Initially, a seemingly innocent question was raised: “Is it really so that God said you must not eat from every tree of the garden?” (Genesis 3:1) That question perverted the truth. It intimated that the Most High was unduly restrictive, withholding from the first humans something to which they were entitled. The serpent’s words must have caused Eve to wonder just why she could not eat from the “tree of the knowledge of good and bad.” In this way Satan conditioned her mind to want an answer. Then came the serpent’s pointed reply: “You positively will not die.

Genesis 3:4,

 6. (a) What factors made Eve susceptible to accepting error? (b) How was a heretical body formed as a result of Satan’s lie?

⁶ Since Eve’s mind had been subtly prepared for it, the lying answer did not come as a shock. The fact that “the serpent proved to be the most cautious” of all the animals seemed to suggest that such a creature could hardly be the source of wrong information. (Genesis 3:1) Furthermore, the tree was attractive and its fruit gave indication of being good for food. Eve was totally deceived. After partaking of the forbidden fruit, she persuaded Adam to join her in rebellion against God. (Genesis 3:6) In this way the lying words of the serpent succeeded in alienating the first humans from their heavenly Father. In actuality, a heretical body consisting of two persons was formed.