Conflict In Genesis 3

The Conflict of Genesis 3: Satan and the Promised Messiah Why is the world in conflict? What causes wars to break out between nations and even the smallest of petty crimes within our own neighborhoods?

So many “experts” would have

you believe that it is nothing more than evolutionary processes or a lack of “Global” tolerance by individuals for the ever-changing world community. A look at God’s Word provides a different answer to this dilemma. In fact, it is in Genesis, chapter three, that we get a first hand look at the beginning of the conflicts that plague us even today. To get a clearer understanding of the very evil and motivating force that is behind this conflict, one needs only to consider the writings of Isaiah. In short, pride is the motivating factor of Lucifer and his fall. We read that he said in his heart: “I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds: I will be like the most High” 1 (Isaiah 14:13-14). Satan wanted to be God. He was not allowed to take the job, so he set out to destroy everything that God was for. We see him tempt Eve and cause her to doubt God’s Word, leading her to take of the fruit and then give it to Adam who did the same. What follows is man’s expulsion from a perfect place that was made by God for communion with man, the birth of a conflict of ages, and the promise of a coming Messiah: “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” (Genesis 3:15). The conflict that is introduced in Genesis, chapter three, has continued to grow and become more evil as the years have passed. While Satan was only able to “bruise the heel” of Christ on Calvary, he continues to this day to create chaos and mass confusion in our world. One of the most effective means of warfare he has used has been that of religion. With so many different denominations, sects, cults, and “holy books” available today, the real path of freedom

and forgiveness of sins through Jesus Christ has become a murky, and many times, an undistinguishable path for the average person. Since Satan is unable to obtain the level of worship and power that he wants, he continues to try to destroy God’s creation. He knows his days are numbered and that one day he will indeed receive the final blow that will “bruise his head”. Until then, he continues to operate as a “roaring lion…seeking whom he may devour” (I Peter 5:7). Whether it be trying to delay a soul from a decision for Christ, causing strife and troubles within churches and Christian homes, or constantly being an “accuser of the brethren” (Revelation 12:10), Satan continues to use conflict in an attempt to disrupt God’s plan. While Genesis, chapter three, introduces us to the grim mistakes of our first parents, it also gives the hope and promise of the coming Redeemer. The picture of the “coats of skins” (Genesis 3:21) foreshadows the “covering” that Christ would provide one day on Calvary. Genesis 3:15 points to the blessed hope of someone who would one day come on the scene and be able to “bruise the head” of the wicked one once and for all. While Calvary indeed defeated Satan and his plans for overcoming the Holy One, Satan still is lose within the world and continues to attack and destroy all that he can. The conflict is still raging more than ever before. Increases in divorce, abortion, homosexuality, and other immoral and unbiblical practices clearly show that evil is thriving in the world, while the whole creation “groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now (Romans 8:22), awaiting the final act of God’s judgment and wrath upon Satan and his followers. Endnotes 1

All Scripture quotations are taken from the King James Bible version, Royal, 1971.