Creation - A Step by Step Process

And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day. (Genesis 1:31)

The above verse tells us that the Lord concluded the six days of creation. It is interesting to note the order of creation. Man was the last to be created. This process was a step-by-step procedure of preparing this planet as a testing place for men. Man was not created until the groundwork had been laid. Adam could not have been placed on this earth and survived until each of the essential components were in place.

So it is in preparing for eternity. It is a step-by-step, day-by-day, process. I think we often try to do too much, or we worry about all that needs to be done. Our preparation for eternity is done incrementally, line upon line. We must take each step along the way and gain mastery before we try to move further along. Otherwise we will thwart the end result of that which we want to achieve.

The Creation - Part II

And worlds without number have I created.... For behold, there are many worlds that have passed away by the word of my power. And there are many that now stand, and innumerable are they unto man; but all things are numbered unto me, for they are mine and I know them. (Moses 1:33, 35)

The Lord told Moses that his creations were innumerable. Carl Sagan, in his book Cosmos, attempts to give us perspective about the immensity of the universe. “The dimensions of the Cosmos are so large that using familiar units of distance, such as meters or miles, chosen for their utility on Earth, would make little sense. Instead, we measure distance with the speed of light. In one second a beam of light travels 186,000 miles, nearly 300,000 kilometers or seven times around the earth. In eight minutes it will travel from the Sun to Earth. We can say that the Sun is eight light-minutes away. In a year, it crosses nearly ten trillion kilometers, about six trillion miles of intervening space. That unit of length, the distance light goes in a year, is called a light year. It measures not time, but distances--enormous distances....

“There are some hundred billion galaxies, each with, on the average, a hundred billion stars. In all the galaxies, there are perhaps as many planets as stars...ten billion trillion.”(1) The creations of the Lord are grand and incomprehensible by human standards. Mr. Sagan only begins to help us imagine the greatness and immensity of the universe.

George Reynolds and Janne M. Sjodahl wrote, “The works of God encompass many other worlds, and of these Moses would not receive knowledge.

“We, perhaps, cannot conceive the immensity of God’s works; indeed, His ‘works and words’ have no end. The worlds which He has by His Son created, cannot be numbered by men. There are worlds that endure forever, serving the Lord. There are others that had not fulfilled the measure of their creation and at the word of God passed away. But truly, in the heavens above, in the stars He has established, God has raised a memorial of His greatness to all generations.”(2)

Though the creations of God are immeasurable, the Lord told Moses, “But only an account of this earth, and the inhabitants thereof, give I unto you.”(3) It would be fascinating to know more about these great creations spread across the universe and their part in the gospel plan. Apparently, this is not necessary for us to fulfill our purpose on this earth. The scriptures remain virtually silent on the other creations of God. Our focus should be on the scriptures and revelations the Lord has given us and not on the mysteries that have not yet been revealed.
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[1] Carl Sagan, Cosmos (New York: Random House, 1980), pp. 5-7.
[2] George Reynolds and Janne M. Sjodahl, Commentary on the Pearl of Great Price (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company, 1965), p. 94.
[3] Moses 1:35.

The Creation

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.(Genesis 1:1)

A discussion about the creation of the universe, this world, and man inevitably will raise the issue of science versus religion in attempting to explain this remarkable set of events. Using the temporal tools of this planet, men have attempted to explain the creation through science. Some have concluded that a random sequence of events occurred which eventually lead to the creation of this world and the evolution of man. Other scientists have observed the complexity of the universe and life and have concluded that there was some sort of omnipotent power involved in its creation. The search for knowledge through the scientific process is tedious and slow. Sometimes knowledge is gained in a random, even accidental fashion. After 6,000 years of human existence, man has yet to perfect the scientific tools that might provide a full knowledge of the creation.

True wisdom and knowledge can only be gained through the Spirit of God. As Moses was blessed with this discerning spirit, he was able to behold the earth in its most minute fashion and thus begin to comprehend the greatness of the Lord’s creation. Even with the world’s most powerful microscopes, men have only had a glimpse at what Moses beheld while in the Spirit. In speaking about gaining spiritual knowledge, Joseph Smith said, “Could you gaze into heaven five minutes, you would know more than you would by reading all that ever was written on the subject.”(1) Thus, if we wish to fully understand the creation, we must prepare ourselves, as did Moses. All the scientific study, though worthwhile, can only provide a drop in the bucket of the information that is available through the source of all truth.

Kent P. Jackson wrote, “The detailed process by which the Lord brought the universe and planet Earth into existence is not known by man. It is not unlikely that the principles of science as understood today will never be able to explain the divine powers and the divine actions that created these things.”(2)

Some years ago I attended a father and son campout with our ward, near the foot of Mount Rainier. On Saturday morning there was an informal climb through one of the canyons up to the foot of one of the great glaciers stretching from the peak of the mountain. As one of my priesthood brothers and I sat and observed the greatness of the glacier and the magnificence of the mountain and its environment, this good brother commented on the creation. He said that he could not imagine that such magnificence and beauty happened by chance. Indeed, as we sat there with a cool breeze coming off the glacier and the wonderful fresh smell of the mountain, I was also impressed and moved by the scene. It stood as a quiet testimony that there is a God in heaven who has created this planet as a place where we can continue our eternal progress.
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[1] Smith, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 156.
[2] Kent P. Jackson, “Genesis and the Early Experiences of Mankind,” in Studies In Scripture - Genesis to 2 Samuel, Vol. 3, eds. Robert L. Millet and Kent P. Jackson (Salt Lake City: Randall Book, 1985), pp. 26-27.

The Work of God

For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man. (Moses 1:39)

In his great vision, Moses beholds the glory of God (see Moses 1). During this remarkable experience, Moses beheld all the “inhabitants” of the earth and that they were “numberless as the sand upon the sea shore.” This was a remarkable vision. As Moses beheld this great vision, he asked the Lord, “Tell me, I pray thee, why these things are so, and by what thou madest them?”

I find this to be an interesting account. Here was a man who had such great faith in the in the Creator that he was able to converse with the Lord and behold this remarkable vision. Yet, though his faith was great, he was lacking basic knowledge about the plans and designs of God.

In response to Moses’ question, the Lord responds, “For mine own purpose have I made these things.” The Lord then expands Moses’ insight even further when he continues, “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.”(1)

President Joseph Fielding Smith: “Not only was this earth planned as an architect plans his building but its entire destiny and the destiny of its inhabitants was considered and known to the great Architect, before its foundation stones were laid. Our Eternal Father was not experimenting when this world came into existence. It did not come by chance. It is not the first of his creations. Millions upon millions of worlds such as this had rolled into existence before our earth was born. Every step taken was according to the divine plan, and that plan was an eternal one, which had been followed in the construction of other worlds without number unto man. In other worlds the plan of salvation had been given. Here we are enacting familiar scenes; scenes which are new to all mortal men, but which are well known to the Father and also to the Son.”(2)

Moses’ question is ultimately answered when the Lord stated, “For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.” Though this verse is brief, it sums up God’s motivations and our eternal destiny. Elder Neal A. Maxwell wrote, “Fortunately, God is preoccupied with His children. We (and what we may become) are His work and glory. (Moses 1:39.) All that He does is for our benefit. (2 Ne. 26:24.) As George MacDonald said of God, ‘He lays no plans irrespective of His children.’ ‘Worlds and suns and planets,' wrote MacDonald, are but 'a portion of His workshops and tools for the bringing out of righteous men and women to fill His house of love’.”(3)

It is this foundation principle that causes me to continue to desire to do good and to strive for perfection. This is my ultimate reason for membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is only through the ordinances and authority in this Church that men and women can reach their greatest eternal potential.
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[1] See Moses 1:24-33.
[2] Joseph Fielding Smith, The Way To Perfection (Salt Lake City: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1949), pp. 35-36.
[3] Neal A. Maxwell, Meek and Lowly (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company, 1987), p. 12.