Lifespan

Unknown (approx. 4000 B.C.?). He lived to be 930 years old (Genesis 5:5).

Ministry

West of the Garden of Eden after the Fall and subsequent expulsion.

Preparation and Calling

Adam is the first man of the mortal family. He was involved with naming God’s creations, and was married to Eve while still in the Garden of Eden. Even though we speak of the “Fall” of Adam and Eve, their decision to become mortal and leave the Garden was the only way for mankind to progress.

Adam sought the Lord and received divine instruction on the teachings and ordinances that he was to provide to his children. From an angel, he learned of Jesus Christ and His eventual mission to atone for the sins of all mankind.

Adam is not only the first man but also one of the greatest to ever live. Some sacred texts indicate that he was also known as the Ancient of Days and as Michael the archangel spoken of in the Bible. In his premortal state, he helped Jesus Christ in creating the world. He led the supporters of God in the war in heaven against the forces of Lucifer, and will again lead those same forces at the end of the world when evil is vanquished for good.

Similarly, the Qu’ran teaches that Adam, not God, is Lucifer’s principle opponent, for when God asked the angels to name some of His creations, they were unable to. Adam, however, stepped forward and named them all successfully. One of those angels, Lucifer, refused to acknowledge Adam’s superior performance and openly rebelled. Other sources indicate that Adam led the forces of righteousness victoriously against Lucifer and his angels in a premortal conflict (Book of Moses 4; Revelation 12:4; Jude 1:6; Doctrine and Covenants 29:36, 76:26).

Interaction with God

In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve walked and talked with God openly. Following the Fall and subsequent expulsion from the Garden, the biblical record says little about their interaction with God. Certainly the Fall brought a separation between them, for the very notion of a fall is centered on the “fall” from the spiritual heights of God’s presence.

Other ancient sources provide more information about the relationship of God and His first prophet following the Fall. For example, the Apocalypse of Adam, found among the Nag Hammadi texts, is a record of a revelation brought to Adam by three heavenly messengers. The Book of Moses tells of an angel appearing to explain the reasons behind God’s requirement to offer sacrifices, namely, that “this thing is a similitude of the sacrifice of the Only Begotten of the Father.”

Although Adam proclaimed, “Again in the flesh I shall see God,” no record speaks of that experience, though writings do mention that he received visions, promptings and whisperings of the Spirit, and angelic visitations.

Social Situation

Adam and Eve were the first parents on the earth. As such, they learned God’s teachings and in turn taught them to their posterity, some of whom accepted those teachings and some of whom rejected them. Because of their unique position, they were in a position of learning everything new from divine sources, for there were no scriptural canons or historical precendents to rely on.

Key Teachings

Adam and Eve taught their children to love and obey God. They also in time taught them to repent, to work for their food and comfort, and to keep records.

Living with the Prophet

Adam learned that all his actions were a reflection of how he viewed God. How can you honor God through your actions, including honoring His Sabbath day?

Sources:

Apocalypse of Adam

Cave of Treasures

Life of Adam and Eve

Book of Moses

Fazlur Rahman, “Elements of Belief in the Qu’ran,” Literature of Belief, 1981, p. 83.

Lifespan

Unknown (approx. 2000 B.C.?)

Ministry

Unknown. His travels began in the Fertile Crescent near Haran, moved southeast to the Chaldean Ur, and west to Canaan and Egypt.

Preparation and Calling

As a youth, Abraham was nearly sacrificed to a local god by false priests. At the last second, God sent an angel to save his life. After marrying Sarah, Abraham was commanded to leave his father’s house and land and go to Canaan, along with Sarah, his father, and his nephew Lot and his wife.

While yet in Haran, God appeared to him and apparently ordained him to the calling of prophet. The book of Abraham states his experience thus: “The Lord appeared unto me [Abraham], and said unto me: Arise, . . . for I have purposed to take thee away out of Haran, and to make of thee a minister to bear my name in a strange land which I will give unto thy seed after thee for an everlasting possession, when they hearken to my voice. . . . Now, after the Lord had withdrawn from speaking to me, and withdrawn his face from me, I said in my heart: Thy servant has sought thee earnestly; now I have found thee” (Abraham 2:6, 12).

Interaction with God

Whisperings and promptings of the Spirit, angelic visitors, visions, and direct visits from Deity-all of these figured into Abraham’s personal and prophetic ministry.

Abraham’s relationship with God both confirmed and tested his faith in God. When Abraham was a youth, God sent an angel to rescue him from an altar of human sacrifice. This dramatic experience taught Abraham of God’s power and of his nature-he was not a demander of sacrifice and fear but a God of love and intelligence. While in the land of Haran, Abraham received his prophetic commission when God appeared to him in person and taught him of the priesthood and of his duties.

Throughout his remaining years, God frequently spoke to Abraham through the power of His Spirit, sent angels to instruct and protect on several occasions, and at times instructed Abraham in ways that tried his soul (such as giving away Sarah to the political leaders of Canaan and Egypt and the apparent sacrifice of his son Isaac). Before entering Egypt, Abraham was shown a mind-expanding vision of all creation, including the workings of the planets and the stars (Abraham 3-5; Sefer Yetsirah).

Perhaps Abraham’s greatest trial and greatest confirmation of faith was his requested sacrifice of Isaac, for not only did God ask him to take the life of his long-awaited promised son but this request came from the very God who had saved his life from just such a fate years earlier. Abraham had spent his entire life following a God who now seemed to change His nature, and yet he obeyed. As a result, Isaac was spared, and three great religions today all claim Abraham as a spiritual father to their people-Jews, Muslims, and Christians.

Social Situation

Abraham and his wife, Sarah, were required to undergo repeated tests of personal faith. Those required of Abraham include giving up his homeland, giving his choicest land and herds to his nephew, not having a child until he and Sarah were well past the childbearing years, sending his firstborn into the wilderness to his apparent destruction,  and being asked to sacrifice his promised son Isaac on an altar to God. Sarah was also tried considerably, twice being delivered up as a potential wife for a local king, rescued only by her adherence to her beliefs, and promised a son when she was beyond her childbearing years. Miraculously, she survived to bear a son when she was in her later years, a son who became a mighty leader in Israel-Isaac.

Key Teachings

Abraham is a key figure for several religions, including Jews, Muslims, and Christians.

As a young man, Abraham’s life was threatened by local priests who wanted to sacrifice him live on an altar. Gathering together his wife and family, he left the lands of his birth and left for Canaan. Famine soon forced them to move on to Egypt. After some interaction with the pharaoh, Abraham and Sarah returned to Canaan.

Though childless, Abraham received a promise from God that Sarah would yet have a child. In her old age, she did indeed conceive and bear a son, Isaac, who would become the center of what is considered Abraham’s greatest trial in a life filled with faith-testing trials. Abraham was commanded to sacrifice his son in a hearkening back to his own youth and a forward look to the atonement of Jesus Christ, when the Only Son of God was “sacrificed” on the cross.

Abraham’s greatest teachings are perhaps veiled in the stories of his life as he obeyed every command given him by God. Two themes that he began and that are perpetuated by most if not all subsequent prophets in the Old Testament: (1) the Messiah would eventually come, and (2) in the last days, Abraham’s covenant would be reestablished.

Living with the Prophet

Abraham had great faith in God, partly because he was willing to obey whatever God asked of him even when that task seemed unpleasant-or worse! Exercise your faith in God by asking Him about His prophets on earth today, even though the answer might both bless your life and add challenges to it.