15 That you may come up unto the crown prepared for you, and be made rulers over many kingdoms, saith the Lord God, the Holy One of Zion, who hath established the foundations of Adam-ondi-Ahman;
16 Who hath appointed Michael your prince, and established his feet, and set him upon high, and given unto him the keys of salvation under the counsel and direction of the Holy One, who is without beginning of days or end of life. (D&C 78:15-16)

When I read this, I wondered why it was important to include that information about Michael, or Adam.

But coming as it does so early in church history, it actually implies a lot of neat things. To Saints who previously only knew of the fall of Adam and his exit from the Garden of Eden, it tells us that though outside Eden, eventually Adam became righteous, that he attained the priesthood, and that he is given authority over his posterity.   When it is says Christ established his feet, that tells me Christ taught Adam his foundational knowledge of the gospel and set him on the path of faithfulness.  Even though Adam fell, he was eventually raised up and exalted, which I think is what “set up on high” is meant to communicate.

With that in mind, the promise that we may come up to the crown prepared for us and be made rulers over many kingdoms tells us that we, like Adam, can overcome the fall through Christ.  If the Lord established Adam’s feet, He will do the same for us.  If Adam was given keys, so can we be. If Adam was appointed a prince, so can we be. 

That is so thrilling. The crown is there waiting; it has already been prepared and we just need to keep stepping up!

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