The First Flesh Upon the Earth

Today I read Abraham 5, the last chapter in the book of Abraham. In this chapter we learn that the creation we have been reading about was a spiritual creation. Because after the 7th day or period when the Gods rested from their labor, we read that God had not caused it to rain yet. We also find something interesting that I'm not sure you all picked up on. Despite being created last, man was the first flesh upon the earth. We know that Adam was created on the sixth day, after everything else was created, and yet in this chapter we read that after Adam and even after Eve was created, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air were created. This is because all things were created spiritually first, in the order that we all know. But according to the scriptures, Adam was the first flesh upon the earth.

Now, he was also the first flesh upon the earth because when Adam and Eve partook of the forbidden fruit, they fell and became mortal while everything else around them was still immortal. This is also true and a perfectly fine interpretation of the scriptures. The other interpretation is the one I have already given, that while Adam was created sixth or last spiritually, he was created first physically for some reason.

You will also note that in this version as well as all the others, Adam and Eve are referred to as man and wife before they partook of the fruit and fell. So again we can conclude that God married them in the Garden of Eden before there was death. Some would probably interpret this scripture as being a case where the author was overlaying current events on past ones. Or in other words, when it was written Adam and Eve were definitely man and wife, so the author was just referring to them that way even before they actually were married. But I think the scriptures are a lot more literal than we give them credit for.

Now, one other thing to notice, is that Abraham tells us that before Adam fell, the reckoning of his time was after the manner of Kolob, or 1000 of our years was the equivalent of 1 of the Lord's days. This would mean that depending on how long Adam and Eve were in the Garden of Eden, they may never have experienced darkness or nighttime. Think about that for a second. Not only were Adam and Eve forced to leave their home in the Garden, they were also cast out of God's presence and forced to go out alone, they also for the first time ever, most likely, came face to face with the whole world becoming dark. I wonder if that was scary for them. I imagine it would be, especially since they were still learning about the world and what they were getting into so to speak. If the earth truly was taking 1000 years to rotate even once, most likely, they had never experienced seasons while in the Garden of Eden either. It must have been a very scary prospect for Adam and Eve when they left the Garden.

Also, since there was no time like we think of it in the Garden of Eden, when the Lord said that in the day thou eatest of [the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil] thou shalt surely die, God was talking about one of His days. It then makes perfect sense why Adam was able to live over 900 years after eating of the fruit. Although just humans were able to live several hundred years is quite beyond my understanding and comprehension. Someday I will understand it all, but not today.

I am very grateful that we have these wonderful books in the Pearl of Great Price that add so much to our knowledge of the creation and the beginning of mankind. It is wonderful that even though we don't "need" to know these things, the Lord wants us to be knowledgeable and to understand His creations and the world around us. And for someone like me who loves to learn about history and things of the Gospel these books are just a treasure trove indeed. I hope you also enjoy them and the greater understanding that they bring. Until tomorrow.