Abraham received promises concerning his seed, and of the fruit of his loins--from whose
loins ye are, namely, my servant Joseph--which were to continue so long as they were in the
world; and as touching Abraham and his seed, out of the world they should continue; both in the
world and out of the world should they continue as innumerable as the stars; or, if ye were to
count the sand upon the seashore ye could not number them. (D&C 132:30.)
This verse acknowledges that Abraham's "seed" are "of the fruit of his loins." The word
"loin" refers to "the lateral portions of the lumbar region,"1 but has been used euphemistically for
reproductive anatomy that are covered with a "loincloth." For example, Genesis 35:11 reads:
"God said unto him [Jacob], I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a
company of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins." Accordingly, the
"fruit" of a person's "loins" would be literal offspring rather than a symbolic parent-child
relationship. This verse also states that Abraham's seed "should continue; both in the world and
out of the world," that is, after the resurrection. The question is whether his "seed" that continues
"out of the world" is comprised of only his earthly descendants or new offspring created through
spirit birth?
The number of Abraham's predicted progeny may help discern whether spirit birth is
referenced. The verse also states that Abraham's seed should "continue as innumerable as the
stars; or, if ye were to count the sand upon the seashore ye could not number them." While the
number varies greatly by the size of the sand grains, scientists estimate that the number of grains
of sand upon the earth to be 7,500,000,000,000,000,000, or 7.5 billion billion.2 Similarly, the
number of stars in the universe can be approximated by multiplying the number of stars in the
milky way (300 billion or so) times the estimated number of galaxies in the universe (500
billion) or 150,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 or 150,000 billion billion.3 Because both of these
numbers are based upon approximations, the margin of error could be great, but the point is that
the calculations are mind-boggling large.
In comparison, Orson Pratt and Wilford Woodruff estimate the total number of the spirits
destined to be born on this planet is around 200,000,000,000 or 200 billion.4 However, only a
fraction of them will be exalted and only a fraction of those who are exalted will be Abraham's
biological descendants. Accordingly, the raw numbers even if grossly miscalculated, support
that the revelation referred to more than just Abraham's earthly progeny.
Included in the verse is the term "innumerable." Are Abraham's seed "innumerable"
because he was physically incapable of numbering them, or because they continue to increase
and are therefore infinite? Referring to the two examples, obviously the number of grains of
sand on this earth is finite. Recent exploration with the Hubble telescope indicates that the
number of stars in the visible universe may also be finite but this does not rule out the existence
of other unseen universes.5 Moreover, Enoch saw God's creations in vision and commented,
"were it possible that man could number the particles of the earth, yea, millions of earths like
this, it would not be a beginning to the number of thy creations" and added: "and thy curtains are
1
Noah Webster, LL. D., An American Dictionary of the English Language; exhibiting the Origin, Orthography,
Pronunciation, and Definitions of Words, 3rd ed., New York: S. Converse, 1830, 503.
2
See http://www.hawaii.edu/suremath/jsand.html (accessed October 2, 2011).
3
See http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/ask_astro/answers/021127a.html (accessed October 2, 2011).
4
See Orson Pratt JD 13:63 and Wilford Woodruff, Collected Discourses,1:243.
5
See David M. Meyer, "The Hubble Ultra Deep Field," lecture 11 on Experiencing Hubble: Understanding the
Greatest Images of the Universe, Chantilly, VA: The Great Courses – The Teaching Company, 2011.
stretched out still" (Moses 7:30) suggesting that additional earths may be created in the future.
Each earth would need a sun or a star in order to support life.
D&C 132:31
31 This promise is yours also, because ye are of Abraham, and the promise was made unto
Abraham; and by this law is the continuation of the works of my Father, wherein he glorifieth
himself.