron. Revelation 2:26-27 says that the overcomers in the churches will rule over the nations with a rod of iron. Now in Revelation 12:5 we are told that the manchild will rule all nations with a rod of iron. Therefore, according to the record of the Bible, both the Lord Jesus Himself and His overcomers will rule over the nations with a rod of iron. Thus, the manchild in Revelation 12:5 includes both the Lord Jesus and the overcomers in the churches. Furthermore, Revelation 20:4 says that Christ and the resurrected overcomers will reign as kings for a thousand years. Hence, the manchild in Revelation 12 is neither the Lord Jesus individually nor the overcomers separate from Him, but the Lord Jesus with the overcomers. Christ Himself is the foremost overcomer (Rev. 3:21). As the leading overcomer He is the Head, center, reality, life, and nature of the overcomers. Among the people of God on earth there is a stronger part which includes the Lord Jesus and the overcomers. Thus, the Lord Jesus and His overcomers compose the manchild.
The enmity between the serpent and the woman's seed mentioned in Genesis 3:15 is fully manifested in Revelation 12. In Revelation 12 we see that the old serpent tries his best to damage the manchild and the woman (vv. 4, 13-17). The enmity of Genesis 3:15 is thus fulfilled to the uttermost.
Although the Lord Jesus was a manchild, He was born of a woman. What does this mean? The spiritual significance of this is that the Lord Jesus was born of a source that trusted in God. The woman is the source of the seed, and the seed, part of which is the manchild that defeats the enemy, is stronger than the woman. The source of the manchild is a woman, not a man. His source is the one who trusts in God, not the one who declares independence from God. The manchild is the seed of a woman who trusts in God and depends on God. The Lord Jesus was the seed from such a source.
Likewise, we all need to be the seed of the woman, the seed from a source that depends on God. If we claim to be a man before God, we are finished with God and are no longer of God. Anyone who is of God must be a female before Him. If the leaders in the churches should say, "We know how to do things," they are no longer the woman before God, but have assumed the position of a man. The leading brothers should say, "O Lord, You know how weak we are. We depend upon You. Apart from You, Lord, we can do nothing. We trust in You for everything." If the leading brothers have this attitude, they are truly the woman before God. Genesis 3:15 does not mention the seed of man, for only the seed of woman, not the seed of man, has the position before God.
On the one hand, we are the woman; on the other hand, we are the seed of the woman. We are the ones who trust in God: this is our source. We also are the seed of this source that trusts in God. Therefore, we can become strong. Only the seed of the source trusting in God can be strong, not strong in themselves, but strong in God. The Lord Jesus Himself took the lead to be such a person. He is the Head of the manchild. Now He is also the center, reality, life, and nature of the manchild. How the enemy, Satan, fights against this manchild!
The focus, the central point, of Genesis 3:15 is that the seed of woman, the Lord Jesus, would come to destroy Satan on the cross. This is the strongest proclamation in the preaching of the glad tidings. Once again I say that Adam and Eve were trembling under the imminent sentence of death, but God, instead of condemning them, surprised them by preaching the gospel to them. Adam and Eve had fear toward God and hate toward the serpent. Therefore, God declared in His glad tidings that One entitled "the seed of woman" would come to destroy the serpent. That was the gospel. The promise regarding the seed of the woman and the coming destruction of the serpent was the glad tidings proclaimed to the first generation of sinners.
The promise of Genesis 3:15 has been fulfilled throughout the generations. Firstly, it has been fulfilled in all the people of God. From the time that this promise was first given Satan has been the enemy of God's people. He will continue to be their enemy until he is cast into the abyss (Rev. 20:1-3) and ultimately hurled into the lake of fire (Rev. 20:7-10). Until Satan is cast into the lake of fire he remains the enemy of the people of God.
Furthermore, this promise is fulfilled in all the overcomers until the time of rapture. This is revealed in Revelation 12.
This promise has been completely fulfilled in the Lord Jesus. Firstly, it was fulfilled at the time of His birth (Matt. 2:13-22). When the Lord Jesus was born, the serpent stirred up a great deal of enmity, causing many young lives to be lost. Secondly, the promise was fulfilled throughout the Lord's earthly life. If we read the four Gospels, we will see that Satan was continually troubling the Lord Jesus, pursuing Him and opposing Him. Eventually, Satan bruised the Lord's heel on the cross, as was prophesied in Psalm 22:16.
The promise in Genesis 3:15 reveals that Satan is the enemy of the people of God. Eventually, the Lord Jesus came as the seed of woman to destroy the enemy. Today we are enjoying the fulfillment of this promise.
