Question: God said he would put enmity between the serpents "seed" and Eve’s seed. This has been construed to be able to procreate.

Thanks again for any help.

Janice

Answer: Dear Janice,

Genesis 3:15 – The enmity that lies between the two "seeds" in the largest sense is the kind of enmity that the book of Revelation describes as existing between good and evil – the ongoing battle. Many have traditionally understood this text as the earliest prophecy of Jesus and his saving work on the cross. The seed of the serpent was evil, ultimately laid at the door of Satan. Among other offspring, the woman would give birth to the "seed" – Jesus.

The woman and the serpent are representatives of those who would follow them, and share the same judgment and future. The serpent – representing Satan, would be able to "strike the heel" of Jesus in terms of his torture and death on the cross, but the very same act represents the crushing of Satan, the victory that Jesus won over sin and death.

Your comment about procreation would be from Genesis 3:16 – which does say that the original blessings of children and harmonious relationship of marriage as intended before the Fall would now be forever tainted by sin and its impact. The experience of life’s two greatest blessings, marriage and children, now, given the presence of sin, would now yield some of the most painful consequences of the woman’s disobedience in the Garden. That is, while joy is very much a part of marriage and children, those two experiences also bring much pain because of sin – sin that was introduced as a result of disobedience in the Garden.

In Christ,

Greg Albrecht