For God knows that in the very day you eat from it, your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and bad.’”

Look again at verse 5. Do you notice what else Satan told Eve?

Sophia: He said that if she ate of the fruit, her eyes would be opened.

Michelle: Yes, and that she would become “like God, knowing good and bad.” So Satan claimed that God was withholding something good from humans.

Sophia: I see.

Michelle: And that too was a major challenge.

Sophia: What do you mean?

Michelle: By his words, Satan implied that Eve​—and by extension, all humans—​would be better off without God’s rulership. In this case too, Jehovah knew that the best way to address the challenge would be to let Satan try to prove his point. So God has allowed Satan to rule this world for a time. That explains why we see so much suffering around us​—it’s because Satan, not God, is the real ruler of the world.d