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Methuselah is the son of Enoch, seventh from Adam, and the father of many sons and daughters including Lamech and Nir. Methuselah is also the grandfather of Noah. Enoch was 65 years old when Methuselah was born. Methuselah was 187 when his son Lamech was born. Methuselah was a great prophet. He saw the future, prophesied by the power of the Holy Ghost, and dwelt in righteousness on Earth for more years than any of the descendants of Adam of whom we have record. Adam ordained him a High Priest at the age of 100. He served as a patriarch to the church.
As with all the prophets of the time Methuselah kept a record, a book of rememberance in which sacred things were recorded. Unfortunately these rdecords are lost. Everything we know about Methuselah has come through Noah and modern day revelation.
Three years before Adam died, Methuselah was called to the valley of Ahman-ondi-Ahman along with the rest of the righteous posterity of Adam. At this great conference Adam bestowed upon the people his last blessing. They in turn blessed Adam and called him Michael, the prince, the archangel. At this meeting Methuselah along with the rest of the gathering saw Jesus Christ.
Methuselah knew of the coming of the flood. Sometime before the year 2934 B.C. he began to prophecy that through his loins would all the kingdoms of he earth spring forth. This prophecy would be fulfilled through his grandson Noah. Through Methuselah’s seed many great people would come forth including you and I. From the apocrypha we learn the Methuselah was given this prophesy through a dream. When Methuselah awoke from this dream he was distressed. Perhaps it was this great distress that prompted Methuselah to ordain his grandson Noah, a high priest when Noah was only ten years old. John Taylor said he ordained Noah so young simply because he so anxious to have the prophecy fulfilled.
As the son of Enoch, Methuselah was a member of the city of Zion when all the inhabitants thereof were translated and lifted into heaven in about the year 3013 B.C., but Methuselah was left on earth “that the covenants of the Lord might be fulfilled, … for he truly covenanted with Enoch that Noah should be the fruit of his loins.” (Moses 8:2) During the nearly 700 years from the translation of the City of Enoch to the flood Methuselah was a great preacher of righteousness. It is apparent that nearly all of he faithful members of the church were translated during this time period (Moses 7:27).
Methuselah died in about 2344 B.C., the year of the flood, at the age of 969.
| Genesis 5:21 | And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah: |
| Genesis 5:22 | And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters: |
| Genesis 5:25 | And Methuselah lived an hundred eighty and seven years, and begat Lamech: |
| Genesis 5:26 | And Methuselah lived after he begat Lamech seven hundred eighty and two years, and begat sons and daughters: |
| Genesis 5:27 | And all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred sixty and nine years: and he died. |
| 1 Chronicles 1:3 | [Genealogy of Abraham is set forth.] Henoch, Methuselah, Lamech, |
| Luke 3:37 | [Genealogy of Jesus Christ is set forth.] Which was [the son] of Mathusala, which was [the son] of Enoch, which was [the son] of Jared, which was [the son] of Maleleel, which was [the son] of Cainan, |
| D&C 107:50 | Methuselah was one hundred years old when he was ordained under the hand of Adam. |
| D&C 107:52 | Noah was ten years old when he was ordained under the hand of Methuselah. |
| D&C 107:53 | Three years previous to the death of Adam, he called Seth, Enos, Cainan, Mahalaleel, Jared, Enoch, and Methuselah, who were all high priests, with the residue of his posterity who were righteous, into the valley of Adam-ondi-Ahman, and there bestowed upon them his last blessing. |
| Moses 6:25 | And Enoch lived sixty-five years, and begat Methuselah. |
| Moses 8:2 | And it came to pass that Methuselah, the son of Enoch, was not taken, that the covenants of the Lord might be fulfilled, which he made to Enoch; for he truly covenanted with Enoch that Noah should be of the fruit of his loins. |
| Moses 8:3 | And it came to pass that Methuselah prophesied that from his loins should spring all the kingdoms of the earth (through Noah), and he took glory unto himself. |
| Moses 8:5 | And it came to pass that Methuselah lived one hundred and eighty-seven years, and begat Lamech; |
| Moses 8:6 | And Methuselah lived, after he begat Lamech, seven hundred and eighty-two years, and begat sons and daughters; |
| Moses 8:7 | And all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred and sixty-nine years, and he died. |
| JST Genesis 6:26 | And Enoch lived sixty-five years, and begat Methuselah. And it came to pass that Enoch journeyed in the land, among the people; and as he journeyed the Spirit of God descended out of heaven, and abode upon him; |
| JST Genesis 7:79 | And it came to pass, that Methuselah, the son of Enoch, was not taken, that the covenants of the Lord might be fulfilled which he made to Enoch; for he truly covenanted with Enoch, that Noah should be of the fruit of his loins. |
| JST Genesis 7:80 | And it came to pass, that Methuselah prophesied that from his loins should spring all the kingdoms of the earth; (through Noah,) and he took glory unto himself. |
| JST Genesis 7:82 | And it came to pass, that Methuselah lived one hundred and eighty-seven years, and begat Lamech; and Methuselah lived after he begat Lamech, seven hundred and eighty-two years, and begat sons and daughters. And all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred and sixty-nine years, and he died. |
| JST Luke 3:44 | And of Mathusala, and of Enoch, and of Jared, and of Maleleel, and of Cainan, |
Collected Works of Hugh Nibley.
The Discourses of Wilford Woodruff. 64-65.
McConkie, Bruce R. Mormon Doctrine. 21, 560, 804.
McConkie, Bruce R. The Mortal Messiah. 53, 269.
Smith, Joseph Fielding Jr. Doctrines of Salvation. 1:204.
Smith, Joseph Fielding. Gospel Doctrine. 190.
Taylor, John. The Gospel Kingdom. 103-104.