THE CREATION

 

In April 2000 General Conference, President Nelson recalled the following experience in his talk titled, “The Creation”:

“While visiting the British Museum in London one day, I read a most unusual book. It is not scripture. It is an English translation of an ancient Egyptian manuscript. From it, I quote a dialogue between the Father and the Son. Referring to His Father, Jehovah – the premortal Lord says:

“He took the clay from the hand of the angel, and made Adam according to Our image and likeness, and He left him lying for forty days and forty nights without putting breath into him. And He heaved sighs over him daily, saying, ‘If I put breath into this man, he must suffer many pains’. And I said unto My Father, ‘Put breath into him; I will be an advocate for him’. And My father said unto Me, ‘If I put breath into him, My beloved Son, Thou wilt be obliged to go down into the world, and to suffer many pains for him before Thou shalt have redeemed him, and made him to come back to his primal state’. And I said unto My Father, ‘Put breath into him; I will be his advocate, and I will go down into the world, and I will fulfil Thy command.” 

(“Discourse on Abbaton by Timothy, Archbishop of Alexandria”, in Coptic Martyrdoms etc. in the Dialect of Upper Egypt, ed. and trans. E.A. Wallis Budge (1914) 482. Timothy, archbishop of Alexandria, died in A.D. 385)

Archbishop Timothy was also the 22nd Pope of the Church of Alexandria in Egypt, for three years before his death. I don’t know if this piece of poetic writing was given to him by revelation or not but I am astounded with how well it corresponds with our doctrine of the Plan of Salvation.

What arrested my attention when I read this piece, was ‘forty days’ and ‘forty nights’. I am fascinated with meaning of numbers and this number comes up a lot in the scriptures:

-        In Noah’s time, it rained for forty days: (Genesis 7:11,12)

-        Jesus fasted forty days before beginning his ministry (Matthew 4:2)

-        Moses fasted forty days twice: (Deuteronomy 9:9, 18, 25)

-        Elijah fasted forty days: (1 Kings 19:8)

-        Ammon, a descendant of Zarahemla, and his group travelled forty days to deliver Limhi’s people from bondage: (Mosiah 7:4)

Considering the nature of each of these events, this scriptural definition of number 40 seems to fit: “In scripture, the number forty represents a period of trial, testing, probation or mourning” (Gaskill, The Lost Language of Symbolism, 137).

I have often wondered how Heavenly Father felt sending us into mortality knowing that some of us will never return. The Archbishop’s story suggests a trepidation and a heavy heart of a loving Father who knew full well that His Plan of Salvation was necessary for our eternal well-being. Did He mourn for forty days for our impending loss of innocence? Did He mourn for the suffering of His Son? I would imagine it might have been like it is with us when we see our children grow up to make their own choices and lives away from our influence and control. It is not always pleasant and often times we do so with trepidation.

The Father watches over us with assurance that the path has been paved by His Beloved Son so that we might return to Him. I am certain He longs for us just as much as his obedient, faithful children long for him. May we bring Him joy and be a delight in His hand forever. And may our hearts be overflowing with gratitude for the Son who has made the path to this joy possible.

I will come to Thee Father

In whose arms I belong,

Whose arms I left so long ago.

No earth’s breath between us

To mar the union of our souls,

No desires of heart to match

Our eternal joy. 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: God the Father, AI Generated)