In Genesis 3 , God pronounces various judgments against those who introduced sin into His perfect world. Adam, Eve, and the serpent hear the consequences of their rebellion. To the serpent God says, among other things, “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and hers; it shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise its heel” ( Genesis 3:15 ).
Even in this judgment, there is mercy. God’s curse on the serpent, in particular, was accompanied by words of hope. The woman mentioned in Genesis 3:15 is Eve. The serpent, who is directly addressed, is the animal that Satan used to deceive the woman. Part of the curse was directed at the animal (verse 14); in turn, God’s curse falls on Satan, who had taken the form or body of the serpent in Eden (cf. the dragon of Revelation 12:9 ).
As part of the curse, there will be enmity—mutual hatred and ill will—between the woman and the serpent. Afterward, the same enmity will continue between the seed or offspring of the woman (mankind in general, since Eve is the “mother of all living,” Genesis 3:20 ) and the seed of the serpent. Their descendants will continue to be enemies for all generations. The (metaphorical) offspring of the serpent are demonic forces and also people who follow the devil and do his bidding. Jesus called the Pharisees a “brood of vipers” in Matthew 12:34 and said they belonged to their “father, the devil” in John 8:44 . Simply put, God says that Satan will always be the enemy of mankind. It follows from this that people who side with Satan will be at continual war with God’s elect and that we are engaged in a very real battle between good and evil ( Ephesians 6:12 ).
Genesis 3:15 is a startling verse, popularly known as the protoevangelium (literally, “first gospel”), because it is the first biblical prediction of a Savior. The second half of the verse contains two Messianic prophecies about that Savior:
The first Messianic prophecy of Genesis 3:15 is that “he will bruise your head.” That is, the seed of the woman will crush the head of the serpent. The Amplified Bible makes it clear that “the seed of the woman” is more than humanity at large; He is an individual who represents all of humanity:
“And I will put enmity (open hostility)
Between you and the woman
And between your seed (offspring) and her Seed;
He will bruise your [mortally] head.”
The second messianic prophecy inGenesis 3:15 is that “you shall bruise his heel.” That is, the serpent will bite the heel of “the seed of the woman.” The heel bite is in contrast to the head wound, as the Amplified Bible says, “And [you] shall bruise his heel.”
This passage points to the promise of Jesus’ birth, His redemption, and His victory over Satan. The offspring of the woman is Jesus. Being born of a virgin, He is literally the offspring of a woman ( Matthew 1:25 ; Galatians 4:4 ; cf. Isaiah 7:14 ). As the Son of Man, He is the perfect representative of humanity. The offspring of the devil were evil men and demonic forces who, like a serpent, stalked the Savior and attacked Him. Their venomous conspiracy doomed Jesus to be crucified.
The serpent’s blow, however, did not mean the end of the woman’s offspring. Jesus rose again on the third day, breaking the power of death and gaining ultimate victory. With the cross, Jesus “bruised” the devil’s head, defeating him forever. Thus, in Genesis 3:15 , the bruising of the serpent’s head was a picture of Jesus’ triumph over sin and Satan on the cross (cf. John 12:31 ). The bruising of the Messiah’s heel was a picture of Jesus’ wounding and death on the cross. Satan bruised Jesus’ “heel,” but Jesus demonstrated His complete dominance over Satan by bruising his “head.”
Satan, though still active in this world, is a defeated foe. His doom is certain: “And the devil… was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone” ( Rev. 20:10 ). Until that time, there remains enmity between Satan and the children of God.
The Protoevangelium shows us that God always had the plan of salvation in mind and informed us of His plan as soon as sin entered the world. Satan made a plan with the serpent in Eden, but God was far ahead of him, having already ordered the destruction of the serpent. Jesus Christ perfectly fulfilled God’s mission: “For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil” ( 1 John 3:8 )