THE FIRST PROPHECY OF THE LORD'S COMING

GENESIS 3:14-15

And the LORD God said unto the serpent,
Because thou hast done this,
thou art cursed above all cattle,
and above every beast of the field;
upon thy belly shalt thou go,
and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:
And I will put enmity between thee and the woman,
and between thy seed and her seed;
it shall bruise thy head, 
and thou shalt bruise his heel.

Arcana Coelestia 250
Everyone is aware that this is the first prophecy
of the Lord's advent into the world;
it appears indeed clearly from the words themselves,
and therefore from them and from the prophets
even the Jews knew that a Messiah was to come.
Hitherto however no one has understood
what is specifically meant by the "serpent" the "woman"
the "serpent's seed" the "woman's seed"
the "head of the serpent which was to be trodden upon"
and the "heel which the serpent should bruise."
They must therefore be explained.

By the "serpent" is here meant all evil in general,
and specifically the love of self;
by the "woman" is meant the church;
by the "seed of the serpent" all infidelity;
by the "seed of the woman" faith in the Lord;
by "He" the Lord Himself;
by the "head of the serpent" the dominion of evil in general,
and specifically that of the love of self;
by to "trample upon" depression,
so that it should "go upon the belly and eat dust;"
and by the "heel" the lowest natural (as the corporeal),
which the serpent should "bruise."