God's Work with Planet Earth

“And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed;” Genesis 3:15

Did God just mean women would be afraid of snakes from then on? No, it’s not physical, it’s spiritual. In the Bible, “the woman” is a symbol for a church or religion, and there are true religions and false religions (the woman clothed with the sun in Revelation 12 vs. the harlot in Revelation 17, for examples) .

The Hebrew word “eybah” (enmity) means hostility and hatred. In this case, the enmity is between:

• The Seed of the Woman – People who love and follow God
• The Seed of the Serpent – People who reject God’s ways and follow the world, or the Devil’s ways

At this point we should acknowledge two related ideas that Jesus taught, because Jesus said He came to represent Who God really is. (John 14:9)

• Love, do good, pray for those who hate, persecute, spitefully use you (Matthew 5:44).
• The world hates Jesus/God, and so it will hate followers of Jesus/God (John 15:18-20).

So we should expect persecution and hatred from the world.

“Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.” 2 Timothy 3:12

But Christians should not respond the same way.

“Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.” Romans 12:17-19

God is the One who executes justice and punishes the persecutors, and we are interfering in His work if we try to get revenge.

“But, as he who was born according to the flesh then persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, even so it is now.” Galatians 4:29

It’s important to note that this verse does not distinguish between the church and the world, but between those with the spirit of hatred and persecution, and those with the Spirit of God. You can definitely encounter people who are hateful in churches – people who claim to be God’s people. But do they have His Spirit?

One more point: People who know and love God will naturally be disgusted and revolted when they see depravity and perversion. It’s hard to take, and it really bothers them. Also, when I was not close to God, I was uncomfortable around people who were on fire for Jesus. This is the “enmity” playing out in the real world we live in.

Finally, this brings us back to Cain and Abel:

“For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another, not as Cain who was of the wicked one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil and his brother’s righteous.” 1 John 3:11-12

What They Brought

“Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the Lord. Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the Lord respected Abel and his offering, but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.” Genesis 4:2-5

We’re not told what the sign was from God that He accepted the sacrifice, but it could have been fire which consumed the sacrifice, as in the cases of Gideon (Judges 6:21) and Elijah (1 Kings 18:38).

Whatever the sign was, Cain knew what his sacrifice was not “respected” by God, and it made him angry to the point that it was obvious on his face.

Why didn’t God accept Cain’s offering? Because Cain was doing things his own way. God required a lamb to be sacrificed representing:

• The wages (what you earn or what comes as a result) by sinning is death (Romans 6:23)
• The final and total sacrifice of the Messiah when He would come

Cain resorted to his own reasoning. “Abel raises animals, I’m farmer who grows grains and produce.” He was missing the point. We cannot bring our own works to God as justification for our salvation.

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:8-10

Don’t miss this: God works something in us, through our relationship with Jesus, which in turn produces “good works”. We do not first make ourselves good and acceptable before we come to God (Proverbs 20:9). He’s the One Who changes us. We don’t become righteous in order to be saved, God makes us righteous because we are saved.

God Warns Cain

“So the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.” Genesis 4:6-7

Many verses in the Bible are packed full of meaning!

• Cain’s physical face demonstrated that he had lost inner (spiritual) peace.
• Hebrew word “sehayth” is far more positive than the English word “accepted”. It means elevation, exaltation in rank or character, to be raised up. This is what God wants to do for those who “do well”
• “Sin lies at the door” (it can’t come in unless you give it permission)
• “it’s desire is for you” (it’s out to get you and take you down)
• “but you should rule over it” (using your God-given freedom of choice, you should choose to reject animal impulses like rage and lust, and God will help you overcome)

Why Didn’t God Stop Cain?

God is omniscient (all knowing), and so He could have caused Cain to have a fatal accident before he killed his brother, Abel. Why did He come and try to reason with him and warn him instead? We see God doing this a lot in the Bible, patiently reasoning with rebels. Why did God allow Cain to go through with murdering Abel, who the Bible says was righteous? Why does He allow so many to be tortured and killed for His sake?

Those are difficult questions, and I don’t have all the answers, but I do expect that a LOT will be revealed after Jesus returns. I do believe that a heavenly record is being kept of everything that goes on in this world. Because this is bigger than just one planet. It is universal.

“We have been made a spectacle to the whole universe, to angels as well as to human beings.” 1 Corinthians 4:9, NIV

Let’s say a few million years from now, God creates a new planet with new beings given dominion over that world, like Adam and Eve were. Satan will be long gone, but if they’re curious about what happens when God’s ways are rejected, the record of that 6,000 year time period of Earth’s history would offer more proof than anyone would ever need.

That is my personal belief, but we are also cautioned:

“Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts. Then each one’s praise will come from God.” 1 Corinthians 4:5

It’s not a cop-out or an easy, fallback answer for a Christian or a pastor/minister to admit they don’t know. There is so much we don’t know, and so many surprises waiting for us. One martyr burned at the stake for their faith may have inspired the faith of thousands of others, who could then be saved into Jesus’ coming Kingdom. Cain killing Abel might have steeled the resolve of Seth, their younger brother, to stick close to God, which he passed on to the generations coming after him, from Enoch to Noah. (Genesis 4:26)

But we don’t know all the chain reactions and domino effects that God is working with. Not yet.