Cain and Abel - first RELIGIOUS war - TYPE OF CHRIST SACRIFICE

Being Right in God's eyes - they kill the holy one

ABEL AS A TYPE OR SHADOW OF JESUS
Hebrews 11:4 By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead.

Hebrews 12:22 But you have come to Mount Zion, 
  • to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come
  • to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, 
  • 23 to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come
  • to God, the Judge of all, 
  • to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, 
  • 24 to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and
  • to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. 
​​25 See to it that you do not refuse him who speaks. If they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, how much less will we, if we turn away from him who warns us from heaven?

Commandment to love - has always been there by god

1 John 3:11 For this is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another. 
  • 12 Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. 
    • And why did he murder him?
    • Because his own actions were evil and his brother’s were righteous. 
  • 13 Do not be surprised, my brothers and sisters, if the world hates you. 
    • 14 We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love each other.
  • Anyone who does not love remains in death. 
    • 15 Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, 
    • and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him. ​
  • 16 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. 
    • And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.  
    • 17 If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? 
    • 18 Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth. ​

First Religious war

Genesis 4 (ESV)
Cain and Abel
(Cain a farmer and Abel a shepherd) 
4 Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have gotten a man with the help of the Lord.” 2 And again, she bore his brother Abel.
  • Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and
  • Cain a worker of the ground. 3 In the course of time
  • Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground, 4 and   **(DEAD RELIGIOUS PRACTICE)**
  • Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And  **(HIS WERE RIGHTEOUS)**
    • the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, 
    • 5 but for Cain and his offering he had no regard.
  • So Cain was very angry, and his face fell. **(HE WANTS TO PLEASE GOD - HIS WAY)**
    • 6 The Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? 
  • THE LORD GIVES STATUTES (law, regulations, instructions, standards, rules, decrees) 
    • 7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? 
    • And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. 
      • Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it.” 
  • 8 Cain spoke to Abel his brother. And when they were in the field,
    • Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him. 
    • 9 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?”
    • He said, “I do not know; am I my brother's keeper?” 
    • 10 And the Lord said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood is crying to me from the ground. 11 And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. 12 When you work the ground, it shall no longer yield to you its strength. You shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth.” 
    • 13 Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is greater than I can bear. 14 Behold, you have driven me today away from the ground, and from your face I shall be hidden. I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.” 
    • 15 Then the Lord said to him, “Not so! If anyone kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.” And the Lord put a mark on Cain, lest any who found him should attack him. 
    • 16 Then Cain went away from the presence of the Lord and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden.

summary

Cain 
  1. child of devil (1 John 3:12)
  2. did not have faith (1 John 3:12; Hebrews 11:1-4)
  3. was a farmer (Genesis 4:2)
  4. made an offering of fruits of the ground (Genesis 4:3)

Abel
  1. had faith, commended by God as righteousness (Hebrews 11:1-4)
    1. 1 Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. 3 By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. ​
  2. was a shepherd (Genesis 4:2)
  3. made an offering of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions (Genesis 4:4)

Abel in the NT

  1. ​Matthew 23:35
    so that upon you will fall the guilt of all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations
    1. 29 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs for the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous, 30 and you say, ‘If we had been living in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partners with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ 31 So you testify against yourselves, that you are [aa]sons of those who murdered the prophets. 32 [ab]Fill up, then, the measure of the guilt of your fathers. 33 You snakes, you [ac]offspring of vipers, how [ad]will you escape the [ae]sentence of [af]hell? 34 “Therefore, behold, I am sending you prophets and wise men and scribes; some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will flog in your synagogues, and persecute from city to city, 35 so that upon you will fall the guilt of all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the [ag]temple and the altar. 36 Truly I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.
  2. Luke 11:51
    from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the house of God; yes, I tell you, it shall be charged against this generation.’In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations
    1. Woes on the Pharisees and the Experts in the Law37 When Jesus had finished speaking, a Pharisee invited him to eat with him; so he went in and reclined at the table. 38 But the Pharisee was surprised when he noticed that Jesus did not first wash before the meal. 39 Then the Lord said to him, “Now then, you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. 40 You foolish people! Did not the one who made the outside make the inside also? 41 But now as for what is inside you--be generous to the poor, and everything will be clean for you. 42 “Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone. 43 “Woe to you Pharisees, because you love the most important seats in the synagogues and respectful greetings in the marketplaces. 44 “Woe to you, because you are like unmarked graves, which people walk over without knowing it.” 45 One of the experts in the law answered him, “Teacher, when you say these things, you insult us also.” 46 Jesus replied, “And you experts in the law, woe to you, because you load people down with burdens they can hardly carry, and you yourselves will not lift one finger to help them. 47 “Woe to you, because you build tombs for the prophets, and it was your ancestors who killed them. 48 So you testify that you approve of what your ancestors did; they killed the prophets, and you build their tombs. 49 Because of this, God in his wisdom said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and others they will persecute.’ 50 Therefore this generation will be held responsible for the blood of all the prophets that has been shed since the beginning of the world, 51 from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, this generation will be held responsible for it all. 52 “Woe to you experts in the law, because you have taken away the key to knowledge. You yourselves have not entered, and you have hindered those who were entering.”
      53 When Jesus went outside, the Pharisees and the teachers of the law began to oppose him fiercely and to besiege him with questions, 54 waiting to catch him in something he might say.
  3. Hebrews 11:4
    By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain, through which he was attested to be righteous, God testifying about his gifts, and through faith, though he is dead, he still speaks.In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations
    1. 2 This is what the ancients were commended for. 
      1 Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. 3 By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. 
      4 By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead.
  4. Hebrews 12:24
    and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks better than the blood of Abel.In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations
    1. 18 You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom and storm; 19 to a trumpet blast or to such a voice speaking words that those who heard it begged that no further word be spoken to them, 20 because they could not bear what was commanded: “If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned to death.”[c] 21 The sight was so terrifying that Moses said, “I am trembling with fear.”[d]
      22 But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, 23 to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the Judge of all, to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, 24 to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.

Cain in NT

  1. 1 John 3:12
    Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother’s were righteous.
    In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations
  2. Jude 1:11
    Woe to them! They have taken the way of Cain; they have rushed for profit into Balaam’s error; they have been destroyed in Korah’s rebellion.
    In Context | Full Chapter | Other Translations

Way to test yourself

1 John 3:19 This is how we know that we belong to the truth and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence: 
  • 20 If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. 
  • 21 Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God 22 and receive from him anything we ask, because we keep his commands and do what pleases him. 
    • 23 And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. 24 The one who keeps God’s commands lives in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.

wow to them

Jude 1:3 Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt compelled to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to God’s holy people. 
  • 4 For certain individuals whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into a licentiousness (filthy, a license for immorality) and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.
    • 5 Though you already know all this, I want to remind you that the Lord at one time delivered his people out of Egypt, but later destroyed those who did not believe. 6 And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their proper dwelling—these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day. 7 In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire.
  • 8 In the very same way, these filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion (reject authority) and speak evil of (His) glorious ones, glory (angels). 
    • 9 But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not himself dare to condemn him for slander but said, “The Lord rebuke you!” 
    • 10 Yet these people slander whatever they do not understand, and the very things they do understand by instinct—as irrational animals do—will destroy them. 
    • 11 Woe to them! They have taken the way of Cain; 
    • they have rushed for profit into Balaam’s error; 
    • they have been destroyed in Korah’s rebellion. 
    • 12 These people are blemishes at your love feasts, eating with you without the slightest qualm--
    • shepherds who feed only themselves. 
    • They are clouds without rain, blown along by the wind; 
    • autumn trees, without fruit and uprooted—twice dead. 
    • 13 They are wild waves of the sea, foaming up their shame; 
    • wandering stars, for whom blackest darkness has been reserved forever.