Pearl of Great Price-1- Introduction
and Moses 1
4. First published at
Liverpool, England, in 1851 by Franklin D. Richards, then president of the
British Mission and a member of the Quorum of the 12 Apostles, in response to
requests from converts for further information about their new church.
5. In 1850 there were
57,278 members of the Church. 11,380 in Utah Territory; 6,157 in SL County; 30,747 in Great Britain.
Great Britain had a population of 27,000,000. The USA 23,000,000.
6. There were great
problems with communication and a shortage of paper in the western desert,
which continued until 1869 when the railroad came to Utah. Britain had many
publishing houses.
7. The paper shortage in
Utah was resolved by printing literature in England. Returning missionaries
would bring hundreds of copies of Church books to SLC. They generally took the
route from Liverpool to New Orleans, up the Mississippi to St. Louis, west on
the Missouri River to the frontier and then in wagon to SLC.
8. Books published in
Britain: Book of Mormon, D&C, the Millennial Star, Hymn Book, missionary
tracts.
9. The original Pearl
contained: a) a Preface, b) Most of the 1st 6 chapters from
the writings of Genesis from the JST, c) 5 chapters from the writings of
Abraham, d) JST of Matt. 24, e) excerpts from 5 sections of the D&C, f)
extracts from Joseph Smith's history, g) the Articles of Faith, g) the poem,
Truth and h) 3 facsimiles from the writings of Abraham.
10. The 2nd edition of the
Pearl of Great Price, the 1st American edition, was published at SLC in 1878 &
added "A Revelation on the Eternity of the Marriage Covenant, Including
Plurality of Wives," now known as D&C 132.
11. Oct.10, 1880, 50th
Semi-Annual general conference in Salt
Lake City, the Church accepted the Pearl of Great Price as a standard work. (John Taylor sustained as President; 25
sections of D&C added.)
12. In 1890 additional changes were made-including page
size and format-another vote reaffirmed the acceptance of the Pearl of Great
Price as scripture. Articles of Faith clarified to be scripture.
13. James E. Talmage,
later a member of the Twelve Apostles, under assignment of 1st Presidency,
divided work into chapters & verses, added some titles (such as "The
Book of Moses"), added some footnotes and eliminated the Poem
"Truth" & materials also published in the D&C. These changes
were formally approved by Church membership at the October conference of 1902.
14. In 1921 the Book of
Mormon was divided into double column pages, chapter headings, chronological
data, revised footnotes, pronouncing vocabulary and an index were added. The
D&C and PofGP were also published in conformity with this format.
15. At general conference
on April 3, 1976, Joseph Smith's vision of the Celestial Kingdom received in
the Kirtland Temple on January 21, 1836, and President Joseph F. Smith's vision
of the redemption of the dead (October 3, 1918) were added to the Pearl of
Great Price. The 1st additions since 1878.
16. In 1979 these two
revelations were transferred to the D&C as sections 137 and 138. They were
published in the 1981 editions of the scriptures. Other changes at this time
included a preface to the Pearl of Great Price.
17 . Moses - Ex. 2–3; 14; 19–20; Dt. 34;Matt. 17:1–3; Acts 7:15–44; 1 Nephi 17:23–30; D&C 84:6–25; 110:11 - a
prophet of God who lived 120 years, during the 2nd half of the 2nd
millennium B.C. Called by God to lead the children of Israel out of
bondage from Egypt, through the wilderness, and into the promised land of Israel.
"The harrowing of the soul can be like the harrowing of the
soil to increase the yield with things being turned upside down. Moses
experienced such topsy-turvy change. A lesser individual couldn’t have forsaken
Egypt’s treasures and privileged status only to be hunted and later resented as
a prophetic presence in the royal courts which he had doubtless known earlier,
but as an insider. Yet we are told Moses endured by faith. ( Heb. 11:24–29- NAMaxwell, April
1990)
18. From June 1830 to February 1831 the
Prophet Joseph Smith worked on
revising the first six chapters of the book of Genesis as part of the inspired
revision and restoration of the Bible, which is now called the Joseph Smith Translation
(JST). The first 6 chapters of Genesis were expanded to eight chapters in what
became known as the book of Moses in the Pearl of Great Price. As the Prophet
carried out his work, the Lord revealed to him many long-lost doctrines,
prophecies, and events related to the gospel of Jesus Christ. D&C 35:20 (Sidney the
scribe, Dec. 1830)
Moses 1 Is
not in the Old testament. Moses 2-8 is the JST of Genesis.
19. (Vs. 1-2)Moses saw God face to face upon
an unknown mountain sometime after he spoke to the Lord in the burning bush but
before he went to free the children of Israel from Egypt (Moses 1:1–2, 17, 25–26, 42; Exodus 3:1–10).
20. Similar experiences of
other prophets who were caught up to high mountains, including Ezekiel (Ezekiel 40:1–4), John the Beloved (Rev. 21:10), and Nephi (1 Nephi 11:1). The experiences of
prophets who saw God “face to face” are recorded in Genesis 32:30;Exodus 33:11; Ether 12:38–39; Moses 7:2–4; Abraham 3:11; and Joseph Smith—History 1:15–17.
21.
No one can endure God’s presence unless the glory of God is upon him (Moses 1:2, 11; D&C 67:11; 84:21–22). “Transfiguration is a special change in appearance and
nature which is wrought upon a person or thing by the power of God. This divine
transformation is from a lower to a higher state; it results in a more exalted,
impressive, and glorious condition. …“By the power of the Holy Ghost many prophets have been transfigured
so as to stand in the presence of God and view the visions of eternity” (Mormon Doctrine, 2nd ed. [1966], 803).
22. Moses was a son of God and
was in the “similitude” of Jesus Christ (Moses 1:4, 6–7; D&C 25:1). In his calling and
ministry, Moses was also a “type” or likeness of Jesus Christ (Moses 1:25–26; Dt. 18:15-3 Nephi 20:23; Exodus 2:1–10 and Matthew 2:11–23).
Moses 1:4, 6–7. Moses Was a Son of God- My mother-in-law- "I am
a child of God"
23. All other beliefs,
objects, or persons that people place above God in their lives are false gods (Moses 1:6; Ex.
20:1–6; Romans 1:25; D&C 93:19).
All things are present
with me” (v. 6; D&C 38:1–2; 130:4–7; Alma 4-8). "God
does not live in the dimension of time as do we. We are not only hampered by
our finiteness (experiential and intellectual), but also by being in the
dimension of time. Moreover, God, since ‘all things are present’ with him, is
not simply predicting based solely on the past. In ways that are not clear to
us, he sees rather
than foresees the
future, because all things are at once present before him” (NAMaxwell, Things As They Really Are p. 29)
“I know them all” (v. 6; 2 Nephi 9:20; Alma 26:35; Moroni 7:22). Without the
knowledge of all things God would not be able to save any portion of his creatures;
for it is by reason of the knowledge which he has of all things, from the
beginning to the end, that enables him to give that understanding to his
creatures by which they are made partakers of eternal life; and if it were not
for the idea existing in the minds of men that God had all knowledge it would
be impossible for them to exercise faith in him” (Joseph Smith, Lectures on Faith [1985],
51–52; D&C 88:41; 93:8–36).
“Many people have been led
to regard this foreknowledge of God as a predestination whereby souls are
designated for glory or condemnation even before their birth in the flesh, and
irrespective of individual merit or demerit. This heretical doctrine seeks to
rob Deity of mercy, justice, and love; it would make God appear capricious and
selfish, directing and creating all things solely for His own glory, caring not
for the suffering of His victims. How dreadful, how inconsistent is such an
idea of God! It leads to the absurd conclusion that the mere knowledge of
coming events must act as a determining influence in bringing about those
occurrences. God’s knowledge of spiritual and of human nature enables Him to
conclude with certainty as to the actions of any of His children under given
conditions; yet that knowledge is not of compelling force upon the creature”
(JETalmage, The Articles of Faith,
191).
Moses 1:6. “Thou Art in the
Similitude” “resembling another” or “to be in the form or image of another.” In
what ways was Moses’ life similar to the life of Jesus Christ?
Moses 1:6. “There Is No God Beside
Me”- Are there ideas, objects, or people that we sometimes place
24. Man and
his works cannot compare with the majesty and greatness of God, "Man Is Nothing” (Moses 1:9–10; 2 Nephi 4:16–23; Mosiah 2:23–25; 4:5, 11; Alma 26:12;
Helaman 12:7–8).
25. Moses 1:12. Satan, or Lucifer, is a spirit
son of God who rebelled against God and sought to destroy the agency of man and
God’s plan of eternal happiness. Because of his rebellion he was cast out of
the presence of God and sent to the earth without a body of flesh and blood. He
and those who rebelled with him will never receive bodies nor become as God is,
and are therefore miserable.
26. Moses 1:12–22 is not found in Genesis. Other passages about Satan that are not found
in Genesis include the origin of Satan (Moses 4:1–4), the temptation of Adam and Eve (Moses 4:5–12), the temptation of the sons and daughters of Adam and Eve (Moses 5:12–13), and Cain’s covenants with Satan (Moses 5:18–31). Because there is so little information about Satan in the Old
Testament, many people today challenge his reality. In the 8 chapters of the
book of Moses, however, Satan is referred to more than 30 times. 2 Nephi
28:19–21. 2 Nephi
2:18; D&C
10:20–24; 29:36–37; 76:25–29.
27. Moses 1:4,
6–7, 40 - what God called Moses. Compare this title to what Satan called Moses in
verse 12. All men and women are spirit children of our Heavenly Father, we
are capable of becoming like Him. Also, Moses was a son of God in that he had
spiritually been born again and become a member of the Church of Jesus Christ; thus he stood in a position to become a joint-heir with Christ (Moses 6:68; D&C 25:1). In contrast, Satan called Moses “son of man” (Moses 1:12).
Satan’s
use of “son of man” should not be confused with Jesus Christ’s scriptural
designation as the “Son of Man” ( Matthew 8:20; 9:6; D&C 45:39;49:6; Moses 7:24, 27). In Moses 6:57 we read of Heavenly Father, the “Man
of Holiness, & the name of his Only Begotten is the Son of Man, even Jesus
Christ.”
28. Moses 1:12–24- How was Moses was able to discern between being with God and being
with Satan? What changes occurred in Moses that enabled him to see God? (v. 14). How do these principles help us as we discern between influences of
good and evil. Moroni 7:11–18.
29. Moses 1:19 - The Prophet Joseph Smith explained that “the nearer a person
approaches the Lord, a greater power will be manifested by the adversary to
prevent the accomplishment of His purposes” (in Orson F. Whitney, Life
of Heber C. Kimball,3rd ed. [1967], 132). Elder Wilford Woodruff,
then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, pointed out that “there
never was a prophet in any age of the world but what the devil was continually
at his elbow” (JD,13:163).
30. Moses 1:12–22- “The importance of not accommodating temptation in the
least degree is underlined by the Savior’s example. Did not he recognize the
danger when he was on the mountain with his fallen brother, Lucifer, being
sorely tempted by that master tempter? [Matthew 4:1–11.] He could have opened the door and flirted with
danger by saying, ‘All right, Satan, I’ll listen to your proposition. I need
not succumb, I need not yield, I need not accept—but I’ll listen.’ “Christ did
not so rationalize. He positively and promptly closed the discussion, and
commanded: ‘Get thee hence, Satan,’ meaning, likely, ‘Get out of my sight—get
out of my presence—I will not listen—I will have nothing to do with you.’ Then,
we read, ‘the devil leaveth him.’ This is our proper pattern, if we would prevent
sin rather than be faced with the much more difficult task of curing it. As I
study the story of the Redeemer and his temptations, I am certain he spent his
energies fortifying himself against temptation rather than battling with it to
conquer it” (SWKimball, The Miracle of Forgiveness, 216–17). James 4:6–10;Alma 13:27–29; and Helaman 5:12.
32. Moses 1:24 - “The fact is all the prophets had the Holy Ghost. They were led and
directed by him. And without this power they would not have been prophets.
Peter said that prophecy itself ‘came not in old time by the will of man: but
holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost’ [2 Peter 1:21]. The Book of Moses, which is the original and
perfect record of a part of Genesis, speaks of the Holy Ghost; so do the
Nephite prophets, including those who lived in the era before Christ” (JFSmith,
DS,1:46–47).
33. Compare what happened to
Moses as he spoke to God (Moses 1:1–9, 25–31) to Moses’ confrontation
with Satan (vs. 12–24).
34. Moses 1:31-38 “Jesus
Christ, in the sense of being its Creator and Redeemer, is the Lord of the
whole universe. Except for his mortal ministry accomplished on this earth, his
service and relationship to other worlds and their inhabitants are the same as
his service and relationship to this earth and its
inhabitants. …“… In short, Jesus Christ, through whom God created the
universe, was chosen to put into operation throughout the universe Elohim’s
great plan ‘to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man’—the gospel of Jesus
Christ—the only way whereby man can obtain eternal life” ( MGRomney, “Jesus
Christ: Lord of the Universe, ”Improvement
Era, Nov. 1968, also D&C 76:19–24).
35. Moses 1:39. "Immortality is to live forever in an assigned kingdom. Eternal
life is to gain exaltation in the highest heaven and live in the family unit” (SWKimball, Ensign,
Nov. 1978, 72).
“Hence, we see the complete unselfishness
of our Father in Heaven. His whole work and glory is to bring eternal life and
happiness to his children. Should not our whole purpose in this life,
therefore, be made up of righteous service one to another? If not, how can we
ever hope to be as he is?” (MGRomney, Ensign, Nov. 1981, 93).
36. Moses 1:40–41. In addition to his calling to free the children of Israel from Egyptian
bondage, Moses was given the assignment to write about the events that occurred
from the Creation of the earth until the final days of his own mission. The
first 5 books of the Bible contain the writings of Moses. However, some of the truths
Moses recorded in those 5 books were removed from the Bible by wicked men who
altered the biblical text (1 Nephi 13:24–28; Moses 1:23). By revelation, the
Prophet Joseph Smith restored many truths that were lost (2 Nephi 3:6–15)
