Lessons of 2026
Lesson No. One

Adam and His Dispensation

The greatness of Adam. The plan of salvation is founded on three fundamental doctrines, the three pillars of eternity, i.e. the creation, the primary work of the Father, the fall, the primary work of Adam or Michael as he was known in the premortal existence, and the atonement, the primary work of Jesus Christ or Jehovah as He was known in the premortal existence.

Michael/Adam “by his diligence and obedience in the premortal existence, as one of the spirit sons of God, he attained a stature and power second only to that of Christ, the Firstborn. None of all our Father’s children equaled him in intelligence and might, save Jesus only” (Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine).

“As Michael, the archangel, Adam led the forces of God against the armies of Lucifer in the War in Heaven. Under the direction of Elohim and Jehovah, he assisted in the creation of the earth. After taking physical bodies, Adam and Eve brought mortality into being through partaking of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. With the fall of our first parents came blood and posterity and probation and death, as well as the need for redemption through a Savior, a “last Adam.” (1 Cor. 15:45.) To Adam the gospel was first preached, and upon him the priesthood was first bestowed. From Adam and Eve the message of the gospel of salvation went forth to all the world. Following his death, which occurred almost a millennium after he entered mortality, Adam’s watch-care over his posterity continued. Revelations have come and angels have ministered under his direction. Priesthood has been conferred and keys delivered at his behest” (Robert Millet, The Man Adam, Ensign, January 1994).

Adam was the head of the first dispensation. The Prophet Joseph Smith taught: “The Priesthood was first given to Adam; he obtained the First Presidency, and held the keys of it from generation to generation. He obtained it in the Creation, before the world was formed” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 157).

Adam set the example for all fathers by keeping God’s commandment to teach their children. “Wherefore teach it unto your children, that all men, everywhere, must repent, or they can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God, for no unclean thing can dwell there, or dwell in his presence; for, in the language of Adam, Man of Holiness is his name, and the name of his Only Begotten is the Son of God, even Jesus Christ, a righteous Judge, who shall come in the meridian of time.

“Therefore I give unto you a commandment, to teach these things freely unto your children saying:

That by reason of transgression cometh the fall, which fall bringeth death, and inasmuch as ye were born into the world by water, and blood, and the spirit, which I have made, and so became of dust a living soul, even so ye must be born again into the kingdom of heaven, of water, and of the Spirit, and be cleansed by blood, even the blood of mine Only Begotten; that ye might be sanctified from all sin, and enjoy the words of eternal life in this world, and eternal life in the world to come, even immortal glory” (Moses 6:57-59).

The doctrine of dispensations is that the plan of salvation, centered on the atonement of Jesus Christ, has been revealed and understood in all dispensations beginning with Adam (See Alma 12:20-35). “A dispensation of the gospel is a period of time in which the Lord has at least one authorized servant on the earth who bears the holy priesthood and the keys, and who has a divine commission to dispense the gospel to the inhabitants of the earth. When this occurs, the gospel is revealed anew, so that people of that dispensation do not have to depend basically on past dispensations for knowledge of the plan of salvation” There have been many gospel dispensations since the beginning. The Bible suggests at least one dispensation identified with Adam, another with Enoch, another with Noah, and so on with Abraham, Moses, and Jesus with His Apostles in the meridian of time…In addition there were dispensations of the gospel among the Nephites, the Jaredites, and the Lost Tribes of Israel” (LDS Bible Dictionary, Dispensations).

Dispensation heads – In each dispensation angels declare the plan of salvation to “chosen vessels of the Lord” who "bear testimony of him. And by so doing, the Lord God prepareth the way that the residue of men may have faith in Christ, that the Holy Ghost may have place in their hearts, according to the power thereof; and after this manner bringeth to pass the Father, the covenants which he hath made unto the children of men” (Moroni 7:31-32).

Dispensation heads restore the knowledge of the plan of salvation to their dispensation. They include Adam, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and Joseph Smith. They each knew the Lord Jesus Christ and are His primary witness to the people of that dispensation. All prophets that come after the dispensation head bear testimony that Jesus is the Christ and that their dispensation head has restored the gospel in that dispensation. Successor prophets to Moses or Joseph Smith testify that Jesus is the Christ and that Moses or Joseph Smith was his prophet to that dispensation. The people of each dispensation also testify in this pattern.

Our dispensation is the dispensation of the fulness of times – “Paul writes of ‘the dispensation of the fulness of times’ in which the Lord will “gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth” (Ephesians 1:10). The fulness of times is the final dispensation and began with the revelation of the gospel to Joseph Smith. It is a dispensation of restoration and of fulfillment of the Lord’s plans and purposes since the world began. There are also things reserved for the fulness of times that have not been revealed previously. It is a glorious time, the time in which we live today” (Bible Dictionary, Dispensations). In the dispensation of the fulness of times there will be a “welding together” of all Christian dispensations of human history in “a whole and complete and perfect union” (D&C 128:18).

All other dispensations fell into apostasy, ours will not – I prepared the accompanying Diagram of the Doctrine of Dispensations as a missionary in London in 1963. It shows that the plan of salvation was first revealed to Adam who, with Eve, taught it to their children. (See Moses 5:12) But Satan came saying: “Believe it not; and they believed it not, and they loved Satan more than God. And men began from that time forth to be carnal, sensual, and devilish” (Moses 5:13).

Great things were accomplished in prior dispensations; the atonement, the greatest of all, took place in the Meridian Dispensation. Unfortunately, all prior dispensations repeated the same pattern and ended in apostasy.

In our dispensation individuals will apostatize, but there will not be a general apostasy. The Church and Kingdom of God on the earth will increase and be in place at the Second Coming.

Safety is in the Main Stream of the Church – When river rafting it is important to stay in the main stream or current. Close to the bank of the river there is often eddies and whirl pools and other hazards which can be dangerous. At best progress down the river is slowed.

Eddies, whirl pools, and back water abound in our dispensation. If we are out of the main stream of the Church we are in danger of being over turned. Because there will never be another general apostasy, if we stay in the main stream of the Church our future is certain and bright. Whether in this life or the next, we will rejoice when the Lord comes again.

Released on January 11th. 2026.