state of sin—he prohibited man from eating of the tree of life (see Gen. 3:24). Because of sin, the first man died. As a result of sin entering the world through Adam and Eve, all people inherit the tendency to sin. Through faith in Christ, people maybe forgiven of sin and receive eternal life (see 1 Cor. 15:21,22). The victory of Christ over Satan is prophesied in Genesis 3:15. Because the serpent (Satan) tempted Eve, God cursed the serpent, and said that the offspring of the woman would crush the serpent’s head. With this one exception, the genealogy of the Hebrews is recorded through males (the offspring of men. But there is one casein which there was a mother but no human father of a child—Jesus was born of a virgin. So Genesis 3:15 shows that at the time of man’s fall from sin, God had a plan for redeeming mankind. Jesus in his death on the cross won the victory over Satan. He will return to crush the serpent’s head. God also prophesied in Genesis 3:15 that the serpent would bruise Christ’s heel. Satan bruised the heel of Christ by making it necessary that Christ die in order for people to live. Christ’s death on the cross was a temporary bruise, but Satan’s spiritual death is eternal.
