Cain (sons of men) and Seth (sons of God) – Two Seeds
There were two lines after the creation. After Cain killed his brother Abel, Adam and Eve had another son. This son was considered a son of God. Cain was considered a son of the Devil as we shall read he was “of that wicked one” (1 John 3:12) or as Jesus put it “of your father, the devil” (John 8:44).
Genesis 5:1-3, This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him; Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created. And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth:
Seth was the child of whom the Seed was to come.
Genesis 4:25, And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth: For God, said she, hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew.
The seed that was promised was to come through the line of Seth. Seth was not the literal firstborn, Cain was, but yet again Seth was the child of whom the promised seed was to come through. It is interesting that the literal firstborn never seemed to be the spiritual heir. And the law teaches that the firstborn is to receive a double portion of the inheritance.
Seth was spiritually the firstborn. The firstborn of God. The lesson is about being born of the Holy Spirit, those are the true children of God and always have been, the spiritual seed. John saw it when speaking about Cain he said this:
1John 3:9-10 Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother. For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother’s righteous.
Two different seeds of children here. Clearly Cain is not the seed of God, and Cain’s children would be called the seed of men in Genesis 6. Being the children and sons of God was a “message that ye heard from the beginning”. In the beginning is creation. Cain was not of that spiritual seed, though he was the firstborn of Adam and Eve. He was not a child or son of God as he was not born of God, and that seed which is Christ was not in him. He was not born of Spirit. He was a child of the devil, “of that wicked one”.
We read in Genesis 5 Seth was a child after the image of Adam, which was imaging of God. This is the line of the children of God. Genesis 5 talks about this line of the children of God. Seth was a son of God, Cain was a son of the devil, in this we know the children of God and children of the devil. There is a line of the children of Seth in Genesis 5 up to Noah and then in Chapter 6 we read:
Genesis 6:2 That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years. There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.
The children of God, who are the children of Abraham, who are the spiritual seed, who are Israel (formerly called Jacob), his firstborn after the Spirit and not after the flesh as was Esau and are the true seed of God who are not of that wicked one as was Cain. God’s children looked on the daughters of men, who were beautiful and took themselves wives from the unbelievers and thus the seed was corrupted.
The Everlasting Covenant that was made then was made always to the spiritual seed to the spiritual children of God who walk not after the flesh. The everlasting gospel was given to the people even in the days before the flood, the same gospel that was given to Abraham was given to us since God “preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.”(Galatians 3:8).
Another point to note is that the fleshly descendants always tried to destroy the spiritual descendants as was prophesized (Genesis 3:15). Just as Cain did to Abel; just as Ishmael to Isaac; as Esau to Israel (Jacob); as national Israel did to all the prophets including but not limited to Elijah, Isaiah, and John the Baptist; as the literal seed of Abraham (Pharisee’s) did to Jesus, just as the Church of the dark ages did to the Christians and the Reformers after that; and finally today in this last age there are movements to silence God’s people when speaking biblical truths if it is offensive to others. Note: Pharisees’ claimed to be the literal descendants of Abraham, while the Sadducees were the wealthy upper class who were involved with the priesthood and from both were the Sanhedrin (a council of 70).
As John the Baptist once said:
Matthew 3:9, And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.
There is nothing new under the sun (Ecclesiastes 1:9). We should not think that we are Christian because our fleshly father was one. Becoming born again is an individual, personal experience with God – we cannot earn it by merit or inherit it through our earthly (fleshly) father.
Revelation 3:9, Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.
They may be Jews, Israelites, Abraham’s Seed, Christians, Protestants, etc., but except they truly are truly born of Spirit, born of God; being the seed of God, they are not the true.
1Corinthians 10:11, Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.
God is able to graft in his children. He can turn stones into Abraham’s (Matthew 3:9). So we should completely trust the Word of God in that he can do for us what we cannot do for ourselves (John 15:5).
Romans 11:25-26, For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:
May the God and Father of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob be your God and Father and may you truly be his firstborn after the spirit. True spiritual Israelites indeed.
1 John 3:1, Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.
The “Seed”
The Son of God came in the flesh, born of a virgin, through the power of the Holy Spirit. Preceding His earthly ministry, Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist not because He had sinned or need forgiveness (2 Corinthians 5:21); but because he made Himself one with humanity He was baptized and repented on behalf of humanity (Romans 3:25–26; Galatians 3:13).
As he came up from the water, the Father spoke of Jesus as His beloved Son in which He is well pleased (Matthew 3:17). Note: The Father spoke two other times in the New Testament, the last week of Jesus’ life (John 12:28) and at Jesus transfiguration (Matthew 17:5). Keep in mind, when the Father was saying He was well pleased with His Son, His Son was representing the entire human race. So by accepting His Son, He was accepting the entire human race! Ephesians 1:6.
The Holy Spirit came in the form of a dove to empower Jesus for ministry. Remember, Jesus emptied Himself – of self – meaning of His right to all that being God entails prior to being born (Philippians 2:6-7). Consequently, the miracles performed by Jesus were done in the power of God the Holy Spirit, not in Jesus’ power as God (Acts 10:38). Again, Jesus was very God when He walked the Earth; however, He had voluntarily ‘emptied’ Himself of the right to use His power as God. He came to earth as the ‘son of man’ empowered by the Holy Spirit to destroy the devil’s works (1 John 3:8, Hebrews 2:14).
But the good news does not end there. What Jesus did for us He also wants to do through us (Romans 6:4-6). By baptism we die to self just like Jesus died to self. As Jesus was raised from the grave we are raised to a new life (Ephesians 2:6). The gospel truth is Jesus died for us so we can die with Him. Jesus lived a victorious life so we can live a victorious life by abiding in Him. And Jesus ascended into heaven so we too can be with Him where He is at His return.