Satan tempts people by glamorizing forbidden things and appealing to the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life — the same three avenues he used on Eve.
In the Garden, Satan made the forbidden tree look good for food, pleasant to the eyes, and desirable for wisdom. He then put the ultimate bait before Eve — 'you can be like God' — and he still uses that same ploy today, making what destroys us look like something we cannot live without.
Genesis 3:6 — Records the exact points of temptation that overcame Eve: physical appeal, visual appeal, and the desire to be wise.
In Genesis 3:1-5, the serpent questioned what God had said and promised the woman, 'ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.' Genesis 3:6 records that the woman saw the tree was good for food, pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, so she took of its fruit and ate, and gave some to her husband. The apostle John likewise names the three areas of temptation: 'the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life' (1 John 2:16).
Les Feldick shows that Satan's method has remained the same from the Garden to today. He approaches through the three areas John lists — the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life — and every human faces these almost daily. Satan hooked Eve by the fruit that appealed to her appetite and her eyes, but the underlying bait was the offer that she could be like God. Because Adam already had the best wife and Eve the best husband, and their environment was perfect, the only thing left to tempt them with was the desire for God's position and power. That was the same lie that led to Satan's own downfall: 'I will be like the most High' (Isaiah 14:14).
According to Les, the three areas are the lust of the eye, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life, just as John listed them. Every human being faces these temptations not just once, but almost every day. Eve was the first to experience them when the forbidden tree appealed to her appetite, her eyes, and her desire to be wise like God (Genesis 3:6).
Satan approached Eve through the one thing she did not have. Since she already had a perfect husband and an environment with nothing to make her uncomfortable, he used the forbidden tree — and ultimately the offer that she could be like God. He glamorized what God had forbidden so that it looked like something to be desired.
Yes. Les says Satan can take the things of this world that do nothing but destroy us and glamorize them until people feel that if they are not doing it, they are not living. He also simply contradicts God: everything God says is best not to do, Satan says do it.
Les points out that Jesus faced the same three areas. His hunger was the lust of the flesh; the tremendous crowd that would witness His jump from the temple was the appeal to the eye; and Satan's offer of all the kingdoms was the pride of life and quest for power. The same pattern goes all the way back to Eve: good for food, pleasant to the eyes, and desirable to make one wise.
During the thousand-year Kingdom, people will have a perfect environment with no sin, sickness, or pain. God has to give new generations who have never made a choice an opportunity to choose, so Satan has to be released to present his options again. He will use the same temptation he used on Eve: 'Yes, you've got it perfect, but you're still not God.'
Glamorized Sin and the 'Be Your Own God' Lie
Les explains that Satan makes destructive things look desirable, telling people they can be their own god, and that this 'you can be as gods' lie was used on Eve.
The Three Temptations Every Human Faces
Les identifies lust of the eye, lust of the flesh, and pride of life as the three temptation areas everyone faces daily, beginning with Eve.
Jesus' Temptations Mirror Eve's
Les maps Jesus' temptations onto the same categories: hunger (flesh), the temple spectacle (eye), and power over kingdoms (pride).
The Choice Adam and Eve Had to Face
Les shows that because Adam and Eve had everything perfect, the only temptation left to offer them was the possibility of being like God — a necessary choice for free will.
Satan's Original Ploy: 'I Will Be Like the Most High'
Les connects Satan's own downfall — his desire to be like God — to the same ploy he used on Eve and will use again in the Kingdom.
Power and Pride at the Root
Les shows that Eve's temptation was ultimately based on the desire to be like God, which would give her power, and that same quest for power feeds human pride today.
Satan Says the Opposite of God
Les observes that whatever God says is best for us not to do, Satan tells people to do it.
Satan Will Tempt Kingdom Generations the Same Way
Les expects Satan to present his options to perfect Kingdom generations with the same temptation he used on Eve: 'You're still not God.'
Genesis 3:6: And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
Directly records how Eve was tempted and the three points — appetite, sight, and desire for wisdom — that led to the fall.
Genesis 3:5: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
Shows the promise Satan attached to the forbidden tree: the prospect of being like God.
1 John 2:16: For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
Names the three categories of temptation that Les uses to explain Satan's method.
Hebrews 4:15: For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
Shows that Jesus was tempted in all points as we are, connecting Eve's experience to Christ's temptations.
Isaiah 14:14: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.
Reveals Satan's own aspiration to be like God — the same desire he offered to Eve.
According to Les Feldick, Satan tempts through the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life. He glamorizes what God forbids and makes people feel they are missing out if they do not take part, and he appeals to the desire to be like God and have power.
He used the forbidden tree, appealing first to her appetite ('good for food'), then to her eyes ('pleasant to the eyes'), and her desire for wisdom ('desired to make one wise'). Behind it all was the offer that she could be like God.
Yes. Les shows that every human faces the same three areas almost daily, and that Satan still glamorizes things that tear people down. Whatever God says is best not to do, Satan says do it.
Satan appealed to Jesus' hunger (lust of the flesh), the spectacle of a crowd watching Him jump from the temple (lust of the eyes), and the offer of power over the kingdoms of the world (pride of life).
Watch the Teaching: Genesis 2-3 Bible Study: How the Fall of Man Changed Everything