The Gatheringof the Family back to God
The initial scattering was caused by the fall of Adam–Now we see that Adam did fall by the partaking of the forbidden fruit, according to the word of God; and thus we see, that by his fall, all mankind becamea lost and fallen people.(Alma 12:22)The language in this verse is similar to the language used regarding Israel in their scattered condition:And the Lord will set his hand again the second time to restore his people from theirlost and fallen state.(2 Ne. 25:17)
Adam and Eve gathered back to the family of God when they received the priesthood ordinances:64 And it came to pass, when the Lord had spoken with Adam, our father, that Adam cried unto the Lord, and he was caught away by the Spirit of the Lord, and was carried down into the water, and was laid under the water, and was brought forth out of the water.65 And thus he was baptized, and the Spirit of God descended upon him, and thus he was born of the Spirit, and became quickened in the inner man.66 And he heard a voice out of heaven, saying: Thou art baptized with fire, and with the Holy Ghost. This is the record of the Father, and the Son, from henceforth and forever;67 And thou art after the order of him who was without beginning of days or end of years, from all eternity to all eternity.68 Behold, thou art one in me,a son of God;and thus may all become my sons. Amen.(Moses 6:64-68)
President Ezra Taft Benson (1899-1994) said this of these verses:When our Heavenly Father placed Adam and Eve on this earth, He did so with the purpose in mind of teaching them how to regain His presence. Our Father promised a Savior to redeem them from their fallen condition. He gave to them the plan of salvation and told them to teach their children faith in Jesus Christ and repentance. Further, Adam and his posterity were commanded by God to be baptized, to receive the Holy Ghost, and to enter into the order of the Son of God.Toenter into the order of the Son of God is the equivalent today of entering into the fullness of the Melchizedek Priesthood, which is only received in the house of the Lord.BecauseAdam and Eve had complied with these requirements, God said to them, "Thou art after the order of him who was without beginningof days or end of years, from all eternity to all eternity." (Moses 6:67.)(“What I Hope You Will Teach Your Children About the Temple,”Ensign, Aug. 1985, pp. 6-10)
Behold, thou art one in me,a son of God;and thus may all become my sons. Amen.(Moses 6:68)
Now, look at the concluding verse if the preceding verses again:
The phrase “son of God” has reference to being part of the family of God and, thus, an “heir” to Heavenly Father’s kingdom. The Apostle Paul taught:For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they arethe sons of God.For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spiritof adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.The Spirit itselfbearethwitness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:And if children,then heirs;heirs of God, andjoint-heirs with Christ.(Rom. 8:14-17)
The Savior taught:“as many as have received me, to them have I given tobecome the sons of God”(3 Ne. 9:17).Further, he declared,“I am Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who was crucified for the sins of the world, even as many as will believe on my name, that they maybecome the sons of God, even one in me as I am one in the Father, as the Father is one in me, that we may be one.”(D&C 35:2)
Adam and Eve began to gather their children back to the family of God:12 And Adam and Eve blessed the name of God, and they made all things known unto their sons and their daughters.13 And Satan came among them, saying: I am also a son of God; and he commanded them, saying: Believe it not; and they believed it not, and they loved Satan more than God. And men began from that time forth to be carnal, sensual, and devilish.14 And the Lord God called upon men by the Holy Ghost everywhere and commanded them that they should repent;15 And as many as believed in the Son, and repented of their sins, should be saved; and as many as believed not and repented not, should be damned; and the words went forth out of the mouth of God in a firm decree; wherefore they must be fulfilled.(Moses 5:12-15)
They had some success:Behold, our father Adam taught these things, and many have believedand become the sons of God, and many have believed not, and have perished in their sins.(Moses 7:1)
President Benson spoke ofAdam’s lastattempt to gather his posterity to the family of God taught:Three years before Adam's death, a great event occurred. He took his son Seth, his grandsonEnos, and other high priests who were his direct-line descendants, with others of his righteous posterity, into a valley called Adam-ondi-Ahman. There Adam gave to these righteous descendants hislast blessing.The Lord then appeared to them. . . .All this is recorded in section 107 of the Doctrine and Covenants (verses 53-56) [D&C 107:53-56].The Prophet Joseph Smith said that Adam blessed his posterity because "he wanted to bring them into the presence of God.”
Here is an illuminating passage from Section 107 of the Doctrine and Covenantswhich tells us how Adam was able to bring himself and his righteous posterity into God's presence:"The order of this priesthood was confirmed to be handed down from father to son, and tightly belongs to the literal descendants of the chosen seed, to whom the promises were made."This order was instituted in the days of Adam, and came down by lineage in [order] …that his posterity should be the chosen of the Lord, and that they should be preserved unto the end of the earth." (D&C 107:40-42; italics added.)How did Adam bring his descendants into the presence of the Lord?The answer:Adam and his descendants entered into the priesthood order of God. Today we would say they went to the House of the Lord and received their blessings.(“What I Hope You Will Teach Your Children About the Temple,”Ensign, Aug. 1985, pp. 6-10)
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