Why did God Punish Snakes Instead of Satan?

[Dale]

KJV Hebrews 8:1-5
1 Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens;
2 A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man.
3 For every high priest is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices: wherefore it is of necessity that this man have somewhat also to offer.
4 For if he were on earth, he should not be a priest, seeing that there are priests that offer gifts according to the law:
5 Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount.

KJV Exodus 25:18-20
18 And thou shalt make two cherubims of gold, of beaten work shalt thou make them, in the two ends of the mercy seat.
19 And make one cherub on the one end, and the other cherub on the other end: even of the mercy seat shall ye make the cherubims on the two ends thereof.
20 And the cherubims shall stretch forth their wings on high, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and their faces shall look one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubims
be.

KJV Ezekiel 28:14
14 Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.

The OT sanctuary was made according to the specific pattern and instructions given to Moses on Sinai. That pattern or blueprint was a miniature copy of the true and original temple in heaven built by God Himself. Every single item in the earthly was deliberate and portrayed real literal counterparts in the heavenly. Those angels weren't there just to look nice. The original had specific roles to play, and there can be no doubt there is significant spiritual meaning regarding their work.

A couple of thoughts for you on the Fall of the Rebel Angels, if there is such a thing.

If you are right about the meaning of Ezekiel 28, it tells us about the fall of Lucifer/Satan.
That’s one angel who fell. Yet Roman Catholic theology teaches that thousands, probably millions of angels fell. If Ezekiel is about a Fall of the Rebel Angels, why doesn’t it say anything about other angels falling, besides Lucifer/Satan?

Hebrews chapter 1 & 2 tells us more about angels than any other section of the Bible. There is no mention of lost angels, fallen angels or rebel angels in these chapters. That is one reason to doubt that this idea is found elsewhere in the scripture.

You are using the KJV, the worst translation in common use. That doesn’t help.

 

[Dale]

KJV Hebrews 8:1-5
1 Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens;
2 A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man.
3 For every high priest is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices: wherefore it is of necessity that this man have somewhat also to offer.
4 For if he were on earth, he should not be a priest, seeing that there are priests that offer gifts according to the law:
5 Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount.

KJV Exodus 25:18-20
18 And thou shalt make two cherubims of gold, of beaten work shalt thou make them, in the two ends of the mercy seat.
19 And make one cherub on the one end, and the other cherub on the other end: even of the mercy seat shall ye make the cherubims on the two ends thereof.
20 And the cherubims shall stretch forth their wings on high, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and their faces shall look one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubims
be.

KJV Ezekiel 28:14
14 Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.

The OT sanctuary was made according to the specific pattern and instructions given to Moses on Sinai. That pattern or blueprint was a miniature copy of the true and original temple in heaven built by God Himself. Every single item in the earthly was deliberate and portrayed real literal counterparts in the heavenly. Those angels weren't there just to look nice. The original had specific roles to play, and there can be no doubt there is significant spiritual meaning regarding their work.

On finding a Fall of Satan in Ezekiel 28, consider this. The words “Satan,” “Devil,” and “Demon” are not found in Ezekiel. They do not appear. They appear very rarely in the prophets. This is a good reason to doubt interpretations that depend on ideas that don’t seem to appear.

 

[throughfiierytrial]

Genesis says that the snake, or serpent, was an animal. It was smarter than other animals, but still an animal.

Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild
animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman,
“Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the
garden’?
Genesis 3:1 NIV

Yes, it says the serpent was a wild animal. If I say that the snake in the Garden of Eden story is an animal many people think I an introducing some kind of newfangled revisionism. They have been told that the serpent is the Devil, Satan. At the end of the same chapter, God pronounces punishment on the serpent, to be borne by all other serpent until the end of time.

So the LORD God said to the serpent, “Because you have
done this, “Cursed are you above all the livestock and all the
wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat
dust all the days of your life.”
Genesis 3:14 NIV

At the end of Genesis 3, the serpent is still a wild animal. The serpent is cursed to lose its legs, and crawl on the ground.

Everyone tells me that the Devil tempted Eve. I’m not sure if the Devil turned himself into a snake, or if he possessed the snake and spoke through the snake. Either way, this poses a question. If it was the Devil who tempted Eve, why did God punish the serpent?

God punished both the serpent and Satan. I don't know if you are saying here that Satan himself was not also punished. Genesis 3:15 is the ultimate curse to Satan.
God does hold animals accountable according to Genesis 9:4-5:
4 “But you must not eat meat that has its lifeblood still in it. 5 And for your lifeblood I will surely demand an accounting. I will demand an accounting from every animal. And from each human being, too, I will demand an accounting for the life of another human being.

 

[throughfiierytrial]

A couple of thoughts for you on the Fall of the Rebel Angels, if there is such a thing.

If you are right about the meaning of Ezekiel 28, it tells us about the fall of Lucifer/Satan.
That’s one angel who fell. Yet Roman Catholic theology teaches that thousands, probably millions of angels fell. If Ezekiel is about a Fall of the Rebel Angels, why doesn’t it say anything about other angels falling, besides Lucifer/Satan?

Hebrews chapter 1 & 2 tells us more about angels than any other section of the Bible. There is no mention of lost angels, fallen angels or rebel angels in these chapters. That is one reason to doubt that this idea is found elsewhere in the scripture.

You are using the KJV, the worst translation in common use. That doesn’t help.

See also Isaiah 14 (especially verse 11-20) Lucifer in kjv is Satan in NIV 1984 Satan or the devil is referred to as the morning star..wanted to rise equal or above God...see verse 14.
See Jude 6 and II Peter 2:4 regarding fallen angels...perhaps others have already brought these passages up.
I have just finished my personal reading/study of the book of Ezekiel and Ezekiel 28:13-19 I, also, believe can be considered allegorical and describing Satan's fall. I do not know how it fits with the King of Tyre being addressed here but that he may have been acting under control of Satan. If so this shed additional light upon how we as humans and our kings and leaders can be controlled by the dominion of Satan...Daniel speaks of the many kings and leaders of nations and while perhaps this can be taken in a literal sense I believe it can be speaking about the wars in the heavenly realms also which Apostle Paul writes about in Ephesians 6:12.

 

[throughfiierytrial]

On finding a Fall of Satan in Ezekiel 28, consider this. The words “Satan,” “Devil,” and “Demon” are not found in Ezekiel. They do not appear. They appear very rarely in the prophets. This is a good reason to doubt interpretations that depend on ideas that don’t seem to appear.

In denying that Satan or the Devil is being spoken of in Ezekiel 28, how do you explain then that it states these words of Ezekiel 28 are to be delivered/spoken to the "leader of" Tyre and yet the message states he was in Eden, the garden of God. (verse 13)?
I think it can be considered key that the words used are *the leader* of Tyre...the leader behind the king is the devil who is described as a fallen, insolent creature who will meet his doom.

 

[Tropical Wilds]

Genesis says that the snake, or serpent, was an animal. It was smarter than other animals, but still an animal.

Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild
animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman,
“Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the
garden’?
Genesis 3:1 NIV

Yes, it says the serpent was a wild animal. If I say that the snake in the Garden of Eden story is an animal many people think I an introducing some kind of newfangled revisionism. They have been told that the serpent is the Devil, Satan. At the end of the same chapter, God pronounces punishment on the serpent, to be borne by all other serpent until the end of time.

So the LORD God said to the serpent, “Because you have
done this, “Cursed are you above all the livestock and all the
wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat
dust all the days of your life.”
Genesis 3:14 NIV

At the end of Genesis 3, the serpent is still a wild animal. The serpent is cursed to lose its legs, and crawl on the ground.

Everyone tells me that the Devil tempted Eve. I’m not sure if the Devil turned himself into a snake, or if he possessed the snake and spoke through the snake. Either way, this poses a question. If it was the Devil who tempted Eve, why did God punish the serpent?

You’re taking something literally when it was meant as a metaphor in an allegory.

 

[throughfiierytrial]

You’re taking something literally when it was meant as a metaphor in an allegory.

I'd say, that's not a definitive answer. Anyone can turn your statement around and say you are taking what is literal and considering it an allegory because you lack faith or understanding of the power of God.

 

[Tropical Wilds]

I'd say, that's not a definitive answer. Anyone can turn your statement around and say you are taking what is literal and considering it an allegory because you lack faith or understanding of the power of God.

Anybody can say “nuh uh” to anything anybody says. Just because somebody can say any old thing back and tack an insult on the end doesn’t mean the original statement isn’t a definitive answer. It just means they disagree, the answer is subjective/relative, or they may be just flat out wrong.

An open mouth and an opinion does not automatically mean somebody has made a good or valid point. It simply means they have successfully converted oxygen into CO2 and gave a hot take while doing so.

Whether or not that hot take came after the successful firing of neurons or simply just exited the mouth and entered somebody’s ear without the benefit of mental synapses first is an entirely different thing. Experience has led me to realize the latter happens appreciably more than the former.

 

[throughfiierytrial]

Anybody can say “nuh uh” to anything anybody says. Just because somebody can say any old thing back and tack an insult on the end doesn’t mean the original statement isn’t a definitive answer. It just means they disagree, the answer is subjective/relative, or they may be just flat out wrong.

An open mouth and an opinion does not automatically mean somebody has made a good or valid point. It simply means they have successfully converted oxygen into CO2 and gave a hot take while doing so.

Whether or not that hot take came after the successful firing of neurons or simply just exited the mouth and entered somebody’s ear without the benefit of mental synapses first is an entirely different thing. Experience has led me to realize the latter happens appreciably more than the former.

Oh so very cute!

 

[brakelite]

A couple of thoughts for you on the Fall of the Rebel Angels, if there is such a thing.

If you are right about the meaning of Ezekiel 28, it tells us about the fall of Lucifer/Satan.
That’s one angel who fell. Yet Roman Catholic theology teaches that thousands, probably millions of angels fell. If Ezekiel is about a Fall of the Rebel Angels, why doesn’t it say anything about other angels falling, besides Lucifer/Satan?

Hebrews chapter 1 & 2 tells us more about angels than any other section of the Bible. There is no mention of lost angels, fallen angels or rebel angels in these chapters. That is one reason to doubt that this idea is found elsewhere in the scripture.

You are using the KJV, the worst translation in common use. That doesn’t help.

KJV Luke 10:18
18 And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.

KJV Revelation 12:3-4, 7-9
3 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.
4 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.
7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,
8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.
9 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.

 

[Dale]

While I have the utmost respect for anyone who through their great learning and intellect have written commentaries on scripture, they do not necessarily have the last word. Not so revelation was known in the 18th century, when Gill was alive. Same with later expositors, even those of today. We will always be learning even in eternity.
KJV Ezekiel 28:12-15
12 Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.
13 Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created.
14 Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.
15 Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.
Clearly, the King of Tyre was a type of Lucifer, and Ezekiel in his description of the King was informing us of the character and nature also Lucifer. The King of Tyre was not an anointed cherub. He was not in Eden. He did not walk up and down before the throne of God. He did not stand in reverent awe and protection over God's laws.

KJV Exodus 25:18-22
18 And thou shalt make two cherubims of gold, of beaten work shalt thou make them, in the two ends of the mercy seat.
19 And make one cherub on the one end, and the other cherub on the other end: even of the mercy seat shall ye make the cherubims on the two ends thereof.
20 And the cherubims shall stretch forth their wings on high, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and their faces shall look one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubims be.
21 And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee.
22 And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel.

KJV Hebrews 8:1-5
1 Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens;
2 A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man.
3 For every high priest is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices: wherefore it is of necessity that this man have somewhat also to offer.
4 For if he were on earth, he should not be a priest, seeing that there are priests that offer gifts according to the law:
5 Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount.

In other words. The temple and it's furniture, the priesthood, it's services and all the feast days and offerings and sacrifices, all pointed to Christ Who would officiate as the ultimate High Priest in the true sanctuary in heaven upon which the earthly was a small scaled model. This includes the cherubim whose likeness was placed upon the ark. These 2 cherubim 'covered "the mercy seat... The throne of God under which was the foundation of all good government in heaven and earth... The law. Lucifer was one of those covering cherubs, second only to Christ Himself in rank and power.

Brakelite: “Lucifer was one of those covering cherubs, second only to Christ Himself in rank and power. ”


In the Bible, the covering cherubs on the Ark are decorations, nothing else.
It is Seventh Day Adventist Founder Ellen White who says that Lucifer was a covering cherub.
I have studied her work and she is definitely NOT a prophet.
Here are several quotes, putting Ellen White’s words in blue.


Sin originated with him who, next to Christ, had been most honored of God and was highest in power and glory among the inhabitants of heaven. Lucifer, “son of the morning,” was first of the covering cherubs, holy and undefiled.

Though he had left his position as covering cherub, yet if he had been willing to return to God, acknowledging the Creator's wisdom, and satisfied to fill the place appointed him in God's great plan, he would have been reinstated in his office. The time had come for a final decision; he must fully yield to the divine sovereignty or place himself in open rebellion. He nearly reached the decision to return, but pride forbade him.

Sin originated in self-seeking. Lucifer, the covering cherub, desired to be first in heaven.

The glory and peace of heaven, and the joy of communion with God, were but dimly comprehended by men; but they were well known to Lucifer, the covering cherub.

Lucifer had been the covering cherub. He had stood in the light of God's presence.

Satan seems paralyzed as he beholds the glory and majesty of Christ. He who was once a covering cherub remembers whence he has fallen.

Here are six quotes from Ellen White, all claiming that Lucifer/Satan was a “covering cherub,” and even the first and highest of the covering cherubs. The Bible does not identify Satan as ever having been a “covering cherub,” or even tell us that there is such a position.

Source
White, Ellen G.. CONFLICT OF THE AGES: THE FIVE BOOKS. Patriarchs And Prophets; Prophets And Kings; The Desire Of Ages; The Acts Of The Apostles; The Great Controversy (Timeless Wisdom Collection) . Business and Leadership Publishing. Kindle Edition.

 

[Dale]

God punished both the serpent and Satan. I don't know if you are saying here that Satan himself was not also punished. Genesis 3:15 is the ultimate curse to Satan.
God does hold animals accountable according to Genesis 9:4-5:
4 “But you must not eat meat that has its lifeblood still in it. 5 And for your lifeblood I will surely demand an accounting. I will demand an accounting from every animal. And from each human being, too, I will demand an accounting for the life of another human being.

And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”
Genesis 3:15 NIV

This says nothing about punishing Satan.

 

[Dale]

You’re taking something literally when it was meant as a metaphor in an allegory.

Exactly! My point is that taking a teaching story as literal leads to absurd conclusions.

 

[Dale]

KJV Luke 10:18
18 And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.

KJV Revelation 12:3-4, 7-9
3 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.
4 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.
7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,
8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.
9 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.

In this post you quote passages from the Bible with no explanation of what you think they mean. We have been warned against this on CF. It is much better to explain what you think it means.

 

[throughfiierytrial]

And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”
Genesis 3:15 NIV

This says nothing about punishing Satan.

That verse, Genesis 3:15, is commonly known as the first Messianic prophecy.

The Messiah will crush Satan...the Messiah will by comparison be bruised in the process.
The rest of the prophecies build on this first one.

 

[throughfiierytrial]

In this post you quote passages from the Bible with no explanation of what you think they mean. We have been warned against this on CF. It is much better to explain what you think it means.

I wonder here and pause a bit...warned about Bible quotations without explanation? Why be warned about that? What was the warning worded as? I'd like to know?
Scripture should be the clearest left alone. Discussion may ensue.

 

[brakelite]

Brakelite: “Lucifer was one of those covering cherubs, second only to Christ Himself in rank and power. ”


In the Bible, the covering cherubs on the Ark are decorations, nothing else.
It is Seventh Day Adventist Founder Ellen White who says that Lucifer was a covering cherub.
I have studied her work and she is definitely NOT a prophet.
Here are several quotes, putting Ellen White’s words in blue.


Sin originated with him who, next to Christ, had been most honored of God and was highest in power and glory among the inhabitants of heaven. Lucifer, “son of the morning,” was first of the covering cherubs, holy and undefiled.

Though he had left his position as covering cherub, yet if he had been willing to return to God, acknowledging the Creator's wisdom, and satisfied to fill the place appointed him in God's great plan, he would have been reinstated in his office. The time had come for a final decision; he must fully yield to the divine sovereignty or place himself in open rebellion. He nearly reached the decision to return, but pride forbade him.

Sin originated in self-seeking. Lucifer, the covering cherub, desired to be first in heaven.

The glory and peace of heaven, and the joy of communion with God, were but dimly comprehended by men; but they were well known to Lucifer, the covering cherub.

Lucifer had been the covering cherub. He had stood in the light of God's presence.

Satan seems paralyzed as he beholds the glory and majesty of Christ. He who was once a covering cherub remembers whence he has fallen.

Here are six quotes from Ellen White, all claiming that Lucifer/Satan was a “covering cherub,” and even the first and highest of the covering cherubs. The Bible does not identify Satan as ever having been a “covering cherub,” or even tell us that there is such a position.

Source
White, Ellen G.. CONFLICT OF THE AGES: THE FIVE BOOKS. Patriarchs And Prophets; Prophets And Kings; The Desire Of Ages; The Acts Of The Apostles; The Great Controversy (Timeless Wisdom Collection) . Business and Leadership Publishing. Kindle Edition.

And yet you believe the King of Tyre was a covering cherub. SMH

 

[brakelite]

Brakelite: “Lucifer was one of those covering cherubs, second only to Christ Himself in rank and power. ”


In the Bible, the covering cherubs on the Ark are decorations, nothing else.
It is Seventh Day Adventist Founder Ellen White who says that Lucifer was a covering cherub.
I have studied her work and she is definitely NOT a prophet.
Here are several quotes, putting Ellen White’s words in blue.


Sin originated with him who, next to Christ, had been most honored of God and was highest in power and glory among the inhabitants of heaven. Lucifer, “son of the morning,” was first of the covering cherubs, holy and undefiled.

Though he had left his position as covering cherub, yet if he had been willing to return to God, acknowledging the Creator's wisdom, and satisfied to fill the place appointed him in God's great plan, he would have been reinstated in his office. The time had come for a final decision; he must fully yield to the divine sovereignty or place himself in open rebellion. He nearly reached the decision to return, but pride forbade him.

Sin originated in self-seeking. Lucifer, the covering cherub, desired to be first in heaven.

The glory and peace of heaven, and the joy of communion with God, were but dimly comprehended by men; but they were well known to Lucifer, the covering cherub.

Lucifer had been the covering cherub. He had stood in the light of God's presence.

Satan seems paralyzed as he beholds the glory and majesty of Christ. He who was once a covering cherub remembers whence he has fallen.

Here are six quotes from Ellen White, all claiming that Lucifer/Satan was a “covering cherub,” and even the first and highest of the covering cherubs. The Bible does not identify Satan as ever having been a “covering cherub,” or even tell us that there is such a position.

Source
White, Ellen G.. CONFLICT OF THE AGES: THE FIVE BOOKS. Patriarchs And Prophets; Prophets And Kings; The Desire Of Ages; The Acts Of The Apostles; The Great Controversy (Timeless Wisdom Collection) . Business and Leadership Publishing. Kindle Edition.

And yet you believe the King of Tyre was a covering cherub. S

In this post you quote passages from the Bible with no explanation of what you think they mean. We have been warned against this on CF. It is much better to explain what you think it means.

I posted those in response to the question, was Satan a serpent? Or words to that effect. My answer, in quoting scripture, clearly reveals that Satan, the devil, is pictured in scripture metaphorically as a serpent. Even a dragon. What else could I possibly mean?

 

[Dale]

That verse, Genesis 3:15, is commonly known as the first Messianic prophecy.

The Messiah will crush Satan...the Messiah will by comparison be bruised in the process.
The rest of the prophecies build on this first one.

I have run into the notion that Genesis 3:15 is a prophecy of the Messiah on CF. I have never heard that idea taught in any church. The problem is that it isn’t the only possible meaning of this verse, or even the most likely. It could simply mean that the descendants of Eve will be at odds with poisonous snakes for many generations to come. That is undoubtedly what Israelites thought it meant when Genesis was first composed.

There is no way to verify that God intended Genesis 3:15 to be a prophecy of the Messiah.

 

[throughfiierytrial]

I have run into the notion that Genesis 3:15 is a prophecy of the Messiah on CF. I have never heard that idea taught in any church. The problem is that it isn’t the only possible meaning of this verse, or even the most likely. It could simply mean that the descendants of Eve will be at odds with poisonous snakes for many generations to come. That is undoubtedly what Israelites thought it meant when Genesis was first composed.

There is no way to verify that God intended Genesis 3:15 to be a prophecy of the Messiah.

The Israelites did understand the prophecy. This can be seen by Eve's response after Cain is born. In fact, the birth of a son carried the hope of the fulfillment of the prophecy...and yes, churches do teach this first prophecy as such. Every Christmas when the renown "Lessons and Carols" is presented by churches the first prophecy is the beginning lesson... Genesis 3:15. Churches know and teach this.
An interesting aside is that Jesus was crucified at Golgatha, means "the place of the skull"...as Scripture itself states. Genesis 3:15 states that "the enmity" God would send would crush Satan's skull.
I'm sorry I can't site passages or explain more fully. I'm on my phone which I'm not personally finding conducive for this purpose.