Chapter 8: The Fall, D: The Fall Was a Purposeful Step in God's Plan of Salvation

The fall was a necessary and planned part of life on Earth. It was not an accident, nor an arbitrary punishment. God designed that fall should bring about our fallen state, which was necessary for our eternal development.

We came into this world to die. That was understood before we came here. It is part of the plan, all discussed and arranged long before men were placed upon the earth. When Adam was sent into this world, it was with the understanding that he would violate a law, transgress a law, in order to bring to pass this mortal condition which we find ourselves in today.
Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, 1:66

When Adam was driven out of the Garden of Eden, the Lord passed a sentence upon him. Some people have looked upon that sentence as being a dreadful thing. It was not; it was a blessing. . . .
In order for mankind to obtain salvation and exaltation it is necessary for them to obtain bodies in this world, and pass through the experiences and schooling that are found only in mortality. . . .
The fall of man came as a blessing in disguise, and was the means of furthering the purposes of the Lord in the progress of man, rather than a means of hindering them.
Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, 1:113-14

Did they [Adam and Eve] come out in direction opposition to God and his government? No. But they transgressed a command of the Lord, and through that transgression sin came into the world. The Lord knew they would do this, and he designed that they should.
Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, 103

We needed to be tempted by Satan in order to truly have free agency. If all we know is good, we don't really have a choice, and thus, no agency. With temptation also came the ability to know the joy that comes from choosing good over evil.

And it must needs be that the devil should tempt the children of men, or they could not be agents unto themselves; for if they never should have bitter they could not know the sweet--Wherefore, it came to pass that the devil tempted Adam, and he partook of the forbidden fruit and transgressed the commandment wherein he became subject to the will of the devil, because he yielded unto temptation.
D&C 29:39-40

Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy. And the Messiah cometh in the fulness of time, that he may redeem the children of men from the fall. And because that they are redeemed from the fall they have become free forever, knowing good from evil; to act for themselves and not to be acted upon, save it be by the punishment of the law at the great and last day, according to the commandments which God hath given. Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself.
2 Nephi 2:25-27

If we cannot be good, except as we resist and overcome evil, then evil must be present to be resisted.
So this earth life is set up according to true principles, and these conditions that followed the transgression [of Adam] were not, in the usual sense, penalties that were inflicted upon us. All these . . . that seem to be sad infliction of punishment, sorrow, and trouble are in the end not that. They are blessings. We have attained a knowledge of good and evil, the power to obtain redemption and eternal life. These things had their origin in this transgression. The Lord has set the earth up so we have to labor if we are going to live, which preserves us from the curse of idleness and indolence; and thou the Lord condemns us to death-mortal death-it is one of the greatest blessings that comes to us here because it is the doorway to immorality, and we can never attain immorality without dying.
So these are all real blessings. We come to earth with all these condition arranged as they are so that we have to struggle constantly against evil, struggle to preserve our lives, struggle for everything of true value-that is the thing for us to understand-this is the course of life that is most desirable, and for our good. We have no need to find fault with these conditions. The Lord has ordained them all for our welfare and happiness.
Morris, in Conference Report, April 1958, 39

If the fall had never happened Adam and Eve would never had had children. It was not a matter of everyone living happily in the garden of Eden, for nobody would ever have been born. The fall was necessary for mankind to come upon the earth in the current state.

And now, behold, if Adam had not transgressed he would not have fallen, but he would have remained in the garden of Eden. And all things which were created must have remained in the same state in which they were after they were created; and they must have remained forever, and had no end.
And they would have had no children; wherefore they would have remained in a state of innocence, having no joy, for they knew no misery; doing no good, for they knew no sin.
But behold, all things have been done in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things.
2 Nephi 2:22-24


And in that day Adam blessed God and was filled, and began to prophesy concerning all the families of the earth, saying: Blessed be the name of God, for because of my transgression my eyes are opened, and in this life I shall have joy, and again the flesh I shall see God.
And Eve, his wife, heard all these things and was glad, saying: Were it not for our transgression we never should have had seed, and never should have known good and evil, and the joy of our redemption, and the eternal life which God giveth unto all the obedient.
Moses 5:10-11

Give Us Strength According to Our Faith . . . in Christ, Alma 13-16

Today I am going through the Sunday School lesson for today. This is reverse from most entries, as the quoted questions from the lesson prep are in block and my answers indented.

After being persecuted in prison for many days, how were Alma and Amulek, finally delivered? What are some things from which we need to be delivered? Why must our faith be centered in Christ to lead us to deliverance?

Alma and Amulek were released from prison through a terrible earthquake that killed all the men except them. There are many things we need to be delivered from as well, most originating from sin. We need to be delivered from debt/bondage, addictions, bad habits, emotional problems, temptations, and so on. Our faith must be centered in Christ because it is only through Christ that we can be redeemed. Christ is our Savior and so only through Him can we receive the strength to be delivered from our problems.

What does Alma 15:3-5 reveal about Zeezrom's trust in Alma and Amulek? In whom did Zeezrom need to place his trust in order to be healed? What do you learn from Zeezrom's actions after he was healed?

Zeezrom trusted that Alma and Amulek could heal him. However, Alma and Amulek were careful to point out that he needed to have faith in Christ, not in Alma, to be healed. Zeezrom was healed after stating that he believed in Christ. You can see that Zeezrom was truly converted because afterwards he went out and preached the gospel.

Chapter 8: The Fall, C: The Fall Brought About Significant Changes for Adam and Eve's Posterity

While this section contained references regarding several aspects of how Adam and Eve's and our lives were changed by the fall, I am focusing on just a few that I felt most important.

The fall of Adam brought about mortality. Had this not happened, Adam and Eve would still be alive today (although we would never have been born).

And he said unto them: Because that Adam fell, we are; and by his fall came death; and we are made partakes or misery and woe.
Moses 6:48

Now Alma said unto him: This is the thing which I was about to explain. Now we see that Adam did fall by the partaking of the forbidden fruit, according to the word of God; and thus we see, that by his fall, all mankind became a lost and fallen people. And now behold, I say unto you that if it had been possible for Adam to have partaken of the fruit of the tree of life at that time, ther would have been no death, and the word would have been void, making God a liar, for he said: If thou eat thou shalt surely die. And we see that death comes upon mankind, yea, the death which has been spoken of by Amulek, which is the temporal death; nevertheless there was a space granted unto man in which he might repent; therefore this life became a probationary state; a time to prepare to meet God; a time to prepare for that endless state which has been spoken of by us, which is after the resurrection of the dead.
Alma 12:22-24

And Eve, his wife, heard all these things and was glad, saying: Were it not for our transgression we never should have had seed, and never shoul have known good and evil, and the joy of our redemption, and the eternal life which God giveth unto all the obedient.
Moses 5:11

In addition to the "temporal" death, Adam and Eve were also subject to a spiritual death. They were cast out of the presence of God, which is spiritual death. It was necessary for us to leave the presence of God so that we could be tested.

But behold, it was appointed unto man to die--therefore, as they were cut off from the tree of life they should be cut off from the face of the earth--and man became lost forever, yea, they became fallen man. And now, ye see by this that our first parents were cut off both temporally and spiritually from the presence of the Lord; and thus we see they became subjects to follow after their own will. . . . Therefore, as the soul could never die, and the fall had brought upon all mankind a spiritual death as well as a temporal, that is, they were cut off from the presence of the Lord, it was expedient that mankind should be reclaimed from this spiritual death.
Alma 42:6-7,9

And it must needs be that the devil should tempt the children of men, or they could not be agents unto themselves; for if they never should have bitter they could not know the sweet--Wherefore, it came to pass that the devil tempted Adam, and he partook of the forbidden fruit and transgressed the commandment, whereinhe became subject to the will of the devil, because he yielded unto temptation. Wherefore, I the Lord God, caused that he should be cast out from the Garden of Eden, from my presence, because of his transgression, wherein he became spiritually dead, which is the first death, even that same death which is the last death, which is spiritual, which shall be pronounced upon the wiched when I shall say: Depart, ye cursed. But, behold, I say unto you that I, the Lord God, gave unto Adam and unto his seed, that they should not die as to the temporal death until I, the Lord God, should send forth angels to declare unto them repentnce and recemption, through faith on the name of mine Only Begotten Son. And thus did I, the Lord God, appoint unto man the days of his probation--that he might be raised in immoratlity unto eternal life, even as man as would believe.
D&C 29:39-43

When Adam, our first parent, partook of the forbidden fruit, transgressed the law of God, and became subject unto Satan, he was banished from the presence of God, and was thrust out into outer spiritual darkness. This was the first death. Yet living, he was dead-dead to God, dead to light and truth, dead spiritually; cast out from the presence of God; communication between the Father and the Son was cut off. He was absolutely thrust out from the presence of God as was Satan and the hosts that followed him. That was spiritual death. But the Lord said that he would not suffer Adam nor his posterity to come to the temporal death until they shoudl have the means by which they might be redeemed form th ffirst death, which is spiritual.
Joseph F. Smith, Gospel Doctrine, 432

Part of the fall was that man became subject to misery and unhapiness. This was an essential part of the plan, so that we could also learn to be happy at the same time. Part of this is that we are subject to sin. The fallen man becomes more and more devilish the more he lets the "natural man" dictate his actions rather than the teachings of God.

For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things. If not, so, my first=born in the wilderness, righteouness could not be brough to pass, neither wickedness, neither hoiness nor misery, neither good nor bad. Wherefore, all things must needs be a compound in one; wherefore if it should be one body it must needs remain as dead, having to life neither death, nor corruption nor incorruption, happiness nor misery, neither sense nor insensibiltiy.
2 Nephi 2:11

And now, my son, all men that are in a state of nature, or I would say, in a carnal state, are in the gall of bitterness and in the bonds of iniquity; they are without God in the world, and they have gone contrary to the nature of God; therefore, they are in a state contrary to the nature of happiness.
Alma 41:11

The "natural man" is the "earthy man" who has allowed rude animal passions to overshadow his spiritual inclinations.
Spencer W. Kimball, Ensign, Nov. 1974, 112

This being "conceived in sin" [Moses 6:55] as I understand it, is only that they are in the midst of sin. They come into the world where sin is prevalent, and it will enter into their hearts, but it will lead them "to taste the bigger that they they may know to prize the good."
George Q. Morris, in Conference Report, April 1958, 38

Chapter 8: The Fall, B: Adam and Eve Brought About the Fall By Their Own Choice

God gave Adam and Eve a commandment not to eat of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, and then said to choose for themselves. I have heard it explained many ways, but the main idea here is that it was necessary for Adam and Eve to fall, and in order to fall they needed to break that commandment.

And the Lord God took the ma, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat; But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil thou shal not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
Genesis 2:15-17

I'm very, very grateful that in the Book of Mormon, and I think elsewhere in our scriptures, the fall of Adam has not been called a sin. It wasn't a sin. . . . What did Adam do? The very thing the Lord wanted him to do; and I hate to hear anybody call it a sin, for it wasn't a sin. Did Adam sin when he partook of the forbidden fuit? I say to you, no, he did not! Now, let me refer to what was written in the book of Moses in regard to the command God gave to Adam. [Moses 3:16-17]
Now this is the way I interpret that: The Lord said to Adam, here is the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you want to stay here, then you cannot eat of that fruit. But you may act for yourself, and you may eat of it if you want to. And if you eat it, you will die.
I see a great difference between transgressing the law and committing a sin.
Joseph Fielding Smith, "Fall--Atonement--Resurrection--Sacrament," in Charge to Religious Education, 124

Adam and Eve were chosen to come here as the primal parents of humanity. And they were placed in the Garden of Eden where there was no death and we read in the scriptures that they could have lived in that Garden forever, but not under the most favorable circumstances. For there, although they were in the presence of God, they were deprived of certain knowledge and understanding in a condition where they could not understand clearly things that were necessary for them to now. Therefore, it became essential to their salavation and to our that their nature should be changed. The only way it could be changed was violation by the violation of the law under which they were at that time. Mortality could not come without violation of that law and mortality was essential, a step towards our exaltation. Therefore, Adam partook of the forbidden fruit, forbidden in a rather peculiar manner for it is the only place in all the history where we read that the Lord forbade something and yet said, "Nevertheless thous mayest choose for thyself." He never said that of any sin. I do not look upon Adam's fall as a sin, although it was a transgression of the law. It had to be. And Adam came under a different law. The temporal law. And he became subject to death. The partaking of that fruit created blood in hhis body and that blood became the life-giving influence of morality.
Jospeh Fielding Smith, The Atonement of Jesus Christ, Brigham Young University Speeches of the Year [25 Jan. 1955], 2

Satan, through the serpent, tempted Eve to eat the fruit. She shared it with Adam. Both Adam and Eve made their own choice to eat the fruit, knowing the consequences. They may or may not have realized at the time that it was a necessary part of God's plan, but they knew they would be cast out of the garden of Eden. The devil tempted Eve, but it was her choice and she made it, and so did Adam when it was presented to him.

And now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which I, the Lord God, had made. And Satan put it into the heart of the serpent, (for he had drawn away many after him,) and he sought also to beguild Eve, for he knew no the mind of God, wherefore he sought to destroy the world. And he said unto the woman: Yea, hath God said--Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? (And he spake by the mouth of the serpent.) And the woman said unto the serpent: We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden; But of the fruit of the tree which thou beholdest in the midst of the garden, God hat said--Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman: Ye shall not surely die; Fod God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it became pleasant to the eyes, and a a tree to be desired to make her wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and also gave unto her husband with her, and he did eat.
Moses 4:5-12

The devil in tempting Eve told a truth when he said unto her that when she should eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil they should become as Gods. He told the truth in telling that, but he accompanied it with a lie as he always does. He never tells the complete truth. He said that they should not die. The Fathe had said that they should die. The devil had to tell a lie in order to accomplish his purposes; but there was some truth in his statement. Their eyes were opened. They had a knoledge of good and evil just as the God have.
George Q. Cannon, Gospel Truth, 1:16

The adversary, Lucifer, through the serpent beguiled Eve and deceived her and induced her to eat of the forbidden fruit. It was not so with Adam. . . . He knew that unless he did partake there would be an eternal separation between him and the partner that God had given to him, so he transgressed the law. . . . Because had he not partaken of the fruit, they would have been eternally separated.
George Q. Cannon, Gospel Truth, 1:24

Chapter 8: The Fall, A: Condition in the Garden of Eden Were Different From Those of Mortality

Before the fall the Earth would not have changed. This is a new doctrine I just learned today, but it seems that man and all of creation existed in spirit form before the fall. That is, they were immortal and unable to change. Were it not for the fall they would have remained the same forever, in bliss and beauty but also never growing or multiplying.

And now, behold, if Adam has not transgressed he would not have fallen, but he would have remained in the garden of Eden. And all things which were created must have remained in the same state win which they were after they were created; and they must have remained forever, and had no end.
2 Nephi 2:22

And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew. For I, the Lord God, created all things, of which I have spoken, spiritually, before they were naturally upon the face of the earth. For I, the Lord God, had not aused it to rain upon the face of the earth. And I, the Lord God, had created all the children of men; and no yet a man to till the ground; for in heaven created I them; and there was not yet flesh upon the earth, neither in the water, neither in the air; But I, the Lord God, speak, and there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground. And I, the Lor God, formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul, the first flesh upon the earth, the first man also; nevertheless, all things were before created; but spiritually they were created and made according to my word. And I, the Lord God, planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there Iput the man whom I had formed.
Moses 3:5-8

Adam had a spritual body until mortality came upon him through the violation of the law under which he was living, but he also had a physical body of flesh and bones.
. . . Now what is a spiritual body? It is one that quickened by spirit and not by blood.
. . . When Adam was in the Garden of Eden, he was not subject to death. There was no blood in his body and he could have remained there forever. This is true of all the other creations.
Jospeh Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, 1:76-77

Adam and Eve were in the presence of God while in the Garden of Eden. They were able to converse with him and learn from him.

And they heard the voice of the Lord God, as they were walking in the garden, in the cool of the day; and Adam and his wife went to hide themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden.
Moses 4:14

Adam and Eve would have had no children had they continue to live in the Garden of Eden. They were in a state of innocence, meaning that they didn't understand about good and evil because they had no way to know of such things. They were neither happy nor sad, just innocent. This does not mean that original sin was sexual relations, which is something other Christian sects sometimes hold, but that without the fall the spiritual bodies of Adam and Eve would not have been capable of bearing children.

And they would have had no children; where fore they would have remained in a state of innocence, having no joy, for they knew no misery; doing no good, for they knew no sin.
2 Nephi 2:23

And Eve, his wife, heard all these things and was glad, saying: Were it not for our transgression we never should have had seed, and never should have known good and evil, and they joy of our redemptin, and the eternal life which God giveth unto all the obedient.
Moses 5:11

He [Adam] had knowledge, of course. He could speak. He could converse. There were many things he could be taught and was taught; but under the condition in which he was living at that time it was impossible for him to visualize or understand the power of good and evil. He did not know what pain was. He did not know what sorrow was; and a thousand other things that have come to us in this life that Adam did not know in the Garden of Eden and could not understand and would not have known had he remained there.
Jospeh Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, 1:107-8

Chapter 7: The Creation C: We Were Given a Unique Role Among God's Creations

We were created in the image of God. This has been talked about several times now in different sections and chapters of this study guide. Clearly, it is very important that we understand that we are the children of our Heavenly Father in a very literal sense.

And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle and over all the earth, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
Genesis 1:26-27

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, basing its belief on divine revelation, ancient and modern, proclaims man to be the direct and lineal offspring of Deity. God Himself is an exalted man, perfected, enthroned, and supreme. By His almighty power He organized the earth, and all that it contains, from spirit and element, which exist co-eternally with Himself. He formed every plant that grows, and every animal that breathes, each after its own kind, spiritually and temporally-'that which is spritual being in the likenss of that which is temporal, and that which is temporal in the likeness of that which is spritual." He made the tadpole and the ape, the lion and the lephant, but He did not make them in His own image, nor endow them with Godlike reason and intelligence. Nevertheless, the whole animal creation will be perfected and peretuated in the Hereafter, each class in its "distinct order or spher," and will enjoy "eternal felicity." That fact has been made plain in this dispensation (Doctrine and Covenants, 77:3).
Man is the child of God, formed in the divine image and endowed with divien attributes, and even as the infant son of an earthly father and mother is capable in due time of becoming a man, so the undeveloped offspring of celestial parentage is capable, by experience through ages and aeons, of evolving into a God.
The First Presidency [Jospeh . Smith, John R. Winder, and Anthon H. Lund], in James R. Clark, comp. Messages of the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 4:205-6

We know that Jehovah-Christ, assisted by "many of the noble and great one" (Abr. 3:22), of whom Michael is but the illustration, did in fact create the earth and all forms of plant and animal life on the face thereof. But when it came to placing man on earth, there was a change in Creators. That is, the Father himself became personally involved. All things were created by the Son, using the power delegated by the Father, except man. In the spirit and again in the flesh, man was created by the Father. There was no delegation of authority where the crowning creature of creation was concerned.
Bruce R. McConkie, The Promised Messiah, 62

Woman was created as a help meet to man; an equal partner. Several parts of the creation account indicate they were created to be equal - she was created from his rib, to stand at his side, she and he were not complete until there was both, and so on. It is only afterward that we see women being treated as number two, not by God, but by fallen man.

And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will him an help meet for him. And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.
Genesis 2:18, 21-24

And I God, blessed them, and said unto them: Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it, and have domion over the fish of the sa, and over the fowl of the air, and ove every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
Moses 2:28

It is written:
"And I, God, created man in mine own image, in the image of mine Only Begotten created I him; male and female created I them. (The story of the rib, of course, is figurative.)
And, I, God, blessed them (Man here is always in the plural. It was plural from the beginning.) and said unto them: Be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it, and have dominion over (it)." (Moses 2:27-28)
And the scripture says,
"And I, God, said unto mine Only Begotten, which was with me from the beginning: Let us make man (not a separate man, but a complete man, which is husband and wife) in our image, after our likeness; and it was so." (Moses 2:26) What a beautiful partnership! Adam and Eve were married for eternity by the Lord. . . .
"Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam (Mr. and Mrs. Adam, I suppose, or Brother and Sister Adam), in the day when they were created." (Genesis 5:1-2)
This is a partnership. Then when they had created them in the image of God, to them was given the eternal command, "Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it" (Gen 1:28), and as they completed this magnificent creation, they looked it over and pronounced it "good, very good"-- something that isn't to be improved upon by our modern intellectuals; the male to till the ground, support the family, to give proper leadership; the woman to cooperate, to bear the children, and to rear and teach them. It was "good, very good."
And that is the way the Lord organized it. This wasn't an experiment. He knew what he was doing.
Spencer W. Kimball, "The Blessing and Responsibilities of Womanhood," Ensign, Mar. 1976, 71)

The purpose of the earth's creation was for us to be tested. Thus, everything in the earth is created for our good. We know how vital it is to have a whole ecosystem in order to support life - that man could never live as a sole species. And, over all this we are the stewards. It is my personal belief and interpretation that we will be held accountable for how we have acted as stewards over the earth, and thus we should treat it with respect.

What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and hohour. Thou madest him to have dominon over the works fo thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet: Al sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field; The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas.
Psalms 8:4-8

Verily I say, that inasmuch as ye do this, the fulness of the earth is yours, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air, and that which climbeth upon the trees and walketh upon the earth; Yea, and the herb, adn the good things wich come of the earth,m whether for food or for raiment, ro for houses, or for barns, or for orchards, or for gardens, or for vineyards; Yea, all thing which come of the earth, in the season thereof, are made for the benefit and the use of man, both to please the eye and to gladden the heart; Yea, for food and for raiment, for taste and for smell, to strengthen the body and to enliven the soul. And it pleaseth God that he hath given all these things unto man; for unto this end were they made to boe used, with judgment, not to excess, neither by extortion.
D&C 59:16-20

The whole object of the creation of this world is to exalt the intelligences that are placed upon it, that they may live, endure, and increase for ever and ever.
Brigham Young, Discourse of Brigham Young, 57

Chapter 7: The Creation B: The Physical Creation Took Place According to the Plan of God

God made a plan for the physical creation. The plan was detailed and it was set out before he began. It encompasses the whole of creation.

All thrones and dominions, principalities and powers, shall be revealed and set forth upon all who have endured valiantly for the gospel of Jesus Christ. And also, if there be bounds set to the heavens or the seas, or to the dry land, or to the sun, moon, or stars-- All the times of their revolutions, all the appointed days, months, and years, and all the days of their days, months, and years, and all their glories, laws, and set times, shall be revealed in the days of the dispensation of the fulness of times -- According to that which was ordained in the midst of the Council of the Eternal God of all other gods before this world was, that should be reserved unto the finishing and the end thereof, when every man shall enter into into his eternal presence and into his immortal rest.
D&C 121:29-32

In the beginning, the head of the Gods called a council of the Gods; and they came together and concocted a plan to create the world and people in it.
Joseph Smith, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 349

Now, the word create came from the word baurau which does not mean to create of nothing; it means to organize; the same as a man would organize materials and build a ship. Hence, we infer that God had materials to organize the world out of chaos--chaotic matter, which is element, and in which dwells all the glory. Elment had an existence from the time he had. The pure principles of element are principles which can never be destroyed; they may be organized and re-organized, but not destroyed. They had no beginning, and can have no end.
Joseph Smith, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 350-52

God created the earth through Jesus Christ. When a building is built there is usually an architect, a foreman, a crew, and many more workers. Would you say it is the person who designed the building who created it? Or the person who oversaw the construction? We call both God and Jesus Christ the creator because they were both involved. God set forth the plan, Jesus Christ carried it forth with the help of others.

And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 3:9

And behold, the glory of the Lord was upon Moses, so that Moses stood in the presence of God, and talked with him face to face. And the Lord God said unto Moses: for mine own purpose have I made these things. Here is wisdom and it remaineth in me. ANd by the word of my power, have I created them, which is mine Only Begotten Son, who is full of grace and truth. And worlds without number I have created; and I also created them for mine own purpose; and by the Son I created them, which is mine Only Begotten.
Moses 1:31-33

It was Jesus Christ, our Redeemer, who, under the direction of his Father, came down and organized matter and made this planet. . . It is true that Adam helped to form this earth. He labored with our Savior Jesus Christ. I have a strong view or conviction that there were others also who assisted them. Perhaps Noah and Enoch; and why not Joseph Smith, and those who were appointed to be rulers before the earth was formed?
Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, 1:74-77

God created the Earth in seven periods and then set the seventh "day" apart for rest.

But first, what is a day? It is a specified time period; it is an age, an eon, a dvision of eternity; it is the time between two identifiable events. And each day, of whatever length, has the duration needed for its purposes. One measuring rod is the time required for a celestial body to turn once on its axis. . . [See Abraham 3:4] There is no revealed recitation specifying that eacy of the "six days" involved in the Creation was of the sam duration. . . . Abraham gives a bluprint as it were of the Cration. He tells the plans of the holy beings who wrought the creative work. After reciting the events of the "six days" he says: "And thus were their decision at the time that they counseled among themselves to form the heavens and the earth." (Abraham 5:3) Then he says they performed as they had planned, which means we can, by merely changing the verb tenses and without doing violence to the sense and meaning also consider the Abrahamic account as one of the actual creation.
McConkie, "Christ and the Creation," 11

Thus the heaven and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day I, God, ended my work, and all things which I made; and I rested on the seventh day from all my work, and all things which I had made were finished, and I, God, saw that they were good; And I, God, blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it; because that in it I had rested from all my work which I, God, had created and made.
Moses 3:1-3