The Language of Lehi's Praising Conclusion

1 Nephi 1: 14 - 15


     "And it came to pass that when my father had read and seen many great and marvelous things, he did exclaim many things unto the Lord; such as: Great and marvelous are thy works, O Lord God Almighty! Thy throne is high in the heavens, and thy power, and goodness, and mercy are over all the inhabitants of the earth; and because thou art merciful, thou wilt not suffer those who come unto thee that they shall perish!  And after this manner was the language of my father in the praising of his God; for his soul did rejoice, and his whole heart was filled, because of the things which he had seen , yea, which the Lord had shown unto him."

What does it mean to perish?

We consider that Sariah was meaning physical death when she used the word "perish" in the following context.

     "...Sariah was exceedingly glad, for she truly had mourned because of us.  For she had supposed that we had perished in the wilderness; and she also complained against my father, telling him that he was a visionary man; saying: Behold thou hast led us forth from the land of our inheritance, and my sons are no more, and we perish in the wilderness." (1 Nephi 5:1 - 2)

Is this what is meant by Lehi's praising as he declares, "...and because thou art merciful, thou wilt not suffer those who come unto thee that they shall perish!"?

We know that Lehi and his family were saved from the Babylonian onslaught because of belief on Christ but what about others?

What about Abinadi?

     "And now, when Abinadi had said these words, he fell, having suffered death by fire; yea, having been put to death because he would not deny the commandments of God, having sealed the truth of his words by his death." (Mosiah 17: 20)

What about the believing women and children in the city of Amonihah?

     "...And they brought their wives and children together, and whosoever believed or had been taught to believe in the word of God they caused that they should be cast into the fire; and they also brought forth their records which contained the holy scriptures, and cast them into the fire also, that they might be burned by fire." (Alma 14:8)

There are many examples from Abel in the beginning to Joseph and Hyrum and others who have lost their lives because they have come unto God the Father and Jesus Christ.

John the Revelator saw all of these martyrs.

     "...I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:  And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?  And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest for yet a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled." (Revelation 6:9 - 11)

The Lord, while He was on the earth, said this to His disciples.

     "And I say unto you my friends,  Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do." (Luke 12:4)

It would appear that to die physically is not a matter of "perishing", as far as the Lord is concerned, if we are coming to Him.

As an example, here is what the Lord said to Nephi as he was there with a drunken Laban in the streets of Jerusalem.

   "Behold the Lord slayeth the wicked to bring forth his righteous purposes.  It is better that one man should perish than that a nation should dwindle and perish in unbelief." (1 Nephi 4:13)

We believe that the context God is using here for the word "perish" is the same for "a nation" and for "Laban".

The physical death of Laban would be overcome through the resurrection of Christ.  Therefore, Laban perishing is something different.

Jesus speaking to Nicodemus uses the word "perish" in bearing witness of the Father and what the Father sent Him (Christ) to accomplish.

     "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)

The Lord revealed the same principle to Joseph that He spoke to Nicodemus concerning belief on Him and everlasting life.

     "Listen to him who is the advocate with the Father, who is pleading your cause before him- Saying: Father, behold the sufferings and death of him who did no sin, in whom thou wast well pleased: behold the blood of thy Son which was shed, the blood of him whom thou gavest that thyself might be glorified;  Wherefore, Father, spare these my brethren that believe on my name, that they may come unto me and have everlasting life." ( D&C 45:3 - 5)

the Lord further stated to Nicodemus,

     "And he who believeth on the Son hath everlasting life; and shall receive of his fulness.  But he who believeth not the Son, shall not receive of his fulness; for the wrath of God is upon him." (JST John 3:36)

What does it mean to have everlasting life?

Can "everlasting life" be received in this life?

Is "everlasting life" related to "eternal life"?

The Lord said this concerning "eternal life" as He gave His intercessory prayer to the Father.

     "and this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent." (John 17:3)

If what the Lord says is true, is it possible then to have "eternal life" if we don't "know" the Father and the Son?

Lehi came to "know" the Father and the Son.  He saw them face to face in this life.

Jeremiah saw a day when a whole people would know (not "know of" but "know") the Lord.

     "... this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.  And they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord:..." (Jeremiah 31:33-34) 

Would that mean that the entire nation, as small in number as they may be at that point, will qualify for eternal life because they will have seen God face to face?

"Everlasting life" may mean something in addition to "eternal life" because it appears that the Lord uses the term consistently as He is speaking of "everlasting life" without interchanging it with "eternal life".

We do believe that everlasting life contains, as part of its components at least, eternal life. (A continued study for another time perhaps as it is hard in a blog to get really in depth.)

What does it mean to receive of the fulness of the Son?

Is receiving a "fulness of the Son" related to entering into His rest or entering into the fulness of His glory?

   "And this greater priesthood administereth the gospel and holdeth the key of the mysteries of the kingdom, even the key of the knowledge of God.  Therefore, in the ordinances thereof, the power of godliness is manifest.  And without the ordinances thereof, and the authority of the priesthood, the power of godliness is not manifest unto men in the flesh;  For without this no man can see the face of God, even the Father, and live.  Now this Moses plainly taught to the children of Israel in the wilderness, and sought dilignetly to sanctify his people that they might behold the face of God;  But they hardened their hearts and could not endure his presence; therefore, the Lord in his wrath, for his anger was kindled against them, swore that they should not enter into his rest while in the wilderness, which rest is the fulness of his glory." (D&C 84:19 - 24)

If one enters into the presence or glory (His rest) of the Son are they receiving a fulness of the Son?

If we are not prepared to receive these things,everlasting life and a fulness of the Son; if the Lord is unable, because of our unbelief, to advocate for us before the Father as explained in section 45 of the D&C does that mean that we have perished?

Amulek declared that this life is the time to prepare to meet God (Alma 34:33).  It is here in mortality that we are to come to meet God.

If those before us had to receive "everlating life" and a "fulness of the Son" in order not to "perish" can we expect to receive anything less and not "perish"?

Would God be more lenient with us than with those who have gone before?

What King Benjamin taught seems to be related to being prepared to receive everlasting life and a fulness of the Son on the one hand or perishing on the other hand.

     "And finally, I cannot tell you all the things whereby ye may commit sin; for there are divers ways and means, even so many that I cannot number them.  But this much I can tell you, that if ye do not watch yourselves, and your thoughts, and your words, and your deed, and observe the commandments of God, and continue in the faith of what ye have heard concerning the coming of our Lord, even unto the end of your lives, ye must perish.  And now, O man, remember, and perish not." (Mosiah 4:29 - 30)

How is it possible for one to watch our thoughts, words, and deeds, and observe the commandments of God and continue in faith in Christ unto the end of one's life?

Nephi was brought to a remembrance of what the Lord had promised him as the spirit was constraining him to slay Laban.

   "And now, when I, Nephi had heard these words, I remembered the words of the Lord which he spake unto me in the wilderness, saying that: Inasmuch as they seed shall keep my commandments, they shall prosper in the land of promise.  Yea, and I also thought that they could not keep the commandments of the Lord according to the law of Moses, save they should have the law.  And I also knew that the law was engraven upon the plates of brass." (1 Nephi 4:14 - 16)

This remembrance comes to Nephi right after the Spirit talked about a nation dwindling and perishing in unbelief.

Is there an inverse relation between "perishing" and "prospering in the land"?

Alma speaking to his son Helaman declared,

     "...ye ought to know as I do know, that inasmuch as ye shall keep the commandments of God ye shall prosper in the land; and ye ought to know also, the inasmuch as ye will not keep the commandments of God ye shall be cut off from his presence.  Now this is according to his word." (Alma 36:30)

Alma is very clear that prospering in the land means to enjoy the presence of God.  If we keep His commandments we will prosper or enjoy His presence.  If we do not we will be cut off from His presence or "perish".

Nephi knew by revelation that the scriptures were necessary in order to have the commandments of God and the words of the Holy Prophets in order to keep a nation from "perishing" or being cut off from God.

Should we look at the scriptures in the same way?

Should the scriptures be used by us to govern our own actions so that we do not "perish"?

Is not all of this a demonstration of Gods mercy?

If someone delves into the scriptures and finds the words of eternal life there and they abide by these words they are promised that they will not perish but will prosper in the land.  

They will be able to watch their thoughts, words, and deeds. 

They will be able to keep the commandments of God and continue in faith in Jesus Christ. 

They will receive elverlasting life and a fulness of the Son.

This is our present understanding. 

We believe that Lehi is giving praise for these things the Lord has provided in His mercy in order that all who approach Him will not "perish".

The Language of Lehi's Praising part 3

1 Nephi 1: 14 - 15


     "And it came to pass that when my father had read and seen many great and marvelous things, he did exclaim many things unto the Lord; such as: Great and marvelous are thy works, O Lord God Almighty! Thy throne is high in the heavens, and thy power, and goodness, and mercy are over all the inhabitants of the earth; and because thou art merciful, thou wilt not suffer those who come unto thee that they shall perish!  And after this manner was the language of my father in thr praising of his God; for his soul did rejoice, and his whole heart was filled, because of the things which he had seen , yea, which the Lord had shown unto him."


Lehi has seen that God's power and goodness and mercy extends to bless all the inhabitants of the earth.

What does all that entail?

What does that do to our relationship with God or in other words how does God's power, mercy and goodness connect us to Him?

King Benjamin cited the following concerning God's power, goodness and mercy.

     "I say unto you, my brethren, that if you should render all the thanks and praise which your whole soul has power to possess, to that God who has created you, and has kept and preserved you, and has caused that ye should rejoice, and has granted that ye should live in peace one with another- I say unto you that if ye should serve him who has created you from the beginning, and is preserving you from day to day, by lending you breath, that ye may live and move and do according to your own will, and even supporting you from one moment to another- I say if ye should serve him with all your whole souls yet ye would be unprofitable servants." (Mosiah 2:20 - 21) 

Paul taught the same principle.

     "God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed anything, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us; For in him we live, and move and have our being; as certain also of your poets have said, For we are also his offspring." (Acts 17:24 - 28)

Notice what Paul and King Benjamin said?

Both Paul and King Benjamin were very clear that God's power upholds us from one moment to another.

God is preserving us from day to day.  In Him we live, and move and have our being.

So as far as living, breathing and moving, goes is that power of God to uphold us pretty comprehensive?

Where does this all come from?

How can God's power be in all things as Paul and King Benjamin describes?

What does it mean when Paul states that in Him we have our being?

The Lord revealed the following to the Prophet Joseph.

     "He that ascended up on high, as also he descended below all things, in that he comprehended all things, that he might be in all and through all things, the light of truth; (we talked about Christ being the Spirit of Truth in a previous post.  Is that synonymous with being the light of truth?) Which truth shineth.  This is the light of Christ.  As also he is in the sun, and the light of the sun, and the power thereof by which it was made.  As also he is in the moon, and is the light of the moon, and the power thereof by which it was made;  As also the light of the stars, the the power thereof by which they were made;  And the earth also, and the power thereof, even the earth upon which you stand.  And the light which shineth, which giveth you light, is through him who enlighteneth your eyes, which is the same light that quickeneth your understandings;  which light proceedeth forth from the presence of God to fill the immensity of space--  The light which is in all things, which giveth life to all things, which is the law by which all things are governed, even the power of God who sitteth upon his throne, who is in the bosom of eternity, who is in the midst of all things." (D&C 88:6 - 13)

Where does this power, this light of Christ, emanate from?

If it proceeds forth from the presence of God to fill the immensity of space but it is the power of Christ, the light of Christ, that created and upholds all things does this suggest perfect harmony between the Father and Christ?

Would this suggest that in using this power to create and uphold that Christ continues to do the will of the Father?

Was Christ's willingness to descend below all things and therefore submit to the will of the Father what enabled Him to have this light or power?

The light of Christ is many times compared to a conscience.  Is that too narrow a meaning?

According to section 88 is the light of Christ also what physically creates and upholds all things?

Section 88 states that Christ had to descend below all things as well as ascend up on high in order to be able to bring this light to all things or in order to be in all things.

Does that mean that He must understand all people (He must have descended below all people) in order to be able to extend this power to uphold them?

If he had not descended below all people, if His descent had been only a partial descent, would those who were below the level of His partial descent be able to even exist?

Is that in any way related to what the Prophet Joseph said concerning us?

     "Thy mind, O man! if thou wilt lead a soul unto salvation, must stretch as high as utmost heavens, and search into and contemplate the darkest abyss, and the broad expanse of eternity - thou must commune with god." (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pg. 137)

Without this power, the light of Christ, would we have the light of the sun or the moon or the stars?

Would this earth exist without this light of Christ?

Without this light would we be able to see?

Section 88 says that it is this light that enlightens our eyes.

Without this light would we be able to understand anything?

Section 88 says that it is this light that quickens our understandings.

Is having quickened understandings what Paul meant when he declared that in Him we have our beings?

Was Christ's atonement necessary not just for redemption but also in order to create, uphold and give power to understand and comprehend things to all persons and things He created?

How extensive then is Christ's and His Father's power, goodness and mercy over the inhabitants of the earth?

Does this give new meaning to what Christ declared in the Sermon on the Mount and at Bountiful concerning the Father?

     "...for he maketh the sun to rise on the evil and on the good." (3 Nephi 12:45)

Is this power, goodness and mercy, this light of Christ, being in all things and through all things, giving life and light to all things what makes it possible for Paul to declare that, "...he be not far from every one of us?"

Is it therefore because of this power, goodness and mercy over all the inhabitants of the earth that we are able to turn to God and He is right there and not some distant deity?

As an aside,

Does this give us a more proper understanding of what Paul stated concerning temples?

     "God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands;..." (Acts 17:24)

     "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?" (1 Corinthians 3: 16)

Are we His temples?

Is Lehi, by declaring this praise to God, showing that he understands this relationship between God and all His children who inhabit this earth; that he now understands the light of Christ that proceeds forth from the presence of God to fill the immensity of space?

We believe so.

We believe that this praising is included in the Book of Mormon that we might see what kind of an understanding we must come to with respect to the relationship of God to all the inhabitants of the earth, the light of Christ, if we would become godly and do what Joseph was teaching that we must do.

     "...you have got to learn how to be Gods yourselves, and to be kings and priests to God, the same as all Gods have done before you,..." (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pgs. 346)

Clearly, Paul, King Benjamin and Lehi understood these things because God revealed these things to them.

The Language of Lehi's Praising part 2

1 Nephi 1: 14 - 15


     "And it came to pass that when my father had read and seen many great and marvelous things, he did exclaim many things unto the Lord; such as: Great and marvelous are thy works, O Lord God Almighty! Thy throne is high in the heavens, and thy power, and goodness, and mercy are over all the inhabitants of the earth; and because thou art merciful, thou wilt not suffer those who come unto thee that they shall perish!  And after this manner was the language of my father in thr praising of his God; for his soul did rejoice, and his whole heart was filled, because of the things which he had seen , yea, which the Lord had shown unto him."

Lehi's exclamation to God, "Thy throne is high in the heavens," brought to our attention a couple of things.

It would seem that God shows unto His children His works and His dwelling place.

     "And I, Abraham, had the Urim and Thummim, which the Lord my Gos had given unto me, in Ur of the Chaldees;  And I saw the stars, that they were very great, and that one of them was nearest unto the throne of God; and there were many great ones which were near unto it;  And the Lord said unto me: These are the governing ones; and the name of the great one is Kolob, because it is near unto me, for I am the Lord they God:  I have set this one to govern all those which belong to the same order as that upon which thou standest....And it is given unto thee to know the set time of all the stars that are set to give light, until thou come near unto the throne of God...And he said unto me: My son, my son (and his hand was streched out) (why the specific attention to God's hand being streched out?) behold I will show you all these.  And he put his hand upon mine eyes, and I saw those things which his hands had made, which were many; and they multiplied before mine eyes, and I could not see the end thereof." (Abraham 3:1 - 12)

Abraham was also given knowledge of the various stars concerning their set times and revolutions and their laws and glories. (Abraham 3:1 - 12)

The knowledge that Abraham had of the stars was also had by all the Fathers previous to him.

     "But the records of the fathers, even the patriarchs, concerning the right of Priesthood, the Lord my God preserved in mine own hands; therefore a knowledge of the beginning of the creation, and also of the planets, and of the stars, as they were made known unto the fathers, have I kept even unto this day, and I shall endeavor to write some of these things upon this record, for the benefit of my posterity that shall come after me." (Abraham 1:31)

The Prophet Joseph exhorted the saints as follows.

     "...let honesty, and sobriety, and candor, and solemnity, and virtue, and pureness, and meekness, and simplicity crown our heads in every place; and in fine, become as little children, without malice, guile or hypocrisy.  And now, brethren, after your tribulations, if you do these things, and exercise fervent prayer and faith in the sight of God always, [He shall give unto you knowledge by His Holy Spirit, yea by the unspeakable gift of the Holy Ghost, that has not been revealed since the world was until now; which our forefathers have waited with anxious expectation to be revealed in the last times, which their minds were pointed to by the angels, as held in reserve for the fulness of their glory; a time to come in which nothing shall be withheld, whether there be one God or many Gods, they shall be manifest; all thrones and dominions, principalities and powers, shall be revealed and set forth upon all who have endured valiantly for the Gospel of Jesus Christ; and also if there be bounds set to the heavens, or to the seas; or to the dry land, or to the sun, moon or stars; all the times of their revolutions; all the appointed days, months and years, and all the days of their days, months and years, and all their glories, laws and set times, shall be revealed, in the days of the dispensation of the fullness of times, according to that which was ordained in the midst of the Council of the Eternal God of all other Gods, before the world was..." (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith pgs. 137-138)

We discussed in the previous post how Moses, and we believe Lehi also, saw ,"..if there be bounds set to the heavens, or to the seas; or to the dry land,..." because they saw every particle of this earth and all of the inhabitants thereof.

Does it make sense, from Lehi's exclamation concerning the throne of God, that he also had revealed to him concerning"...the sun, moon or stars; all the times of their revolutions; all the appointed days, months and years, and all the days of their days, months and years, and all their glories, laws and set times..." just like Abraham who was also a son of God?

All of these things to be revealed were ordained in the midst fo the Coucil of the Eternal God of all other Gods.

Does that mean that since God ordained the positions and times and laws and glories of all these things that they are an ordinance established in the heavens for all men; an ordinance that is so far removed from our mortal powers of corruption that they stand pure forever but can be forgotten by us?

We discussed why God would show His works unto His children in the previous post but why is it so critical to also show to them His dwelling place?

In the transcript of "The Faith of an Observer -- Conversations with Hugh Nibley" (available online as a PDF) Hugh Nibley gives some insight as to the why it is important to understand, like Abraham and we believe Lehi or any other individual who has become a child of God, the stars; why God ordained them as they are now with their set times and revolutions and glories and laws etc.

Hugh Nibley shares as follows concerning Abraham.

     "...he was rescued at the last minute, rescued by an earthquake.  The moment he is rescued, the angel takes him up to heaven and then the angel shows him a picture.  He draws the whole things for him on this round picture and points it out to him and says, "when you get back to earth you'll make a duplicate of that," you see.  Well, he shows him this diagram of the cosmos, and it looks like our Facsimiles.  And of course we see it as the hypocephalus, what it is.  Then Pharoah ordered all his court, 365 nobles, to bring their children to the court and had Abraham sit on the throne and teach them about the Sun and stars.  That's what it says here in Facsimile 3 [Book of Abraham].  "Where Abraham seated upon the throne of Pharoah is discoursing upon the heavens."  Now her's an interesting thing.  That figure on the throne is Osiris.  Well of course he's Osiris; he has to be.  Abraham would have to be Osiris in that capacity.  And he is the king.  But how it begins, it begins with the Figure One.  Osiris is lying on the couch.  And he cries out.  "Come to my aid and resuce me!"  When he reaches the depth, at the last extremities, he cries out, and the Angel of the Lord comes to deliver him.  Now this is Horus, you'll notice.  He is the Horus Hawk; and always the son of Osiris, is Horus.  Horus comes in the form of a hawk and rescues him and takes him up and he delivers him and takes him on a guided tour through the heavens, and before you receive your final throne you have this tour of the universe and you see all this stuff and then in the final scene you mount the throne.  This is what you do.  You come out in glory.  And so this is the theme and is exqactly the course, the sequence that we follow in the Pearl of Great Price.  Facsimiles 1, 2, and 3 in that order." ("The Faith of an Observer," transcript, pgs. 25-26)

There is an interesting verse in the Book of Mormon that we believe relates to what Joseph declared about all things being revealed in the last days and what Abraham saw and what Hugh Nibley was giving insight into.

     "And it shall come to pass in the last days, when the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills, and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths; for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem." (2 Nephi 12:2 - 3)

Isaiah foretold a time when the Lord's house would be established in the top of the mountains. (Not in a mountian valley or on the plains; in the top of the mountains.)

Isaiah saw that many would go up to the mountain and to the Lord's house so that, "he (God) will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths;..."

What are God's ways?

Could His works be considered His ways?

Where are His paths?

Do His paths exist in the heavens?

Is it necessary for us to know His paths in order to return to Him?

Is this the reason God shows His dwelling place to His children so that they are able to find their way back to Him by walking in His paths?

Will there come a time when a people, no matter how few in number, actually repent, like Abraham, (being followers of righteousness and seeking to be greater followers of righteousness) are commanded to build a house to the Lord in the tops of the mountains; where all who come there learn of the ways of God (they are shown His works) and walk in His paths (they are taken on a tour of the  heavens) just like all others who have become children of God?

Brother Nibley giving further insight into Abraham stated the following.

     "This Abraham who towers like a colossus is Every Man, as every man should be." ("The Faith of an Observer," transcript, pg. 29)

We believe the insight from brother Nibley.

We believe that it is necessary for every one of us to come up to this understanding even like Abraham.

We believe that Lehi has come to this cosmic understanding at this point and that is why he is able to give praise to God Who's throne is high in the heavens.

Lehi now understands the cosmos and the paths that God walks in for he has walked them himself.

We would also like to point out something that we also believe is related to this part of Lehi's exclamation but we do not have time to address it in this post.

We will look at this later on.

But as a brief introduction, we also believe that Lehi now understands Jacob's ladder or how one ascends through the eternities to become like God our Father; how God arrived to sit on His throne high in the heavens.

Joseph referred to this in his teachings above when he declared concerning what would be revealed in the last days:

     "...nothing shall be withheld, whether there be one God or many Gods, they shall be manifest; all thrones and dominions, principalities and powers, shall be revealed and set forth upon all who have endured valiantly for the Gospel of Jesus Christ;..."

We also believe that these things will be revealed to those who enter into the Lord's house established in the tops of the mountains when a group is found worthy to build such a house.

The Language of Lehi's Praising part 1

1 Nephi 1: 14 - 15


     "And it came to pass that when my father had read and seen many great and marvelous things, he did exclaim many things unto the Lord; such as: Great and marvelous are thy works, O Lord God Almighty! Thy throne is high in the heavens, and thy power, and goodness, and mercy are over all the inhabitants of the earth; and because thou art merciful, thou wilt not suffer those who come unto thee that they shall perish!  And after this manner was the language of my father in thr praising of his God; for his soul did rejoice, and his whole heart was filled, because of the things which he had seen , yea, which the Lord had shown unto him."


We asked the question, "What has Lehi seen and heard here?"

Why is Lehi so deliberate in deliniating his praises to God by referring to His works, His throne, His power, goodness and mercy, and His not allowing those coming to Him to perish?

What should we understand by these things being recorded this way in the Book of Mormon?

Concerning God's works:

In the book of Moses we can read about God's appearance to Moses.

     "And God spake unto Moses, saying: Behold, I am the Lord God Almighty, and Endless is ny name; for I am without beginning of days or end of years; and is not this endless?  And, behold, thou art my son; wherefore look, and I will show thee the workmanship of mine hands; but not all, for my works are without end, and also my words, for they never cease." (Moses 1:3 - 4)

Just as Moses had experienced, Lehi ascended and was brought before God.

In the previous post, "The Family of God", we submitted that Lehi, at the time of his ascension, he entered into the Family of God.  He became a son of God.

Here we see God proclaiming to Moses. "thou art my son,...and thou art in the similitude of mine Only Begotten;..."(Moses 1:4, 6)

We also know that this is what occurred to Adam. "And thou art after the order of him who was without beginning of days or end of years from all eternity to all eternity. Behold, thou art one in me, a son of God;..." (Moses 6:67-68)

These two instances further support that Lehi did indeed become a son of God in the family of God, after the order of him who is without beginning of days or end of years in the similitude of the Only Begotten of God.

Why is this important?

We believe that as a son of God Lehi would have seen at very least some or all of what others who have become sons of God have seen.

As we review what was shown to Moses we would expect that Lehi saw these very same things and that these things were what caused Lehi to exclaim, "Great and marvelous are thy works, O Lord God Almighty!"

So what works of God did Moses and Lehi see?

     "...look and I will show thee the workmanship of mine hands; but not all, for my works are without end, and also my words, for they never cease.  Wherefore no man can behold all my works, except he behold all my glory, and afterwards remain in the flesh on the earth...And now behold this one thing I show unto thee, Moses, my son, for thou art in the world, and now I show it unto thee.  And it came to pass that Moses looked, and beheld the world upon which he was created; and Moses beheld the world and the ends thereof, and all the children of men which are, and which were created; of the same he greatly marveled and wondered...And it came to pass, as the voice was still speaking, Moses cast his eyes and beheld the earth, yea, even all of it; and there was not a particle of it which he did not behold, discerning it by the spirit of God.  And he beheld also the inhabitants thereof, and there was not a soul which he beheld not; and he discerned them by the Spirit of God; and their numbers were great, even numberless as the sand upon the sea shore.  And he beheld many lands; and each land was called earth, and there were inhabitants on the face threof." (Moses 1:4 - 29)

Moses, and we suppose Lehi also, were shown the inhabitants of this world and lands of this earth and every particle of this earth.

To what end?

Is God just bragging?

Is God showing them that "Hey you gotta follow me because I can do this?"

We don't believe so.

When the Lord was on the earth He did many mighty works, healing the lame, the sick, the blind, casting out evil spirits and even raising the dead. 

During the Last Supper the Lord said something very important to those with Him.

     "Verily, Verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father." (John 14:12)

We believe that this is connected to what God showed and shows unto those who become children of God in the Family of God.

We believe that Christ was promising that through the redemption brought about by Him as He returned to His Father that those who had, did, and would believe on Him would 1) be able to perform works like the ones He had performed, ie. healing the blind, the sick, the lame and so forth, raising the dead and casting out evil spirits and 2) that as redeemed children of God they would continue to ascend through the eternities to where they would also be able to do greater works than healings, raising the dead and so forth.  They would be able to do the works that God Himself does.

Is it true that a child is capable of learning and assimilating the attributes of their parents?

If someone is brought into the Family of God and they become His child can they then learn and assimilate the attributes of the Father?

Just as a father would teach a trade to a child who desires to learn, would not the Father show to His children His works if they seek to become like Him?

We believe that these things are made known unto the children of God precisely to start them on the path; to begin to learn the trade so to speak.

They are being shown where the path will lead.

We can see from the words of God that this knowledge is learned by degrees.

    "...I will show unto thee the workmanship of mine hands; but not all, for my works are without end, and also my words, for they never cease. Wherefore no man can behold all my works, except he behold all my glory; and no man can behold all my glory, and afterwards remain in the flesh on the earth." (Moses 1:4 - 5)

The Prophet Joseph said this concerning God and eternal life.

     "God Himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted man, and sits enthroned in yonder heavens!  That is the great secret....It is the first principle of the Gospel to know for a certainty the Character of God,(His children in His family know for certainty His character because they have acquired His attributes.)...Here, then is eternal life - to know the only wise and true God; and you have got to learn how to be Gods yourselves, and to be kings and priests to God, the same as all Gods have done before you, namely, by going from one small degree to another, and from a small capacity to a great one; from grace to grace, from exaltation to exaltation, until you attain to the resurrection of the dead, and are able to dwell in everlasting burnings, and to sit in glory, as do those who sit enthroned in everlasting power...When you climb a ladder, you must begin at the bottom, and ascend step by step, until you arrive at the top; and so it is with the principles of the Gospel - you must begin with the first, and go on until you learn all the principles of exaltation.  But it will be a great while after you have passed through the veil before you will have learned them (Interesting that at this point in the Book of Mormon Lehi has passed through the veil.) It is not all to be comprehended in this world; it will be a great work to learn our salvation and exaltation even beyond the grave. (Notice Joseph distinguished between passing through the veil and beyond the grave.) (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pgs. 345 - 348)

It would make sense that as one begins up the ladder by becoming a son or daughter of God that they would begin to learn the principles of exaltation by being shown some of the great and marvelous works of the God our Father.

How does this apply to us?

God declared this to Adam.

     " Behold, thou art one in me, a son of God; and thus may all become my sons. Amen." (Moses 6:68)

All may become part of the Family of God and be able to exclaim, just like Lehi, "Great and marvelous are thy works O Lord God Almighty!"