Monday, October 27, 2008

Oct25-31: Atonement Announced

SUNDAY

This lesson is based upon Gen. 3:15 only.

1. Read Genesis 3:15. Observe the picture of conflict and the conquest in the text.

  • Gen. 3:15 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.

OBSERVATIONS:

Conflict Between:

"Thee" vs. "The Woman"

"Thy seed" vs. "Her seed"

Defeat and Conquest:

"It shall bruise thy head" vs. "Thou shalt bruise his heel"


2. Read Genesis 3:14, 15. Who is the serpent?

  • Gen. 3:14 And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all …Gen. 3:15 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.

  • Rev. 12:9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

  • Ezek. 28:13 Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God… the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. Ezek. 28:14 Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.

ANSWER:

  • The devil and Satan

3. Read Genesis 3:15. What is the main message in this text?

  • Gen. 3:15 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.

ANSWER:

  • God made the promise of final destruction of the serpent.
  • God is not in conflict with man but He is in conflict with the serpent.
  • This text reveals the great controversy between God and Satan.

4. What does “enmity” mean?

ANSWER:

  • Enmity in Hebrews-342. ay-baw´; from 340; hostility:—emnity, hatred.

  • 340. aw-yab´; a primitive root; to hate (as one of an opposite tribe or party); hence to be hostile:—be an enemy.

OBSERVATIONS:

  • God promised to put hatred between man and Satan. Otherwise there is a natural unity between man and Satan.

  • Since God opened the way to hate Satan therefore God also opened the way to love God and to be united with Him as He originally intended. Therefore the promise of “enmity” is the promise of atonement.


5. Read Genesis 3:15. Who are “thy seed”?

  • Gen. 3:15 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.

  • 1John 3:10 In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.

ANSWER:

  • 2233. , zeh´-rah; from 2232; seed; figuratively, fruit, plant, sowing-time, posterity:—x carnally, child, fruitful, seed(-time), sowing- time.

  • We cannot take this phrase “thy seed” literally because the serpent cannot literally have children. Therefore the child of the serpent is a symbolic meaning. They are the spiritual children of the devil.

  • The children of the devil are those that do not follow righteousness and loves not his brother.

OBSERVATIONS:

  • In KJV, “Her seed” refers to “it” and then “his” in the same text. Therefore “her seed” has a two-fold meaning. First, children of the woman. Second, a child of the woman. The phrase “Her seed” applies to both.


6. Who are “her seed”, or the children of God?

  • 1John 3:9 Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. 1John 3:10 In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.

ANSWER:

  • Since the children of the serpent are opposite to the children of the woman therefore the children of the woman represent the children of God.
  • The children of the woman are also symbolic in a sense of pointing to a certain group of people that hates the serpent.
  • Doth not commit sin.
  • His seed dwells in them.
  • Born of God.
  • Does righteousness.
  • Loves their brother.


7. Who is “her seed”, or the child of God?

  • Gen. 9:9 And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you

  • Gen. 22:18 And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.

  • Gal. 3:16 Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.

ANSWER:

  • Observe the trail of “her seed”: Eve to Noah, Noah to Abraham, and Abraham to Christ. Therefore “her seed” is Christ.


8. Observe, “it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel”

OBSERVATION

  • This text reveals the method of bruising the head of the serpent. “Her seed” crushes the serpent’s head with his heel. At the same time the serpent bites “his heel” just before it gets crushed. The Bible does talk about the serpent biting the heel. Gen. 49:17 Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path, that biteth the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backward.
  • The bruised feet of Christ is the price to bruise the Satan’s head.
  • Bruise” means wounded. Therefore “her seed” is wounded and “thy head” is wounded. However wounded heel means suffering but not fully destroyed but wounded head means suffering and final destruction right then or later.


9. When was Christ bitten by the devil?

  • Heb. 2:14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil

  • Prov. 23:32 At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder.

  • 1Cor. 15:56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.

  • 2Cor. 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

  • 1John 3:8 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.

  • John 12:31 Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.

  • John 12:32 And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.

  • John 12:33 This he said, signifying what death he should die.

ANSWER: When Jesus was made sin for us at the cross, He took the sting (bite) of death from the devil. However Jesus was able to destroy the devil through His death. Nevertheless the devil did not receive his final destruction at the cross. Rather the destruction of the devil was confirmed at the cross.


10. What has to happen before Satan is totally crushed?

  • Heb. 1:13 But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool?

  • Heb. 10:12 But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; Heb. 10:13 From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool.

ANSWER:

  • Jesus sitting down at the right hand of God.

11. What is Jesus doing at the right hand of God?

  • Heb. 8:1 Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens

ANSWER:

  • Jesus is doing the work of a high priest

12. What is the work of a high priest?

  • Heb. 9:25 Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others;

  • Heb. 9:26 For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.

ANSWER:

  • To put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself

  • Rom. 11:27 For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.

  • Notice how “take away” is connected to “no more be remembered” Hos. 2:17 For I will take away the names of Baalim out of her mouth, and they shall no more be remembered by their name.

  • Is. 43:25 I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.

  • Heb. 10:16 This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; Heb. 10:17 And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.

CONCLUSION:

  • The work of a High Priest is to take away or blot out our sins so that our sins will not be remembered. This is the new covenant of God. This promise was made in the promise of Jesus bruising Satan under His feet. However in order to “take away” sin, His people need to be willing to allow God to put His laws into our hearts and minds.


13. Will there be people willing to keep God’s commandments in the last days and who are they?

  • Rev. 12:17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

  • Rev. 12:12 Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.

ANSWER:

  • The Remnant.
  • After receiving a deathly blow from Jesus, the devil is angry at the remnant, which keeps the commandments of God because he knows that he only has a short time and his time will get shorter if there are people who are willing to allow God to put His laws in their hearts and minds.


14. What is the big picture in Revelation 12?

  • Rev. 12:14 And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.

  • Rev. 12:15 And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood.

ANSWER:

  • The conflict between the serpent and the woman.
  • This chapter shows the fulfillment of the prophecy of Genesis 3:15.


15. Could God’s people bruise Satan under their feet?

  • Rom. 16:20 And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.

ANSWER:

  • Yes.

16. In what way did Jesus bruise Satan under His feet at the cross? And how can we bruise Satan under our feet?

  • Phil. 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:

  • Phil. 2:6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:

  • Phil. 2:7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:

  • Phil. 2:8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

  • Phil. 2:9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:

  • Phil. 2:10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;

  • Phil. 2:11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

ANSWER:

  • Jesus bruised Satan under His feet at the cross because Jesus was willing to humble Himself to the point of self-sacrifice with obedience to the Father. In a similar way, through humility, sacrifice, and obedience, we can crush Satan under our feet. This is possible if we allow the mind of Christ to be our mind.

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