Truth Magazine

By Norman E. Fultz

Some folks would look at small churches scattered here and there and say they ought to just fold up, shut the doors of their meeting houses, and go join themselves to a larger group that can offer a good variety of programs that appeal to all different age levels. Mergers would possibly be feasible in some situations, even advisable. In fact I’ve known of a few circumstances where that would probably be a real boon to the cause of truth. The problem is that often the brethren in the areas where the mergers ought to take place “for the good of the cause of Christ” can’t get along with each other. And that is, likely as not, unrelated to whether they are standing in the truth. It is more likely to be a situation in which a clash of personalities has created an atmosphere that results in stagnation of the spirit. In other instances, brethren will not allow themselves to get well enough acquainted with each other to know if they could work together. But there are many small congregations where disbanding and mergers are untenable options for many reasons. But here let me tell you about one such small church.

They are all farmers and ranchers, scattered in a wide radius from the building where they gather weekly in worship, study, and mutual encouragement in godliness. Not much remains of what was once their small town. There are a couple of small church buildings, a community building, formerly one of several buildings belonging to the school system, and a few all-but-fallen-down frame store-type buildings along what must have been the Main Street business district in the town’s heyday. Those former houses of commerce now stand amidst small trees and saplings that have grown up randomly around them, a ghostly remnant of a community’s commercial heartbeat. Approaching from the west one is greeted by a now defunct cotton gin, not an uncommon site in this part of southwest Oklahoma, several miles north of Hollis. Not only are there but a few houses in the immediate area, the houses over the countryside are often several miles apart. One’s next door neighbor may be the rancher several sections of land away.

The brethren’s house of worship is a simple, white frame building consisting of one room. There are no classrooms, though a couple could be formed by a sliding partition at the pulpit end of the building if needed.  There are no inside rest rooms, just a path to an outhouse. Surrounded on three sides by cotton fields, the building is back off the highway by a distance of about one half of a city block, there being some other structure in front along the roadway.

In that congregation of perhaps twenty-five folk, there is a wide range of ages spanning the years from preschool to upper 70s or better. A few saints who are older still and in poor health are not able to gather with their brothers and sisters in Christ. Like many churches in rural America whose communities have shriveled as an agrarian society could no longer provide an adequate livelihood, this church has reflected that loss. Church membership has also declined due to death, and that not always of the very old. In the last few years the group experienced the death of two men yet in their prime — in their 40s and 50s, one of them having done much of the teaching of the Word. Not only is the number small, the countryside has been so depleted of populace in the last generation that any prospects for evangelism within a reasonable distance are almost nil.

Should they fold up and quit? They don’t think so. They still gather as per instructions of the Lord, “upon the first day of the week to break bread” (Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 11:18-34). They continue in the apostles’ teaching (Acts 2:42). They still “consider one another so as to stir up love and good works . . . exhorting one another . . .” (Heb. 10:24, 25). While one can be sure they’d be delighted if their number were larger, the few who are there can encourage each other to “be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord . . .” knowing that their “labor is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Cor. 15:58).

They can help one another to “seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God” having a mind that is “set on things above, not on things on the earth” (Col. 3:1-2). They can still help each other remember that one’s soul is of more value than if he gained the whole world and lost his soul (Matt. 16:26).

I’ve thought several times about this small group at Vinson, Oklahoma since being with them in late October in a meeting. And it has occurred to me that there may well be many among heaven’s population who were part of just such a very small band of believers on earth. They just kept on keeping on in the face of what could be discouraging and disheartening. But they knew they didn’t have to be big to be faithful. They knew that their obligation was to the Lord and to one another as his children to be what they could be under the given circumstances. They were committed to being “faithful until death” having their focus on “the crown of life” (Rev. 2:10).

Darkness had enshrouded Oklahoma as the plane lifted off from Will Rogers World Airport, but the memories of the past few days of pleasant association with a small band of God’s people lingered like glowing coals in my mind. What a contrast was their small community contrasted with Oklahoma City which lay below like a sprawling sea of lights, her major thoroughfares easily distinguishable as they stretched out like serpentine paths. An area of very dense light left no uncertainty as to where the heart of the city lay. Then, almost before one could realize it, the countryside lay black and seemingly quiet below, the blackness being broken randomly here and there by a security light marking a farm or ranch, probably not greatly different from those I had visited in the days just past, two hundred miles to the southwest.

The accounts of many small bands of believers in various parts of this great land who just keep on plodding along in the work of the Lord with no thought of quitting, of yielding to the Devil, could be multiplied. May their faithfulness spur us onward as well.

Let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart (Gal. 6:9).

13018 N. Oakland Ave., Kansas City, Missouri 64167 nfultz@juno.com

By Larry Ray Hafley

Bet His Momma’s Proud 

Musician, singer, John Mellencamp recently addressed an Indiana University graduating class. Among his remarks were these: 

If someone were to ask me casually about life, I would simply say, “Play it like you feel it, baby, and live it up, kid. You’ll be all right.”

Say, isn’t that the advice generally followed by billy goats, tomcats, roosters, dogs, apes, and bulls?

He Was “Not Wise”

Phillip W. Katz, the inventor of file-compression software used in computers around the world, died on April 14 in Milwaukee. He was 37. The cause was complications from chronic alcoholism, according to the Milwaukee medical examiner’s office.” 

Truly, “Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise” (Prov. 20:1). “Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his color in the cup, when it moveth itself aright. At the last it biteth like a serpent and stingeth like an adder” (Prov. 23:31, 32).

He Could’ve Had His Wish

World War II hero and big time movie star of a generation ago, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., died May 7, at the age of 90. In an interview in 1989, he said, “I’ve led an enormously lucky life. I’ve done what I wanted to do. I worked hard and played hard, and it was all tremendously rewarding. I just wish it could go on and on and on.”
Well, it could have (Dan. 12:2, 3; 1 Thess. 4:17).  

4626 Osage, Baytown, Texas 77521

By Mike Willis

Genesis 3:15 is frequently identified as the protoevangelium — the first annunciation of the gospel, and well it is. The context of Genesis 3:15 is the fall of man. God had created man and placed him in the Garden of Eden to care for the Garden. God instructed Adam saying, “Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die” (Gen. 2:16-17). When man perceived his need for a companion, God created a help meet for him. The couple lived in childlike innocence in the Garden.

The serpent deceived Eve into disobeying God and she, in turn, persuaded Adam to eat of the forbidden fruit. God confronted Adam and Eve with their sin and then pronounced judgment against them for their sin. In pronouncing his judgment against the serpent, the embodied Devil, the Lord said,

Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: 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 (Gen. 3:14-15).

The judgment against the serpent involved two things: (a) he would move upon his belly; (b) he would “eat dust.” There is discussion among commentators about whether the author implied that the serpent stood erect before the curse or that his manner of moving about was given a significance by divine revelation. The phrase  to “eat dust” is not to be understood in a literal sense to mean that serpents eat dust. They eat rodents and other small animals. To “eat dust” is used in a metaphorical way to mean to suffer defeat and humiliation. Consider its use in the following passages:

The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent’s meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the Lord    (Isa. 65:25).

They shall lick the dust like a serpent, they shall move out of their holes like worms of the earth: they shall be afraid of the Lord our God, and shall fear because of thee (Mic. 7:17). They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him; and his enemies shall lick the dust (Ps. 72:9).

And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers: they shall bow down to thee with their face toward the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet; and thou shalt know that I am the Lord: for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me (Isa. 49:23).

The phrase signifies defeat and subordination. He will be defeated by the seed of woman and eat dust. The serpent will be treated with this contempt all the days of its life. In verse 15, the judgment against the serpent expands to include the serpent’s seed and the woman’s seed: “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.” This judgment is not aetiological to explain why men hate snakes. The Lord’s judgment is much too profound for that simplistic explanation. The statement is God’s pronounced judgment of defeat of the serpent, the embodied Devil. Seed is from zerao “sowing, seed, offspring . . . seed = offspring . . . of mankind, coll. = descendants, posterity” (BDB 282). The “seed” of the serpent must be the  children of the devil (see John 8:38, 41; 6:70; Matt. 13:38; Acts 13:10; 1 John 3:8-10, 12). The seed of the woman are those who are in opposition to the seed of the serpent, hence the children of God. The prophecy is a prophecy of the inveterate warfare between the children of the devil and the children of God.

The prophecy moves toward a more specific statement of a personal individual conflict in “it” and “his.” A particular seed of woman will bruise the head of the serpent and the serpent shall bruise his heel. The word “bruise” is the same in both places, but the significance is between “head” and “heel.” Charles Augustus Briggs wrote, “The wound on the head is a crushing, a mortal wound; a trampling under foot, a victory. The wound on the heel might also be regarded as mortal, if we think of the venom of the serpent’s sting. But this is inappropriate to the Messianic idea. There is a contrast between head and heel which suggests a contrast between a crushing defeat and a slight injury to the victor” (Messiania Prophecy 76).

There is no reason to conclude that “seed of woman” is used in contrast to “seed of man” as a reference to the virgin birth, which is plainly taught in the gospels.

New Testament References to Genesis 3:15

That we are correct in this interpretation of Genesis 3:15 is seen from New Testament references and allusions to this passage. Jesus is called the “seed of woman” (Gal. 4:4), which is not to be limited to its being an allusion to the virgin birth but to call our minds back to Genesis 3:15. In Romans 16:20, Paul wrote, “And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly,” which is obviously an allusion to this passage. The serpent of Genesis 3 is identified in passages that refer to the fall of Eve, as well. 

But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ (2 Cor. 11:3).

And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light (2 Cor. 11:14).

Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it (John 8:44).

These passages confirm for us what is obvious: the serpent was the embodied Devil who attacked man in the Garden.

Revelation 20:2 alludes to this passage as well: “And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years.” 

Revelation 12: An Inspired Interpretation of Genesis 3:15

The most extensive allusion to Genesis 3:15 appears in Revelation 12. In beginning the second main division in the book, the author removes the curtain of human history to see the great spiritual battle that is occurring in the unfolding of human history. Here is what he wrote:

And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars: And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered. And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born. And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne. And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days. 

And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, and prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.  

And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child. And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent. And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood. And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth. And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

Notice that both narratives have same participants: (a) The woman; (b) Her seed, including the specific man child that is born; (c) The serpent, dragon, or Devil. In the unfolding of the drama in Revelation 12, the woman was giving birth in hostile circumstances. The serpent was present to devour her seed. The serpent was unable to destroy the infant who is unanimously identified as the Christ, the seed of the woman. He was caught up into heaven, escaping the serpent’s destruction.

The serpent followed the child into heaven and made war against him. The serpent suffered a terrible defeat (he was bruised on his head); he was cast out of heaven. Frustrated in his efforts to destroy the child, he turns to destroy the woman (“I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed”), only to be thwarted because the Lord came to the woman’s assistance. Then, he turned to attack her seed.

The book of Revelation closes with the mortal wound being inflicted on that serpent in chapter 20. The same creature is under discussion (20:2 — “And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years”). But the victory belongs to Christ: “And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever” (Rev. 20:10).

Conclusion

Obviously, Genesis 3:15 is the framework for Revelation 12. To John, there was no doubt what Genesis 3:15 foretold. The Holy Spirit inspired the writing of Genesis 3:15 and gave the inspired interpretation of it in Revelation 12 and 20, albeit in apocalyptic figures. What better guide can one have for the understanding of Genesis 3:15 than the one who spoke it in the first place?

We are reminded of God’s eternal plan for human redemption from a study of Genesis 3:15. As Paul wrote, “Although I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given to me to bring to the Gentiles the news of the boundless riches of Christ, and to make everyone see what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things; so that through the church the wisdom of God in its rich variety might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was in accordance with the eternal purpose that he has carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Eph. 3:8-11).

6567 Kings Ct., Avon, Indiana 46123 mikewillis1@compuserve.com

By Mark Larson

When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none. Then he says, “I will return to my house from which I came.” And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order. Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first. So shall it also be with this wicked generation (Matt 12:43-45, NKJ). 

The Scriptures teach that demon possession came to an end when Christ completed his Messianic mission and the Kingdom was established and confirmed by apostolic signs. With the coming Messianic kingdom, demons were to pass away for good as prophesied by Zechariah (Zech. 13:1-2). This prophecy was fulfilled (Acts 10:38). Although there are no unclean spirits as such that possess our bodies today, there is still a powerful lesson we can learn from the parable of the empty house and eight spirits.

The parable is addressed to “this wicked generation” or to the people of Israel during the time of Christ. Perhaps the evil spirit could represent the idolatry that Israel was engaged in as a result of their Babylonian captivity. Once they were delivered up from slavery they got rid of their idolatrous practices. However, the people of Israel failed to replace that evil with good. Genuine love for God and faith in the Lord did not replace the gap that remained in their hearts. As a result, Satan sent seven more demonic spirits along with the first to lead Israel into a deeper apostasy. Since the people of Israel failed to fill the void with good and righteous things, it made the last condition of their “house” worse than the first. 

For the present generation of God’s people, the lesson is very much needed. We too must heed the warning of this parable. When we dispose of our sins, we must be sure to replace those sins with the good things that God commands. Otherwise, we are like “sitting ducks” just waiting to be devoured by the adversary the devil (1 Pet. 5:8). No one is safe who leaves his or her house “empty.” It is not enough to simply avoid doing evil, we must replace the evil by doing good.

To begin with, we must not leave vacant minds for Satan to fill. Jesus taught that even to look on a woman lustfully is adultery (Matt. 5:27-28). Therefore, even our thoughts must be pure. After those immoral thoughts are removed, what do we then replace them with? Rather than being held captive through philosophy, deception, traditions of men, and principles of the world, instead we should let our mind be captive to Christ (Col. 2:8). Let us put on the mind of Christ and dwell on those things that promote godliness and goodness. “Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things” (Phil. 4:8, NAS). This of course does not take place easily without some effort on our part. We must watch, listen, and read about those things that edify and promote purity of mind (Bible study, conversation with godly friends, wholesome TV shows and music, sermon tapes, etc.).

The same is true with reference to our speech. We are warned by God through the apostle Paul not to even speak about the wicked things people do in secret for it is shameful (Eph. 5:11-12). Once evil speech is removed from our mouths, what do we talk about? It is not enough to simply keep our mouths shut. We must replace rude, slanderous, lewd or corrupt speech with “what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers” (Eph. 4:29). Rather than be void of speech, we are to offer words of encouragement, exhortation, joy, and comfort. 

In addition, we must not leave our lives empty after removing those evil activities. The Bible emphasizes replacing the old man of sin with the new man created according to God (Eph. 4:17-24). Becoming a Christian is indeed more than just simply giving up a few bad habits, it is about living for Jesus and doing those things that are required by his word. “Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.” (Jas. 4:17, NIV). Let us do the good we know we ought to do such as prayer, evangelism, serving others, hospitality, giving, Bible study, visiting the sick, etc. so that our “houses” may be filled up with no room left for evil.

There are severe consequences of failing to replace the evil with good. Satan will re-enter our lives with greater force: “Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first” (Matt. 12:45). In order to avoid such a fate, we must not leave an empty house. We must take heed to the dangers of temptation and sin because not a one of us is exempt. “For if after they have escaped the defilements of the world by the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and are overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first” (2 Pet. 2:20, NAS).

All who have been “born again” (John 3:3) through obeying the gospel (Acts 2:38) are regenerated into new creatures in Christ Jesus (Tit. 3:4-7; 2 Cor. 5:17) by God and his word. Let us not only reform ourselves by getting rid of evil practices. May we also allow Christ into our hearts, lives, and “houses.” May we all be committed to replacing evil with good.

3900 Ashcraft Rd., Century, Florida 32535 mark61372@juno.com

Truth Magazine Vol. XLIV: 12  p21  June 15, 2000