Today's Favorite Verse: Isaiah 60:19-20

Today's Favorite Verse: Isaiah 60:19-20
"The sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee: but the LORD shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory.
Thy sun shall no more go down; neither shall thy moon withdraw itself: for the LORD shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended."

This chapter is speaking of the Lord's Second Coming, yet it reminds me of the creation story in Genesis.

"And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.
And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day."
(Genesis 1:2-5)

On the second day God created a firmament to separate the waters above and below it.
On the third day God gathered the waters and dry land appeared. Along with grass, herbs, seeds and trees.
It wasn't until the fourth day that God created the two great lights. The sun to rule the day and the moon to rule the night. So where did the light come from in the very beginning? Light bright enough to make plants grow? The light came from the Spirit of God. That same God that will return and once again light this world after His Second Coming.

Day 3989

Today's Favorite Verse: Abraham 4:18-19

Today's Favorite Verse: Abraham 4:18-19
"And the Gods watched those things which they had ordered until they obeyed.
And it came to pass that it was from evening until morning that it was night; and it came to pass that it was from morning until evening that it was day; and it was the fourth time."

I noticed in the creation story in Abraham that each creation period is called night and day after it is determined that what they ordered was obeyed. It was at the end of each creation period not that the creation happened within the night and day. It also mentioned these were called "times" and not "days" like we have in Genesis. Each creation period could have taken millenniums or longer. I also noticed that calling night and day had nothing to do with the sun and moon at first. The heavens were not organized until the fourth "time" it was called night and day.. I wonder if night or darkness could mean without creation, and day is when the creation is born or completed?

Day 3741

Today's Favorite Verse: Moses 3:1

Today's Favorite Verse: Moses 3:1
"Thus the heaven and the earth were finished, and all the host of them."

I wondered who "all the host of them" were? I started to look at the footnotes.

"And it came to pass that Adam, being tempted of the devil—for, behold, the devil was before Adam, for he rebelled against me, saying, Give me thine honor, which is my power; and also a third part of the hosts of heaven turned he away from me because of their agency;"
(Doctrine and Covenants 29:36)

The third part of the hosts of heaven were Satan and his angels, all those that rebelled against God and were cast out. So automatically some of these other hosts are the two-thirds of spirit children that would be worthy to come to earth and obtain physical bodies.

"Thus saith the Lord your God, even Jesus Christ, the Great I AM, Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the same which looked upon the wide expanse of eternity, and all the seraphic hosts of heaven, before the world was made;"
(Doctrine and Covenants 38:1)

seraphic hosts = Seraphim
"Probably fiery beings. Angelic beings mentioned in the account of Isaiah’s vision (Isa. 6:2). They are represented as winged and partly human in form. They are attendants in Jehovah’s court, the ministers of the heavenly sanctuary, joining in adoration before the throne." (Bible Dictionary)

The spirits of man and the heavenly beings were all created before we can to this earth. This earth had a divine plan and purpose. It was not formed by accident.

"The Prophet Joseph Smith (1805–44) said: “Every man who has a calling to minister to the inhabitants of the world was ordained to that very purpose in the Grand Council of heaven before this world was. I suppose that I was ordained to this very office in that Grand Council” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith [2007], 511).
President Joseph Fielding Smith (1876–1972) taught: “The Lord informed Abraham that he had chosen rulers from among the intelligences that were organized, to be given in various capacities down the ages; and Abraham was one of these who was so chosen [see Abraham 3:22–23].“It is reasonable to believe that in the beginning, before the earth was prepared, the Lord would have all things organized from the beginning to the end of time. It is written in the scriptures: ‘Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the hosts of them.’ This is equivalent to the Lord’s saying that everything was in preparation to be placed on the earth in its due course when mankind should be placed upon it” (Answers to Gospel Questions, comp. Joseph Fielding Smith Jr. [1966], 5:182).

(Pear of Great Price Student Manual, "Moses 3:1-25")

Day 3732

Today's Favorite Verse: Moses 1:36, 40-41

Today's Favorite Verse: Moses 1:36, 40-41
And it came to pass that Moses spake unto the Lord, saying: Be merciful unto thy servant, O God, and tell me concerning this earth, and the inhabitants thereof, and also the heavens, and then thy servant will be content.
And now, Moses, my son, I will speak unto thee concerning this earth upon which thou standest; and thou shalt write the things which I shall speak.
And in a day when the children of men shall esteem my words as naught and take many of them from the book which thou shalt write, behold, I will raise up another like unto thee; and they shall be had again among the children of men—among as many as shall believe."

I'm now in the Pearl of Great Price. While Joseph Smith was translating the Bible he received by revelation these extracts from the Book of Moses. As I was reading this chapter I kept thinking about the Five Books of Moses in the Bible, which include Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. I wondered if they were oral traditions that Moses wrote down or revelations? In these verses I think I have my answer. God revealed the creation of this world and all its inhabitants. I can picture that he saw in vision all that took place in the garden of Eden, Noah and the flood, and the building of the Tower of Babel. He saw the beginning and the end of this world. He was commanded to write it. Moses was even shown that one day men would not esteem his words and take many things from the book. The one raised up would be Joseph Smith, restoring what was once lost.

Day 3730

Today's Favorite Verse: Hebrews 1:2, 10

Today's Favorite Verse: Hebrews 1:2, 10
"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;
And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands:"

The Savior created the worlds under the direction of the Father. What stands out to me is worlds plural. There are more worlds than this one. Each has its own purpose.

"And worlds without number have I created; and I also created them for mine own purpose; and by the Son I created them, which is mine Only Begotten.
And the first man of all men have I called Adam, which is many."
(Doctrine and Covenants 1:33-34)

Day 3293

Today's Favorite Verse: Isaiah 45:18

Today's Favorite Verse: Isaiah 45:18

"For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else."

This reminded me of this.

"And behold, the glory of the Lord was upon Moses, so that Moses stood in the presence of God, and talked with him face to face. And the Lord God said unto Moses: For mine own purpose have I made these things. Here is wisdom and it remaineth in me.

And worlds without number have I created; and I also created them for mine own purpose; and by the Son I created them, which is mine Only Begotten. "

(Moses 1:31, 33)

The earth was created to be inhabited. Each world that has been created has been for God's own purposes. In this world God created man in his own image. That was part of his purpose.

"And 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)

It does make me wonder if in other worlds he did not create man in his own image. Otherwise, where did the Cherubims and Seraphims that minister in the heavenly sanctuary, Holy of Holies, and guard the tree of life come from?

"Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly."

(Isaiah 6:2)

"So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life."

(Genesis 3:24)

"And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercyseat; of which we cannot now speak particularly."

(Hebrew 9:5)

Day 2883

Today's Favorite Verse: Psalms 148:5

Today's Favorite Verse: Psalms 148:5

"Let them praise the name of the LORD: for he commanded, and they were created."

This made me think of the creation story in Moses, and how everything that was created was created under the direction of God through His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Nothing was created unless it was through Him.

"And behold, the glory of the Lord was upon Moses, so that Moses stood in the presence of God, and talked with him face to face. And the Lord God said unto Moses: For mine own purpose have I made these things. Here is wisdom and it remaineth in me.

And by the word of my power, have I created them, which is mine Only Begotten Son, who is full of grace and truth.

And worlds without number have I created; and I also created them for mine own purpose; and by the Son I created them, which is mine Only Begotten.

And the first man of all men have I called Adam, which is many."

(Moses 1:31-34)

Day 2785

Today's Favorite Verse: Psalms 104:24

Today's Favorite Verse: Psalms 104:24

"O LORD, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches."

This chapter speaks of God's creations and works. I pondered on how I take much of these things, like the rising of the sun, for granted. It is good to be reminded that the creation itself testifies of the creator.

"I testify that the earth and all life upon it are of divine origin. The Creation did not happen by chance. It did not come ex nihilo (out of nothing). And human minds and hands able to build buildings or create computers are not accidental. It is God who made us and not we ourselves. We are His people!  The Creation itself testifies of a Creator. We cannot disregard the divine in the Creation. Without our grateful awareness of God’s hand in the Creation, we would be just as oblivious to our provider as are goldfish swimming in a bowl. With deep gratitude, we echo the words of the Psalmist, who said, “O Lord, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches."

(Russell M. Nelson, "The Creation", Apr 2000, General Conference)

Day 2741

Today's Favorite Verse: Genesis 1:20-22

Today's Favorite Verse: Genesis 1:20-22

"And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.

And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth."

I noticed something new in the creation story. Birds come from the water. In the verses after this God speaks of the other creatures that come from the earth. So there are separate elements from which life is created. In thinking that a day is a creation period. I could also see evolution involved in the process.

Day 2160

Today's Favorite Verse: Abraham 4:18

Today's Favorite Verse: Abraham 4:18

"And the Gods watched those things which they had ordered until they obeyed."

The Gods are God the Father and his son, Jesus Christ. What I noticed in this chapter is how many times the words organized (10), ordered (7), and obeyed (6) was mentioned. Each creation period has it at last once if not multiple times. From this I realized the progression to the next step in creation did not happen until God saw they were obeyed. I pondered on the cause and effect each creation had on the ability for the next creation to become organized, ordered and obeyed. Then I thought about how my obedience or lack of it, effects others around me. How the lack of obedience causes life to go into chaos. Truly out of all of God's creations man is the least obedient, and is less than the dust of the earth. For even dust is obedient.

"And they viewed themselves in the own carnal state, even less than the dust of the earth. And they all cried aloud with one voice, saying: O have mercy, and apply the atoning blood of Christ that we may receive forgiveness of our sins, and our hearts may be purified; for we believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who created heaven and earth, and all things; who shall come down among the children of men.

And it came to pass that after they had spoken these words the Spirit of the Lord came upon them, and they were filled with joy, having received a remission of their sins, and having peace of conscience, because of the exceeding faith which they had in Jesus Christ who should come, according to the words which king Benjamin had spoken unto them."

(Mosiah 4:2-3).

I am grateful for a loving Father in Heaven and his beautiful plan. He knew out of all his creations that man would need a savior to sacrifice and atone for their sins. I am grateful for my Lord, Jesus Christ for doing that for me.

Day 2155

Today's Favorite Verse: Moses 3:7, 18

Today's Favorite Verse: Moses 3:7, 18

"And 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."

And I, the Lord God, said unto mine Only Begotten, that it was not good that man should be alone; wherefore, I will make an help meet for him."

As I have listened to and read the creation story the part that I had the hardest time with was God creating woman as a help meet for Adam. My mind would always wonder, "What if Eve didn't want to be Adam's wife?", "What if she wasn't attracted to him or didn't fall in love with him?", "Did she just have to be assigned to be his wife?" Then one day I realized God created everything spiritually before they were created physically. That means he knew Adam and Eve before he created them physically as the first man and woman on the earth. I think God knew they loved each other, making Eve the perfect help meet for Adam. I love it when I have questions and when I give it time the answers will come, and all the pieces just fall together.

Day 2146

Today's Favorite Verse: Moses 2:19

Today's Favorite Verse: Moses 2:19

"And the evening and the morning were the fourth day."

As I was going over the creation story in the book of Moses this repeated phrase "the evening and morning were the (x) day" caught my attention. I was aware of this quote of Joseph Smith.

"So with regard to the periods occupied in the creation of the earth. Joseph taught that a day with God was not the twenty-four hours of our day; but that the six days of the creation were six periods of the Lord's time."

(George Q. Cannon, "Peculiarities of Public Preaching Among the Saints", JD 24:56)

So if the creation happened in not 24 hour days, but were creation periods wouldn't I see it in this story? I just thought and reflected on what was off by this phrase that I kept reading and was standing out to me. Then I realized it was backwards. If I talk about a 24 hour day I refer to it as day and night, not night and day. My day doesn't start with the night. This phrase wasn't typical to how I understand days. Could it be that is what God is trying to say? My day is not your day. It is according to my order of time. Ah, I think that is it. Now the creation periods fit for me. They were created by God's word and when he said they were done, which is according to his time.

Day 2145

Today's Favorite Verse: 2 Nephi 2:22-23, 25

Today's Favorite Verse: 2 Nephi 2:22-23, 25
"And now, behold, if Adam had not transgressed he would not have fallen, but he would have remained in the garden of Eden. And all things which were created must have remained in the same state in which they were after they were created; and they must have remained forever, and had no end.
And they would have had no children; wherefore they would have remained in a state of innocence, having no joy, for they knew no misery; doing no good, for they knew no sin.
Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy."

I love this chapter. It has a great explanation of the plan of salvation and the need for the atonement of Jesus Christ in a very clear way. I love how it explains the purpose behind Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden and need for opposition in all things and the agency of man.

The other day I saw a comment from someone on Facebook referring to the six days of creation. I look upon the mention of the days of creation as creation periods. Each is called a day but not a literal day according to man. Each day, or creation period is as long as needed. Which would absolutely explain the formation and age of this earth. Once Adam and Eve were placed in the Garden of Eden we have no idea how long they remained there until they partook from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. I look forward to the day when all things will be revealed.   

"Yea, verily I say unto you, in that day when the Lord shall come, he shall reveal all things -
Things which have passed, and hidden things which no man knew, things of the earth, by which it was made, and the purpose and the end there-of
Things most precious, things that are above, and things that are beneath, things that are in the earth, and upon the earth, and in heaven."
(Doctrine and Covenants 101:32-34)

Day 1787

Today's Favorite Verse: Ezekiel 10:4

Today's Favorite Verse: Ezekiel 10:4
"Then the glory of the Lord went up from the cherub, and stood over the threshold of the house; and the house was filled with the cloud, and the court was full of the brightness of the Lord's glory."

The cloud is referenced as the "manifestations of God". I did sit and wonder what a cherub or cherubim was. They are associated with the guarding of the tree of life, covering the mercy seat of the ark and in Ezekiel's vision. What are these heavenly creatures that are not totally human, but attend the throne of God? I guess I just won't have an answer on that one. However, I would not be surprised if they belong to another world. The purpose being, not to be made in God's image. Yet, still a spirit child of God.

"And worlds without number have I created; and I also created them for mine own purpose; and by the Son I created them, which is mine Only Begotten."
(Moses 1:33)

Day 1387

Today's Favorite Verse: Jeremiah 32:17

Today's Favorite Verse: Jeremiah 32:17
"Ah Lord God! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee:"

I acknowledge nothing is to hard for God to accomplish. I have come to learn that just because he can do it, doesn't mean he will do it. All things are done for my experience and good. If it is better that the prayer is not answered according to my will and pleasure, then it is not. For what child would ever learn to walk if it is always carried? What an omnipotent God to constrain himself from fixing every problem, illness, or deprivation when out of love he would want to. But seeing the big picture he holds himself back. What must it have been like for Heavenly Father to witness his only begotten Son's atoning sacrifice?

Day 1352

Today's Favorite Verse: Isaiah 44:24

Today's Favorite Verse: Isaiah 44:24
"Thus saith the Lord, thy redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb, I am the Lord that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself;"

Tuesday morning is my temple time, and I sat and had so many thoughts about the creation. New things I had never considered before. I also had many thoughts regarding things I needed to do for others or even how to managing my home better. When I was done I prayed that I would remember them when I got home because I had no way of writing these things down. I came home and forgot like half of them. I knew there was more, but this was an usual day with so many new thoughts. As I sat and read this chapter in Isaiah all the things I had not written down came back to me. How marvelous is that! Reading the scriptures really will bring things back into remembrance when its important between me and the Lord.

One fun thing I was thinking about with the creation I wanted to share with my family and get their thoughts. There are some scripture references I know I need to find and reflect on. Won't share them now because I'm not done forming it in my brain. I'm just so happy I remembered what it was I was needing to finish pondering on. I so love the scriptures and the harmony and consistency contained in them. They really do open up for the spirit to help direct my life.

Day 1298

Today's Favorite Verse: Psalms 99:1

Today's Favorite Verse: Psalms 99:1
"The Lord reigneth; let the people tremble: he sitteth between the cherubims; let the earth be moved."

The mention of cherubims made me look up what was known about them in the scriptures. This is what the Bible dictionary says:

BD Cherubim: Figures representing heavenly creatures, the exact form being unknown. They are found in the Holy of Holies, on the Mercy Seat of the Ark, and in the visions of Ezekiel. In the account of the Fall, cherubim are represented as keeping "the way of the tree of life".

I read in some scriptures that they have hands under their wings. They had glory and were next to God. They must be very remarkable beings. What are they I wonder? They sound like they have intelligence so they are not animals.

Then I thought about what the Lord God said to Moses about the creation of worlds without number.

"And behold, the glory of the Lord was upon Moses, so that Moses stood in the presence of God, and talked with him face to face. And the Lord God said unto Moses: for mine own purpose have I made these things. Here is wisdom and it remaineth in me.
And by the word of my power, have I created them, which is mine Only Begotten Son, who is full of grace and truth.
And worlds without number have I created; and I also created them for mine own purpose; and by the Son I created them, which is mine Only Begotten."
(Moses 1:31-33)

God created the worlds for his own purposes. That purpose is only known to Him. He could put any being he wanted on those various worlds. They did not necessarily need to be in His image as we are. The cherubims must have come from an amazingly beautiful world. I can't wait to see them.

Day 1152

Today's Favorite Verse: Psalms 8:3-4

Today's Favorite Verse: Psalms 8:3-4
"When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;
What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?"

When I am alone outside at night and look into the heavens I feel how insignificant I am compared to all that God had created. It is then that the thought will come into my mind what if there was no God. That thought turns my blood to ice for the horror of it. It is in comprehensible to me that this is all an accident without a great design. The very heavens testify of it. Once again my heart is comforted because I know without a doubt there is a loving Father in Heaven that has a plan for me. 

Day 1061

Today's Favorite Verse: Genesis 1:26

Today's Favorite Verse: Genesis 1:26

"And God said, Let us make man in our own image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth."

I am reading the King James version of the bible. I love how poetic it is, and how the spirit flows as I read it. The language style is very similar to the other scriptures of my faith. I know it is the word of God. I believe the King James version is one of the most correct versions of the bible available. What gratitude I have for those that sacrificed their lives to bring about the English translation of the bible for me.

As I read this chapter I thought about my scripture reading yesterday. That God the Eternal Father, his Son, Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost are three separate beings. As I read this verse in Genesis I can see an echo of that here in this verse. "God said, Let us make man in our own image.." Who is the us that God is referring to? It is his very son Jesus Christ that did the will of the Father in preparing this earth for all of us. I am sure there were other great ones with them, that by the power of the priesthood they were able to create this earth. What a beautiful earth it is. I am so grateful for all that the Father has done for me to be here. I am so grateful for a physical body created in His image. This was no freak of nature to have created such a marvelous thing.

Day 576

Today's Favorite Verse: Abraham 4:26-27

Today's Favorite Verse: Abraham 4:26-27

"And the Gods took counsel among themselves and said: Let us go down and form man in our image, after our likeness; and we will give them dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping things that creepeth upon the earth.

So the Gods went down to organize man in their own image, in the image of the Gods to form they him, male and female to form they them."

To simply know that my body is designed after the image of God helps me feel like I am one of his children. I have believed this since I was a child. It helped me understand the concept of God being a loving Heavenly Father. I cannot imagine what it must feel like to think of God without a body but just everywhere. I think I would feel much more distant from him. To think that God wanted me to be formed in his image means he expects me to become like him.

Day 571