Moses 7

Before the great flood, the Lord gave every opportunity for the people to repent and be baptized. for - 

"...Enoch beheld angels descending out of heaven, bearing testimony of the Father and Son; and the Holy Ghost fell on many, and they were caught up by the powers of heaven into Zion."  (Moses 7:27)

Thus, only the wicked remained at the time of the great flood.

Moses 7

 We learn that when a people become sufficiently righteous that the wicked fear them for - 

"...so great was the faith of Enoch that he led the people of God, and their enemies came to battle against them; and he spake the word of the Lord, and the earth trembled, and the mountains fled, even according to his command; and the rivers of water were turned out of their course; and the roar of the lions was heard out of the wilderness; and all nations feared greatly, so powerful was the word of Enoch, and so great was the power of the language which God had given him.

14 There also came up a land out of the depth of the sea, and so great was the fear of the enemies of the people of God, that they fled and stood afar off and went upon the land which came up out of the depth of the sea."  (Moses 7:13–14)

The more wicked we become as a people, the less the Lord will protect us.

Moses 6

 After Adam was taught the first principles and ordinances of the gospel that - 

"...it came to pass, when the Lord had spoken with Adam, our father, that Adam cried unto the Lord, and he was caught away by the Spirit of the Lord, and was carried down into the water, and was laid under the water, and was brought forth out of the water.

65 And thus he was baptized, and the Spirit of God descended upon him, and thus he was born of the Spirit, and became quickened in the inner man.

66 And he heard a voice out of heaven, saying: Thou art baptized with fire, and with the Holy Ghost..."   (Moses 6:64–66)

We have to assume that this was the same for Eve.

Moses 6

 As Adam asked the Lord - 

 "...Why is it that men must repent and be baptized in water?... "  (Moses 6:53)

The Lord explained - 

"That by reason of transgression cometh the fall, which fall bringeth death, and inasmuch as ye were born into the world by water, and blood, and the spirit, which I have made, and so became of dust a living soul, even so ye must be born again into the kingdom of heaven, of water, and of the Spirit, and be cleansed by blood, even the blood of mine Only Begotten; that ye might be sanctified from all sin, and enjoy the words of eternal life in this world, and eternal life in the world to come, even immortal glory;

60 For by the water ye keep the commandment; by the Spirit ye are justified, and by the blood ye are sanctified..."  (Moses 6:59–60)

Concerning "by the Spirit ye are justified, the Lord teaches - 

"...the Comforter; the peaceable things of immortal glory; the truth of all things; that which quickeneth all things, which maketh alive all things; that which knoweth all things, and hath all power according to wisdom, mercy, truth, justice, and judgment."  (Moses 6:61)

We are justified when our will and obedience is reconciled to God's

Moses 6

 As Enoch was obedient and anointed his eyes with clay and then washed them - 

"...he beheld the spirits that God had created; and he beheld also things which were not visible to the natural eye..."  (Moses 6:36)

I still believe that the spirits of those yet born are here on the earth and in my mind, this scripture supports that belief.

Moses 6

Moses writes that - 

"...a book of remembrance was kept, in the which was recorded, in the language of Adam, for it was given unto as many as called upon God to write by the spirit of inspiration;

6 And by them their children were taught to read and write, having a language which was pure and undefiled."  (Moses 6:5–6)

David J. Ridges comments - 

"...that Adam and Eve knew how to read and write and that they taught their children to do so also. This is a clear reminder that Adam and Eve were intelligent and well-educated."

I believe that that Adam and Eve were "well-educated" in the Garden of Eden or how would they know how to live upon being cast out of the garden.

Moses 5

 As begins to consider himself as Master Mahan, master of the great secret, we learn his motive in killing Abel - 

"...surely the flocks of my brother falleth into my hands."  (Moses 5:33)

Obviously, it was for greed and gain.

But later, Lamech considered himself to be Master Mahan, but this time he killed his own grandson - 

"...having known their secret, began to reveal it unto the sons of Adam;

50 Wherefore Lamech, being angry, slew him, not like unto Cain, his brother Abel, for the sake of getting gain, but he slew him for the oath’s sake."  (Moses 5:49–50)

Obviously because his grandson revealed the great secret which was a wicked covenant for gain.

Alma's words are true - 

"...thus we see the end of him who perverteth the ways of the Lord; and thus we see that the devil will not support his children at the last day, but doth speedily drag them down to hell."  (Alma 30:60)

Moses 5

 There are many that wants The Church to modify its teachings and doctrine to conform more to the social norms of society.  We find even in the beginning that - 

"Cain loved Satan more than God. And Satan commanded him, saying: Make an offering unto the Lord.

19 And in process of time it came to pass that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord.

20 And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock, and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel, and to his offering;

21 But unto Cain, and to his offering, he had not respect. Now Satan knew this, and it pleased him. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell."  (Moses 5:18–21)

There are many that thought Cain's offering was just as equitable as Abel.  But what Cain did was an attempt to challenge God and His commandments.   This is where many begin to fall as Cain as they will argue what is not fair.  Faith and obedience are the means of receiving knowledge and powers of Heaven.

President Henry B. Eyring - The Faith to Ask and Then to Act

 Speaking on what I blogged about yesterday, President Eyring focused on faith in Jesus Christ is the key to receiving revelation.  President Eyring said - 

"The way to receive revelation from God has not changed from the days of Adam and Eve. It has been the same for all called servants of the Lord from the beginning to the present day. It is the same for you and me. It is always done by exercising faith."

"This process of revelation is why you will hear speakers teach in this conference what is called the doctrine of Christ.  Revelation comes to us in proportion to the degree to which we have sought to take the doctrine of Christ into our hearts and implement it in our lives.

"The more we have the doctrine of Christ in our lives and hearts, the more we feel greater love and sympathy for those who have never had the blessings of faith in Jesus Christ or are struggling to maintain it. It is hard to keep the Lord’s commandments without faith and trust in Him. As some lose their faith in the Savior, they may even attack His counsel, calling good evil and evil good.  To avoid this tragic error, it is crucial that any personal revelation we receive be consonant with the teachings of the Lord and His prophets."

Moses 5

 We learn that the Lord charged Adam and Eve - 

"...that they should worship the Lord their God, and should offer the firstlings of their flocks, for an offering unto the Lord. And Adam was obedient unto the commandments of the Lord."  (Moses 5:5)

Obviously, Adam and Eve both demonstrated great faith and obedience for - 

"...after many days an angel of the Lord appeared unto Adam, saying: Why dost thou offer sacrifices unto the Lord? And Adam said unto him: I know not, save the Lord commanded me.

7 And then the angel spake, saying: This thing is a similitude of the sacrifice of the Only Begotten of the Father, which is full of grace and truth.

8 Wherefore, thou shalt do all that thou doest in the name of the Son, and thou shalt repent and call upon God in the name of the Son forevermore."  (Moses 5:6–8)

Not only because of their obedience and faith they learned much later the reason.  And then - 

"...the Holy Ghost fell upon Adam..."  (Moses 5:9)

Wherefore he continued to receive knowledge and understanding of the things of God.  Faith and obedience precedes knowledge and revelation.

Moses 4

The Lord told Eve - 

"...I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception. In sorrow thou shalt bring forth children..."  (Moses 4:22)

And to Adam - 

"...Thou shalt not eat of it, cursed shall be the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life."  (Moses 4:23)

Obviously, the Lord was teaching that mortality would bring tribulations.

I mentioned Sunday in Sacrament Meeting talk that I though some sort of hurt or pain was a preface to developing love.  Just a thought.

Moses 4

While in the Garden of Eden, we learn that Satan - 

"...sought also to beguile Eve, for he knew not the mind of God, wherefore he sought to destroy the world."  (Moses 4:6)

We learn three important truths herein - 

• Satan "sought" to beguile eve.  The definition of beguile being "charm or enchant sometimes in a deceptive way".  In my mind, I don't think He was successful. He may have caused Eve to consider her choices, but I don't know if she was really charmed or enchanted.
• Second, Satan obviously did not know all that god was thinking.
• Satan very reason to get Eve to eat of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, was to have the opportunity to destroy the world.

Obviously, he lied saying - 

"...Ye shall not surely die..."  (Moses 4:10)

President M. Russel Ballard - Lovest Thou Me More Than These

 As we are encompassed now in the Christmas season, I was touched this morning as I read acting President M. Russel Ballard's talk as he recalled the query of the Savior to Peter as - 

"...John reports that “when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these?”  

President Ballard followed with - 

"One way to demonstrate our [of the Savior] is...in doing some small things to better serve each other. Do things that make this world a better place."

Moses 4

 It is clear that there was never two plans proposed in our premortal existence.  There was always established eternal plan of the Father.  The Savior only proposes, being the right of the firstborn - 

"Here am I; send me.'  (2 Nephi 16:8)

And - 

...my Beloved Son, which was my Beloved and Chosen from the beginning, said unto me—Father, thy will be done, and the glory be thine forever."  (Moses 4:2)

But Lucifer proposed an alternate plan saying -

"...Behold, here am I, send me, I will be thy son, and I will redeem all mankind, that one soul shall not be lost, and surely I will do it; wherefore give me thine honor."  (Moses 4:1)

He would accomplish as he - 

"...sought to destroy the agency of man...  (Moses 4:3)

The Lord has defined equality as - 

"...every man according to his wants and his needs, inasmuch as his wants are just—"  (Doctrine and Covenants 82:17)

Obviously, agency, opportunity, and righteousness.  But the world is now pushing "equity" with the idea 

that outcomes are equal.  This sounds more like Satan's plan of control and destroying agency.

Moses 3

 Something that is missing in Genesis are the instructions to Adam He received in the Garden of Eden concerning the tree of knowledge of good and evil - 

"...nevertheless, thou mayest choose for thyself, for it is given unto thee; but, remember that I forbid it, for in the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die."  (Moses 3:17)

From the beginning Adam was given agency.

Moses 3

 Moses is told that - 

"...I, the Lord God, planted the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and also the tree of knowledge of good and evil."  (Moses 3:9)

In my mind, the Lord's plan and intent becomes apparent as He plants the tree of knowledge of good and evil in the "midst" of the garden.  If he really did not want Adam or Eve to be tempted and to partake, He would have planted it on the outskirts of the garden.

For the plan of salvation to begin, Adam needed knowledge of good and evil.

Moses 2

 Even though the creation was overseen by Jehovah or the Savior, it appears that when it came to placing man on the earth, God, the Father was firsthand involved where we read - 

"...I, God, said unto mine Only Begotten, which was with me from the beginning: Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and it was so...."  (Moses 2:26)

It also seems to me that the Lord referred to both Adam and Eve as man saying - 

"...I, God, created man in mine own image, in the image of mine Only Begotten created I him; male and female created I them."  (Moses 2:27)

Thus the word mankind would refer to both men and women.

Elder Gary E. Stevenson - Simply Beautiful - Beautifully Simple

 Speaking on simple and beautiful divinely appointed responsibilities we are commanded, Elder Stevenson said - 

"If hearing the words “General Handbook” or “divinely appointed responsibilities” causes you to shudder in fear of complexity, please don’t. These responsibilities are simple, inspirational, motivating, and doable. Here they are:

Living the gospel of Jesus Christ

Caring for those in need

Inviting all to receive the gospel

Uniting families for eternity

He concluded - 

"May we keep the gospel simple as we take upon us our divinely appointed responsibilities: To live the gospel of Jesus Christ so as to be sensitive to promptings, as did Jens in Denmark. To care for those in need, as demonstrated by the members of the Cúcuta stake in Colombia in providing shelter to orphaned ward members. To invite all to receive the gospel, in the way that Cleiton from the African island country of Cape Verde did with his friends and family. Finally, to unite families for eternity, as exemplified by Sister Lydia from Ukraine through her own temple ordinances, family history efforts, and service in the temple.  Doing so will surely bring joy and peace..."

Moses 3

 As I read the words of the Lord to Moses - 

"...I, the Lord God, formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul, the first flesh upon the earth, the first man also; nevertheless, all things were before created; but spiritually were they created and made according to my word."  (Moses 3:7)

I struggled with the words "the first flesh upon the earth, the first man also".  In my mind, flesh would include animals.  After praying and researching I found this - 

President Joseph Fielding Smith explained what was meant by the term flesh.

“So, Adam was the first man upon the earth, according to the Lord’s statement, and the first flesh also. That needs a little explanation.

“Adam did not come to this earth until it was prepared for him. The animals were here. Plants were here. The Lord did not bring him here to a desolate world, and then bring other creatures. It was all prepared for him, just according to the order that is written in our scriptures, and when it was all ready for Adam he was placed upon the earth.

“Then what is meant by the ‘first flesh’? It is simple when you understand it. Adam was the first of all creatures to fall and become flesh, and flesh in this sense means mortality, and all through our scriptures the Lord speaks of this life as flesh, while we are here in the flesh, so Adam became the first flesh. There was no other mortal creature before him, and there was no mortal death until he brought it, and the scriptures tell you that. It is here written, and that is the gospel of Jesus Christ.” (Seek Ye Earnestly, pp. 280–81.)

Moses 2

 For me, I find it interesting that as the Lord created the earth to sustain life, one of the first things He did was - 

"...Let there be a firmament 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.

8 And I, God, called the firmament Heaven; and the evening and the morning were the second day."   (Moses 2:6–8)

In other words, He created the atmosphere that allowed clouds and humidity for periodic rain and cleansing.  There is always order in all things, not chance.