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The evil subtlety of Satan ... and the defeat of Satan!

From the majestic perfection of God and the privileged responsibility of humanity, we now move to the evil subtlety of Satan. An intruder has sneaked into the privileged place between God the Creator and mankind. His creation. Genesis 2 ends with the absence of shame. Genesis 3 begins with the presence of Satan. The work of Satan, successfully executed, ensures that Genesis 3 ends rather differently from Genesis 2 - "the Lord God sent the man out of the Garden of Eden" (Genesis 3:23). This was "Paradise Lost." Was there a way to "Paradise Regained"? There are two answers to this question: 'No' and 'Yes.' Taking ourselves as the starting-point, the answer is 'No' - God will not permit us to take salvation into our own hands (Genesis 3:24). Starting with God, we answer, 'Yes' - this is the answer of Genesis 3:15 - Christ (the woman's descendant) will be crucified (the bruising of His heel), but the outcome of this will be the defeat of Satan (the crushing of his head).
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