God Created All Things in Heaven and in Earth

John W. Welch

Lehi understands that the world was created for certain purposes. One may wonder how close the version of Genesis was on the brass plates to the version that we now know as the Book of Moses, but there are some very interesting connections between the Book of Moses and passages reflected in the Book of Mormon that make it look like there were some strong similarities between the brass plates version of Genesis and what we now have as the Book of Moses. Moses 1:39, for example, reads, "For this is my work and my glory," where the purpose of the creation is clearly set forth, and we have Lehi similarly reflecting that same purpose. The Plan of Salvation was set forth from the very beginning in the Council in Heaven. The world in which we live is not an arbitrary, random place. It is a place where we have come to do certain things, to accomplish certain purposes and objectives, and every person who comes has the opportunity to act and not just be acted upon, to choose between right and wrong, between Christ and the way of life and Satan and the way of death (2 Nephi 2:25–27). Making that choice, and hopefully making it to our eternal joy, is our number one purpose in this existence. As we are shown in the endowment in the temple, our world was created not just for amusement, but as an environment in which people can make serious choices.

John W. Welch Notes

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