The Creation

The Creation

In Moses and Abraham

Bruce H. Porter

In The Beginning
The Geologic Creation

Moses 2: Verse 1b

in the beginning I created the heaven, and the earth upon which thou standest.

Moses 2:Verse 2

2 And the earth was without form, and void; and I caused darkness to come up upon the face of the deep; and my Spirit moved upon the face of the water; for I am God.

Abraham 4: Verse 1

1 AND then the Lord said: Let us go down. And they went down at the beginning, and they, that is the Gods, organized and formed the heavens and the earth.

Abraham 4:Verse 2

2 And the earth, after it was formed, was empty and desolate, because they had not formed anything but the earth; and darkness reigned upon the face of the deep, and the Spirit of the Gods was brooding upon the face of the waters.

Period One
Light and Dark

Moses 2:Verse 3 3 And I, God, said: Let there be light; and there was light. Moses 2:Verse 4 4 And I, God, saw the light; and that light was good. And I, God, divided the light from the darkness. Moses 2:Verse 5 5 And I, God, called the light Day; and the darkness, I called Night; and this I did by the word of my power, and it was done as I spake; and the evening and the morning were the first day.		Abraham 4:Verse 3 3 And they (the Gods) said: Let there be light; and there was light. Abraham 4:Verse 4 4 And they (the Gods) *comprehended the light, for it was bright; and they divided the light, or caused it to be divided, from the darkness.* Abraham 4:Verse 5 5 And the Gods called the light Day, and the darkness they called Night. And it came to pass that from the evening until morning they called night; and from the morning until the evening they called day; and this was the first, or the beginning, of that which they called day and night.

Period Two
The Atmosphere

Moses 2:Verse 6 6 And again, I, God, said: Let there be a firmament in the midst of the water, and it was so, even as I spake; and I said: Let it divide the waters from the waters; and it was done; Moses 2:Verse 7 7 And I, God, made the firmament and divided the waters, yea, the great waters under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament, and it was so even as I spake. Moses 2:Verse 8 8 And I, God, called the firmament Heaven; and the evening and the morning were the second day.		Abraham 4:Verse 6 6 And the Gods also said: Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and it shall divide the waters from the waters. Abraham 4:Verse 7 7 And the Gods ordered the expanse, so that it divided the waters which were under the expanse from the waters which were above the expanse; and *it was so, even as they ordered.* Abraham 4:Verse 8 8 And the Gods called the expanse, Heaven. And it came to pass that it was from evening until morning that they called night; and it came to pass that it was from morning until evening that they called day; and this was the second time that they called night and day.

Period Three
The Primordial Mound
Plant Life

Moses 2:Verse 9 9 And I, God, said: Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and it was so; and I, God, said: Let there be dry land; and it was so. Moses 2:Verse 10 10 And I, God, called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters, called I the Sea; and I, God, saw that all things which I had made were good. Moses 2:Verse 11 11 And I, God, said: Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, the fruit tree yielding fruit, after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed should be in itself upon the earth, and it was so even as I spake. Moses 2:Verse 12 12 And the earth brought forth grass, every herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed should be in itself, after his kind; and I, God, saw that all things which I had made were good; Moses 2:Verse 13 13 And the evening and the morning were the third day.		Abraham 4:Verse 9 9 And the Gods ordered, saying: Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the earth come up dry; and it was so as they ordered; Abraham 4:Verse 10 10 And the Gods pronounced the dry land, Earth; and the gathering together of the waters, pronounced they, Great Waters; and the Gods saw that they were obeyed. Abraham 4:Verse 11 11 And the Gods said: Let us prepare the earth to bring forth grass; the herb yielding seed; the fruit tree yielding fruit, after his kind, whose seed in itself yieldeth its own likeness upon the earth; and it was so, even as they ordered. Abraham 4:Verse 12 12 And the Gods organized the earth to bring forth grass from its own seed, and the herb to bring forth herb from its own seed, yielding seed after his kind; and the earth to bring forth the tree from its own seed, yielding fruit, whose seed could only bring forth the same in itself, after his kind; and the Gods saw that they were obeyed. Abraham 4:Verse 13 13 And it came to pass that they numbered the days; from the evening until the morning they called night; and it came to pass, from the morning until the evening they called day; and it was the third time.

Period Four
Astral Geology
Sun, Moon and Stars

Moses 2:Verse 14 14 And I, God, said: Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven, to divide the day from the night, and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and for years; Moses 2:Verse 15 15 And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth; and it was so. Moses 2:Verse 16 16 And I, God, made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night, and the greater light was the sun, and the lesser light was the moon; and the stars also were made even according to my word. Moses 2:Verse 17 17 And I, God, set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, Moses 2:Verse 18 18 And the sun to rule over the day, and the moon to rule over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness; and I, God, saw that all things which I had made were good; Moses 2:Verse 19 19 And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.		Abraham 4:Verse 14 14 And the Gods organized the lights in the expanse of the heaven, and caused them to divide the day from the night; and organized them to be for signs and for seasons, and for days and for years; Abraham 4:Verse 15 15 And organized them to be for lights in the expanse of the heaven to give light upon the earth; and it was so. Abraham 4:Verse 16 16 And the Gods organized the two great lights, the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night; with the lesser light they set the stars also; Abraham 4:Verse 17 17 And the Gods set them in the expanse of the heavens, to give light upon the earth, and to rule over the day and over the night, and to cause to divide the light from the darkness. Abraham 4:Verse 18 18 And the Gods watched those things which they had ordered until they obeyed. Abraham 4:Verse 19 19 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.

Period Five
Creatures of Water and Air

Moses 2:Verse 20 20 And I, God, said: Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl which may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. Moses 2:Verse 21 21 And I, 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 I, God, saw that all things which I had created were good. Moses 2:Verse 22 22 And I, God, blessed them, saying: Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the sea; and let fowl multiply in the earth; Moses 2:Verse 23 23 And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.		Abraham 4:Verse 20 20 And the Gods said: *Let us prepare the waters* to bring forth abundantly the moving creatures that have life; and the fowl, that they may fly above the earth in the open expanse of heaven. Abraham 4:Verse 21 21 And the Gods prepared the waters *that they might bring forth* great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters were to bring forth abundantly after their kind; and every winged fowl after their kind. And the Gods saw that they would be obeyed, and that their plan was good. Abraham 4:Verse 22 22 And the Gods said: We will bless them, and cause them to be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas or great waters; and cause the fowl to multiply in the earth. Abraham 4:Verse 23 23 And it came to pass that it was from evening until morning that they called night; and it came to pass that it was from morning until evening that they called day; and it was the fifth time.

Period Six
Land Animals

Moses 2:Verse 24 24 And I, God, said: Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping things, and beasts of the earth after their kind, and it was so; Moses 2:Verse 25 25 And I, God, made the beasts of the earth after their kind, and cattle after their kind, and everything which creepeth upon the earth after his kind; and I, God, saw that all these things were good. Moses 2:Verse 26 26 And I, God, said unto mine Only Begotten, which was with me from the beginning: Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and it was so. And I, God, said: Let them have dominion over the fishes 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.Moses 2:Verse 27 Moses 2:Verse27 27 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:Verse 28 28 And I, God, blessed them, and said unto them: Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. Moses 2:Verse 29 29 And I, God, said unto man: Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree in the which shall be the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. Moses 2:Verse 30 30 And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to everything that creepeth upon the earth, wherein I grant life, there shall be given every clean herb for meat; and it was so, even as I spake. Moses 2:Verse 31 31 And I, God, saw everything that I had made, and, behold, all things which I had made were very good; and the evening and the morning were the sixth day.		Abraham 4:Verse 24 24 And the Gods prepared the earth to bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle and creeping things, and beasts of the earth after their kind; and it was so, as they had said. Abraham 4:Verse 25 25 And the Gods organized the earth to bring forth the beasts after their kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after its kind; and the Gods saw they would obey. Abraham 4:Verse 26 26 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 thing that creepeth upon the earth. Abraham 4:Verse 27 27 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. Abraham 4:Verse 28 28 And the Gods said: We will bless them. And the Gods said: We will cause them to be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it, and to have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. Abraham 4:Verse 29 29 And the Gods said: Behold, we will give them every herb bearing seed that shall come upon the face of all the earth, and every tree which shall have fruit upon it; yea, the fruit of the tree yielding seed to them we will give it; it shall be for their meat. Abraham 4:Verse 30 30 And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, behold, we will give them life, and also we will give to them every green herb for meat, and all these things shall be thus organized. Abraham 4:Verse 31 31 And the Gods said: *We will do everything that we have said, and organize them; and behold, they shall be very obedient*. And it came to pass that it was from evening until morning they called night; and it came to pass that it was from morning until evening that they called day; and they numbered the sixth time.

Period Seven
The Sabbath Day

Moses 3:Verse 1 1 THUS the heaven and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. Moses 3:Verse 2 2 And on the seventh day I, God, ended my work, and all things which I had made; and I rested on the seventh day from all my work, and all things which I had made were finished, and I, God, saw that they were good; Moses 3:Verse 3 3 And I, God, blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it; because that in it I had rested from all my work which I, God, had created and made. Moses 3:Verse 4 4 And now, behold, I say unto you, that these are the generations of the heaven and of the earth, when they were created, in the day that I, the Lord God, made the heaven and the earth,		Abraham 5: Verse 1 1 AND thus we will finish the heavens and the earth, and all the hosts of them. Abraham 5:Verse 2 2 And the Gods said among themselves: On the seventh time we will end our work, which we have counseled; and we will rest on the seventh time from all our work which we have counseled. Abraham 5:Verse 3 3 And the Gods concluded* upon the seventh time, because that on the seventh time they would rest from all their works which they (the Gods) counseled among themselves to form; and sanctified it. And thus were their decisions at the time that they counseled among themselves to form the heavens and the earth. Abraham 5:Verse 4 4 And the Gods came down and formed these the generations* of the heavens and of the earth, when they were formed in the day that the Gods formed the earth and the heavens,

D&C 77: Verse 12

We are to understand that as God made the world in six days, and on the seventh day he finished his work, and sanctified it, and also formed man out of the dust of the earth, even so, in the beginning of the seventh thousand years will the Lord God sanctify the earth, and complete the salvation of man,

The Spiritual Creation

Moses 3:Verse 5 5 And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew. For I, the Lord God, created all things, of which I have spoken, spiritually, before they were naturally upon the face of the earth. For I, the Lord God, had not caused it to rain upon the face of the earth. And I, the Lord God, had created all the children of men; and not yet a man to till the ground; for in heaven created I them; and there was not yet flesh upon the earth, neither in the water, neither in the air;		Abraham 5:Verse 5 5 According to all that which they had said concerning every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew; for the Gods had not caused it to rain upon the earth when they counseled to do them, and had not formed a man to till the ground.

D&C 77:Verse 2

. . . that which is spiritual being in the likeness of that which is temporal; and that which is temporal in the likeness of that which is spiritual; the spirit of man in the likeness of his person, as also the spirit of the beast, and every other creature which God has created.

The Mist

Moses 3:Verse 6 6 But I, the Lord God, spake, and there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground.		Abraham 5:Verse 6 6 But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground.

The Creation of Man

Moses 3:Verse 7 7 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.		Abraham 5:Verse 7 7 And the Gods formed man from the dust of the ground, and took his spirit (that is, the man's spirit), and put it into him; and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul

The Garden of Delight

Moses 3:Verse 8 8 And I, the Lord God, planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there I put the man whom I had formed. Moses 3:Verse 9 9 And out of the ground made I, the Lord God, to grow every tree, naturally, that is pleasant to the sight of man; and man could behold it. And it became also a living soul. For it was spiritual in the day that I created it; for it remaineth in the sphere in which I, God, created it, yea, even all things which I prepared for the use of man; and man saw that it was good for food. And I, the Lord God, planted the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and also the tree of knowledge of good and evil.		Abraham 5:Verse 8 8 And the Gods planted a garden, eastward in Eden, and there they put the man, whose spirit they had put into the body which they had formed. Abraham 5:Verse 9 9 And out of the ground made the Gods to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food; the tree of life, also, in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

Creation and Naming
The Animals

Moses 3:Verse 19 19 And out of the ground I, the Lord God, formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and commanded that they should come unto Adam, to see what he would call them; and they were also living souls; for I, God, breathed into them the breath of life, and commanded that whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that should be the name thereof. Moses 3:Verse 20 20 And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but as for Adam, there was not* found an help meet for him.*		Abraham 5: Verse 21 20 And out of the ground the Gods formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air, and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them; and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that should be the name thereof. Abraham 5:Verse 21 21 And Adam gave names to all cattle, to the fowl of the air, to every beast of the field; and for Adam, there was found an help meet for him.