There is no scripture equal to the Book of Abraham in revealing to man a knowledge of the great heavenly bodies, including the mighty Kolob which is near the throne of God, whose daily revolution is a thousand years of time as measured here upon this earth. Thus with a study of these two great books—Moses and Abraham—we learn that God has revealed to earth again knowledge which the ancient prophets had, and, in the case of the Book of Abraham, records which had been hidden from mankind for 4,000 years. Therefore, in this book we shall discuss somewhat in detail the eternal gospel truths proclaimed by the ancient prophets of God, beginning with Father Adam, or "Michael, the Ancient of Days."

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Modern astronomy holds the viewpoint that larger bodies of matter govern smaller bodies of matter through the law known as gravitation. Certainly that concept is in harmony with the words of the Lord to Abraham. However, astronomers have not, in our age, discovered one separate and distinctive body of matter which serves as the center of our galaxy and which seems to govern all the stars in said galaxy. In other words, they have not located a star which could be definitely designated as being Kolob. Instead of one large star serving as the center of this galaxy, astronomers maintain that there are numerous large stars located rạther close together and that they are all nearly equal in mass. That idea seems to fit well with Abraham's statement that there were "many great ones which were near unto it [Kolob]," although astronomers have not designated one of these stars as being the governor of the others.

In verse 4 the Lord described to Abraham the revolutions of Kolob. The word revolutions is used correctly, according to modern terminology, when the description is referring to seasons. Then Abraham records the fact that one revolution was a day unto the Lord, after His manner of reckoning, it being one thousand years according to the time appointed unto this earth. The word revolution in that particular phrase, according to our terminology, should be interpreted as meaning rotation, because it is the rotation of the earth upon its axis that determines day and night.

The Lord pointed out to Abraham that Kolob was immense in size. The fact that it took one thousand years of our time for it to make one complete turn on its axis—in other words, for one days' time to elapse also is indicative of its enormity. Modern astronomers have discovered many stars which are gigantic in size. These they call "super-giant stars." One of the largest of them is named Betelgeuse. It has a diameter of approximately four hundred sixty millions of miles. Another super-giant star, also enormous in size, is named Antares. This immense body of matter is located in the Scorpia constellation. It has a diameter of approximately three hundred millions of miles. Another giant star, being a little larger than Antares, is named Myra, and another is called Arcturus. The latter one has a diameter of thirty-six millions of miles. Any of these massive bodies of matter could easily be accepted as being comparable in size to the great star Kolob which God showed to Father Abraham.

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Eating of the fruit, however, would make his body mortal and he then would be subject to earthly conditions. Both of the foregoing accounts point out that our first parents would die in the day that they partook of the forbidden fruit; and the account in Abraham states that the day referred to was according to the measurement of time on Kolob which we have already learned was 1,000 years according to the reckoning of time on this earth. The Lord had reference to a spiritual death of Adam and Eve, and that prediction was fulfilled shortly after they partook of the forbidden fruit, which fact will soon be pointed out. Also, He meant the mortal death, that took place with Father Adam 930 years after he was cast out of the Garden of Eden, which was 70 years before the close of a day on Kolob.