Stars as a Representation of Leadership Structure (And Wandering Stars)

What did Abraham Learn about Leadership from the Stars?

By Larry Barkdull · August 20, 2018

“And I saw the stars,” began Abraham, “that they were very great, and that one of them was nearest unto the throne of God; and there were many great ones which were near unto it. And the Lord said unto me: These are the governing ones; and the name of the great one is Kolob.”[i]

To understand the vision of the heavens, Abraham, like Moses, learned that stars represent the organized intelligences, who are the spirit children of God.[ii] The greatest and “first creation, nearest to the celestial”[iii] is Kolob, which represents Jesus Christ, who is nearest to and most like God, and who, in ascending order, is “more intelligent than they all.”[iv]

Other representations of stars are revealed in the vision. For example, Abraham learned that a star called Oliblish “stands next to Kolob…which is the next grand governing creation near to the place where God resides; holding the key of power also.”[v] Could this star represent the Holy Ghost? Then, fifteen “fixed planets or stars”[vi] receive their power from Kolob and apparently govern the universe. Do these celestial bodies represent the fifteen apostles who comprise the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve?

If Kolob, Oliblish and the Fifteen represent the great and governing ones, could some distant star also represent each one of us? If so, what power do Kolob and Christ govern us and keep us in orbit?

Abraham discovered that there exists in the universe a “grand Key, or, in other words, the governing power.”[1] Flowing from Kolob to Oliblish to the Fifteen and out to the myriad galaxies, stars and planets, Kolob governs the universe by the power of the “grand Key,” holding all the creations of God in specific orbits. Additionally, Kolob employs the grand Key or governing power to set each sphere’s times and seasons, all of which are reckoned by the times and seasons of Kolob.The ‘Grand Key’ of Leaders’ Authority and Power

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We learn the name of this governing power in Doctrine and Covenants 88; it is “the light of Christ.”[3] God harnesses the power of this light to create stars and planets, and by the medium of this light, God sustains the life of his creations as he governs them. This “light proceedeth forth from the presence of God to fill the immensity of space.” Moreover, the light of Christ “giveth life to all things,” and it “is the law by which all things are governed, even the power of God.”[4]

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Fixed Stars and Wandering Stars

If a star remains fixed in Kolob’s gravitational pull, it will live to fulfill the measure of its creation; if it breaks free and becomes a wandering star, it will either self-destruct or collide with another orb and cause cataclysmic damage to  both.

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Moving Slowly but Surely

Abraham learned that Kolob rotates deliberately so that it affects the revolutions, times and seasons of every celestial orb: “One revolution was a day unto the Lord, after the manner of his reckoning, it being one thousand years according to the time appointed unto that whereon thou standeth [Earth].”[6]

Notice that the Lord is careful to explain that Kolob rotates more slowly than any other heavenly body and that each of God’s creations receives its “light from the revolutions of Kolob.”[7]

What possible meaning could this have to leaders? Could it be that Kolob rotates slowly so that the weakest creation in its charge is not left behind?

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Integrity

Leaders cannot lead unless they have integrity. Followers must believe that leaders have the ability to keep their word or they will not follow them. “What I the Lord have spoken, I have spoken, and I excuse not myself; and though the heavens and the earth pass away, my word shall not pass away, but shall all be fulfilled, whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same.”[8]

Abraham believed in the Lord’s integrity and therefore, he was willing to move from Ur and travel to Haran then to Canaan in pursuit of a promised land. Because Abraham had integrity, he advanced the vision of a promised land and convinced other believers to also leave Ur and follow him. Later, because of his integrity, Abraham convinced more people in Haran to follow him to a better future.[9]

Paul said, “For [Abraham] looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.” And of other faithful vision-seekers, “But they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.”[10]Such is the vision of a leader.

Throughout his journeys, Abraham looked to the stars for inspiration. “Eternity was our covering and our rock and our salvation.”[11] Suffering one trial after another, Abraham kept his integrity. And so did the Lord, who continued to hold out a vision of success to Abraham and never let him down.