God’s Glory and Our Identity
Chapter 1 of the book of Moses in the Pearl of Great Price uses the theme of glory to illustrate the difference between encounters with God and Satan. Moses rebukes Satan because he has no glory, and darkness is what he perceives. However, the concept of glory and its functions is not limited to distinguishing between good and evil.
What is it about the glory of God that changed, transfigured, or whatever happened to Moses that allowed him to endure his presence?
“The glory of God is intelligence, or, in other words, light and truth.” (D&C 93:36). This definition of glory may change how we view Moses’ encounter with God. Another related verse from Section 93 states, “Man was also in the beginning with God. Intelligence, or the light of truth, was not created or made, neither indeed can be.” If we put the two together, are we part of the glory of God in some essential way? Are there aspects of those definitions that allow our spirits to be the dominant part of our nature when we have a revelatory experience? Additionally, when that happens, does it have some physiological effects?
Something that comes to mind is this: if glory is pure intelligence, and mortals have a limited capacity, if God were not to withhold or limit us from his glory, intelligence, light, and truth, we would suffer some kind of overload? “Wherefore, no man can behold all my works, except he behold all my glory; and no man can behold all my glory, and afterwards remain in the flesh on the earth.” (Moses 1:5) This suggests that immortality is related to the intelligence, light, and truth we possess.
Joseph Smith’s first vision describes a light resting upon him before he recognized the “two personages” standing above him. In other words, God first protected Joseph before revealing Himself and His Son.
Now that I have given us all something to think about, I want to focus on what Moses learned from his encounter with God. “And God spake unto Moses, saying: Behold, I am the Lord God Almighty, and Endless is my name; for I am without beginning of days or end of years; and is not this endless? And, behold, thou art my son; wherefore look, and I will show thee the workmanship of mine hands; but not all, for my works are without end, and also my words, for they never cease.” (Moses 1:3-4)
Moses learns that he is a son of God while he is experiencing the glory. Then Satan comes along and calls him the son of man. In essence, God is saying to Moses that he has divine potential, and Satan is telling him he is nothing but a man. When we couple this with Moses’ declaration, “Now, for this cause I know that man is nothing, which thing I never had supposed.” (Verse 10), we can see how Satan could come and tempt him. Moses was physically weak and realized how small he was in relation to all that he had seen of God’s work.
I do not believe that Heavenly Father wants us to think we are nothing because that leaves us vulnerable to temptation. Rather, He wants us to see that we are his children with the capacity to be like Him and do what He does. “For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.” (Verse 39)
I cannot see another explanation for who we are and what we are to do than that we are God’s children and we are to act like it.