It is incredible that the first promise of a coming Messiah came not to our first parents, Adam and Eve, but to the serpent who had so deceitfully engineered their downfall. Genesis 3:15 records that God's promised Seed of the woman was destined to defeat the seed of the serpent, which anticipated the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is known as the "first good news," or proto evangel um, whose blessed promise became the focal point of the entire Old Testament.
Threading its way through Abraham and his descendants, this promise came to rest on his great grandson, Judah, and remained there for all succeeding generations, finding fruition in the first coming of the Messiah, indicated by the words of Genesis 49:10, "until Shiloh comes." Throughout history, Bible scholars have largely agreed that Shiloh, which means peace, references the first coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, the Lion of the tribe of Judah.
The Old Testament is the foundational document for all that follows in the New Testament and should never be relegated to inferior status. These older scriptures were given for our admonition and should be esteemed and appreciated in the same manner as the New Testament writings until Shiloh comes, the second time.
