Paradise Lost

The next morning Eve awakes disturbed from a nightmare in which a voice brought her to the Tree of Knowledge, where an angel offered her fruit. The angel told her to eat the fruit so she could be like God. Adam is disturbed to hear this, but he assures Eve that she did not truly sin, since it was only a dream.

In Heaven, God calls the Archangel Raphael and sends him to warn Adam about the evil that has infiltrated Paradise. He instructs Raphael to remind Adam that he and Eve have free will, and so can beat the evil around them.

Raphael informs Adam that Paradise’s bliss is not permanent but dependent on Adam’s actions and obedience. Raphael tells Adam the story of Satan’s civil war. It began when God announced the Holy Spirit, his Son, who would rule with him. Satan was envious of this power given to the Son and believed that he did not have to follow the Holy Spirit. His envy drove him to assemble his fellow angels and declare that he was never given a choice in serving God, and certainly was given no choice in following the Son.