Author's Note: A dictionary definition of To Create: "To originate or cause; to bring into being; to cause to exist; to make or form, by investing with new character;" (The New Webster Encyclopedic Dictionary of the English Language p.201)
Bruce R. McConkie defines it as follows: "To create is to organize. It is and utterly false and uninspired notion to believe that the world or any other thing was created out of nothing, or that any created thing can be destroyed in the sense of annihilation. 'The elements are eternal' (D&C 93:33)." (Mormon Doctrine, p. 169)
Joseph Smith had this to say about the word "create," which he uttered just a few months before his death: "Now, the word create came from baurau which does not mean to create out of nothing; it means to organize; the same as a man would organize materials and build a ship. Hence, we infer that God had materials to organize the world out of chaos—chaotic matter, which is element, and in which dwells all the glory. Element had an existence from the time He had. The pure principles of element are principles which can never be destroyed; they may be organized and re-organized, but not destroyed. They had no beginning, and can have no end." (TPJS:350-52; DGSM:16)
115. Adam, known as Michael, assisted Jesus Christ in the creation of the earth.
116. The elements are eternal; they were not created from nothing.
118. God created mankind in His own image and likeness.
119. The heavens, the earth, and all things upon the earth were created in six creative periods.
120. All plants and animals upon the earth were created for the benefit of human beings.
121. God the Father created other worlds through His son Jesus Christ.
114. Through His son Jesus Christ, God the Father created the earth and all things in the heavens and in the earth.
It was Jesus, our Redeemer, who, under the direction of his father, came down and organized matter and made this planet. . . . (Doctrines of Salvation, 1:74-75) DGSM:16
And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: (Paul writes to the Saints at Ephesus in Asia Minor, about A.D. 62) Ephesians 3:9
God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,
2. 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;
3. Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; (Paul writes to the Jewish members of the Church, about A.D. 60) Hebrews 1:1-3
translating the Book of Moses
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.
32. And by the word of my power, have I created them, which is mine Only Begotten Son, who is full of grace and truth.
33. 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. (The Lord talks to Moses, face to face; revelation received in 1830) Moses 1:31-33
So the scriptures teach that everything came into existence through Jesus Christ and it came about with full advance planning and purpose. The purpose was that this was a first step in our becoming like God. . . .
May I make this crystal clear: Jesus Christ, our Redeemer and Savior, created all things under the direction of his Father, including life, and he did so according to a preconceived plan. He was the Creator of heaven and earth. This is the position we Latter-day Saints must take with respect to Jesus Christ. If we truly believe in him, we must believe his doctrine, and this is the doctrine of Christ. Are we willing to believe it? Are we willing to be Christians within the framework of this definition? I testify to you humbly as a servant of Christ—but also as one of his special witnesses—that these things are true. ("Christ the Creator," Brigham Young University Speeches of the Year, 1977, p. 197) TLDP:120
The creation of the earth, the details of which are not known, must have been marvelously and intensely appealing in its interest to the intelligent beings who, because of their exalted knowledge, had the necessary power over the elements and forces of the universe to accomplish the forming of an earth. Three great intelligent Beings were in supreme authority in the building of the earth; namely, God, the Father, his Son Jehovah, who became the Christ, and Michael, who became the first man, Adam. These three Beings were naturally the ones concerned in the making of an earth for the sojourn of the spirits, for it was through the agency of God, the Father, that the spirit beings were started on the road of eternal progression; it was about the mission of Jehovah, the Son of God, that the differences of opinion raged in the Great Council, and finally, it was Adam, or Michael, who was appointed to be the one to come upon the earth, and there to subject himself to death, so that the procreation of spirits in earthly tabernacles might be begun. (A Rational Theology, pp. 49-51) TLDP:120
We know that Jehovah-Christ, assisted by "many of the noble and great ones" (Abraham 3:22), of whom Michael is but the illustration, did in fact create the earth and all forms of plant and animal life on the face thereof. But when it came to placing man on earth, there was a change in Creators, that is, the Father himself became personally involved. All Things were created by the Son, using the power delegated by the Father, except man. In the spirit and again in the flesh, man was created by the father. There was no delegation of authority where the crowning creature of creation was concerned. (The Promised Messiah, p. 62) DGSM:18
Jesus Christ is the light and life of the world because all things were made by him. Under the direction and according to the plan of God the Father, Jesus Christ is the Creator, the source of the light and life of all things. Through modern revelation we have the testimony of John, who bore record that Jesus Christ is “the light and the Redeemer of the world, the Spirit of truth, who came into the world, because the world was made by him, and in him was the life of men and the light of men. (CR 1987Oct; “The Light and Life of the World”, Ensign, November 1987, p.63)
First and foremost, we are thankful for our Savior Jesus Christ. Under the plan of the Father, He created the world. (CR 2003Apr; Give Thanks in All Things, Ensign, May 2003, p.95)
He created this earth under his Father’s direction as a place for us to live in mortality and prove whether we would be obedient and “do all things whatsoever the Lord [our] God shall command.”3 He also created innumerable other worlds. (CR 1994Oct; Deep Roots, Ensign, November 1994, p.75)
Related Witnesses:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2. The same was in the beginning with God. 3. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. 5. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. . . .
14. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. (The record of the Apostle John, testifying of the Savior) John 1:1-5,14
quoted by Joseph Smith
Now the Lord had shown unto me, Abraham, the intelligences that were organized before the world was; and among all these there were many of the noble and great ones; . . .
24. And there stood one among them that was like unto God, and he said unto those who were with him: We will go down, for there is space there, and we will take of these materials, and we will make an earth whereon these may dwell; (Abraham learns of pre-earth life and foreordination) Abraham 3:22,24
115. Adam, known as Michael, assisted Jesus Christ in the creation of the earth.
Three great intelligent Beings were in supreme authority in the building of the earth; namely, God, the Father, his Son Jehovah, who became the Christ, and Michael, who became the first man, Adam. These three Beings were naturally the ones concerned in the making of an earth for the sojourn of the spirits, for it was through the agency of God, the Father, that the spirit beings were started on the road of eternal progression; it was about the mission of Jehovah, the Son of God, that the differences of opinion raged in the Great Council, and finally, it was Adam, or Michael, who was appointed to be the one to come upon the earth, and there to subject himself to death, so that the procreation of spirits in earthly tabernacles might be begun. (A Rational Theology, pp. 49-51) TLDP:120
We know that Jehovah-Christ, assisted by "many of the noble and great ones" (Abraham 3:22), of whom Michael is but the illustration, did in fact create the earth and all forms of plant and animal life on the face thereof. (The Promised Messiah, p. 62) DGSM:18
It was Jesus, our Redeemer, who, under the direction of his father, came down and organized matter and made this planet. . . .
It is true that Adam helped to form this earth. He labored with our Savior Jesus Christ. I have a strong view or conviction that there were others also who assisted them. Perhaps Noah and Enoch; and why not Joseph Smith, and those who were appointed to be rulers before the earth was formed? (Doctrines of Salvation, 1:74-75) DGSM:16
Related Witnesses:
quoted by John A. Widtsoe
When Father Adam came to assist in organizing the earth out of the crude material that was found, an earth was made upon which the children of men could live. After the earth was prepared Father Adam came and stayed here. . . . (At Paris, Idaho, Aug. 31, 1873, JD16:167) DBY:102
116. The elements are eternal; they were not created from nothing.
quoted by Elder Joseph Fielding Smith
You ask the learned doctors why they say the world was made out of nothing, and they will answer, "Doesn't the Bible say He created the world?" And they infer, from the word create, that it must have been made out of nothing. Now, the word create came from the word baurau, which does not mean to create out of nothing; it means to organize; the same as a man would organize materials and build a ship. Hence we infer that God had materials to organize the world out of chaos—chaotic matter, which is element, and in which dwells all the glory. Element had an existence from the time He had. The pure principles of element are principles which can never be destroyed; they may be organized and reorganized, but not destroyed. They had no beginning and can have no end. (To the Church in general conference—to a congregation of 20,000—,"King Follett Sermon", April 7, 1844) (See HC6:302-17, also see The Words of Joseph Smith, pp. 340-62) HC6:308-09; TPJS:354
Anthon H. Lund, Charles W. Penrose
(First Presidency)
The Council of the Twelve Apostles
The scriptures plainly and repeatedly affirm that God is the Creator of the earth and the heavens and all things that in them are. In the sense so expressed the Creator is an Organizer. God created the earth as an organized sphere; but He certainly did not create, in the sense of bringing into primal existence, the ultimate elements of the materials of which the earth consists, for "the elements are eternal" (D&C 93:33).
So also life is eternal, and not created; but life, or the vital force, may be infused into organized matter, though the details of the process have not been revealed unto man. (In pamphlet, "The Father and The Son; A Doctrinal Exposition by The First Presidency and The Twelve," published by the Church June 30, 1916. Reprinted in AF:420-26. See MOFP:5:23-34) AF:420
Matter in its essence is eternal, that is, everlasting. Whether the various known forms of matter may be converted one into the other is not definitely known, though it seems probable. Any such conversion would, however, leave the total quantity of matter or its equivalent unchanged. God, the supreme Power, cannot conceivably originate matter; he can only organize matter. Neither can he destroy matter; he can only disorganize it. God is the Master, who, because of his great knowledge, knows how to use the elements, already existing, for the building of whatever he may have in mind. The doctrine that God made the earth or man from nothing becomes, therefore an absurdity. The doctrine of the indestructibility of the essential elements of the universe makes possible much theological reasoning that would otherwise be impossible. (A Rational Theology, pp. 11-12) TLDP:121-22
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.” (CR 2000Apr; Ensign, May 2000, 84–86)
Related Witnesses:
For man is spirit. The elements are eternal, and spirit and element, inseparably connected, receive a fulness of joy; (Revelation received at Kirtland, Ohio, May 6, 1833) D&C 93:33
117. Mankind and all forms of life were created spiritually before they were created physically on the earth.
There is no account of the creation of man or other forms of life when they were created as spirits. There is just the simple statement that they were so created before the physical creation. The statements in Moses 3:5 and Genesis 2:5 are interpolations thrown into the account of the physical creation, explaining that all things were first created in the spirit existence in heaven before they were placed upon this earth.
We were all created untold ages before we were placed on this earth. We discover from Abraham 3:22-28that it was before the earth was formed that the plan of salvation was presented to the spirits, or "intelligences." This being true, then man, animals and plants were not created in the spirit at the time of the creation of the earth, but long before. (Doctrines of Salvation, 1:75-76) TLDP:120-21
translating the Book of Moses
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; . . .
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. (The Lord reveals to Moses the creation of the earth and of man) Moses 3:5,7
Our religion tells us that God is our Father, and that we lived with him before we were born on this earth. It tells us further that every creature, microscopic and otherwise, was made by him before it lived here on the earth, and also that each one was made as a spirit before it was made in the flesh here in mortality. There were two creations, one in which God made all things in the spirit. That is, he made the real life, the real being, as a spirit, in the first creation. And then, in the second creation, he provided these mortal tabernacles in which he placed these spirits that he had created in the preexistence. ("We Believe in God, The Eternal Father," Brigham Young University Speeches of the Year, 1973, p. 247) TLDP:121
(First Presidency)
By His almighty power He [God] organized the earth, and all that it contains, from spirit and element, which exist co-eternally with Himself. He formed every plant that grows, and every animal that breathes, each after its own kind, spiritually and temporally. . . . He made the tadpole and the ape, the lion and the elephant, but He did not make them in His own image, nor endow them with Godlike reason and intelligence. Nevertheless, the whole animal creation will be perfected and perpetuated in the Hereafter, each class in its 'distinct order or sphere,' and will enjoy 'eternal felicity.' That fact has been made plain in this dispensation (D&C 77:3). (Christmas greetings, Dec. 18, 1909) MOFP4:206
Related Witnesses:
Man and all forms of life existed as spirit beings and entities before the foundations of this earth were laid. There were spirit men and spirit beasts, spirit fowls and spirit fishes, spirit plants and spirit trees. Every creeping thing, every herb and shrub, every amoeba and tadpole, every elephant and dinosaur—all things—existed as spirits, as spirit beings before they were placed naturally upon the earth. (The Millennial Messiah, pp. 642-43) DGSM:16
These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens,
5. And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground. (Revelation to Moses with respect to the Creation) Genesis 2:4-5
118. God created mankind in His own image and likeness.
And God said, Let us make man in our 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.
27. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. (Revelation to Moses with respect to the Creation) Genesis 1:26-27
The sectarian people have a hard time understanding the idea that man is made in the image of God and that God looks like a human being. But I ask you, he having made all these rules, he having created all things and now reproducing us after his own kind, how could we be other than the exact image and likeness of God? It had to be that way, because we're the offspring of God. And since we are the offspring of God, and since the law is that everything should reproduce after its own kind, and inasmuch as God would not break his own laws, he reproduced after his own kind and thus man looks like God and man is in the image and likeness of God. ("We Believe in God, the Eternal Father," Brigham Young University Speeches of the Year, 1973, p. 249) TLDP:122
This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him;
2. Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created. (Revelation to Moses ) Genesis 5:1-2
quoted by Moroni, son of Mormon
And never have I showed myself unto man whom I have created, for never has man believed in me as thou hast. Seest thou that ye are created after mine own image? Yea, even all men were created in the beginning after mine own image.
16. Behold, this body, which ye now behold, is the body of my spirit; and man have I created after the body of my spirit; and even as I appear unto thee to be in the spirit will I appear unto my people in the flesh. (Christ shows his spirit body to the brother of Jared, at the time of the Tower of Babel) Ether 3:15-16
quoted by Joseph Smith
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.
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 learns about the creation of the earth) Abraham 4:26-27
translating the Book of Moses
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.
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. (The record of Moses : God makes man and gives him dominion over all things) Moses 2:26-27
quoted by Mormon
Ammon said unto him: I am a man; and man in the beginning was created after the image of God, and I am called by his Holy Spirit to teach these things unto this people, that they may be brought to a knowledge of that which is just and true; (Ammon responds to King Lamoni, about 90 B.C.) Alma 18:34
John R. Winder, Anthon H. Lund
(First Presidency)
Man is the child of God, formed in the divine image and endowed with divine attributes, and even as the infant son of an earthly father and mother is capable in due time of becoming a man, so the undeveloped offspring of celestial parentage is capable, by experience through ages and aeons, of evolving into a God. (In The Origin of Man, official statement, Nov. 1909) MOFP4:206
The truth I desire to emphasize today is that we mortals are in very deed the literal offspring of God. If men understood, believed, and accepted this truth and lived by it, our sick and dying society would be reformed and redeemed, and men would have peace here and now and eternal joy in the hereafter.
Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints accept this concept as a basic doctrine of their theology. The lives of those who have given it thought enough to realize its implications are controlled by it; it gives meaning and direction to all their thoughts and deeds. This is so because they know that it is the universal law of nature in the plant, animal, and human worlds for reproducing offspring to reach in final maturity the likeness of their parents.
They reason that the same law is in force with respect to the offspring of God. Their objective is, therefore, to someday be like their heavenly parents. CR1973Apr:133
Related Witnesses:
Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device. (Paul preaches on Mars' Hill about the Unknown God) Acts 17:29
119. The heavens, the earth, and all things upon the earth were created in six creative periods.
In the making of the earth, as in all other matters pertaining to the destiny of man, the work was done in complete and orderly harmony with the existing laws of the universe. The Mosaic six days represent successive stages in the building of the earth, each measured by ages of time. The forces of nature set steadily, though often slowly in the accomplishment of great works. (A Rational Theology, pp. 49-51) TLDP:119-120
quoted by Joseph Smith
4:1. 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. . . . 4:31. . . . [A]nd they numbered the sixth time. . . . 5:1. And thus we will finish the heavens and the earth, and all the hosts of them. 5:2. 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 learns about the creation of the earth) Abraham 4:1,31; Abraham 5:1-2
For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it. (The Lord reveals the fourth of the Ten Commandments to Moses ) Exodus 20:11
1:1. In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. . . . 1:31. 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. . . . 2:1. Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 2:2. And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. (Revelation to Moses with respect to the Creation) Genesis 1:1,31; Genesis 2:1-2
translating the Book of Moses
2:1. [I]n the beginning I created the heaven, and the earth upon which thou standest. . . . 2:31. 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. . . . 3:1. Thus the heaven and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 3:2. 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; (The Lord explains the Creation to Moses ; revelation received in 1830) Moses 2:1,31; Moses 3:1-2
But first, what is a day? It is a specified time period; it is an age, an eon, a division of eternity; it is the time between two identifiable events. And each day, of whatever length, has the duration needed for its purposes. One measuring rod is the time required for a celestial body to turn once on its axis. . . .
There is no revealed recitation specifying that each of the "six days" involved in the creation was of the same duration. . . . (Common Consent, p. 11) DGSM:17
120. All plants and animals upon the earth were created for the benefit of human beings.
Verily I say, that inasmuch as ye do this, the fulness of the earth is yours, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air, and that which climbeth upon the trees and walketh upon the earth;
17. Yea, and the herb, and the good things which come of the earth, whether for food or for raiment, or for houses, or for barns, or for orchards, or for gardens, or for vineyards;
18. Yea, all things which come of the earth, in the season thereof, are made for the benefit and the use of man, both to please the eye and to gladden the heart;
19. Yea, for food and for raiment, for taste and for smell, to strengthen the body and to enliven the soul.
20. And it pleaseth God that he hath given all these things unto man; for unto this end were they made to be used, with judgment, not to excess, neither by extortion. (Revelation received Aug. 7, 1831) D&C 59:16-20
And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. (Revelation to Moses with respect to the Creation) Genesis 1:29
translating the Book of Moses
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. (The record of Moses : God makes man and gives him dominion over all) Moses 2:29
quoted by Joseph Smith
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 learns about the creation of the earth) Abraham 4:29
121. God the Father created other worlds through His son Jesus Christ.
translating the Book of Moses
And by the word of my power, have I created them, which is mine Only Begotten Son, who is full of grace and truth.
33. 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. (The Lord talks to Moses, face to face, revelation received in 1830) Moses 1:32-33
And now, after the many testimonies which have been given of him, this is the testimony, last of all, which we give of him: That he lives 23. For we saw him, even on the right hand of God; and we heard the voice bearing record that he is the Only Begotten of the Father—
24. That by him, and through him, and of him, the worlds are and were created, and the inhabitants thereof are begotten sons and daughters unto God. (Vision to Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon, Feb. 16, 1832) D&C 76:22-24
God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,
2. 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; (Paul writes to the Jewish members of the Church, about A.D. 60) Hebrews 1:1-2
also quoting Joseph Smith
The Son apparently had been organizing worlds before, interpreting the passage in the Book of Moses, where the Father said to Moses : "Worlds without number had He created; by His only Begotten Son had He made them." CR1949Oct:192-93
After the Firstborn of the Father, while yet a spirit being, had gained power and intelligence that made him like unto God; after he had become, under the Father, the Creator of worlds without number; after he had reigned on the throne of eternal power as the Lord Omni potent—after all this he yet had to gain a mortal and then an immortal body.
After the Son of God "made flesh" his "tabernacle," and while he "dwelt among the sons of men" after he left his preexistent glory as we all do at birth; after he was born of Mary in Bethlehem of Jude a—after all this he was called upon to work out his own salvation. ("Our Relationship with the Lord," Brigham Young University Speeches of the Year, 1981-82, p. 99) TLDP:747
We know that our Heavenly Father is a glorified, exalted personage who has all power, all might, and all dominion, and that he knows all things. We testify that he, through his Only Begotten Son, is the Creator of this earth and of worlds without number, all of which are peopled by his spirit children. CR1971Apr:4-5
Related Witnesses:
quoted by Joseph Smith
The worlds were made by him; men were made by him; all things were made by him, and through him, and of him. (Revelation received at Kirtland, Ohio, May 6, 1833; John bore record of Jesus Christ) D&C 93:10
Further, the gospel is in operation in all the worlds created by the Father and the Son. Their work and their glory, in all the infinite creations that their hands have made, is to bring to pass immortality and eternal life for the children of the Father. Through the atonement of Christ, the inhabitants of all these worlds have power to become his sons and daughters, to become joint-heirs with him of all the glory of his Father's kingdom, to be adopted into the family of the Father, which is to say that the inhabitants of all worlds "are [thus] begotten sons and daughters unto God." (D&C 76:24) (The Promised Messiah, p. 286) TLDP:238
It would appear that the translated residents of Enoch's city are under the direction of Jesus, who is the Creator of worlds: and that He, holding the keys of the government of other worlds, could, in His administrations to them, select the translated people of Enoch's Zion, if He thought proper, to perform a mission to these various planets, and as death had not passed upon them, they could be prepared by Him and made use of through the medium of the Holy Priesthood to act as ambassadors, teachers, or messengers to those worlds over which Jesus holds the authority. . . .
Each kingdom, or planet, and the inhabitants thereof, were blessed with the visits and presence of their Creator, in their several times and seasons. (The Mediation and Atonement, pp. 76-77) TLDP:699
Except for his mortal ministry accomplished on this earth, his service and relationship to other worlds and their inhabitants are the same as his service and relationship to this earth and its inhabitants. ("Jesus Christ: Lord of the Universe," IE1968Nov:46) TLDP:47
Truly Jesus Christ created the worlds, and is Lord of Lords, and, as the Psalmist said, "judgeth among the Gods." (Psalm 82:1) Then Moses might have said with propriety, he is the "living God", and Christ, speaking of the flesh could say: I am the son of man; and Peter, enlightened by the Holy Ghost: Thou art the son of the living God—meaning our Father in Heaven, who is the Father of all spirits, and who, with Jesus Christ, his first begotten Son, and the Holy Ghost, are one in power, one in dominion, and one in glory, constituting the first presidency of this system, and this eternity. But they are as much three distinct persons as the sun, moon, and earth are three different bodies. (Times and Seasons, Feb. 15, 1845, The Gospel Kingdom, pp. 28-29) TLDP:230
