Moses 4

Commanding in the name of the Only Begotten

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. Moses 4:1

God reminds Moses that he cast out Satan in the name of the Only Begotten, and reveals that this same Satan opposed Christ from the very beginning.

How we know: the verse itself names Him

• the same event in Moses 1:21 — Moses commands Satan to depart in the name of the Only Begotten.

Beloved Son, Chosen from the beginning

Beloved and Chosen — the Father's loved and foreordained Son

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. Moses 4:2

In the premortal council, while Satan demanded glory, the Beloved Son offered to do the Father's will and give Him all the glory. Jesus was chosen as our Redeemer from the beginning, and His humble submission shows who He is.

How we know: the verse itself names Him · a footnote points to Him · a Church study aid lists it

• the same event in Abraham 3:27 — "Here am I, send me"—the Lord chooses the first.
• alluded to by Luke 22:42 — In Gethsemane: "not my will, but thine, be done."
• the same title in Matthew 3:17 — The Father's voice: "This is my beloved Son."
• alludes to 1 Peter 1:19-20 — Christ foreordained before the foundation of the world.

Power of the Only Begotten in the premortal war

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; Moses 4:3

Satan was cast out of heaven by the power of the Only Begotten. The premortal Christ defended our agency and defeated the adversary.

How we know: the verse itself names Him

• the same event in Revelation 12:7-9 — War in heaven; the dragon is cast out.
• the same event in D&C 76:25-26 — Lucifer rebelled against the Only Begotten Son and was thrust down.

Seed of the Woman

And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, between thy seed and her seed; and he shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. Moses 4:21

This is the first prophecy of the Savior after the Fall. A son of woman (Jesus, born of Mary) would crush Satan's head—a fatal wound—while Satan could only bruise His heel through His suffering and death.

• a parallel account in Genesis 3:15 — The same prophecy in Genesis.
• fulfilled by Galatians 4:4 — God sent forth His Son, "made of a woman."
• alluded to by Romans 16:20 — God shall bruise Satan under your feet.
• fulfilled by Hebrews 2:14 — Through death He destroys him that had the power of death, the devil.

Coats of skins (covering through sacrifice)

Unto Adam, and also unto his wife, did I, the Lord God, make coats of skins, and clothed them. Moses 4:27

To clothe Adam and Eve, animals had to die. Many teachers see this as a first picture of the Atonement: God covering the fallen with something provided through a sacrifice, as Christ's Atonement covers us.

• a parallel account in Genesis 3:21 — The same verse in Genesis.
• a type of what is in Moses 5:7 — Animal sacrifice is declared a similitude of the Only Begotten's sacrifice.
• alluded to by Isaiah 61:10 — Clothed with the garments of salvation and robe of righteousness.

Only Begotten

Only Begotten — the only child of the Father in the flesh

And I, the Lord God, said unto mine Only Begotten: Behold, the man is become as one of us to know good and evil; and now lest he put forth his hand and partake also of the tree of life, and eat and live forever, Moses 4:28

The "us" in this verse is again the Father and His Only Begotten. The Father counsels with the Son about fallen man, the very people the Son would redeem.

How we know: the verse itself names Him

• a parallel account in Genesis 3:22 — "The man is become as one of us" without naming the Only Begotten.
• the same title in Moses 2:26 — The Father speaks to the Only Begotten at the creation of man.

The guarded way to the tree of life

So I drove out the man, and I placed at the east of the Garden of Eden, cherubim and a flaming sword, which turned every way to keep the way of the tree of life. Moses 4:31

The way back to the tree of life was guarded so Adam and Eve would not live forever in their sins. Alma teaches this gave time to repent under the plan of redemption; only through Christ is the way reopened.

• interpreted by Alma 42:2-5 — Alma explains the guarded tree gave a probationary time to repent.
• interpreted by Alma 12:21-24 — Alma teaches the cherubim prevented partaking so the plan of redemption would not be frustrated.
• alluded to by Revelation 2:7 — To him that overcometh Christ will give to eat of the tree of life.