Seed Of The Woman Vs. Seed Of The Serpent
Bodie Hodge, M.Sc., B.Sc., PEI
Biblical Authority Ministries, October 21, 2026 (Donate)
When Adam and Eve sinned, it set in motion a nearly insurmountable
problem—death. This problem was so bad in fact, that the only one in a position
to solve it was the God of life Himself.
In Genesis 3 after Adam sinned, our all-knowing God made a
statement that we call the “protoevangelium”. Don’t let the fancy word scare
you, it is simply the first prophecy of the good news of Jesus Christ who will
come to the rescue us. It is stated in Genesis 3:15, being the Seed of the woman
or some translations say “offspring of the woman”.
The Bible talks further about that Seed and it culminates in the Seed’s arrival—Jesus Christ who stepped into history via the virgin Mary. I
intentionally cap Seed when in reference to Christ. But a close
examination of Genesis 3:15, yields two seeds. The other is the seed of the
serpent (left uncapped).
The Protoevangelium Of Genesis 3:15 And Its Significance To
Christ
The battle between the Seed of the woman and the seed
of the serpent began in Genesis 3, shortly after Adam and Eve sinned. When
God pronounced judgment upon the serpent (influenced by Satan per Revelation 12:9,20:2), He declared:
And I will put enmity Between you
and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And
you shall bruise His heel.” (Genesis 3:15, NKJV).
This Protoevangelium literally means the "first
gospel." It is the earliest biblical announcement of the coming Redeemer,
Jesus Christ. Satan deceptively used a serpent to deceived Eve and this
ultimately brought about mankind's fall into sin. Even so, God promised that the
Seed of the woman would ultimately defeat the serpent.
The bruising of the heel represents Christ's suffering and
death, while the bruising of the serpent's head points to Satan's decisive
defeat through Christ.
The Seed Is Christ
Throughout the Old Testament, God progressively revealed the
identity and lineage of this promised Seed.
The promise continued through Abraham, to whom God declared
that through his Seed all nations would be blessed (Genesis 22:18). This
promise passed through Isaac (Genesis 26:4), Jacob (Genesis 28:14), Judah
(Genesis 49:10), and eventually King David (2 Samuel 7:12-16).
The prophets further identified the coming Messiah as a descendant of David (Isaiah 11:1-10; Jeremiah 23:5-6). Isaiah 7:14 also foretold the virgin birth, and this shows the extraordinary arrival of the promised Redeemer—as well as the miraculous conception of Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit, through Paul points out that the Seed is indeed Christ. Galatians 3:16 states:
Now to Abraham and his Seed were
the promises made. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as of many, but as of one,
“And to your Seed,” who is Christ. (NKJV).
Jesus Christ is the promised Seed who fulfills God's promises
and brings salvation though His death, burial, and resurrection to those who
believe on Him (Galatians 3:26-29).
The Seed Of The Serpent And The Brood Of Vipers
The serpent's seed were those who follow Satan’s rebellion against
Jesus Christ. This isn’t a physical bloodline but a spiritual
identification through sinful allegiance and opposition to God.
Jesus confronted certain religious leaders who rejected Him,
declaring,
“You are of your father the
devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from
the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in
him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a
liar and the father of it. (John 8:44, NKJV).
Both John the Baptist and Jesus called certain Pharisees and
Sadducees who opposed Him a "brood of vipers" (e.g., Matthew
3:7; 12:34; 23:33). A brood of vipers is literally the seed or
offspring of the serpent! This language reveals the serpent's deceptive and
destructive nature.
Rather than recognizing their promised Messiah, these
leaders opposed Him, plotted His death, and sought to destroy the very Seed
promised in Genesis 3:15 (Matthew 26:3-4). Of course, they, along with the priests
(including the approval of the High Priest), had to bring false charges
against Jesus to put Him to death.
Satan’s direct involvement can be seen in his entrance into
Judas to begin the ordeal of Jesus being betrayed into the hand of sinners (e.g.,
Luke 22:3; John 13:27).
The Battle Culminated At The Crucifixion And Resurrection
The conflict between the seeds reached its climax when Jesus
was betrayed, falsely accused, condemned, and then He was crucified.
Satan's opposition appeared successful when Christ died upon
the cross. Yet the crucifixion wasn’t Satan's victory. It was part of God's
predetermined plan of redemption (Acts 2:23-24).
Through His sacrificial death, Christ paid the full penalty
for sin (the infinite wrath of God placed on Him for our sin!), and through His
bodily resurrection, He conquered death (1 Corinthians 15:3-4, 54-57).
The Holy Spirit says that through death Christ destroyed the
power of the devil, who had the power of death (Hebrews 2:14; see also Romans
6:9). Colossians 2:15 describes Christ's triumph over the powers of darkness.
Christ has all authority ion heaven and earth (e.g., Mattew 28:18-20; 1 Peter
4:11)
The serpent bruised Christ's heel, but Christ crushed the
serpent's head. A heel wound vs a crushed head yields one winner! The final
judgment of Satan remains certain and His activities is broken—yet, he is still
powerful but his time is short (e.g., Revelation 12:12, 20:10).
Recap
In the battle of the seeds, there can be only one! The
resurrection proved the wound to Christ’s heel was recoverable. But Satan’s
demise will hold for eternity. Genesis 3:15 points forward to Christ and His
work ultimately on the Cross. From Eden to Calvary and the empty tomb,
Scripture reveals God's promise to defeat Satan through Jesus Christ.
What began with mankind's fall culminated in Christ's
victorious resurrection. The promised Seed of the woman conquered sin, death,
and Satan, securing eternal life for all who believe in Him (John 11:25-26). The
serpent's apparent victory at the cross was like rug pulled out from under him
and left him in eternal defeat through the risen Christ!
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Bodie Hodge, Ken Ham's son in law, has been an apologist
defending 6-day creation and opposing evolution since 1998. He spent 21 years
working at Answers in Genesis as a speaker, writer, and
researcher as well as a founding news anchor for Answers News. He
was also head of the Oversight Council.
Bodie launched Biblical Authority Ministries in
2015 as a personal website and it was organized officially in 2025 as a
501(c)(3). He has spoken on multiple continents and hosts of US states in
churches, colleges, and universities. He is married with four children.
Mr. Hodge earned a Bachelor and Master of Science degrees
from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale (SIUC). Then he taught
at SIUC for a couple of years as a Visiting Instructor teaching all levels of
undergraduate engineering and running a materials lab and a CAD lab. He did
research on advanced ceramic materials to develop a new method of production of
titanium diboride with a grant from Lockheed Martin. He worked as a Test
Engineer for Caterpillar, Inc., prior to entering full-time ministry.
His love of science was coupled with a love of history,
philosophy, and theology. For about one year of his life, Bodie was editing and
updating a theological, historical, and scientific dictionary/encyclopedia. Mr.
Hodge has over 25 years of experience in writing, speaking and researching in
these fields.
*Image by generative program as requested by Bodie Hodge
