Did you know that some think that Genesis 3:15 is a prophecy about the First Coming of Jesus and Genesis 3:16 is a prophecy about the Second Coming of Jesus? Not everyone agrees, but the thought that Adam and Eve knew about the First and Second Coming of Jesus is a blessing to many.
The prophecy of the First Coming stems from the curse God placed on Satan for tempting Adam and Eve to sin. God told Satan, “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” (Gen. 3:15). The word “seed” can be singular (one seed; Gal. 3:16) or plural (many seed; Gen. 15:5). In this case, the woman’s Seed is called an “it” (one seed) and a “his” (one male descendant). God was saying He would cause hostility between the offspring of Satan and one particular male descendant of Eve (see Jn. 8:44; I Jn. 3:10). This hostility reached a peak when Jesus was crucified and it will continue until Satan is cast into the Lake of Fire.
But let’s dig a little deeper. One definition of the word “seed” is sperm. Men have seed or sperm. But women don’t have seed or sperm. There is no such thing as a “seed (or sperm) of woman.” So the birth from a “seed of woman” would have to be a miracle birth. Isaiah clearly prophesied a miracle birth when he said, “The Lord Himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14).Isaiah said, “A virgin shall conceive.” That is what several translations of the Bible say: “A virgin shall conceive.”
Skeptics say Isaiah meant a young woman shall conceive, but Isaiah also said, “The Lord Himself shall give you a sign.” My dictionary says a sign is “something unusual, a symbol or a miraculous demonstration of Divine power.” It isn’t unusual for a young woman to bear a child. That happens all the time. But the virgin birth of Jesus was a sign because it was an unusual miraculous demonstration of Divine power that happened at the first coming of Jesus (Matt. 1:18-23; Luke 1:27-35; Jn. 1:34).
God also said Satan would bruise the heel of the Seed of Woman. Concerning the Suffering Servant Isaiah said, “He was bruised for our iniquities” (Isa. 53:5). This bruising (beating and death) of the virgin born Seed of Woman was a prophecy about His first coming.
The prophecy of His Second Coming stems from the curse God placed on Eve.Unto Eve He said, “In sorrow thou shalt bring forth children” (Gen. 3:16 KJV). The Modern Language reads, “You will suffer birth-pangs.” And the RSV reads, “In pain you shall bring forth children.” The word “sorrow” refers to birth-pangs or pain in childbirth. Childbirth was a blessing that God bestowed upon Adam and Eve when He created them, but because they sinned, that childbirth would be accompanied by sorrow or birth-pangs.
When Jesus was asked about the signs of His coming He mentioned false christs, wars and rumors of wars, famines, pestilences and earthquakes. Then He said, “These are the beginning of sorrows” (Mark 13:8). The Modern Language reads, “These are the first pains of childbirth.” And the RSV reads, “This is but the beginning of the birth-pangs.” The sorrow or birth-pangs in Gen. 3:16 are an example of how the signs will be at the Second Coming of Jesus. As the birth of a baby nears, the mother’s birth pains increase in frequency and intensity. In like manner, as the end of the age nears famine, natural disasters, etc. will increase in frequency and intensity (they will get closer together, harder and more destructive not better).
The First Coming of Jesus was preceded by a time of trouble (travel to Bethlehem under difficult circumstances, no place to stay, birth-pangs, etc.). And the Second Coming of Jesus will be preceded by a time of trouble (birth-pang disasters, the Tribulation period, etc.).
FYI: God Has Spoken (And We Know It) by Daymond Duck is available, (linked to my publisher @ https://www.raptureready.com/terry/book17.html). Books and a Kindle version are available at amazon.com. A Nook version is available at bn.com. Check out what it says about Syria, Russia, Iran, Egypt, natural disasters, the Two-State Solution, etc.
Prophecy Plus Ministries
Daymond & Rachel Duck