This song is referenced by Song 101 – This New Song. The image to the left is Moses receiving the tablets of the Law as painted by João Zeferio da Costa, 1868, which shows a face to face communication with God. An early (1508-1521) artistic representation of face to face communication with God was Michelangelo’s Creation of Adam, which is used as the extended image for this song. Back in May of 2009 I started to write a song quoting scriptures which talked about talking to God, or to the Lord, or to angels face-to-face. In June of 2009 I had a brief theological discussion with Steve and Manuel Engst. When I saw the song I had started, I decided I needed to do a search of the scriptures for the term “face to face.” I did, and found a whole series of references to “face to face” in the scriptures, including: Abraham 3:11; Genesis 32:30; Exodus 33:11; Numbers 14:14; Deuteronomy 5:2-4; Moses 1:1-2; Moses 7:4; Deuteronomy 34:10; Judges 6:22; Ezekiel 20:35-36; Alma 36:26; Alma 38:7; Matthew 3:16-17; I Corinthians 13:12; Moroni in Ether 12:39-40; D&C 17:1; D&C 50:10-12; Joseph Smith History 1:16-17; and D&C 76:19-24. I find it absolutely wonderful and compelling how consistent the message of the restoration of the gospel is across the Standard Works, or canonized scriptures of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I have spent 10 months capturing the names and attributes (created, grant, granted, justify, knowing, knoweth, knows, knew, remembereth, remembrance, will, wisdom = mind; ask, confess unto, cry unto, heard, hear, pour out, pray, prayer, prayers, praise, said unto, thanks unto = ears; beheld, behold, eyes, piercing eye, glance, looked, see, sight, wept = eyes; nostrils = nose; answered, answer, called, call, commandments, judgments, mouth, promise, said, saith, saying, spoken, speak, spake, taste, voice, word of God = mouth; face = face; arm, make bare = arm; hand, hands, right hand, left hand, stretched forth = hands; stand = legs; he, his, him, himself = gender; etc.) of God, Christ, The Holy Ghost, Angels, and Satan in The Book of Mormon, and I am almost through Mosiah. I strive to extract this information from at least 5 verses every day. Sometimes it takes an hour to do 5 verses. The concepts tied to the nature of God are so simple an artist (see image to left and extended image) and Primary children can understand them. The concept of face-to-face discussions with God, Christ, and angels fits this same simplicity. Why do the sophisticated have to make everything so complex? Remember what Jesus said in his Intercessory Prayer (see Song 379 – The Great Intercessory Prayer) as recorded in John 17:3, “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.”
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