Before reading, you must know that there were two different trees, the tree of knowledge, and the tree of eternal life. They both made up God. Some Gnostic texts (like this one) predate the Bible, and the lesson learned in this story is to always question authority. This was later changed in the Christian bible to "Ignorance is bliss: Ignorant slavery is better than dangerous freedom".
According to Genesis 2, Eve was never told by God not to eat from this tree. In the biblical version, as opposed to the Gnostic version, she did not yet exist.
(There is a conflict between Genesis 1:27 and 2:22 as to when Eve came into existence.)
The snake represents gnosis or knowledge (the logos) in nearly all of the ancient mythologies and philosophies. Only in Christianity does the snake appear to mean something evil. When we look at the creation story in the book of Genesis, it is interesting because who lies? Does the serpent lie, or does God lie? The serpent tells Eve (Gen 3:5) " ...your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil." Eve sees (Gen 3:6) "a tree to be desired to make one wise." God tells Adam, who in turn must have told Eve (Gen 2: 17), " .. .for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." She does not die, at least not a physical death. Adam doesn't die either. Neither died in the day of eating the fruit.
Think of the forbidden fruit as the red pill in the Matrix. The reason they chose the serpent is because snake venom was sometimes used for healing: A dangerous bite for the greater good of man.
Exodus 20:5 - You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me,
This is the story they never told you!
The Testimony of Truth
"It is written in the Law concerning this, when God gave a command to Adam, "From every tree you may eat, but from the tree which is in the midst of Paradise do not eat, for on the day that you eat from it, you will surely die." But the serpent was wiser than all the animals that were in Paradise, and he persuaded Eve, saying, "On the day when you eat from the tree which is in the midst of Paradise, the eyes of your mind will be opened." And Eve obeyed, and she stretched forth her hand; she took from the tree and ate; she also gave to her husband with her. And immediately they knew that they were naked, and they took some fig-leaves (and) put them on as girdles. But God came at the time of evening, walking in the midst of Paradise. When Adam saw him, he hid himself. And he said, "Adam, where are you?" He answered (and) said, "I have come under the fig tree." And at that very moment, God knew that he had eaten from the tree of which he had commanded him, "Do not eat of it." And he said to him, "Who is it who has instructed you?" And Adam answered, "The woman whom you have given me." And the woman said, "It is the serpent who instructed me." And he (God) cursed the serpent, and called him "devil." And he said, "Behold, Adam has become like one of us, knowing evil and good." Then he said, "Let us cast him out of paradise, lest he take from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever."
"But what sort is this God? First he maliciously refused Adam from eating of the tree of knowledge, and, secondly, he said "Adam, where are you?" God does not have foreknowledge? Would he not know from the beginning? And afterwards, he said, "Let us cast him out of this place, lest he eat of the tree of life and live forever." Surely, he has shown himself to be a malicious grudger! And what kind of God is this? For great is the blindness of those who read, and they did not know him. And he said, "I am the jealous God; I will bring the sins of the fathers upon the children until three (and) four generations." And he said, "I will make their heart thick, and I will cause their mind to become blind, that they might not know nor comprehend the things that are said." But these things he has said to those who believe in him and serve him!"