Divine Antidote

On Genesis 3:15  we read: “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.”

What is this scripture speaking of? Not just enmity between man kind and the reptile--Snakes. In fact there is a great many folks who like them well enough to have them as pets. This I do not recommend for snakes have been know to attack men kind with it's deadly sting since the beginning of times. We should at the very least fear its presence. Awareness is the better word. DANGER!  This Scripture thou, speaks of something beyond the physical enmity. It speaks of spiritual separation.  It speaks of a promise that some day there would be a seed or descendent of Eve who would bring about a deadly would on the great serpent-the Devil who used the serpent to deceive and snare Eve into eating the forbidden fruit, thus transgressing God’s commandments and bringing a curse upon humanity.

This seed is none else than “Jesus Christ – The only begotten of the Father”(John 3:16).  The only antidote for the sinful nature we are born with, is Jesus Christ. The Son of the living God(St. John1:34; 3:18) He overcame the Devil, death and is alive forever more.(1Corinthians 15:1-57) Man can’t regenerate  him self, though we may improve in behavior, we can not transform our innermost nature .The words of Jesus: “you must be born again”(ST. John 3:3,5). Are the greatest facts in human history! To us is the promise: “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.” John 3:36   And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:  That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” John 3:14-17.  

"Significance of Christ's Victory.--After His baptism, Christ was led of the Spirit into the wilderness. He had taken humanity upon Himself, and Satan boasted that he would overcome Him, as he had overcome the strong men of the past ages, and he assailed Him with the temptations that had caused man's downfall. It was in this world that the great conflict between Christ and Satan was to be decided. If the tempter could succeed in overcoming Christ in even one point, the world must be left to perish. Satan would have power to bruise the heel of the Son of God; but the seed of the woman was to bruise the serpent's head: Christ was to baffle the prince of the powers of darkness. For forty days Christ fasted in the wilderness. What was this for? Was there anything in the character of the Son of God that required such great humiliation and suffering? No, He was sinless. All this humiliation and keen anguish were endured for the sake of fallen man, and never can we comprehend the grievous character of the sin of indulging perverted appetite except as we comprehend the spiritual meaning of the long fast of the Son of God. Never can we understand the strength and bondage of appetite until we discern the character of the Saviour's conflict in overcoming Satan, and thus placing man on vantage ground, where, through the merit of the blood of Christ, he may be able to resist the powers of darkness, and overcome in his own behalf."  Temperance, 275.1

     "After this long fast, Christ was in a famishing condition, and in His weakness Satan assailed Him with the fiercest temptations. "The devil said unto him, If Thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread." Satan represented himself as the messenger of God, claiming that God had seen the willingness of the Saviour to place His feet in the path of self-denial, and that He was not required to suffer further humiliation and pain, but might be released from the terrible conflict that was before Him as the Redeemer of the world. He tried to persuade Him that God designed only to test His fidelity, that now His loyalty was fully manifest, and He was at liberty to use His divine power to relieve His necessities. But Christ discerned the temptation, and declared, "It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God."  IBID, 275.2

    " When tempted to the unlawful gratification of appetite, you should remember the example of Christ, and stand firm, overcoming as Christ overcame. You should answer, saying, "Thus saith the Lord," and in this way settle the question forever with the prince of darkness. If you parley with temptation, and use your own words, feeling self-sufficient, full of self-importance, you will be overcome. The weapons which Christ used were the words of God, "It is written;" and if you wield the sword of the Spirit, you also may come off victorious through the merit of your Redeemer."  IBID, 276.1

  Satan More Successful With Man.--The three leading temptations by which man is beset were endured by the Son of God. He refused to yield to the enemy on the point of appetite, ambition, and the love of the world. But Satan is more successful when assailing the human heart. Through inducing men to yield to his temptations, he can get control of them. And through no class of temptations does he achieve greater success than through those addressed to the appetite. If he can control the appetite, he can control the whole man."  Temperance, 276.2

     "There are but two powers that control the minds of men-- the power of God and the power of Satan. Christ is man's Creator and Redeemer; Satan is man's enemy and destroyer. He who has given himself to God will build himself up for the glory of God, in body, soul, and spirit. He who has given himself to the control of Satan tears himself down. Many a man sells reason for a glass of liquor, and becomes a menace to his family, his neighborhood, and his country. His children hide when he comes home, and his discouraged wife fears to meet him, for he greets her with cruel blows. He spends his money for strong drink, while his wife and children suffer for the necessities of life."  IBID, 276.3

     "Satan leads the victims of appetite to deeds of violence. The liquor drinker is a man of fierce and easily excited passions, and any trivial excuse is made a cause for quarrel; and when under the influence of passion, the drunkard will not spare his best friend. How often do we hear of murder and deeds of violence, and find that their chief source is the liquor habit."  IBID, 277.1

A second opinion on the subject is to be found here:  http://herculescummings.wordpress.com/2009/03/11/the-origin-of-the-snake-in-the-garden-of-eden/

Best health to you!

E M Venture Health