Abraham the Beginging

BACKGROUND
Where does this revealtion to Moses take place?
READ Moses 1:42 Where this revelation takes place

42 (These words were spoken unto Moses in the mount, the name of which shall not be known among the children of men. [ can we can safely conclude this is not the same Mt. Horeb/Sinai which is a common setting early in the book of Exodus, and the events chronicled here are not found anywhere in the book of Exodus? ] And now they are spoken unto you. Show them not unto any except them that believe. Even so. Amen.)

Mos1:1 THE words of God, which he [The premortal Jesus Christ - ot Jehovah The God os the Old Testament. President Joseph Fielding Smith said "All revelation since the fall has come through Jesus Christ...The Father has never spoke to man directly and personally since the fall, and he has never appearred except to introduce and bear record of the son. Doc of Salvation Vol 1:27"] spake unto Moses at a time when Moses was caught up into an exceedingly high mountain, [8,200-9,500 height of mountains around sinai region]

2 And he saw God face to face, and he talked with him, and the glory of God was upon Moses; [ What does it mean the Glory of god was on him? transfigured] therefore Moses could endure his presence.

Abr 3:11 Thus I, Abraham, talked with the Lord, [ Is this really God the Father that he is talking to or is Jesus Really talking for the Father as if he is him? - because in verses 24-28 that he is giving the narative of what happened with Satan and Jesus Christ in the pre-mortal world. ANSWER - it is the premortal Jesus Christ - or Jehovah The God os the Old Testament. President Joseph Fielding Smith said "All revelation since the fall has come through Jesus Christ...The Father has never spoke to man directly and personally since the fall, and he has never appearred except to introduce and bear record of the son. Doc of Salvation Vol 1:27"] face to face, as one man talketh with another; and he told me of the works which his hands had made; [ Notice that when he shows his workmanship to both Moses and Abraham he uses the phrase mine hands. the use of the word hands denotes that there was great detail taken in the creation. It implies creativity, comprehension, touch, dexterity and detail. See Moses 1:4]

40 And now, Moses, my son, I will speak unto thee concerning this earth upon which thou standest; and thou shalt write the things which I shall speak. [ Make another record, have we heard this council before in the Book Of Mormon? ]

41 And in a day when the children of men shall esteem my words as naught and take many of them from the book which thou shalt write, [ specifically the Book of Genesis ] behold, I will raise up another like unto thee; and they shall be had again among the children of men—among as many as shall believe.

[This is signifigant because again God planned for the misguided scribes that translated he bible...discuss figurative vs literal...the more satan could get the creation portion of the bible to be figurative the better his chance of making the whole bible, and everything in it figurative.

What are the difference between the three accounts of the creation and how we got them?

Moses originally wrote both Genesis and Moses, Genesis has been modified by scribes, Moses and Abraham both saw in vision the organization of the world, each is slightly different in perspective

GEN 1: 1 IN the beginning [compare with Abraham 4:1] God [ Jehovah - Jesus Christ - Christ was before the earth was crested if he was the one that crested it] ^ccreated [ hebrew ` baurau = which means to form , shape, organize out of pre-existing stuff ] the heaven and the earth.

2 And the earth was without form, and void; [see Abraham 4:2 - means "empty and desolate"] and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

Abr 4: 1 AND then the Lord said: Let us go down. And they [ Note pural - the Gods - the noble and great ones Abr 3:22 "There were many" ] 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, organized and formed the heavens and the earth. [ God is only revealing the beginning of our earth--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, 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=for what a hen does while incubating and protecting her eggs in her nest. She protects them, warms, and defends them See nots on lecture on faith below] upon the face of the waters.

14 "Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed [ 1) To build by putting together the structural parts of; construct: frame a house. 2) To conceive or design: 3) draw up the plans or basic details. ] by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear."

15 By this we understand that the principle of power, which existed in the bosom of God, by which the worlds were framed, was faith; and that it is by reason of this principle of power existing in the Deity, that all created things exist - so that all things in heaven, on earth, or under the earth, exist by reason of faith, as it existed in Him.

16 Had it not been for the principle of faith, the worlds would never have been framed, neither would man have been formed of the dust. It is the principle by which Jehovah works, and through which he exercises power over all temporal, as well as eternal things. Take this principle or attribute (for it is an attribute) from the Deity, and he would cease to exist.

17 Who cannot see that if God framed the worlds by faith, that it is by faith that he exercises power over them, and that faith is the principle of power? And that if the principle of power, it must be so in man as well as in the Deity? This is the testimony of all the sacred writers, and the lesson which they have been endeavoring to teach to man.

Moses 1:27 And it came to pass, as the voice was still speaking, Moses cast his eyes and beheld the earth, [ try to imagine such a view - closest I have come is the IMAX movie of earth from moon at Smithesonian ] yea, even all of it; and there was not a particle of it which he did not behold, discerning it by the spirit of God.

If you had the chance to ask our Father in Heaven any question regarding the creation of the world - what question would you ask?
READ Moses 1 30-34 See what questions Moses asks

27 And it came to pass, as the voice was still speaking, Moses cast his eyes and beheld the earth, [ try to imagine such a view - closest I have come is the IMAX movie of earth from moon at Smithesonian ] yea, even all of it; and there was not a particle of it which he did not behold, discerning it by the spirit of God.

28 And he beheld also the inhabitants thereof, and there was not a soul which he beheld not; and he discerned them by the Spirit of God; and their numbers were great, even numberless as the sand upon the sea shore. [reference to the Abrahamic Covenant, cp. Gen. 22:17. Moses' call is to assist God in fulfilling the Abrahamic Covenant by bringing natural Israel back to their lands of inheritance. Note in v. 29 Moses sees also the nations (i.e., Gentiles) upon all of the face of the earth, suggesting the grafting in of the Gentiles into natural Israel during the times of the Gentiles.]

29 And he beheld many lands; and each land was called earth, and there were inhabitants on the face thereof.

30 And it came to pass that Moses called upon God, saying: Tell me, I pray thee, why these things are so, and by what thou madest them? [Moses must have been overwelmed... Why so much? Why did you create them? By what power did you create them?]

And Now the ANSWERS...

31 And behold, the glory of the Lord was upon Moses, so that Moses stood in the presence of God, and talked with him face to face. And the Lord God said unto Moses: For mine own purpose have I made these things. [ The Lord has revealed to us some of the purposes for creating the earth. What are they? 1) Verse 39 Imortality and eternal life of man - This is what Gods do, build worlds and populated them 2) 2 Ne. 2:25 (give us joy), 3) Abr 3:24-25(Place to prove ourselves) 4) D&C 49:15-17, D&C 110:15 (provide a place for the spiritual and physical sealing together of families--note D&C 2)., 5) 1 Nephi 17:36 (place for heavenly fathers children to possess) 6) 2 Nephi 2:13-16 (place for us to learn to decide good from bad). ] Here is wisdom and it remaineth in me.

32 And by the word [ and the Word is Jesus Christ ] of my power, [ which is the power of the priesthood ] have I created them, which is mine Only Begotten son, [ So in other words just in case you did not get the first part - understand that I God created all through my only begotten son - Jesus Christ ] who is full of grace and truth.

33 And worlds without number [ This is not his first or last - he is not a novelist ] have I created; and I also created them for mine own purpose; [ see verse 31 ] and by the son I created them, which is mine Only Begotten.

34 And the first man of all men have I called Adam, which is many. [ and then Eve which is the Mother of all living ]

1 AND it came to pass that the Lord spake unto Moses, saying: Behold, I reveal [ Moses will be shown the creation in a vision] unto you concerning this heaven, and this earth; write the words which I speak. I am the Beginning and the End, the Almighty God; by mine Only Begotten I created these things; [ What do we know about the creation? How did it take place? Let's review what we have learned so far?

] yea, in the beginning I created the heaven, [ Jesus Christ - under the direction of the Father. By the will and power of God ] and the earth upon which thou standest.

2 And the earth was without form, and void; [ see Abraham 4:2 - means "empty and desolate" ] and I caused darkness to come up upon the face of the deep; and my Spirit moved upon the face of the water; [ it is by faith that he exercises power over them, and that faith is the principle of power? And that if the principle of power, it must be so in man as well as in the Deity? lectures on Faith Lecture 1:17 ] for I am God.

How did the process of the creation work?
Abraham 3-4 Gods planned it out first Note that Abraham chapters 3-4 are an account of the gods planning what they were going to do before they actually did it. It's the "blueprint." "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail."

24 And there stood one among them that was like unto God, and he said unto those who were with him: We will go down, for there is space there, and we will take of these materials, [ What does this imply? that the Creation did not spring up from nothing but was an organization of the elements, and getting them to respond to order, governance] and we will make an earth whereon these may dwell;

6 And again, I, God, said: Let there be a firmament [Firmament= "to stretch or spread out" Organization of the firmament or heavens so as to divide the waters on the earth from those in the heavens.dividing the sky (clouds on up to where God dwells) from the oceans.] in the midst of the water, and it was so, even as I spake; and I said: Let it divide the waters from the waters; and it was done;

7 And I, God, made the firmament and divided the waters, yea, the great waters under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament, and it was so even as I spake

READ ABR 4:3-5 Created light first

3 And they (the Gods) said: Let there be light; and there was light.

4 And they (the Gods) comprehended [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; and they divided the light, or caused it to be divided, from the darkness.

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.

READ Abraham 4:10-12 Created dry land for seeds to grow - Laws and bounds were set

10 And the Gods pronounced the dry land, Earth; and the gathering together of the waters, pronounced they, Great Waters; and the Gods saw that they were obeyed.

11 And the Gods said: Let us prepare 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, even as they ordered.

12 And the Gods organized the earth to bring forth grass from its own seed, and the herb to bring forth herb from its own seed, 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, after his kind; and the Gods saw that they were obeyed.

READ ABR 4:18,21,25 What are we to learn from these verses? Gods watched until everything performed as expected - did not just create then leave .Gods watched it that it was good - working the way that they wanted.

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]

Abr 4:21 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, and that their plan was good. [ Why would they say that their plan was good? That things were working as they should.]

Abr 4:25 And the Gods organized the earth to bring forth the beasts after their kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after its kind; and the Gods saw they would obey.

READ Abraham 4:26-27 & Moses 2:27 The Gods planned things out, Created man in their image (Male and Female)

ABR 4: 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."] 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; and we will give them dominion 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. [These Gods included both male and female Gods - it is not new to understand that Man himself was created after our Father in Heaven and Eve was created after our Mother in Heaven. Proclamination on the Family notes that Male and Female predates the creation.]

MOS 2:27 And I, God, created man in mine own image, in the image of mine Only Begotten created I him; male and female created I them. [ What importance is it to us when we understand that we were created as males and females? "each has a divine nature and destiny. Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal and eternal identity and purpose" The Family A Proclamation to the World]

ABR 4:28 And the Gods said: We will bless them. [ 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 [ Do you find these words interesting given that we have our agency? ] to be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth, [ procreate that the earth may fulfill its purpose ] and subdue it, [ 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. We then subdue the natural man by lerning to control our passions and desires.] and to have dominion [ In what ways does man have dominion over the earth? 1) The priesthood 2) animals live their lives by instinct, insticts to hunt , to hide, to run, to sleep...Man is a far supperiour creature to this instincts Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball pg30] 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]

Mos 2:28 And I, God, blessed them, and said unto them: Be fruitful, [Hebew (paw-raw) - means to increase, bear or bring fruit] and multiply, [Hebrew (rabah) to become many] and replenish [Hebrew (male) translated here to mean to fill, or be full. To bring for children] the earth, and subdue it, and have dominion [ What does it mean to have dominion over the earth? --Take care of it, to have responsibility for it - the control or power to govern it. What was the power given that provided for that dominion? The priesthood] 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 Abr 4:28]

READ Moses 1:4 & Abraham 3:11 Did work with his hands - denotes detail in the work. We also read in Abr 3:11

Mos 1:4 And, behold, thou art my son; [How is Moses his son? he is his son in the literal and gospel sense ] wherefore look, and I will show thee the workmanship of mine hands; [ In this verse and in Abraham 3:11 God references that he used his hands to do the work of the creation - What does that imply symbolically? Notice that when he shows his workmanship to both Moses and Abraham he uses the phrase mine hands. the use of the word hands denotes that there was great detail taken in the creation. It implies creativity, comprehension, touch, dexterity and detail. Also Abraham 3:11] but not all, for my works are without end, and also my words, for they never cease.

READ MOS 3:5 Everything was created spiritually, then naturally - even the blades of grass.

5 And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew. For I, the Lord God, created all things, of which I have spoken, spiritually, [man, animals, and plants were not created in spirit at the time of the creation but long before Doctrines of salvation 1:75-76] before they were naturally upon the face of the earth. For I, the Lord God, had not caused it to rain upon the face of the earth. And I, the Lord God, had created all the children of men; and not yet a man to till the ground; for in heaven created I them; and there was not yet flesh upon the earth, neither in the water, neither in the air;