Pearl of Great Price Commentary - Moses 6

by Don R. Hender

44 But Alma said unto him: Thou hast had signs enough; will ye tempt your God? Will ye say, Show unto me a sign, when ye have the testimony of all these thy brethren, and also all the holy prophets? The scriptures are laid before thee, yea, and all things denote there is a God; yea, even the earth, and all things that are upon the face of it, yea, and its motion, yea, and also all the planets which move in their regular form do witness that there is a Supreme Creator. (Book of Mormon | Alma 30:44)

Scriptural Text [& Editorial]	Commentary & Explanation	Footnotes ~ References ~ JST
CHAPTER 6 (November—December 1830) Adam's seed keep a book of rememberance His righteous posterity preach repentance God reveals himself to Enoch Enoch preaches the gosepl The plan of salvation ws revealed to Adam He received baptism and the priesthood.
1 AND Adam hearkened unto the voice of God, and called upon his sons to repent. MOS 6:2 And Adam knew his wife again, and she bare a son, and he called his name ^aSeth. And Adam glorified the name of God; for he said: God hath appointed me another seed, instead of Abel, whom Cain slew. MOS 6:3 And God revealed himself unto ^aSeth, and he rebelled not, but offered an acceptable ^bsacrifice, like unto his brother Abel. And to him also was born a son, and he called his name Enos.		1^a Alma 12:30; Moses 1:42 ^b Ex. 19:3; Ezek. 40:2 Rev. 21:10; Moses 1:42 2^a
MOS 6:4 And *then began these men to ^acall upon the name* of the Lord^a**, and the Lord blessed them; MOS 6:5 And a ^abook of ^bremembrance was kept, in the which was recorded, in the ^clanguage of Adam, for it was given unto as many as called upon God to write by the spirit of ^dinspiration; MOS 6:6 And by them their ^achildren were taught to read and write, having a ^blanguage which was ^cpure and undefiled.	*4^a then began these men to call upon the name* of the Lord** And what name did they use to call the Lord by? As verse 52 points out, while they did call upoon the name of God, the Father, they did so in the name of Jesus Christ. Of course Jesus Christ is an English transliteration of the Greek names which are the same as the Hebrew names 'Jehoshua Messiah' or the English transliteration of those name. When one is translating and writing in 'tongues' the common name is used which corresponds to the name intended. What the actual name was in the pure Adamic language we do not know. But the name was the same as that which has been translated and translitered as Jesus Christ, the meaning of which is 'Jehovah in whom is salvation the anointed of God'.	1^a Alma 12:30; Moses 1:42 ^b Ex. 19:3; Ezek. 40:2 Rev. 21:10; Moses 1:42 2^a
MOS 6:7 Now this same ^aPriesthood, which was in the beginning, shall be in the end of the world also^a. MOS 6:8 Now this prophecy Adam spake, as he was moved upon by the ^aHoly Ghost, and a ^bgenealogy was kept of the ^cchildren of God. And this was the ^dbook of the generations of Adam, saying: In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him; MOS 6:9 In the ^aimage of his own ^bbody^b, male and female, ^ccreated he them, and blessed them, and called their ^dname Adam^b, in the day when they were created and became living ^esouls in the land upon the ^ffootstool of God.	7^a in the end of the world also The SAME order of Priesthood that Adam held will be that order of Priesthood which will be in the end of the world. That order of Priesthood held by Adam was the Patriarchal Priesthood, That is the 'Family' or Celestial Priesthood which combines the Patriarch with the Matriarch as being one in the Lord. That is the order of God which inherites the highest degree of the Celestial Kingdom where there is eternal increase and progression through the continued procreation of eternal descendants on and through out all eternity. 9^a image of his own body While the Bible does teach that God created Adam and Eve after his own image and it seems clear that he is speak after the manner of appearance, there are those who do not accept that God's appearance is that of a man. They contend that this 'spirit imaging' is in some other respect and not of a 'physical' nature or appearance. The reject that God has a body and that he and we have the same visual appearance, IE. eyes, ears, mouth, nose, head, shoulders, knees and toes. One of the 'revelations' therefore of the record of Abraham is that for sure it was God's body after whose image Adam and Eve were designed and made. Whether this means God the Father's body of exalted and immortal flesh and bones or of God the Son's spirit body, which Joseph Smith taught was in the same cofiguration and shape as the temporal body, is seems to not be of any consequence. The true is that we are what we are, God the Father and God the Son made us in their image, in the image of the Gods, made them Adam and Eve and the rest of humanity, who are the spirit children of God the Father, are in that same configuration. In short the spirit and the body which houses it are in the same form and appearance, IE. head, shoulders, knees, toes, eyes, ears, mouth and nose. 9^a called their name Adam Why God would call Eve by the name of Adam seems odd until one understands just what the name Adam means. Not only is this in reference to the fact that in marriage the husband and wife stand as one before the Lord and the woman is to be called in the name of her husband, but there is further understanding to be had when one comes to understand what Adam means. As seems to be the case in the scriptures, each person's name has some type of meaning. It is not just a 'name'. In the case of Adam, Adam means 'Man'. That is to identify Adam and Eve and all their posterity as being after the order and race of 'Man'. That God is of this same race, the race of 'Man' seems to be obvious especially by the names given in verse 57 below when God the Father is state to have the name/title of 'Man of Holiness' and God the son is called by the name 'Son of Man' meaning that he is the literal son of God the Father that 'Man of Holiness'.	This Priesthood The priesthood is the Power of God. It is given to man to opperate in the name of God under the influence and direction of the Holy Spirit by way of, or after the proper order of the Son of God. It comes through and by no other way than through Christ, the anointed Son of God, who is Jehovah. The priesthood power held in the beginning with Adam is the same priesthood after the order of the Son of God, which is again restored to the earth again in the latter-days.
MOS 6:10 And ^aAdam lived one hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his own ^bimage, and called his name Seth. MOS 6:11 And the days of Adam, after he had begotten Seth, were eight hundred years, and he begat many sons and daughters; MOS 6:12 And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years, and he died. MOS 6:13 Seth lived one hundred and five years, and begat Enos, and ^aprophesied in all his days, and taught his son Enos in the ways of God; wherefore Enos prophesied also. MOS 6:14 And Seth lived, after he begat Enos, eight hundred and seven years, and begat many sons and daughters. MOS 6:15 And the children of ^amen were numerous upon all the face of the land. And in those days ^bSatan had great ^cdominion among men, and raged in their hearts; and from thenceforth came ^dwars and bloodshed; and a man's hand was against his own brother, in administering death, because of ^esecret ^fworks, seeking for ^gpower. MOS 6:16 All the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years, and he died.
MOS 6:17 And Enos lived ninety years, and begat ^aCainan. And Enos and the residue of the people of God came out from the land, which was called Shulon, and dwelt in a land of promise, which he called after his own son, whom he had named ^bCainan. MOS 6:18 And Enos lived, after he begat Cainan, eight hundred and fifteen years, and begat many sons and daughters. And all the days of Enos were nine hundred and five years, and he died. MOS 6:19 And Cainan lived seventy years, and begat Mahalaleel; and Cainan lived after he begat Mahalaleel eight hundred and forty years, and begat sons and daughters. And all the days of ^aCainan were nine hundred and ten years, and he died.
MOS 6:20 And Mahalaleel lived sixty-five years, and begat Jared; and Mahalaleel lived, after he begat Jared, eight hundred and thirty years, and begat sons and daughters. And all the days of Mahalaleel were eight hundred and ninety-five years, and he died. MOS 6:21 And Jared lived one hundred and sixty-two years, and begat ^aEnoch; and Jared lived, after he begat Enoch, eight hundred years, and begat sons and daughters. And Jared ^btaught Enoch in all the ways of God. MOS 6:22 And this is the genealogy of the sons of Adam, who was the ^ason of God, with whom God, himself, conversed.
MOS 6:23 And they were ^apreachers of ^brighteousness, and spake and ^cprophesied, and called upon all men, everywhere, to repent; and ^dfaith was ^etaught unto the children of men. MOS 6:24 And it came to pass that all the days of Jared were nine hundred and sixty-two years, and he died. MOS 6:25 And Enoch lived sixty-five years, and begat Methuselah.
MOS 6:26 And it came to pass that Enoch journeyed in the land, among the people; and as he journeyed, the ^aSpirit of God descended out of heaven, and abode upon him. MOS 6:27 And he heard a ^avoice from heaven, saying: ^bEnoch, my son, ^cprophesy unto this people, and say unto them—Repent, for thus saith the Lord: I am ^dangry with this people, and my fierce anger is kindled against them; for their hearts have waxed ^ehard, and their ^fears are dull of hearing, and their eyes ^gcannot see afar off; MOS 6:28 And for these many generations, ever since the day that I have created them, have they gone astray, and have ^adenied me, and have sought their own counsels in the dark; and in their own abominations have they devised murder, and have not kept the commandments, which I gave unto their father, Adam. MOS 6:29 Wherefore, they have foresworn themselves, and, by their oaths, they have brought upon themselves death; and a ^ahell I have prepared for them, if they repent not; MOS 6:30 And this is a decree, which I have sent forth in the beginning of the world, from my own mouth, from the foundation thereof, and by the mouths of my servants, thy fathers, have I decreed it, even as it shall be sent forth in the world, unto the ends thereof.
MOS 6:31 And when Enoch had heard these words, he ^abowed himself to the earth, before the Lord, and spake before the Lord, saying: ^bWhy is it that I have found favor in thy sight, and am but a lad, and all the people ^chate me; for I am ^dslow of speech; wherefore am I thy servant? MOS 6:32 And the Lord said unto Enoch: Go forth and do as I have commanded thee, and no man shall pierce thee. Open thy ^amouth, and it shall be filled, and I will give thee utterance, for all flesh is in my hands, and I will do as seemeth me good. MOS 6:33 Say unto this people: ^aChoose ye this day, to serve the Lord God who made you. MOS 6:34 Behold my ^aSpirit is upon you, wherefore all thy words will I justify; and the ^bmountains shall flee before you, and the ^crivers shall turn from their course; and thou shalt abide in me, and I in you; therefore ^dwalk with me.
MOS 6:35 And the Lord spake unto Enoch, and said unto him: Anoint thine eyes with ^aclay, and wash them, and thou shalt see. And he did so. MOS 6:36 And he beheld the ^aspirits that God had created; and he beheld also things which were not visible to the ^bnatural eye; and from thenceforth came the saying abroad in the land: A ^cseer hath the Lord raised up unto his people.
MOS 6:37 And it came to pass that Enoch went forth in the land, among the people, standing upon the hills and the high places, and cried with a loud voice, testifying against their works; and all men were ^aoffended because of him. MOS 6:38 And they came forth to hear him, upon the high places, saying unto the ^atent-keepers: Tarry ye here and keep the tents, while we go yonder to behold the seer, for he prophesieth, and there is a strange thing in the land; a ^bwild man hath come among us. MOS 6:39 And it came to pass when they heard him, no man laid hands on him; for ^afear came on all them that heard him; for he ^bwalked with God.
MOS 6:40 And there came a man unto him, whose name was Mahijah, and said unto him: Tell us plainly who thou art, and from whence thou comest? MOS 6:41 And he said unto them: I came out from the land of ^aCainan, the land of my fathers, a land of ^brighteousness unto this day. And my father ^ctaught me in all the ways of God. MOS 6:42 And it came to pass, as I journeyed from the land of Cainan, by the sea east, I beheld a vision; and lo, the heavens I saw, and the Lord spake with me, and gave me commandment; wherefore, for this cause, to keep the commandment, I speak forth these words.
MOS 6:43 And Enoch continued his speech, saying: The Lord which spake with me, the same is the God of heaven, and he is my God, and your God, and ye are my brethren, and why ^acounsel ye yourselves, and deny the God of heaven? MOS 6:44 The heavens he made; the ^aearth is his ^bfootstool; and the foundation thereof is his. Behold, he laid it, an host of men hath he brought in upon the face thereof. MOS 6:45 And death hath come upon our fathers; nevertheless we know them, and cannot deny, and even the first of all we know, even ^aAdam.
MOS 6:46 For a book of ^aremembrance we have ^bwritten among us^a, according to the pattern given by the finger of God; and it is given in our ^clanguage. MOS 6:47 And as Enoch spake forth the words of God, the people trembled, and could not ^astand in his presence. MOS 6:48 And he said unto them: Because that Adam ^afell, we are; and by his fall came ^bdeath; and we are made partakers of misery and woe.	46^a a book of remembrance we have written among us The Patriarchal Fathers from Adam on down did keep scriptural records. These records of the Patriarchs made their way into the hands of Abraham (See Abraham 1:31).
MOS 6:49 Behold Satan hath come among the children of men, and ^atempteth them to ^bworship him; and men have become ^ccarnal, ^dsensual, and devilish, and are shut out from the ^epresence of God. MOS 6:50 But God hath made known unto our fathers that all men must repent.
MOS 6:51 And he called upon our father Adam by his own voice, saying: I am God; I ^amade the world, and ^bmen ^cbefore they were in the flesh^a. MOS 6:52 And he also said unto him: If thou wilt turn unto me, and hearken unto my voice, and believe, and repent of all thy transgressions, and be ^abaptized, even in water, in the name^a of mine Only Begotten Son, who is full of ^bgrace and truth, which is Jesus ^cChrist, the only ^dname which shall be given under heaven^a, whereby ^esalvation shall come unto the children of men, ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, asking all things in his name, and whatsoever ye shall ask, it shall be given you. JESUS By Name from before the Beginning It was still understood and known as late as the 4^th century A.D. that JESUS CHRIST was know by that name, though likely in a differing language, from the very beginning. Bishop Eusebius of Caesarea wrote an entire chapter, Chapter 3 of his Book I in his Ecclesiastical History of the early Christian church. As an introduction to this chapter it states, "The Name Jesus and also the Name Christ were known from the Beginning, and were honored by the Inspired Prophets". In that chapter Eusebius sets forth that Moses did name Aaron by the name of 'the Anointed' or 'Messiah' in honor of the Christ and that he also so named his successor, Oshea the son of Nun, bestowing upon him the very name of the Lord, JESUS, as Joshua was to bear a 'resemblance' or a 'similitude' of the Savior. In the 5^th stanza or paragraph Eusebius states, "Thus Moses bestowed the name of our Savior Jesus Christ, as a mark of the highest honor, upon the two men who in his time surpassed all the rest of the people in virtue and glory; namely the high priest [Aaron] and upon his own successor [Joshua/JESUS] in the government." Eusebius continues with such statements as, ' ... the prophets that came after [Moses] also clearly foretold Christ by name ... '. This is consistant with the fact that the prophets of the Book of Mormon also knew Jesus Christ by name before he was born into the world. And what could be well aimed at the professors of the 'Historical Jesus', Eusebius further states, ' ... no one ... may think that our Saviour and Lord Jesus the Christ, has but recently come into being.' Eusebius also sets forth in the beginning chapters of his history that the 'Word' as referenced by the Gospel of John, who is the same as Jesus Christ, was he who in the preexistance did under the commission of the Father create the heavens and the earth. And in a one sentence paragraph in his Chapter 4 of Book I, Eusebius states what could be very well used in defense of the positions held by the Mormon Prophet Joseph Smith as he states: "If any one should assert that all those who have enjoyed the testimony of righteousness, from Abraham himself back to the first man [Adam], were Christians in fact if not in name, he would not go beyond the truth." This is exactly what was revealed unto Joseph Smith in his Inspired Translation of the Bible and recorded in the chapters called by the name of Moses in the Pearl of Great Price, chapters 5-8 currently being presented.	51^a I made the world, and men before they were in the flesh Now, while more information may be needed, we are to understand here that this is God the Father of Spirits, the very Father of Jesus Christ in the flesh, the Father of the Only Begotton Son or this Father who is speaking. And we also come to understand that this God the Father of all spirits is speaking of a 'prior creation' to the physical creation of this earth and men in the flesh. For he states that he 'made the world and men before they were in the flesh'. This could only reference that 'prior creation' which we have come to understand to be the 'spirit creation' of man, for man was in the flesh in the Garden of Eden and after the fall, that flesh further became subject unto death. 52^a the name ... which is Jesus Christ, the only name which is given under heaven Here it is given as a part of the knowledge and understanding from the beginning before the flood of Noah, by the hand of Moses, that the Patriarchal Fathers did know and understand that the very name of the Only Begotten of the Father would be "JESUS CHRIST". This can be seen by a confirmation stated in the New Testament as follows: Philippians 2:9-11 9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.	Philippians 2:9-11 9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
MOS 6:53 And our father Adam spake unto the Lord, and said: Why is it that men must repent and be baptized in water? And the Lord said unto Adam: Behold I have ^aforgiven thee thy transgression in the Garden of Eden. MOS 6:54 Hence came the saying abroad among the people, that the ^aSon of God hath ^batoned for original guilt, wherein the sins of the parents cannot be answered upon the heads of the ^cchildren, for they are ^dwhole from the foundation of the world.
MOS 6:55 And the Lord spake unto Adam, saying: Inasmuch as thy children are ^aconceived in sin, even so when they begin to grow up, ^bsin conceiveth in their hearts, and they taste the ^cbitter, that they may know to prize the good. MOS 6:56 And it is given unto them to know good and evil; wherefore they are ^aagents unto themselves, and I have given unto you another law and commandment. MOS 6:57 Wherefore teach it unto your children, that all men, everywhere, must ^arepent, or they can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God, for no ^bunclean thing can dwell there, or ^cdwell in his ^dpresence; for, in the language of Adam, ^eMan of Holiness is his name, and the name of his Only Begotten is the ^fSon of Man, even ^gJesus Christ, a righteous ^hJudge, who shall come in the meridian of time.
MOS 6:58 Therefore I give unto you a ^acommandment, to ^bteach these things freely unto your ^cchildren, saying: MOS 6:59 That by reason of transgression cometh the fall, which fall bringeth death, and inasmuch as ye were born into the world by water, and blood, and the ^aspirit, which I have made, and so became of ^bdust a living soul, even so ye must be ^cborn again into the kingdom of heaven, of ^dwater, and of the Spirit, and be cleansed by blood, even the blood of mine Only Begotten; that ye might be sanctified from all sin, and ^eenjoy the ^fwords of ^geternal life in this world, and eternal life in the world to come, even immortal ^hglory; MOS 6:60 For by the ^awater ye keep the commandment; by the Spirit ye are ^bjustified, and by the ^cblood ye are ^dsanctified; MOS 6:61 Therefore it is given to abide in you; the ^arecord of heaven; the ^bComforter; the ^cpeaceable things of immortal glory; the truth of all things; that which quickeneth all things, which maketh alive all things; that which knoweth all things, and hath all ^dpower according to wisdom, mercy, truth, justice, and judgment. MOS 6:62 And now, behold, I say unto you: This is the ^aplan of salvation unto all men, through the ^bblood of mine ^cOnly Begotten, who shall come in the meridian of time.
MOS 6:63 And behold, all things have their ^alikeness, and all things are created and made to ^bbear record of me^a, both things which are temporal, and things which are spiritual; things which are in the heavens above, and things which are on the earth, and things which are in the earth, and things which are under the earth, both above and beneath: all things bear record of me.	63^a all things are created and made to bear record of me Indeed God is seen and evidenced in all things.	63^a Heb. 8:5; D&C 72:2 ^b Alma 30:44; D&C 88:47 (45-47)
MOS 6:64 And it came to pass, when the Lord had spoken with Adam, our father, that Adam cried unto the Lord, and he was ^acaught away by the Spirit of the Lord, and was carried down into the water, and was laid under the ^bwater, and was brought forth out of the water. MOS 6:65 And thus he was baptized, and the Spirit of God descended upon him, and thus he was ^aborn of the Spirit, and became quickened in the ^binner man. MOS 6:66 And he heard a voice out of heaven, saying: Thou are baptized with ^afire, and with the Holy Ghost. This is the ^brecord of the Father, and the Son, from henceforth and forever; MOS 6:67 And thou art after the ^aorder of him who was without beginning of days or end of years, from all eternity to all eternity. MOS 6:68 Behold, thou art ^aone in me, a son of God; and thus may all become my ^bsons. Amen.		Philippians 2:9-11 9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.