He was trying to keep them from ending up like Harold camping and other rapture tards of various sorts.

But since they ate it..the world has been plagued by a million religions ever since all hating eachother..setting doom dates all the time..and killing in Gods name.

God just wanted to avoid it all..but he still had to give them a choice or he would have been a dictator.

Sadly..they ate from the tree..and thousands of years later..we have RAPTURE TARDS..and MUSLIMS>.and..hate..and death..MOST of it in the name of RELIGION..which is..KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL.

See??