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Genesis 5; Moses 6

And behold, all things have their likeness, and all things are created and made to bear record of me, both things which are temporal, and things which are spiritual; things which are in the heavens above, and things which are on the earth, and things which are in the earth, and things which are under the earth, both above and beneath: all things bear record of me. Moses 6:63

Summary

There’s a fundamental principle that all things have their likeness, pointing to a universal law of correspondence where divinely given earthly, temporal objects and events reflect and bear witness to spiritual, eternal realities. This principle is a central theme in temple theology and scripture, which teaches that all things have their likeness and are created to bear record of Christ, whether they are temporal or spiritual, on the earth or in the heavens. In the Nag Hammadi, the Gospel of Philip testifies, “Truth did not come into the world naked, but it came in types and images. The world will not receive truth in any other way”.

Word Origin–Likeness

Hebrew: The most common word is demuth (דמות). This best translates as “in the likeness of” or “like as”. It comes from the root dama (דּמה) “to liken, compare”.

Sometimes the word for likeness is tselem (צלם). This word is derived from the words “to carve” or “to cut” and is translated as “image” in Gen. 1:27.

Greek: Homoiōma (ὁμοίωμα) The word appears 6 times in the New Testament and in the King James Version is rendered “likeness,” “made like to,” “similitude,” and “shape”. Another Greek word is eikōn (εἰκών) which means a visual representation.

“We live in a world of symbols. No man or woman can come out of the temple endowed as he should be, unless he has seen, beyond the symbol, the mighty realities for which the symbols stand.”

Elder John A. Widtsoe

Likeness and the Law of Correspondence

Likeness or heavenly correspondence appear in the scriptures. Likenesses represent something through an image, form, model, or resemblance. They teach divine truths and foreshadow future reality, especially Jesus Christ.

1. The Temple as a Microcosm of the Universe

The temple is a scale-model of the universe, a place where mortals can find their bearings in the universe.

• Architecture of Creation: Ancient traditions hold that the days of Creation are mirrored in the architecture and furnishings of the temple. For example, the temple veil represents the firmament separating the waters, and the menorah represents the lights of the fourth day.
• Path of “Ascending” and “Descending”: The layout of the temple facilitates a ritual journey where participants trace the footsteps of Adam and Eve in reverse. Moving from the outer courtyard to the Holy of Holies represents a return from the telestial world to the presence of God, a process where the “up-road and the down-road are one” depending on which way the participant is facing. “In other words, just as the route of Adam and Eve’s departure from Eden led them eastward past the cherubim with the flaming swords and out of the sacred garden into the mortal world, so in ancient times the high priest would return westward from the mortal world, past the consuming fire, the cleansing water, and the woven images of cherubim on the temple veils — and, finally, back into the presence of God. Likewise, in both the book of Moses and the modern LDS temple endowment, the posterity of Adam and Eve trace the footsteps of their first parents — first as they are sent away from Eden, and later in their subsequent journey of return and reunion” (Bradshaw, Science  and Mormonism, “Science And Genesis: A Personal View,” 149).
• Reflection of the Heavenly Prototype: Earthly temples are built according to a heavenly pattern or blueprint revealed to prophets. Just as the Tabernacle of Moses was a “type and copy” of the whole world, modern temples are designed to reflect the order and kingdoms of the heavens. Hugh Nibley noted: “the temple is a scale model of the universe” (The Collected Works of Hugh Nibley, vol. 12).

2. The Divine Image in Humanity

God’s children are the most tangible expression of the resemblance between earth and heaven.

• Physical Resemblance: Latter-day Saint scripture teaches that Adam was created in the image of God’s own body.  Joseph Smith taught that if the veil were rent, God would be seen in the very form of a man, “for Adam was created in the very fashion, image and likeness of God” (Joseph Smith Papers, History, 1838–1856, vol. E-1).
• Spirit and Body: The spirit of man is in the precise form and fashion of the physical body (Doctrine and Covenants 77:2). The mortal body is a “clothing” or “tabernacle” for the spirit, and the two together constitute the soul (Doctrine and Covenants 88:15).
• Parenthood: The role of human fathers and mothers is a likeness of our heavenly parents. The resemblance of a child to its mortal parents, such as Seth being in the image of Adam, is a deliberate parallel to humanity’s relationship to Deity.

3. Priesthood Ordinances

Priesthood ordinances are like navigational markers on a sea journey. Each waypoint (ordinance) is not just a marker you pass; it provides the coordinates (eternal truths) and the provisioning (priesthood power) necessary for the next leg of the journey.

• Symbols of Universal Realities: Elder John A. Widtsoe testified, “The earthly ordinances of the Gospel are themselves only reflections of heavenly ordinances. For instance, baptism, the gift of the Holy Ghost and temple work are merely earthly symbols of realities that prevail throughout the universe” (Parrish, Widtsoe, 307–08). 
• Sacramental Similitude: Melchizedek’s offering of bread and wine is a historical type of the sacrament, pointing toward the “true bread from heaven”. Alma equated partaking of the sacramental emblems with “partaking of the fruit of the tree of life,” witnessing the our gradual growth toward the “fulness of Christ” (Alma 5:34). It foreshadows the future day when the Savior will return to meet and eat bread with His people at the “marriage supper of the Lamb”.
• Baptism: Baptism is described as the “gate” that brings an individual out of the telestial world and into the “strait and narrow path”. The children of Israel passed through the Red Sea as a type for entering the promised land. It prefigures the Savior’s own death, descent into the world of spirits, and resurrection. Anciently, it was seen as a “heavenly ascent experience,” signifying a return to the purity of the new creation.
• The Temple Endowment: While baptism relates to justification, the higher ordinances of the temple testify of sanctification—the process of becoming holy and “made perfect” through the ordinances of the Melchizedek Priesthood.
• Marriage and Sealing: These ordinances witness the “divine patriarchal system” that is the foundation of heaven. It serves as a witness that ancestors and posterity can be linked in a “perfect chain” back to Adam, a restoration of the order God designed before the world was created. This ordinance confirms the promise that worthy men may become kings and priests and women may become queens and priestesses in the eternal worlds.

4. Natural Laws

Natural laws serve as a profound witness of Christ by demonstrating a universe founded on unchangeable truth, rational order, and the principle of obedience. In Latter-day Saint theology, these laws are not merely physical descriptions but are “laws of truth” that reflect the character of the Creator.

• Laws of Nature: The laws that govern the physical world are considered laws of truth that God Himself follows. Because nature is not capricious, the order and precision found in the physical universe (such as the exactness of the atom) are seen as evidence that the Creator’s world is also a place of perfect order and precision.
• The Testimony of Creation: Alma testified that “all things denote there is a God,” (Alma 30:44) including the motion of the planets and the variety of life on earth, all of which witness a Supreme Creator.

5. Historical Types and Models

Historical figures and concepts prefigure Christ, serving as prophetic parallels. Such figures act as forerunners or “shadows,” offering a divine perspective on the Salvation Plan, which highlights the Savior’s roles: Creator, Mediator, and resurrected Lord.

• Noah’s Ark: The Ark is described as a “mini-replica of Creation” (E. A. Harper, “You Shall Make,” 54). Its movement upon the waters paralleled the Spirit of God moving upon the waters at the beginning of Creation, symbolizing a return to divine order. It was a mobile sanctuary designed to save a remnant of life from the watery chaos, prefiguring the later Tabernacle of Moses and God’s temple.
• The City of Zion: The organization of society that existed in the heavens was meant to exist on the earth through the city of Enoch. This earthly Zion was eventually “taken to [God’s] own bosom,” representing a total merger of the earthly and heavenly spheres. It set a pattern for a consecrated culture that is to be restored to the earth in the last days
• The Liahona: Represents the word of Christ leading individuals to the promised land.

6. Prophetic Figures as Types of Christ

Prophets act as Christ-like figures, serving as “prophetic similitudes” or “shadows” whose lives, missions, and sufferings mirror the “epic” of the Savior as Creator, Mediator, and resurrected Lord. These prophets, through their specific callings, offer a temporal pattern, helping us understand spiritual laws and the Redeemer’s character.

• Abel: The shedding of Abel’s blood is viewed as a type of the atoning sacrifice of Christ. Abel followed the pattern of his father in offering a lamb—a similitude of the “Only Begotten”—and was martyred at the hands of one called “Perdition”.
• Adam: Adam is portrayed as the prototype of the one to come, symbolizing the future figure (1 Corinthians 15:22). As the “first man,” he mirrors Christ, the “second Adam,” who grants mankind everlasting life. From the premortal presidency to a mortal receiving instruction, Adam’s various roles speak of Christ’s mission.
• Enoch: Enoch is a type of the Savior through his total dedication and his heart, foreshadowing the compassion of the Savior’s sacrifice. His establishment of a city that could be received into God’s “own bosom” mirrors Christ’s work in returning God’s children to the presence of the Father.
• Noah: Noah’s survival and emergence from the Ark prefigure the resurrection of Christ and His emergence from the tomb. As a righteous man who passes through the “door” of a sanctuary (the Ark), Noah foreshadows the high priest entering the Holy of Holies. His emergence from the Ark prefigured Christ’s resurrection, the Christian hope for eternal life.
• Moses: Moses is a primary type of the Savior, fulfilling the prophecy of a “prophet like Moses”. He acted as an intercessor, pleading for the sins of Israel and even offering his life to God on their behalf (Exodus 32:32).
• Melchizedek: As a “king of righteousness” and a priest of the “Order of the Son of God”.
• Joseph Smith: Like Moses, Joseph is considered a prophetic servant whose mission and marring serve as a type of the Lord (Strathearn and Moody, “Christ’s Interpretation Christ’s Interpretation of Isaiah 52”). 

7. Symbolic and Ritual Types

Christ is represented by rituals, which are symbols of universal realities, revealed by God to help people understand Him as Creator, Mediator, and Lord. These rituals guide participants through the Savior’s experience of Creation, Fall, and Atonement.

• The Sacrificial Lamb: The law of sacrifice was given to Adam as a similitude of the sacrifice of the Only Begotten. Specifically, the offering of a firstling of the flock points toward the Savior’s unique, voluntary sacrifice of Himself.
• The Brazen Serpent: The serpent “lifted up” by Moses in the wilderness is a type of Christ, representing both His suffering on the cross and His glorious exaltation and enthronement.
• The Shewbread: The bread offered on the temple table symbolizes Christ as the “true bread from heaven” and identifies with the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper.
• The Temple Veil: In the book of Hebrews, the veil of the temple is explicitly identified as a type of the flesh of Jesus Christ, through which we enter the divine presence.
• The Two Witnesses: The career of the two witnesses in Revelation replicates Christ’s ministry, involving signs, satanic opposition, violent death in Jerusalem, and a vindicating ascension in a cloud.

Conclusion

Think of these types as architectural blueprints. While a blueprint is not the building itself, it contains the same proportions, features, and structural logic of the final edifice. By studying the lines of the blueprint (the types), a person can understand the character and purpose of the actual house (the Savior) long before the construction is complete. By learning to see Christ in all things—from the natural world to everyday routines—we can maintain a constant focus on our Redeemer.