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The Promise came as far back as 6,000 years ago. Back when the destructive, deadly presence of
sin first entered the human race and disfigured all of creation. Back when the very inception of deception by
the Devil introduced death into all of the unspoiled life that God had
made. The Promise was made with no
reservation, no qualification, no hesitation and no revocation. The Promise came from God and its message was
abundantly clear: condemnation for the Devil and consolation for man.
You see, up until that infamous moment of their fall from innocence, man
and woman had enjoyed intimate fellowship and communion with their Beloved
Creator. They regularly had been drawn
to the beautiful sound of His voice beckoning them in the Garden. They had delighted with unrestrained awe and
admiration in the beauty of His Presence every time they met together. Theirs was a relationship of pure and
unblemished oneness.
Then the Serpent Thief came and robbed them blind. He robbed God of His most treasured
possession, and he robbed man of his most treasured relationship. An inviolable separation between God and man
was immediately imposed. And Satan gleefully
exulted in the triumph of his takeover. Death
was the new sheriff and life was forever lost.
Well, not quite forever. In the
utter darkness of that moment, when man was driven violently from the precious Presence
of Him “Who lives in unapproachable light,”
God lit a candle. God made it clear, in
no uncertain terms, that this was not going to be the end of the story. He asserted with all the authority of His very
being that He was going to have the last Word.
Addressing the Serpent, God said:
“I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers;
He will crush your head, and you will strike his heel."
(Genesis
3:15 emphasis added)
And in that moment, the history of the human race became “His Story” -
the story of the Offspring of the woman who one day would deliver the fatal
blow to the head of the Serpent. This
“candle” burned brightly during the ensuing 4,000 years of darkness, and its flame
served to ignite all of the prophetic reminders in the Old Testament that “He”
was coming. Prophecies such as: "I see him, but not now; I behold him,
but not near. A star will come out of
Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel. He will crush the foreheads of Moab, the
skulls of all the sons of Sheth.” (Numbers 24:17)
After those 4 long millennia, The Promise gave birth to The Light of
the world. “In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the
darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:4-5)
Jesus Christ conquered sin by His death, and conquered death by His
resurrection. In so doing, He “disarmed the rulers and authorities . . .
having triumphed over them.” Since
then, “He must reign until He has put all
His enemies under His feet.”
And now, one of the truly amazing aspects of the Promise that was made
6,000 years ago, is that you and I are privileged to take part in its
fulfillment!
“The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.
The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.”
(Romans 16:20 emphasis added)
In Jesus our King,
Pastor Scott
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