In course of time the Devil came to be joined in this place by other spirits, by other angels who renounced the Fatherhood of God and adopted the fatherhood of the Devil. These spirits became his “seed.”

15. What do Peter and Jude say about the angels who joined the Great Serpent in sinning?

¹⁵ In reference to this spiritual seed of the original Serpent, the Christian apostle Peter wrote: “God did not hold back from punishing the angels that sinned, but, by throwing them into Tartarus, delivered them to pits of dense darkness to be reserved for judgment.” (2 Peter 2:4) The Christian disciple Jude refers to the same angelic “seed” of the Serpent, when he writes: “The angels that did not keep their original position but forsook their own proper dwelling place he has reserved with eternal bonds under dense darkness for the judgment of the great day.”​—Jude 6.

17. In what way do rebel angels share Tartarean darkness with the Devil?

¹⁷ The other angel rebels against God, who became the “seed” of the Serpent, share the Tartarean darkness with him, like cursed serpents. They no longer have the light of God’s favor and counsel. At their rebellion God took his holy spirit away from them.

19. Why are Christians exhorted to be the opposite of Cain, the firstborn son of all mankind?

¹⁹ The mysterious “seed” of God’s “woman” did not prove to be Eve’s firstborn son, whom she named Cain. Cain’s being the firstborn son of all mankind did not give him the right to serve as that promised “seed.” Moreover, Cain’s heel never did get bruised by the Great Serpent, the Devil. As for bruising anyone in the head, Cain murdered his God-fearing brother Abel, possibly by striking him a crushing blow on the head. Instead of being blessed by God and receiving God’s holy spirit, Cain became the second one in the Bible to be called “cursed,” the symbolic Serpent or the Devil being the first one. (Genesis 3:14; 4:11) In this manner Cain made himself a part of the earthly “seed” of the Great Serpent, the Devil, whom he imitated in lying and committing manslaughter. He loved neither his brother, whom he could see, nor God, whom he could not see. Followers of Christ are exhorted to be the opposite of Cain, in the following words:

“We should have love for one another; not like Cain, who originated with the wicked one and slaughtered his brother. And for the sake of what did he slaughter him? Because his own works were wicked, but those of his brother were righteous.” (1 John 3:11, 12) “Too bad for them, because they have gone in the path of Cain.”​—Jude 11.

20, 21. Cain imitated the Devil in committing what kind of sin, and in view of what manifestation was this possible for Cain?

²⁰ Cain imitated the Devil, his spiritual father, “the wicked one,” in sinning against God’s holy spirit. This does not mean that Cain, the first son of Adam and Eve, ever had the holy spirit. His earthly parents had lost holy spirit because of willfully breaking God’s commandment. But Cain saw the operation of holy spirit. When and how?

²¹ This was at the time that Cain presented to God an offering from his farming, whereas his younger brother Abel presented to God a sacrifice from slaughtered animals of his flock of sheep. Were the presentations of both of these brothers acceptable to God? Genesis 4:4-7 tells us: “Now while Jehovah was looking with favor upon Abel and his offering, he did not look with any favor upon Cain and upon his offering. And Cain grew hot with great anger, and his countenance began to fall. At this Jehovah said to Cain: ‘Why are you hot with anger and why has your countenance fallen? If you turn to doing good, will there not be an exaltation? But if you do not turn to doing good, there is sin crouching at the entrance, and for you is its craving; and will you, for your part, get the mastery over it?’”

22. What manifestation of holy spirit did Cain observe?

²² Of course, God did not appear to Cain and Abel on this occasion. How he looked with favor upon Abel and his sacrificial offering, we are not told. But there must have been some visible evidence of this. An operation of God’s holy spirit this was. Cain saw this and, also, with no word from God. So he grew hot with great anger and his countenance fell. He did not react humbly and with repentance at the visible operation of holy spirit from the God to whom he was making an unacceptable offering.

23. Cain’s sin against holy spirit took what form, and why?

²³ Plainly, Cain was not doing right. God’s voice out of the invisible explained to him the situation. Too proud to humble himself, Cain did not repent and turn to doing good, even though sin was crouching as if at the door of his home and craving to seize him as its victim. He did not want to get the mastery over it, no matter what God’s holy spirit indicated to him. Not wanting an exaltation of his countenance, he schemed against the one approved by God and killed him. Thus he sinned against holy spirit.

24. What can be said about whether the one now the Devil had holy spirit and saw the operation of holy spirit?

²⁴ This displeased God and brought his curse upon Cain. But it pleased the Great Serpent, the Devil, for he now saw an earthly son of his who acted in true copy of his spiritual father.