A Luster Above the Noon-day Sun

1 Nephi 1:9-11

And it came to pass that he saw One descending out of the midst of heaven, and he beheld that his luster was above that of the sun at noon-day.   And he also saw twelve others following him, and their brightness did exceed that of the stars in the firmament.  And they came down and went forth upon the face of the earth; and the first came and stood before my father, and gave unto him a book, and bade him that he should read.

As we consider these verses at the very beginning of the Book of Mormon it would be well for us to consider the timing of when the Book of Mormon came forth and the timing of when the Book of Abraham and the revelation contained in the 76th section of the Doctrine and Covenants came forth.

In our study group we have found that a comparison of the dates shows us just how comprehensive the Book of Mormon is in teaching all that was revealed by Joseph. 

The Book of Mormon manuscript went to E. B. Grandin for publishing in mid August 1829.  That means all translation had been completed.

Section 76 of the Doctrine and Covenants was received February 16, 1832.

The Prophet Joseph began translating the Book of Abraham in 1835 and it was first published in 1842.

Lehi is shown One descending out of the midst of heaven (Christ).  The timing of Christ's descent is put into context by also showing Lehi the twelve who would be with Him at the time of His descent.

Christ is described by Lehi as having a luster "above that of the sun at noon-day."

Lehi describes the twelve following Christ as having a brightness that "did exceed that of the stars in the firmament."

The following is a description of the kingdoms of glory contained in Section 76 of the Doctrine and Covenants.

     "These are they whose bodies are celestial, whose glory is that of the sun, even the glory of God, the highest of all, whose glory the sun of the firmament is written of as being typical...  Wherefore, they are bodies terrestrial, and not bodies celestial, and differ in glory as the moon differs from the sun... And again, we saw the glory of the telestial, which glory is that of the lesser, even as the glory of the stars differs from that of the glory of the moon in the firmament." (D&C 76: 70,78,81)

Notice any similarities to what Lehi describes?

What glory did the Lord possess before He descended here?

What glory did the twelve possess before they descended here?  Lehi describes their brightness exceeding the brightness of the stars.

What is being taught here?

The account of this event was translated fully 3 years before the revelation on the degrees of glory.

Does this show that the twelve also condescended, to a lesser degree, to descend here?  We are told that this is a telestial world that we live in.  

If someone descends from terrestrial glory to dwell in a telestial world are they sacrificing something to come here?

On December 27th and 28th of 1832 and January 3rd of 1833 Joseph received the revelation now recorded in Doctrine and Covenants section 88.  In this revelation an important definition is given.  The definition of a "soul".

     "And the spirit and the body are the soul of man.  And the resurrection from the dead is the redemption of the soul." (D&C 88:15-16)

Starting in 1835, already knowing the definition of a "soul", Joseph translated the following from the Book of Abraham.

     "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;  And God saw these souls that they were good, and he stood in the midst of them, and he said: These I will make my rulers; for he stood among those that were spirits, and he saw that they were good; and he said unto me: Abraham, thou art one of them; thou wast chosen before thou wast born." (Abraham 3:22 - 23)

Again, it is important for us to understand that the Prophet Joseph, knowing full well the definition of a soul (the spirit and the body; both together revealed in 1833), translated the above verses in the Book of Abraham (2 years later) showing that the Lord assigned those who were "souls" (they had bodies) to come here to this earth to be His "rulers" before this world was formed.

Another definition we need to look at is the definition of a "ruler"

Nephi was told the following by the Lord.

     "And inasmuch as thou shalt keep my commandments, thou shalt be made a ruler and a teacher over thy brethren." (1 nephi 2:22)

We consider that when the Lord refers to those who are noble and great souls as those who will be His "rulers" He is declaring to them that they will be His teachers.

In the book of Mosiah we read the following concerning the organizations of individual groups into "churches" among the Nephites. 

     "Now this was done because there were so many people that they could not all be governed by one teacher; neither could they all hear the word of God in one assembly;" (Mosiah 25: 20)

How would a teacher "govern" or be a ruler?

What did Joseph state when asked about his great influence over the people?

     "I teach them correct principles and they govern themselves."("the Organization of the Church," Millenial Star, 15 Nov. 1851, p. 339)

He, Christ, who's right it is to rule and reign on this earth came as a teacher.

What was the example He showed for "ruling" or "governing"?

As a group, we are satisfied that when the Lord refered to the noble and great souls as His "rulers" He was assigning them a ministry to teach.

As an important aside, can women be teachers as well as men?

Can women exert the same "governing" influence as men if they are "sent" with a message from God?

Is it possible that many of these noble and great souls were women?

We understand these clarifications the Lord has made in scripture to mean that before the earth was formed there was a group of "noble and great" souls, those who possessed bodies as defined in D&C section 88, who were assigned to come down and teach (rule) the rest of us.  

To what end?

     "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;  And we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them;" (Abraham 3:24 -25)

We are here to be proven.  These noble and great souls sacrificed to come here on a saving mission to teach us what God has commanded that we too may exercise faith in Christ unto salvation.

As we consider these ideas and we compare them with what Lehi is describing to us can we see how tremendously deep the teachings in the Book of Mormon are?

What is contained in the account of this event are things related to knowlege revealed to Joseph years after the publication of the Book of Mormon.

Nephi also saw these 12 coming to earth with Christ.

     "And the angel spake unto me, saying: Behold the twelve disciples of the Lamb, who are chosen to minister unto thy seed.  And he said unto me: Thou rememberest the twelve apostles of the Lamb? Behold they are they who shall judge the twelve tribes of Israel; wherefore, the twelve ministers of thy seed shall be judged of them; for ye are of the house of Israel." (1 Nephi 12:8 - 9)

Nephi is told 600 years before these twelve come to earth that they would be judges over the twelve tribes of Israel.  Like Abraham, these twelve that Lehi saw were chosen before they were born.  They were great and noble souls before this earth was formed.  They were sent to perform a ministry.

Do we have any other examples?

     "Then the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified  thee,   and  I  ordained thee a prophet unto the nations." (Jeremiah 1:4 -5)

According to God, He knows these souls.  

His foreknowlege of them is what allowed Him to assign them these ministries before the world was formed.

How did God gain this foreknowlege of them?

Alma teaches something very important about this in Alma chapter 13.

     "And again, my brethren, I would cite your minds forward to the time when the Lord God gave these commandments unto his children; and I would that ye should remember that the Lord God ordained priests, after his holy order, which was after the order of his Son, to teach these things unto the people. And those priests were ordained after the order of his Son, in a manner that thereby the people might know in what manner to look forward to his Son for redemption. And this is the manner after which they were ordained—being called and prepared from the foundation of the world according to the  foreknowledge  of God, on account of their exceeding faith and good works; in the first place being left to choose good or evil; therefore they having chosen good, and exercising exceedingly great faith, are called with a holy calling, yea, with that holy calling which was prepared with, and according to, a preparatory redemption for such. And thus they have been called to this holy calling on account of their faith, while others would reject the Spirit of God on account of the hardness of their hearts and blindness of their minds, while, if it had not been for this they might have had as great privilege as their brethren. Or in fine, in the first place they were on the same standing with their brethren; thus this holy calling being prepared from the foundation of the world for such as would not harden their hearts, being in and through the atonement of the Only Begotten Son, who was prepared— And thus being called by this  holy calling, and ordained unto the high priesthood of the holy order of God, to teach his commandments unto the children of men, that they also might enter into his rest— This high priesthood being after the order of his Son, which order was from the foundation of the world; or in other words, being without beginning of days or end of years, being prepared from eternity to all eternity, according to his foreknowledge of all things— Now they were ordained after this manner—being called with a holy calling, and ordained with a holy ordinance, and taking upon them the high priesthood of the holy order, which calling, and ordinance, and high priesthood, is without beginning or end— Thus they become high priests forever, after the order of the Son, the Only Begotten of the Father, who is without beginning of days or end of years, who is full of grace, equity, and truth. And thus it is. Amen. Now, as I said concerning the holy order, or this high priesthood, there were many who were ordained and became high priests of God; and it was on account of their exceeding faithand repentance, and their righteousness before God, they choosing to repent and work righteousness rather than to perish; Therefore they were called after this holy order, and were sanctified, and their garments were washed white through the blood of the Lamb. Now they, after being sanctified by the Holy Ghost, having their garments made white, being pure and spotless before God, could not look upon sin save it were with abhorrence; and there were many, exceedingly great many, who were made pure and entered into the rest of the Lord their God. And now, my brethren, I would that ye should humble yourselves before God, and bring forth fruit meet for repentance, that ye may also enter into that rest." (Alma 13:1 - 13)

Alma declares that those who were ordained by God to the holy order after the order of His Son  before the creation of this world were those who were called to this order on account of their exercising exceeding great faith before this world (how long before we are not told); having been left to choose good or evil and having chosen good.

God knows that they can be trusted because of their past performance.

Alma states that they were "...called by this holy calling, and ordained unto the high priesthood of the holy order of God, to teach his commandments unto the children of men, that they also might enter into his rest..."

This all seems familiar to what Abraham was shown about the noble and great souls who were chosen before to go down with the Lord to prove us by what they teach if we will be faithful to the commandments of God.  

This that we might also enter into the presence of God and become His sons and daughters in the family of God as they did in a time previous to the creation of this earth.

Could it be that if we prove faithful and exercise exceeding great faith now, in this life, that in some future time we would find ourselves, after having been left to choose between good and evil here and choosing good, called to the holy order, having become sons and daughters of God in the family of God, to teach others as part of a saving ministry?

Could our actions now determine if we are chosen as noble and great souls in the future?

The Prophet Joseph stated,

     " 'Now', says God, when he visited Moses in the bush, (Moses was a stammering sort of boy like me.) God said, "Thou shalt be a God unto the children of Israel."  God said, "Thou shalt be a God unto Aaron, and he shall be thy spokesman."  I believe those Gods that God reveals as Gods to be sons of God, and all can cry, "Abba, Father!"  Sons of God who exalt themselves to be Gods, even from before the foundation of the world, and are the only Gods I have reverence for." (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 375)

What Lehi is seeing, with the twelve descending with the Lord, is amazing indeed.

The questions and possibilities this event brings up are astounding.