Starting in Abraham chapter three, verse 22, God shows Abraham the pre-existence with the spirits of men. Abraham is then shown the spiritual creation and the planning of the physical creation, as ordered by God. The above spans from Abraham 3:22 through 5:5. This process was seven periods long, in the likeness (or pattern) of what was going to take place in the physical creation. At the end of these seven periods there was still no physical creation, as the scripture states there was no “rain upon the earth” because there was no earth yet, and God had not yet “formed a man.”
Then in the remainder of the Book of Abraham, Adam’s spirit is placed into a body, and then he is introduced into the Garden of Eden
Which means we have a more detailed description of the spiritual creation and planning. This is a pattern that the physical creation would follow. Then when describing the physical creation the description is truncated, we just jump to the point where Adam is in the garden. And we see that Adam and all the children of Adam will be created before the end of the sixth (physical) creative period. (LINK)
The doctrine of two creations, a spiritual and a physical, is well established in LDS theology. Supporting this doctrine is the Book of Abraham. Genesis is less clear, at least in the English.
However, as Rashi points out, that when describing the one creation the Hebrew word וַיִּצֶר (“Yasar” - with one Yud - the first creation) is used. “Yasar” is rendered “formed” in our King James version. The letter “Yud” (י) is a symbol of creation. When man is described as being placed on the earth, the word has a spelling of וַיִּיצֶר (with two Yuds). This alternative spelling signals that this is a second creation (the physical). A point that is overlooked in English, but pointed to in the Hebrew. And of course this is all clarified in the Book of Abraham. (Rashi on Gen 2.)
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Thanks to Kerry Shirts and Prof. Hamblin for directing me to Rashi's commentary.
10 comments:
So, you're saying that the 6th day of physical creation is then divided up into the 7 "days" or seals as in the Book of Revelation, D&C 77, etc?
Jayflow:
Not exactly. What I am saying is that the heavens and the earth are very old, at least billions of years.
Let's say that each "day" or period of the physical creation is one billion years. I contend that the heavens and the earth went thru the physical creation periods of 1-5, then SOMEWHERE (it could be in the beginning, the middle or the end), there is a period of time in which man is on the earth, and that period is seven thousand years long (from Eden to the end of the millenium).
That during this same sixth period or day, many earths, ours being one, will come into existence, and move on into eternity. There may be millions of years before the sixth period "of creation" comes to an end. Except for pointing to the same thing, there is no connection between 7 days of the week, the 7 thousand years, and the 7 periods of creation.
-David
So, all our time as an earth happens in the big 6th "day" of creation...taking up 7000 years within that one "day"??
What about the idea that God's works are without end. Will the 6th day of physical creation ever stop?
Jayflow:
Jayflow asked: "So, all our time as an earth happens in the big 6th "day" of creation...taking up 7000 years within that one "day"??"
David Answers: Yes. If you have been through the temple you will notice that man is not on the earth until the 6th period. Abraham teaches that the 6th period does not end until all the hosts or children of heaven have come to earth, then the seventh period begins.
In addition the temple teaches Adam was created in the 6th period, then Satan turns to the people of the audience, living thousands of years latter and advises them. This is all within the 6th period, because the temple play never moves to the seventh period, because it has not started yet.
Whenever you see in scripture, the seventh period being described in the past tense, it is describing the spiritual creation.
david
If you have a look at all the creations of living entities upon the earth (in the book of Abraham) it states that the earth was prepared to bring forth grass. The waters were prepared to bring forth creatures etc. Whereas the creation of the planets etc are stated as literally happening.
After having explained all this it then goes on to say that this was all the plan. And then says it actually happened as stated.
The Scriptures explain that all living creatures were placed upon the earth on the same day. They state that man was the FIRST flesh upon the earth, the first man also.
It also states in the chapter before the creation that all days with God equal a thousand years. I don't think he'd shifted it to billions within one chapter.
Some thoughts for your examination.
I love the creation... studying it is definitely a must, after all, we as LDS people have four different accounts available to us now don’t we? That should tell us how important it is to study. A wonderful book on the creation besides the standard works, is God, Man and The Universe by Hyrum L. Andrus. Have you read it?
I think that I have to concur with Doug Towers when it specifically states that the earth was “prepared to bring forth.” I don’t think we really have an account of the actual spiritual creation but we have accounts of the spiritual/physical creation, and the physical creation. As I was studying this further I came across this passage in the Doctrine and Covenants, incidentally in section 77 (my oh my, is that not interesting, 77!)
12 Q. What are we to understand by the sounding of the atrumpets, mentioned in the 8th chapter of Revelation?
A. We are to understand that as God bmade the world in six days, and on the seventh day he finished his work, and csanctified it, and also formed man out of the ddust of the earth, even so, in the beginning of the seventh thousand years will the Lord God esanctify the earth, and complete the salvation of man, and fjudge all things, and shall gredeem all things, except that which he hath not put into his power, when he shall have sealed all things, unto the end of all things; and the sounding of the trumpets of the seven angels are the preparing and finishing of his work, in the beginning of the seventh thousand years—the hpreparing of the way before the time of his coming.
IMHO it seems that everything physical is done in the seventh day, what do you think? I believe we are in the seventh day.
I believe we are in the sixth period. You notice in the temple, which depicts the physical creation, the setting of Adam and all of his children (us) is in the sixth period. It never moves to the seventh period. We live in the sixth period. But I welcome all competing views.
-David
I think if you take the temple as your sole source you would get to the conclusion you suggest. But the temple is not to be a literal telling of the creation and the fall, it is wholly symbolic.
D&C 77:12 is the key. Look at the parallel the Lord makes between the creation of man on the seventh day (or the seventh thousand years according to Kolob) and the salvation of man in the seventh thousand years of the Earth's temporal existence.
Also, every day or period of creation ends with "and the evening and the morning was the _____day." Yet this does not happen with day 7.
And in Abraham 5:13 we read that time is still being kept on Kolob while Adam is in the Garden. Thus you could argue that the seventh day ended with the fall.
Tim J.
I think that good exegesis requires us to give weight to the clear passages on the topic being studied, and less weight to the passages that handle the subject tangentially.
Genesis, the Book of Moses, The Book of Abraham, and the Temple all clearly describe that man was created during the sixth period, and that all the hosts (inhabitants) of heaven come to earth before the seventh period. And the creation is the topic of these books. The spiritual creation is a pattern of the physical creation. And the Temple never describes the spiritual creation.
I think that using D&C 77:12 which is on another topic (trumpets), is a misreading and misapplication of the text to decipher the creation.
Of course I am in the minority (again 8-)) on this topic, but I stand by what I have said.
-David
Do Mormons Really believe That Jesus Christ is the Creator of the Heavens and the Earth and all that in them IS?"All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made."
I for One do NOT believe that Mormons REALLY do believe in Most things that Christians Believe- Mormons Make many platitudes toward Jesus Christ and God -
So please make an Argument that You Believe That Jesus Christ is Really the Creator - But Be Prepared to understand that you Believe in FreeMasonic Witch Craft and the Luciferian Beliefs - If you want the Truth come and get IT - Tell me how and Why Mormons Believe that Jesus is the Creator - if that is what you believe.
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