The Hope of the World

Genesis 3 and Revelation 22

The bright hope of the future, we have looked at the effects of sin – it was quite horrendous. Here we have hope for mankind to gain access for God. Chapter 3 reminds us God allows us to suffer the consequences of sin but also provides hope for the future and from the full consequences of sin. We must understand the balance of mercy and grace, judgement and hope.
HOPE FOR MANKIND BY JUDGEMENT ON SATAN – verse l4
Adam and Eve’s sin had cosmic consequences. Sundered relationships with God and creation. This is a divine prescription for restoration.
a) God will reverse the disastrous attitude of the woman – verse l5. She will learn who her enemy is. God will reverse this friendship. God puts enmity between Satan and her. She will become the friend of God and the enemy of Satan.
b) He extends this antagonism to both their respective seeds – John 8:44. Satan will have his offspring and so will the woman. There will be a kingdom of Satan and a kingdom of God. They will be at war with war with each other. The children of the woman will fight the evil. There is a conflict, Satan will not get his own way as he did with Adam and Eve.
c) He says there will be perpetual humiliation for the serpent. Dust in the mouth is a figure of defeat and humiliation. Satan will always eat dust – Isaiah 53. Satan is synonymous with the snake. Satan is called that dragon in Revelation. That the snake crawls in the dust indicates Satan has bitten the dust, it is a figure we often use today. Satan had been thrown out of Heaven, his second humiliation was in Eden, he was also humiliated at Calvary. Isaiah paints a picture of harmony and love – Isaiah 65:25 – except the serpents food will be dust, it is his doom.
d) He says there will be a decisive blow that destroys the serpent – verse l5. Satan succeeded in giving him a temporary bruise but He inflicted a death blow, literally crushing Satan’s head. From the children of the woman will come one who crushes Satan’s head. This is the first prophecy of the coming Jesus. This is the fulfilment of this verse – Jesus’ ankle was bruised temporarily but Satan will be caused to be crushed for the final time. Jesus suffered to save his people, in dying he conquered death, he crushed Satan’s head. Romans l6: 20 – we shall finally crush Satan. God says from that woman who offended God will come one who will be bruised but will ultimately crush Satan. We may go through difficult times but we shall crush he who is in the world. God has willed his truth to triumph, his will endures. Christ is the last Adam, he will succeed where Adam failed , he defeated Satan though his foot was bruised. God is still restraining Satan – one day he will be destroyed.
HOPE FOR MANKIND BY FAITH – verse 20
Adam named her life giver – Eve. All was not lost. Adam showed he believed God’s promise. Naming her Eve he showed he believed she would have children and one would be the deliverer. Salvation is now and always has been by faith in God’s promise. We believe in his word and God imputes righteousness to us. Adam believed God – he had one faint promise and he held to it, were Adam and Eve saved? This is evidence they had faith.
HOPE FOR MANKIND BY PROVISION OF COVERING – verse 22
The garments are beyond what was needed for mere clothes. The first clothes were fig leaves, a temporary solution, a desperate attempt to cover up. It is like our attempts to cover up sin, desperate and frail. We all know we have sinned. People try to be charitable or to compare themselves to others. We can never cover up our past. God takes the initiative. Mankind’s attempt to cover sin is like fig leaf clothes. In order to produce leather an animal dies. They learned that without the shedding of blood, there is no adequate covering for sin, but that God would accept the death of an acceptable substitute. An animal died in what had been a paradise where there had been no death. Death is never very pleasant. The death of the animal would have hit them hard, they saw that without the shedding of blood they could not stand in the presence of God. They saw that without the shedding of blood they could not stand in the presence of God. They saw a substitute was needed. If we have sinned we cannot approach God just as we are, we need the death of a substitute for us. We need the death of Jesus to cover our sins.
HOPE FOR MANKIND BY THE TREE OF LIFE – verse q
Adam and Eve were evicted from Eden. Now man knew evil like a cancer patient knows cancer. They entered into a new realm of experience of sin. They would not enter eternal life like that, it would have been hell when you live forever separated from God. They were cast our for their own good. Think of a world where sinners never died, where gangsters, dictators etc never died. God would not let this happen. Adam is barred from Eden by cherubim who are a special class of angels assigned to guard the throne of God. In the temple the curtain leading to the Holy of Holies had cherubim embroidered on to it. Only one man could enter it and only once a year and then with blood. Mankind can enter it ay will. Our inability to access the tree of life is our greatest problem. Nothing more is heard of the Tree of Life until Revelation 22:l. There are no cherubim with flaming swords. Anyone who is needy can come and eat and live forever. How has this happened? When Jesus died on the cross the curtain in the temple with the cherubim on it was torn in two. The message is clear, through Jesus Christ the way to God is now open to all, everywhere, any time. That’s why the Tree of Life appears at the end of the Bible. Christ has opened the door to Heaven, and through him and by him anyone who wants to, can come in. Paradise Lost has now become Paradise Regained. Why will you die when you could live forever.Whatever we have done we now have access to the throne of Heaven. We can return to God through the Lord Jesus. There is a wonderful hope. Satan has been defeated and we can stand before God by faith. When this passing world is done we can go to Heaven. The Tree of Life is Jesus. The Hope of the World.q