Satan,” should be bruised in the head.—Rev. 12:9.

2. What questions did God’s prophetic judgment there raise?

² The deadly wound was to be inflicted upon the Serpent by the promised “seed” or offspring of God’s woman, that is to say, his holy universal organization. It is as a wife to him and is able to provide children for his service. His prophetic judgment in Eden at once raised the question, not merely, Who will the Seed of God’s woman be? but, further, When will this Seed bruise the hated Serpent in the head and destroy him and his brood? When will this great act of deliverance come for mankind, the victims of the Serpent’s lie? Even the angels of heaven who make up the wifely organization which is God’s woman were interested to know.—1 Pet. 1:12.

3. What did that bruising call for, and why was this not accomplished at the Flood?

³ The bruising of the old Serpent in the head meant a battle of rulers. Satan the Devil had established himself as ruler over man by maneuvering man into obeying him rather than Jehovah God. It would require another mighty ruler to defeat and destroy Satan as a ruler. The flood of Noah’s day did not put Satan out of his rulership. It did wipe out the “ancient world,” the “world of ungodly people,” but it left Satan still in control over his demonic seed, the invisible spirits or fallen angels.—2 Pet. 2:5.

4, 5. (a) Where did rebellion begin after the Flood? (b) What had Noah not made himself toward his descendants, but how did Nimrod not follow his example?

⁴ In the postflood world Satan the Devil soon lured the greater number of Noah’s descendants into outright rebellion against Jehovah God, who had saved their ancestors, Noah’s family, through that world-destroying flood. This first flare-up of rebellion took place notably at the ancient city of Babylon on the banks of the Euphrates River, in the Mesopotamian land now known as Iraq. “Noah continued to live three hundred and fifty years after the deluge.” (Gen. 9:28) Yet in all that time he did not claim to be the promised Seed of God’s woman just because he had built the ark of salvation; neither did he set himself up as a king over his descendants, all mankind. Had he done so, he would have set up a world government, with himself as ruler of all humankind. But Noah’s great-grandson Nimrod did not follow his godly forefather’s example. Nimrod parted company with Noah. Though Noah still lived, Nimrod broke the rainbow covenant made by God with Noah to safeguard the sanctity of animal blood. Nimrod became a sports and military hunter and set himself up as king in opposition to Jehovah. We read:

⁵ “This is the history of Noah’s sons, Shem, Ham and Japheth. And the sons of Ham were Cush and Mizraim and Put and Canaan. And Cush became father to Nimrod. He made the start in becoming a mighty one in the earth. He displayed himself a mighty hunter in opposition to Jehovah. That is why there is a saying, ‘Just like Nimrod a mighty hunter in opposition to Jehovah.’ And the beginning of his kingdom came to be Babel and Erech and Accad and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. Out of that land he went forth into Assyria and set himself to building Nineveh and Rehoboth-Ir and Calah and Resen between Nineveh and Calah.”—Gen. 10:1, 6, 8-12.

(To be continued)

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