This message is about Jesus and Genesis3:15, which is known as the protevangelium.
We see a fulfillment of Genesis 3:15which says to Satan – “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”
Of course the starting point is the virgin birth of Jesus, as suggested by the seed being only of woman. Also, the designation as seed appears in the NT as found, for example, in Gal 3:16 which speaks of the promise to Abraham also being promised to Jesus as the seed.
We should also recognize that Satan is not apparently a creature that can physically father any offspring, notwithstanding the image shown on the Passion of the Christ. Maybe it is not supposed to be the seed of Satan. But that was my impression when I saw it. But definitely that is not the idea of the seed of Satan within scripture, nor is the idea left to wild speculation.
The main aspectsof Gen 3:15 appear in two categories
The first relates to the seed of woman:
The arrival of the woman's seed triggers the fulfillment of Gen 3:15. The gospels starts with Jesus being born of a virgin (Isa 7:14). The birth appears as an initial point of the gospels but focus quickly changes to the preaching of John the Baptist who confronts the Sadducees and Pharisees in Matt 3:7 (ESV)
But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
The wording (in English) appears in a fashion that seems distinct from Gen 3:15 but has the same idea. That makes the association difficult to recognize.[If appearing in isolation, there might be no reason to see 3:15here]
Later verses in Matthew confirm a conflict with Pharisees with a repeat of Jesus calling the Pharisees a “brood of vipers” ( Mt.12:34; 23:33). Matthew uses this designation only of the leaders. Likewise John speaks of the leaders as having the devil as their father (John 8:44). The conflict appears clear at this point but still might be considered by some people to be uncertain. A political aspect contributes to the scenario in the protection of their nation(per John 11:47-50).
John 11:47–50 (ESV)
So the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered the council and said, “What are we to do? For this man performs many signs. If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and takeaway both our place and our nation.” But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all. Nor do you understand that it is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish.”
These leaders were focused on pleasing the Roman Empire rulers and maintaining the interdependent relationship. There then is the tying of fate between Judea and the empire, which supports the idea of a political or governmental sense behind Genesis3:15. An extra idea to consider here is that the nation actually perished. Jerusalem was left vacant. Essentially the only survivors of Judea were the remnant of Isa 10:20-22 who escaped the city before it was encircled, as found in Matt 24.
The Jewish leaders had Jesus tried and hung on the cross. This matches with the bruising of the heel of the seed, who is Christ, which only is a bruise since Jesus was raised from the dead and became victorious and thus was only hurt on his heel. However, this is not yet a victory involving the bruising of Satan's head. The Jewish leaders remain in power.
When Jesus notes Satan falling in Luke 10:17-18, this may be tying the 72disciples' actions with present-tense vividness of the crushing of Satan's political and religious influence. When Jesus speaks of heaven, he appears to speak of Satan's political power (Isa 14:12)since Satan is not destroyed. In Rom 16:20, Paul mentions Satan soon being crushed, thus highlighting a probable political aspect (and maybe religious element) of Gen 3:15 and adding a timeline of fulfillment of Gen 3:15
The ideas of Satan and his seed again come together clearly in the explanation of the Wheat and Tares parable in Matt 13:38-39 where the devil and the sons again point to the pattern of Gen 3:15 of Satan and his seed. Since these terms repeatedly refer to Satan and the Pharisees, the passages speak consistently of the conflict between Jesus and the Pharisees that extends both in the religious and political realms, including Judea and the Roman Empire, where the idea of religion can apply to the empire's use of Pagan worship to keep the peopled focused on that instead of the empire. The Pharisees also manipulated religion without regard to the true God .No other era can bring these elements together while also satisfying the point of Rom 16:20 as, again stated, speaks of the crushing of Satan.
It is curious why God places focus on the interaction of the Messiah with the Jewish leaders of the first century. God maybe sought to emphasize the need of that generation to follow Christ.
What we have seen of Gen 3:15 is its connection with the incarnation of Jesus. The verse marks the beginning of the Messianic era. Jesus's arrival is explained but only a temporary restraining of Satan is expressed. The major point we see is the fulfillment of Genesis3:15, which shows God's hand working through history.
We see a fulfillment of Genesis 3:15which says to Satan – “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”
Of course the starting point is the virgin birth of Jesus, as suggested by the seed being only of woman. Also, the designation as seed appears in the NT as found, for example, in Gal 3:16 which speaks of the promise to Abraham also being promised to Jesus as the seed.
We should also recognize that Satan is not apparently a creature that can physically father any offspring, notwithstanding the image shown on the Passion of the Christ. Maybe it is not supposed to be the seed of Satan. But that was my impression when I saw it. But definitely that is not the idea of the seed of Satan within scripture, nor is the idea left to wild speculation.
The main aspectsof Gen 3:15 appear in two categories
The first relates to the seed of woman:
- born of a virgin
- comes into conflict with Satan
- Satan is defeated/crushed in his political influence or control
- He has some sort of seed that follow his nature (your father, the devil; brood of vipers)
- There is some sort of political/governmental role of Satan
- Satan operates in conflict with the seed of the woman
- Satan attacks the heel of the seed of woman. This is sort of an injury but does not stop the woman's seed from advancing.
The arrival of the woman's seed triggers the fulfillment of Gen 3:15. The gospels starts with Jesus being born of a virgin (Isa 7:14). The birth appears as an initial point of the gospels but focus quickly changes to the preaching of John the Baptist who confronts the Sadducees and Pharisees in Matt 3:7 (ESV)
But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
The wording (in English) appears in a fashion that seems distinct from Gen 3:15 but has the same idea. That makes the association difficult to recognize.[If appearing in isolation, there might be no reason to see 3:15here]
Later verses in Matthew confirm a conflict with Pharisees with a repeat of Jesus calling the Pharisees a “brood of vipers” ( Mt.12:34; 23:33). Matthew uses this designation only of the leaders. Likewise John speaks of the leaders as having the devil as their father (John 8:44). The conflict appears clear at this point but still might be considered by some people to be uncertain. A political aspect contributes to the scenario in the protection of their nation(per John 11:47-50).
John 11:47–50 (ESV)
So the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered the council and said, “What are we to do? For this man performs many signs. If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and takeaway both our place and our nation.” But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all. Nor do you understand that it is better for you that one man should die for the people, not that the whole nation should perish.”
These leaders were focused on pleasing the Roman Empire rulers and maintaining the interdependent relationship. There then is the tying of fate between Judea and the empire, which supports the idea of a political or governmental sense behind Genesis3:15. An extra idea to consider here is that the nation actually perished. Jerusalem was left vacant. Essentially the only survivors of Judea were the remnant of Isa 10:20-22 who escaped the city before it was encircled, as found in Matt 24.
The Jewish leaders had Jesus tried and hung on the cross. This matches with the bruising of the heel of the seed, who is Christ, which only is a bruise since Jesus was raised from the dead and became victorious and thus was only hurt on his heel. However, this is not yet a victory involving the bruising of Satan's head. The Jewish leaders remain in power.
When Jesus notes Satan falling in Luke 10:17-18, this may be tying the 72disciples' actions with present-tense vividness of the crushing of Satan's political and religious influence. When Jesus speaks of heaven, he appears to speak of Satan's political power (Isa 14:12)since Satan is not destroyed. In Rom 16:20, Paul mentions Satan soon being crushed, thus highlighting a probable political aspect (and maybe religious element) of Gen 3:15 and adding a timeline of fulfillment of Gen 3:15
The ideas of Satan and his seed again come together clearly in the explanation of the Wheat and Tares parable in Matt 13:38-39 where the devil and the sons again point to the pattern of Gen 3:15 of Satan and his seed. Since these terms repeatedly refer to Satan and the Pharisees, the passages speak consistently of the conflict between Jesus and the Pharisees that extends both in the religious and political realms, including Judea and the Roman Empire, where the idea of religion can apply to the empire's use of Pagan worship to keep the peopled focused on that instead of the empire. The Pharisees also manipulated religion without regard to the true God .No other era can bring these elements together while also satisfying the point of Rom 16:20 as, again stated, speaks of the crushing of Satan.
It is curious why God places focus on the interaction of the Messiah with the Jewish leaders of the first century. God maybe sought to emphasize the need of that generation to follow Christ.
What we have seen of Gen 3:15 is its connection with the incarnation of Jesus. The verse marks the beginning of the Messianic era. Jesus's arrival is explained but only a temporary restraining of Satan is expressed. The major point we see is the fulfillment of Genesis3:15, which shows God's hand working through history.
