Moses 1 - This is My Work and My Glory

Pearl of Great Price Introduction

Elder Milton R. Hunter said "the Pearl of Great Price is a pearl indeed. The writings are compacted in approximately sixty pages, but every page is dynamic and powerful. It is a wonderful book. It contains revelations on certain subjects superior to any other scriptures or writings on those subjects found in the world; for example, Abraham’s vision of pre-mortal life in which he learned of the eternal nature of things; of the grand council in heaven; and of the plan of salvation as presented there constitutes one of the greatest of God’s revelations to his holy prophets. And the knowledge obtained by Moses in his vision of Lucifer and the part he played at the grand council, added to Abraham’s vision, gives us the most complete understanding found in any literature regarding man’s pre-mortal life and God’s purposes for the good of man.

The Pearl of Great Price also helps to clarify some of the difficult passages in the other scriptures” - in Conference Report, Oct. 1955.

Book of Moses Introduction

Soon after the Church was organized on 6 April 1830, the Lord commanded the Prophet Joseph Smith to begin an inspired translation, or revision, of the King James Version of the Bible. Today this inspired revision, which the Prophet worked on until the time of his death, is known as the Joseph Smith Translation.

The Prophet Joseph Smith restored to the Bible “many parts which are plain and most precious; and also many covenants of the Lord [which were] taken away” (1 Nephi 13:26; see also 1 Nephi 13:39–40). Between June 1830 and February 1831, the Prophet completed Genesis 1:1 through 6:13, which is now contained in the Pearl of Great Price as Moses 1–8.

The book of Moses may be divided into two major sections: Moses 1, which relates experiences from Moses’ life that are not found in the book of Genesis, and Moses 2–8, which contains the inspired and restored account of events described in the Bible, including the Creation of the earth; the Fall of Adam and Eve; the story of Cain and Abel; the ministry, teachings, and visions of Enoch; and the story of Noah up to the time the Lord decreed the destruction of all flesh by the Flood. At this point, one must return to Genesis 6:14 for a continuation of the scriptural record.

In an introduction to Moses 1, the Prophet Joseph Smith wrote: “The Lord, who well knew our infantile and delicate situation, vouchsafed for us a supply of strength, and granted us ‘line upon line of knowledge—here a little and there a little,’ of which the following was a precious morsel” (History of the Church, 1:98).

Moses Chapter 1 Breakdown

verses 1-11 - God reveals himself to Moses.

verses 12-23 - Satan commanded Moses to worship him.
verses 24-42 - Moses learned more about the work of God.

Moses 1:1

The vision recorded in Moses 1 took place after Jehovah spoke to Moses at the burning bush but before Moses led the children of Israel out of Egypt and through the Red Sea.

Moses 1:2,5,11

...the glory of God was upon Moses; therefore Moses could endure his presence.

...no man can behold all my glory and remain in the flesh

...for I was transfigured before him.

see also D&C 67:10-12

Elder Bruce R. McConkie wrote: "Transfiguration is a special change in appearance and nature which is wrought upon a person or thing by the power of God. This divine transformation is from a lower to a higher state; it results in a more exalted, impressive, and glorious condition. …

“By the power of the Holy Ghost many prophets have been transfigured so as to stand in the presence of God and view the visions of eternity” - Mormon Doctrine, 2nd ed. [1966], 803

Why is this important to know that we couldn't endure his presence?

How remarkable is the glory of God?  What kind of feeling does that give you?

Moses 1:4,42

...my works and my words are endless.  They never cease.

...in a day when the children of men shall esteem my words as naught.

...and take many of them from the book which thou shalt write, behold, I will raise up another.
What gospel truth does this teach us about?

Yet another example of the wisdom God has and how is work never ceases and we constantly have revelation.  All of the scriptures that we have compliment each other and help us gain more understanding of gospel truths.  We could still have more scriptures and receive even more revelation if we truly read, understood, and study the ones that we have now.
see 3 Nephi 26:10-11 

Moses 1:6

...all things are present before me.

Elder Neal A. Maxwell explained: “God does not live in the dimension of time as do we. We are not only hampered by our finiteness (experiential and intellectual), but also by being in the dimension of time. Moreover, God, since ‘all things are present with him, is not simply predicting based solely on the past. In ways that are not clear to us, he sees rather than foresees the future, because all things are at once present before him.

Joseph Smith taught: "Without the knowledge of all things God would not be able to save any portion of his creatures; for it is by reason of the knowledge which he has of all things, from the beginning to the end, that enables him to give that understanding to his creatures by which they are made partakers of eternal life; and if it were not for the idea existing in the minds of men that God had all knowledge it would be impossible for them to exercise faith in him"

Moses 1:3-8
Who spoke to Moses?
President Joseph Fielding Smith wrote: “All revelation since the fall has come through Jesus Christ, who is the Jehovah of the Old Testament. … He is the God of Israel, the Holy One of Israel; the one who led that nation out of Egyptian bondage, and who gave and fulfilled the Law of Moses. The Father has never dealt with man directly and personally since the fall, and he has never appeared except to introduce and bear record of the Son”

Moses 1:9

...Moses fell to the earth.

There are other accounts in the scriptures of people becoming weak after such spiritual experiences.

Have any of you experienced anything comparable?

Moses 1:10
...man is nothing
What do you think is meant by man is nothing?
Elder Neal A. Maxwell wrote that Moses’ statement “surely was not a reflection on man, ‘God’s greatest miracle,’ but a placing of man in the vast perspective of God’s creations and a realizing, even so, that we are God’s exclusive work and his greatest glory”

Moses 1:14

...I couldn't look upon God, except his glory come upon me, but I look upon thee in the natural man
The glory of God trumps Satan's glory.

If we all know this to be true, why do we still have such a hard time keeping the commandments?

Moses 1:20

...Moses began to fear but received strength from calling upon the Lord.

How has prayer helped you overcome fear?

Moses 1:21
...depart hence Satan
He tells Satan to depart in verses 16,18,20, and 21
What does this teach us about resisting Satan's efforts?

Moses 1:29,32,33,37

...He beheld many lands and each land was called Earth
...by the word of my power, have I created them

...worlds without number have I created

...the heavens, they are many, and they cannot be numbered unto man
I have a testimony of the scriptures and the truth that is in them.  Science can't catch up to the truths and knowledge we get from the scriptures.  I read an article the other day on KSL.com saying that scientists say there are 8.8 billion earth-size, just-right planets, meaning the right climate that could possibly have human life.  While all of the detailed numbers in the article are hard to comprehend, none of the information blew me away.  I already knew there are more worlds out there than just ours that house Heavenly Father's children.  Science is finally starting to catch up to the idea.
Here is the link to the article http://www.ksl.com/?sid=27504671
Here is another fascinating link that give perspective as to the sizes of different things in the universe. http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/525347

Moses 1:39

...this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.

Elder Bruce R. McConkie wrote: “Immortality is to live forever in the resurrected state with body and spirit inseparably connected”

All of God’s children who obtain mortal bodies will eventually be resurrected and obtain immortal physical bodies (see 1 Corinthians 15:22).

President Joseph Fielding Smith said: “Eternal life is to have the kind of life that God has. All those who become servants will have immortality, but they who become sons and daughters of God will have the additional gift of eternal life, which is the greatest gift of God” (Doctrines of Salvation, 2:8).
President Spencer W. Kimball taught that “eternal life is to gain exaltation in the highest heaven” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1978, 109; or Ensign, Nov. 1978, 72).

Do you doubt God that that is the greatest gift you can ever receive?
Believing it's true, how does that change your behavior in life?
How do you picture eternal life with God?
If we could fully comprehend what that life is like, do you think we would live a little different here?

President Marion G. Romney said: “Hence, we see the complete unselfishness of our Father in Heaven. His whole work and glory is to bring eternal life and happiness to his children. Should not our whole purpose in this life, therefore, be made up of righteous service one to another? If not, how can we ever hope to be as he is?
What incredible insight.  Heavenly Father is so unselfish that is whole purpose and existence is to bring happiness to his children.  That if we want to become like him we have to get to that same level.  Our purpose in this life should be of the same caliber service and unselfishness.
Have any of you ever had this focus in life?  Describe the emotions that you have felt when only thinking of others?

Summary Points

-Joseph Smith's translation of the Bible from Genesis 1:1 - 6:13 is found in the book of Moses.

-Moses 1 contains experiences from Moses' life that is not found in the book of Genesis.

-We have to be transfigured from a mortal state to endure God's presence.

-God works and words are endless.  They never cease.

-All things are present before God.  He knows all things.

-Spiritual experiences can be physically draining.

-We are sons and daughters of God and have the potential to become just like him.

-The glory of God trumps Satan's glory.

-We can receive the strength of God through prayer.
-God has created many worlds.
-God's whole purpose is to bring happiness to his children.
-Immortality is given to all as our bodies will be resurrected.
-Eternal life is the greatest gift of God and means gaining exaltation with God in the highest heaven