1 AND then the Lord said: [ The Lord is Jehovah, the pre-existent Christ. ] Let us [ More than 1. ] go down. [ Go to a place that is different from where they are currently at. Both Moses and Abraham have accounts of the creation, and anytime there is a text about the creation, you need to think in terms of relationships between God, man, and the environment in which man is placed to work out his salvation. These creation accounts are written to establish relationships. They are not meant explain the science of creation, nor are they written to explain or even imply how long it took to create the world. They were given to mankind as part of an ordinance and an initiation, and always show up in this context. The Moses creation account is his endowment; the Abraham creation account is his endowment. The Temple creation account is your endowment. You and they received knowledge or an endowment of power that establishes a relationship between you and God and the environment in which you live. Temple – Present - (We are the Man Adam or the Woman Eve); Moses – Past - (Moses provided a historical point of view); Abraham – Future - (Abraham sees what will come to pass). Our three creation accounts, because of their different points of view, offer us an expanded understanding of the creation. Of the three accounts, the one most neglected also happens to be the best—and that is Abraham. The insights Abraham provides, with his pre-existent point of view of the Council in Heaven discussion, are tremendous when compared to the other creation accounts. These three accounts are different because they are given to different audiences for different purposes, even though the fundamental purpose is the same in all of them. Moses is trying to teach hardhearted, stiff-necked Israel the things of God from a historical point of view (things as they were). He received these things in order to teach the Children of Israel about the relationship between God and man and the environment of the Promised Land in which they were going to live. They needed to see it and understand it that way. In the Temple, you are seeing and participating in things as they are in the present. You are the man Adam or the woman Eve. The creation is going on in real time. You are receiving this in real time so that you can work out your salvation in the environment in which you are now living. Abraham is looking at the creation from the point of view of the Gods. He is one of those spirits who were “noble and great” in that Council and was chosen and foreordained to be a leader, a prophet, a Patriarch. Thus Abraham sees things from a pre-existent point of view, from the vantage point of what will be—that which is going to happen in the future. Abraham 4 deals with the creation epics. Remember, the creation accounts establish our relationship with God and answer WHY the world was created, not HOW. Without a knowledge of these things we have no power over this life, but become as the beasts—to live and die, obsessed with, and consumed in, the worldly satisfaction of pride and the flesh. ] And they [ The Gods - the Noble and great ones - See Abr 3:22. ] went down at the beginning, [ What is the difference between Genesis 1:1 and this verse? Genesis 1:1 "in the beginning" Genesis would have you believe that this is the starting point but if we are part of an eternal process then then there really is no beginning or end...it is really about the beginning of this earth on which we dwell as described here in Abraham. ] and they, that is the Gods, [ Note this plural God's Certainly God the Father, Jesus Christ, The Holy Ghost, Adam, and perhaps Noah, Enoch... Joseph Smith Doctrines of Salvation Vol 1:74-75. Almost every ancient culture depicts a council of the Gods; there is a Supreme God and there is a council that sits with that God. "In the very beginning the Bible shows there is a plurality of Gods beyond the power of refutation. It is a great subject I am dwelling on. The word Eloheim ought to be in the plural all the way through—Gods. The heads of the Gods appointed one God for us; and when you take [that] view of the subject, its sets one free to see all the beauty, holiness and perfection of the Gods. All I want is to get the simple, naked truth, and the whole truth. (TPJS p. 372)". ] organized and formed [ Abraham is calling our attention specifically to the fact that things were organized, not created from scratch. So we might say that the brought order to the chaos of things. Since God the Father is called "God the Creator" and since we are gaining experience to become like Him, doesn't it seem logical that part of the divine curriculum would include an opportunity to learn how to "create?" Is it too hard to imagine that we were taught how to create a sky, a solar system... ] the heavens and the earth. [ God is only revealing the beginning of our earth and the good spirits helped make the earth. That is you and I... "Every man who has a calling to minister to the inhabitants of the world was ordained to that very purpose in the Grand Council of heaven before this world was."--J.S., Teachings 365. ]

2 And the earth, after it was formed, was empty and desolate, [ Empty in that it was without man, and as the other account suggest "Without form and void". ] because they had not formed anything but the earth; and darkness reigned upon the face of the deep, and the Spirit of the Gods was brooding [ What does the word brooding mean? brooding: Protecting and nurturing and incubating—watching what is going on. Things had been set in motion that will change everything. What a hen does while incubating and protecting her eggs in her nest. She protects them, warms, and defends them. See lectures on Faith 1:14-17 The word from which brooding is translated also means "fertilizing". This seems clearly to be describing the life-giving and life-sustaining power of the light of Christ that makes possible all life, not only on this earth but throughout all of God's creations. The light of Christ "proceedeth forth from the presence of God to fill the immensity of space. It is also "the light which is in all things, which given life to all things, which is the law by which all things are governed" (D&C 88:11-13). ] upon the face of the waters.

3 And they (the Gods) [ Again plural. ] said: Let there be light; and there was light. [ After this general creation information (establishing the setting) the reader then begins to learn the specifics of the environment in which he is going to live. You are not going to live before the time you are going to live so you will not need, nor will you ever have, a relationship with anything that existed prior to Adam arriving on this earth. The creation of the heavens and the earth is spoken about in very general terms because it is here at all times. Verses 3-5 describe in very rudimentary terms the beginning of the astrogeologic creation. This is the “trailer” or preview of upcoming events. ]

4 And they (the Gods) comprehended [ This verse is distinctively different from Moses 2:4. 1 : grasp the nature, significance, or meaning of 2 : to contain or hold within a total scope, significance, or amount 3 : to include by construction or implication. What is the symbolism of creating light first? We can see what we are doing. All things are guided by the light of the world or Jesus Christ. ] the light, for it was bright; [ Was it too bright for our mortal eyes? Was it too bright to yield mortal telestial life? What exactly is he trying to say here? Brighter than that noonday sun as Joseph Smith put it? ] and they [ These Gods. ] divided the light, or caused it to be divided, from the darkness. [ The set the earth to rotate to spend some of its time in the dark and some in the light. How did they have a morning and an evening if the sun was not there? Suggesting that there was one source of light or all light was coming from roughtly the same direction. ]

5 And the Gods called the light Day, and the darkness they called Night. And it came to pass that from the evening until morning they called night; [ Denotes the mediphore of time or a period - not established by hours but by period with or without light. ] and from the morning until the evening they called day; and this was the first, or the beginning, of that which they called day and night. [ Abraham is providing a little more insight into Day & Night. How did they have a morning and an evening if the sun was not there? In v 4, Abraham says the Gods caused the light to be divided from the darkness. These opening verses are the preview of the show that is about to come. ]

6 And the Gods also said: Let there be an expanse [ An atmosphere Bible Dict Firmament. Firmament and Expanse mean the same thing. In Fig 4 of Fac #2, we see the Hebrew word, Raukeeyang, signifying firmament or expanse of the heavens. ] in the midst of the waters, [ Between the water on the earth the rivers and streams and oceans and the water vapor and rain in the sky's. ] and it [ This expanse - the atmosphere or expanse. ] shall divide the waters [ Found on the earth. ] from the waters. [ Clouds or moisture in the skies. ]

7 And the Gods ordered [ Organized, created and commanded provided the rules from which they were to behave. ] the expanse, so that it divided the waters which were under the expanse from the waters which were above the expanse; and it was so, even as they ordered . [ This is really interetsing here. It suggests that even the expanse somehow had its agency, and it did as it was ordered as opposed to wandering in chaos. ]

8 And the Gods called the expanse, Heaven. And it came to pass that it was from evening until morning that they called night; and it came to pass that it was from morning until evening that they called day; and this was the second time [ The other accounts of the creation refer to the periods as days, notice the difference here and in vs 13, 19, 23 & 31 they are referred to as times not days as they are referred to in other scriptures. Brigham Young said the period of time is a mere term how long each period of time was we do not know Discourses of Brigham Young pg 100. ] that they called night and day.

9 And the Gods ordered, [ The Gods ordered/commanded/instructed things: they set things in motion and what was ordered was obeyed. Abraham is explaining the Gods ordered things, they set things in motion, and what was ordered was obeyed (“the waters were gathered together unto one place and the earth came up dry.”). We're still talking about generalities because we're still talking about the creation of the heavens and the earth. These are things that are going to be here no matter how long man is going to be here. These are things that have to be here even before man is placed on the earth. ] saying: Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, [ One ocean. ] and let the earth come up dry; [ One large land mass. This is want is known by the ancients at the primordial mound. ] and it was so as they ordered;

10 And the Gods pronounced the dry land, Earth; [ Notice the wording it provides us with additional insight. ] and the gathering together of the waters, pronounced they, Great Waters; and the Gods saw that they were obeyed. [ This is an interesting differentiation to the Genesis and Moses accounts of the creation in that Abraham uses the word obeyed four times. ] .

11 And the Gods said: Let us prepare [ What Abraham is saying in verse 11 is that the Gods were setting things in motion. “Let us prepare the earth...” This preparatory period could take as long as was necessary. It may have been millions and millions of years before the earth was ready for Adam to be placed on it. “Let’s prepare the earth for the plants and the animals that are going to be on the earth for the time when Adam and all his posterity are going to be here.” Provide the proper planning and infrastructure required. This preparatory period could take as long as was necessary, perhaps millions and millions of years before the earth was ready for Adam to be placed on it. “Let’s prepare the earth for the plants and the animals that are going to be on the earth for the time when Adam and all his posterity are going to be here.” The creation of the earth, the waters, the sun, moon, and stars, is separate from the time period that the animals and the plants are prepared for the earth. The Gods created the heavens and the earth, and then they put one God in charge of it to finish the job. ] the earth to bring forth grass; the herb yielding seed; the fruit tree yielding fruit, after his kind, whose seed in itself yieldeth its own likeness upon the earth; and it was so, [ It came to be just as it had been planned. ] even as they ordered. [ It followed the commands of God. ]

12 And the Gods organized the earth to bring forth grass from its own seed, [ You will notice the pattern of repetition in these two verses: In ancient languages the repetition is for emphasis. The Lord makes clear that the grass and the vegetation and fruit trees all have seed within themselves in order to produce after their kind. What God is saying is that evolution is not an aspect of creation. Each class of vegetation had seed within itself to produce “after its own kind.” For the children of Israel, at the time of Moses, evolution was not an issue. But it is an issue today. Therefore God gives scripture to be read in the time that it is read. Under inspiration, and knowing the end from the beginning, knowing the issues that will be relevant in our day, he teaches concepts that will be important for us to understand in our day. It is all very clear. Read each and every word below slowly and deliberately. ] and the herb to bring forth herb from its own seed, [ Repetition for further instruction that what he is saying he means. The repetition in these verses is meant to emphasize something that we will need to understand. ] yielding seed after his kind; [ What do you suppose the Lord meant when he said "yeilding seed after his kind? Laws and bounds were given to all creations. ] and the earth to bring forth the tree from its own seed, yielding fruit, whose seed could only bring forth the same in itself, [ When they discuss evolution, they always talk about evolution within the animal kingdom, but they never talk about evolution within the plant kingdom. If evolution is a factor in one kingdom, it follows that it would show up in the other. Did a tree evolve from moss just as a monkey came from primordial slime? See, the scriptures are there to be read in the time in which we read them. There is more emphasis or repetition in this creation epic about plants and animals having seed within themselves and producing after their kind, more emphasis in this context, than anywhere else in scripture. ] after his kind; and the Gods saw that they were obeyed. [ They “ordered” in v 9; they “prepared” in v 11; they “organized” in v 12, and they saw that everything was working and “that they were obeyed.” This ordering, this preparation, and organization is repeated for our benefit to help us see the relationship we have with God and our environment, and to help us see that God does not do anything unless it will be for our benefit. (See 2 Ne 26:24; Ether 3:4) ]

13 And it came to pass that they numbered the days; [ These first 13 verses are the movie trailer – setting the scene for the presentation yet to come. Verses 1-10 cover the astrogeologic portion of the creation, and 11-13 depict the biologic creation. Verse 14 adds more detail about the lights in the heavens that were introduced in v 3-4. ] ; from the evening until the morning they called night; and it came to pass, from the morning until the evening they called day; and it was the third time.

14 And the Gods organized the lights [ In verses 4-5 we saw the Gods dividing the light or causing it to be divided: there was a morning and an evening, and an evening and a morning. These verses were the preview, now here is the show! The Gods, more than one, we know it was at least Heavenly Father and Jesus, and here the creation is put into a different light here using the word organized. Now we will start to get an idea of the details —the specifics of how light is divided from the darkness, and how the sun, moon, and stars give light to the earth. The sun, moon, and stars give light to the earth. Those first few verses introduce what is going to be taking place in the rest of the chapter, and in that regard could be considered colophonic verses. In essence God says there is going to be light and there is going to be darkness. When it is light it is going to be called Day, and when it is dark it is going to be called Night. We’re going to divide the light from the darkness ... how? The earth now begins to spin, causing the light to be divided from the darkness. The sun is bright, and the earth needs to rotate in order to divide the light from the darkness. ] in the expanse of the heaven, [ Sky. ] and caused them to divide [ He created a different time for each, he set them apart with specific responsibility (gives them accountability). In essence God says there is going to be light and there is going to be darkness. When it is light it is going to be called Day, and when it is dark it is going to be called Night. We’re going to divide the light from the darkness ... How does he do this? We are taught that he does it by separating them from each other (dividing them up). ] the day from the night; and organized them to be for signs and for seasons, and for days and for years; [ This creation is not linear time. It took as long as it took to accomplish these things. Remember...you are not going to live during this time. You do not need to know the details of what is going on. All you need to know is that God caused the light to be divided from the darkness. God will let us in on further knowledge as we get to the plants and the animals that are going to be on the earth when Adam is placed on the earth. Or in other words everything that took place before Adam arrived on the earth (whether there were dinosaurs) plays no part in Adam developing his relationship with God and the environment upon which he is going to live and work out his salvation. These accounts do not have all of the detail provided for us, and that is not their purpose. Everything before Adam is just generalized. The purpose of creation accounts if to provide the relationship that God intends with man. ]

15 And organized them to be for lights in the expanse of the heaven to give light upon the earth; and it was so. [ We're not dealing with science, we're dealing with relationships. This earth has been created for us. It doesn't matter how long it took, only that there is an Earth, a Heaven, a Sun, a Moon and Stars. It's a general explanation. The endowment of power in the creation epic is described so that we might have a relationship with God, our fellowman, and the environment on which we are to work out our salvation. What relationship does the earth have with the sun? It is holding us in its orbit. Not only is the earth spinning on its axis, it is also spinning around the sun. That relationship is what causes the division between light and darkness. ]

16 And the Gods organized the two great lights, the greater light [ The sun. ] to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night; [ The moon. ] with the lesser light they set the stars also; [ Think about this for a moment if you want to try to comprehend the knowledge of God. Astronomers estimate that there are about 400 billion stars in the Milky Way galaxy alone, 400 billion, but between one and 10 trillion orbiting planets. So, that computes to between 2 and 25 times as many planets as stars. Unbelievable. Now, and if you times that by the estimated one to two trillion galaxies in the known universe, you have a number of planets that is not even comprehensible to the human mind. ]

17 And the Gods set them in the expanse of the heavens, to give light upon the earth, and to rule over the day and over the night, and to cause to divide the light from the darkness.

18 And the Gods watched those things which they had ordered until they obeyed. [ Note the fact that Abraham says the gods watched until everything was behaving the way that it was supposed to and Moses says that the gods felt that the process was good...in otherwords it was working the way they had planned. They watched those things until they were obeyed, and that took as long as it needed to take. The concept of night and day is to distinguish light from darkness, not time. If the Gods prepared, organized and ordered these things, how long could it have taken to complete the process? As long as it needed to take. ]

19 And it came to pass that it was from evening until morning that it was night; and it came to pass that it was from morning until evening that it was day; and it was the fourth time.

20 And the Gods said: Let us prepare [ Once again we are in the planning phase of the operation. ] the waters to bring forth abundantly the moving creatures that have life; and the fowl, that they may fly above the earth in the open expanse of heaven.

21 And the Gods prepared the waters that they might bring forth great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters were to bring forth abundantly after their kind; and every winged fowl after their kind. And the Gods saw that they would be obeyed, [ They knew that what they had planned would work when it was implemented. ] and that their plan was good. [ It was working well. ]

22 And the Gods said: We will bless them, and cause them to be fruitful and multiply, [ Who is the them here? It is all of the fowls, fishes, mammals... This use of the word cause in the same word that he used to divide the land from the waters, the light from the darkness. So it is not a command but it is what the scriptures say "he blessed them that they would have the power to bring forth offspring." As a matter of fact the commandment to multiply and replenish the earth does not come until after the flood and is given the command to Noah. ] and fill the waters in the seas or great waters; and cause the fowl to multiply in the earth.

23 And it came to pass that it was from evening until morning that they called night; and it came to pass that it was from morning until evening that they called day; and it was the fifth time.

24 And the Gods [ Plural. ] prepared the earth [ What would be entailed in preparing the earth for living creatures? There would need to be air, water and some sort of vegetation. This was prepared, made ready , as to provide a place for them tho live. ] to bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle and creeping things, and beasts of the earth after their kind; and it was so, as they had said. [ As they had planned. ]

25 And the Gods organized the earth to bring forth the beasts after their kind, [ God is making a point—that all things created for this existence, this environment, have seed within themselves to reproduce after their kind. This is something we need to know to counteract the pervasive teachings of Darwin and others like him who has successfully advanced the belief in evolution in our culture, teaching it as fact instead of theory. The scriptures that God gave us make clear that all things on the earth at the time that Adam and his progeny are on the earth have seed within themselves to reproduce after their own kind. There was no evolution of any sort, contrary to the modern day theories and teachings and ideas being argued in our schools and universities. ] and cattle after their kind, [ Repetition that suggests that whatever happened before Adam (If there was some kind of evolution) is of no import. But from the time of Adam on God has given everything the power to reproduce in its own sphere. ] and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after its kind; and the Gods saw they would obey. [ Again they were confident that things would function in their proper place and order just as they were planned. They ensured that everything was being obedient to its purpose. Obedience the first Law of Heaven. ]

26 And the Gods took counsel among themselves [ Edification; Problem-solving - they planned things out the planned for the outcome that they desired. Gods planning what they were going to do before they actually did it. Created the "blueprint." "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail." If they counseled among themselves then they were teachable, they accepted different ideas to make things work the way that they had planned. Remember they could not just google the answer. ] and said: Let us go down and form man in our image, [ "All men and women...are literally the sons and daughters of Deity." "All men and women are in the similitude of the Universal Father and Mother" Ether 3:6 (Bro. of Jared sees god's finger like unto flesh); D&C 130:22 (God's body of flesh and bones) What does it mean to us to know that we are created in the image of GOD?. ] after our likeness; [ After our likeness,” in Hebrew, means “in looks and in substance.” ] and we [ This group of Gods that were counseling among themselves. ] will give them dominion [ Dominion does not mean to harm or control, it means to bless and to train. When Joseph Smith referenced Genesis 1:26-28 or Moses 2:26-28, he said the dominion given to Adam and Eve was the [patriarchal] priesthood (see TPJS, p 157). They were living under the patriarchal order of the priesthood at that time. This was before the Fall and also in the context of their creation. God is only explaining that man would have the ability to have dominion...there have not been any commandments given yet. Moses 2:26 It is interesting to note that dominion is closely associated with Kingship (being a king and a queen a temporal stewardship over the subjects). Usually the appointment of dominion is folowed by the pronouncement of being a priest and a priestess(a spiritual connection of responsibility). God is trying to teach us that all temporal power that fails to recognize its subordination to proper spiritual authority is vain. Dominion once separated from its core principles which should be under the direction of God can only exert itself in a disorderly way and move inexorably to its own ruin. So for any king or queen, the holders of temporal power revolt against this spiritual authority and declare themselves independent of all spiritual power, even trying to subordinate to themselves the spiritual authority that they had originally recognized as the source of their own power and seeking to turn the spiritual authority to the service of their own domination. Well, to then will come ruin and tyranny of the subjects. ] over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

27 so the Gods went down to organize man in their own image, in the image of the Gods to form they him, male and female to form they them. [ We see from the verses (Moses 2:27; Moses 6:9; Abraham 4:27) that Man is created in the image of God’s own body, and woman is also created from the image of God, and they together were called Adam(Moses 6:9). These Gods included both male and female Gods. Man is created in the image of God’s own body, and woman is also created from the image of God, and they were called Adam. Then neither of them was complete until the other was created or formed. That’s what Paul says in 1 Cor 11:11. It takes two of them to become the “image of God.” That's why it says in D&C 131:1-2 they have to "enter the new and everlasting covenant of marriage" or they must be sealed. ] [ Compare with Mos 2:27. ]

28 And the Gods said: We will bless them. [ Them - the two of them together they are blessed together to have this power. When it says that the Gods “blessed them,” it is saying that they have the capability to be fruitful, to subdue the earth, and to have dominion over all the earth. All of it is an aspect of the creation. They were given the capability; it was a causation that affected their ability. Man is now created, and God “Blesses them.” This is not a command. As an aspect of creation, they have the potential to replenish the earth (just like the animals), subdue it, and have dominion over it (Priesthood). He gave unto them dominion, which is Priesthood. When a man and woman enter into the New and Everlasting Covenant of Marriage, they enter into the order of the Patriarchal Priesthood. It's what is discussed in both D&C 107 & 132. He blessed them with the Priesthood. "The Priesthood was first given to Adam; he obtained the First Presidency, and held the keys of it from generation to generation. He obtained it in the creation, before the world was formed, as in Gen 1:26,27,28" (History Of The Church 3:385-388. ) What are some of the ways that the Lord blesses man? Gives us the power to procreate, posterity, the priesthood. ] And the Gods said: We will cause them [ He put that power in them as an aspect of their creation, same thing that he did with the animals. The use of the word cause here is often interrupted as we will command them. It is not a command but rather as we are still in the creation phase he will give them (cause) the power to multiply and replenish the earth. This use of the word cause in the same word that he used to divide the land from the waters, the light from the darkness. So it is not a command but it is what the scriptures say "he blessed them that they would have the power to bring forth offspring." As a matter of fact the commandment to multiply and replenish the earth does not come until after the flood and is given the command to Noah. Additionally, this instruction is given in the same sentence as to have dominion over the earth. Before the fall we know that they were in a state of “innocence”, that’s why they were not ashamed of their nakedness. So a command to have posterity to them before the fall would have been useless because they simply could not comprehend it. That is the reason that there was no command to have posterity before the fall. God “blessed” them with the ability too, not commanded them, to multiply and fill the earth as an aspect of their creation. Here in Abraham we see that the Gods will (in the right time) “caused them” to be fruitful and to multiply, but that did not occur until after the fall. Do you find these words interesting given that we have our agency? ] to be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth, [ This is not a command but it is an aspect of their creation, they have the power to procreate. Procreate that the earth may fulfill its purpose Fill - see Gen 1:28 footnote c. ] and subdue it, [ Note that they have the power to subdue the earth, it is given in the same way that God caused them to multiply and replenish the earth, the same way that he will cause them to have dominion over the earth. How do we subdue the earth? While we are natural man part of our mission is to prove to ourselves that we can become masters of our selves - over power the natural man. ] and to have dominion [ "dominion" is very closely related to the duties of a king or queen. Here it is given equally to both Adam and Eve.(See TPJS. P 157) There is no Patriarch without a Matriarch. Only the Matriarch can choose the next Patriarch. He cannot choose himself, and neither can the father choose the next Patriarch; only the Matriarch (mother) can do that. With her equal authority, she is the one who chooses the next Patriarch. Before the fall, their powers were equal in every way, in every power, and with every authority. There is no inequality in the creation of man and woman. There is no inequality in the fall of man or woman. There is no inequality in the exaltation of the man or woman. There has only been a perceived inequality by those who are uninformed about the true state of man created in the image of God. This concept of being one is fulfilled at our exaltation. The Abrahamic Covenant consists of Priesthood, Posterity, and Inheritance. The “Blessing” God gives to the first man Adam is what Abraham is referring to, because it came from Adam. We see this clearly in these scriptures: God “caused them” to be fruitful (Posterity), and to subdue the earth (Inheritance), and to have dominion over all the earth (Priesthood). Which they don’t see a realization of this blessing of posterity, subduing the earth, and having dominion, until after the Fall in Chapter 5 of Moses. In what ways does man have dominion over the earth? The priesthood. See Moses 2:28. Joseph Smith remarked that the “dominion” given to Adam & Eve was the Priesthood. The Lord was speaking to them, Adam & Eve. He gave unto them dominion, which is Priesthood. (See Joseph Smith, in The Personal Writings of Joseph Smith, Compiled and Edited by Dean C. Jesse, (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1984), pp. 92, 132). When a man and woman enter into the New and Everlasting Covenant of Marriage, they enter into the order of the Patriarchal Priesthood. It's what is discussed in both D&C 107 & 132. The prophet remarked in a marriage ceremony that "marriage was an institution of heaven instituted in the Garden of Eden.” Following the ceremony he pronounced them Husband and Wife and "in the name of God" blessed them with the "blessings that the Lord conferred upon Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden" in Gen. 1:28. [See also page 132, where the blessings of "Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob" are given to the married couple. See Also TPJS p. 157. ] over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. [ Compare with Mos 2:28. ]

29 And the Gods said: Behold, we will give them every herb bearing seed that shall come upon the face of all the earth, and every tree which shall have fruit upon it; yea, the fruit of the tree yielding seed to them we will give it; it shall be for their meat.

30 And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, behold, we will give them life, and also we will give to them every green herb for meat, and all these things shall be thus organized. [ Or this is the grand design or blueprint to follow. ]

31 And the Gods said: We will do everything that we have said, and organize them; and behold, they shall be very obedient. [ This is not just a organized things and leave, they watch, over time to see that everything is going and working as planned. It takes patience, and time to teach, to further instruct things how to obey. I think it was Elder Bednar, who said, "When the Lord says we're going to create something spiritually before we create it physically." He said, "that's what we should do as well with our mourning prayer and our evening prayer. In our morning prayer, we spiritually create our day and our evening prayer is to return and report. So we're praying always in that way because we have that spiritual creation of our day in our minds. ] And it came to pass that it was from evening until morning they called night; and it came to pass that it was from morning until evening that they called day; and they numbered the sixth time.

[ Scientist at IdeaFestival explains how science is failing us Tech Republic By Hope Reese. We don't understand the universe: Scientist at IdeaFestival explains how science is failing us, originally appeared on TechRepublic.com. "What do we know about the universe?" asked astronomer Bob Berman to a crowded room at IdeaFestival 2015 in Louisville, Kentucky. "Why aren't the answers satisfying? Where do they go wrong?" There's a lot of hard and fast data, he says, but it doesn't always give us the right answers. "It's important to know when science is working," said Berman, "and when it's not." Berman offered four reasons that our scientific approach to understanding the universe doesn't work, and what we can do about it: 1. Limited data--Most of the universe is dark energy and the rest is dark matter--and we don't know what that is, said Berman. "We only know what's in our vicinity." 2. Limits to our dualistic logic system--There are two ways we get information, Berman said. Directly and indirectly. In science, the indirect method can work sometimes. But not for everything. "Unless you experience love," Berman said, "you won't know what it is. If you're blind, you won't know the color blue. You need experience. And when it comes to the universe, we run out of symbols." The universe is growing larger, he said, "but what does that mean? We can't picture infinity." 3. Space/time framework--"Space actually is not real," said Berman. "We all have an image of space and time, a framework, but when we look, that space and time may have a questionable reality." Of time, Berman said it's also not real. It's merely "an ordering system that we animals created. And it changes." 4. Consciousness--"Consciousness is the greatest unsolved problem in all of science," said Berman. "In every experiment, we're seeing, thinking, concluding--and it happens in our consciousness. Experiments go differently if we measure them and how we measure them. Where we measure makes a difference. It depends on us as observers." And while we "continue to study the brain and how it works, this doesn't answer the question of human experience," said Berman. Berman believes that science is not approaching the universe from the right angle. We continue to study the Big Bang, he said, but it "doesn't compute with us. In our everyday lives we don't see puppies and lawn furniture popping out of nothingness. A universe out of nothingness? How could that be? How could we possibly know what things were like before the universe was the size of a grapenut?" And even if we pin down the Big Bang, we still can't comprehend the infiniteness of the universe, he said. "We are representatives of the universe. We have the universe inside of us." "We are representatives of the universe. We have the universe inside of us." Bob Berman "We're working on the assumption that studying the parts will give us the whole," Berman said. "That may not be true." so what's the answer? "If our thought process doesn't work with the macro-universe," Berman said, "the answers don't make sense. It means we're asking the wrong questions." In terms of what we can ever know about the universe, "we're not really making progress," Berman said. "We're not knowing more and more." The secret, he said, might lie in recognizing that the thing we are looking for is obvious rather than hidden; present rather than absent. ]