The Seed of the Woman: The Story of an Ancient Prophecy Fulfilled

By Jim Tunstall

This book tells the fascinating story of the fulfillment of the very first prophecy in the Bible.

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

Eve, the mother of the human family, had rebelled against God in the Garden of Eden and brought sin into the world. This Messianic prophecy promised that Eves Seed would one day bring salvation to the world. From that time forward, everything that happened in the Bible pointed straight to the fulfillment of this prophecy. Its the main story line of the Bible.

The Seed of the Woman, the Story of an Ancient Prophecy Fulfilled is Jim Tunstalls winsome account of how that narrative developed; ultimately resulting in the birth of Jesus Christ.

Marys baby and Eves Seed is now the Savior of the world.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Jun 20, 2011
• ISBN: 9781452090634

Jim Tunstall

Jim Tunstall was about 30-years old when he realized he had a severe hearing problem, but this did not stop him from going into business with only $168.00 in the bank. When asked how he did it, he said, “Failure is not an option when you’re willing to put everything on the line, and have a wife and three small children to support.” Even though he never took a class in electronics or computer technology, his entrepreneurial skills blossomed into the Phone Doctor, a company that sells and installs modern communications equipment. A successful businessman today, Jim grew up on a farm with three brothers and a sister in the Pee Dee farm belt area of S.C. He still loves and prefers the simple things in life. In recent years he paid his own expenses to go with several teams to five foreign countries to help build churches, usually in poverty stricken areas. It was on these trips that he realized God had given him the ability as a storyteller to explain events in the Bible in simple language.

Book preview

Contents

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

DEDICATION

INTRODUCTION

I.

II.

RESULTS OF THE FALL

III.

ABRAHAM,

FATHER OF THE NATION

IV.

THE PATRIARCHS

V.

MOSES, THE EMANCIPATOR

VI.

MOSES, THE LAWGIVER

VII.

THE CONQUEST

AND THE KINGDOM

VIII.

THE DECLINE

OF THE KINGDOM

IX.

THE PROMISE FULFILLED

X.

THE BRUISED SAVIOR

XI.

HE IS RISEN INDEED!

XII.

THE AGE OF GRACE

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I owe a special debt of gratitude to Rev. Dr. Frank Tunstall, Dr. John Tunstall, and Rosa T. Baker for their spiritual guidance and unwavering belief that I had a message to share with others.

I am also deeply grateful for the support of these very dear servants of Christ: Lu Tunstall, Melissa Grooms, Jeannette Stepp, and Lee Royson.

DEDICATION

To my late mother, Ibell (Floyd), and my father, Henry C. Tunstall, who believed it to be the duty of parents to teach their children the ways of the Lord, and to my wife Gloria, my five children, Crystal, Melissa, Jimmy Jr., Tara, Chip; my nine grandchildren, Ashley, Brandon, Austin, Chris, Tyler, Logan, Chandler, Livvy, Calder; and my two great grandchildren, Brayden and Micah.

INTRODUCTION

Many people have been active in church for years and know a lot of Bible stories, but they have never been shown how the entire Bible comes together to form a bigger picture. The Holy Scriptures are made up of 66 books, beginning with the Old Testament book of Genesis, and ending with the New Testament book of Revelation. The Bible records thousands of years of history.

For the Bible as a whole to be comprehended clearly, a person needs to have a good understanding of the following themes:

1. The creation of the world.

2. The sinless beginning of man.

3. The temptation of the devil that led to man falling in to sin.

4. The origination of the Jewish people (the nation of Israel).

5. Who is the Seed of the Woman?

6. What Jesus accomplished on the cross and how it affects us today.

In this book, these six subjects will be covered in enough detail to give the reader a clearer understanding of them. About two-thirds of the Bible is devoted to how the descendants of Abraham developed into the nation of Israel. Hence, I will follow the history of the Jewish people in the Old Testament for several hundred years to present the historical facts that, I believe, will give a reader a more thorough understanding of how God developed them into a nation.

We need to keep in mind that the Bible is God’s book, and it does not waste script on Satan. However, we will look at what the scriptures do tell us about Satan because he was a major player in the Bible, and his influence is often referred to by the term sin.

All of the referenced verses in this book are quoted from The Holy Bible, King James Version, unless otherwise stated.

I.   

LESSONS FROM CREATION

All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made (John 1:3).

My story begins in the book of Genesis. Those of you who like to watch the History Channel and the various nature programs on television, as I do, have seen many depictions lately about the origin of the universe. Scientists are even using billions to describe its age. In my lifetime I have heard many theories, and frankly I don’t know if any one of them is correct. But this I do know, the very first sentence in the Bible says, In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth (Genesis 1:1).

The first five words of that sentence are all I need to know: In the beginning God created… God did not feel it was necessary to give a date and time that He created the universe, only that He did it.

The Bible was written on a need to know basis, not a would like to know basis. However, it does tell us everything we need to know to have a righteous relationship with God.

This is how the apostle John describes creation:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made (John 1:1-3). And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father), full of grace and truth (John 1:14).

The Word actually became flesh and dwelt among us when the baby Jesus was born.

The apostle Paul explains:

For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for Him: (Colossians 1:16).

John and Paul placed Jesus in the Trinity and made it clear that he spoke the words of creation. God the Father, God the Son (Jesus), and God the Holy Spirit are always in total agreement. Even though Jesus spoke the words during creation, the Trinity was involved. It may help to think of God in the book of Genesis as being Elohim (Elohim comes from the Hebrew language, and it is the plural form for God, which means the Trinity or the Godhead).

While teaching a large Sunday school class one morning, a student offered this comment, The Bible tells us that God created all things in six days. Was it six of our days or was it six of God’s days?

Some people believe that God’s days may have been different in length from ours. I explain it this way: Time as we know it is built around the sun in our solar system. The sun was not made until the fourth day (Genesis 1:16-19). So time, as we know it, did not exist until the fourth day.

God Himself created time. Understanding this also shows God to be infinitely greater than time, which means He has the right to say when time shall be no more (Revelation 10:6). It also indicates there is no way to track how old the earth is because time was not created until the fourth day. I just think of day one through day three as being part of God’s secrets.

Secret things belong to God (Deuteronomy 29:29). If it is important for us to know one of God’s secrets, He will reveal it to us. Until then, He expects us to believe His word through faith.

It is certainly possible and reasonable to believe that days four through six of creation happened in 24-hour days. All God has to do is speak the Word. This was true during creation and remains true today. As we continue to study the Bible, we learn all things Jesus commands must come to pass, such as Lazarus, come forth (John 11:43).

GOD CREATES SINLESS MAN

And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth (Genesis 1:26).

It makes no difference how old the world is, or what could have been on this planet before God decided to make man. This is where time begins for you and me. Adam was a special creation made by God, and we are Adam’s descendents.

To better understand Genesis 1:26, it becomes easier if we study it in parts. In the phrase, Let us make man, the word us is the plural form of we, meaning in this case that God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit acted together in total agreement to make man.

The next part of that sentence, in our own image confuses many people. God is Spirit; therefore, it is impossible for us to see Him. Jesus said it like this, God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth (John 4:24). He also said:

That which is born of the flesh is flesh; And that which is born of the Spirit is spirit (John 3:6).

Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father (John 6:46).

Obviously God was not referring here to our physical appearance. God is without sin, so He made Adam without sin, and thus, He is made in the sinless image of God.

The next part of Genesis 1:26 says, after our likeness. Because God is Spirit and this is in the context of spiritual things, could this mean that we somehow have a spiritual likeness of God? The answer is in Genesis 2:7, And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

The dust of the ground is not spiritual, but a living soul is. When one looks around, the soul of man cannot be seen, for it is spiritual.

The word soul is used over 30 times in the book of Genesis alone, and it is referenced in many places throughout the Bible. We must never forget that Jesus knew and spoke of the value of the soul. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? (Matthew 16:26).

God made the soul of man immortal, which means it will continue to live forever. Keep this truth about the living soul in mind, since it will be referred to later in this study.

Create in your mind’s eye what you think this sinless man, Adam, might have looked like. Remember, he was a special, unique creation of God, and perfect in every way.

Now picture Eve. Adam and Eve were both made in the sinless image of God, with the invisible spiritual likeness of God, having a spirit and a soul. They are the only couple in the Bible to live on earth in a sinless state.

WHAT THE BIBLE TELLS US ABOUT SATAN

To remain sinless, Adam and Eve could not tell a lie or disobey God because either would have been sin. We know that they were without sin until Satan tempted Eve. Adam could believe anything that Eve said, and of course, Eve could believe anything she was told by Adam. Since they also had freewill, we must not overlook the fact that disobedience was always within their reach.

The Bible only records one thing they must not do: "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" (Genesis 2:17).

A lie is sin and it is a product of Satan. Jesus is referring to the devil when he said:

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).

Since the lie is a product of Satan, we see it for the first time when Satan tempts Eve in the Garden of Eden.

Adam and Eve could have lived forever, without growing old, as we do today. I don’t think Adam just sat around eating fruit, doing nothing because he was given dominion over the earth and everything in it (Genesis 1:28). He also had freewill, so he could make his own personal choices. I think both Adam and Eve were very busy before the fall of man, but their work was not a burden. After the fall, their work became hard, hot, and sweaty.

Adam was given dominion over the earth before the fall of man. So work actually predates the fall from grace and the marriage of Adam and Eve. It appears that it has always been God’s will for man to work. The difference is—after the fall of man, work became a burden. So work is not a curse, but the burden of work is.

God cannot be tempted with evil, and neither does he ever tempt anyone with sin (James 1:13). If you are being tempted with sin, it is not coming from God. However, there are times when God does allow Satan to tempt us to test our faith.

Teachers give tests in school to see if students are learning. God also tests his children to help them grow spiritually and to test their loyalty to Him. Adam and Eve were not an exception. To understand how Adam and Eve’s test could have happened, you need to read at least the first two chapters of the book of Job. It tells of a conversation between God and Satan:

Satan was apparently going up and down, from Heaven to earth, and to and fro in the world looking for someone to devour. When you read Job, notice that God had built a hedge (or wall) around him that Satan could not penetrate. Satan said to God, But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face (Job 1: 11).

Job’s loyalty to God was actually tested twice. In the first test, God gave Satan permission to test Job by removing all his worldly possessions, including his children who were killed. Job was a wealthy man, but even though he lost everything, he held firm and did not curse God. Job said:

Naked came I out of my mother’s womb and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD (Job 1:21).

God always limits Satan’s access to us, as He did with Job in his first and second test. We are always given a way out, and our burden is never greater than we can bear (Psalm 55:22).

Satan was given access to all Job’s possessions in his first test, but he was not allowed to touch Job himself. When Job did not curse God, Satan went back and asked permission to touch his body with sickness. God gave him permission to touch his body, but again, God limited Satan so that he could not take Job’s life.

Satan caused