Doctrines of Salvation

Chapter 6

Michael Our Prince

Creation of Adam

STATUS OF ADAM IN PRE-EXISTENCE. The first man placed upon the earth was a perfect being, a son of God. He was Michael, the Archangel, who had reached great distinction and power before he ever came to this earth; and who helped to frame this earth while he was yet a spirit, just as our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ was a spirit before he was born in Bethlehem. 1

Michael, after being placed upon this earth, is known as Adam. He received his tabernacle of flesh from the dust of this earth. He belongs to it, but he was one of the greatest of the intelligences, and was sent here to this earth to stand at the head of his posterity, to rule over them through the ages of eternity. We are indebted to him for more than we think. Through him we get these tabernacles of flesh and bones, tabernacles for our spirits. Our spirits are the begotten sons and daughters of God; so is Adam's, but he was sent here for the purpose of peopling this earth with bodies of flesh and bones. 2

ADAM CREATED FROM DUST OF THIS EARTH. The Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price all declare that Adam's body was created from the dust of the ground, 3 that is, from the dust of this ground, this earth. Moreover, the Lord said to Adam, that if he partook of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, he should surely die. "By the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, until thou shalt return unto the ground-for thou shalt surely die-for out of it [i.e, the ground] wast thou taken: for dust thou wast, and unto dust shalt thou return." 4 Now how could he return to the dust of the earth, if his body was not taken from it? 5

ADAM CREATED IN IMMORTALITY. When Adam came into this world, he was not subject to death. He was immortal. He could have lived forever. Had he remained in the Garden of Eden and not transgressed the law that had been given to him, he and Eve would have been there yet. 6

Now Adam's immortality, when he was in the Garden of Eden, was different from the immortality which will come eventually to every creature; for after the resurrection from the dead, spirit and body become inseparably connected, that man may receive a fulness of joy, provided he has kept the commandments of God. In a state of resurrected immortality the spirit and body become inseparably connected, welded together, that they may never be divided again.

ADAM NOT RESURRECTED IN EDEN. We hear a lot of people talk about Adam passing through mortality and the resurrection on another earth and then coming here to live and die again. Well, that is a contradiction of the word of the Lord, for a resurrected being does not die, whether that resurrected being enters the celestial kingdom, the terrestrial kingdom, or the telestial kingdom, or whether he becomes a son of perdition and is cast out into hell, because the spirit and the body become inseparably connected in the resurrection. Adam had not passed through a resurrection when he was in the Garden of Eden, and having not passed through a resurrection, spirit and body could be separated by the violation of the law. And the Lord provided the law so it could happen, because the mortal estate in which we find ourselves is absolutely necessary to our exaltation. 7

ADAM: FIRST MAN AND FIRST FLESH

ADAM QUICKENED BY SPIRIT, NOT BY BLOOD. Man became a living spirit clothed with a physical, flesh and bones body, but the body was not quickened by blood, but by spirit, for there was no blood in Adam's body before the fall. He was not then "flesh" as we know it, that is in the sense of mortality. In that state Adam could have remained in the Garden of Eden forever and all things that were created would have remained in that same condition forever. 8

MEANING OF "FIRST FLESH." But Adam was the first flesh on the earth and the first man also. 9 By flesh is meant mortality. There are numerous passages in the scriptures in which mortality and flesh are used synonymously. 10 Adam was placed on the earth after all other creatures were here. He came when the earth was prepared for him. 11 The Lord speaks of his becoming the first "flesh," or mortal, because of his fall. He was, of course, the first man on the earth, contrary to the teachings of our evolutionists. His name means "many," in reference to the greatness of his posterity as the human father of mankind.

ADAM BROUGHT MORTALITY TO ALL THINGS. After Adam's fall, the Lord declared that he placed a "curse" upon the earth, and this mortal condition then passed upon the earth and all upon its face. President Brigham young in speaking of this said: "It is very true, had not sin entered into the world, and opposition been introduced, death would not have entered. From that time to this death, opposition, selfishness, malice, anger, pride, darkness and wickedness of every description that could be invented by the children of men, as they have multiplied and spread abroad on the earth, have increased." 12

And again: "How did Adam and Eve sin? Did they come out in direct opposition to God and to his government? No, but they transgressed a command of the Lord, and through that transgression sin came into the world. . Then came the curse upon the fruit, upon the vegetables, and upon our mother earth; and it came upon the creeping things, upon the grain in the field, the fish in the sea, and upon all things pertaining to this earth, through man's transgression." 13

"THE FIRST MAN OF ALL MEN." Many revelations attest the truth that Adam was the first man. 14 The Prophet corrected the genealogy of Christ as given in Luke so that it includes this statement: "Adam who was formed of God, and the first man upon the earth." 15

The First Presidency has given the doctrine of the Church in these words: "It is held by some that Adam was not the first man upon this earth, and that the original human was a development from lower orders of the animal creation. These, however, are the theories of men. The word of the Lord declares that Adam was 'the first man of all men,' and we are therefore in duty bound to regard him as the primal parent of the race." 16

Joseph Smith has given us this statement: "Commencing with Adam, who was the first man, who is spoken of in Daniel as the 'Ancient of Days,' or in other words, the first and oldest of all, the great, grand progenitor of whom it is said in another place he is Michael, because he was the first and father of all, not only by progeny, but the first to hold the spiritual blessings, to whom was made known the plan of ordinances for the salvation of his posterity unto the end." 17

ADAM COMMANDED TO REPLENISH THE EARTH

MEANING OF REPLENISH. Adam was commanded to multiply and replenish the earth. Some have supposed this meant to fill up the earth again, but this is not so. The original Hebrew word appears many times in the Old Testament; only once is it translated "replenish."

It is a translation from the Hebrew word "male" pronounced malay. It is the same Hebrew word which is translated "fill" in the first chapter of Genesis, verse 22, in reference to the multiplying of fish of the sea and fowl of the air and the beasts of the field. This same Hebrew word is translated more than a score of times in other parts of the Bible and always as "fill," or "make full," never as replenish.

The Hebrew Lexicon defines the word as follows: "male intrans, to be or become full, to be fulfilled or completed." Why this word was translated "replenish" in the one case, but "fill" or "make full" in reference to fish, fowl and beasts and in a score of other places, I do not know.

In the Catholic Bible, it is translated, "fill." And God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply so as to fill the earth and subdue it."

In the Smith and Goodspeed translation it reads: "Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it."

In Farrer Fenton's (English) translation, it reads: "God then gave them his blessing; and God said to them, Be fruitful and multiply so as to fill the earth, and subdue it."

Even in the English unabridged dictionary, one meaning of replenish is "to make full."

ADAM: INTELLIGENT AND CIVILIZED

ADAM NOT END PRODUCT OF EVOLUTION. Adam was placed here, not a wild, half-civilized savage, but a perfectly-developed man, with wonderful intelligence, for he helped to create this earth. He was chosen in pre-existence to be the first man upon the earth and the father of the human race, and he will preside over his posterity forever.

Now, the Lord did not choose a being that had just developed from the lower forms of life, to be a prince, an archangel, to preside over the human race forever! Adam, as Michael, was one of the greatest intelligences in the spirit world and he stands next to Jesus Christ. When he came upon the earth, the Lord gave him a perfect form of government. 18

ADAM SPOKE CELESTIAL LANGUAGE. The first man placed upon this earth was an intelligent being, created in the image of God, possessed of wisdom and knowledge, with power to communicate his thoughts in a language, both oral and written, which was superior to anything to be found on the earth today. This may sound very sweeping and dogmatic to those who hold to the other view, but it is not any more so than their statements to the contrary. Moreover, I do not say it of myself, but merely repeat what the Lord has said; and surely the Creator, above all others, ought to know!

ADAM TAUGHT BY GOD. The first man was instructed by the best teacher man ever had, for he was taught of God, and spoke the language of the Most High, in which angels conversed. This language he taught to his children. It is true that he was left to work out, through the use of his faculties, many of nature's great secrets; but the Lord did not leave him helpless, but instructed him, and he was inspired by the Spirit of the Lord. 19

GOSPEL REVEALED TO ADAM. The Lord gave him commandments after he was driven out of the Garden of Eden, revealed to him the plan of salvation, and he taught his children, and he set up a government. It was a perfect government, for Adam listened to the counsels of the Almighty, his Father, and our Father. He taught his children principles of divine truth and endeavored to establish them in the knowledge and understanding of the things of the kingdom of God. 20

ADAM HAD THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. Some people have the idea that the Ten Commandments were first given by Moses when he directed the children of Israel and formulated their code of laws. This is not the case. These great commandments are from the beginning and were understood in righteous communities in the days of Adam. They are, in fact, fundamental parts of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and the gospel in its fulness was first given to Adam. 21

THE ADAM-GOD THEORY

SOURCE OF ADAM-GOD THEORY. President Brigham Young is quoted-in all probability the sermon was erroneously transcribed!-as having said: "Now hear it, O inhabitants of the earth, Jew and Gentile, saint and sinner! When our father Adam came into the Garden of Eden, he came into it with a celestial body, and brought Eve, one of his wives, with him. He helped to make and organize this world. He is Michael, the Archangel, the Ancient of Days, about whom holy men have written and spoken-He is our father and our God, and the only God with whom we have to do." 22

RELATIONSHIP OF ELOHIM, JEHOVAH, AND MICHAEL. If the enemies of the Church who quote this wished to be honest, they could not help seeing that President Brigham Young definitely declares that Adam is Michael, the Archangel, the Ancient of Days, which indicates definitely that Adam is not Elohim, or the God whom we worship, who is the Father of Jesus Christ.

Further, they could see that President Young declared that Adam helped to make the earth. If he helped then he was subordinate to someone who was superior. In another paragraph in that same discourse, President

Young said: "It is true that the earth was organized by three distinct characters, namely, Elohim, Jehovah, and Michael." Here he places Adam, or Michael, third in the list, and hence the least important of the three mentioned, and this President Young understood perfectly. We believe that Adam, known as Michael, had authority in the heavens before the world was framed. He dwelt in the presence of the Father and the Son and was subject to their direction as the scriptures plainly indicate. 23

NATURE OF ADAM'S CELESTIAL BODY. When President Young says that Adam came here with a celestial body, he speaks the truth. We teach that Adam or Michael had authority in heaven. He dwelt in the presence of the Father and the Son, hence he came from a celestial world. If so, then did he not have a celestial body? I think the same can be said of all of us, if we accept the teachings of the Lord-for we all came from the presence of God, hence had celestial bodies, even if they were spirit bodies, as was Adam's.

Again in this discourse President Young said: "Then the Lord by his power and wisdom organized the mortal tabernacle of man. We were made first spiritual [i.e, in heaven] and afterwards temporal [i.e, on this earth.]" Now what man was organized first by the Lord? Naturally, it was Adam, and so President Young taught in this very same discourse. There are Gods above Adam, even the Father and the Son.

ALL EXALTED MEN BECOME GODS. To believe that Adam is a god should not be strange to any person who accepts the Bible. When Jesus was accused of blasphemy because he claimed to be the Son of God, he answered the Jews: "Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods? If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken; Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God?" 24

Paul said, writing to the members of the Church in Rome: "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God." 25 And to the Galatians he said: "And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father." 26

Joseph Smith taught a plurality of gods, and that man by obeying the commandments of God and keeping the whole law will eventually reach the power and exaltation by which he also will become a god. 27

HOW ADAM IS OUR GOD. The expression that Adam is the only God with whom we have to do, has caused great discussion and the question naturally arises, do we not have to do with Jesus Christ and his Father? Certainly we do, and we are taught to pray to the Father in the name of Jesus Christ, the Son, and all that we do is to be done in the name of the Son. To make clear what President Young had in mind, I will give this illustration:

The army is composed of a great number of privates and officers of various ranks. The private in the army is, of course, under the captain, and the captain is under the colonel who receives instructions from his superior officers. In other words the only person with whom the private has to do is his captain. This illustration may seem rather crude, but I think it will convey the thought.

President Brigham Young was thoroughly acquainted with the doctrine of the Church. He studied the Doctrine and Covenants and many times quoted from it the particular passages concerning the relationship of Adam to Jesus Christ. He knew perfectly that Adam was subordinate and obedient to Jesus Christ. He knew perfectly that Adam had been placed at the head of the human family by commandment of the Father, and this doctrine he taught during the many years of his ministry. When he said Adam was the only god with whom we have to do, he evidently had in mind this passage given by revelation through Joseph Smith:

"That you may come up unto the crown prepared for you, and be made rulers over many kingdoms, saith the Lord God, the Holy One of Zion [i.e. Jesus Christ], who hath established the foundations of Adam-ondi-Ahman; Who hath appointed Michael [Adam] your prince, and established his feet, and set him upon high, and given him the keys of salvation under the counsel and direction of the Holy One, who is without beginning of days and end of life." 28

ADAM HOLDS KEYS OF SALVATION UNDER CHRIST. This doctrine was also taught by Joseph Smith, who said: "The Priesthood was first given to Adam.... He obtained it in the creation, before the world was formed.... He had dominion given him over every living creature. He is Michael the Archangel, spoken of in the scriptures.... The Priesthood is an everlasting principle, and existed with God from eternity, and will to eternity, without beginning of days or end of years. The keys have to be brought from heaven whenever the gospel is sent. When they are revealed from heaven, it is by Adam's authority.... Christ is the Great High Priest, Adam next." 29

If the keys of salvation have been committed to the hands of Adam, under the direction of Jesus Christ, then is there anything out of place for President Brigham Young to declare that it is Adam with whom we have to do? And yet here is the acknowledgment of the superiority of Jesus Christ. This being true, then the human family is immediately subject to Adam and he to the Redeemer of the world.

Again, to illustrate this point: In the Church we have a presiding officer whom we call the bishop. He has full charge in the ward over which he presides. This bishop is subject to the direction of the stake president, and he in turn to the Presidency of the Church. The only one, in the same sense, with whom the members have to do is bishop, but he is not the superior officer by any means.

STATUS OF ADAM REVEALED TO JOSEPH SMITH. In another revelation which President Young taught many times, we find the following: "Wherefore, verily I say unto you that all things unto me are spiritual, and not at any time have I given unto you a law which was temporal; neither any man, nor the children of men; neither Adam, your father, whom I created." 30

The doctrine taught by the Church in relation to Adam is clearly defined in the following revelation: "Three years previous to the death of Adam, he called Seth, Enos, Cainan, Mahalaleel, Jared, Enoch, and Methuselah, who were all high priests, with the residue of his posterity who were righteous, into the valley of Adam-ondi-Ahman, and there bestowed upon them his last blessing.

"And the Lord appeared unto them, and they rose up and blessed Adam, and called him Michael, the prince, the archangel. And the Lord administered comfort unto Adam, and said unto him: I have set thee to be at the head; a multitude of nations shall come of thee, and thou art a prince over them forever. And Adam stood up in the midst of the congregation; and, notwithstanding he was bowed down with age, being full of the Holy Ghost, predicted whatsoever should befall his posterity unto the latest generation." 31

STATUS OF ADAM KNOWN BY BRIGHAM YOUNG. From these passages President Brigham Young could very properly say that we are subject to Adam: that he rules over his posterity, and he gives us commandments, even as he receives commandments from Jesus Christ, who directs him in his ministry and will do so to the latest day of time. And this does not detract anything from the power, greatness, and glory of God the Father and his Son Jesus Christ.

Men who harp upon this saying in the discourse of President Brigham Young should know just as well as they know anything-for it has come to their attention hundreds of times-that Brigham Young did not confuse Adam with Jesus Christ or the Father whom he worshiped.

There is a volume published containing the saying of President Brigham Young in which his doctrine concerning the Father and the Son, and Adam's relationship to them is clearly declared in many pages. But when men desire to malign and misrepresent, such things count for nothing.

This is from one of the discourses of Brigham Young: "We are all the children of Adam and Eve, and they are the offspring of Him who dwells in the heavens, the Highest Intelligence that dwells anywhere that we have any knowledge of." Now, if he believed what some people like to interpret him as saying, then he could not say such a thing as that!

Again he said: "The greatest desire in the bosom of our Father Adam, or of his faithful children who are co-workers with God, our Father in Heaven, is to save the inhabitants of the earth" 32 This certainly does not sound like the interpretations, erroneously credited to him, give his views in relation to the Father and the Son and Adam whom God created!

PRESIDENT YOUNG TEACHES PATERNITY OF CHRIST. Another ambiguous statement from President Brigham Young-also, quite likely, not recorded exactly as he said it-is torn from its context and used by enemies of the truth to make it appear that he believed something entirely different from the whole burden of all his other teachings. It is:

"When the Virgin Mary conceived the child Jesus, the Father had begotten him in his own likeness. He was not begotten by the Holy Ghost. And who is the Father? He is the first of the human family; and when he [Christ] took a tabernacle, it was begotten by his Father in heaven, after the same manner as the tabernacles of Cain, Abel, and the rest of the sons and daughters of Adam and Eve....

"Jesus, our elder brother, was begotten in the flesh by the same character that was in the Garden of Eden, and who is our Father in Heaven. . .

"Now, remember from this time forth, and forever, that Jesus Christ was not begotten by the Holy Ghost." 33

The statement by President Brigham Young that the Father is the first of the human family is easily explained. But the expression that he was the same character that was in the Garden of Eden has led to misunderstanding because of the implication which our enemies place upon it that it had reference to Adam. Unfortunately President Brigham Young is not here to make his meaning in this regard perfectly clear. Under the circumstances we must refer to other expressions by President Brigham Young in order to ascertain exactly what his views really were in relation to God, Adam, and Jesus Christ.

GOD: FIRST OF THE HUMAN FAMILY. Let me comment first upon the expression that God is the "first of the human family." This same doctrine was taught by Joseph Smith. It is a fundamental doctrine of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. According to the teachings of Joseph Smith, he beheld the Father and the Son in his glorious vision, and he taught that each had a body of flesh and bones. He has expressed it in these words:

"The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man's; the Son also; but the Holy Ghost has not a body of flesh and bones, but is a personage of Spirit. Were it not so, the Holy Ghost could not dwell in us." 34

He also taught that, literally, God is our Father; that men are of the same race-the race called humans; and that God, the Progenitor, or Creator, is the Father of the human race. "In the image of his own body, male and female, created he them, and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created and became living souls in the land upon the footstool of God." 35

It is a doctrine common to the Latter-day Saints, that God, the Great Elohim, is the First, or Creator, of the human family.

THE FATHER WAS WITH ADAM IN EDEN. In discussing the statement by President Brigham Young that the Father of Jesus Christ is the same character who was in the Garden of Eden, it should be perfectly clear that President Young was not referring to Adam, but to God the Father, who created Adam, for he was in the Garden of Eden; and according to Mormon doctrine Adam was in his presence constantly, walked with him, talked with him, and the Father taught Adam his language. It was not until the fall, that the Father departed from Adam and no longer visited him in the Garden of Eden.

Surely we must give President Brigham Young credit for at least ordinary intelligence, and in stating this I place it mildly. If he meant to convey the thought that the character who was in the Garden of Eden, "and who is our Father in Heaven," was Adam, then it would mean that this expression was in conflict with all else that he taught concerning God the Father, and I am bold to say that President Brigham Young was not inconsistent in his teaching of this doctrine. The very expression in question, "the same character that was in the Garden of Eden, and who is our Father in Heaven," contradicts the thought that he meant Adam.

BRIGHAM YOUNG'S TEACHINGS ABOUT ADAM. Now let me present one or two expressions in other discourses by President Young-of course, the critics never think of referring to these:

"How has it transpired that theological truth is thus so widely disseminated? It is because God was once known on the earth among his children of mankind, as we know one another. Adam was as conversant with his Father who placed him upon this earth as we are conversant with our earthly parents. The Father frequently came to visit his son Adam, and talked and walked with him; and the children of Adam were more or less acquainted with him, and the things that pertain to God and to heaven were as familiar among mankind in the first ages of their existence on the earth, as these mountains are to our mountain boys." 36

"How did Adam and Eve sin? Did they come out in direct opposition to God and to his government? No. But they transgressed a command of the Lord, and through that transgression sin came into the world." 37

"The human family are formed after the image of our Father and God. After the earth was organized the Lord placed his children upon it, gave them possession of it, and told them that is was their home.... Then Satan steps in and overcomes them through the weakness there was in the children of the Father when they were sent to the earth, and sin was brought in, and thus we are subject to sin."

"Our Lord Jesus Christ-the Savior, who has redeemed the world and all things pertaining to it, is the Only Begotten of the Father pertaining to the flesh. He is our Elder Brother, and the Heir of the family, and as such we worship him. He has tasted death for every man, and has paid the debt contracted by our first parents [that is Adam and Eve]." 38

"The Latter-day Saints believe in Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of the Father, who came in the meridian of time, performed his work, suffered the penalty and paid the debt of man's original sin by offering up himself, [they believe he] was resurrected from the dead, and ascended to his Father; and as Jesus descended below all things, so he will ascend above all things." 39

It is very clear from these expressions that President Brigham Young did not believe and did not teach, that Jesus Christ was begotten by Adam. He taught that Adam died and that Jesus Christ redeemed him. He taught that Adam disobeyed the commandment of the Father, or God, and was driven from the Garden Of Eden. He said that Adam was conversant with his Father in the Garden of Eden. This is believed by all members of the Church, and also that the Father was in the Garden of Eden until Adam was driven out for his transgression.

ADAM NOT FATHER OF CHRIST. The statement, "And when he took a tabernacle it was begotten by his Father in heaven, after the same manner as the tabernacles of Cain, Abel, and, the rest of the sons and daughters of Adam and Eve, has reference to the body of Jesus Christ.

Adam died as the Father said he would through partaking of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 40 Adam's spirit and body were separated, and he did not get the resurrection until after the resurrection of Jesus Christ. 41 Adam, when a spirit without the body, could not beget a body of flesh and bones, therefore, he could not be the Father of Jesus Christ in the flesh.

Again, Adam was as dependent on Jesus Christ as we are for the resurrection which came through the fact that Jesus had life in himself as his Father did. 42 Therefore, he had to have a Father who had body of flesh and bones who was immortal, not a father who was a spirit with a body in the grave, whose body had turned to dust.

WORSHIP ELOHIM: NOT ADAM. We worship Elohim, the Father of Jesus Christ. We do not worship Adam and we do not pray to him. We are all his children through the flesh, but Elohim, the God we worship, is the Father of our spirits; and Jesus Christ, his first Begotten Son in the spirit creation and his Only Begotten Son in the flesh, is our Eldest Brother.

THE ANCIENT OF DAYS. Daniel speaks of Adam as the Ancient of Days. In this dispensation the Ancient of Days will sit in the valley of Adam-ondi-Ahman; and the judgment will be set; Christ will come; and the kingdom will be turned over to Christ; and he will be sustained in his calling as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. 43

Notes

^1. Abra. 3:22-25; 5:4-8; Moses 3:7; Rev. 12:7-9.

^2. Rel. Soc. Mag., vol. 39, pp. 4-5.

^3. Alma 42:2; Gen. 2:7; D. & C. 77:12; Moses 3:7.

^4. Moses 4:25; Gen. 3:19.

^5. Pers. Corresp.

^6. 2 Ne. 2:22; Moses 6:58-59.

^7. Church News, Apr. 15, 1939, pp. 3, 6; Alma 11:45; 12:18; D. & C. 63:49; 88:16, 116; 93:33-34.

^8. 2 Ne. 2:22; Gen. 9:2-6; Lev. 17:10-14.

^9. Moses 3:7.

^10. D. & C. 1:19; 67:11; 76:73-74; 84:21; John 8:15; Rom. 8:12-13; Jer. 17:5.

^11. Gen. 1:11-30; Moses 2:11-30.