Christ in all the scriptures Genesis 4

 Genesis chapter 4

"And it came to pass...that Cain rose up against his brother Abel and slew him"  4v8

Behind the narrative of the first murder in the first family, motivated by religious bigotry, lies the ultimate prediction of the treasonous execution of Jesus Christ that would take place some 4000 years later.  This is a mighty story that reverberates throughout scripture! There are two characters in the story, Cain and Abel, the first brothers born into the world.  Their stories find resonance in the greatest enmity of all, culminating in the unlawful death of the innocent one.

The New Testament links one of the brothers, Abel, to Christ, the anointed of God, and the other, Cain, to Satan, the usurper.  What happened in Eden, prefigured the ultimate sin of humanity.

In Hebrews 11 and 12, Abel is clearly linked to Christ.  "By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts."  Again, in the context of the New Jerusalem, the city of God which will rule this earth at the fulness of times, "Jesus, the mediator of the New Covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling which speaketh better things than that of Abel."  Thus Abel clearly is a picture of Christ.  Abel brought an offering to the Lord of the firstlings of the flock-Genesis 4v4.  It was an approach to God as taught by his parents.  In chapter three they had learned that approach to God after sin had entered, must involve the shedding of blood-3v21 "Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins and clothed them".  Man, in sin could only approach God by the death of another.  Abel learned this from them and brought his offering to God.  It was of the firstlings of the flock with the fat thereof, symbolising the best of the flock-only the best will do for God.  Approach must be on the death of another, in this case a lamb of the flock.  This topic is taken throughout scripture and when we link it to the spotless offering of Jesus, we begin to understand the importance of this.  Throughout scripture there is a slow drip-feed of this crucial topic as follows:

Genesis 4        The necessity of the Lamb for approach to God.

Genesis 22      The Lamb became a substitute for Isaac

Exodus 12       The Lamb must be without spot and blemish

Leviticus 16    The Lamb must be acceptable to God

Isaiah 53         The Lamb is a person...."He, Him, His", >30times

John 1             The Lamb is identified as Jesus

Acts 8             The Lamb is the Messiah

Revelation 5   The Lamb is enthroned on the seat of universal power

Thus the picture here in Genesis 4 prefigures the programme for the reconciliation of the world to God.  The last book of the bible-Revelation, contains reference to the Lamb almost 30 times and makes the subject paramount in Divine revelation.   Abel prefigured Christ the Messiah, who would redeem the world and bring glory to God; his brother Cain prefigures  Satan who killed Jesus, but who will come to his end as we saw in chapter 3.  All who follow him will come to the same end.