Jacob also wanted his descendants to know that he and his contemporaries were diligent students of the ancient prophets, and that God had given them many revelations and an abundance of prophecy so that their faith was unshaken. Jacob said that in the name of Jesus the trees would obey them, even the mountains and the waves of the sea. This is an extremely interesting statement. Only rarely does God give any of his servants power over the elements. Everything God has organized in the universe has intelligences in it, which move and has its being according to God's order and command.
The existence of this "life-substance" or elaborate system of organized intelligences in nature makes it possible to communicate with them, when authorized by God, and command them to obey specific instructions. Abraham refers to the intelligent capacity of the elements to obey when the great creation was in progress. He says, "And the Gods watched those things which they had ordered until they obeyed."1
Brigham Young referred on a number of occasions to the life-substance or intelligences which exists in matter and he said it exists "in all matter throughout the vast extent of all the eternities; it is in the rock, the sand, in water, air, the gases, and in short, in every description and organization of matter whether it be solid, liquid or gaseous, particle operating with particle."2 Jacob wanted subsequent generations to know that he and his associates were among those rare priesthood holders who were allowed by God to communicate with these great forces of intelligence in nature.