THE FATHER ELOHIM, NOT JEHOVAH, BROUGHT FORTH ADAM

You may remember that in the previous chapter you read that Jesus and “the noble and great ones” were actively involved in the creation of the earth and the preparing of the world for the placement of life (see Abraham 3:22-24; 4:1) and that he and the noble and great spirits performed the creative acts associated with the preparation of the earth for life.

However, when it came time for Adam and Eve to be placed on the earth, our Father in Heaven became personally involved.

Elder Bruce R. McConkie explained our Heavenly Father’s involvement in the placement of Adam and Eve when he said that,

From . . . sacred sources we know that Jehovah—Christ, assisted by “many of the noble and great ones” (Abr. 3:22), of whom Michael is but the illustration, did in fact create the earth and all forms of plant and animal life on the face thereof. But when it came to placing man on earth, there was a change in Creators. That is, the father himself became personally involved. All things were created by the Son, using the power delegated by the Father, except man. In the spirit and again in the flesh, man was created by the Father. There was no delegation of authority when the crowning creature of creation was concerned.

From this quotation we learn that Adam is a son of God both spiritually and then physically (see end of chapter, Figure 3-B, the Revealed View of Man’s Origin & Destiny). This fact is affirmed by Luke I the New Testament. In tracing the genealogy of Joseph, the step-father of Jesus, Luke concluded his list of patriarchs by stating, “Seth, which was the son of Adam, which was the son of God” (Luke 3:38, emphasis added). Regarding this passage, Elder McConkie explained, “this statement, found in Moses 6:22, has a deep and profound significance and also means what it says. Father Adam came, as indicated, to this sphere, gaining an immortal body, because death had not yet entered the world (2 Nephi 2:22). Jesus, on the other hand, was the Only Begotten in the flesh, meaning into a world of mortality where death already reigned.

The Prophet Joseph Smith also endorsed Luke’s statement when he stated emphatically, “Where was there ever a son without a father? And where was there ever a father without first being a son? Whenever did a tree or anything spring into existence without a progenitor? And everything comes in this way.” In other words, Joseph Smith is saying that all living things are begotten or procreated by mother and fathers—including Adam and Eve.

This newly revealed truth about Adam’s beginning enlightens our minds and lifts our spirits, for in learning of our origins through Adam we can anticipate our outcomes in the eternities. In other words, by understanding our true premortal and earthly beginnings as literal children of God we can predict our own destiny. Because Heavenly Father begat us spiritually and physically (though Adam and Eve), we have the seeds within us to eventually become like him (see D&C 132:19)—if we follow the steps outlined in the great plan of happiness.

In this, the Dispensation of the Fulness of Times, we have been blessed with such an abundance of light and truth regarding our family connectedness with God. And yet, there is much knowledge that lies in futurity that will provide further light and truth about our origins. In the meantime, while waiting with eager expectation to know more about the mysteries of godliness, we rejoice in the abundance of what has been revealed.