Advent Reading - December 1

(Note:  This first prophecy comes
at the fall of the Most Ancient Church.)

And I will put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your seed and her seed.
He will tread down your head,
and you will bruise His heel.
(Genesis 3:15)


AC 250 - 251

Everyone is aware that this is the first prophecy
concerning the Lord's Coming into the world;
indeed it is quite clear from the words themselves.
From them and from the Prophets
the Jews also know that a Messiah is going to come.
But nobody as yet knows
what the serpent, the woman,
the seed of the serpent, the seed of the woman,
the head of the serpent which He will tread down,
and the heel which the serpent will bruise,
are used to mean in particular.
Therefore these must be explained.
'The serpent' is here used to mean in general all evil,
and in particular self-love.
'The woman' is used to mean the Church,
'the seed of the serpent 'all faithlessness,
 'the seed of the woman' faith in the Lord,
'He' the Lord Himself,
'the head of the serpent' the reign of evil in general,
and of self-love in particular.
'Treading down' is used to mean forcing down
so that it goes on its belly and eats dust,
and 'the heel' the lowest part of the natural
which is the bodily,
which the serpent will bruise.

The reason 'the serpent' is used to mean
all evil in general and self-love in particular
is that all evil has originated in sensory evidence
and also factual knowledge,
which are what the serpent meant first.
Consequently it now means evil itself, of every kind,
and in particular self-love,
 or hatred of the neighbor and the Lord,
which is the same as self-love.
Because this evil or hatred is manifold,
there being many genera of it
and even more species, i
t is referred to in the Word
by means of different kinds of serpents,
such as snakes, adders, asps, haemorrhes,
presters or fiery serpents,
flying as well as creeping serpents, and vipers.