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The Story of Redemption
and exhilarating, and told her that it was because of its wonderful
properties to impart wisdom and power that God had prohibited
them from tasting or even touching it, for He knew its wonderful
qualities. He stated that his eating of the fruit of the tree forbidden
to them was the reason he had attained the power of speech. He
intimated that God would not carry out His word. It was merely a
threat to intimidate them and keep them from great good. He further
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told them that they could not die. Had they not eaten of the tree of
life which perpetuates immortality? He said that God was deceiving
them to keep them from a higher state of felicity and more exalted
happiness. The tempter plucked the fruit and passed it to Eve. She
took it in her hand. Now, said the tempter, you were prohibited from
even touching it lest you die. He told her that she would realize no
more sense of evil and death in eating than in touching or handling
the fruit. Eve was emboldened because she felt not the immediate
signs of God’s displeasure. She thought the words of the tempter
all wise and correct. She ate, and was delighted with the fruit. It
seemed delicious to her taste, and she imagined that she realized in
herself the wonderful effects of the fruit.
Eve Becomes a Tempter
She then plucked for herself of the fruit and ate, and imagined
she felt the quickening power of a new and elevated existence as
the result of the exhilarating influence of the forbidden fruit. She
was in a strange and unnatural excitement as she sought her husband
with her hands filled with the forbidden fruit. She related to him the
wise discourse of the serpent and wished to conduct him at once to
the tree of knowledge. She told him she had eaten of the fruit, and
instead of her feeling any sense of death, she realized a pleasing,
exhilarating influence. As soon as Eve had disobeyed she became a
powerful medium through which to occasion the fall of her husband.
I saw a sadness come over the countenance of Adam. He ap-
peared afraid and astonished. A struggle appeared to be going on
in his mind. He told Eve he was quite certain that this was the foe
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that they had been warned against, and if so, that she must die. She
assured him she felt no ill effects but rather a very pleasant influence,
and entreated him to eat.