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If Joseph Smith believed that Michael was an exalted being--a god--who voluntarily became the mortal Adam in order to initiate the human family on earth, then why not also Gabriel? Joseph Smith loved patterns. He believed that there was a divine order of things and that events followed certain patterns. What God had approved in the past, he would surely do again, especially in the last days. Part of this eternal order of things may have been the introduction of key exalted figures, such as Michael/Adam, Jehovah/Jesus, and Gabriel/Noah, in order to undertake special missions that would bring about the salvation and exaltation of the human family. It is possible that these exalted beings who laid down their lives voluntarily were thought to be the same as the heads of dispensations, including Adam, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and Joseph Smith himself.

Kishkumen wrote: ↑

Mon Nov 02, 2020 9:06 pm

I look forward to reading this, Ramus. You may have something here. I am a little surprised and skeptical. Multiple mortal probations in 1830? I dunno. Seems somewhat unlikely to me. But, then, there may have been some earlier idea he had along these lines that allowed for what we see in the case of Gabriel that was later expanded. I just can't see the fully formed idea being present that early on. I don't think Smith plotted out his doctrinal views like Rowling and the Harry Potter series.