The Seed of the Woman

Goal of this Study: Understanding the hidden meaning and fulfilment of this first promise and prophecy from God. WHAT does it mean? WHO is this seed? Is there more than one seed? Has this been fulfilled yet? If not, WHEN and HOW will it be fulfilled?

Additional references: Studies in the Scriptures Vol. 6, pp.353–363; Reprints 2776, 3925 and 4451.

This prophecy appears in the beginning of the Bible. After Adam and Eve sinned, it was the first glimmer of hope of reconciliation between God and man.

Genesis 3:15 “And I will put enmity [meaning hostility or hatred] between you [Satan]
and the woman [Eve], and between your seed and her seed; he shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel.”
- seed: One’s child or offspring; descendants.
- your seed: Satan and his followers who persecuted Jesus and crucified Him.
  Jesus directly accused the Pharisees of being “children of the devil.” John 8:44
- her seed: Descendant or offspring of Eve (and Adam); of the human race

God is telling Adam and Eve that He has the solution already in place for their deliverance from the sentence of death. Eve’s offspring (her seed) would be bruised on the heel (a painful injury but not fatal) by the serpent, but “her seed” would deliver a fatal blow to the serpent (Satan).

This was a great veiled promise of God to repair the damage done by disobedience in the Garden of Eden.

Who would be this “seed”?

Cain? Adam and Eve hoped their firstborn son, Cain, would be the seed that would deliver them, but Genesis 4:1–16 sadly reveals he was not to be that deliverer.

Abraham? God gave Abraham a wonderful promise:

Genesis 12:1–3 “Now the LORD said to Abram, Go forth from your country, and from your relatives and from your father’s house, to the land which I will show you; and I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; and so you shall be a blessing; and I will bless those who bless you, and the one
who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”

But Abraham had no children at that time, so how could this promise be fulfilled? Abraham would need an heir!

Genesis 15:4 “This man [Ishmael] will not be your heir; but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir.”

Isaac? After Abraham and his wife Sarah were more than 90 years old, God finally blessed them with a son, Isaac. Would he be the “seed”? When Isaac was only a young lad, God tested Abraham by asking him to sacrifice that son Genesis 22:1–14. God stopped Abraham from harming Isaac. This test proved to God that Abraham could be trusted completely.

THE ABRAHAMIC PROMISE

With Abraham’s steadfast faith fully proven, God made a special promise to make a great nation through him. Once again, God here mentions “the seed”:

Genesis 22:15–18 “Then the angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time from heaven and said, By Myself I have sworn, declares the LORD, because you have done this thing and have not withheld your son, your only son, indeed I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand which is on the seashore… In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”
So this seed would be as the stars and the sand. The seed would have two parts!

Stars of heaven: Faithful Christians (the Church, body of Christ) are to be the spiritual seed or spiritual children of Abraham. Their reward will be in heaven.

Galatians 3:7 (KJV) “Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children [or seed] of Abraham.”
Galatians 3:29 (KJV) “And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the promise.”

2. Sand upon the sea shore: The other part of the “seed” are Abraham’s earthly seed. Initially they included his natural descendants, the faithful of the nation of Israel. They were called a “house of servants.”

Hebrews 3:5 (KJV) “And Moses verily was faithful in all his house as a servant…”
However, the greater fulfilment of this part of the promise goes beyond Israel and will include all the families of the earth.
Luke 2:10 (KJV) “I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to ALL people.”
Matthew 6:10 (KJV) “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth…”

Has this Abrahamic promise been fulfilled?

Since God cannot lie, God cannot break the Abrahamic promise. This promise is guaranteed and must be accomplished!

Hebrews 6:13–18 (KJV) “For when God made the promise to Abraham, since He could swear by no greater, He swore by Himself, saying, I will surely bless you and I will surely multiply you. In the same way God, desiring even more to show to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of His purpose, interposed with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie….”

The Abrahamic Promise was repeated to Abraham’s son, Isaac and his grandson, Jacob in Genesis 26:4 and 28:14. But, none of them received the fulfillment (the promised blessing).

Hebrews 11:13 “All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen and welcomed them from a distance…”

The promised blessing was passed on to Jacob’s oldest son, Judah:

Genesis 49:9–10 “Judah is a lion’s cub; From the prey, my son, you have gone up. He crouches, he lies down as a lion, and as a lion, who dares to stir him up?
The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between
his feet, until Shiloh comes, and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.”

A “scepter” shows the right to rule. A “ruler’s staff” implies a lawgiver. This promise indicates that the promised seed would come from the line of Judah.

Years later, King David recalls the promise, but still no blessing has come from it:

Psalms 105:8–11 “He has remembered His covenant forever, the word which He commanded to a thousand generations, the covenant which He made with Abraham, and His oath to Isaac. Then he confirmed it to Jacob for a statute, to Israel as an everlasting covenant, saying, To you will I give the land of Canaan as the portion of your inheritance.”

All the prophets of old waited and waited, but never saw the promised blessing:

Hebrews 11:39 “And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised.”

And still we wait for the promise of “all the families of the earth” to be blessed. Still the promise has not been fulfilled!

So who is the “seed of the woman” that comes “from the line of Judah”?

JESUS CHRIST, the “seed of the woman”:

Jesus gave up his position in the heavens as an angel to be born of a human mother; He was fully a human being.
Mary’s lineage in Luke extends all the way back to Adam and the Garden of Eden, where the promise that Eve’s seed would crush the head of the serpent was given. Through Mary, Jesus was a descendant or “seed of the woman.”
Galatians 4:4 “…God sent His son, born of a woman, born under the law.”
Phil 2:7 “[Jesus] emptied Himself by taking the form of a bond-servant and being born in the likeness of men.”

JESUS CHRIST, from the “line of Judah”:

Mary’s lineage is found in Luke 3. Her name is not mentioned, but it is assumed because the list is different than that of Joseph in Matthew 1, and other technical reasons. In Luke 3:33 Mary’s lineage is shown to be from the tribe of Judah.
Joseph’s lineage is found in Matthew 1. While Joseph’s lineage is also shown to be from the tribe of Judah, Jesus, however, was not the natural son of Joseph. Matthew 1:2, 3; Hebrews 7:14

Where do Jesus’ faithful followers fit in?

Jesus invites his followers to enter into a narrow way of sacrifice, by denying self and living for Him.

Matthew 7:14 “For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.”
Luke 9:23 “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me.”

First they must be called by God, then they must prove faithful throughout this narrow way of sacrifice.

Revelation 17:14 “…He is Lord of lords, and King of kings; and those who are with him are the called, and chosen and faithful.”

If faithful to that calling, they are promised to become joint-heirs of glory with Jesus.

Romans 8:16, 17 “…we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.”

Because both Jesus and his followers walk the same path, they are together considered one body, “THE Christ.” Few people understand this relationship, this oneness between them. The Bible calls it a “mystery.” THE Christ is not just one individual, but has many members.

Ephesians 5:32 “This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church.”
Colossians 1:27 “to whom God willed to make known…this mystery that is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”
Ephesians 1:22, 23 “…and made him head over all things to the church, which is His body…”

Putting this together, we see how both Jesus and the Church, Head and Body together, become joint-heirs of the Abrahamic Promise.

Galatians 3:7, 29 “…those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham. …And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise.”
Galatians 3:16 “Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. He does not say, ‘And to seeds’, as referring to many, but rather to one, And to your seed, that is, Christ.”
Revelation 14:1 “Then I looked, and behold, the Lamb was standing on Mount Zion, and with him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having his name and the name of his Father written on their foreheads.”

What is this enmity between Satan and “her seed”? Who is the “seed of the serpent”?

Returning again to that original glimmer of hope given to Adam and Eve…

Genesis 3:15 “And I will put enmity [hostility or hatred] between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed.”

Hatred towards Jesus, the Head

When Jesus presented Himself to the people of Israel, some followed Him and some hated Him. Jesus could see those who hated Him were not following the spirit of God, but were instead following the spirit of the Adversary. They were, in fact, the “seed” or children of the devil. Their enmity or hatred towards Jesus, led them to crucify him on the cross.

John 8:38, 42, 44 “I speak the things which I have seen with my Father; therefore you also do the things which you heard from your father. Jesus said to them, If God were your Father, you would love me… You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father.”
Matthew 27:23, 25 “…Crucify him! And all the people said, His blood shall be on us and on our children!”

Hatred towards the Body Members

Jesus gave a parable about the Wheat and Tares that would prepare his followers for the hatred they too would face.

The Parable of the Wheat and Tares

Matthew 13:24–26 “Jesus presented another parable to them, saying, The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went away. But when the wheat sprouted and bore grain, then the tares became evident also.”
Matthew 13:38–39 “and the field is the world; and as for the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; and the tares are the sons of the evil one; and the
enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is the end of the age; and the reapers are angels.”

Since Jesus’ day there are two groups of Christians in the world (field), the good seed (true Christians) and the tare seed (imitation or false Christians). These false Christians have opposed and persecuted the true Christians. Thus, there is enmity (hostility and hatred) between Satan with his seed, and the “seed of the woman.”

Matthew 24:9 “Then they will hand you over to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name.”
Matthew 5:11, 12 “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in this same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

When and how will the seed crush the serpents head?

WHO? THE Christ (Head + Body) together, are the “seed of the woman” who will be instrumental in destroying Satan and his evil power.

Romans 16:20 “The God of peace [thru Christ and the Church] will soon crush Satan under your feet.”

WHEN? This work cannot begin until the seed is complete. All mankind are waiting for the completion of the Church, the 144,000. It must first be selected, developed and exalted to power.

Romans 8:22–23 “For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body.”

HOW? Satan and his followers, as well as all sin in every shape and form will eventually be destroyed. After which, Christ turns over the Kingdom to the Heavenly Father.

Revelation 20:1–3 “Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he would not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed….”
Hebrews 2:14 “…that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil.”
1 Corinthians 15:25 “For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet.”
1 Corinthians 15:24, 28 “then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to our God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power. When all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself will also be subjected to the One who subjected all things to Him, so that God may be all in all.”

THE Christ (the seed) will finally deliver the final, fatal blow to the head of the serpent. Satan and all sin will finally be destroyed, and the everlasting Kingdom of peace and righteousness will be fully operational.