This week’s “Come, Follow Me” study guide covers Moses 1 and Abraham 3, which includes the account of God speaking face-to-face with Moses.
Following are a few quotes from past and present Church leaders about these chapters of scripture.
Moses 1
“Moses, one of the greatest prophets the world has ever known, was raised by Pharaoh’s daughter and spent the first 40 years of his life in the royal halls of Egypt. He knew firsthand the glory and grandeur of that ancient kingdom.
“Years later, on the top of a distant mountain, far removed from the splendor and magnificence of mighty Egypt, Moses stood in the presence of God and spoke to Him face-to-face as a man speaks with his friend (see Moses 1:2). During the course of that visitation, God showed Moses the workmanship of His hands, granting him a glimpse of His work and glory. When the vision ended, Moses fell to the earth for the space of many hours. When his strength finally returned, he realized something that, in all his years in Pharaoh’s court, had never occurred to him before.
“‘I know,’ he said, ‘that man is nothing’ (Moses 1:10). ...
“But even though man is nothing, it fills me with wonder and awe to think that ‘the worth of souls is great in the sight of God’ (Doctrine and Covenants 18:10).
“And while we may look at the vast expanse of the universe and say, ‘What is man in comparison to the glory of Creation?’ God Himself said we are the reason He created the universe. His work and glory — the purpose for this magnificent universe — is to save and exalt mankind (see Moses 1:38-39). In other words, the vast expanse of eternity, the glories and mysteries of infinite space and time are all built for the benefit of ordinary mortals like you and me. Our Heavenly Father created the universe that we might reach our potential as His sons and daughters."
— Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, then the second counselor in the First Presidency, October 2011 general conference, “You Matter to Him”
“We read about the experience Moses had when talking with God face-to-face. During that conversation, God repeatedly taught Moses of his divine heritage, saying, ‘Moses, … thou art my son.’ God explained that Moses was in the similitude of His Only Begotten. Moses came to understand clearly who he was, that he had a work to do and that he had a loving Heavenly Father (Moses 1:1-11).
“After this experience, the adversary came tempting him and immediately addressed him by saying, ‘Moses, son of man’ (Moses 1:12). This is a common and dangerous tool in the arsenal of the adversary. While our Heavenly Father consistently and lovingly reminds us that we are His children, the adversary will always try to label us by our weaknesses. But Moses had already learned that he was more than a ‘son of man.’ He declared to Satan: ‘Who art thou? For behold, I am a son of God’ (Moses 1:13). Similarly, when we are confronted with the challenges of mortality or when we feel like anyone is trying to label us by our weaknesses, we need to stand strong in the knowledge of who we truly are. We must seek validation vertically, not horizontally. And as we do, we too can boldly proclaim, ‘I am a child of God.’"
— Elder Brik V. Eyre, General Authority Seventy, October 2025 general conference, “Know Who You Really Are”
“We read that ‘God spake unto Moses, saying: Behold, I am the Lord God Almighty, and Endless is my name’ (Moses 1:3). In other words, ‘Moses, I want you to know who I am.’ Then He added, ‘And, behold, thou art my son’ (Moses 1:4). Later He said, ‘And I have a work for thee, Moses, my son; and thou art in the similitude of mine Only Begotten’ (Moses 1:6). And then finally, He ended with, ‘And now, behold, this one thing I show unto thee, Moses, my son’ (Moses 1:7).
“It appears that God was determined to teach Moses at least one lesson: ‘You are my child,’ which He repeated at least three times. He could not even mention the name of Moses without immediately adding that he was His son.
“However, after Moses was left alone, he felt weak because he was no longer in the presence of God. That is when Satan came to tempt him. Can you see a pattern here? The first thing he said was, ‘Moses, son of man, worship me’ (Moses 1:12).
“In this context, Satan’s request to worship him may have been only a distraction. A significant temptation for Moses in that moment of weakness was to become confused and believe that he was only a ‘son of man,’ rather than a child of God.
“‘And it came to pass that Moses looked upon Satan and said: Who art thou? For behold, I am a son of God, in the similitude of his Only Begotten’ (Moses 1:13). Fortunately, Moses was not confused and did not allow himself to become distracted. He had learned the lesson of who he really was."
— Elder Rubén V. Alliaud, General Authority Seventy, October 2024 general conference, “Sons and Daughters of God”
“All things for our good. A remarkable promise. Comforting assurance from God Himself. In a miraculous way, the purpose of Creation and the nature of God are to know beginning and end (see Moses 1:3), to bring about all that is for our good, and to help us become sanctified and holy through Jesus Christ’s grace and Atonement."
— Elder Gerrit W. Gong of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, April 2024 general conference, “All Things for Our Good”
“My dear brothers and sisters, on this Easter Sunday, I bear my solemn witness that Jesus rose from the dead and that He lives. I testify to you that through Him and His infinite Atonement, the Savior provided us the way to overcome death, both physically and spiritually. In addition to these great blessings, He also offers us comfort and assurance in difficult times. I assure you that as we put our trust in Jesus Christ and in His supernal atoning sacrifice, enduring in our faith to the end, we will enjoy the promises of our beloved Heavenly Father, who does everything within His power to help us return to His presence one day. This is His work and His glory (see Moses 1:39).”
— Elder Ulisses Soares of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, April 2021 general conference, “Jesus Christ: The Caregiver of Our Soul”
“‘Moses was caught up into an exceedingly high mountain[;] … he saw God face to face, and he talked with him’ (Moses 1:1-2). God taught Moses about his eternal identity. Though Moses was mortal and imperfect, God taught that Moses was ‘in the similitude of mine Only Begotten; and mine Only Begotten … shall be the Savior’ (Moses 1:6).
“To summarize, in this marvelous vision, Moses beheld God, and he also learned something important about himself: he was indeed a son of God.
“Listen carefully to what happened as this wondrous vision closed. ‘And it came to pass that … Satan came tempting him,’ saying, ‘Moses, son of man, worship me!’ (Moses 1:12). Moses courageously replied: ‘Who art thou? For behold, I am a son of God, in the similitude of his Only Begotten; and where is thy glory, that I should worship thee?’ (Moses 1:13).
“In other words, Moses said: ‘You cannot deceive me, for I know who I am. I was created in the image of God. You don’t have His light and glory. So why should I worship you or fall prey to your deception?’
“Now pay attention to how Moses further responds. He declares, ‘Get thee hence, Satan; deceive me not’ (Moses 1:16).
“There is much we can learn from Moses’ mighty response to temptation from the adversary. I invite you to respond the same way when you feel influenced by temptation. Command the enemy of your soul by saying: ‘Go away. You have no glory. Do not tempt or lie to me. For I know I am a child of God. And I will always call upon my God for His help.’ ...
“Moses’s resistance of the adversary is a vivid and enlightening example for each of us, no matter our stage in life. It is a powerful message for you personally — to know what to do when he tries to deceive you. For you, like Moses, have been blessed with the gift of heavenly help."
— Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, October 2019 general conference, “Deceive Me Not”
“Long ago, Moses stood on a mountain and talked with God. God showed him the world in which we all live. It was a rare vision — unlike any other I have seen recorded: ‘And Moses beheld the world and the ends thereof, and all the children of men which are, and which were created.’ The scripture says, ‘He greatly marveled and wondered’ (Moses 1:8). Can you even begin to imagine what it would be like to see everyone and everything that ever was or will be on this earth? This filled Moses with awe, and he said to himself, ‘Now, for this cause I know that man is nothing, which thing I never had supposed’ (Moses 1:10).
“Then the Lord taught him a most important and central truth. He said, ‘This is my work and my glory — to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man’ (Moses 1:39). And I would add every man and every woman. What a wonder, to Moses and to us, that we, who may feel as nothing when we compare ourselves to the vast universe, are in fact the reason for its Creation and for the Creation of the earth. I think it is important to stretch our minds and try to comprehend, as Moses was shown, the paradox of being small and great at the same time."
— The late Sister Aileen H. Clyde, then the second counselor in the Relief Society general presidency, October 1992 general conference, “Confidence Through Conversion”
Abraham 3
“Through the Prophet Joseph Smith, the Lord revealed a few things about our pre-earth life. There we existed as spirit children of God. Because God desired to help His children progress, He decided to create an earth on which we could receive a body, learn through experience, develop divine attributes and be proven to see if we would keep God’s commandments. Those who qualified would ‘have glory added upon their heads for ever and ever’ (Abraham 3:26)."
— President Dallin H. Oaks, then the first counselor in the First Presidency, April 2025 general conference, “Divine Helps for Mortality”
“Tests in the school of mortality are a vital element of our eternal progression. Interestingly, however, the word ‘test’ is not found even one time in the scriptural text of the standard works in English. Rather, words such as ‘prove,’ ‘examine’ and ‘try’ are used to describe various patterns of demonstrating appropriately our spiritual knowledge about, understanding of and devotion to our Heavenly Father’s eternal plan of happiness and our capacity to seek for the blessings of the Savior’s Atonement.
“He who authored the plan of salvation described the very purpose of our mortal probation using the words ‘prove,’ ‘examine’ and ‘try’ in ancient and modern scripture. ‘And we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them’ (Abraham 3:25).”
— Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, October 2020 general conference, “We Will Prove Them Herewith”
“Our mortal life is designed by a loving God to be a test and source of growth for each of us. You remember God’s words regarding His children at the Creation of the world: ‘And we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them’ (Abraham 3:25).
“Since the beginning, the tests have not been easy. We face trials that come from having mortal bodies. All of us live in a world where Satan’s war against truth and against our personal happiness is becoming more intense. The world and your life can seem to you to be in increasing commotion.
“My reassurance is this: The loving God who allowed these tests for you also designed a sure way to pass through them. Heavenly Father so loved the world that He sent His Beloved Son to help us. His Son, Jesus Christ, gave His life for us. Jesus Christ bore in Gethsemane and on the cross the weight of all our sins. He experienced all the sorrows, the pains and the effects of our sins so that He could comfort and strengthen us through every test in life.”
— President Henry B. Eyring, then the second counselor in the First Presidency, October 2018 general conference, “Try, Try, Try”
“Becoming as the Savior is not an easy task, especially in the world in which we live. We face obstacles and adversity virtually every day of our lives. There is a reason for this, and it is one of the primary purposes of mortality. As we read in Abraham 3:25, ‘And we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them.’
“These tests or trials vary in nature and intensity. But no one will leave this mortal existence without passing through them. Mostly, we picture trials as the loss of a crop or a job; the death of a loved one; illness; physical, mental or emotional incapacitation; poverty; or loss of friends. However, even the attainment of seemingly worthwhile objectives can bring their own dangers of unhelpful pride, where we aspire more to the honors of men than the approbation of heaven. These may include worldly popularity, public recognition, physical prowess, artistic or athletic talent, prosperity and riches. ...
“These latter types of trials may be even more daunting and dangerous and more difficult to overcome than the former. Our discipleship will be developed and proven not by the type of trials that we are faced with but how we endure them.”
— Elder Daniel L. Johnson, then a General Authority Seventy, October 2012 general conference, “Becoming a True Disciple”
“One of the essential doctrines illuminated by the Restoration is that there must be opposition in all things for righteousness to be brought to pass. This life is not always easy, nor was it meant to be; it is a time of testing and proving. As we read in Abraham, ‘And we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them’ (Abraham 3:25).”
— Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, October 2008 general conference, “Hope Ya Know, We Had a Hard Time”
