Of all the fulfilled prophecies given in the Bible, and there are hundreds, none are of such great importance and none are more sublime or consequential than those that prophecy in great detail about our Lord Jesus Christ. These are referred to as “Messianic prophecies”, and they are legion. The very first prophecy ever given regarding the coming of a Messiah, a Deliverer, a Savior, Redeemer, is given just as soon as a Redeemer was needed. And when was that? In Genesis 3, immediately following the fall and failure of our first parents, Adam and Eve. The communion they had enjoyed with their Creator had been broken. Their deliberate disobedience cast them into a state that God did not create. It was a state of separation from God due to their rebellion. Instead of merely casting them off, God promised a remedy for their ultimate restoration to His favor. It found in Genesis 3:15 and is referred to as the first announcement of the Gospel, or Good News.
The Good News consisted of a promise made to our first parents. The promise was that, just as a moral fall and failure had come via man, so too, a moral redemption and restoration would come via man…a man who would be an actual flesh and blood descendant of Adam and Eve. This One would be the Redeemer, the Messiah, the Christ, the Anointed One. The prophecy, admittedly, is not as clear as we would like, but once its fulfillment was realized, it took on an unmistakable clarity.
Here is what God said to the serpent who tempted Eve in Genesis 3:15, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed He shall crush you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel.” “Seed” refers to their descendants. The woman’s descendant, in particular, would be none other than Jesus, the Messiah. The serpent’s seed would inflict a wound; that is, strike the heel of the Messiah when He comes, but it will not be a strike of finality. However, that inflicted by the Messiah upon the evil seed will be a moral, crushing blow to the head, resulting in a final dispensing of him.
From that prophesy onward, Adam and Eve’s descendants, particularly through their descendant Noah and one of his sons, Shem, then Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, would eagerly await this promised Messiah. Little did they know the predicted seed of the woman would not arrive on the scene for another four thousand years, and, when He would come, His arrival would be embraced by many and rejected by many. Nonetheless, God made good on His promise concerning His Redeemer. Many more such promises will also be fulfilled, and many yet await fulfillment. Genesis 3:15 is rightly established as the initial prophesy in the Bible. Its fulfillment in Jesus Christ is undeniable.
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