What is the meaning of Genesis 3:15? And I will put enmity between you and the woman God Himself establishes a lasting hostility between the serpent (Satan, Revelation 12:9) and the woman, Eve—the mother of all living (Genesis 3:20). • This is not mere rivalry; it is a spiritual war initiated by God to curb Satan’s influence (Ephesians 6:12). • From the very beginning the Lord declares that evil will never merge peacefully with humanity; it will always be opposed by His purpose (John 8:44). • Revelation 12:17 echoes this conflict when “the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to wage war against the rest of her offspring.” and between your seed and her seed The struggle extends to two lines of “seed.” • “Your seed” equals all who persist in rebellion, patterned after the serpent (1 John 3:8–10). • “Her seed” points collectively to God’s people and, ultimately, to one singular Descendant—Christ (Galatians 3:16). • Throughout Scripture we watch this divide: Cain and Abel (Genesis 4), Israel and Egypt (Exodus 1–14), Christ and the religious elite (John 5:18). • Every believer, born “not of blood…but of God” (John 1:12–13), is folded into the woman’s line and joins the battle (1 Peter 5:8–9). He will crush your head A decisive promise of victory. • “He” singles out a male descendant who will deal the serpent a fatal blow—Jesus the Messiah (Matthew 1:23; Luke 3:23–38). • At the cross Christ “disarmed the powers and authorities, triumphing over them” (Colossians 2:15). • His resurrection guarantees Satan’s ultimate doom, finalized when the devil is “thrown into the lake of fire” (Revelation 20:10). • Romans 16:20 applies the promise to the church: “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet,” linking believers to Christ’s triumph. and you will strike his heel The serpent’s counter-attack is real but limited. • Striking the heel implies pain and temporary injury, fulfilled when Christ’s feet were nailed to the cross (Psalm 22:16; Isaiah 53:5). • Though Jesus died, His suffering was not final; He rose on the third day (Luke 24:6–7), showing the wound could not overcome Him. • Satan continues to lash out at Christ’s body, the church (2 Corinthians 4:8–10), yet those blows cannot thwart God’s plan (Matthew 16:18). summary Genesis 3:15 is the Bible’s first gospel promise. God announces an unending conflict between Satan and humanity, identifies a special “Seed” who will come through the woman, guarantees that this Seed—Jesus—will crush the serpent’s head, and acknowledges the suffering He will endure along the way. The verse sets the stage for every redemption theme that follows, assuring believers that our victorious Savior has already sealed the enemy’s fate and invites us to stand firm in His finished work. |
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