Abraham 3, Michael, and The Davidic Servant

THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN UPDATED - https://lordoftheseraphim.blogspot.com/2019/03/abraham-and-davidic-servant-i-updated.html

Disclaimer: This article is not official doctrine of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. However, I do believe there are important considerations in this article in gaining a fuller understanding of the Grand Council of Heaven and Abraham 3:22-28. Please pray before reading as the Spirit is the teacher of all truth. The Spirit may personalize any message, and I would rather the reader learn from the Spirit of Truth than from me.

Introduction:

Abraham 3:22 Now the Lord had shown unto me, Abraham, the intelligences that were organized before the world was; and among all these there were many of the noble and great ones;

23 And God saw these souls that they were good, and he stood in the midst of them, and he said: These I will make my rulers; for he stood among those that were spirits, and he saw that they were good; and he said unto me: Abraham, thou art one of them; thou wast chosen before thou wast born.

24 And there stood one among them that was like unto God, and he said unto those who were with him: We will go down, for there is space there, and we will take of these materials, and we will make an earth whereon these may dwell;

25 And we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them;

26 And they who keep their first estate shall be added upon; and they who keep not their first estate shall not have glory in the same kingdom with those who keep their first estate; and they who keep their second estate shall have glory added upon their heads for ever and ever.

27 And the Lord said: Whom shall I send? And one answered like unto the Son of Man: Here am I, send me. And another answered and said: Here am I, send me. And the Lord said: I will send the first.

28 And the second was angry, and kept not his first estate; and, at that day, many followed after him.

This article is about how Abraham 3:22-28 is about choosing the principal priesthood authority on earth--Michael--and not about choosing the Savior. Abraham 3:22-28 is about Michael volunteering, not Jehovah. There is a lot of evidence to support this truth. I'm certainly not claiming to be the first person to unlock this truth; I've researched this and read several other LDS members' blogs and articles where others have written about Abraham 3:22-28 being Michael's choosing. Some only mention this, others explore it a bit, yet I have not yet read an article where all the details seem correct. Hence, I will attempt to do a full exploration of the implications of Abraham 3:22-28 here.

Part I - The Grand Council in Heaven

I want to introduce the thinking that led me down this rabbit hole.  As a child I learned about how Jesus and Lucifer presented their plans to Heavenly Father in the grand council of heaven and was shown a picture of Heavenly Father on a throne with Jehovah in the act of presenting his plan and Lucifer looking on from the other side:

Super cool painting of the grand council that never happened - at least not like this.

Moses 4:1-3 seems to indicate a scene similar to this painting:

Moses 4:1 And I, the Lord God, spake unto Moses, saying: That Satan, whom thou hast commanded in the name of mine Only Begotten, is the same which was from the beginning, and he came before me, saying—Behold, here am I, send me, I will be thy son, and I will redeem all mankind, that one soul shall not be lost, and surely I will do it; wherefore give me thine honor.

2 But, behold, my Beloved Son, which was my Beloved and Chosen from the beginning, said unto me—Father, thy will be done, and the glory be thine forever.

3 Wherefore, because that Satan rebelled against me, and sought to destroy the agency of man, which I, the Lord God, had given him, and also, that I should give unto him mine own power; by the power of mine Only Begotten, I caused that he should be cast down;

I will return to Moses 4:1-3 later in this article and offer an interpretation to this scripture that reinforces the conclusion that there was no council where Lucifer and Jesus Christ presented plans that we--Heavenly Father's children--voted on. There certainly was a grand council, but what was the scope? What was being voted on, and more importantly how? Also, who were the representatives of the plans and how did they represent?

So, what's the problem with Heavenly Father sitting on his throne scratching his chin while plans are presented?  There at least three problems..  

• Problem 1: There was no question about who the chosen Savior was--see Moses 4:2 above! Jesus was chosen from the beginning. The beginning of what exactly? More on this later ...
• Problem 2: There was no question about what the plan of salvation is! This is the same plan that elevated our heavenly father to godhood, the same plan that allowed Jesus to inherit all, and the same plan by which all our posterity will be saved and the same plan by which some will be exalted.
• Problem 3: One does not become chosen to save worlds will nilly! Plans of salvation are neither crafted by the children nor presented by those who are not ready to live a perfect life and offer a perfect sacrifice. 

To know the only wise and true God; and you have got to learn how to be gods yourselves, and to be kings and priests to God, the same as all gods have done before you, namely, by going from one small degree to another, and from a small capacity to a great one; from grace to grace, from exaltation to exaltation, until you attain to the resurrection of the dead, and are able to dwell in everlasting burnings, and to sit in glory, as do those who sit enthroned in everlasting power ~ Joseph Smith, King Follett Sermon

"The same as all gods have done before you." That is a critical element of understanding who God is and who we are, and who the Savior is. Joseph Smith says as much during the King Follett Sermon. He is trying to unfold an understanding of who and what we worship. 

D&C 93:19 I give unto you these sayings that you may understand and know how to worship, and know what you worship, that you may come unto the Father in my name, and in due time receive of his fulness.

D&C 93 is all about this process--about how the Savior became chosen and became firstborn and how we become such through the same process!

D&C 93:21  And now, verily I say unto you, I was in the beginning with the Father, and am the Firstborn;

22 And all those who are begotten through me are partakers of the glory of the same, and are the church of the Firstborn.

Becoming a Savior is a long and involved process.  Being chosen as a Savior isn't a matter of presenting plans and being chosen, and being chosen as a Savior certainly isn't a matter of being the lucky soul who was born first. Chosen is something we become and is a matter of self mastery and ascension line upon line and precept upon precept. Souls aren't born with light--light is only ever attained by adhering to the laws and ordinances of the gospel--else why would the Savior be born with light where the rest of Heavenly Father's children have to earn it? Justice would cease in that case and God would cease to be God! There is no question ever about who was the Savior is and what the plan of salvation is for any world. I may write a separate article on Firstborn but suffice it to say that there was no chin scratching! Heavenly Father's chosen and firstborn from the beginning of our world's inception was always Jesus Christ. There was never a question about who the Savior would be. Understanding the dominion of Jesus Christ is critical to cement this point home.

Moses 1:33 And worlds without number have I created; and I also created them for mine own purpose; and by the Son I created them, which is mine Only Begotten.

34 And the first man of all men have I called Adam, which is many.

35 But only an account of this earth, and the inhabitants thereof, give I unto you. For behold, there are many worlds that have passed away by the word of my power. And there are many that now stand, and innumerable are they unto man; but all things are numbered unto me, for they are mine and I know them.

The Lord Jesus Christ's dominion is not just Earth but earths. The scope of Abraham 3 is not worlds but our world--our Earth. This is a key element to unlocking the mysteries of Abraham 3.

Yet there is another problem with the painting above.  

• Problem 4: Why on earth would 1/3 part of the heavenly hosts follow Lucifer into oblivion if Heavenly Father was sitting right by Jehovah and pointing his finger at Jehovah after plans were presented???  

D&C 76:25 And this we saw also, and bear record, that an angel of God who was in authority in the presence of God, who rebelled against the Only Begotten Son whom the Father loved and who was in the bosom of the Father, was thrust down from the presence of God and the Son,

26 And was called Perdition, for the heavens wept over him—he was Lucifer, a son of the morning.

27 And we beheld, and lo, he is fallen! is fallen, even a son of the morning!

Notice here in D&C 76 that Lucifer rebelled against the “Only Begotten Son whom the Father loved.” The next part of the phrase “and who was in the bosom of the Father” is referring to Jehovah and not Lucifer. Jehovah was in the bosom, not Lucifer. These two beings were never on equal ground to present plans, though Lucifer was an angel of authority. How does one become an angel of authority? Please see my articles on The Seven Levels of Mankind to explore the answer to that question, but the mark of the beast - 666 - may be a clue as to which level Lucifer attained before being cast down. The war in heaven could never have taken place in a Celestial sphere for two reasons. 1: No unclean thing can dwell in the presence of God, let alone a war, and 2: All time is present in a Celestial sphere, so the rebellion never would have rebelled had they been able to see their fates. 

D&C 130:7 But they reside in the presence of God, on a globe like a sea of glass and fire, where all things for their glory are manifest, past, present, and future, and are continually before the Lord.

I believe the war took place in a Terrestrial sphere--which is why Lucifer rebelled against the Only Begotten and not the Father. Not only was the Father not scratching his chin, he wasn't even there! We LDS believe that the ministry of the Terrestrial is by the Son (D&C 76) and that terrestrial beings can behold the Son but not the Father. Only Celestial souls can witness the Father in a celestial sphere, and only clean souls can dwell in his presence. The war was preceded by learning and by mistakes - and those mistakes resulted in a war! There is more evidence of the lack of the presence of the Father during the war which I will address later.

Moreover, those who chose to follow the Savior had done so through faith. Faith would not be required if we A. Had the past, present, and future before us and B. Had the Father present giving a thumbs up to the Savior's plan. Moreover, this scripture wouldn't make any sense:

Alma 13:3 And this is the manner after which they were ordained—being called and prepared from the foundation of the world according to the foreknowledge of God, on account of their exceeding faith and good works; in the first place being left to choose good or evil; therefore they having chosen good, and exercising exceedingly great faith, are called with a holy calling, yea, with that holy calling which was prepared with, and according to, a preparatory redemption for such.

If we were in a place free to choose good or evil, and we having chosen good were foreordained to the priesthood, then there were those choosing evil, because there cannot be a choosing unless we were enticed by one or the other (see 2 Nephi 2.) And if souls were choosing evil, then we simply were not choosing in the same sphere as where the Father exists.

3 Nephi 27:19 And no unclean thing can enter into his kingdom; therefore nothing entereth into his rest save it be those who have washed their garments in my blood, because of their faith, and the repentance of all their sins, and their faithfulness unto the end.

So let's paint a picture that may be slightly different than what you learned in primary about the Grand Council in Heaven - but this picture is closer to all of these scriptures which have been presented.

1. Jesus was firstborn and chosen from the beginning. 
2. Jesus earned the right to be Savior of worlds
3. Worlds had already passed away - Moses 1:35
4. Lucifer rebelled against the Only Begotten
5. The one plan of salvation is the plan by which all gods are exalted (D&C 93 and King Follett)

Part II Abraham 3:22-28

Please keep the above in mind while reading the verses to which this article is dedicated. I will then break down each verse and we will add to the list above.

Abraham 3:22 Now the Lord had shown unto me, Abraham, the intelligences that were organized before the world was; and among all these there were many of the noble and great ones;

23 And God saw these souls that they were good, and he stood in the midst of them, and he said: These I will make my rulers; for he stood among those that were spirits, and he saw that they were good; and he said unto me: Abraham, thou art one of them; thou wast chosen before thou wast born.

24 And there stood one among them that was like unto God, and he said unto those who were with him: We will go down, for there is space there, and we will take of these materials, and we will make an earth whereon these may dwell;

25 And we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them;

26 And they who keep their first estate shall be added upon; and they who keep not their first estate shall not have glory in the same kingdom with those who keep their first estate; and they who keep their second estate shall have glory added upon their heads for ever and ever.

27 And the Lord said: Whom shall I send? And one answered like unto the Son of Man: Here am I, send me. And another answered and said: Here am I, send me. And the Lord said: I will send the first.

28 And the second was angry, and kept not his first estate; and, at that day, many followed after him.

Abraham 3:22-28 Breakdown:

Verse 22: There are several important factors in verse 22. 

• First: “Now the Lord had shown unto me, Abraham” … who is the Lord.  It is Jehovah.  Heavenly Father introduces Jehovah at times but it is Jehovah that reveals...that shows. 
• Second: “...the intelligences that were organized before the world was.” Which world?  Earth.  The scope of Abraham 3 is our world alone. Jehovah is the Savior of worlds. Bear this in mind. 
• Third: How many of the intelligences? Probably all of them though this isn't explicitly clear.  
• Fourth: “and among all these there were many of the noble and great ones.” Why just ”many?” Where were the rest?  If the scope of Abraham 3 is just Earth and earth-bound souls ... where are the rest of the "many?" Perhaps, the rest of the noble and great ones were bound to other worlds to be the prophets, apostles, and priesthood of God (see my articles on The Seven Levels of Mankind.) 

Verse 23: "And God saw these souls that they were good," Who is God here? First of all, whether you believe in multiple mortal probations or not there has already been a sorting based of works that can only be attained by choosing between good and evil, so this fact would indicate that God is the God of Israel - Jehovah, or Jesus Christ.  Also, who chooses the rulers? Here is a scripture about the choosing of the judges of Israel--the apostles:

John 15:16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

Verse 24:  There are two more important clues in verse 24 that indicate who "God" is in verse 24 and who the new character is that is introduced in verse 24, apart from God:

• First: “And there stood one among them that was like unto God” In Hebrew Michael literally means “Who is like God?” If meaning of Michael's name is an identifier, then this sentence could read, “And there stood one among them that was Michael.” Also Michael may not be the actual name of the soul who became the first man but the meaning of his real name as represented by Hebrew, perhaps even imperfectly. 
• Second: “and he said unto those who were with him: We will go down, for there is space there, and we will take of these materials, and we will make an earth whereon these may dwell;” In the temple who carries the instructions to build an earth and delivers them to the rest of the souls who participate in creation?  Jehovah and Michael. The Father gives the instructions to Jehovah and Michael alone. They then leave the presence of the Father to executive his will. Peter, James, and John never speak to the Father directly in the temple endowment. So, the exclusivity of the presence of the Father is reinforced in the temple endowment and provides further evidence that the characters in verse 24 are Jehovah and Michael. We LDS know that Michael is the principle priesthood authority on Earth, so a common-sense understanding of hierarchic structure would be that Michael would be the one to deliver the orders to those who fall under his personal dominion.

Verse 25: "And we will prove them herewith..." Prove who?  The spirits bound to earth. The scope of these verses is Earth as outlined in the prior verse, "We will go down, for there is space there, and we will take of these materials, and we will make an earth whereon these may dwell;" Would every earth have an open forum where plans are drafted willy nilly and everyone is given equal chin-scratching consideration from the father? Of course not! Worlds is the dominion of Jehovah who is their God at the Father's behest.

Verse 26: "they who keep their first estate shall be added upon..." Estate means a net worth. In a spiritual sense an estate is the net light attained, and each estate has a purpose for us to become more and more like God. There was likely a period before the first estate where we were created in the presence of the Father but were in a state of innocence having no evil around us, therefore having no choice as we would require an enticement from both good and evil to choose. I believe firmly we passed through a veil after leaving the Father's presence and before entering the first estate. With a veil already over our minds, faith, evil, and choice could all exist as well as a forum where souls could understandably rebel. More on this later.

Verse 27: There are several important factors to verse 27.

• First: “And the Lord said: Whom shall I send? And one answered like unto the Son of Man:” Jesus is the Son of Man of Holiness… He is not “like unto” the Son of Man of Holiness. The God of the Old Testament is Jehovah.  So like unto God could mean like unto Jehovah or like unto the Son of Man! I have debated this point online and detractors to this interpretation state that there are other scriptures that say "like unto the Son of Man" when referring to the son of man. There are several problems with this detraction:
• Problem 1: Literally every other point made in this article.
• Problem 2: So Jesus is "like unto God" in verse 24 and "like unto the Son of Man" in verse 27? He is the God of this world and is the Son of man. Michael is both like God and like Jesus Christ. Jesus being like God and like himself doesn't hold up and is not parallel. 
• Problem 3: "Like unto the son of man" in other scriptures (Revelation 1:13) that are referring to Jesus Christ were not scriptures revealed by a modern day seer. Modern day scriptures are far more correct and word choice is very intentional--layers of understanding can and have been unlocked by careful word choice and placement. Only prophets and apostles have ever touched these modern-day scriptures. A seer gave them to us directly with one translation ... by the seer himself. 
• Second: The one who answers the Lord in verse 27 is Michael.  And who is “the Lord?” Jehovah.  Send Michael where? To Earth. When?  The very next mortality opportunity...to be the first man and steward of earth.  “And another answered and said: Here am I, send me. And the Lord said: I will send the first.” Who is the second?  I believe it is Satan and may not be the same being as Lucifer.  There is evidence Lucifer had a body (temple video where he carries fruit.) However whether or not they are the same being bears little impact.  Satan being this second being is important.  Satan wanted the Lord's glory by overstepping the purview of any Adam of any world. Satan wanted to do the saving in a role that is not intended for saving, and he wanted to save everyone himself by taking away agency.  Satan offered to save all mankind bound to just this earth instead of Jesus who is the Savior of worlds.

D&C 29:36 And it came to pass that Adam, being tempted of the devil—for, behold, the devil was before Adam, for he rebelled against me, saying, Give me thine honor, which is my power; and also a third part of the hosts of heaven turned he away from me because of their agency;

Satan offered to be the steward of earth and to use Jehovah's saving power without there being a Savior. That is what is meant by "give me thine honor." He never planned on atoning but planned to rob the need for it altogther! This is the spirit of Antichrist and the core of the Luciferian doctrine. 

Also notice how it is Michael vs the dragon in both the premortal war and the war at the end of the millennium

Premortal war:

JST Revelation 12:6 And there was war in heaven; Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought against Michael;

7 And the dragon prevailed not against Michael, neither the child, nor the woman which was the church of God, who had been delivered of her pains, and brought forth the kingdom of our God and his Christ.

8 Neither was there place found in heaven for the great dragon, who was cast out; that old serpent called the devil, and also called Satan, which deceiveth the whole world; he was cast out into earth; and his angels were cast out with him.

Millennial War:

D&C 88:111 And then he shall be loosed for a little season, that he may gather together his armies.

112 And Michael, the seventh angel, even the archangel, shall gather together his armies, even the hosts of heaven.

113 And the devil shall gather together his armies; even the hosts of hell, and shall come up to battle against Michael and his armies.

114 And then cometh the battle of the great God; and the devil and his armies shall be cast away into their own place, that they shall not have power over the saints any more at all.

115 For Michael shall fight their battles, and shall overcome him who seeketh the throne of him who sitteth upon the throne, even the Lamb. 

The Premortal Council was never the painting at the beginning of this article. The war is Satan \ the devil vs Michael because it has always been those two fighting over the souls of this earth since the very beginning.  The choosing in Abraham 3 was a campaign of Michael vs Satan for the destiny of the souls bound to this world only. There was never a question about who the Savior is or what the plan of salvation is.

Verse 28: "And the second was angry, and kept not his first estate; and, at that day, many followed after him." Satan kept not his first estate and many followed after him. Why would they follow him if God the Father was there and all time was present before them?

The answer to this question is the war in heaven began and will end in a terrestrial sphere. Think about it. Would war of any kind exist in a celestial sphere? Sin cannot exist in a celestial sphere for no unclean thing can dwell in the presence of God. Peter, James, and John are unable to address the Father directly either.  Why not?  Peter, James, and John are among the noblest of the noble and great ones? 

Your endowment is to receive all those ordinances in the house of the Lord which are necessary for you, after you have departed this life, to enable you to walk back to the presence of the Father, passing the angels who stand as sentinels, being enabled to give them the keywords, the signs and tokens, pertaining to the holy priesthood, and gain your eternal exaltation in spite of earth and hell. ~ Brigham Young

In the temple we are given four tokens and told they are used to to traverse multiple sentinels. A sentinel is someone who stands guard, obviously preventing access to to those who are not worthy or ready to enter a new space. But what are the checkpoints?

Well there are three degrees of glory and there is three degrees within the Celestial Kingdom alone.  How many barriers or checkpoints between all of these degrees would there be?  Four.  Four checkpoints each with it's own veil.  What do veils do? They hide the other side and possibly even in your mind and memory in certain situations when going from a higher sphere to a lower.

God the Father resides in the highest degree. We know that Jesus ministers to the terrestrial and the holy ghost alone administers to the telestial. I submit to you that the war in heaven began and will end in a terrestrial sphere.  Why will it end at the end of the millennium? For starters, war cannot exist in a celestial sphere as I discussed earlier. Michael must finish dealing with the evil bound to this world before he can present his world back to the Father for celestial glory.

Part III The Doctrine of Antichrist

The last piece of evidence I'd like to submit for your consideration is the doctrine of the Antichrist.  Antichrist doctrine simply means salvation through some other means other than through Jesus Christ. In Alma chapter 30, we learn of an antichrist named Korihor, and we learn of the doctrines that he taught:

Alma 30:13 O ye that are bound down under a foolish and a vain hope, why do ye yoke yourselves with such foolish things? Why do ye look for a Christ? For no man can know of anything which is to come.

15 How do ye know of their surety? Behold, ye cannot know of things which ye do not see; therefore ye cannot know that there shall be a Christ.

27 And thus ye lead away this people after the foolish traditions of your fathers, and according to your own desires; and ye keep them down, even as it were in bondage, that ye may glut yourselves with the labors of their hands, that they durst not look up with boldness, and that they durst not enjoy their rights and privileges.

28 Yea, they durst not make use of that which is their own lest they should offend their priests, who do yoke them according to their desires, and have brought them to believe, by their traditions and their dreams and their whims and their visions and their pretended mysteries, that they should, if they did not do according to their words, offend some unknown being, who they say is God—a being who never has been seen or known, who never was nor ever will be.

53 But behold, the devil hath deceived me; for he appeared unto me in the form of an angel, and said unto me: Go and reclaim this people, for they have all gone astray after an unknown God. And he said unto me: There is no God; yea, and he taught me that which I should say. And I have taught his words; and I taught them because they were pleasing unto the carnal mind; and I taught them, even until I had much success, insomuch that I verily believed that they were true; and for this cause I withstood the truth, even until I have brought this great curse upon me.

In Jacob 7 we learn of the antichrist Sherem and some of the doctrines he preached:

Jacob 7:7 And ye have led away much of this people that they pervert the right way of God, and keep not the law of Moses which is the right way; and convert the law of Moses into the worship of a being which ye say shall come many hundred years hence. And now behold, I, Sherem, declare unto you that this is blasphemy; for no man knoweth of such things; for he cannot tell of things to come. And after this manner did Sherem contend against me.

The doctrine of the antichrists of the Book of Mormon have the following tenants:

1.    There is no God

2.    There is no way of knowing there is a God

3.    There is no Christ / Christ will fail

4.    There's no way to know the future

5.    The Priesthood lies to you to control you and use you by lying to you.

What if this doctrine wasn't crafted for Sherem and Korihor?  What if this is the Luciferian doctrine that the third part believes!? 

Point 4 is important.  We know that when the earth ascends to Celestial glory that it will become a giant urim and thummim … that all time will be present...past present and future.  All time is not present in a terrestrial sphere. If the trial of the first estate was both under a veil of forgetfulness of the Father and outside a celestial sphere where all time is present, then the above points of doctrine could absolutely be the Luciferian doctrine!

We would also need faith.  For if we all had forgotten the father when we descended to terrestrial spheres then we would require faith in Jehovah and His plan and there would be those who would refuse to believe. Abraham 3 is about Earth and its inhabitants. Heavenly Father was not present.  The third part had no faith in Jehovah and fought against His Priesthood.  They likely believed the same doctrine they published through the antichrists in the Book of Mormon.

Part III: Father, Son, Father, Son

There is an alternate interpretation of Abraham 3 where the one "like unto God" is one character and the one "like unto the Son of Man" is another character. One of these central characters is the Davidic Servant - the one whose job was foreordained to be the steward over the temporal gathering and temporal salvation of Israel--gathering Israel together to prepare the world for the millennium. This role of salvation is not that of atonement, yet is a work of salvation and preparation for God's chosen to continue their journey of ascension. 

A fellow LDS brother online introduced the idea to me that Lucifer's foreordained position may have been that of the Davidic Servant. That lowercase "s" savior position is a position that certainly could have been abused by pride and overstepping as well as Michael's position as principal of Earth. Lucifer and the Davidic Servant may have actually been at the same or nearly the same level of eternal progression - level six! See my recent post on The Book of Enoch and The Davidic Servant Part I as well as my post 9/23 For Unto Us a Child Is Born Part I for more information on this sacred, foreordained role.

Father, Son, Father, Son is a theory that actually supports both of these thoughts--that the Davidic Servant could be one of the characters in Abraham 3 and that Lucifer may have actually been considered for that foreordained role. This a concept I haven't written about much but have discussed with my wife and a friend at length. I may yet write an article just dedicated to this concept of father, son, father son.

Abraham, Isaac, Israel, and Joseph are the four "Fathers of Israel." Why are there four? Two of them change their names yet the other two do not. Abraham was Abram. Israel was Jacob. Both Abraham and Jacob are referred to a lot in the scriptures as "Fathers." Isaac and Joseph both have strong allusions to the Savior. Isaac was the sacrificial son - that's easy. Joseph saved his people. There are a lot more symbols, especially in Joseph's life but those can be discussed in a future article. Suffice it to say, Isaac's "Savior" symbol is clear as day. Jospeh's may actually take on another meaning. Joseph was the temporal savior of his people and saved them from starvation and death by gathering them and delivering them from destruction. Joseph may actually be a symbol of the foreordained "temporal" lowercase savior, the Davidic Servant.

Father, Son, Father, Son also fits The Seven Levels of Mankind. The articles on the levels of mankind explain that the first seven levels are those of becoming a Son--the Son being the eighth level. The Father would be a level above the Son who does not receive the status of "Father" Himself until He actually inherits all the Father hath.

The above understanding may seem a bit far-fetched at first, but was Jehovah's coming any less cryptic to the majority of "God's people?" Let's compare this to the fathers of Israel who may symbolize this very thing.

If you are following this line of thought, but having a hard time believing it, please suspend your disbelief long enough to consider this possible interpretation of Abraham 3.

Abraham 3:24 And there stood one among them that was like unto God, and he said unto those who were with him: We will go down, for there is space there, and we will take of these materials, and we will make an earth whereon these may dwell;

In verse 24, a new character is introduced who is only identified as "like unto God." Given the meaning of the name Michael, and given what he says while considering the heavenly hierarchy, this character is most likely Michael! Now let's look at verse 27.

Abraham 3:27 And the Lord said: Whom shall I send? And one answered like unto the Son of Man: Here am I, send me. And another answered and said: Here am I, send me. And the Lord said: I will send the first.

The assumption here is almost always that this person "like unto the Son of Man" is the same person in verse 24 whether you believe it to be Michael or Jehovah. But, what if the one who answered "like unto the Son of Man" was a new character? What if there is a lowercase father and a lowercase son who are both foreordained--both by Jehovah Himself as we read, "And the Lord said: I will send the first." One is foreordained to be the temporal father of mankind on Earth, and one is foreordained to be the temporal savior of Israel on Earth.

Now if your disbelief is still suspended you may be asking, "Why on earth (see what I did there?) would the Lord make this so cryptic?" Well the answer to that question may lie in this prophecy about the Davidic Servant in Isaiah chapter 49:

Isaiah 49:2 And he hath made my mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of his hand hath he hid me, and made me a polished shaft; in his quiver hath he hid me;

I have started to write a series of articles on the Book of Enoch and the Davidic Servant. Though I will explore this fully in a later article, the "Elect One" is most certainly the Davidic Servant and, coincidentally enough, Enoch refers to him as like unto the "Holy Ones." The Holy Ones are the seven archangels and Enoch receives all of their names and gives their names and their functions. He then reveals that he indeed did receive the name of the Elect One but does not share it! In fact, there are several passages in the Book of Enoch that indicate that the "Elect One's" identity and name are hidden from all but the elect who are able to unveil it, though I will leave that for a future article. The hidden status of the Davidic Servant means that Abraham 3:27 may be one of many scriptures that are about this important end-times figure that are hidden--a mystery waiting to be unlocked!

Finally let's look at Abraham 3:25 and see how this new possible interpretation may be supported:

Abraham 3:25 And we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them;

Let's be clear about this scripture: Nobody outside of Israel is being tested to "see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them." One must have joined Israel for this test to apply. This one verse adds a lot more weight to this understanding of the Davidic Servant being the one "like unto the Son of Man" who stands up to volunteer to be the temporal savior of Israel on Earth. The Lord Jesus Christ's mission was to grant salvation to all on this earth and beyond. The mission of the Davidic Servant is clear - to gather Israel and return them to the knowledge of their God and to build ZION.

Abraham 3:25 also adds weight to the idea that Lucifer may actually have been taking the role of temporal messiah (lowercase m,) and, because of his pride, elevated the role way outside its scope and purview.


Conclusion:

Now let's add to the list I started in part I as promised. Here are the evidences that the one "like unto God" and the "one like unto the Son of Man" are not Jehovah but are likely Michael and possbily the Davidic Servant in Abraham 3:22-28.

1. Jesus was firstborn and chosen from the beginning. 
2. Jesus earned the right to be Savior of worlds
3. Worlds had already passed away - Moses 1:35
4. Lucifer rebelled against the Only Begotten
5. The one plan of salvation is the plan by which all gods are exalted (D&C 93 and King Follett)
6. Abraham 3: The word "Lord" indicates Jesus Christ rather than the Father. 
7. Teachings by the Lord Jesus Christ reveals that He chooses the prophets and apostles Himself. - John 15:16
8. Abraham 3:The scope of Abraham 3 is our earth only.
9. Abraham 3: The language "like unto God" and "like unto the Son of Man" supports Michael and the Davidic Servant (or just Michael) being those to whom the Lord is speaking!
10. Michael is the principal adversary of Satan in both the premortal war and the millennial war. 
11. Absence of the Father before the war: Faith was required to sustain (not select) the plan of the Son. The plan of salvation never had a question mark!
12. Absence of the Father during the first estate, the first test: The doctrine of antichrist supports the idea that the Father was not present during the choosing of Michael. 
13. Antichrist Doctrine: The teachings of the antichrists in the Book of Mormon could very well be the same doctrine that was not only embraced by the devil and his angels but also may have existed from before and beyond this world.

Since we did not know our fates, we would need faith. For if we all had forgotten the father when we descended to terrestrial spheres then we would require faith in Jehovah and in His plan and in his Priesthood and then there would be those who would refuse to believe due to their agency. Abraham 3 is about Earth and its inhabitants likely during a terrestrial period as evil was chosen by some. Abraham 3 is about Michael's calling. Heavenly Father was not present. Faith in Christ was essential to differentiate ourselves. The third part had no faith in Jehovah and fought against His Priesthood. They likely believed the same doctrine they published through the antichrists in the Book of Mormon. The war began and will end in a terrestrial sphere.

Let's revisit the scripture that seemingly depicts the painting at the beginning of this article:

Moses 4:1 And I, the Lord God, spake unto Moses, saying: That Satan, whom thou hast commanded in the name of mine Only Begotten, is the same which was from the beginning, and he came before me (Jehovah), saying—Behold, here am I, send me, I will be thy (Jehovah's) son, and I will redeem all mankind (beyond the purview of "Adam" where the scope is still just this earth), that one soul shall not be lost, and surely I will do it; wherefore give me thine honor. (Doing Jehovah's fore-ordained work even in Michael's seat, or the Davidic Servant' seat, would be stealing the honor which was His from the beginning of this creation.)

2 But, behold, my Beloved Son, which was my Beloved and Chosen from the beginning, said unto me—Father, thy will be done, and the glory be thine forever. (Divine Investiture of authority. This is Jehovah's response to Satan. Guess what Satan? Thus saith the father, "But behold, my Beloved Son ...The point? The honor is mine and the job is mine alone from the beginning. There was no selection phase, only a sustaining vs rebelling phase.)

3 Wherefore, because that Satan rebelled against me (Jehovah), and sought to destroy the agency of man, which I, the Lord God (Jehovah), had given him, and also, that I should give unto him mine own power (Jehovah's); by the power of mine Only Begotten (Divine Investiture,) I caused that he should be cast down (Jehovah's power is the power by which Satan and the hosts were cast out);

An understanding of Michael and possibly the Davidic Servant being the central characters in Abraham 3 22:28 fits perfectly fine with the Moses 4:1-3. Satan sought to take Jehovah's glory and right by volunteering to take a foreordained role--either Michael's himself or or possibly the Davidic Servant's. The Davidic Servant's temporal savior role makes a lot more sense to me! 

D&C 76:25 And this we saw also, and bear record, that an angel of God who was in authority in the presence of God, who rebelled against the Only Begotten Son whom the Father loved and who was in the bosom of the Father, was thrust down from the presence of God and the Son,

If the devil, as an angel of authority in the presence of God, was at a level where he would have and could have been selected to be the Davidic Servant, it makes a lot more sense that he was eligible to have taken on such a calling but lost himself due to pride rather than saying he'd save mankind by completely overstepping either Jehovah or Michael - whose roles were likely already cemented. There is additional evidence for this in my article Levels Five Through Eight where I show that level six may be the highest level from which souls rebel. Level seven - Michael's level - is the level where souls "Go no more out" which I believe means that they no longer leave the presence of the Father. This is what 666 may mean - the highest number and level from which highly advanced souls rebel.

So, in summary, The Lord and Michael are present in Abraham 3:22-28 and are  speaking to the noble and great ones. Remember, in the temple the father sends them both to go create the Earth. They are then standing there in front of Earth's souls and Michael lays out the plan in verse 24. The scope narrows specifically to Israel in verse 25 before asking, "Whom shall I send?" Both the hidden servant and he would become the devil respond. Moses 4:1 even reinforces this narrative:

Moses 4:1 And I, the Lord God, spake unto Moses, saying: That Satan, whom thou hast commanded in the name of mine Only Begotten, is the same which was from the beginning, and he came before me, saying—Behold, here am I, send me, I will be thy son, and I will redeem all mankind, that one soul shall not be lost, and surely I will do it; wherefore give me thine honor.

The devil says to Jehovah, "I will be thy son." Huh? This makes a lot more sense in the context of there being two fathers and two sons--especially when considering that those who become begotten sons and daughters unto Christ will join him in His next iteration--in His role as Heavenly Father. 

Further Reading: A reading of nearly all my articles I've written so far will reinforce the understanding that I've built line upon line. In particular, I highly recommend reading these articles:

Levels Five Through Eight 
9/23 For Unto Us A Child Is Born Part I
The Book of Enoch and The Davidic Servant Part I