When was the gospel first declared?
Masaccio, Brancacci Chapel, Adam and Eve, detail. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) "And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." ( Genesis 3:15 ) This famous verse--often cited as the first proclamation of the gospel--gave a silver lining of mercy to the curse that followed it. In Genesis 1:28 , God made childbearing a blessing. But in Genesis 3:16, He frustrated our enjoyment of it. Did God's blessings end here? No. First, consider the context for the promise of Genesis 3:15 . Prior to Chapter 3, God placed Adam and Eve in a location ( Eden ) literally meaning "delight" ( 2:8 )--He put them in a paradise! At the end of Chapter 3, God banished them from the paradise ( 3:23 ). In between these two events, Satan (in the form of a serpent) deceived Adam and Eve and ruled over them ( Genesis 3:1-7 ). What is the significance of God's promise of a future crushin