Did Jesus Win the Battle or Not? (Genesis 3:15)

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He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel. - Genesis 3:15 (NKJV) 
 
Filipino farmers started their mornings wondering who had stolen their bags of rice in the night. Filipino police officers wondered who was hiding in the jungle, shooting at them. 
 
On Facebook a few months ago, I relayed the story of Hiroo Onoda. He was a Japanese guerrilla soldier who fought in WWII on the Philippine island of Lubang. He was left to fight alone against the enemy because all of his fellow soldiers were either killed or they surrendered. 

His biggest problem? He was still fighting, and the year was 1974! Family wrote letters, authorities dropped leaflets, all tried to convince Onoda to lay down his arms. His “enemy” soldiers were only local farmers he was stealing supplies from and Filipino police officers he kept shooting at!

Onoda thought the efforts to get him to lay down his arms were all Allied propaganda, so he refused to surrender. Finally, the Japanese government found a commanding officer to decommission him!
 
You know, Genesis 3:15 has always confused me. The order of events in the prophecy seems wrong. God said that the woman's Seed would bruise the serpent’s head (normally interpreted as Jesus conquering Satan through His glorious resurrection) and the serpent would bruise the Seed’s heel (normally interpreted as the horrors of the crucifixion). So why is the head-bruising listed first? The crucifixion happened first, right? Shouldn't the verse read, "You will first bruise his heel, but then he will bruise your head"?
 
Could it be that Satan is STILL striking at Jesus’ heel, even though he was already defeated at the tomb?
 
With our celebrations of the Resurrection, we celebrate that Jesus gave us the victory when He came back from the dead. Through Him, our death is not the end. What we do now matters because the fruits of our labor will stretch into eternity! The Resurrection proved Jesus’ sacrifice was accepted; Satan no longer has the authority to accuse us; we’ve been forgiven. We have so much to celebrate! 

But we stay on our guard. 

Satan is still setting his traps and snares. He's still striking at Jesus’ heel by working from the shadows to persecute, weaken, and discredit Jesus' Church.
 
If you’re already feeling Satan’s attack today and I don’t have to convince you that he’s still fighting, be encouraged. His head has already been stepped on. It’s "1974." He lost a long time ago. He just isn’t admitting it yet! 

Dear Heavenly Father, we praise You for giving us the victory through Jesus' death and resurrection. We pray that we live in it today even when it looks like Satan has the upper hand. When he steals our rice or shoots at us from the shadows, help us to remember You've already won the battle. Give us the grace to keep our eyes on You today and stay clear of him. In Jesus' Name, Amen.  
 
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