DIFFERENT THOUGHTS - #14

Whom Shall I Send ?

Elden J. Watson

[August 2025]

Very little is actually known about our pre-mortal life, and even less is known about that portion of our existence which took place before the creation of this earth. One event that is almost universally understood throughout the Church is that either during or shortly after the Grand Council in heaven, Jehovah was designated by our Heavenly Father to be the savior and redeemer of the world. It is commonly understood throughout the Church that our Heavenly Father asked “Whom shall I send.” Jesus Christ, who was then known as Jehovah, answered “Here am I, send me” and Satan also responded “here am I, send me.” The Father said “I will send the first,” and the second was angry and kept not his first estate. The scriptural account of this event is only found in two places in the Standard Works of the Church: chapter three of the Book of Abraham and the beginning of chapter four of the Book of Moses. However, a critical examination of these scriptural accounts can lead to a somewhat different understanding than what is commonly believed.

During his King Follett Discourse the Prophet Joseph Smith explained: “If we start right, it is easy to go right all the time; but if we start wrong, we may go wrong, and it be a hard matter to get right.”[1] In order for us to start right on this topic I want to examine a very important statement made by President Brigham Young in the October 1854 general conference of the Church.

Let me open the eyes of your understanding. There has never been a time when the creations of worlds commenced. They are from eternity to eternity in their creations and redemption. After they are organized they experience the good and the evil, the light and the dark, the bitter and the sweet as you and I do. There never was a time when there were not worlds in existence as this world is, and they pass through similar changes in abiding their creation preparatory to exaltation. Worlds have always been in progress, and eternally will be.

Every world has had an Adam and an Eve, named so simply because the first man is always called Adam and the first woman, Eve. And the oldest son has always had the privilege of being ordained, appointed and called to be the heir of the family if he does not rebel against the Father, and he is the Savior of the family. Every world that has been created has been created upon the same principle. They may vary in their varieties, yet the eternity is one: it is one eternal round. These are things that scarcely belong to the best of this congregation.[2]

Here Brigham Young taught that that there is a basic pattern which has been followed in the creation of every world that has ever been created throughout all the eternities. According to that pattern it is the right of the eldest born spirit son who will live on each earth, so long as he does not rebel against the Father, to be the Savior and Redeemer of all of the spirit children of God who will live on that earth. This means that God the Father did not have to ask “Whom shall I send?” It had been known from the very beginning that Jehovah, God’s first born spirit son, would be our Savior. This alone should be sufficient reason to consider an alternative understanding of the events described in Abraham 3 and Moses 4.

The Abraham Account

Let’s take a critical look at the specific wording of Abraham chapter 3. Abraham consistently refers to “the Lord,” and in verse 1 refers to him as “the Lord my God.” Who is “the Lord?” I frequently hear that the word “Lord” can apply to either the Father or the Son, but I note that in the LDS Bible Dictionary under the heading “Lord” we find: See Christ; Christ, Names of; Jehovah. Similarly, in the Topical Guide we find: (see also God; Jesus Christ, Jehovah; Jesus Christ, Lord; Jesus Christ, Messiah; Jesus Christ, Savior; lord; Lord of Hosts; Master; Name of the Lord[3] followed by approximately 145 scriptural references to the word “Lord,” only two of which correlate the word “Lord” with the Father, and both of these are in Ps. 110. Almost universally then, the word “Lord” in our standard works refers to the Savior, either by his New Testament persona Jesus Christ or by his Old Testament persona Jehovah.

It was Jehovah then, who talked face to face with Abraham in Abraham 3. In fact verses 3, 4, 5, 6 and 15 all begin with the words “And the Lord said unto me.” It is significant that in chapter three, Hebrew words are discussed with their English translation: “Shinehah, which is the sun,” “Kokob, which is star,” and “Kokaubeam, which signifies stars,”[4] and “gnolaum, or eternal”[5] It was likewise Jehovah who “had shown unto me, Abraham, the intelligences that were organized before the world was.”[6] Abraham was told that he was one of the great ones, and that he was chosen before he was born.

Verse 24 begins with an interesting statement: “And there stood one among them that was like unto God.” In Hebrew the words “who [is] like God” have a very specific meaning: Mi=who, ka=like and el=God, (the verb “is” is understood in Hebrew.) which are translated into English as Michael. The word Michael literally means “who [is] like God,” which leads us to consider the possibility that the one spoken of who stood among them was Michael. It could therefore have been Michael who 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; and we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them; 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.[7]

The succeeding verses, read carefully, also take on a meaning that is quite different from the standard interpretation which is generally understood throughout the Church.

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. And the second was angry, and kept not his first estate; and, at that day, many followed after him. And then the Lord said: Let us go down. And they went down in the beginning, and they, that is the Gods, organized and formed the heavens and the earth.

The words “and then” in the last sentence implies a continuation of the situation described in the previous sentences, so it was the same person who said “Whom shall I send,” as it was who said “Let us go down,” and then they went down and organized the heavens and the earth. And who was it who went down and organized the heavens and the earth? It was Jehovah and Michael.

It is possible that it was not the Father asking whom shall I send to be the Savior, because Jehovah as the firstborn of the Father had already achieved that distinction, just as Brigham Young taught in the quote cited above in order to help us start right. It is interesting to note that according to Brigham Young, Satan was the second born:

When the Father appointed Jesus Christ the first born to come and redeem the earth, there was contention got up. The second brother, Lucifer, the Son of the Morning, he wanted the honor to come and redeem the earth. But Christ was the appointed one. It was his right by appointment and birthright.[8]

The Kingdom is first organized with putting a head to it, then the various members belonging to the body, First Joseph, then the Twelve, then the High Priests, then the Seventies & Elders, then the lesser priesthood & Teachers & Deacons & members. This fills the Whole body & if we take any of these offices away the body has a vacancy or a cisem [chasm?] [schism, EJW] is in the body. But Christ is the head of all, for he is our head & Elder Brother. For we were once organized before God, & Jesus was the first born or begotten of the Father & we were sent here upon this Earth to choose bodies & dwell here in the flesh as our Father who is in heaven. God sent our father Adam first & Eve. He placed them in the garden. Then he gave Adam a commandment to people this Earth, to multiply & replenish the Earth, & told him not to eat of the tree of forbidden fruit, But the devil, being one of the organized of the heavenly body, third in power, prince of the Air, he had a Spirit like Cain. He saw, that Jesus was the most [acc]epted before the Father, for he loved righteousness & hated iniquity. This gave a jealousy to him & he began to accuse the brethren, Which soon hurled him out, Adam & Eve then being sent to this Earth.[9]

If Brigham Young placed God the Father as first in power and Jehovah as second in power, then Satan would have been born next after Jehovah and hence third in power. It is also of interest that in the Quetzalcoatl cult among the ancient Aztecs it was believed that Xolotl was a twin of Quetzalcoatl.

In the cult of Quetzacoatl twinning was an almost necessary concept. It stemmed from four causes: (1) the linguistic feature in Nahuatl that the word “snake” also meant “twin.” (2) the concept of the birth of twins that was adjudged to Xolotl, (3) the early doubling of the sky dragon in iconography, and (4) the recognition that the planet Venus possessed two faces, morning and evening star, separate yet conjoined. …

Because doubling, and therefore twinning, was so basic in the draconian origins of the sky religion, it appeared prominently in myth and art. Quetzalcoatl and Xolotl were definitely said to be twins.[10]

Many members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believe that Quetzacoatl was Jesus Christ and then Xolotl, who was the denizen of the underworld, would be Satan. President John Taylor in the book Mediation and Atonement, which he wrote while President of the Church, had the following to say:

The story of the life of the Mexican divinity, Quetzalcoatl, closely resembles that of the Savior; so closely, indeed, that we can come to no other conclusion than that Quetzalcoatl and Christ are the same being. But the history of the former has been handed down to us through an impure Lamanitish source, which has sadly disfigured and perverted the original incidents and teachings of the Savior's life and ministry. Regarding this god, Humboldt writes: "How truly surprising is it to find that the Mexicans, who seem to have been unacquainted with the doctrine of the migration of the soul and the Metempsychosis should have believed in the incarnation of the only Son of the supreme God, Tomaeateuctli. For Mexican mythology, speaking of no other Son of God, except Quetzalcoatl, who was born of Chimelman, the virgin of Tula (without man), by His breath alone, by which may be signified his word or will, when it was announced to Chimelman, by the celestial messenger, whom He dispatched to inform her that she should conceive a son, it must be presumed this was Quetzalcoatl, who was the only son. Other authors might be adduced to show that the Mexicans believe that this Quetzalcoatl was both God and man; that He had previously to His incarnation existed from eternity, and that He had been the Creator both of the world and man; and that He had descended to reform the world by endurance, and being king of Tula, was crucified for the sins of mankind, etc., as is plainly declared in the tradition of Yucatan, and mysteriously represented in the Mexican paintings."[11]

Dr. James L. Allen, who earned his Ph.D. degree from Brigham Young University in Ancient and Modern Scripture with an emphasis on Mesoamerica and the Book of Mormon, has compiled the following list of 13 similarities between Christ and Quetzalcoatl: (See Joseph L. Allen, Exploring the Lands of the Book of Mormon, pp 159-160)

1. Both Christ and Quetzalcoatl were recognized as creator of all things. (Mosiah 4:2; Saeenz 1962:19, 40)

2. Both Christ and Quetzalcoatl were born of virgins. (Alma 7:10; Gamiz 95)

3. Both Christ and Quetzalcoatl are described as being white or as wearing a white robe. (3 Nephi 11:8; Torquemada 47)

4. Both Christ and Quetzalcoatl performed miracles (3 Nephi 26:15; Sejourne 136-137)

5. Both Christ and Quetzalcoatl taught the ordinance of baptism. (3 Nephi 11:23; Irwin 1963:170)

6. Both Christ and Quetzalcoatl prophesied of future events. (Ixtlilxochitl:40)

7. Both Christ and Quetzalcoatl were universal as opposed to just being recognized as local gods. (3 Nephi 16:1; Sejourne 1962)

8. A great destruction was associated with both Christ and Quetzalcoatl at exactly the same time period in history. (3 Nephi 8:5; Ixlilxochitl:40)

9. The Cross was a symbol to both Christ and Quetzalcoatl. (3 Nephi 27:14; Irwin 1963:165)

10. Both Christ and Quetzalcoatl sent out disciples to preach their word. (3 Nephi 12:1; Wirth 1978:55)

11. Both Christ and Quetzalcoatl promised they would come a second time. (2 Nephi 6:14; Sahagun 1:40)

12. A new star is associated with both Christ and Quetzalcoatl. (3 Nephi 1:21; Anales de Cauhtitlan 7)

13. The Children of both Christ and Quetzalcoatl will become lords and heirs of the earth. (4 Nephi 1:17; Ixtlilxochitl:40)

If Christ and Satan were in fact twins it might further explain the heightened animosity caused by Satan being left out of the hierarchy. In any event, Satan was older than Michael, and in that sense was considered superior to him.

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; and they were thrust down and thus came the devil and his angels.[12]

It is therefore not unreasonable to suppose that it was Jehovah, he who as the firstborn had from the beginning been designated to be the savior, who asked whom shall I send to the earth to be the first man and to begin the process of earth life and mortality? It is possible that it was not Satan’s desire to replace Jehovah and become the Savior, instead, that he wanted to replace Adam and become the first man. Perhaps part of his idea was to not partake of the forbidden fruit and fall, and thus not remove man from the presence of God, thereby eliminating their agency. If there were no necessity to redeem man from a fallen state, there would be no need for the death and redemption of a savior and Satan therefore might have wanted to claim the honor and the glory that rightly belonged to Jehovah. That such a plan could not work would be of no consequence to him.

This scenario would help explain a couple of scriptures. Has anyone besides me wondered why the war in heaven was fought between Michael and Satan, and not between Jehovah and Satan?

And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born. And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and [to] his throne. And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred [and] threescore days. And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, and prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world; he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. [13]

And in the last days, after the Millennium, the war will still be between Michael and his angels and the Devil and his angels:

And so on, until the seventh angel shall sound his trump; and he shall stand forth upon the land and upon the sea, and swear in the name of him who sitteth upon the throne, that there shall be time no longer; and Satan shall be bound, that old serpent, who is called the devil, and shall not be loosed for the space of a thousand years. And then he shall be loosed for a little season, that he may gather together his armies. And Michael, the seventh angel, even the archangel, shall gather together his armies, even the hosts of heaven. And the devil shall gather together his armies; even the hosts of hell, and shall come up to battle against Michael and his armies. 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. For Michael shall fight their battles, and shall overcome him who seeketh the throne of him who sitteth upon the throne, even the Lamb.[14]

Note that Satan seeks the throne of the Lamb, not the throne of the Father.

There is an ancient manuscript, the earliest extant copy of which dates from the ninth century. The original was likely written in Hebrew circa 100 AD. The work is entitled “Life of Adam and Eve,” and it gives some support to the interpretation presented here. It is obvious that the author had no concept that Adam and Michael are the same individual, nevertheless the narrative is striking. Also, in our culture I believe we would use the word “sustain” wherever in this account the translator used the word “worship.” Within that ancient manuscript there is a section which is entitled:

Satan’s account of his expulsion from heaven

And the devil sighed and said. "O Adam, all my enmity and envy and sorrow concern you, since because of you I am expelled and deprived of my glory which I had in the heavens in the midst of angels, and because of you I was cast out onto the earth." Adam answered, "What have I done to you, and what is my blame with you? Since you are neither harmed nor hurt by us, why do you pursue us?"

The devil replied, "Adam, what are you telling me? It is because of you that I have been thrown out of there. When you were created, I was cast out from the presence of God and was sent out from the fellowship of the angels. When God blew into you the breath of life and your countenance and likeness were made in the image of God, Michael brought you and made (us) worship you in the sight of God, and the LORD God said, 'Behold Adam! I have made you in our image and likeness.'

And Michael went out and called all the angels, saying, 'Worship the image of the LORD God, as the LORD God has instructed.' And Michael himself worshiped first, and called me and said, "Worship the image of God, Yahweh.' And I answered, 'I do not worship Adam.' And when Michael kept forcing me to worship, I said to him, 'Why do you compel me? I will not worship one inferior and subsequent to me. I am prior to him in creation; before he was made, I was already made. He ought to worship me.'

When they heard this, other angels who were under me refused to worship him. And Michael asserted, 'Worship the image of God. But if now you will not worship, the LORD God will be wrathful with you.' And I said, 'If he be wrathful with me, I will set my throne above the stars of heaven and will be like the Most High.'

And the LORD God was angry with me and sent me with my angels out from our glory; and because of you, we were expelled into this world from our dwellings and have been cast onto the earth. And immediately we were made to grieve, since we had been deprived of so great glory. And we were pained to see you in such bliss of delights. So with deceit I assailed your wife and made you to be expelled through her from the joys of your bliss, as I have been expelled from my glory."[15]

One Third Part

I want to point out that in Revelation 12:4 the specific wording is that the great red dragon drew “one third part” of the stars of heaven. Similarly in D&C 29:37 it was “a third part of the hosts of heaven turned he away from me because of their agency.” There are no other scriptural verses that refer to the number of the hosts of heaven whom Satan led away and who rebelled against God. For some reason it is almost universally interpreted in the Church that it was “one third” of the hosts of heaven that Satan led away, and not “one third part.” What is the difference? If you take a whole sheet of paper and tear it into three parts, each of those parts is “one third part.” The difference is that we have no idea of the relative size of each of those three parts. We know that Satan and his angels comprise one third part of the hosts of heaven, but we are nowhere informed whether Satan and his angels comprised the largest “one third Part” or the smallest “one third part”. Neither are we informed what constituted the other two parts, both of which are comprised of those who accepted Christ and rejected Satan. Here I would like to do a little speculation, but remember this is only my personal opinion.

In the Church there is an ordinance which we call the Endowment. The Endowment is available to all, but there are many who never take advantage of this ordinance. For those who do receive the Endowment there is a period of teaching and instruction. There are also covenants which are made and then a period of time allowed during which time the endowed can live according to the covenants made. Those who receive their full endowment and then abide by the covenants they made are thereby more fully prepared for the next phase of their eternal existence. I believe that in our pre-mortal state there was a similar process of teaching, instruction and making of covenants available to us, which by participating in we became thereby better prepared for our mortal existence. I believe that the two remaining parts categorizing the hosts of heaven are those who participated in this pre-mortal endowment, and those who did not. When we enter mortality, those who received this pre-mortal endowment have some enhanced capabilities in mortality, but once here they have through their agency the right to choose to use those capabilities for good or for evil.

There are several indications for this type of pre-mortal training in scripture and in comments made by the Prophet Joseph Smith:

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. And thus they have been called to this holy calling on account of their faith, while others would reject the Spirit of God on account of the hardness of their hearts and blindness of their minds, while, if it had not been for this they might have had as great privilege as their brethren. Or in fine, in the first place they were on the same standing with their brethren; thus this holy calling being prepared from the foundation of the world for such as would not harden their hearts, being in and through the atonement of the Only Begotten Son, who was prepared. [16]

Every man who has a calling to the world, was ordained to that very purpose in the Grand Council of heaven — I suppose that I was ordained to this very office in that Grand Council — It is the testimony that I want, that I am God's servant, and this people his people — in the last days the God of heaven should set up a kingdom & and the very time that was calculated on, this people were struggling to bring it out.[17]

Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, [and] I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.[18]

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; 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.[19]

The Moses Account

We now turn to the Moses text which is almost always used in support of the standard interpretation of the “Whom shall I send? … Here am I, send me” narrative. Again, it is critical to determine exactly who Moses’ instructor was, identified in the text as the “Lord God.” Moses 4:1-4 is a portion of the Joseph Smith translation of Genesis. The last verse of Genesis 2 (2:25) is identical with the last verse of Moses 3 (3:25), “And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.” The next verse in Genesis is 3:1 which begins “Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made.” In Moses this corresponds to Moses 4:5 which begins “And now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which I, the Lord God, had made.” The verses in Moses which we wish to examine (Moses 4:1-4) are therefore an insert made in the Joseph Smith Translation which do not exist in Genesis and which were inserted into the text by Joseph Smith at a place just prior to the description of the serpent’s temptation of Eve. The term “LORD God” appears throughout the entire segment of the Genesis text from Genesis 2:4 through Genesis 3:24 and in the Hebrew it always appears as “Yahweh Elohim.”

Recently William H. Brownlee has suggested that the phrase “Jehovah Elohim” can be translated “He who creates Gods,”[20] but I disagree. I’m not an expert in Hebrew, but I do know that in the phrase “he who creates Gods” in English, “Gods” is the direct object of the verb “creates.” In the Hebrew a direct object is identified by the grammatical term eth. So, to arrive at this translation the original would have to be “yahweh eth elohim” (Hebrew has no capital letters).

In his A Practical Grammar for Classical Hebrew, Dr. J. Weingreen gives four examples to show how the Hebrew eth is used as the sign of the definite object which as he demonstrates is used in order to avoid confusing the object with the subject.

[a] laqah haben -- ‘he took, (namely) the son.” Here haben is the subject – ‘the son took’, but

lakah eth-haben -- ‘he took the son’. Here haben, preceded by the word eth-, is the object.

[b] laqah ben-melek -- ‘he took, (namely) the son-of the king’. Here ben-hamelek is the subject – ‘the son-of the king took’, but

laqah eth-ben-melek -- ‘he took the son-of the king’. Here ben-melek preceded by the word eth-, is the object.

[c] laqah beno -- ‘he took, (namely) his son’. Here beno is the subject – ‘his son took’, but

lakh eth-beno -- ‘he took his son’. Here beno, preceded by eth-, is the object.

[d] laqah semuel -- ‘he took, (namely) Samuel’. Here semuel, is the subject – ‘Samuel took’, but

lakah eth-semuel -- ‘He took Samuel’. Here semuel, preceded by eth-, is the object.

The definite object, governed by a transitive verb, is usually preceded by the particle eth or eth- (with Maqqeph), which draws attention to the object which is definite. In [a] the object is definite, since it has the article; in [b] the compound idea (which is the object) is definite, since the genitive has the article; in [c] the suffix shows that the object is a definite one; and in [d] the proper noun is obviously a definite (person – and here the) object. [21]

Applying this rule to the phrase we are examining “The Lord God,” or “Yahweh Elohim” we see that in the absence of eth, Elohim, which is a plural noun, but which is normally translated in the singular, is the subject, so the term must mean “God who causes to be” (translating Yahweh in the causative). “Causes to be” can have two slightly different meanings: (1) “causes to come into existence” or “creates” (2) “maintains in existence after having been created.” We can express this term with a similar dual ambiguity as “gives life.” So, I suggest that the term “the Lord God” or “Yahweh Elohim,” can be interpreted as “The God who gives life.”

It is interesting that the light of life which emanates from Christ and exists in all things supports this concept rather nicely. Bruce R. McConkie wrote:

Christ is the light of life. Life exists in and through and because of the light of Christ – “The light which is in all things, which giveth life to all things, which is the law by which all things are governed” (D. & C. 88:13.) Without this light of life, the planets would not stay in their orbits, vegetation would not grow, men and animals would be devoid of “the breath of life” (Gen 2:7), and life would cease to exist. (D. & C. 88:50.)[22]

The event described in Moses 4 is evidently a depiction of the same event as that described by Abraham which we have previously discussed. It is the same event with the same participants, only told to Moses nearly 500 years later. We should therefore expect many similarities and comparisons between the two accounts.

The instructor spoken of by the Lord in Moses 4 identifies himself as the Lord God, whom we have suggested to be the God who gives life. This is indeed the same individual who was Abraham’s instructor. The Moses text begins:

And I, the Lord God, spake unto Moses, saying: That Satan whom thou has commanded in the name of mine Only Begotten, is the same which was from the beginning, …[23]

Use of the term “mine Only Begotten” which in the original manuscript[24] appears devoid of capitalization, is puzzling in several ways. It certainly denotes Jehovah, or Jesus Christ, but it is unusual to have any individual speak of himself in the third person; the use of “mine” only begotten when speaking of himself is also confusing; at the time of this event Jehovah was a spirit, and the Father had begotten at least billions of spirit sons so Jehovah was definitely not an only begotten spirit son.

The Name of Mine Only Begotten

What was the name of “mine only begotten” which Moses used when commanding Satan? Did he use the words “only begotten?” No, it was the name of the only begotten that he used. And what is the name of the only begotten? When Moses commanded Satan did he use the words “Jesus Christ?” No, because the term “Jesus Christ” is from the Greek which as a language wouldn’t exist for another thousand years. The Hebrew equivalent would be “Joshua Messiah,” but he probably didn’t use that term either.

Moses’ first personal encounter with God appears to have been when God called upon him from the burning bush. The Old Testament says that an angel of the Lord appeared to him from the burning bush, but in his Inspired Revision, Joseph Smith rephrased this to say the presence of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire in the midst of a bush. During that encounter Moses asked God what his name was and he received an answer:

“And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.[25]

The original of the words “I AM THAT I AM” can also translate literally to I will be what I will be, but that is not his name. His name is given in the phrase “the LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, … this is my name for ever.” As Adam Clarke in his commentary explains:

While human generations continue he shall be called the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob; but when time shall be no more, he shall be Jehovah Elohim.[26]

Moses had learned that the name of “mine only begotten” was Yahweh, or in its English form Jehovah, when he conversed with God in the burning bush, and that was prior to the verses we are now examining (see Moses 1:17). So the name of “mine only begotten” in which Moses commanded Satan in it’s English form was probably “Jehovah.”

Only Begotten

The brief phrase “only begotten” is not found anywhere in the King James Old Testament, but in that portion of the Inspired Revision of Genesis which became the book of Moses, Joseph Smith utilized the phrase 17 times in seven chapters. “Only Begotten” apparently came into Joseph Smith’s vocabulary from the Book of Mormon where it appears nine times, all of them appearing before the advent of Christ, and each of them speaking of Christ as the only begotten of God the Father. Similarly, the 13 instances of “only begotten” in the Doctrine and Covenants all unquestionably refer to Jesus Christ, although in several of them (D&C 29:42, 46; 49:5; 124:123), even though it is definitely the Lord Jesus Christ who is speaking, he refers to “mine” only begotten.

In English when we see the term “only begotten son” we instinctively interpret that as a designation for a siblingless son; however, Hebrews 11:17 says:

By faith, Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son.

So Isaac was considered Abraham’s “only begotten son” in spite of the fact that he previously begat Ishmael by Hagar. Even though Ishmael was Abraham’s firstborn son, because Hagar did not have the same social status as Sarah, Isaac became the lawful heir who would inherit all that Abraham had. An only begotten son is not necessarily the only son, or even the firstborn son, but he is the lawful heir of the father who begat him.

At the time of Abraham and also at the time of Moses, Jehovah was an unembodied spirit. He was the first born of literally billions of sons of God the Father. As a spirit, Jehovah was not the only begotten son of God the father, but as the Father’s first born spirit child he was the legal heir. Additionally, as Bruce R. McConkie noted, Jesus Christ was the first born in the flesh, meaning in mortality (See Mormon Doctrine, under “son of God”). As the only begotten of God the Father in the flesh, Christ for the second time became the lawful heir of his Father. Christ was the legal heir of God the Father in both the spirit realm and in mortality, and he never did anything in either realm to relinquish that honor. It is this legal authority as the lawful heir of God the Father, accompanied by our sustaining vote, that gives Christ his legitimate power in heaven and on earth. Joseph Smith said

The contention in heaven was — Jesus said there would be certain souls that would not be saved; and the devil said he could save them all, and laid his plans before the grand council, who gave their vote in favor of Jesus Christ. So the devil rose up in rebellion against God, and was cast down, with all who put up their heads for him . (Book of Moses-Pearl of Great Price, Chap. 4:1-4; Book of Abraham, Chap. 3:23-28.) [27]

The terms “only begotten” and “mine only begotten” seem to be used whenever Jehovah or Christ wishes to invoke or utilize the legitimacy of his personal authority as the heir of God. It may be better for us to understand “only begotten” and “mine only begotten” as legal terms, meaning “legal heir” and “legal heir of God the Father” respectively. Those terms legitimately belong to Jehovah, who is the only legitimate heir of God the Father.[28]

With that understanding Moses 4:1 may be interpreted as follows:

And I, the Lord God [Jehovah] spake unto Moses, saying: That Satan [Lucifer] whom thou hast commanded in the name of [i.e. invoking the authority of] mine Only Begotten [the legal heir of God the Father, i.e. Jehovah] , 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 person speaking to Moses identifies himself as the Lord God, whom we have suggested was Jehovah. It may then be asked how could Satan propose that he become a son of Jehovah? At that time Jehovah had a spirit body, but he did not have a physical body and therefore could not beget either a spirit son or a physical son. If Satan actually said “I will be thy son,” then he could not have intended to mean become a literal offspring of Jehovah, but must have intended it in a more figurative sense. As King Benjamin explained it, in order to expect salvation we must become spiritual sons and daughters of Christ through covenant.

And now, it came to pass that when king Benjamin had thus spoken to his people, he sent among them, desiring to know of his people if they believed the words which he had spoken unto them. And they all cried with one voice, saying: Yea, we believe all the words which thou hast spoken unto us; and also, we know of their surety and truth, because of the Spirit of the Lord Omnipotent, which has wrought a mighty change in us, or in our hearts, that we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually. And we, ourselves, also, through the infinite goodness of God, and the manifestations of his Spirit, have great views of that which is to come; and were it expedient, we could prophesy of all things. And it is the faith which we have had on the things which our king has spoken unto us that has brought us to this great knowledge, whereby we do rejoice with such exceedingly great joy. And we are willing to enter into a covenant with our God to do his will, and to be obedient to his commandments in all things that he shall command us, all the remainder of our days, that we may not bring upon ourselves a never-ending torment, as has been spoken by the angel, that we may not drink out of the cup of the wrath of God. And now, these are the words which king Benjamin desired of them; and therefore he said unto them: Ye have spoken the words that I desired; and the covenant which ye have made is a righteous covenant. And now, because of the covenant which ye have made ye shall be called the children of Christ, his sons, and his daughters; for behold, this day he hath spiritually begotten you; for ye say that your hearts are changed through faith on his name; therefore, ye are born of him and have become his sons and his daughters. And under this head ye are made free, and there is no other head whereby ye can be made free. There is no other name given whereby salvation cometh; therefore, I would that ye should take upon you the name of Christ, all you that have entered into the covenant with God that ye should be obedient unto the end of your lives. And it shall come to pass that whosoever doeth this shall be found at the right hand of God, for he shall know the name by which he is called; for he shall be called by the name of Christ. [29]

And the Lord said unto me: Marvel not that all mankind, yea, men and women, all nations, kindreds, tongues and people, must be born again; yea, born of God, changed from their carnal and fallen state, to a state of righteousness, being redeemed of God, becoming his sons and daughters; And thus they become new creatures; and unless they do this, they can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God.[30]

1916 Doctrinal Exposition of the First Presidency

In 1916 the First Presidency clarified in a doctrinal exposition that there are four different ways in which Deity is spoken of in scripture as “father:” 1. “Father” as literal Parent; 2. “Father” as Creator; 3. Jesus Christ the “Father” of Those who Abide in His Gospel; 4. Jesus Christ the “Father” By Divine Investiture of Authority. It is the third numbered item which is of interest here. In their doctrinal exposition the First Presidency list numerous scriptures demonstrating that Jesus Christ is the Father of all those who abide in his gospel.[31]

This is therefore the sense wherein Satan proposed at that time to become a son of Jehovah, but his offer was rejected and instead Jehovah chose Michael to become his son. Did Michael actually become a son of Jehovah? Yes he did.

And it came to pass, when the Lord had spoken with Adam, our father, that Adam cried unto the Lord, and he was caught away by the Spirit of the Lord, and was carried down into the water, and was laid under the water, and was brought forth out of the water. And thus he was baptized, and the Spirit of God descended upon him, and thus he was born of the Spirit, and became quickened in the inner man. And he heard a voice out of heaven, saying: Thou art baptized with fire, and with the Holy Ghost. This is the record of the Father, and the Son, from henceforth and forever; And thou art after the order of him who was without beginning of days or end of years, from all eternity to all eternity. Behold, thou art one in me, a son of God; and thus may all become my sons. Amen.[32]

In like manner Moses also became a son of Jehovah. We are not told any details of Moses’ baptism, but we are told that he received the Melchizedek priesthood under the hand of his father-in-law Jethro, which would not have happened without his first being baptized. “And the sons of Moses, according to the Holy Priesthood which he received under the hand of his father-in-law, Jethro;”[33]

Moses 4:2-3 thus fits in beautifully with the new understanding of these verses which we are suggesting. Based upon the same principle of sonship, as one who abode in the Gospel Michael was the Beloved Son of Jehovah.

But behold, my Beloved Son [Michael] which was my Beloved and Chosen from the beginning, said unto me – Father, thy will be done, and the glory be thine forever. Wherefore, because that Satan rebelled against me, and sought to destroy the agency of man, which I the Lord God [yahweh elohim] had given him, and also that I should give unto him mine own power [legal authority]; by the power of mine Only Begotten [the authority of the legal heir of God the Father], I caused that he should be cast down; And he became Satan, yea, even the devil, the father of all lies, to deceive and to blind men, and to lead them captive at his will even as many as would not hearken unto my voice.[34]

It is interesting to note that in the original publication (1851 Pearl of Great Price) the punctuation was a little different, leading to a slightly different meaning of the verse:

Moses 4: give unto him mine own power; by the power of mine Only Begotten, I caused that he should be cast down

1851 PoGP give unto him mine own power, by the power of mine Only Begotten; I caused that he should be cast down

The punctuation in Moses 4 follows the punctuation in OT2 which was edited by Joseph Smith. OT1 had no punctuation at this point and the alternate punctuation was likely added by either Franklin D. Richards or the printer.

Isaiah

There is one more place in our scriptures where the “Whom shall I send … Here am I, send me” statement appears and for completeness I shall include it here although it adds very little to the discussion. Isaiah lived and taught approximately 100 years before Lehi and his family left Jerusalem. In Isaiah 6:8-10 (This is also in the Book of Mormon at 2 Nephi 16:8-10 because Nephi is quoting Isaiah.) the following appears:

Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here [am] I; send me. And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed.

Note that it is the Lord speaking, but in this case the Hebrew word translated “Lord” is adoni instead of “LORD” with the meaning Jehovah. It is nevertheless Jehovah speaking, as he is designated “LORD” in verses 3, 5 and 12 intermingled with the word “Lord” used in verses 1, 8 and 11. This is considered Isaiah’s call to be Jehovah’s prophet and Isaiah’s acceptance by the words “Here am I, send me.” Isaiah is given the task to warn the people, but the Lord seems to be telling Isaiah that in general the people will not listen to him.

Isaiah did not think very highly of Lucifer. Here are his comments on Satan’s aspirations:

How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! [how] art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit. They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, [and] consider thee, [saying, Is] this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms; [That] made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; [that] opened not the house of his prisoners? All the kings of the nations, [even] all of them, lie in glory, every one in his own house. But thou art cast out of thy grave like an abominable branch, [and as] the raiment of those that are slain, thrust through with a sword, that go down to the stones of the pit; as a carcase trodden under feet. Thou shalt not be joined with them in burial, because thou hast destroyed thy land, [and] slain thy people: the seed of evildoers shall never be renowned.[35]

Conclusion

The best argument in favor of this alternative interpretation is the text itself, and if it is correct, then in the visions of both Abraham and Moses it was not the Father trying to determine who should be the Savior of the family; it had long since been determined that Jehovah would be the Savior by his right as the firstborn. Rather, it was Jehovah saying “whom shall I send,” to become the first man, to initiate this phase of the plan of salvation and introduce mortality. It was Michael who responded “here am I, send me” and Michael did indeed become Adam, the first man. Satan had presented a different plan in which he claimed that every soul would be saved, and he was annoyed that the council had not selected his plan. He was also angry with Michael, who had presented himself to be the first man, which Satan felt was his right because of his seniority. Being excluded from the hierarchy, Satan rebelled against Jehovah and convinced a third part of the hosts of heaven to side with him. This gives a plausible explanation for why the war which began in heaven, and which will continue even after the millennial reign of Christ, is between Michael and Satan and not between Jehovah and Satan.

I suggest that the term “mine only begotten” which is sometimes used by Jehovah in speaking of himself, is used as a legal term when invoking his autonomous authority as the legitimate heir of God the Father, and I also suggest that the term “The Lord God” can be understood as “The God who gives life.”

[1] Times and Seasons 5:613, 15 August 1844 also Joseph Fielding Smith, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith 343. See also The Joseph Smith Papers, Documents 14:316.

[2] Complete Discourses of Brigham Young, 2:849, also Brigham Young, Sunday, October 8, 1854, 2 pm session as quoted in www.eldenwatson.net/1850s.htm.

[8] Brigham Young, Wilford Woodruff Journals 4:45-46, 6 July 1851, (spelling corrected).

[9] Brigham Young, 29 December 1844, as cited in George Laub Journal; BYU Studies 18:2:178.

[10] Burr Cartwright Brundage, The Phoenix of the Western World, Quetzalcoatl and the Sky Religion, University of Oklahoma Press, 1982, p 205.

[11] John Taylor, Mediation and Atonement, p.201-202)

[15] James H. Charlesworth, The Old testament Pseudepigrapha 2:262. (emphasis in original)

[17] The Joseph Smith Papers, Documents 14:482. The account in Joseph Smith, Documentary History of the Church 6:364 and in Joseph Fielding Smith, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p 365 differs slightly: “Every man who has a calling to minister to the inhabitants of the world was ordained to that very purpose in the Grand Council of heaven before this world was. I suppose I was ordained to this very office in that Grand Council. It is the testimony that I want that I am God's servant, and this people His people. The ancient prophets declared that in the last days the God of heaven should set up a kingdom which should never be destroyed, nor left to other people; and the very time that was calculated on, this people were struggling to bring it out.”

[20] See Matthew L. Bowen “Creator of the First Day”: Interpreter 22:60

[21] Dr. J. Weingreen, A Practical Grammar for Classical Hebrew, pp 52-53.

[22] Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, 2^nd edition, p 447.

[26] Adam Clarke, Clarke’s Commentary 1:306, note on Ex 3:15.

[27] Times & Seasons 5:616; Joseph Smith, Documentary History of the Church 6:314; Joseph Fielding Smith, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p.357.

[28] I have noticed another possible pattern in which it appears that the terms “Christ” and “Jesus Christ” are used when referring to the specific savior of our world and “only begotten” and “mine only begotten” seem to be used when referring to an eternal principle which is applicable to the savior in all worlds.

[31] See “A Doctrinal Exposition by The First Presidency and The Twelve,” as cited in James R. Clark, Messages of the First Presidency, 6 volumes, 5:28-31.