Each lesson should be covered in two weeks unless otherwise noted. You cannot cover every suggested activity as well as those from the supplemental materials, so choose a few that will work well for your family.
1. Lesson pages from Supplemental Materials:
· From Adam to Us: p. 1-32 (additional materials are in the From Adam to Us Student Workbook)
·
Read Genesis 3-5 and Moses 4-7
·
We
know from modern revelation (see Eden in Bible dictionary) that the Garden of
Eden was in North America. The rivers mentioned in the scriptures as coming out
of the garden would have been on the American continent (possibly continuing
onto the European and African continents since the lands may have been joined
at the time) and most likely were original places of settlement for Adam and
Eve and their posterity. After the flood, Noah landed in the Middle East, and
some of his posterity soon moved to the land of modern Iraq, where they named
the rivers there after the rivers in America that were known before the flood.
The face of the earth would NOT have been exactly the same as previous to the
flood.
·
We
appreciate this first decision, the first use of agency, made by our ancestors,
Adam and Eve, which enabled us to come to mortality (2 Nephi 2:23). We also
recognize that this Fall was a part of the Plan, and the Atonement was
necessary because of it. “President Joseph F. Smith wrote: ‘The Lord said to
Adam that if he wished to remain as he was in the garden, then he was not to
eat the fruit, but if he desired to eat it and partake of death he was at
liberty to do so.’ In essence the Lord told Adam that there were two directions
to go, each with its unique consequences—and that Adam was to choose which one”
(Robert J. Woodford, “In the Beginning: A Latter-day Perspective,” Ensign, January
1998). We look forward to Millennial day when we return to a state similar to
the Garden of Eden (some information is in D&C 101).
· This quote helps us understand what the Garden of Eden was like: "Having restored
the earth to the same glorious state in which it first existed—leveling the
mountains, exalting the valleys, smoothing the rough places, making the desert
fruitful, and bringing all the continents and islands together, causing the
curse to be taken off, that noxious weeds, thorns, and thistles shall no longer
be produced—the next thing is to regulate and restore the brute creation to
their former state of peace and glory, causing enmity to cease from off the
earth. But this will never be done until there is a general destruction poured
out upon man, which will entirely cleanse the earth and sweep all wickedness
from its face. This will be done by the rod of His mouth, and by the breath of
His lips; or in other words, by fire as universal as the flood. . . . Thus
having cleansed the earth and glorified it with the knowledge of God, as the
waters cover the sea, and having poured out his Spirit upon all flesh, both man
and beast becoming perfectly harmless as they were in the beginning, and feeding
on vegetable food only, while nothing is left to hurt or destroy in all the
vast creation." Parley P. Pratt, A Voice of Warning, and
Instruction to All People: Or An Introduction to the Faith and Doctrine of the
Church of Jesus Christ, of Latter Day Saints, p. 106.
·
We
know that Eve had many children before Cain was born, Moses 5:2-3, 16, 28. The
story of Cain and Abel is important, so these two are specifically named, but
they were not the first offspring as many people interpret the account in Genesis.
·
Moses
5-7 and D&C give more information to add to the account in Genesis. Here is
some of the extra information we know:
o Before Adam was created on Earth, he was our spirit brother in heaven. There he was known by the name of Michael, and he led the followers of Christ in the heavenly war against Satan, or Lucifer. Lucifer and his followers lost the war there and were cast out of heaven (This heaven war actually has been ongoing, and the casting out will not be fully complete until a short time before the Second Coming, which will cause Lucifer to become even more angry, see Revelations 12).
o
Then Michael, or Adam, became the first person
with a body. God commanded Jesus to make a physical body out of elements on the
earth (found in the rocks and dirt). Adam’s spirit was placed into his body,
and he was placed in the Garden of Eden. Joseph told us that the Garden of Eden
was in today’s Missouri, near Independence.
o
Eve was created to be Adam’s companion. Men and
women together as husband and wife are like missionary companions. They help
each other, care for each other, and keep each other company. President Kimball
taught that a complete “Man” is a man and woman together. Adam and Eve were
married in the Garden. They had immortal bodies, which means they would not
die. They were told to have children, but they could not have children until
their bodies changed, which would not happen until they ate fruit from a special
tree called the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.
o
Satan thought he was ruining God’s plan by
coming into the peaceful garden and convincing Eve that she should take the
fruit, but he was wrong. God knows everything and would not allow Satan to ruin
His plan. God had already prepared a plan to save mankind from the Fall that
would happen when the fruit was eaten: the Atonement of Christ. If Adam and Eve
had not eaten the fruit we would not be here (Moses 5:11, 2 Nephi 2:23).
o Once
they were sent out of the Garden, Adam and Eve could no longer speak face to
face with God, but they could hear His voice and Spirit, and angels were sent to
teach them things they needed to know. Adam and Eve taught their many children
the things they learned. We learn in Moses 6:5-6 that Adam and his children
keep a book of remembrance from which the children were taught to read and write.
o Adam
and Eve were baptized and taught their children to do the same. Adam had the
priesthood and passed it on to his righteous descendants. Not all of their
children were righteous, but one of their righteous sons, Seth, looked so much
like Adam that the only way to tell them apart was the difference in age.
o Three
years before he died, Adam called all of his righteous children to a meeting in
Adam-ondi-Ahman in today’s Missouri. Because he lived so long, he had
great-great-great-great-great grandchildren at this meeting. He told his big
family about the future, including these days. He blessed and taught his
family. Before Christ returns as King to rule the earth, Adam, the first father
of all, will hold another meeting at this same place for all the righteous.
Christ will come to the meeting, and at the meeting we will learn things that
will help us get ready for Jesus to rule us here.
o There is also more information about Enoch and
his city in Moses 6-8, which after 365 years was taken up to God until the
Millennium. This is a very fascinating section of scripture, I recommend
reading it together.
o REFERENCES:
§ Bailey,
Arthur A., “What Modern Revelation Teaches about Adam,” Ensign, January
1998
§ Petersen,
Mark E., “Adam the Archangel,” Ensign, November 1980
§
Woodford, Robert J., “In the Beginning: A
Latter-day Perspective,” Ensign, January 1998
3. Videos: children
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuUIvXRNQa4 (Children’s Scriptures Adam and Eve)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23n2eRMGzRM (Children’s Scriptures Adam’s Family)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SgwqRDfTBg (Children’s Scriptures Enoch)
Family:
4. Mapping: Find
Missouri in the United States where the Garden of Eden and Adam-ondi-Ahman were
located.
5. SONG w/music
notes (\/A is the A below middle C, /\A is the A above, all other notes are
middle C and above)
The
Ancient Ten
Adam /\A G
Seth, Enos E
D
E
Cainan /\A G
Mahalaleel E D DE
Jared /\A G
And Enoch E D E
And Methuselah /\A G E D E
Then Lamech \/A CC
And Noah C D D
These are the ancient ten, C CC
C C D
And the whole world ought to get along E E /\A G E D E D \/A
For we all descend from them. \/A C E D C
\/A C
6. Write or narrate about life
from the perspective of one of Adam and Eve’s children. OR Describe how you would imagine the City of
Zion. Describe the people and the way they would act.
7. Poster: Draw a scene from the life of Adam and Eve and write the date “About 4000 B.C.”
8. World History Reading
(for older students and for parents for family discussion):
https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/a704d4_f5f5f851384f4767889ad115b1e52f65.pdf
9. Discussion For
Teens: You will research two opposing sides of a topic, and then discuss these
with a parent or peers and come to an agreement on the topic. Your consensus
may agree with one side or another, or may end up being some combination of the
two. Remember that whatever your opinion, it still may not be the full truth. Some truth we will not know completely until it is revealed. For this lesson, discuss whether or not Adam and Eve should have partaken
of the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge.
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