The Fall

As stated in my last post, God our Heavenly Father presented His marvelous plan for us. We chose His plan and therefore were entitled to be a part of it by coming to earth, being tested and gaining a body.

After the Lord had prepared all things on the earth for it to be ready to sustain human life, He created Adam and Eve. (Genesis 1:26-27)

He placed them in the Garden of Eden. The Garden of Eden was in a state of paradise. The fruits and flowers sprang forth spontaneously without the need to plant and till and cultivate.

It might be important here to explain that prophets have been given revelation in our day that helps us understand the doctrines of the creation and the Fall better.

One thing the Lord has revealed is that the word "Day" in Genesis doesn't mean a 24 hour period as is normally used. Each "day" mentioned in the Bible was a period of time. We haven't been told how long each of these creative periods lasted. But we do know that it wasn't just 24 hours.

The scriptures don't say just how long Adam and Eve lived in the Garden of Eden. But if you consider that each creative period was a significant amount of time, and that on the 7th "day" God rested from His labors.. that "day" of rest could have been a long period of time.

All this time Adam and Eve were living in the Garden in a state of paradise. They had been married by God, but could not have children. In addition to this, because they were in this state of paradise, they were unaware of the difference between good and evil and could not die because their bodies were not mortal.

The prophet Nephi in the Book of Mormon explains:

2 Nephi 2:22-24
22 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.
23 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.
24 But behold, all things have been done in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things.

They had been given commandments and they were as follows:

1. Multiply (have children) (Genesis 1:28)
2. Cleave unto each other and none else
3. Don't eat the fruit on the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, or they will die.(become Mortal)

When we look at this we can quickly see what seems to be a problem with God's plan. If Adam and Eve couldn't have children in this state of paradise, how could they live by the first commandment God gave them to multiply and therefore provide bodies for the rest of Heavenly Fathers' spirit children?

Also, if we are to be tested to see if we will do what is right, how could Adam and Eve or any of us for that matter be tested if we didn't understand good or evil?

Clearly Adam and Eve would have to make a choice here. They would have to either not take of the fruit and never have children, thus breaking the first commandment, or take of the fruit and be able to have children but become mortal and eventually die.

Unfortunately, what happened next has I think caused a great deal of strife for women. Many have blamed all the world's problems on Eve naively thinking that if she hadn't taken the fruit then we would have all lived in a paradise. What they don't know is that we wouldn't have lived or gained bodies if she had not taken the bold step she did by taking that fruit.

Satan came and deceived and tempted Eve telling her the half truth that:
"Ye shall not surely die...For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil."
(Genesis 3:4-5)

It was true that their eyes would be opened and that they would know the good from the evil, but it was not true that they would not die.

By taking the fruit noble Eve had started the process by which we would be able to all gain a body and be tested. There was one problem... she needed Adam to do the same.

When she approached Adam I would assume that it was with some fear of rejection. Eve knew Adam would want to try and keep all of God's commands. When she presented the fruit Adam first refused it. However, he did partake after Eve explained that if Adam didn't take the fruit, he would be left a lone man in the Garden of Eden.

Some people think that Adam should have just stayed in the garden and God would have provided another help meet for him, but they forget that if Adam had stayed, he would have not only broke the commandment to multiply, but he would have broken that commandment that he should cleave unto Eve and none else.

Now that Adam and Eve had taken the fruit, they had become mortal. Their eyes were opened and they began to know the good from the evil. And since they had broken one of God's commandments, they were in a state of transgression.

God cannot allow the least degree of sin. If we are in a state of sin, we have become spiritually dead. Or in other words we have been cut off from the presence of the Lord.

Had God's plan failed? Not at all! In fact God's plan was working out just as He had designed. Now there would be made available bodies for the rest of His spirit children and they would be able to be tested, knowing good and evil.

God had already known the choice that Adam and Eve would make. But it's important to note that God didn't make that choice for them.. for God cannot sin.

With the fruit eaten, one more hazard remained. If Adam and Eve were to eat of the fruit of the tree of life, they would have lived forever in their sin. There could have been no redemption made for them.

So God cast Adam and Eve out of the Garden and placed cherubim and a flaming sword to guard the way of the tree of life.

Adam and Eve were now on their own... they were now in a new mortal world where there is opposition in all things. God would allow them to live a short time before their mortal bodies would die so that they would have time to show faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, repent of their sins, be baptized, receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost and endure faithfully to the end of their mortal lives.

If they did this, they were promised that God would send a Savior, even Jesus Christ to pay the price for the sins of all who obey Him through these principles and ordinances. This same Jesus, having lived a sinless life, would also be given the power over life and death itself and be resurrected from the dead, thus paying the price for Adam and Eve's transgression, breaking the bands of death that fall on all their children and ensuring the resurrection of EVERY man, woman, and child who ever lives on the earth.

John 5:25-29
25 Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.
26 For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself;
27 And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man.
28 Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,
29 And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.

So because of Adam and Eve's choice, we all were given bodies and the chance to be tested whether we would follow the Lord and keep His commandments, allowing us the possibility to experience a fullness of Joy.

2 Nephi 2:25
25 Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy.


If you would like to know more about how you can receive the fullness of the Gospel in your life please contact the missionaries:

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Where did we come from? -- The Pre-Mortal Life

What is the definition of Eternal?

A quick look up at Dictionary.com says:

"without beginning or end; lasting forever; always existing (opposed to temporal ): eternal life."


So for someone to be eternal, they must have always existed. As Latter-day Saints, we believe that each person who has lived on this earth, or will live, actually lived before they came here and were born into this world.

Now let me say here that we don't believe in reincarnation. That is to say that we are not talking about a rebirth from a previous life lived on this earth in the flesh. Instead we believe that we lived as the spirit children, or literal spiritual offspring of God the Father. (Acts 17:26-29)

None of us at that point had a physical body. As I've said in my post about God, our Heavenly Father did have a physical body of flesh and bone. He was (and is) made up of both spirit and flesh. This in no way limits God, but it actually allows Him to have a fullness of joy. (D&C 138:17)

Since we were all His literal children, He wanted us to be able to have what He has. And one of those things is a physical body.

In the book of Moses chapter 1 verse 39 it says:

"This is my work and my glory, to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man"

What is the difference between immortality and eternal life? Simply put, immortality is the ability to never die (physically) and eternal life is the ability to never die spiritually (or in other words to be separated from God).

So God the Father called together a great council in Heaven. There He presented His plan on how he would accomplish both our immortality and eternal life.

He told us that we would be born on the earth and thereby given a physical body. We would be tested to see if we would do everything He asks of us. If we are faithful and live up to His commandments we would inherit eternal life.

But there was a problem... God knew that NONE of us would be completely faithful. (Rom. 3:23) That is none of us except His son Jesus Christ (Jehovah). How would this work if He knew none of us would meet the conditions for eternal life?

In order for this to work, God would have to send someone down to earth who would live a perfect life, and that would willingly give their life as a sacrifice to atone for the sins of the world. This sacrifice would make it possible to meet the divine laws of justice and mercy.

Justice because the punishment for sin would be fully given.
Mercy because that punishment wouldn't be enacted on the actual sinners, if they met the conditions of faith, repentance, baptism, and received the Gift of the Holy Ghost, and endured to the end.

This marvelous plan would allow us to not only learn and grow in the mortal sphere, but to also gain a body and eventually live the life that God lives along with Him. (Rom. 8:17)

Jesus, being the first born Spirit child of the Father and one who had already progressed to Godhood willingly volunteered to be the sacrifice for our sins, and also to be resurrected allowing our mortal bodies to become immortal.

He said "Here am I, send me". (Abr. 3:27)

But another in the heavenly host stood up and said "Here am I, send me" and then went on to present another plan. This was none other than Lucifer. He is described in the scriptures as a "Son of the Morning" meaning he held high status in the council.

His alternative plan to the Fathers had some slight differences that at first glance might seem appealing, but would prove to be disastrous if implemented.

Basically he said that he will go down and make sure that not one soul is lost. He would take away our ability to choose or our agency so that each of us would automatically make the right choices. This way we would all be guaranteed to succeed.

In return for doing this great task Lucifer just wanted one thing.. He wanted to take God the Father's place. He wanted the Father's honor and glory.

But if we look closer into Lucifer's plan we can see some big flaws. First of all, if we didn't have the ability to choose right or wrong for ourselves.. what would we actually learn? How would we progress? In truth the only thing that would make us closer to God after doing this would be the acquiring of a body. However even then our bodies wouldn't be instruments of agency so their purpose would largely be mute.
(2 Nephi 9:8-9)

After Lucifer had presented his plan, God the Father rejected it and chose Jesus to be our Savior.

This caused quite a stir in Heaven. In fact, this led to war in heaven. Michael (later our father Adam) and his angels (us) fought against Lucifer and those that followed him. Eventually Michael won the battle and cast Lucifer and those who followed him out and into the earth. (Rev. 12:7)

Lucifer became Satan, or the Devil, and those that followed him also became devils or angels to the devil. They were now spirits who would not have the chance to gain a body and progress. They with the devil will all eventually be bound and cast into outer darkness. But until that time they are allowed to tempt and try us. It is said in the scriptures that Satan was able to get 1/3 of the hosts of heaven to follow after him.

The other 2/3rds followed our Heavenly Fathers plan. Because they followed His plan, they or we are able to carry it out. Each child born into this world is one of the 2/3rds of the hosts of heaven who followed the Father.

Each of us has a chance to not only receive immortality, but also eternal life with God.

That is why we are here, to be tested to see if we will have faith in Jesus, repent of our sins, be baptized, receive the Holy Ghost, and endure to the end.

If we do, then we are promised immortality and eternal life with God.

If you would like to know more, please contact the missionaries.

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The Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ

With the restoration of the fullness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ also came new light and knowledge. Most people are familiar with the Holy Bible. It mostly records the dealings, doctrine, and miracles among Gods people in the Old World.

But what about the Americas? If God is the God of the whole world.. why would he only talk to people in one hemisphere? We believe that He has spoken to prophets all over the world and that the Book of Mormon is a record of Gods dealings with those prophets in the Americas.

The Book of Mormon is a second witness that Jesus is the Christ. The people in the Book of Mormon were among the ancestors of the native people of America.

One of the groups of people mentioned in the Book of Mormon came over to the Americas around the time of the Tower of Babel. They are referred to as the Jaredites. The next new group introduced into the native population came over much later around 600 B.C. They were the Mulekites. They had come over from Jerusalem while trying to escape the oncoming Babylonian captivity. A short while later another group came over to America from Jerusalem. This was a couple of prophet led families that were trying to escape the hands of wicked men who wanted to destroy them because of their leader Lehi, who had been prophesying of the destruction of Jerusalem if the people there did not repent.

This family later broke up into two principle groups called the Nephites and the Lamenites. The majority of the Book chronicles these two groups and their dealings with God.

The most important thing about the Book of Mormon is that it tells of Jesus Christ's visit to the Americas shortly after His Death and Resurrection. He taught the people the same gospel He had taught in the old world.

For said He:

John 10: 16
16 And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be cone fold, and one shepherd.

Jesus said "I am not asent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel." (Matt. 15: 24). A good student of the Bible will remember that all descendants of Israel didn't live in Jerusalem and some didn't even live near Jerusalem at the time Jesus was there.

We know that hundreds of years before Christ 10 of the tribes of Israel had been "lost". We also know that at times through the years different groups of Jews had left the land of Canaan.

The people in the Book of Mormon were one of these groups. They were some of the "Other Sheep" that Jesus had talked about.

So questions:

Why is this important? Answer: For many reasons. But here are just four:

1. The Book of Mormon is a second witness, independent of the Bible that Jesus is the Christ, our Lord and our Redeemer.
2. The Book of Mormon establishes the truth of the Bible record as it testifies of the same things as the Bible but it came from Prophets on the other side of the world. Showing that God is the source of both the Bible and the Book of Mormon.
3. The Book of Mormon is evidence that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is really Jesus' restored church on the earth today.
4. The doctrine in the Book of Mormon clarifies many passages in the Bible.


How did we get the Book of Mormon?

A: Moroni, the last prophet to write in the record of the Nephites, was commanded to hide up the record into the earth so it could come forth in a future time by the gift and power of God. This record was kept on golden plates. Moroni did just that he hid them up but not without first adding his testimony and a way that we can find out if this record is true:

Moroni 10:4-5
4 And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.
5 And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.

Then over a thousand years later, God called Joseph Smith as a prophet. This very Moroni appeared to Joseph now as an angel from the presence of the Living God. He showed Joseph where he had deposited the record and over a period of time, prepared Joseph to receive the record and translate it. Here is Joseph's account:

Joseph Smith History Chapter 1

30 While I was thus in the act of calling upon God, I discovered a alight appearing in my room, which continued to increase until the room was lighter than at noonday, when immediately a personage appeared at my bedside, standing in the air, for his feet did not touch the floor.
31 He had on a loose robe of most exquisite whiteness. It was a whiteness beyond anything earthly I had ever seen; nor do I believe that any earthly thing could be made to appear so exceedingly white and brilliant. His hands were naked, and his arms also, a little above the wrist; so, also, were his feet naked, as were his legs, a little above the ankles. His head and neck were also bare. I could discover that he had no other clothing on but this robe, as it was open, so that I could see into his bosom.
32 Not only was his robe exceedingly white, but his whole person was glorious beyond description, and his countenance truly like lightning. The room was exceedingly light, but not so very bright as immediately around his person. When I first looked upon him, I was afraid; but the fear soon left me.
33 He called me by name, and said unto me that he was a messenger sent from the presence of God to me, and that his name was Moroni; that God had a work for me to do; and that my name should be had for good and evil among all nations, kindreds, and tongues, or that it should be both good and evil spoken of among all people.
34 He said there was a book deposited, written upon gold plates, giving an account of the former inhabitants of this continent, and the source from whence they sprang. He also said that the fulness of the everlasting Gospel was contained in it, as delivered by the Savior to the ancient inhabitants;


As I stated before, Joseph was able to translate this record later into English. The fruit of that translation is the Book of Mormon, another testament of Jesus Christ.

Why the curious name? (Book of Mormon)
Mormon is one of the prophets who wrote in the Book. But the main reason we call the book after him is because he was the one who compiled the book together after taking from many of the sacred records of his people. You might say he was the editor of the book.

I found out for myself that the Book of Mormon is the word of God. I was 14 years old. I had grown up in an LDS family and we had read from it's pages often. However this time I decided I needed to know for myself if the Book of Mormon was true. I started reading nightly just before I would go to bed. As I read the book I felt the Holy Ghost speak peace to my heart and illuminate my mind. When I had hit a certain part in the book, Alma chapter 46, I realized that by then I knew that this was the word of God. I've had the witness of the Holy Ghost testify of it's truthfulness to me many times since then. This book has blessed my life in countless ways.

I found out through studying it's pages and through the still small voice of the Holy Ghost.

It is the Book that convinced me that Jesus is the Christ. I know it is true and that you can know for yourself, independent of any other source that it is truly a second witness of Jesus.

If you would like a FREE copy of the Book of Mormon please navigate here:

Click for your FREE Copy

Click on the link "Request a copy" by the picture of the Book of Mormon.

I challenge you to read it without prejudice with a sincere heart and with faith in Jesus Christ. Then ask God if it is true for yourself.

As you read the book, I'm sure you will have questions. Feel free to post your questions here or talk directly with missionaries and they will answer your questions.

You are a child of God and He loves you. This is His work and He wants you to be a part of it. Come and find the light of the Gospel in the Book of Mormon.

In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

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