What did Satan get out of deceiving Eve and Adam into sinning?

Question

The devil deceived Eve into eating what was forbidden. She then persuaded Adam to do likewise. After eating, they gained knowledge of good and evil.

It is my view that God's true intentions, his omnibenevolence, is presented in the Ten Commandments and the Bible. Basically they are a moral guide to overcome the sin we all inherited from Adam and Eve.

But what was Eve's situation before the bite? Did she have knowledge of good and evil? Was she pure still and acting as God meant her to act? Why is gaining knowledge of good and evil in the devil's advantage? Because she had no knowledge of the bad yet? She knew the good neither. Wasn't it a great gift then, the devil gave her with the apple? What gain had the devil to give her knowledge of the good? If Eve had no knowledge of good, how she could act good? By divine instinct?

What was in it for the evil devil Satan, disguised as a luring snake?

Was this, as the fallen angle, his way to take revenge on God? By letting people know what is bad? At the same time he gave knowledge of the good. Wasn't it better to give Eve knowledge of the bad only?

Answer 1

"Knowledge of Good and Evil" does not refer to knowledge which man ought to have. In the first place, Adam and Eve should not have known evil. In the second place, there is divine knowledge proper only to God. The former man can know, but was not created to know. The latter, man wishes to obtain, but never can, and, in grasping at it, he comes to know what is evil (by doing evil; by trying to usurp God). A commentary by Haydock on Genesis 3:5 says:

The old serpent's aim is, to make us think God envies our happiness. Or he would have Eve to suppose, she had not rightly understood her maker, who would surely never deprive her of a fruit which would give her such an increase of knowledge, as to make her conclude she was before comparatively blind. (Menochius) As gods, Hebrew Elohim, which means also princes, angels, or judges. It appears, that our first parents had flattered themselves with the hopes of attaining a divine knowledge of all things. (Calmet)

I pulled this from the Catena application.

This is what Adam and Eve did in the garden. They considered "equality with God a thing to be grasped" (Phil 2:6, ESV). Rather, they should have recognized that they were created in the image and likeness of God already, loved by Him already, and that He would not deprive them of any good thing which they ought to have. They wanted more than the perfection of their nature. They wanted to be God.

What Satan wants is very straightforward. He despises mankind, as he despises all things created by God. He wants to see us deprived of eternity with God. That's his motivation for tempting us. In our everyday life, he tempts us with the allure of things we don't have. He whispers in our ear to get us to go after the wicked desires of the heart, instead of desiring what God desires for us. For Adam and Eve, there was only one thing they might have desired which they did not already have, because they were in a state of human perfection: that is, they might be tempted to desire the perfection of God, a greater perfection than any created nature could ever attain.

Answer 2

The Bible only gives three dialogues involving Satan: with Eve in Genesis, with God (concerning Job) in Job, and with Jesus in the Gospel accounts of the temptation. By comparing them, you can see a hint of Satan's strategy.

• In Eden, the goal was to fracture the relatationship between the Father and the Holy Spirit. God breathed his spirit into Adam making him a living soul. When Adam and Eve sinned, the penalty was death - having the spirit withdrawn. Satan was trying to get the Holy Spirit to say no - to remain with Adam and Eve and defy God. Or, Satan wanted God to follow Adam and Eve off a cliff, because God loved His creatures so much and would die for them.

• In Job, the goal was to fracture the relationship between the Father and the Son. Satan's stated goal was to get Job to curse God with his mouth - rejecting the word of God. The tactic was to incite the Father against one who revered the Words of God.

• In Matthew, etc., the goal was to fracture the relationship between the Son and the Spirit. Jesus had just been baptized and had the Holy Spirit descend upon him. Satan wanted to destroy that relationship by getting Jesus to worship someone else; worship is a matter of the Spirit, for the Father wants people who worship "in Spirit and in truth".

Thus Satan hoped to split God apart and destroy him by causing division within the Trinity.

Satan was countering God's strategy precisely.

1. The first era of human history was the era of the Father. The greatest physical miracles occurred then: creation, flood, Tower of Babel, Sodom & Gomorrah. The primary lesson was to teach humanity to fear God.

2. The second era of human history was the era of the speaking of the Word. The book of Job is believed to be the oldest book in the Bible, for Job likely lived between Abraham and Moses. Moses is believed traditionally to have written down Job. During the rest of this era the prophets would speak. The transformation of the mind, of philosophy and spreading of true knowledge of God was the major goal.

3. The third era of human history was the baptism of the Holy Spirit forming the church. The miraculous action of the Holy Spirit upon the human heart is the primary goal.

Thus the Father, Son and Holy Spirit each commenced major revolutions in God's plan of salvation at the times when Satan entered with his three temptations.

Answer 3

Satan got no benefit out of it. He failed. The prince of this world is judged and he knows his time is short.

He had a purpose in his temptation of Eve for sure and that purpose has never changed:

The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy - John 10:10a

These are the works that the evil one ever works to accomplish; theft, murder, destruction. He goes about as a lion seeking to devour.

For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. 1 John 3:8b

From the foundation of the world the Son of God was prepared to come, at just the right time, and destroy the works of the devil. A day is coming when the lake of fire shall welcome him to his rightful home. The devil knows this and is enraged that his doom is sure:

Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time. - Revelation 12:12

He had plans to be like the Most High God. What he has gotten is everlasting fire. The Lamb of God has overcome him and we also by His blood and the word of our testimony. Therefore rejoice in the Lord always! Again I say, rejoice! If so be that your name is written in the Lamb's book of Life.

Answer 4

What did Satan get out of deceiving Eve and Adam into sinning?

Answer : Satan thinks, he got even with God, and had shown to the rest of the fallen angels, how smart and superior he is over men, created in the image and likeness of God.

When Lucifer was cast out from the Heavenly Realm, and lost the anointing and his role as "bearer of light", he lost divine life. No more light, means no more life for Lucifer and the fallen angels.

On the other hand, Adam was cloth with the "light of God" after God anointed him as "High Priest of Humanity", and Adm received the fullness of the gifts, like a Bishop who received the fullness of the priesthood, to impart blessings and graces, and impart the original holiness and justice to the rest of mankind. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/resource/55702/adam-high-priest-of-humanity

Lucifer, losing the role of "bearer of light", now had chosen, a new role, an adversarial role.

Satan,[a] also known as the Devil,[b] and sometimes also called Lucifer in Christianity, is an entity in the Abrahamic religions that seduces humans into sin or falsehood. In Judaism, Satan is seen as an agent subservient to Yahweh, typically regarded as a metaphor for the yetzer hara, or "evil inclination." In Christianity and Islam, he is usually seen as a fallen angel or jinn who has rebelled against God, who nevertheless allows him temporary power over the fallen world and a host of demons. In the Quran, Shaitan, also known as Iblis, is an entity made of fire who was cast out of Heaven because he refused to bow before the newly-created Adam and incites humans to sin by infecting their minds with waswās ("evil suggestions"). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satan

To understand why Satan went first to deceive Eve instead of going directly to Adam to tempt him, we must see the "Authority of Adam" overall creatures, as he named all of them including the cunning serpent, while Eve not yet existed. Plus, Satan only have a "false light" this time, he cannot appear to Adam, in his fallen state, Satan;s false light is inferior to Adam, who was cloth with the light of God. So, tempting Adam indwelling a snake, would easily be rebuked by Adam.

And so, why Eve?

Satan is a cherub, and cherub knows the secrets of God, as God revealed His divine plan to the Angelic Host, to incarnate the Logos thru a chosen Woman.

St.Gabriel was sent by God to announce the "Good News", while Satan came by himself, to announce a "Fake News".

Satan greeted Eve in the garden, while Eve was looking at the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, a symbolic representation of Eve's sacred womb that has roots.

Satan greeted Eve and announced a fake news, and said, Hail Eve, you were chosen to bear the Wisdom of God, you were highly favored. Eve was flattered, why me? In fact, there is only me here in the garden, how can i be chosen? "Is this a prank"?

But ofcourse, Eve was delighted, hearing the fake news, it gives her pride. But, the question was, how can she bear the Wisdom of God? She was not allow to "touch" her sacred womb, which perhaps, has a sacred marking or clothing of protection to remind Adam that God forbidden him, to touch it, a sign of sanctity.

Satan wanted to defile, the sacred womb of Eve, and so, Satan deceive Eve, that he can "touch" it first and will not die.

When Eve saw, that the serpent did not die after touching her sacred womb, she thought, nothing would happen to her too, but the malice of Satan already infected her.

Valtorta Poem has a very detailed description of this event, but Valtorta writings is a forbidden book in Catholic Church.

St.Hildegard writings or poems was approved by the Church, and so it is safe to cite his poem that revealed, how Satan deceived Eve.

"She destroyed her womb by her ignorance."-St.Hildergard

And to show proof, that the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil was a symbol for a sacred or virgin womb, we must look at at the Church Father's teachings pointing to Mary as the Tree of Life. What is the Biblical basis for Mary being the Tree of Life?

If Mary is the Tree of Life, who is her fruit?

"Blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus...." Hail Mary prayer

If Eve, represents the Tree of Good and Evil, then, who was her fruit? Eve fruit was Cain, a murderer like Satan the Father of lies and a murderer from the beginning.

Satan the Devil, had "touch" or defiled Eve's sacred virginity, and Eve bore an offspring coming from Adam tainted by malice of Satan, his name is Cain, a murderer too.

The Children of the Devil …43Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you are unable to accept My message. 44You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out his desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, refusing to uphold the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, because he is a liar and the father of lies. 45But because I speak the truth, you do not believe Me!…