Adam and Eve

A friend of Laurel’s, who was a Seventh Day Adventist, one day commented after a particularly hard day that she wished Adam and Eve had never partaken of the fruit so we would still be living in the Garden of Eden. Other religious don’t understand how Adam and Eve fulfilled their calling to bring us into the mortal world. We are the only church that believes that Adam and Eve choose wisely.

We are the only church that believes that in the premortal life Adam was Michael. The name Michael means “one who is like God”. In the scriptures we are told that Michael “fought the dragon”. That refers to him leading the hosts who cat out Satan. He led the armies; he helped create the earth. He is the archangel, which means head angel – he still is the head angel. He holds the keys to the Priesthood. No one outside of the Godhead plays a more prominent role.

Bruce R McConkie says that when Jesus was in gethsemane, he was sent an angel and that angel might have been Michael. He was in charge of the angels and might have assigned himself.

Read: The Lord needed a Prophet

Michael (Adam) is the prince; We know he has a solid character and is trustworthy. We know that Eve is a noble spirit for them to the chosen to be the first on the earth. (D&C 107 53 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.

54 And the Lord appeared unto them, and they rose up and blessed Adam, and called him Michael, the prince, the archangel.

55 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.

56 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.

57 These things were all written in the book of Enoch, and are to be testified of in due time.)

Imagine being the first on the earth. Everythng was new. There were no parents to teach them how to cook, build a house, hunt, cook, what plants were edible or how to prepare them. There was no doctor, no midwife, no internet to look things up, no libraries, no books. They were taught by their Father and possibly angels, but it had to have been hard.

We know Adam was created in the image of God – D&C 107. 43 Because he (Seth) was a perfect man, and his likeness was the express likeness of his father, insomuch that he seemed to be like unto his father in all things, and could be distinguished from him only by his age.

This says Seth was the likeness of his father; Adam is in the same way the likeness of his Father. Paul said, Hebrews 1:1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,

2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;

3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, 

Joseph Smith described Adam as a very handsome man. He said that his brother Alvis was the most handsome man he had ever known except for Adam himself. Joseph Smith saw them because they resurrected at the same time as Jesus.

Adam and Eve were married while they were in the Garden of Eden. The first commandment given to them was to multiply and replenish the earth. That commandment is still in force.

God taught Adam everything – how to read, write; they spoke the Adamic language which continued until the tower of Babel. We know some words in the Adamic language: deseret, zion, Adam ondi Ahman (which means Man of Holiness), and others. In the millennium we will speak the Adamic language again. The Jaredites down to Ether spoke the Adamic language. In the book of Ether he names animals like Curalons and Cumin.

We know God taught Adam to write because Adam kept a record – the Book of Remembrance. Adam named the trees. The tree of life named in the Garden of Eden bis not to be confused with the Tree of Life in Lehi’s dream. They ate of the Tree of Life regularly because they had no blood in their veins – they were alive through being quickened by the Spirit, which is light. They were able to eat and drink, but not die because they weren’t mortal. When they ate of the tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, it changed their body chemistry. They now had blood in their veins and hormones to be able to bear children. Blood is the symbol of life and the atonement.

We don’t know how long they were in the Garden of Eden; they were in a different neighborhood and time zone, not in this solar system yet. They had to choose between good and better, like rest on the Sabbath or go save the dying pioneers. They had to choose don’t eat the forbidden fruit or multiply their seed. Life was good, but it could be better.

It is significant that the tree of knowledge of good and evil was in the MIDST of the Garden.  Adam was told that if he ate of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, he would die. He died when he was 930 years old. If 1000 years is a day in the Lord’s time, then Adam did day a day later after taking the fruit.

Satan spoke by the mouth of the serpent. We know he can enter bodies of animals. The dove is the only animal that he is not allowed to enter because it is a symbol of the Holy Ghost. Joseph Smith said that the curse given to the devil is the reason snakes lost their legs – on thy belly thou shalt go…

The Garden of Eden was a terrestrial world. Now we are in a telestial world. In the millennium we will be in a terrestrial world again until the world is glorified, then it will become celestial.

Satan used his usual door approach on Adam and Eve: a half-truth followed by a lie or another half-truth and his own doctrine.  It’s like him saying, “It’s good to earn money for a mission, so it will be ok to work on Sundays because it is so I can go on a mission.” He is the master of rationalization.

Eve wanted to know good from evil. She wanted to have children, to be like God but didn’t want to die. Satan lied and said she wouldn’t die, so she ate the fruit.

A TRANSGRESSION is breaking a law; a SIN is rebelling against God.

Eve was a help meet – a strong equal. She made a courageous decision. Adam and Eve taught the gospel to their children. Satan came among them and commanded them not to believe; he appealed to their appetites.

Now we have scriptures and prophets and ancestors who teach and give examples. Cain and Abel weren’t the first born. Adam and Eve had grandchildren when Cain and Abel were born. Cain didn’t like to follow the rules. He loved Satan and worshipped him.

Cain was the first son of perdition. After he killed Abel, Adam and Eve prayed for another righteous sin and got SETH. The name means replacement. Seth was very righteous and was given the Priesthood - the Order, or Holy Order. Adam ordained 6 generations to the Priesthood. 

They were the great patriarchs. Before Adam died, he gathered his righteous at Adam Ondi Ahman, where he lived, and held a special meeting. The Savior appeared. It was Adam’s final talk:

D & C 107:53 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.

54 And the Lord appeared unto them, and they rose up and blessed Adam, and called him Michael, the prince, the archangel.

55 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.

56 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.

Adam will return right before the 2^nd coming to Adam Ondi Ahman in Davis County. He will take the Sacrament and will collect the keys from all dispensations.

At the end of the millennium Satan will be unleashed again for a short time – D&C 88. Adam will gather the armies to battle against Satan and his armies. The Battle of Great god and Satan will be cast out to outer darkness.

After Satan is defeated, Adam will open the gate to the Celestial City and admit the righteous one by one to become kings and queens. Adam will introduce us to our throne.