Wednesday, November 16, 2016

101 BOOK OF MORMON TITLES FOR CHRIST




1. Almighty (2 Nephi 23:6)
2. Almighty God (Jacob 2:10)
3. Alpha and Omega (3 Nephi 9:18)
4. Being (Mosiah 4:19)
5. Beloved (2 Nephi 31:15)
6. Beloved Son (2 Nephi 31:11)
7. Christ (2 Nephi 10:3)
8. Christ Jesus (Alma 5:44)
9. Christ the Son (Alma 11:44)
10. Counselor (2 Nephi 19:6)
11. Creator (2 Nephi 9:5)
12. Eternal Father (Mosiah 15:4)
13. Eternal God (1 Nephi 12:18)
14. Eternal Head (Helaman 13:38)
15. Eternal Judge (Moroni 10:34)
16. Everlasting Father (2 Nephi 19:6)
17. Everlasting God (1 Nephi 15:15)
18. Father (Jacob 7:22)
19. Father of heaven (1 Nephi 22:9)
20. Father of heaven and of earth (Helaman 14:12)
21. Founder of peace (Mosiah 15:18)
22. God (2 Nephi 1:22)
23. God of Abraham (1 Nephi 19:10)
24. God of Abraham, & Isaac, & Jacob   (Mosiah 7:19)
25. God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and the God of Jacob
 (1 Nephi 19:10)
26. God of Isaac (Alma 29:11)
27. God of Israel (1 Nephi 19:7)
28. God of Jacob (2 Nephi 12:3)
29. God of miracles (2 Nephi 27:23)
30. God of nature (1 Nephi 19:12)
31. God of the whole earth (3 Nephi 11:14)
32. Good shepherd (Alma 5:38)
33. Great Creator (2 Nephi 9:5)
34. Great Spirit (Alma 18:2)
35. Head (Jacob 4:17)
36. Holy child (Moroni 8:3)
37. Holy God (2 Nephi 9:39)
38. Holy Messiah (2 Nephi 2:6)
39. Holy One (2 Nephi 2:10)
40. Holy One of Israel (1 Nephi 19:14)
41. Holy One of Jacob (2 Nephi 27:34)
42. Husband (3 Nephi 22:5)
43. Immanuel (2 Nephi 18:8)
44. Jehovah (Moroni 10:34)
45. Jesus (2 Nephi 31:10)
46. Jesus Christ (2 Nephi 25:19)
47. Keeper of the Gate (2 Nephi 9:41)
48. King (2 Nephi 16:5)
49. King of Heaven (2 Nephi 10:14)
50. Lamb (1 Nephi 13:35)
51. Lamb of God (1 Nephi 10:10)
52. Lord (1 Nephi 10:14)
53. Lord God (2 Nephi 1:5)
54. Lord God Almighty (2 Nephi 9:46)

55. Lord God Omnipotent (Mosiah 3:21)
56. Lord God of Hosts (2 Nephi 13:15)
57. Lord Jehovah (2 Nephi 22:2)
58. Lord Jesus (Moroni 6:6)
59. Lord Jesus Christ (Mosiah 3:12)
60. Lord of Hosts (1 Nephi 20:2)
61. Lord of the Vineyard (Jacob 5:8)
62. Lord Omnipotent (Mosiah 3:5)
63. Maker (2 Nephi 9:40)
64. Man (3 Nephi 11:8)
65. Master (Jacob 5:4)
66. Mediator (2 Nephi 2:28)
67. Messiah (1 Nephi 1:19)
68. Mighty God (2 Nephi 6:17)
69. Mighty One of Israel (1 Nephi 22:12)
70. Mighty One of Jacob (1 Nephi 21:26)
71. Most High (2 Nephi 24:14)
72. Most High God (Alma 26:14)
73. Only Begotten of the Father (2 Ne. 25:12)
74. Only Begotten Son (Jacob 4:5)
75. Prince of Peace (2 Nephi 19:6)
76. Prophet (1 Nephi 22:20)
77. Rabbanah (Alma 18:13)
78. Redeemer (1 Nephi 10:6)
79. Redeemer of Israel (1 Nephi 21:7)
80. Redeemer of the world (1 Nephi 10:5)
81. Rock (1 Nephi 15:15)
82. Savior (2 Nephi 31:13)
83. Savior Jesus Christ (3 Nephi 5:20)
84. Savior of the world (1 Nephi 10:4)
85. Shepherd (1 Nephi 13:41)
86. Son (2 Nephi 31:13)
87. Son of God (1 Nephi 10:17)
88. Son of Righteousness (Ether 9:22)
89. Son of the Eternal Father (1 Nephi 11:21)
90. Son of the everlasting God (1 Nephi 11:32)
91. Son of the living God (2 Nephi 31:16)
92. Son of the most high God (1 Nephi 11:6)

93. Stone (Jacob 4:16)
94. Supreme Being (Alma 11:22)
95. Supreme Creator (Alma 30:44
96. True and Living God (1 Nephi 17:30)
97. True Messiah (2 Nephi 1:10)
98. True Shepherd (Helaman 15:13)
99. True Vine 1 Nephi 15:15
100. True Beloved (Helaman 5:47)
101. Wonderful (2 Nephi 19:6)

Total 3,925 times in 6,607 verses

Susan Easton Black, Finding Christ Through the Book of Mormon, pp. 16-18 and Ensign, July 1978
also Jeffrey R. Holland, Christ and the New Covenant, pp. 353-355

Facsimiles 2–3 and Abraham 4 & 5

Facsimiles 2–3 and Abraham 4 & 5
1. Abraham was a willing representative of the Lord. He went to Egypt and preached the gospel of Jesus Christ to the Egyptians (Facsimile 3, figures 1–6; also Helaman 8:16–18;).
2. Abraham 3:15- Abraham Taught the Egyptians
3. The figures in the facsimiles are symbolic. Explanations of the facsimiles other than those provided by the Prophet Joseph Smith, which are printed with the facsimiles in the Pearl of Great Price, are tentative and subject to revision by additional revelation and insight from modern prophets.
4. The type of drawing depicted in facsimile 2 is known among scholars as a “hypocephalus,” which means “under or beneath the head.” “A hypocephalus is a small disk-shaped object made of papyrus, stuccoed linen, bronze, gold, wood, or clay, which the Egyptians placed under the head of their dead. They believed it would magically cause the head and body to be enveloped in flames or radiance, thus making the deceased divine. The hypocephalus itself symbolized the eye of Re or Horus, i.e., the sun, and the scenes portrayed on it relate to the Egyptian concept of the resurrection and life after death” (Michael D. Rhodes, The Joseph Smith Hypocephalus … 17 Years Later [F.A.R.M.S. paper, RHO-94], 1).
5. If the hypocephalus represents the eye of God, as explained above, what might be depicted on it? We know that God’s focus and attention are upon bringing to pass the immortality and eternal life of His children (Moses 1:39). It is not strange, therefore, that the symbolic drawing of the eye of God, as represented by Abraham facsimile 2, shows this great hope for all of His children. Indeed, facsimile 2 contains figures and explanations relating to the Lord’s plan of salvation. For example, the explanations for figures 3, 7, and 8 establish a clear relationship between the contents of facsimile 2 and the ordinances of the temple.
6.  “Abraham wrote things and sealed them up that they cannot be read. They cannot be revealed unto the world, but are to be had in the holy temple of God. They are certain keys and blessings that are obtained in the house of the Lord that we must have if we are to obtain exaltation” (JFSmith, DS, 2:253).
7. Facsimile 2, figure 1. Kolob- The center of facsimile 2 contains a representation of Kolob. In his explanation for figure 1, the Prophet Joseph Smith said that Kolob is “first in government, the last pertaining to the measurement of time.” This means that Kolob is the star nearest to the presence of God (Abraham 3:2–3), is the governing star in all the universe and that time passes more slowly on Kolob than on any other star in this order. Kolob is also symbolic of Jesus Christ, the central figure in God’s plan of salvation.
8. Facsimile 2, figure 3. A Crown of Eternal Light- Note in the explanation for figure 3 the mention of the crown of eternal light upon God’s head. Note also that the stars represented by figures 22–23 receive their light from Kolob (as given in the explanation for figure 5). Jesus Christ is the source of all light (D&C 88:7–13).
9. Facsimile 2, figure 5. Enish-go-on-dosh- The drawing shown in figure 5 represents another of the great stars in the expanse of space that help govern with power (Abraham 3:2, 13). The moon, earth, and sun in our solar system are examples of these kinds of stars. These stars could also be symbolic of other great and noble spirits in the premortal existence (Abraham 3:22–23). Note how close in this facsimile this “ noble and great” one is to the central drawing of Kolob, or Jesus Christ.
10. Facsimile 2, figures 7–8. Returning to God’s Presence- Egyptologists suggest that hypocephali contain information to help deceased persons return to the presence of God. Similarly, the Lord has given Latter-day Saints divine help to return to His presence. “Your [temple] endowment is, to receive all those ordinances in the house of the Lord, which are necessary for you, after you have departed this life, to enable you to walk back to the presence of the Father, passing the angels who stand as sentinels” (Discourses of Brigham Young, 416).
11. Facsimile 3. General Information- In Abraham 3:15, the Lord told Abraham that he was to teach the Egyptians the things he had learned. Commenting on this, the Prophet Joseph Smith said: “The learning of the Egyptians, and their knowledge of astronomy was no doubt taught them by Abraham and Joseph, as their records testify, who received it from the Lord” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 251).
12. Facsimile 3, figure 1. Abraham upon Pharaoh’s Throne- In figure 1 of facsimile 3, Abraham is shown seated upon the throne of Pharaoh, “reasoning upon the principles of Astronomy, in the king’s court” (explanation for facsimile 3; see also the explanation for figure 1). It is clear in Abraham 3:1–16 and facsimile 2, figures 1–5, that Abraham gained great knowledge of the principles of astronomy. Figure 1 could also be symbolic of Abraham receiving his exaltation and sitting upon a throne in the presence of God (D&C 132:37).
Abraham 4–5: Abraham's Vision of the Creation of the Earth
              “A Harmony of the Creation Accounts,” Student Manual pp. 82–92 
1.  Abraham 3:244:1- The earth and the heavens were made from existing materials .
2. Abraham 4:1Ephesians 3:9Hebrews 1:1–2- The Gods worked together to organize and form the heavens and the earth
3. Abraham 4:2- The Prophet Joseph indicated that the translation "without form  and void," as found in Genesis 1:2 & Moses 2:2, should read "empty & desolate," as it does in Abraham  4:2. (TPJS, 181)
4. Abraham 4:2- "Brooding" is what a hen does with her eggs and chicks; she broods over them, meaning she protects, warms, nurtures, and defends them. Jesus used this analogy of a hen gathering her chicks in His description of what He will do for His followers (Matt. 23:37; 3 Nephi 10:3-6) In this sense, the Spirit is still brooding over the creations of God
5. "In the ultimate and final sense of the word, the Father is the Creator of all things. That he used the Son and others to perform many of the creative acts, delegating to them His creative powers, does not make the others creators in their own right, independent of Him. He is the source of all creative power, and he simply chooses others to act for him in many of his creative enterprises. (BRM, ANWFTAOF, 63)
6. Abraham 4:5- One of the interesting differences between the Abraham account of the Creation & the other scriptural accounts is the idea found in 4:5: "From the evening until morning they called night, and from the morning until the evening they called day" (vv. 8, 13, 19, 23, 31). The other accounts simply refer to each creative period as a day. Additionally, the creative periods in Abraham 4 are called "times," not days.
7. Abraham 4:12- Compared with the book of Moses, the book of Abraham seems to more forcefully state the idea that all beings could only reproduce after their own kind. "There was no provision for evolvement or change from one species to another." (Ensign, June, 1982)
8.  Abraham 4:315:1–3, 5- "Before this earth was created, the Lord made a blueprint, as any great contractor will do before constructing. He drew up the plans, wrote the specifications, and presented them. He outlined it and we were associated with him… Our Father called us all together as explained in the scripture, and plans were perfected now for forming an earth.  In his own words.' 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, and we will make an earth whereon these may dwell; And we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them, (vs. 24-25). That assemblage included us all. The gods would make land, water, and atmosphere and then the animal kingdom, and give dominion over it all to man. That was the plan…God was the Master-worker, and he created us and brought us into existence." (The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, p. 29-30) Luke 14:28-30
9. Abraham 5:7- Moses 3:7 states that God "formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." Abraham 5:7 helps us understand that the breath of life was the man's spirit (TPJS 301). Man is a dual being, made up of mortal flesh and an immortal spirit (D&C 88:15)
10. 5:13- "When this earth was created, it was not according to our present time, but it was created according to Kolob's time, for the Lord has said it was created on celestial time which is Kolob's time. then he revealed to Abraham that Adam was subject to Kolob's time before his transgression."
(DS, 1:79) This helps us understand the Lord's warning to Adam and Eve regarding their partaking of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil: "In the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die" (Moses 3:17; Genesis 2:17) After Adam and Eve partook of the fruit, they did not die physically within a 24 hour period, as we now measure a day. Adam did, however die, within the period on one Kolob day (1000 earth years, as measured after the Fall. facsimile 2, figure 1; see also 2 Peter 3:8). Moses 6:12 indicates that Adam died 930 years after the Fall.
11. The belief of traditional Christianity is that God created all things, ex nihilo, which means, "out of nothing. The prophet Joseph taught there is no such thing as immaterial matter. (D&C 131:7) and the Lord said that the elements are eternal (D&C 93:33). The word create, as found in the Genesis account  of the creation, is from a Hebrew word that means "to organize." (Gen. 1:1, footnote c, Abraham 3:24) Joseph Smith likened the creative activity to the building of a ship, (TPJS, 350). Just as a ship-builder needs materials to create the ship, the Creator made the heavens and the earth out of existing materials.
12.  Abraham 5:21 was the last verse of the book of Abraham that the Prophet Joseph Smith published before his death (although we know that the book of Abraham contained much more).



I recall an experience that shows the effect of her teachings. Just before Christmas one year, our bishop asked me, as a deacon, to help him deliver Christmas baskets to the widows of the ward. I carried a basket to each door with his greetings. When he drove me home, there was one basket remaining. He handed it to me and said it was for my mother. As he drove away, I stood in the falling snow wondering why there was a basket for my mother. She never referred to herself as a widow, and it had never occurred to me that she was. To a 12-year-old boy, she wasn’t a widow. She had a husband, and we had a father. He was just away for a while. DHO, Ot. 05

Lesson 28: Come unto Christ

Lesson 28: Come unto Christ
1. Why do you study the Book of Mormon?
2. Jeffrey R. Holland, “Safety for the Soul,” Ensign, Nov. 2009, 88–90.
3. “A Christ-Centered Life,” chapter 24 in TPC-Ezra Taft Benson (2014), 297–306.
5. What do these verses teach us to do to come unto Christ?
6. “When we are consistently praying morning and night, studying our scriptures daily, having weekly family home evening, and attending the temple regularly, we are actively responding to His invitation to ‘come unto Him’” (Richard G. Scott, Ensign  Nov. 2014, 94).
7. “I bear my witness that we can come unto Christ and be perfected in Him by our worthy participation in the sacred ordinances appointed by God and instituted from before the foundation of the world” (Dennis B. Neuenschwander, “Ordinances and Covenants,” Ensign, Aug. 2001, 26).
8. Moroni 10:32–33 -Look for how the words “if” and “then” are used.
10. “The Lord’s grace, unlocked by the Atonement, can perfect our imperfections. ‘By his grace ye may be perfect in Christ.’ (Moroni 10:32.) While much of the perfection process involves a cleansing from the contamination of sin and bitterness, there is an additional, affirmative dimension through which we acquire a Christlike nature, becoming perfect even as the Father and Son are perfect. …“The Savior’s victory can compensate not only for our sins but also for our inadequacies; not only for our deliberate mistakes but also for our sins committed in ignorance, our errors of judgment, and our unavoidable imperfections. Our ultimate aspiration is more than being forgiven of sin—we seek to become holy, endowed affirmatively with Christlike attributes, at one with him, like him. Divine grace is the only source that can finally fulfill that aspiration, after all we can do” (Bruce C. Hafen, The Broken Heart [1989], 16, 20).
11. Moroni 7:18–26 - What does it mean to be the children of Christ?
12.  Jesus Christ also “becomes our Father, in the sense in which this term is used in the scriptures, because he offers us life, eternal life, through the atonement which he made for us. ( Mosiah 5:7.) … We become the children, sons and daughters of Jesus Christ, through our covenants of obedience to him” [Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation,  1:29].)
13. Moroni 7:21–26- What has the  Lord given us to help us to “lay hold upon every good thing?”
14. Moroni 10:3-5.
16. I testify that one cannot come to full faith in this latter-day work—and thereby find the fullest measure of peace and comfort in these, our times—until he or she embraces the divinity of the Book of Mormon and the Lord Jesus Christ, of whom it testifies. If anyone is foolish enough or misled enough to reject 531 pages of a heretofore unknown text teeming with literary and Semitic complexity without honestly attempting to account for the origin of those pages—especially without accounting for their powerful witness of Jesus Christ and the profound spiritual impact that witness has had on what is now tens of millions of readers—if that is the case, then such a person, elect or otherwise, has been deceived; and if he or she leaves this Church, it must be done by crawling over or under or around the Book of Mormon to make that exit.

17. I ask that my testimony of the Book of Mormon and all that it implies, given today under my own oath and office, be recorded by men on earth and angels in heaven. I hope I have a few years left in my “last days,” but whether I do or do not, I want it absolutely clear when I stand before the judgment bar of God that I declared to the world, in the most straightforward language I could summon, that the Book of Mormon is true, that it came forth the way Joseph said it came forth and was given to bring happiness and hope to the faithful in the travail of the latter days. (Holland, Ensign, Nov. 2009)

Sunday, November 13, 2016

Abraham 2-3


2. Abraham 2:6. Genesis 17:8Abraham 2:15. It is not the same land possessed by the people of Canaan as recorded in Moses 7:6–8.Genesis 15:18–2124:1–428:1–2, 8–9; and Joshua 24:11.
3. “The descendants of Abraham, the tribes of Israel, became the chosen people of the Lord according to the promise. The Lord honored them, nourished them, watched over them with a jealous care, until they became a great nation in the land the Lord had given to their fathers. Notwithstanding this tender care and the instructions and warnings this people received from time to time through their prophets, they failed to comprehend the goodness of the Lord and departed from him. Because of their rebellion they were driven out of their land and eventually were scattered among the nations” (JFSmith, DS 1:164).
4. “Abraham’s inheritance in Canaan, for himself and his seed after him, was to be an eternal inheritance, one that would endure in time and in eternity. This promise is the hope of Israel, the hope that the meek shall inherit the earth, first during the millennial era and finally in that same immortal state when the earth becomes a celestial sphere” (BRMcConkie, DNTC, 2:71).
5God's Promise
Scripture Reference
Land
Abraham 2:6
Posterity
Abraham 2:9
Priesthood
Abraham 1:18
Salvation &exaltation
Abraham 2:10
6.  See in student manual pages 93-98- The Abrahamic Covenant.
7. Abraham 2:10- “All who accept the gospel become by adoption members of the family of Abraham” (JAWidstoe, Evidences and Reconciliations, 399). “As the Holy Ghost falls upon one of the literal seed of Abraham, it is calm and serene; and his whole soul and body are only exercised by the pure spirit of intelligence; while the effect of the Holy Ghost upon a Gentile, is to purge out the old blood, and make him actually of the seed of Abraham. That man that has none of the blood of Abraham (naturally) must have a new creation by the Holy Ghost” (TPJS, 149–50).
8. Abraham 2:11- Abraham desired the blessings of the fathers—the right to administer in the Melchizedek Priesthood. He was a rightful heir, and because of his righteousness he became a high priest in the Melchizedek Priesthood (Abr.  1:2). The Lord promised him that his posterity would also be rightful heirs of the priesthood. “Being an heir to the Abrahamic covenant does not make one a ‘chosen person’ per se, but does signify that such are chosen to responsibly carry the gospel to all the peoples of the earth. Abraham’s seed have carried out the missionary activity in all the nations since Abraham’s day. (Matt. 3:9Abr. 2:9–11)” (BD, “Abraham, covenant of,” 602).
9. “The responsibility of the seed of Abraham, which we are, is to be missionaries to ‘bear this ministry and Priesthood unto all nations’ (Abraham 2:9)” (ETBenson,  Ensign, May 1987, 85).
The same keys of the priesthood given to Abraham have been restored to the earth in the latter days. 10. On 3 April 1836 a prophet named Elias appeared to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery in the newly dedicated Kirtland Temple and committed to them “the gospel of Abraham, saying that in us and our seed all generations after us should be blessed” (D&C 110:12). With these keys of the priesthood on earth once again, a person can receive all of the blessings given to Abraham (D&C 132:29–33).
11. Abraham 2:13- "Abraham was guided in all his family affairs by the Lord; was conversed with by angels, and by the Lord; was told where to go, and when to stop; and prospered exceedingly in all that he put his hand unto; it was because he and his family obeyed the counsel of the Lord” (TPJS,  251–52).
12. Abraham 2:14. A Chronology of the Later Years of Abraham’s Life
Age
Event

?
Abram married Sarai in the land of UR

?
Abraham left Ur for the land of Haran
Abr. 2:3-4
62
Abraham and his family left the land of Haran for the land of Canaan .
Abr. 2:14
Gen. 12:4 (75)
?
Abraham and his family lived in Egypt
?
Abraham settled in Hebron (in Canaan) and the Lord appeared to him again.
Gen. 13
?
Abraham rescued Lot and met with Melchizedek
Gen. 14
86
Ishmael, Abraham’s son by Hagar, was born.
Gen. 16:16
99
The Lord again appeared to Abraham, confirming his covenant with him.
Gen. 17:1
100
Isaac, Abraham’s son by Sarah, was born.
Gen. 21:5
?
Abraham obeyed the command to offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice to the Lord; the Abrahamic Covenant was reconfirmed
Gen. 22
?
Sarah, Abraham's wife, died
Gen. 23
175
Abraham died and was buried with Sarah in Hebron
Gen. 25:7-10
13. Abraham 2:19. The scriptures reveal numerous occasions when the Lord spoke or appeared to Abr. 1) A vision of God, an angel, and the voice of the Lord while Abraham lay on the altar (Abr. 1:15–19).
2) An appearance of the Lord while Abraham prayed in the land of Haran (Abr. 2:6–11). 3) Another appearance of the Lord in answer to Abraham’s prayer as he entered the land of Canaan (v. 19).  
4) Before Abraham went into Egypt (Abr. 2:22). 5) After he returned from Egypt and settled in the land of Canaan (Gen. 13:14–18). 6) When he prayed for offspring (Gen. 15). 7) When he was 99  (Gen.  17).
8) When he pled for the residents of Sodom (Gen. 18:17–33). 9) Near the time Isaac was born (Gen. 21:12–14). 10) When he was commanded to offer Isaac as a burnt offering (Gen. 22:1–2). 11. At the offering of Isaac on the mount (Gen. 22:6–19). 12. “Abraham received all things, whatsoever he received, by revelation and commandment, by my word, saith the Lord, and hath entered into his exaltation and sitteth upon his throne” (D&C 132:29).
14. Abraham 2:22–25. Facsimile 3 shows that Abraham not only survived his experience in Egypt, but that he was invited by Pharaoh to sit on the throne and teach principles of astronomy. The Lord blessed Abraham and Sarai spiritually, socially, and economically during their time in Egypt (Genesis 12:16–20).
15. Abraham 2:24–25- Sarai was instructed to tell the Egyptians that she was Abraham’s sister. It was a test of her faith, just as it was undoubtedly a difficult experience for Abraham. Whatever the Lord commands a person to do is right and must be obeyed (TPJS, 256). Abraham and Sarai understood this principle and passed the divine test the Lord had put before them.
16. “To protect himself, Abraham had told Pharaoh that Sarah was his sister, which of course she was. Had he divulged that she was his wife, he might have been slain. But as his sister, Pharaoh was willing to buy her at a good price” (MEPetersen, Abraham, Friend of God, 69; Genesis 20:12;  see S. Kent Brown, “Biblical Egypt: Land of Refuge, Land of Bondage,” Ensign, Sept. 1980, pp. 45, 47).
17. Sarai = “princess” in Hebrew and “queen” in Akkadian. “The Lord never sends apostles and prophets and righteous men to minister to his people without placing women of like spiritual stature at their sides. Adam stands as the great high priest, under Christ, to rule as a natural patriarch over all men of all ages, but he cannot rule alone; Eve, his wife, rules at his side, having like caliber and attainments to his own. Abraham is tested as few men have been when the Lord commands him to offer Isaac upon the altar (Gen. 22:1–19); and Sarah struggles with like problems when the Lord directs that she withhold from the Egyptians her status as Abraham’s wife. … And so it goes, in all dispensations and at all times when there are holy men there are also holy women. Neither stands alone before the Lord. The exaltation of the one is dependent upon that of the other” (DNTC 3:302).
ABRAHAM 3
1. Abraham 3:1- Urim and thummim come from Hebrew words meaning “lights” and “perfections.” The title Urim and Thummim was given to an instrument the Lord prepared to assist man in obtaining revelation and in translating languages. The earliest use of the Urim and Thummim mentioned in the scriptures is associated with the brother of Jared (Ether 3:21–28).
2. Joseph Smith was given the Urim and Thummim that had previously been in the possession of the brother of Jared (D&C 17:1). The Prophet described them as being “two stones in silver bows—and these stones, fastened to a breastplate, constituted what is called the Urim and Thummim” (JSH 1:35)
The scriptures reveal that there were more than one Urim and Thummim. While the prophets of the Book of Mormon were using one set of stones (Omni 1:20–21Mosiah 8:13–1921:26–2828:11–20), the prophets of the Old Testament were using another (Exodus 28:30Numbers 27: 21 Dt.33:81 Samuel 28:6Ezra 2:63).
3. Abraham 3:2–16- “The Lord made known to him the following facts: That Kolob is the first creation, and is nearest to the celestial, or the residence of God. It is the first in government, the last pertaining to the measurement of time. This measurement is according to celestial time. One day in Kolob is equal to a thousand years according to the measurement of this earth, which by the Egyptians was called Jah-oh-eh. Oliblish, so called by the Egyptians, stands next to Kolob in the grand governing creation near the celestial, or place where God resides. This great star is also a governing star and is equal to Kolob in its revolutions and in its measuring of time. Other grand governing stars were also revealed to Abraham” (JFSmith, Man: His Origin and Destiny [1954], 461.)
4. Abraham 3:2–10, 16–17- Abraham learned that, like Kolob, there were other stars that were “very great,” and that these great stars were governing stars (Abraham 3:2–3). The Lord taught Abraham about “the set time of all the stars” (v. 10; see also vv. 4–9). Abraham also learned that there are other governing stars located nearer to Kolob and that they rotate more slowly, or “longer,” than many other stars (but not more slowly than Kolob).
5. Abraham 3:3–4- The Lord’s teachings about stars and planets helped Abraham understand more about this earth and its relationship to Kolob. For example, he taught Abraham that one day on Kolob was equal to one thousand years of time on our earth (Abraham 3:4).
6. Abraham 3:5–7- “Abraham learned that bodies in space have different periods of revolution and that they move in their own time frames of reference (Abr. 3:4). Each planet, or star, operates according to a time base which is set by its location from a central, governing body. …“
7. Abraham 3:13- The Lord identified by name several of the planets or stars in His creations. Speaking of His numerous and marvelous works, the Lord said: “There are many worlds that have passed away by the word of my power. And there are many that now stand, and innumerable are they unto man; but all things are numbered unto me, for they are mine and I know them. …“… The heavens, they are many, and they cannot be numbered unto man; but they are numbered unto me, for they are mine” (Moses 1:35, 37).
8. Abraham 3:14. “The Lord fulfilled His promise to Abraham regarding his posterity, for many billions of people have been born on this earth who can consider themselves his children. The promise of great posterity applies to all the faithful. “The children of Abraham, if they will keep the covenant as they receive it in the house of the Lord, shall, as Abraham their father, continue on through all eternity to increase, and there shall be no end to their posterity. In this way the blessings of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, are extended to them, and they become partakers to the fullest extent. For there is to be a continuation of the ‘seeds forever’ among those who receive exaltation in the kingdom of God” (JFSmith, The Way to Perfection, 96).
9. Abraham learned that wherever there are two stars one will be greater than the other, and that there are other stars greater than those two, until Kolob, which is the greatest of all. He learned that it is not size that makes one star or planet greater than another, but rather its proximity to Kolob. So it is with the children of God—their greatness and glory will depend upon their proximity to the Creator, Jesus Christ, who is “nearest unto the throne of God,” “the great one,” “the first creation,” and is “set to govern all those which belong to the same order.” Thus the great star, Kolob, is a symbol of Jesus Christ.
10. Abraham 3:17. God sees to completion the actual accomplishment of everything that He takes into His heart. How different this is from the nature of mankind. The Lord explained: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways. …“For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8–9).
11. Abraham 3:18–23- Abraham learned that there are varying degrees of intelligence among Heavenly Father’s spirit children. (Abraham called the spirit children of our Heavenly Father “spirits” in Abraham 3:18–19, “intelligences” in verse 22, and “souls” in verse 23.) He learned that God dwelled in the midst of all the spirits or intelligences and that God “is more intelligent than they all.” (v. 19)
12. Abraham 3:18–23-  “God himself, finding he was in the midst of spirits and glory, because he was more intelligent, saw proper to institute laws whereby the rest could have a privilege to advance like himself. The relationship we have with God places us in a situation to advance in knowledge. He has power to institute laws to instruct the weaker intelligences, that they may be exalted with Himself, so that they might have one glory upon another, and all that knowledge, power, glory, and intelligence, which is requisite in order to save them in the world of spirits” (Joseph Smith, HC, 6:312).
13. Abraham 3:18–19. “We know they were all innocent in the beginning; but the right of free agency which was given to them enabled some to outstrip others, and thus, through the eons of immortal existence, to become more intelligent, more faithful, for they were free to act for themselves, to think for themselves, to receive the truth or rebel against it” (Doctrines of Salvation, 1:59).
14. Abraham 3:18–19- I am dwelling on the immortality of the spirit of man. Is it logical to say that the intelligence of spirits is immortal, and yet that it has a beginning? The intelligence of spirits had no beginning, neither will it have an end. That is good logic” (Joseph Smith, History of the Church, 6:311).
15. “In origin, man is a son of God. The spirits of men ‘are begotten sons and daughters unto God’ (D&C 76:24). Through that birth process, self-existing intelligence was organized into individual spirit beings” (MGRomney,  Ensign, Nov. 1978, 14).
16. “Admittedly we do not now understand all the implications of the words, ‘spirits … have no beginning; they existed before … for they are … eternal’ (Abraham 3:18). Yet we surely understand enough to see a loving and redeeming God at work, striving to help us become as He is—a cause for our deep gratitude and joy, instead of despair and doubt, and for a willing submission to whatever He perceives will further that purpose” (NAMaxwell, “Not My Will, But Thine,” 40).
17. Abraham 3:19–21- “Let us not forget that great insight given us about the premortal world. The ascendancy of Jesus Christ (among all of our spirit brothers and sisters) is clearly set forth. Of Him it was said that He is ‘more intelligent than they all.’ (Abraham 3:19.) … Moreover, what the Lord knows is, fortunately, vastly more—not just barely more—than the combination of what all mortals know” (NAMaxwell, All These Things Shall Give Thee Experience [1979], 22).
18. Abraham 3:22–23- Among the spirits or intelligences that Abraham saw were many “noble and great ones”. God said that these noble and great spirits were good and that He would make them His rulers. Abraham was one of the noble and great ones. President Joseph F. Smith also saw in a vision many of the noble and great spirits “who were chosen in the beginning to be rulers in the Church of God” (D&C 138:55). Of them he stated: “Even before they were born, they, with many others, received their first lessons in the world of spirits and were prepared to come forth in the due time of the Lord to labor in his vineyard for the salvation of the souls of men” (v. 56).
19. Abraham 3:23–24. “As it was with Abraham, so it was with Joseph Smith. Each was foreordained [chosen and set apart before mortal birth] to preside over a great gospel dispensation” (BRMcConkie, A New Witness for the Articles of Faith, 4).
20.  “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. I suppose I was ordained to this very office in that Grand Council” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 365).
21. Abraham 3:24–28. Abraham learned additional things about Jesus Christ. For example, Jesus Christ was the One who created the earth upon which the spirit children of Heavenly Father would dwell. He was also chosen and sent to earth to be the Savior (Moses 4:1–4).
22. Abraham 3:24. “Christ, acting under the direction of the Father, was and is the Creator of all things. (D.&C. 38:1–476:22–24John 1:1–3Col. 1:16–17Heb. 1:1–3Moses 123.) That he was aided in the creation of this earth by ‘many of the noble and great’ spirit children of the Father is evident from Abraham’s writings. … Michael or Adam was one of these. Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Peter, James, and John, Joseph Smith, and many other ‘noble and great’ ones played a part in the great creative enterprise” (Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, 3:194).
23. Abraham 3:25-  “The great test of life is obedience to God” We are not here to test or “prove” God, but to be tested and proved ourselves. We are on trial, not God. (ETBenson,  Ensign, May 1988, 4).
24. “This life is a time of testing. It is not the reward time. That will come later. We are here being tested. The test is going on now!” (Rex C. Reeve,  Ensign, Nov. 1982, 26).
25. Abraham 3:26-  “Premortality is not a relaxing doctrine. For each of us, there are choices to be made, incessant and difficult chores to be done, ironies and adversities to be experienced, time to be well spent, talents and gifts to be well employed. Just because we were chosen ‘there and then,’ surely does not mean we can be indifferent ‘here and now.’ …“In fact, adequacy in the first estate may merely have ensured a stern, second estate with more duties and no immunities! Additional tutoring and suffering appears to be the pattern for the Lord’s most apt pupils. (Mosiah 3:191 Peter 4:19.) Our existence, therefore, is a continuum matched by God’s stretching curriculum. …

“Agreeing to enter this second estate, therefore, was like agreeing in advance to anesthetic—the anesthetic of forgetfulness. Doctors do not deanesthetize a patient, in the midst of what was previously authorized, to ask him, again, if it should be continued. We agreed to come here and to undergo certain experiences under certain conditions” (NAMaxwell, Ensign, Nov. 1985, 17).