The Bible’s first book, Genesis, tells of “the beginning” and describes God’s creative works, including his crowning earthly creation, man. Genesis also sets out the first divine prophecy, uttered by God himself in the garden of Eden some 6,000 years ago. A serpent had just been used to deceive the first woman, Eve; she in turn had persuaded her husband, Adam, to join her in violating Jehovah’s law by eating from “the tree of the knowledge of good and bad.” In passing judgment on the sinful couple, God said to the serpent: “I shall put enmity between you and the woman and between your seed and her seed. He will bruise you in the head and you will bruise him in the heel.” (
Genesis 1:1; 2:17; 3:1-6,14, 15) That prophecy sets the theme for the whole Bible, including Revelation.
Immediately after uttering the prophecy, God expelled our first parents from Eden. No longer could they look forward to everlasting life in Paradise; they would have to live out their lives in the unprepared earth outside. Under sentence of death, they would produce sin-laden children. (
Genesis 3:23–4:1; Romans 5:12) What, though, does the Edenic prophecy mean? Who are involved? How does it link up with Revelation? What message does it have for us today? In order to gain personal relief from the effects of the tragic event that led to Jehovah’s uttering that prophecy, it is of vital concern that we know the answers to these questions.
The prophecy of
Genesis 3:15 was addressed to the serpent that had lied to Eve, suggesting to her that she would not die for her disobedience but that she would become independent, a goddess. The serpent thus made Jehovah out to be a liar and insinuated that humans could improve their lot by rejecting His supreme rulership. (
Genesis 3:1-5) Jehovah’s sovereignty was challenged and his good name besmirched. The book of Revelation describes how the righteous Judge, Jehovah, uses the Kingdom rule of his Son, Jesus Christ, to vindicate his sovereignty and clear all reproach from his name.—
Revelation 12:10; 14:7.
As for that term “serpent,” does it apply only to a literal snake? Not at all! Revelation identifies for us the infamous spirit creature that spoke through that snake. It was “the great dragon . . . , the original serpent, the one called Devil and Satan, who is misleading the entire inhabited earth,” that “seduced Eve by its cunning.”—
Revelation 12:9; 2 Corinthians 11:3.
Genesis 3:15 speaks next of “the woman.” Was this Eve? Possibly she thought so. (Compare
Genesis 4:1.) But a long-lasting enmity between Eve and Satan became impossible when Eve died more than 5,000 years ago. Further, since the Serpent addressed by Jehovah is an invisible spirit, we should expect that the woman also belongs to the spirit realm. I believe
Revelation 12:1, 2 confirms this, indicating that this figurative woman is Jehovah’s heavenly organization of spirit creatures.—See also
Isaiah 54:1, 5, 13.
Two seeds appear next at
Genesis 3:15. We should be deeply interested in these, for they are related to the great issue of rightful sovereignty over this earth. This involves each one of us, whether young or old. Which of these seeds do you favor?
First, there is the seed, or offspring, of the Serpent. What is this? It surely includes those other spirit creatures who joined Satan in his rebellion and who will finally be “hurled down with him” to the realm of the earth. (
Revelation 12:9) Since Satan, or Beelzebub, is “the ruler of the demons,” it is apparent that they make up his invisible organization.—
Mark 3:22; Ephesians 6:12.
Further, Jesus told Jewish religious leaders of his day: “You are from your father the Devil, and you wish to do the desires of your father.” (
John 8:44) By their opposition to God’s Son Jesus, those religious leaders showed that they too were Satan’s offspring. They were part of Satan’s seed, serving him as their figurative father. Many other humans throughout history have similarly identified themselves by doing Satan’s will, particularly in opposing and persecuting the disciples of Jesus. Collectively, these humans may be described as making up Satan’s visible organization on earth.—See
John 15:20; 16:33; 17:15.
The prophecy at
Genesis 3:15 refers finally to the seed of the woman. While Satan was developing his seed, Jehovah was preparing for his “woman,” or wifelike celestial organization, to produce a seed. For some 4,000 years, Jehovah progressively revealed to obedient God-fearing humans details related to the coming of the seed. (
Isaiah 46:9, 10) Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and others could thus build faith in the promise that the seed would appear in their genealogical line. (
Genesis 22:15-18; 26:4;28:14) Satan and his henchmen often persecuted such servants of Jehovah because of their unswerving faith.—
Hebrews 11:1, 2, 32-38.
At last, in the year 29 of our Common Era, the perfect man Jesus presented himself at the Jordan River and was baptized. Jehovah there begot Jesus with holy spirit, saying: “This is my Son, the beloved, whom I have approved.” (
Matthew 3:17) Jesus was there identified as having been sent forth from God’s spiritual organization in heaven. He was also anointed as the King-Designate of the heavenly Kingdom that would restore rulership over the earth in Jehovah’s name, thus settling once and for all the issue involving government, or sovereignty. (
Revelation 11:15) Jesus, then, is the principal One of the seed of the woman, the foretold Messiah.—Compare
Galatians 3:16; Daniel 9:25.
Would the woman’s seed be simply one prominent person? Well, what of Satan’s seed? The Bible identifies Satan’s seed as including a host of wicked angels and God-dishonoring humans. It should not surprise us, then, to learn of God’s purpose to select 144,000 integrity keepers from among mankind to become priestly corulers with the Messianic Seed, Jesus Christ. Revelation refers to these when it says that the Devil, in his enmity toward God’s womanly organization, “went off to wage war with the remaining ones of her seed.”—
Revelation 12:17; 14:1-4.
In the Bible, anointed Christians are called Jesus’ brothers, and as his brothers, they share the same Father and the same mother. (
Hebrews 2:11) Their Father is Jehovah God. Hence, their mother must be “the woman,” God’s wifelike celestial organization. They become a secondary part of the seed, Christ Jesus being the primary part. The congregation of these spirit-begotten Christians on earth make up God’s visible organization that serves under his womanlike organization in the heavens, where they will be united with Christ Jesus at their resurrection. (
Romans 8:14-17;Galatians 3:16, 29) Though not part of the seed, millions of other sheep out of all nations are being united to serve with God’s organization on earth. Are you one of these other sheep? Then your happy hope is everlasting life in a paradise earth.—
John 10:16; 17:1-3.
