Abraham and The Davidic Servant I - Updated 03/19!

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.

**Updated March 2019**

This article was the first "article" I had written and published to an LDS discussion forum called ldsfreedomforum.com. I then posted an updated version that was an interpretation of Abraham 3 that included the Davidic Servant. This article is the third version of the article. Notable changes include a deeper conviction that the one "like unto the son of man" is the Davidic Servant with revisions that underscore this point. Please forgive the randomness in formatting font and color as the blogger editor is quite buggy. Thank you!

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This article is about how Abraham 3:22-28 is about choosing an individual whose progression and dominion match the scope of this Earth; these verses in Abraham are not about choosing the Savior Jesus Christ. Abraham 3:22-28 is about someone other than Jehovah volunteering. There is a lot of evidence to support this truth that I will explore in this article. Though choosing Jehovah is a common interpretation of Abraham 3, there other LDS members who 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 found an article that seems to get all the details correct. I will attempt to do a full exploration of the implications of Abraham 3:22-28 here.

Part I - The Grand Council in Heaven

First, I would ask any reader who has been endowed to consider the temple endowment. In particular, consider the characters of the creation and the chain of command. Now, if Jehovah commanded Michael to create this world, then it stands to reason that Jehovah has commanded others of like authority to create worlds for similar or same purposes. In Moses 1:35, the Lord in fact states that worlds have already passed away by the word of His power. To what end are all these worlds created, and would each world have this same question asked: "Whom shall I send?" And if so, to what end? Whom shall I send ... to do what exactly?

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

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: Jehovah's dominion is worlds, and Abraham 3 is about this one Earth. 
• Problem 2: There was no question about who the chosen Savior was when this Earth was created.
• Problem 3: 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 4: 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 (D&C 93.) Souls aren't born with a full accumulation of 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 5: Why 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 He and another volunteered? 

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 an angle in authority rebelled against the “Only Begotten Son whom the Father loved.” Satan did not rebel against the Father but against the Only Begotten Son. Also, how does one become an angel of authority, and how does one achieve the proximity of the "bosom of the Father?" 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. Moreover, 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 Jesus Christ (D&C 76:77) 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. If the Father were invisible to us at this time, or even forgotten, then faith in the Savior and His plan would make much more sense.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 I had learned in primary about the Grand Council in Heaven - this picture is closer to all of these scriptures which have been presented.

1. Jesus was firstborn and chosen from the beginning before the worlds, plural, of this dominion came into being.
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:

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;

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.) 

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.

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.

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;

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 as Adamic is the only pure language that we know of. 
• 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 execute 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. Moreover, if the Father speaks to Jehovah who speaks to Michael - who would then speak to the noble and great ones? Michael.

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

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.

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.

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. This could easily have existed either in the spirit or in physical worlds. More on this later.

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.

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 Son of man. 
• Problem 3: Jesus' dominion was set before these worlds came into being. 
• Problem 4: "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, "like unto the Son of Man," who answers the Lord in verse 27 is deliberately worded this way by God through the Prophet Joseph Smith..  And who is “the Lord?” Clearly "the Lord" is Jehovah.  Send the "one like unto the Son of Man" where? To Earth. When?  Unclear.  To do what? Unclear. “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 this role for which volunteers were being given. Satan wanted to do fulfill this role in a way that was not a part of the plan of salvation. He wanted to save everyone himself by taking away agency.  And, it would not have worked. Satan offered to save all mankind bound to just this earth instead of Jesus who is the Savior of worlds. This is critical in deciphering who the "one like unto the Son of Man" is. Satan offered to be the steward of earth and to use Jehovah's saving power without a need for Jehovah Himself to condescend and offer the Atonement. That is what is meant by "give me thine honor." He never planned on atoning but planned to rob the need for it altogether! This is the spirit of Antichrist and the core of the Luciferian doctrine.

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;

• Third: There is a hidden clue in verse 27: Here am I, send me. In Isaiah 6, there is a sacred ordinance / ritual performed for Isaiah before the Lord of Hosts (Jehovah) and the order of angels known as the Seraphim. In that ordinance, the Lord asks, "Whom shall I send?" Isaiah answers, "Here am I; send me." This is verbatim the same question and answer as Isaiah 6. An entire article could be dedicated to this one point. In fact, I have written articles dedicated to this point! In Matthew 13:14-16, the Lord reveals to the Apostles that they are the Seraphim. The Seraphim align to the sixth order of mankind. Perhaps the main focus of the book of Isaiah is a hidden servant who hails from this order or class of angels / mankind. This ordinance of the Seraphim detailed in Isaiah 6 is deliberately linked to Abraham 3:27. In fact, an argument could be made that Isaiah 6 is the beginning of the Lord showing Isaiah just who the one "like unto the Son of Man" is. More on this in a moment.

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

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

I believe firmly the one "like unto God" is Michael. The scope fits perfectly as the one "like unto God" commands the noble and great ones by saying, "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." But, who is the one "like unto the Son of Man?" Is this also Michael or is it someone else? If it were Michael, wouldn't the one "like unto God" answer the Lord Jehovah's call "Whom shall I send?" What about the hidden servant of Isaiah known as the Davidic Servant?  The Lord Himself quoted some of the servant verses of Isaiah when He visited the Nephites and even expounded upon them. The Lord is clearly teaching the Nephites about the servant whose job was foreordained to be the steward over the gathering of Israel and the fulfilling of the covenants made by the father through Abraham to Israel. Abraham. This is why Abraham, of all the patriarchs, is shown the vision of Abraham 3:22-28.

But who is the hidden servant of Isaiah, or the Davidic Servant? The term Davidic signifies the fulfillment of the Davidic Covenant (I write more about this in the article, An Introduction to the Davidic Servant.) This hidden servant is the Comforter of the gospel of John, and the Angel of the Lord of the Old Testament - the angel who the Lord Jehovah sends to protect and guide Israel. This protection and guidance was just given to some random angel. This angel is also the executor of the Abrahamic Covenant. I realize this is likely a completely new paradigm for most readers, but please consider following the links for each point I've made above as you will find much supporting evidence. Whom shall I send? To do what exactly? Notice how both the names and functions are left out of Abraham 3 deliberately. This is a mystery waiting to be decoded.

Exodus 23:20 ¶ Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared.
21 Beware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him not; for he will not pardon your transgressions: for my name is in him.
22 But if thou shalt indeed obey his voice, and do all that I speak; then I will be an enemy unto thine enemies, and an adversary unto thine adversaries.

Isaiah 51 includes a section where the Lord commands the servant to awake and arise and awakens the servant to his identity.

Isaiah 51:9 ¶ Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the Lord; awake, as in the ancient days, in the generations of old. Art thou not it that hath cut Rahab, and wounded the dragon?
10 Art thou not it which hath dried the sea, the waters of the great deep; that hath made the depths of the sea a way for the ransomed to pass over?

In Isaiah 49, the servant's scope of work is given:

Isaiah 49:6 And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth.

This is the work, or part of the work, that is left out of Abraham 3. Whom shall I send to gather Israel and be a light to the gentiles. What is a light to the gentiles exactly if not the Holy Ghost himself? In Isaiah 63, the Lord links servant both to the Angel of the Lord and the Holy Ghost:

Isaiah 63:9 In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them: in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old.
10 ¶ But they rebelled, and vexed his holy Spirit: therefore he was turned to be their enemy, and he fought against them.

A fellow LDS brother online introduced the idea to me that Satan's foreordained position may have been that of the Davidic Servant. If Satan aspired to be the Holy Ghost, to gather Israel, and to be a light to the gentiles, could he not have still made the claim to Jehovah that:

I will be thy son, and I will redeem all mankind, that one soul shall not be lost

Jehovah, I will be thy son. Wait, is there any evidence that the actual Holy Ghost will be Jehovah's son? Jehovah cannot become a Father without a Son of His own after all! Consider this teaching from Joseph Smith:

Joseph also said that the Holy Ghost is now in a state of probation which if he should perform in righteousness he may pass through the same or a similar course of things that the Son has. (Franklin D. Richards (First Presidency),The Words of Joseph Smith, p. 245; standardized) 

If this is true, who will be the Holy Ghost's father when he becomes a Son if not Jesus Christ. I submit to you that this truth is in fact the core mystery of the Book of Revelation - the crowning of the Holy Ghost or the Angel of the Lord who is the gatherer of Israel and Jehovah's appointed executor of the Abrahamic Covenant. The seven rewards of overcoming underscore this process of taking men and making them Gods:

Revelation 21:7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.

Think back to Abraham 3 and the two souls who answer the Lord Jehovah's call, "Whom shall I send?" The Davidic Servant and Satan may have both been of the order of seraphim - 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. Why else would Satan volunteer for a position that would have certainly been established at this point? What if Satan actually had the same credentials as the Holy Ghost who was selected?

Father, Son, Father, Son is a theory that actually supports both of these thoughts--that the Davidic Servant is the one "Like unto the Son of Man," that Michael is the one "Like unto God" and and that Satan may have actually been considered for that foreordained role. 

Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are considered the fathers of Israel, but why not Joseph? In the Book of Genesis, more real estate is dedicated to Joseph than to any other prophet. Of these four men, 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 is an extremely strong symbol of the Savior Jesus Christ. Isaac was the sacrificial son - that's easy. 

There are a lot of 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. Joseph'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 servant of Isaiah - 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.

Remember, Michael is the one "like unto God," and the Davidic Servant is the one "like unto the Son of Man." 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 ... just like unto Elohim and like unto Jehovah. So as below as above ...

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;

Not only does Joseph gather his brothers who are literally the father of the tribes of Israel, but he is initially hidden to them (Genesis 42.) The ten tribes are gathered to Eprhaim, the birthright son of Joseph, in the latter days (D&C 133.) 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, their Savior Jesus Christ, and to build ZION.

Abraham 3:25 also adds weight to the idea that Satan 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 Michael and 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. Satan rebelled against the Only Begotten - Moses 4:1-3
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 Jehovah rather than Elohim. 
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 calling someone new after Jehovah and Michael's dominions were established. Heavenly Father was not present. Faith in Christ was essential to differentiate ourselves. The third part had no faith in Jehovah's plan 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. As you read this interpretation, consider Joseph Smith's teaching that the Holy Ghost path was the Savior's path and the Savior's path will be the Holy Ghost's path should he overcome:

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" or the Holy Ghost), 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 (Jehovah's) Beloved Son, which was my Beloved and Chosen from the beginning (of this world,) said unto me—Father, thy will be done, and the glory be thine forever. 

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 (the one on whom is laid much power - D&C 113:4 & D&C 85:7) I caused that he should be cast down (Satan is cast out by the power bestowed upon the Davidic Servant / Holy Ghost);

An understanding of Michael and 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--to be the Holy Ghost, to be the light to the gentiles, and to gather Israel and fulfill the fall festivals--and Satan would have overstepped the bounds of these important roles.

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 who 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.

After all, aren't Satan and the Holy Ghost the very sides of the same coin in the plan of salvation? 

2 Nephi 2:16 Wherefore, the Lord God gave unto man that he should act for himself. Wherefore, man could not act for himself save it should be that he was enticed by the one or the other.

One is the light to the gentiles, and the protector and gatherer of Israel. The other is the darkness. Is this how each world is made? In part II of this series, I will further explore the facsimiles and how both they and Egyptology reinforce the eternal roles and identities of Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost in relationship to Abraham 3:22-28.


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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
The Book of Encoh and The Davidic Servant Part II - Isaiah 11
The Book of Enoch and The Davidic Servant Part III - The Hidden Servant

Abraham's unique relationship to the Davidic Servant

The Davidic Servant is the Holy Ghost is the Angel of the Lord

The Name of the Angel of the Lord

Abraham, and the Davidic Servant Part II