TRUTH NEVER CHANGES
A
PUBLICATION IN THE SPIRIT AND TRADITON OF TRUTH
MAGAZINE
Y VOLUME 13 SPECIAL
EDITION SPRING 2010 NUMBER 05 Y
O N E
A T A T I M E
For behold, this is
my work and my glory- to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of
man. (Moses 1: 39)
A study of the revelation found in Section 132 of the Doctrine
and Covenants
(CONTRIBUTED)
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
A special thanks to my family for
putting up with me during the many hours I have spent writing this paper at the
expense of their association. Also to
those who have contributed their thoughts to help me in this work and have been
willing to review it while I was in the process of writing it. I thank you, the reader, for being willing to
take the time to read this paper. Even
if we may differ on some points I hope that you will be able to receive some
benefit from what I have written.
Acknowledgments………………………………………126
Preface……………………………………………………127
Introduction……………………………………………..128
ONE ON THE EARTH AT A TIME………………….129
THE KEYS AND POWER OF THE PRIESTHOOD ..140
THE LAW…………………………………………….…148
CONDITIONS OF THE LAW…………………………157
THE STRAIGHT AND NARROW PATH……………163
KNOW FOR YOURSELF……………………………..168
END NOTE ***…………………………………………173
|
I wish to give a special mention of
my own father for his example of a man who remained faithful to the end even in
the face of severe adversity and betrayal.
He has been a constant inspiration in my life and has instilled in me a
love for the truth. If any good can be
found in me I must acknowledge that it is only because I have tried to abide
the teachings that he gave me. My faults
however, are my own. I also mention my
mother for teaching me to love the gospel and who ultimately infused me with an
unwillingness to settle for anything less than the truth.
I must mention those who have given
their lives for the gospel. These have
given me the determination to strive to become more perfect and the hope that I
may someday go where they are. Finally I
must give my greatest thanks to my Father in heaven who has made this journey
possible and has provided a way for me to return to him. I pray that I may someday prove worthy.
PREFACE
To me the real lure, and quest of
the entire Mormon religion is that the family unit may remain intact throughout
eternity. The foundation for this belief
is based on the revelation of D&C 132.
To believe in the Mormon concept that man and woman can achieve an
eternal marriage relationship, requires a basic understanding of D&C 132.
The
modern, mainstream, Mormon understanding of D&C 132 is that a marriage
performed in the temple, through the authority of the President of the Church,
after having received the first endowment, fulfills the requirements for an
eternal marriage. Whereas in the 19th
century the common understanding was that one must live plural marriage in
order to attain eternal marriage, and that there could only be one man on earth
at a time with authority to seal those marriages for eternity.
While these
understandings may be correct, these narrow definitions may preclude a deeper,
broader understanding of Section 132 that is essential to our individual
exaltation.
Why is this broader view
important?
1. It
outlines God’s purpose for creating mankind, and that the goal of our existence
is to obtain exaltation.
2. It
outlines the steps or pattern that must be followed to obtain our individual
exaltation.
3. It
reveals how to identify from whom we may receive the ordinances necessary for
exaltation.
4. It
explains the meaning of exaltation.
After all, some may prefer salvation in a kingdom of a lesser glory and
responsibility.
The purpose of
this paper is to understand the meaning of section 132 of the Doctrine and
Covenants and how it was meant to apply to the individual. The revelation of D&C 132 is the
culmination of the Gospel as preached by Joseph Smith. It reveals the true purpose of the temple and
of temple work. This revelation teaches
us how to reach the point of becoming a co-heir with Jesus Christ. It teaches us that the work and glory of God
is to bring to all of God’s children the opportunity of salvation and
exaltation.
INTRODUCTION
When I was
fourteen I read the Book of Mormon for the first time. Having been raised to believe in the story of
Joseph Smith, I fully expected that when I finished the book I would receive a
marvelous spiritual manifestation from the Holy Ghost, revealing to me that it
was true and from God. Although
captivated by the book, I was somewhat disillusioned and disappointed when my
expectation wasn’t realized. However,
assuming that I had somehow fallen short on my own part, I persisted and read
the Doctrine & Covenants, the Pearl of Great Price, and both the Old and
New Testaments. After finishing these, I
read the Book of Mormon again, and then a third time and again a fourth time,
praying all the while to know from God if it was true.
It
was on my fourth reading of the Book of Mormon that the condition of my heart
must have been right, for at that time I did indeed experience something deeply
spiritual that has been up to now the most marvelous experience of my life
which has been my spiritual foundation ever since. Being very personal to me I will not here
share the details of the experience, but I will say that an overpowering spirit
of love bore witness to me that God our Father does indeed exist and that His
son Jesus Christ is with Him and they are aware of me personally. To some this may seem a simple thing, but
from that experience I learned that God can and does communicate with us on
earth. I then understood that I could
know from God for myself whether or not something is true.
Later
in my life circumstances came about which forced me to re-examine the basic
principles, structure and teachings of Mormonism that I had been raised to
believe. Having the foundation of
knowing that I could obtain personal revelation from God, I was able to
critically examine my most basic beliefs when they became seriously challenged. After a long period of turmoil and searching
I found that the most difficult conflicts I was facing were centered in my
understanding of D&C 132. I had to
re-examine some basic questions.
- Does our exaltation depend upon our association, relationship, or agreement with one specific man on earth?
- Is there really only one man on earth who can seal for time and all eternity?
- Is living plural marriage necessary for exaltation?
After a lot of
reading and pondering I began to realize that I would not find the answers to
these questions without first having a basic understanding of what the keys and
power of the priesthood are and how they are obtained. I also realized that I would never know if
plural marriage was really necessary if I could not get some idea of why
it should be required for exaltation.
The most
complicated contradiction facing me was the idea that only one man could exist
on earth holding power to seal for time and all eternity. This idea comes from D&C 132: 7, “…and
there is never but one on the earth at a time on whom this power and the keys
of this priesthood are conferred.”
This precept seemed to be reinforced in a talk given by Orson Pratt
August 29, 1852 when the revelation was first formally presented to the
church. This along with many other talks
given by church leaders since that time have surmised that only one man can
exist on the earth at a time who can hold these keys. Recognizing that the history of the earth
appeared to be inconsistent with that idea, (or at least with my understanding
of the idea) I concluded that in order for me to make an honest evaluation of
the concept, I had to put those commentaries aside and examine the actual
wording of the revelation itself.
After a lot of study it seemed that
all I could get were contradicting answers.
Finally I literally put my fingers on the phrase itself and asked God to
help me understand its meaning. After my
simple prayer I opened my eyes and the first thing I saw were the words in
verse five, “For all those who will have a blessing at my hands…” Suddenly a whole new understanding to the
idea of “one man on the earth at a time” came into view, which expounded
upon my mind and it all suddenly made sense.
This new realization brought to mind a number of other scriptures that
had before seemed to contradict that verse.
With my new understanding all these scriptures suddenly agreed with one
another and the pieces to the puzzle came together beautifully.
Note to the reader:
Realizing that
I am no authority and that my views can never be the last word on this subject,
I only hope that my studies of this information can be of some help in your own
personal quest for the truth, and that you will consider it with an open
mind. I have found in writing this paper
that my understanding has been greatly enhanced and it has been very uplifting
to me to be able to put my thoughts on paper.
In the spirit of learning I welcome any challenges or comments from the
readers. I have no desire to contend
over these matters except when that contention will bring me to a more complete
understanding of the truth. I desire to
enhance my own understanding and hopefully that of the reader as well.
Chapter 1
ONE
ON THE EARTH AT A TIME
There is
never but one on the earth at time on whom this power and the keys of this priesthood are conferred.[1]
In the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter Day Saints, the President of the church is recognized and sustained as
the only man on earth who holds the keys and power of the priesthood. These keys and powers of the priesthood are
regarded as the power and authority from God to seal marriages, contracts,
vows, etc., for time and all eternity.
While other men may administer the ordinances that ratify these sealings,
their authority to perform the ordinances must come from the President of the
Church who is recognized as the one and only man on earth who has this
authority direct from God. Over time the
keys and power of the priesthood have become known simply as “the keys,” and in
the Church the man who holds the keys is regarded as “the Prophet.” Most Mormons teach and accept that only the
Prophet can hold the keys, and that all other priesthood authority is
subordinate to him.
Before 1890 it was strictly held by
the leaders of the Church that plural marriage was an essential practice for
those who were called to presiding positions.
The practice of plural marriage became known as “the law,” and was so
vital that in 1882 when a monogamist was called into the Council of the Twelve,
he was instructed that he had to take a plural wife in order to stand in the
position he was being called to.[2]
Around the turn of the century a series of manifestos were adopted by
the church to stop the practice of plural marriage in an effort to save church
properties and stop severe persecution from the US
Later, in the 1920’s and 30’s,
stories began to surface about a secret meeting, which had been held in
September of 1886, wherein John Taylor, who was president of the Church at that
time, anticipated that his successors would abandon the practice of plural
marriage. According to these accounts,
John Taylor, under direction of the resurrected Joseph Smith, established an
underground organization, including Joseph F. Smith and George Q. Cannon among
others, and gave them authority to perform plural marriage with the keys to
perpetuate that authority.
Lorin Wooley, who was at the secret
meeting, taught that there was a distinction between the President of the
Church and the President of the Priesthood.
He and those who followed him claimed that it was by the authority of
the Priesthood that the Church had been established, placing the President of
the Church as subordinate to the President of the Priesthood. These men put forth that plural marriage was
still, and would always be, an essential law of the priesthood although the
Church had abandoned it. Those who took
this position became known as fundamentalists.
Eventually differences arose among
the fundamentalists, which led to splits and separations. Out of the many different groups that now
exist, the views on who holds the keys varies widely, but most still hold to
the idea that only one man at a time can hold the keys. Some leaders of the different fundamentalist
Mormon groups claim to be that “one man.”
Some fundamentalists believe that the “one man” was only in the person
of Joseph Smith[***] and
that he will be the only one to hold this power until Christ returns.[3]
Still others of these groups recognize that more than one man may hold
the keys, but maintain that these other men hold the keys “in limbo,” being
subordinate to the “one man.” until he either dies or appoints another in his
stead. Another belief among some Mormon
fundamentalists is that the “one man” (whether Joseph Smith or one of his
successors) died without passing on his authority and therefore the keys are
entirely lost from the earth. Finally
there is the belief that the “one man” exists in the person of a mysterious
Lamanite Prophet who lives in hiding in Yucatan
Over the years there have been so
many disputes, claims, and debates, on who the “one man” is, that it can be
easy to forget where the original “one man” idea even came from. There seems to be no end to the commentary
and writings on the concept. However, only one revelation from God gives the
specific statement upon which nearly all the other writings, statements, and
commentary on this subject are ultimately based. That statement is found D&C 132: 7
“There is never but one on the
earth at time on whom this power and the keys of this priesthood are conferred.”
Looking closely at the wording of
the statement I noticed that the object of the sentence is the “power and
keys of the priesthood,” which is to be conferred upon someone on
the earth. The words, “But one at a
time,” explain how often the object can be given. The question lies in how we are to understand
the phrase, “one at a time.”
Grammatically speaking, the object
of this sentence might be able to be held by many people at the same time, or
might only be able to be held by one person exclusively, depending on the
nature of the object. For example:
twelve individuals hold the supreme judicial office of the United States of
America, but only one individual can hold the supreme executive office. So it becomes important to understand the
nature of the object of our sentence - the keys and power of the priesthood.
The
Question
Can only one man hold these keys
and powers?
Or, can many men hold the keys and
powers of the priesthood at the same time?
According to Orson Pratt’s
discourse on August 29, 1852[4], only one man at a time can hold
these keys and powers:
So in these days; let me announce to
this congregation, that there is but one man in all the world, at the same
time, who can hold the keys of this matter; but one
man has power to turn the key to inquire of the Lord and to say whether I, or
these my brethren, or any of the rest of this congregation, or the Saints upon
the face of the whole earth, may have this blessing of Abraham conferred upon
them; he holds the keys of these matters now, the same as Nathan, in his day.
But,
says one, how have you obtained this information?
By new revelation.
When was it given, and by whom?
It was given to our Prophet, Seer,
and Revelator, Joseph Smith, on the 12th day of July, 1843; only
about eleven months before he was martyred for the testimony of Jesus.
He held the keys of these matters;
he had the right to inquire of the Lord; and the Lord has set bounds and
restrictions to these things; He has told us in that revelation, that only one
man can hold these keys upon the earth at the
same time; and they belong to that man who stands at the head to preside over
all the affairs of the Church and Kingdom of God in the last days. They are the sealing keys of power, or in
other words, of Elijah, having been committed and restored to the earth by
Elijah, the Prophet, who held many keys, among which were the keys of sealing,
to bind the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the children to the
fathers; together with all other sealing keys and powers, pertaining to the
last dispensation. They were committed
by that Angel who administered in the Kirtland Temple, and spoke unto Joseph
the Prophet, at the time of the endowments in that house.
The
first thing that stands out in his statement to me is that he is incorrect in
stating that the revelation was given on July 12, 1843. In fact the revelation was given sometime in
1831[5], or earlier, about the time when
Joseph Smith was translating the Pearl of Great Price from the ancient
scrolls. Secondly, it is important to
note that the date he refers to identifies D&C 132 as the source for his
statement. Thirdly, he identifies the
keys and power of the Priesthood in question here as;
“sealing keys of power, or in
other words, of Elijah… the keys of sealing, to bind the hearts of the fathers
to the children, and the children to the fathers.”
Finally, he derives from his source
(D&C 132) that only one man can “hold” the keys upon the earth. The word “hold” is the word for debate
here. D&C 132 in fact never says
that only one man can “hold” the keys.
The correct wording is;
“There is never but one on the earth at
time on whom this power and the keys of this priesthood are conferred.”
The
position of this thesis is that the above phrase truly means that the power and
keys of the priesthood can be conferred on only one man at a time, but that the idea that only
one man can hold the keys at a time is incorrect.
Finding
the Answer
Most of D&C 132: 7 is
explaining that the keys and power of the priesthood are to empower certain
agreements made on earth to become binding in heaven.[6]
Furthermore, that only God can appoint a man to hold that power
on the earth.[7]
By identifying the “keys and power of this priesthood” as the power to seal on earth and in heaven, the search to learn more about it
can be more focused and productive.
Understanding the Keys and Powers of the Priesthood
The sealing and binding power may
also be known as the keys of the kingdom. Jesus Christ grants this power unto man by
revelation through the ordinances of the priesthood. Part of the power to bind in heaven consists
in making a true record of the ordinance on earth.
D&C 128: 8: Now the nature of this ordinance consists
in the power of the priesthood, by the revelations of Jesus Christ, wherein it
is granted that whatsoever you
bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatsoever you loose on earth shall
be loosed in heaven. Or, in other words…whatsoever
you record on earth shall be recorded in heaven, and whatsoever you do not
record on earth shall not be recorded in heaven…
D&C 128: 14: …And as are the records on the earth in
relation to your dead, which are truly made out, so also are the records in
heaven. This, therefore, is the sealing and binding power, and, in one sense of the word,
the keys of the kingdom, which consist in the key of
knowledge.
D&C 132: 7 establishes that
this authority cannot be given to man except by revelation or appointment from
God. Understanding what is given
in the ordinances that confer the keys and power of the priesthood may help to
discover how and by whom those ordinances should be
performed. Notice in the following
quotes that the Lord himself personally conferred this power upon his servants.
Power
conferred by God
D&C 132: 45, 46: For I [God] have conferred upon you
[Joseph Smith] the keys and power
of the priesthood,
wherein I restore all things, and make known unto you all things in due
time. And verily, verily, I say unto you
that whatsoever you seal on earth
shall be sealed in heaven…
Matthew 16: 18, 19: And I say unto thee, that thou art Peter,
and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not
prevail against it. And I will give unto
thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven:
and whatsoever thou shalt
bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt loose on
earth shall be loosed in heaven.
Helaman 10: 5-7: And now, because thou hast done this with
such unwearyingness, behold, I will bless thee forever… for thou shalt not ask
that which is contrary to my will… Behold thou art Nephi and I am God… Behold,
I give unto you power, that whatsoever
ye shall seal on earth shall be sealed in heaven; and whatsoever ye shall loose
on earth shall be loosed in heaven; and thus shall ye have power among this people.
It was God Himself who conferred upon
these men the power and keys of the priesthood to seal on earth and in
heaven. It is also evident in the case
with Nephi that God gave him that power only after he had demonstrated his
diligence and devotion, proving that he would not ask anything contrary to
God’s will. Notice that in Peter’s case
it says, “I will give,” indicating that he was not actually giving the
power to Peter at that moment, but that he would give him the power at some
future time.
The following verses illustrate
that a patriarch should hold the keys of the priesthood. This power, or authority to seal on earth and
in heaven may be called the keys or power of Elijah. It may also be known as the keys of the
kingdom of Jehovah. Notice that the
sealing blessings are connected with the Holy Spirit of Promise, which is
mentioned in D&C 132: 7, and that it is through that spirit that we can be
sealed.
D&C 124: 124: First, I give unto you Hyrum Smith to be a
patriarch unto you, to hold the sealing blessings of my church, even the Holy Spirit
of promise,
whereby ye are sealed up unto the day of redemption, that ye may not fall
notwithstanding the hour of temptation that may come upon you.
TPJS p 338: … here we want the power of Elijah to seal those who dwell on earth to those who dwell in
heaven. This is the power of Elijah and the keys of
the kingdom of Jehovah…Then what
you seal on earth, by the keys of Elijah, is sealed in heaven; and this is the power of Elijah,
and this is the difference between the spirit and power of Elias and Elijah;
for while the spirit of Elias is a forerunner, the power of Elijah is
sufficient to make our calling and election sure; and [this is] the same
doctrine, where we are exhorted to go on to perfection…
Seeing that these keys were given
to both Joseph and Hyrum, brings us to another belief held by some Mormons
regarding the “one man.” Lynn and Steven
Bishop wrote that when Hyrum received the keys as directed in D&C 124,
Joseph ceased to hold the keys at that time until Hyrum gave the keys back to
Joseph.[8]
They maintain that the keys may be passed from one individual to another
while in this life, but because only one man on the earth may “hold” the keys,
Joseph had to relinquish the keys when he gave them to Hyrum. On the contrary the following quotes
illustrate that many individuals may hold the keys at the same time, that they
are kings and priests unto the most high God holding the fullness of
the priesthood. It can be understood
that all who hope to gain exaltation must obtain the keys and power, or
fullness of the priesthood.
More than one can hold the keys and power
William Smith’s letter to the
Warsaw Signal, Jan. 7, 1846: …I
received my initiation into the highest priesthood lodge, was washed and
anointed, and clad with the sacerdotal robe of pure white, and ordained to be a
priest and king, and invested with all the power that any man on earth ever did
possess… I hold as much power and as many keys to seal and bind on earth, as
can possibly belong to Brigham Young; the power was conferred equally on all
the Twelve, and not therefore
bestowed on one.
Times and Seasons 5: 698: Wilford Woodruff said the Twelve Apostles
had received “their endowment, and actually received the keys of the Kingdom of
God, and oracles of God, keys of revelation, and pattern of heavenly things.”
The Return 2:253: Orson Hyde said the Twelve Apostles had
been given “the keys of the kingdom, and every gift, key and power that Joseph
ever had, confirmed upon our heads by an anointing.”
Journal of George Miller, De Tal
Palo Tal Astilla, p. 120 – 121: Many
of the Apostles and Elders having returned from England, Joseph washed and
anointed as Kings and Priests to
God, And over
the House of Israel, the following named persons as he said was commanded of
God, viz: James Adams, William Law,
William Marks, Willard Richards, Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, Newel K.
Whitney, Hyrum Smith, and myself; and conferred on us Patriarchal Priesthood.
This took place on the 5th and 6th of May, 1842.
D&C 128: 9, 11: It may seem to some to be a very bold
doctrine that we talk of – a power which records or binds on earth and binds in heaven.
Nevertheless, in all ages of the world, whenever the Lord has given a
dispensation of the priesthood to any man by actual revelation, or any set
of men, this power has always been given…
Now the great and grand secret of
the whole matter, and the summum bonum of the whole subject that is lying
before us, consists in obtaining the powers of the Holy Priesthood…
TPJS, p. 322: Those holding the fullness of the
Melchizedek Priesthood are kings and priests of the Most High God, holding the
keys of power and blessings.
Manuscript History of Brigham
Young, Aug. 6, 1843: For any person
to have the fullness of that priesthood, he must be a king and a priest.
D&C 1: 8: And verily I say unto you, that they who
go forth, bearing these tidings unto the inhabitants of the earth, to them is
power given to seal both on earth
and in heaven,
the unbelieving and rebellious.
Considering that the “power and
keys of this priesthood” is referring to the power to seal on earth and in
heaven, and if we accept that the preceding quotes are accurate and true, then
it may logically follow that; not only can more than one person hold these keys
and power on earth, but obtaining the
keys is essential to every person who hopes to gain exaltation in the highest
degree of the celestial kingdom. The following quote
lends support to this idea and adds that those who obtain these keys and power
become members of the Church of the Firstborn and receive of the
fullness of the glory of God. It even
goes so far as to say that they actually become gods themselves.
D&C 76: 52-58: That by keeping the commandments they
might be washed and cleansed from all their sins, and receive the Holy Spirit
by the laying on of the hands of
him who is ordained and sealed unto this power; and who overcome by faith, and
are sealed by the Holy Spirit of
promise, which
the Father sheds forth upon all those who are just and true. They are they who are the church of the
Firstborn. They are they into whose
hands the Father has given all things- They are they who are priests and kings, who have received of his fullness, and of his
glory; and are priests of the Most High, after the order of Melchizedek, which
was after the order of Enoch, which was after the order of the Only Begotten
Son. Wherefore, it is written, they are
gods, even the sons of God.
If we understand that those who
receive the keys and power of the priesthood will go on to become gods, it
becomes important to realize that not only men should seek to obtain the keys
and powers of the priesthood, but women also.
The following verses will show that women should strive to obtain these
same blessings, keys and powers, in connection with their husbands.
An Englishwoman in Utah, p.
321: Fanny Stenhouse said that after
her husband was anointed, then – “…we two wives were anointed in like manner
and ordained Queens and Priestesses, to reign and rule with our husband over
his kingdom in the celestial world.
Doctrines of the Kingdom, p. 411 by
Hyrum Andrus: A priestess is a female
priest – one who exercises priestly rights and powers by virtue of the
priesthood. In this context, a queen is
a woman with a political status and power in the home within the patriarchal
order of the priesthood.
DHC 4: 608: Joseph spoke of delivering the keys of the
Priesthood to the Church, and said that the faithful members of the Relief
Society should receive them in connection with their husbands, that the Saints
whose integrity has been tried and proved faithful, might know how to ask the
Lord and receive an answer; for according to his prayers, God had appointed him
elsewhere.
The meaning of “one at a time.”
There is ample evidence to suggest
that more than one at a time can hold the keys and power of the priesthood, and
that women can hold this authority in connection with their husbands. It can be logically understood that the
sentence in D&C 132: 7 does not mean only one at a time can “hold” the keys
and power of the priesthood, but rather that the act, of conferring the keys
and power of the priesthood, can only be performed on one at a time. Brigham Young indicated that Joseph Smith
himself gave the saints instructions that would support this understanding.
Conferred
one at a time
Joseph Smith Journal History, Dec.
18, 1857:[9] …but one king and priest could be anointed at one
meeting in a private room dedicated by permission to anoint in, and but one
person could be anointed in a day, but in the Temple several could be anointed
in a day.
This may seem too simple for an
explanation of a point that has so much emphasis placed upon it. After all, we are baptized only one at a
time, men generally receive the priesthood one at a time, yet God did not place
such emphasis on those ordinances being administered to only one at a time, so
why should such stress be made in connection with receiving the keys and power
to seal for eternity?
It will be shown later that there
is a distinction between the keys and power of the priesthood. The keys consist of the knowledge of
how to ask God, and obtain an answer.[10]
When we are answered, we can be taught how to obtain the power of
God, which He will personally confer upon us. If we realize that the keys of the
priesthood are conferred from man to man under the direction of god, and, that
the power of God is conferred directly from God to man, then the purpose of
such great emphasis being placed upon this point becomes clear. Only
one man at a time can receive this power because there is only one
administrator of that blessing, and that is Jesus Christ Himself.
Come Unto Me
Furthermore, it is an individual
effort, which prepares a person to receive that blessing from God. Each must pass his own test of obedience to
God, as did Abraham. Each individual
must personally attain the attributes of Godliness, before they can receive the
fullness of the power of the priesthood.
Consider something Jesus said when defining his church:
D&C 10: 67: Behold, this is my doctrine – whosoever
repenteth and cometh unto me, the same is my church.
Repentance is only the beginning of
the process of becoming one with God.
When we, in reality, “come unto Christ,” the process is completed. Most understand repentance to be a literal
thing. Should we not also consider his
words, “come unto me” as being meant literally?
Accepting baptism only constitutes entering into an agreement with
Christ, to accept his offer of salvation.
It remains the responsibility of the individual to fulfill his end of
the agreement with the Savior, by following the straight and narrow path, which
literally leads unto Christ. Perhaps the
path is so narrow, metaphorically speaking, that we can only come unto him “one
at a time.” As the Savior said, “few
there be that find it.”
Baptism does not necessarily grant
a remission of sins at the moment the ordinance takes place. The ordinance constitutes an assurance that
if you continue faithfully and endure unto the end, that you will obtain a
remission of your sins. The Book of Enos
tells of one man’s struggle to obtain a remission of his sins. Surely Enos had already been baptized before
this experience, yet he speaks of this struggle as something that took place before
he received a remission of his sins.
When he finally heard the voice of the Lord, he was told that his sins were
forgiven. If baptism alone constituted
the remission of sins then he would only have had to be re-baptized, instead of
having this great struggle with the Lord in the wilderness. Was not his struggle his literal effort to come
unto the Lord? He at least heard the
voice of the Lord.
Marriage in the New and Everlasting
Covenant is a continuation of the path unto Christ. These ordinances illustrate the path. If the ordinances were changed or diminished
in any way, they could not lead us to our goal. Still, these do not complete the process of
becoming a member of Christ’s church as he defined it. The process is not fulfilled until we come
unto Christ, face to face, where he lays his hands upon us and makes our
calling and election sure.
D&C 10:68: Whosoever declareth more or less than this, the same is not of me, but is against me;
therefore he is not of my church.
Entering the New and Everlasting
Covenant of Marriage is a necessary experience to learn how to come unto
Christ. However, marriage and the first
endowment are only the initiation into that covenant, with a promise that if we live up to every law and ordinance of the gospel, we may become
Kings and Priests, Queens and Priestesses, unto God. Only after we have lived up to every law and
ordinance, proving our commitment to the laws of God, do we truly become
married, or sealed, for time and all eternity.
A qualified administrator who is
directed of God by revelation bestows the ordinance that seals us for time and
eternity. Through this ordinance we are
anointed actual Kings and Priests, Queens and Priestesses unto God. This is known as the second anointing or
second endowment. Only God can truly
know when one is ready for that blessing, and it is God who reveals, to one of
His anointed, when to administer that ordinance. Once this ordinance has been received it is
left up to the individuals themselves to use the knowledge that they have been
given to actually pierce through the veil and receive their callings and
elections made sure by receiving an ordinance at the hands of the Lord.
D&C 132: 5, 6: For all who will have a blessing at my hands shall abide the law which was appointed for that blessing…
And as pertaining to the new and everlasting covenant, it was
instituted for the fullness of my
glory; and he
that receiveth a fullness thereof must and shall abide the law, or he shall be
damned, saith the Lord God.
Our exaltation is no simple
matter. Truly we must change our very
nature as human beings. We must
literally learn how to become Gods. The
ordinances of the gospel and the administrators of the priesthood are there to
help and guide us in that process.
Joseph Smith put it this way:
TPJS, p. 331: The question is frequently asked, “Can we
not be saved without going through with all those ordinances?” I would answer, No, not the fullness of
salvation.
But Satan has
come among us and said to believe it not, so instead of becoming like God,
mankind has become carnal, sensual, and devilish.[11] In order to gain eternal happiness we cannot
follow the easy road, as do most men.
Instead we must hold to the rod and walk that straight and narrow path
until we find, as few others do, that narrow gate and enter into our
exaltation.
D&C 132: 19,
20: “…and they shall pass by the angels,
and the gods, which are set there, to their exaltation and glory in all things,
as hath been sealed upon their heads, which glory shall be a fullness and a
continuation of the seeds forever and ever.
Then shall they be gods, because they have no end…”
Conclusion
The statement in
D&C 132: 7, “there is never but one on the earth at time on whom this
power and the keys of this priesthood are conferred,” is referring to that
blessing that is administered by the hands of the Savior wherein he seals all
our blessings and promises, making our calling and election sure, and confers
upon us the power of God and the keys of the kingdom of Jehovah. It is written to impress upon us that we can
only obtain the keys and power of the priesthood, one at a time, as we complete
the process of coming unto Christ and proving that we have truly become one
with him. We will gain our exaltation “one at a time,”
individually, as we become perfected in and through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Chapter 2
THE KEYS AND POWER OF THE PRIESTHOOD
Verily, verily I say unto you, that whatsoever you seal on
earth shall be sealed in heaven.
There is a saying, “Knowledge is
power.” However, if knowledge is never
put to use then it is of no effect and therefore has no power. Concerning the gospel, although we may receive
all the knowledge and all the ordinances that would enable us to enter into the
Celestial Kingdom, if we did not apply that knowledge and the ordinances, then
it would all be wasted and we would remain as one who knew nothing about
it. Perhaps the saying should read, “Applied
knowledge is power.”
Joseph Smith taught that a man
cannot be saved in ignorance,[12] and that obtaining exaltation
requires living by every law of God and receiving every ordinance of the
gospel.
[13]
No one ever obtained all those ordinances at once, but as the Savior
said, line upon line, precept upon precept.
If at any point in their progression a person were to believe that there
was no more to receive, then that would preclude him from searching for greater
blessings. That is why it is important
to understand that there is a difference between the ‘keys,’ and the ‘power’ of
the priesthood.
Receiving the keys of the
priesthood leads the way for one to obtain power in the priesthood, however,
holding the keys does not necessarily mean that one already has the power. Moses received the keys of the priesthood
under the hand of his father-in-law, Jethro,[14] but he did not have power in the
priesthood until he spoke with God on the mountain at the burning bush. The keys of the priesthood consist in the
knowledge and authority to open the door to behold the face of God who will
teach us to use his power.[15]
The power is governed and controlled by God alone. Man only has power in the priesthood inasmuch
as he is one with God.
In our quest to become one with
God, it becomes important to find someone who can legitimately administer the
ordinances unto us. If the records on
earth do not match the records in heaven then the keys will be of no
effect. Thus administering the keys of
the priesthood requires revelation from heaven.
Once we have obtained the keys of the priesthood for ourselves, taking
the next step requires personal initiative and discipline to use those keys in
transcending the veil to behold the face of God.[16]
TPJS, p.350: Having a knowledge of God we begin to know
how to approach him, and how to ask so as to receive an answer.
TPJS, p. 65- 66: If we are the children of the Most High,
and are called with the same calling with which they (the ancient saints) were
called, and embrace the same covenant that they embraced, and are faithful to
the testimony of our Lord as they were, we can approach the Father in the name
of Christ as they approached Him, and for ourselves obtain the same promises.
The keys open the door to God
God appoints those whom He chooses
to receive the keys of the priesthood,[17] but it is a man who administers
the keys under God’s direction.[18]
The keys of the fullness of the priesthood are administered in the
Second Anointing, or Second Endowment.
Those who receive the keys are called Patriarchs, or Kings and Priests
and Queens and Priestesses unto God.
These individuals have a fullness of the priesthood, meaning that they
have received all that another man can administer unto them. They have the Keys of Elijah, and are
qualified to stand as administrators for every ordinance that can be
administered by man, for both the living and the dead. They are qualified to administer the Second
Anointing as guided by the Spirit of God through revelation. They have received
sufficient knowledge and authority to be able to communicate with God face to
face. However, at this point they do not
yet have the fullness of God’s power, which He will give to man as soon as he
is prepared to receive it.
To better understand the keys of
the priesthood, let’s take a closer examination of what can constitute a
key. A key is something that allows
access to that which would otherwise be denied.
Usually a key is used in connection with a lock or a seal, which is in
place to secure or protect something. A
key may be just an object; or simple knowledge may constitute a key, such as
knowing the number sequence to a combination lock. With a combination lock, anyone who knows the
number sequence has the key. Knowledge
of the combination must therefore be kept secret from all those whom the owner
does not wish to have access.
Some locks that guard enormous
power, like nuclear weapons, may have keys that are very sophisticated. These keys may require a personalized
security code to operate. If the security
code does not match the identity of its authorized user, then it has no
effect. These keys may even require
multiple personal security codes. Thus a
single person cannot access the power without the co-operation of the other
authorized persons.
The power of the priesthood is the
power of God. It is an unbounded, and
eternal power that requires authorization, and a certain level of knowledge to
even gain access to it. It requires an
even greater level of knowledge and authorization to begin to use it. The misuse of that power could be so
disastrous that the knowledge, or key, to use it must be protected from those
who have not proven themselves worthy of it.[19]
The authorization and knowledge to approach God is conveyed through the
ordinances of the priesthood. Even if an
authorized servant of God should alter or change the ordinances in any way, he
would, not only be cursed for doing so, but the ordinance would not convey the
correct understanding, or authorization, needed to access the power of God.
D.H.C. IV,
608: The keys are certain signs and
words by which false spirits and personages may be detected from true, which
cannot be revealed to the elders till the temple is completed… There are signs
in heaven, earth and hell; the elders must know them all, to be endowed with
power, to finish their work and prevent imposition. The devil knows many signs, but does not know
the sign of the Son of Man, or Jesus. No
one can truly say he knows God until he has handled something, and this can
only be the holiest of holies.
TPJS, p. 324: Knowledge
of these things can only be obtained by experience through the ordinances of
God set forth for that purpose.
TPJS, pp. 168-
169: He [God] set the ordinances to
be the same forever and ever, and set Adam to watch over them, to reveal them
from heaven to man, or to send angels to reveal them. It signifies, then, that the ordinances must
be kept in the very way God has appointed; otherwise their Priesthood will
prove a cursing instead of a blessing.
TPJS, p.
350: Having knowledge of God we begin
to know how to approach him, and how to ask so as to receive an answer. When we understand the character of God, and
know how to come to Him, He begins to unfold the heavens to us, and to tell us
all about it.
D.H.C. IV, 207- 212: Thus we behold the keys of this priesthood
consisted in obtaining the voice of Jehovah that he talked with him [Noah] in a
familiar and friendly manner, that he continued to him the keys, the covenants,
the power and the glory, with which he blessed Adam at the beginning…
Joseph Smith explained further that
the power to seal on earth and in heaven is a patriarchal authority which has
the power of Elijah to seal the fathers to the children:
D.H.C. V. 554- 556: Elijah shall reveal the covenants to seal the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the
children to the fathers… [this][20] priesthood is patriarchal
authority. Go to and finish the temple,
and God will fill it with power, and you will then receive more knowledge
concerning this priesthood.
D.H.C.VI, 249- 254: The spirit, power, and calling of Elijah
is, that ye have power to hold the key of the revelation, ordinances,
oracles, powers and endowments of the fullness of the Melchizedek Priesthood
and of the kingdom of God on the earth; and to receive, obtain, and perform all the ordinances belonging to the kingdom of God,
even
unto the turning [sealing] of the hearts of the fathers
unto the children, and the hearts of the children unto the fathers, even those
who are in heaven…
…Suppose the great God who dwells
in heaven should reveal himself to Father Cutler here, by the opening heavens,
and tell him, “I offer up a decree that whatsoever you seal on earth with your decree, I will seal it in
heaven.” You have the power then; can it be taken
off? No.
Then what you seal on
earth, by the keys of Elijah, is sealed in heaven; and this is the power of Elijah, and
this is the difference between the spirit and power of Elias and Elijah; for
while the spirit of Elias is a forerunner, the power of Elijah is sufficient to
make our calling and election sure; and the same doctrine, where we are
exhorted to go on to perfection…
…The doctrine or sealing power of
Elijah is as follows: If you have
power to seal on earth and in heaven, then we should be wise.
The first thing you do, go and seal on earth your sons and daughters
unto yourself, and yourself unto your fathers in eternal glory…I will walk
through the gate of heaven and claim
what I seal,
and those that follow me and my counsel.
It may be that when we learn how to
approach God that one of the first things he will require of us is to look
beyond ourselves in compliance with the greatest commandment of all. We will
have to save our posterity, or ancestors, and all others that we may have
influence over. As priesthood bearers
holding the keys of the priesthood, it becomes our responsibility to assist our
fellowman in reaching that same position to which we have arrived, so that all
who will come may come. Before we can
reach the next level, we must become the greatest servants unto God by serving
our fellowman.
Matt. 22: 37- 40: You must love the Lord you God with all
your heart, with all your soul, and with all you mind. This is the greatest and the first
commandment, and the second is like unto it:
You must love your neighbor as your self. On these two commandments hang all the law
and the prophets.
The keys of the priesthood are
constituted in the knowledge and authority to come unto God for the purpose of
obtaining a higher ordinance, the Second Comforter.[21]
Through revelation God directs when, and to whom, His chosen servants
should administer the keys.[22]
The keys do not constitute the fullness of the power of the priesthood
of God in and of themselves. They only
give a person the means to obtain that power.
Obtaining
God’s power
God revealed in D&C 84, that
His power is made manifest in the ordinances of the priesthood.[23]
After a man has obtained the keys of the priesthood, if he continues to
exercise his faith he will ultimately receive the power of God. The act of conferring that power is also an
ordinance and God himself administers it.
That power goes beyond the ability to bind and loose on earth and in
heaven.[24]
It extends over the elements, over the earth itself, and ultimately over
all creation.
The ordinances that lead a person
to obtain that power should be performed in the temple,[25] but may be performed on a
mountaintop or other dedicated spot.
Obtaining that power requires unwavering obedience to God, and a perfect
character. Transcending the veil, a
person may be further taught how to develop that character. In the book of Helaman the extent of God’s
power was somewhat revealed when God conferred it upon Nephi.
Helaman 10: 6-
10: … all things shall be done unto
thee according to thy word…ye shall have power over this people, and shall
smite the earth with famine, and with pestilence, and destruction, according to
the wickedness of this people…if ye shall say unto this temple it shall be rent
in twain, it shall be done. And if ye
shall say unto this mountain, be thou cast down and become smooth, it shall be
done. And behold, if ye shall say that
God shall smite this people, it shall come to pass.
It was by this
power that Moses divided the red sea and performed the many other miracles in
Egypt and before the house of Israel.[26] It was by this power that Enoch was taken
with his city to the abode of God.[27] It was by this power that Elijah called down
fire from heaven and consumed the priests of Baal. It was by this power that Joshua lengthened
the light of day by turning back the sun.
It was by this power that Jesus calmed the storms on the sea and
performed his many other miracles.
Obtaining God’s power requires a perfect
character. Such that you will do
nothing contrary to the will of the Father, the same as Jesus did none other
thing than that which his father commanded.
Man must truly become one with God in all his actions, thoughts, and
desires.[28] To become like
God, man must become perfect.[29] Nephi must
have developed a level of perfection to have received such great power as he
did.
Helaman 10:
5: …even that all things shall be
done unto thee according to thy word, for thou shalt not ask that which is
contrary to my will.
D.H.C. I: 284: Fellow sojourners upon earth, it is your
privilege to purify yourselves and come up to the same glory, and see
for yourselves, and know for yourselves.
D&C 88: 67- 68: And if your eye be single to my glory,
your whole bodies shall be filled with light, and there shall be no darkness in
you; and that body which is filled with light comprehendeth all things. Therefore, sanctify yourselves that your
minds become single to God, and the days will come that you shall see him; for
he will unveil his face unto you, and it shall be in his own time, and in his
own way, and according to his own will.
TPJS, p. 51: …the nearer man approaches perfection, the
clearer are his views, and the greater his enjoyments, till he has overcome the
evils of his life and lost every desire for sin; and like the ancients, arrives
at that point of faith where he is wrapped in the power and glory of his Maker
and is caught up to dwell with Him.
D&C 93:1: Verily thus saith the Lord: It shall come to pass that every soul who forsaketh
his sins and cometh unto me, and calleth on my name, and obeyeth my
voice, and keepeth my commandments, shall see my face and know that
I am.
Matt. 5:8: Blessed are the pure in heart for they
shall see God.
Rejection of any of the laws and
ordinances of the gospel will prevent a person from coming into the presence of
God. Becoming perfect requires a process
of growth, which comes by obedience to all the laws ordinances of the gospel,
and by receiving instruction from heaven.
If a person can develop a perfect character, then he will have a place
among those who are exalted and share in the glory of God. It is only by attaining to perfection that
man can become exalted, and man cannot reach perfection without obtaining all
of the ordinances of the priesthood.
TPJS, p. 331: The question is frequently asked, “Can we not
be saved without going through with all those ordinances?” I would answer, No, not the fullness of
salvation.
TPJS, p. 51: But we consider that this is a station to
which no man ever arrived in a moment; he must have been instructed in the
government and laws of that kingdom by proper degrees, until his mind is
capable in some measure of comprehending the propriety, justice, equality, and
consistency of the same.
D.H.C. V, 424: All men who become heirs of God and
joint-heirs with Jesus Christ will have to receive the fullness of the ordinances of his kingdom; and those who will not receive
all the ordinances will come short of the fullness of that glory, if they do
not lose the whole.
If a man gets a fullness of the
priesthood of God, he has to get it in the same way that Jesus Christ obtained
it, and that was by keeping all the commandments and obeying all the ordinances
of the house of the Lord.
Joseph Smith remarked that, Abraham
received a blessing from Melchizedek which was “even the last law or
fullness of the law or priesthood.”
That blessing constituted Abraham a “king and Priest.”[30]
It was the key to come unto God and obtain the law, or power, of endless
life. Melchizedek could give the keys of
the priesthood to Abraham, but this was the highest ordinance that man could
receive from another man.[31]
Before he could receive the power of that priesthood, Abraham had
to first pass the greatest test of character, integrity, and obedience to
God. Abraham could not obtain the power
of that priesthood until he passed the test with Isaac.[32]
Nephi passed the test by his diligence and long suffering.[33] Joseph Smith passed the test through his
sacrifices in obedience to that which God told him to do.[34]
The test is unique to each individual who receives God’s power.
D.H.C. V, 556: “Men have to suffer that they may come
upon Mount Zion and be exalted above the heavens.”
Clawson Journal, April 8,
1901: Every man should be determined
to place everything on the altar, even to the laying down of life itself for
the gospel’s sake in order to be truly worthy of this blessing.
D.H.C. V, 554: The sacrifice required of Abraham in the
offering up of Isaac, shows that if a man would attain to the keys of the
kingdom of an endless life; he must sacrifice all things.
Having already received this power
from God, Moses tried to prepare his people that they might also behold the
face of God, but they hardened their hearts and would not sanctify
themselves. They rejected the ordinances
and lost their opportunity to obtain the fullness of the priesthood along with
their opportunity to behold the face of God and enter into His rest, which is
the fullness of His glory.[35]
Jesus taught that through faith men
could have power to move mountains, but how is that kind of faith
obtained? Only by developing the
character that Christ taught us to have.[36]
This character is learned by obedience to all of the laws and ordinances
of the gospel. To obtain the power of
God requires more than merely having the ordinances administered unto us, it
requires obedience unto those ordinances. No one can do that for you, it is an
individual matter.
JD 1: 312 …Salvation is an individual
operation. I am the only person that can
possibly save myself. When salvation is
sent to me, I can reject or receive it.
In receiving it, I yield implicit obedience and submission to its great
Author throughout my life…
D&C 84: 12 see also D&C
132: 7 …There is never but one on the earth at a time on whom this power and
keys of this priesthood are conferred.
(conferred individually)
It is written that when someone is
baptized, they will receive the Holy Ghost as a comforter. The Holy Ghost will bear witness that the
ordinance was accepted of God and that you have entered into the agreement with
the Savior to receive salvation. When
you complete the process of coming unto Christ, you will receive another
comforter to bear witness that you have fulfilled the process, and that all the
blessings and promises you have received are secured unto you.
D.H.C. III, 380- 381: Now what is this other Comforter? It is no more nor less than the Lord Jesus
Christ himself; and this is the sum and substance of the whole matter; that
when any man obtains this last Comforter, he will have the personage of Jesus
Christ to attend him, or appear unto him from time to time, and even he will
manifest the Father unto him, and they will take up their abode with him, and
the visions of the heavens will be opened unto him, and the Lord will teach him
face to face, and he may have a perfect knowledge of the mysteries of the
kingdom of God; and this is the state and place the ancient Saints arrived at
when they had such glorious visions – Isaiah, Ezekiel, John upon the Isle of
Patmos, Paul in the three heavens, and all the Saints who held communion with
the general assembly and Church of the Firstborn.
TPJS, p. 345-346: It is the first principle of the Gospel to
know for a certainty the character of god, and to know that we may converse
with Him as one man converses with another, and that He was once a man like us.
The
appearing of the Father and the Son, in that verse (John 14:23) is a personal
appearance; and the idea that the Father and the Son dwell in a man’s heart is
an old sectarian notion, and is false.
If we are faithful enough to become
perfectly obedient to all the laws and ordinances of the gospel until we
receive all the keys of the priesthood, then our faith will become sufficient
to behold the face of the Savior. He
will then bestow upon us his power, which can even move mountains. As with a mustard seed, our faith begins very
small with, only a belief that God exists.
If we are faithful in nourishing this belief until we become obedient to
all God’s laws and ordinances, then our faith will have grown into a mighty
tree. Then we will have the power of God
because our character will be like His.[37]
Chapter
3
THE LAW
God commanded Abraham and Sarah
gave Hagar to Abraham to wife, why did she do it, because this was the law.
If we are going to obtain the power
of God, then we must learn about the laws that control that power. Just as it would be stupid to give a teenager
the keys to a fully armed F-16 and say, “go have fun,” it would be out of
character for God to extend his power to us without first teaching us how to
use it, and proving our character to be sure that we will use it according to
His law.
Once we receive the keys then God
begins to teach and prepare us to use his power in righteousness. One of the first requirements when we receive
the keys is to enter into the law of plural marriage. This law requires strict obedience unto God
with a stiff penalty for failing to abide by his word. We need the experience of living this law in
order to perfect our character and learn how to balance opposing powers, which
will result in perfect justice.
The power of God is awesome,
incomprehensible to mankind. Possession
of that power requires not only the knowledge to control it, but a perfect
character so that we will use it only in righteousness. Obtaining that type of character will certainly
require experiences that will teach us obedience to the same laws by which God
governs himself. Perhaps this is one
reason why plural marriage was revealed to Joseph Smith. It was possibly one of the most difficult
laws to abide, but one of the most necessary experiences needed to develop the
essential character. The revelation
began when Joseph asked a simple question.[38]
“Wherein did God justify His
servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as also Moses David and Solomon, as touching
the principle and doctrine of their having many wives and concubines?”
After
acknowledging the question, an explanation was given of the blessings, cursing,
and conditions for obeying or disobeying “the law,” but the law was not yet
defined. In verse 28 a specific
definition of the law, which was being revealed, was beginning to unfold.
“I am the Lord thy God, and will give unto thee the law of my Holy Priesthood…”
Obedience
to God
In speaking of
Abraham’s experience, the point is meticulously made that first and foremost,
the law of the priesthood is implicit trust and obedience unto God.
D&C 132:
29: “Abraham received all things,
whatsoever he received, by revelation and commandment, by my word…”
D&C 132:
35: “Was Abraham, therefore, under
condemnation? Verily I say unto you,
Nay; for I, the Lord, commanded it.”
It seems it was
necessary to impress upon Joseph that he also would be required to place
implicit trust in what God told him personally to do, even if it seemed
contrary to previous commandments. This
point was illustrated by the story of Abraham’s willingness to offer up his son
even though the law against killing had been given. Such strict obedience would be necessary
that Joseph would have to learn to do exactly what he was commanded to do, and
no more.
D&C 132: 36: “Abraham
was commanded to offer his son Isaac; nevertheless, it was written; Thou shalt
not kill. Abraham, however, did not
refuse, and it was accounted unto him for righteousness. Abraham received concubines, and they bore
him children; and it was accounted unto him for righteousness, because they
were given unto him, and he abode in my law; as Isaac also and Jacob did none
other things than that which they were commanded; and because they
did none other things than that which they were commanded, they have
entered into their exaltation, according to the promises, and sit upon thrones,
and are not angels but are gods.”
The point was
further impressed upon Joseph that he did not have the right to simply take
another wife without first obtaining God’s blessing. This point was illustrated in the lives of
David, Solomon, Moses, and, “many others of my servants, from the beginning
of creation until this time.” They
all received many wives and concubines, but their actions were only acceptable
inasmuch as they first obtained God’s approval:
D&C 132:
38: “… in nothing did they sin save
in those things which they received not of me.”
While the law of
obedience was being established in Joseph’s mind, the law of plural marriage
began to be revealed to Joseph, which he would be required to live. That law carried with it a blessing like unto
Abraham’s, wherein he was promised that his seed “… were to continue so long
as they were in the world… both in the world and out of the world should they
continue as innumerable as the stars…”
(D&C 132: 30)
Plural Marriage
In verse 34 the
specifics of the law of plural marriage were revealed, which was in answer to
Joseph’s question about men having many wives.
The explanation began by saying that Abraham took a second wife because
God told him to do it.
As with all
God’s commandments, they always have an eternal purpose. The definition of “the law” was given as the
Lord explained why Sarah gave Hagar to Abraham.
“And why did
she do it? Because this was the law.”
Here in lies the definition of the law that God was going to
require Joseph to obey in order to obtain the same blessings that were promised
to Abraham:
The law is to the man
(Abraham) that he should take another woman (Hagar) to be his wife.
The law is to the
woman (Sarah) that she should give another woman (Hagar) to her husband
(Abraham) to be his wife.
Although Sarah
was barren at the time Hagar married Abraham, this was not the reason why she
was required to give Abraham another wife.
As was later proven, God could have easily enabled Sarah to have a child
so that Abraham could have posterity.
The law of plural marriage is an eternal law that not only propagates
the seed in the world, but in the heavens as well. It was only through this law that the promise
of an eternal posterity could be established “out of the world… as
innumerable as the stars.”
D&C 132: 31- 33: “… and by this law is the continuation of
the works of my Father, wherein he glorifieth himself. Go ye, therefore, and do the works of
Abraham; enter ye into my law and ye shall be saved. But if ye enter not into my law ye cannot
receive the promise of my Father, which he made unto Abraham.”
In the marriage
endowment the woman is placed under covenant to obey the law of her husband as
he obeys the law of God. So although the
command was given from God to Abraham, the law pertains to both the husband and
the wife. The law applies to them each as individuals. Sarah, subjecting herself to the law that God
gave unto her husband, gave Hagar to Abraham to be his wife. Abraham, subjecting himself to the law of
God, received Hagar from Sarah. This is
consistent with Joseph Smith’s original question:
“How did God justify Abraham … in having many wives…?”
The answer:
“Because this was the law.”
The Bible is
clear that when Abraham received Hagar to be his wife, he did not put Sarah
away, but loved both women as his wives, which is evident by the fact that
Sarah gave birth to Isaac after Hagar’s son Ishmael was born. Abraham was not the only man favored of God
who lived polygamy. His son Isaac and
grandson Jacob were polygamists, and as stated in verse 38, so were Moses, David,
Solomon and many other servants of God.
These men are renowned in the Bible as valiant men of God[41]. So were they committing adultery? Would God have such high regard for men who
lived and remained in adultery? If so
this would make God a respecter of persons.
Joseph Smith wondered about adultery, and it was explained to him of the
difference between adultery and “the law of the priesthood” wherein a man shall
have more than one wife at the same time.
In
verses 38 – 44 it was explained that adultery is when a husband or wife has a
sexual relationship with someone who is not married to them and that David and
Solomon only sinned when they took wives who were not given to them of God. In verse 61 it explains that, “a man
cannot commit adultery with that which belongeth to him and to no one else.”
In Jacob 2: 28 - 31 it is revealed that one of the purposes
of the law is to raise up seed unto God and that without God’s commandment in
the matter, men should only have one wife.
God expressed his delight in the chastity of women, and said that he
considers it “whoredoms and abominations” to take multiple wives for any other
purpose than to fulfill His commandment.
In commenting on the subject Joseph Smith remarked:
D.H.C. 6:
46: I have constantly said, No man
shall have but one wife at a time, unless the Lord directs otherwise.
It states in D&C 132: 63 that the reason why a man is
given more than one wife is so that they might:
1.
“Multiply and replenish the earth.”
2.
“fulfill the promise which was given by my Father
from before the foundation of the world …”
3.
[Obtain]
“their exaltation in the eternal worlds.”
4.
“Bear the souls of men.”
Notice that the fourth reason listed above is not speaking
of bringing forth the mortal bodies of mankind onto the earth: “…and for their exaltation in the eternal
worlds, that they may bear the souls of men…” Joseph Smith said:
D.H.C. V, 391 …those
who are married by the power and authority of the priesthood in this life, and
continue without committing the sin against the Holy Ghost, will continue to
increase and have children in the celestial glory
Bearing the souls of men as spoken of here seems to be
something that takes place in the eternal worlds beyond this earthly realm. It may be reasonable to understand that one
of the purposes of the law of plural marriage is to bear, not only the mortal
bodies but also, the spiritual bodies of mankind. As mortals we bring forth the bodies of flesh
upon the earth, but perhaps as one of the Gods we can bring forth the spiritual
bodies of mankind. In the resurrection
these mortal and spiritual bodies become inseparably connected.[42] So precious and beautiful is this work to our
Savior that he finished verse 63 with the statement,
“For herein
is the work of my Father continued, that He may be glorified.”
When
we keep the commandments of God, and obey all his laws and ordinances, God’s
kingdom is increased and he is glorified.
If we fulfill the law and the ordinances then we can be privileged to
partake in that glory. We can become
like God, or in other words, we can become one with him. We can dwell in his presence and share in his
happiness and honor.
D&C 132: 19- 21: Ye shall come
forth in the first resurrection; and if it be after the first resurrection, in
the next resurrection; and shall inherit thrones, kingdoms, principalities, and
powers, dominions, all heights and depths – then shall it be written in the
Lamb’s book of Life, that he shall commit no murder whereby to shed innocent
blood, and if ye abide in my covenant, and commit no murder whereby to shed
innocent blood, it shall be done unto them in all things whatsoever my servant
hath put upon them, in time, and through all eternity’ and shall be of full
force when they are out of the world’ and they shall pass by the angels, and
the gods, which are set there, to their exaltation and glory in all things, as
hath been sealed upon their heads, which glory shall be a fullness and a
continuation of the seeds forever and ever.
Then shall they be gods, because they have no end; therefore shall they
be from everlasting to everlasting, because they continue; then shall they be
above all, because all things are subject unto them. Then shall they be gods, because they have
all power, and the angels are subject unto them.
Verily, verily I say unto you that except ye abide my law ye
cannot attain to this glory.
The law of
plural marriage was instituted so that we might receive the fullness of the
glory of God. Under that law a man can
receive more than one wife at a time without committing whoredoms and
abominations, so long as that wife is given to him of the Lord. But if a man can lawfully have more than one
wife, then why not a woman have more than one husband?
Why a plurality of wives?
Since
the woman is given to the man in the New and Everlasting Covenant of Marriage,
it would be unjust to give her to a second man, for that would rob the
first. This may sound degrading to
women, describing them as chattel, however, it must be understood that the
woman is not considered as chattel, which can be bought or sold, but is a co-equal
with her husband. She will be Queen in
the Kingdom of Heaven where the man does not rule and reign over
his wife, but with his wife.
They, together, become the ruling power in their Kingdom.
Perhaps understanding why plural marriage is necessary can
only come through personal experience.
Our willingness to go through these experiences without really
understanding why they are necessary depends upon our faith in the revelations
of God. Still, faith increases with
understanding. One woman who has been
living plural marriage for nearly thirty years had this to say regarding the
principle:
Plural marriage is like the greatest university ever
created for developing your character.
You are required to step out of your comfort zone and become a pillar of
strength while remaining extremely forgiving and workable. In a monogamous marriage, the husband only
has to please his wife with no real consideration for what is right or
wrong. The same goes for the wife. She only has to please her husband. By adding another wife to the picture, each
has to look beyond their selves. The
husband has to learn how to please one wife while still considering the
feelings of the other. And likewise one
wife has to consider the feelings of the other when receiving attention from
her husband. Even how we raise our
children has impact beyond our own immediate family.
The dynamics of plural marriage present us with greater
challenges and requires each to turn to God and ask what is right instead of
only asking what will make me happy. No
longer can we simply consider our own feelings with out also considering the
feelings of those around us. It can
bring out the best in us and the worst in us.
Seeing this in each other we can learn how to love the whole person and
not just the good side. Unless you
develop a personal relationship with God and have a true desire for the goal,
you could not overcome the challenges that plural marriage brings.
We no longer have the luxury of indulging in blaming
someone else for our problems. Plural
marriage requires us to look to our selves when change is needed. Each of our needs is different. True joy comes not by merely seeking our own
happiness, but by seeking our own happiness in connection with the happiness of
all the others. Equality is reached when
each individuals needs are met, and we find success when we have a total
willingness to do what God wants. Plural
marriage involves the deepest ties of the heart and teaches us how to truly
love our neighbor as ourselves.
There were times in the beginning when I wanted to give
up because the challenges seemed too hard, but after nearly thirty years I
wouldn’t have it any other way. I have
seen the love and character of my husband, my sister wife, and myself grow so
much deeper than it ever could have in a monogamous relationship. Having the views of more than one wife enables
the husband to have a more complete picture of what is right and wrong and he
can then become a more just judge. Now
we have a stronger character and a deeper happiness.
As in some schools of higher learning, only those who are
prepared with the deepest determination and commitment will reach success. The rest either fail or drop out. In order to become like God, men and women
must learn how to govern themselves, as well as to govern others, just the same
way that God does. The law of plural
marriage creates a setting in which men and women can learn pure love and how
to implement true justice. This requires
a perfect balance between mercy, and the severity of law.
Finding the Balance
It is written that God cannot look upon sin with the least degree
of allowance and that the wages of sin is death. However, if the severity of the law were
inflicted without the balance of mercy, the result would be the destruction of
all who were ever less than perfect.
This would leave no allowance for development and growth, nor provide a
way to receive forgiveness after making a mistake. On the other hand, if mercy were used without
the balance of law’s severity, the result would destroy justice and God would
cease to be God, resulting in a collapse of his kingdom.
As the children of God, we are all
one family. Our family becomes
stabilized as we learn how to maintain a balance between mercy and the severity
of the law, just like the suns balancing with many planets stabilizes our solar
system, and our earthly home. Learning
to maintain this type of balance is a process of growth. We have to improve upon each step before
taking the next. If we are to become
Gods, then eventually we must learn all the principles of creation and
government. Joseph Smith remarked:
D.H.C. VI, 306 – 307: When
you climb up a ladder, you must begin at the bottom, and ascend step by step,
until you arrive at the top; and so it is with the principles of the gospel –
you must begin with the first, and go on until you learn all the principles of
exaltation. But it will be a great while
after you have passed through the veil before you will have learned them. It is not all to be comprehended in this
world; it will be a great work to learn our salvation and exaltation even
beyond the grave.
Life requires a perfect balance between law’s severity, and
the need for mercy. The Egyptian symbol
for law is a whip, and the symbol for mercy is a shepherd’s crook. These symbols indicate the function of these
two principles or powers. A whip is used
to drive something away while a crook us used to draw something in. The balance of these two forces could be
compared to centrifugal force vs. gravity.
Centrifugal force drives away while gravity draws in. A cosmic example
of these powers becoming out of balance might be a black hole. Because gravity is out of balance with
centrifugal force, gravity causes a complete collapse and disintegration of
everything that falls within its grip.
Viewing the
solar system, a galaxy, the universe, or even an atom, one can witness the
balance of opposing forces at work. In
both the atomic and galactic structures, annihilation is only avoided by
maintaining a perfect balance between two opposing powers. By comparison, opposing forces in human
relationships are justice vs. mercy, or male vs. female. Being opposites, they oppose one another, yet
they are also attracted to, or indispensable to each other.
Learning to
govern a family with perfect justice could be as complicated as learning to
keep the order of the solar system in perfect balance. If a new planet were to enter into our solar
system, it would affect all the other planets, some more than others. For a time, the entire solar system might
become out of balance. If it did not
become stabilized, then the entire structure of the solar system could
conceivably be destroyed. However, if
adjustments were made and the solar system became stabilized, the assimilation
of that planet would not rob any of the other planets of the light they receive
from the sun nor prevent them from maintaining their own orbit.
In human relationships, the plea for mercy naturally
challenges the severity of law. It
becomes the duty of justice to find a balance between executing the penalty,
and granting clemency. Comparing the
role of man to law, and the role of women to mercy, in a monogamous situation,
they would be limited in their ability to determine if granting mercy might
thwart justice. By adding additional
viewpoints of mercy, a more complete picture might reveal that the very act of
granting mercy could inflict the severity of the law where it did not
belong. By living plural marriage, they
can learn how to implement mercy without destroying justice by imposing the
severity of the law unwittingly. When
they learn the perfect balance of severity and mercy, they become a ruling
power of Justice, which is essential to God’s power, and even his very
existence.
Alma 42: 13: …according
to justice, the plan of redemption could not be brought about, only on
conditions of repentance of men in this probationary state – for except it were
fore these conditions, mercy could not take effect except it should destroy the
work of justice. Now the work of justice
could not be destroyed; if so God would cease to be God.
Alma 42: 24, 25: For
behold, justice exerciseth all his demands,[severity of law] and also mercy
claimeth all which is her own; and thus, none but the truly penitent are
saved. What, do ye suppose that mercy
can rob justice? I say unto you, Nay;
not one whit. If so, God would cease to
be God.
Seeing that God would cease to be God if the work of justice
were destroyed, it is no wonder that so much emphasis is placed upon knowing
how to understand and implement the laws pertaining to justice before one can
receive the power of God. Perhaps this
is why He said that all who would receive a blessing at His hands[43]
must obey the law of plural marriage. It
seems logical that obedience to this law is necessary to gain a correct
understanding of how to implement the laws that bring about true justice.
Alma 42: 26: And
thus God bringeth about his great and eternal purposes, which were prepared
from the foundation of the world. And
thus cometh about the salvation and the redemption of men, and also their
destruction and misery.
Penalty for disobedience
In verse 64,
plural marriage is explained to be “the law of my priesthood,”
indicating that the law pertains to those who hold the priesthood. In verse 65 the law is called, as it pertains
to the woman, “the law of Sarah.” Joseph
was told that when a man, “who holds the keys of this power”,[44]
teaches this law to his wife, if she should then refuse to administer, the man
would become exempt from the law of Sarah.
Does this mean that if she refuses to obey that he is no
longer required to take another wife?
A man who holds
the keys may become exempt from the ‘law of Sarah’ if his wife should refuse to
administer as required, but that does not exempt him from the law of the
priesthood. In verse 65 it goes on to
say that if the wife should refuse, it shall be lawful for the man (who holds
the keys) to receive “all things [wives] whatsoever I, the Lord his God
will give unto him, because she did not believe and administer unto him
according to my word.”
When any law is
broken, there is naturally a penalty.
Verses 4 and 6 both state that all who have this law revealed unto them,
and refuse to obey it, shall be damned.
However, damnation in this case does not necessarily mean consigned to
that lake of fire and brimstone, but limited in progression.[45] To use the analogy of flying, someone who
will not abide the laws of aerodynamics will have to remain on the ground. If you do not abide the celestial laws, then
you will not be able to be where God is, or do what He can do, and will
therefore fall short of your goal of exaltation. To attempt to live in a celestial family
structure without abiding celestial laws, will surely result in failure and
disaster.
The
penalty for disobedience is expounded in verse 64, saying that if the wife of a
man who holds the keys should refuse to obey the law, she shall be
destroyed. Apparently exaltation is a
condition which monogamists cannot abide.
Why? If the man is obedient but
his wife refuses to abide the law, then she will be destroyed,[46]
because her unwillingness will result in a separation from her husband, thus
breaking the marriage covenant and invoking the penalty.[47] Perhaps we can get a better understanding of
exaltation by comparing its opposite - condemnation.
D&C 76: 44- 46: Wherefore,
he saves all except them [the sons of perdition] they shall go away into
everlasting punishment which is endless punishment, which is eternal
punishment, to reign with the devil and his angels in eternity, where their
worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched, which is their torment. And the end thereof, neither the place
thereof, nor their torment, no man, knows; neither was it revealed, neither is,
neither will be revealed unto man, except to them who are made partakers
thereof;
It may be that only those who experience exaltation can fully
understand why the law of plural marriage is so essential. However, by studying D&C 132 it can be
understood that the law of plural marriage, if lived according to God’s
commandments, is necessary to provide the experiences that are essential for
our exaltation. This life is the proving
ground to see if we will become what God intends us to be. The choice is ours.
Chapter 4
CONDITIONS
OF THE LAW
Behold, mine house is a house of order, saith the Lord
God, and not a house of confusion.
Section 132 is
probably most well known for revealing the idea that a man and wife can
maintain a marriage relationship beyond this mortal existence. Mormon Fundamentalists also understand from
section 132 that in order to obtain an eternal marriage relationship, a man
must be married to more than one woman.
Although these ideas may be correct, section 132 reveals that no matter
how committed or sincere the individuals may be when entering into the covenant,
if certain conditions are not met the marriage covenant will end at death.[48]
Although a man
and wife may enter into the New and Everlasting Covenant of Marriage, which is
meant to be binding for time and all eternity, that covenant may not
necessarily become binding after this life unless all the conditions and
requirements are fully met. First, a
duly appointed and authorized representative of God must administer the
ordinance wherein the individuals enter into a covenant with God for time and
all eternity. Second, a patriarch
holding the sealing power, which is the holy spirit of promise,[49]
must receive revelation and commandment by the voice of the spirit of God to
seal the covenant.
D&C 132:
7: And verily I say unto you, that
the conditions of this law are these:
All covenants, contracts, bonds, obligations, oaths, vows, performances,
connections, associations, or expectations, that are not made and entered
into and sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise, of him who is anointed, both
as well for time and for all eternity, and that too most holy, by revelation
and commandment through the medium of mine anointed, whom I have appointed
on the earth to hold this power, - are of no efficacy, virtue, or force in and
after the resurrection from the dead;
for all contracts that are not made unto this end have and end when
men are dead.
Once the New and
Everlasting covenant has been sealed, then so long as one does not shed
innocent blood, the marriage covenant will ultimately be in force when they
reach the eternal world.[50] However, once the covenant has been sealed,
they will have to be fully responsible for their sins and the penalty will be
inflicted on them personally.[51] If one should commit murder after their
covenant has been sealed, they would loose all hope of entering into the glory
of God. They would become one of the
sons of perdition and partake of the second death.
Entering the Covenant
Verse 7 begins
by explaining that in order for a covenant to become binding in heaven and on
earth the covenant must be “Made, Entered into and Sealed by the Holy Spirit
of Promise” meaning that the Holy Spirit of Promise (representing God)
enters into this covenant along with the individual on earth.
On earth, when two parties enter into a contract, both must sign it (seal
it). When entering into a contract with
God the same requirements apply. The
Holy Spirit of Promise (God) must put His seal on the contract as well as the
individual on earth. The Holy Spirit of
Promise does this by acting through a third person, or medium. This person must administer the covenant, as
prescribed by God, and by revelation and commandment.
To make an eternal agreement with God for our exaltation one must enter
into the New and Everlasting Covenant of Marriage.[52] Upon entering into that covenant we are called
to become exalted or in other words, to become gods.[53] If we continue faithfully then God will elect
us to receive our exaltation.[54] The Holy Spirit of Promise must then seal
this election.[55] Once the election has been sealed, so long as
we do not shed innocent blood,[56]
and we abide in the covenant, the election will be made sure by
receiving a blessing at the hands of the Lord Himself.[57] When a man reaches this point he is actually
acknowledged as a God.[58]
To give an
analogy; when someone runs for President of the United States he is first
nominated by a political party to become President. This is the calling. After he has been nominated, then he must
diligently work to win the election. On
Election Day, the people choose one to be President. When the ballots have all been counted, one
is chosen to be President and the Electoral College then seals the
election. This is the election. After having been elected, the man is called
the President Elect (compare: “The Elect of God”). Once he has been elected, his presidency is
certain with only one condition; that he does not do something extremely
drastic that would disqualify him of that office (Like shedding innocent blood). After all that, he still is not actually the
President of the United States until the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court has
formally sworn him into office (Christ is the supreme judge of the earth). At this point the election is made sure. Not until this point does he actually become
President of the United States.
Though a man may have great wisdom and knowledge and power, and do many
great works, he may claim to be the President of the United States, but if his
name was never on the official ballot, and he was never recognized by the Chief
Justice of the Supreme Court, then the people would simply exclaim, depart from
us, we never knew you. It is the same in
the Kingdom of God:
D&C 132: 8- 14: Behold, mine
house is a house of order, saith the Lord God, and not a house of confusion. Will I accept an offering… that is not made in
my name? Or will I receive at your hands
that which I have not appointed? And will I appoint unto you… except it be by
law, even as I and my Father ordained unto you, before the world was? … No man
shall come unto the Father but by me or by my word … And everything that is in
the world … that is not by me or by my word … shall be thrown down, and shall
not remain after men are dead, neither in nor after the resurrection… For
whatsoever things remain are by me; and whatsoever things are not by me shall
be shaken and destroyed.
According to this verse, if one is
to enter into an agreement with God it must be according to His conditions,
which require a legal administrator. A
legal administrator must have been anointed through the medium of one who holds
the keys and power of the priesthood.
Qualified Administrator
To better understand what qualifies an administrator, we may look at the
example of Moses and Aaron. Aaron was
anointed through the medium of Moses who was anointed by God Himself.[59] Because Moses anointed Aaron, Aaron became
qualified to administer the covenant to someone else when God appointed him to
do so.[60] When administering the covenant, Aaron would
be acting as a medium for the Holy Spirit of Promise who would seal the
covenant.
A more recent example of this was
with Joseph and Hyrum Smith. Joseph
Smith was appointed to administer the keys to Hyrum and to instruct him how to
use the keys of knowledge so that Hyrum could approach God for himself. Once Hyrum had received the keys from Joseph,
he could then legitimately administer the same blessings to another individual
so long as the voice of God’s spirit directed him to do so. In due time, if Hyrum faithfully exercised
the keys as instructed, God would eventually manifest himself unto him. God would then begin to teach and prepare him
for greater blessings, even until he could receive a crown of honor and glory
and priesthood directly from the Father.[61]
According to section 132, only a legal
administrator can administer the keys of the priesthood. A legal administrator is someone who has
already received the keys of the priesthood himself. The keys are received when someone is
anointed a King and a Priest and receives the patriarchal priesthood. In order to administer that ordinance, the
administrator must receive revelation and commandment from God to do so. When Joseph received the revelation on behalf
of his brother, he was instructed to make Hyrum a patriarch to the
church, and give him the keys to seal for time and eternity. Joseph’s brother William was also given those
keys when he was anointed a priest and a king.
D&C 124: 91 – 96: …my servant Hyrum may take the office of
Priesthood and Patriarch, which was appointed unto him by his father, by
blessing and also by right; that henceforth he shall hold the keys of the
patriarchal blessings upon the heads of all my people, that whoever he blesses
shall be blessed, and whoever he curses shall be cursed; that whatsoever he
shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever he shall loose on
earth shall be loosed in heaven. And
from this time for the I appoint unto him that he may be a prophet, seer, and a
revelator unto my church, as well as my servant Joseph; that he may act in
concert also with my servant Joseph; and that he shall receive counsel from my
servant Joseph, who shall show unto him the keys whereby he may ask and
receive, and be crowned with the same blessing, and glory, and honor, and
priesthood, and gifts of the priesthood, that once were put upon him that was
my servant Oliver Cowdery; that my servant Hyrum may bear record of the things
which I shall show unto him, that his name may be had in honorable remembrance
from generation to generation, forever and ever.
Warsaw Signal Jan. 7, 1846: I received my initiation into the highest
priesthood lodge, was washed and anointed, and clad with the sacerdotal robe of
pure white, and ordained to be a
priest and king,
and invested with all the power that any man on earth ever did possess; power
entitling me to… bind up the Kingdom of God on earth… I hold as much power and
as many keys to bind and seal on
earth, as can
possibly belong to Brigham Young; the power was conferred equally on all the
twelve…
In order for a man to receive these
highest blessings it seems necessary to have already entered into the New and
Everlasting Covenant of Marriage. If we
are to understand that deity is male and female, then it is also logical to
understand that, being united as one, both the man and the woman should receive
the keys of the priesthood. This idea is
supported in the account of Fanny Stenhouse, who later apostatized. She published her story of when she and her
husband and sister wife were inaugurated into this ceremony which occurred
after the Saints arrived in Utah:
An English Woman in Utah
p.321: …my husband one day told me
that a select few had been chosen to receive their Second Endowments, an that
we were to be honored with the same privilege.
This I was told was one of the highest honors that could be conferred
upon us, as the Second Endowments had never been given to any one since the
Mormons left Nauvoo…
…When we reached the Endowment
House, we ladies were shown into one room and our husbands into another. We then proceeded to array ourselves in our
robes, caps, and aprons – the same as when we received our first Endowments –
and when all was ready we were ushered into another room by one of the
brethren, who was also dressed in his Temple robes. There we met our husband and several other
brethren, all dressed in the same way.
We sat down, and oil was then poured upon the head of our husband, by
two of the brethren – Daniel H. Wells, and another – and he was then ordained a
King and a Priest to all eternity. After that, we two wives were anointed in
like manner, and ordained Queens and Priestesses, to reign and rule with our husband over his kingdom in the celestial world.
Becoming a King and Priest unto God, one may still
be limited in the use of God’s power.
This authority has no power unless it is performed in accordance with
the spirit and law of God. With revelation, those who have received the keys of
the priesthood may act as a medium for the Holy Spirit of Promise.[62] Through that spirit they have authority to
seal on earth and in heaven.
D&C 128: 9:
Hence, whatsoever those men did in authority, in the name of the Lord, and did it truly and faithfully, and kept a proper and faithful record of the same, it became a law on earth and in
heaven, and could not be annulled, according to the decrees of the great
Jehovah. This is a faithful saying. Who can hear it?
D&C 121: 36- 37: …the rights of the priesthood are
inseparably connected with the powers of heaven, and - the powers of heaven
cannot be controlled nor handled only upon the principles of
righteousness. That they may be
conferred upon us, it is true; but when we undertake to cover our sins, or to
gratify our pride, our vain ambition, or to exercise control or dominion or
compulsion upon the souls of the children of men, in any degree of
unrighteousness, behold, the heavens withdraw themselves; the Spirit of the
Lord is grieved; and when it is
withdrawn, Amen to the priesthood or the authority of that man.
Joseph Smith explained that one thing that will
identify a legal administrator is that he will be able to obtain the word of
the Lord.
D.H.C. V, 259:
Whenever men can find out the will of God and find an administrator
legally authorized from God, there is the kingdom of God; but where these things
are not, the kingdom of God is not. All
the ordinances, systems, and administrations on the earth are of no use to the
children of men, unless they are ordained and authorized of God; for nothing
will save a man but a legal administrator; for none others will be acknowledged
either by God or angels.
D.H.C. V, 256- 257:
Whenever there has been a righteous man on earth unto whom God
revealed his word and gave power and authority to administer in his name, and
where there is a priest of God – a minister who has power and authority from
God to administer in the ordinances of the gospel and officiate in the
priesthood of God, there is the kingdom of God…
…What constitutes the kingdom of God? Where there is a prophet, a priest, or a
righteous man unto whom God gives his oracles,[63] there is the kingdom of God; and where the oracles
of God are not, there the kingdom of God is not.
As stated previously, someone who holds the keys of
the priesthood, is someone who has been, anointed through the medium of one of
God’s anointed (King and Priest), and has been appointed to hold that power.[64]
D&C 132: 7:
All covenants – not sealed by the Holy Spirit of Promise, of him who
is anointed - through the medium of mine anointed, whom I have appointed to
hold this power…
His priesthood linage, passed from man to man, must
be legitimately linked back to God,[65]
as is represented in the priesthood linage of Moses. Moses received it through the priesthood
linage of his Father-in-law back to a man by the name of Esaias who was blessed
by Abraham. All these men received the keys
of the priesthood from man to man, but Esaias exercised his faith until he
received power from God.
Receiving the keys of the priesthood from a man who has authority, gives
one sufficient authority to perpetuate that ordinance so long as it is done by
appointment from God.
D&C 84: 7- 12: And Jethro received it under the hand of
Caleb; and Caleb received it under the hand of Elihu; and Elihu under the hand
of Jeremy; and Jeremy under the hand of Gad; and Gad under the hand of Esaias;
and Esaias received it under the hand of God.
Because the New
and Everlasting Covenant is a covenant with God, if he did not
participate in making the covenant, he would not have to accept it, and he
could not be obligated to fulfill the promises.[66] Furthermore, if the individual did not
fulfill his obligations, God could not be required to fulfill His portion of
the contract. If God did so for one, He
would have to for all, otherwise he would be a respecter of persons. John Taylor explained:
The
making of a covenant naturally implies two parties: in such cases, God is one, the people the
other. If the people fulfill their
covenant, the Lord is bound to fulfill his; but if man transgresses then the
Lord is not bound to fulfill His engagement.[67]
How could the
Lord accept a covenant unless he made it?[68] In 132 v.7 the Lord outlined the only way in
which one may enter into an eternal covenant with Him. He revealed that no covenant can have any
lasting power beyond this life unless it is made according to this prescribed
manner as he set forth, otherwise the covenant will “have an end when men
are dead.”
Chapter 5
The
strait and narrow path
If there is no change of
ordinances, there is no change of Priesthood…
Wherever the ordinances of the Gospel are administered, there is the
priesthood.
God has commanded us to become
perfect even as He is perfect.
Understanding the importance of obtaining the keys and power of the
priesthood leads one to seek the way in which to obtain them, for God
surely does not give any commandment unless He provides a way for us to keep
that commandment.[69]
How to obtain the keys and power of the priesthood
For strait is the gate, and narrow the way that leadeth unto the
exaltation and continuation of the lives, and few there be that find it,
because ye receive me not in the world neither do ye know me[70]
Joseph Smith taught that if a man
gets a fullness of the priesthood of God, he has to get it in the same way that
Jesus Christ obtained it, and that was by keeping all the commandments and
obeying all the ordinances of the house of the Lord.[71]
If we are to keep all the commandments and obey all the ordinances, then
it is only reasonable that God should expect us to hear and receive all the
laws, including plural marriage, the law of consecration, tithing, and every
other law that God has given unto mankind.
It is also reasonable to expect that we should receive every ordinance
including our first endowment, our second endowment, and every other ordinance
pertaining to the salvation and exaltation of mankind. In order to receive these ordinances it is
reasonable to expect that God will provide someone who can administer the
ordinances unto us. It is also
reasonable to expect that these laws and ordinances should be administered
unchanged from how they were originally given.
For if God is eternal and unchanging, then so must also His laws be
eternal and unchanging. As Joseph Smith
taught:
The Priesthood is everlasting. The Savior, Moses, and Elias, gave the keys
to Peter, James and John, on the mount where they were transfigured before
him. If there is no change of
ordinances, there is no change of Priesthood… Wherever the ordinances of the
Gospel are administered, there is the priesthood.[72]
Plainly if there is a change in the ordinances, then
there is a change in the priesthood. If
there is a change in the priesthood then it can no longer be the priesthood of
God but must be some other priesthood.
But how can you recognize whether or not the ordinances have been
changed, if you are not familiar with what the ordinances are?
Joseph Smith was the one through whom the
restoration of the laws and ordinances were given. If God truly restored all of the ordinances
through him then obviously Joseph had it right!
Although it is not likely to learn all the details of the ordinances unless
you receive them for yourself, there is sufficient information in the
scriptures and historical records to point a person in the right
direction. Through personal study and
prayer a person can learn to recognize if an administrator has changed the ordinances
from the original. Some personal
revelation may be necessary in order to learn who is truly authorized of God to
administer the ordinances. Remember that
Jesus said, “Ask and ye shall receive, seek and ye shall find, knock and it
shall be opened unto you.”
One who is truly authorized to administer these
ordinances will logically understand how to do so correctly. It stands to reason that a truly authorized
administrator will be living all the laws and ordinances of God, otherwise,
they could not have received the ordinances themselves. They must also have a continuous linage of
the fullness of priesthood back to Joseph Smith, and those ordinances must have
been administered unchanged from the original.
In order for the ordinances to be
unchanged then they must be administered in the same way that Joseph Smith
originally instructed. If they vary from
the original then they have changed, and therefore there is a change of
priesthood and it can no longer be the priesthood of God. In connection with that, if there is a change
of the laws, then they can no longer be the laws of God, but must be the laws
of someone else. If the laws of God
could change, then they would not be eternal.
If His laws were not eternal then God could not be eternal and unchanging. If He were not an unchanging God, then it
would be impossible for mankind to have faith in Him unto life and
salvation. If God were not the same
yesterday, today, and forever, then He might change His mind and decide not to
redeem His children and therefore, mankind could not put His faith and trust in
Him.[74]
God is constant and
unchanging. If we are to become like
Him, we must also become constant and unchanging in keeping His
commandments. All of His commandments
are founded in one principle, the love and concern for His children.[75]
As Jesus said, the greatest commandment of all is to love God with all
your heart, might, mind, and soul. The
second greatest commandment is like unto it, to love thy neighbor as thy
self. On these two laws hang all the
laws and the prophets.[76]
Although a person might obey every other law, and receive all of the
ordinances, if he has not charity, then it is all for nothing.[77]
Jesus
set the example
Although it is not the purpose of
this paper to go into the details of the ordinances themselves,[78] it is necessary to have some basic
idea of how these ordinances are administered unto mankind. Jesus Christ led the way for us by receiving
every ordinance of the gospel until his father anointed him. Many of the ordinances he received are
revealed in the New Testament. Even the
title of “Christ” reveals some detail of that which he had received.
The followers of Jesus called him
by the Greek name of “Christ” which means “anointed one,” or, “the anointed of
God.”[79]
This, along with many other examples, gives us some verification of what
that crowning ordinance consists of - an anointing under the hands of God.[80] Joseph Smith said, “All the
prophets had the Melchizedek Priesthood and were ordained by God himself.” [81]
After receiving this ordination, prophesying and obtaining knowledge
from heaven became easy.[82]
Jesus spent most of his life
teaching how to develop the kind of character and integrity that is needed to
receive the blessing from the Father.
His life and death bore witness to the exactness of the law that is required
in order to inherit a throne in the heavens with God. So vital are the laws of justice that God had
to give the life of his only begotten son in order to be able to extend mercy
unto his children who have been cast out of his kingdom. We are to be the beneficiaries of that
sacrifice, but we can only receive the benefit by strict obedience to all his
laws and commandments. This strict
obedience requires walking the strait and narrow path.
Few
there be that find it
When we apply what we have been
given then the way will be opened for us to receive more, even until we can
begin to receive the ordinances of the gospel that lead us to Christ. If we continue and become faithful and
diligent we are promised that nothing will be withheld from us. We can eventually receive even the Second Anointing,
or Second Endowment, which one of God’s servants will confer upon us, and we
will be anointed a King and Priest or Queen and Priestess. We will be inducted into the Church of the
Firstborn, where we will receive the keys of Elijah and become one of the
“Elect of God.”
When we reach this point we will be
true patriarchs and matriarchs to our families, being able to administer unto
them every ordinance and blessing they are capable of receiving. As patriarchs we may perform the work of
Elijah, sealing our family and friends together. We are then capable of participating in that
great work of saving souls until we may present our records to God in
preparation to have our anointing and sealing made sure.
D&C
128: 15: And now, my dearly beloved
brethren and sisters, let me assure you that these are principles in relation
to the dead and the living that cannot be lightly passed over, as pertaining to
our salvation. For their salvation is
necessary and essential to our salvation, as Paul says concerning the fathers –
that they without us cannot be made perfect neither can we without our dead be
made perfect.
D.H.C. V. 554- 556: Elijah shall reveal the covenants to seal the hearts of the fathers
to the children, and the children to the fathers. [Then] the anointing and sealing is to be
called, elected and made sure… having neither beginning of days or end of life,
but made like unto the Son of God, [he] abideth a priest continually. The Melchizedek Priesthood holds the right
from the eternal God, and not by decent from father and
mother; and that priesthood is as eternal as God himself,
having neither beginning of days nor end of life.
Joseph Smith explained that to be a
King and a Priest of the Most High God means to hold the fullness of the
Melchizedek Priesthood, having the keys of power and blessings.[83]
Joseph Fielding Smith added some light on how to become a King and a
Priest, and how to be inducted into the Church of the Firstborn:
Take Heed to Yourselves, pp.112-
114: The Lord has made it possible
for us to become members of the Church of the Firstborn by receiving the blessings of the House of the Lord,
and “overcoming all things.” Thus we become
heirs, “priests and kings, who have received of his fullness, and of his
glory,” who shall “dwell in the presence of God and his Christ for ever and
ever,” with full exaltation.
After we have received all that man
can administer unto us, we will have what we need to transcend the veil and
communicate with angels who will teach us even more until we can learn how to
come into the presence of God. It is
important to understand that there will be some sort of judgment passed upon us
when we come into His presence, so it is imperative that we sanctify ourselves
and do all we can to repair any injury that we may have caused another.
1 Nephi, 11: 19, 22: For he that diligently seeketh shall find;
and the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto them, by the power of the Holy
Ghost, as well in times of old as in times to come; wherefore, the course of
the Lord is one eternal round. Therefore
remember, O man, for all thy
doings thou shalt be brought to judgment. Wherefore,
if ye have sought to do wickedly in the days of your probation, then ye are
found unclean before the judgment-seat of God; and no unclean thing can dwell with God; wherefore, ye must be cast off forever.
And the Holy Ghost giveth authority that I should speak these things,
and deny them not.
Matthew 5: 23- 24: Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the
altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath aught against thee; Leave
there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy
brother and then come and offer thy gift.
When we begin to know our Father in
Heaven on a personal basis, we may eventually receive from him the power to
seal on earth and in heaven along with power over the elements. The Savior himself may then anoint us with
his own hands and confirm all our blessings and promises.[84]
In this way we may make our calling and election sure and have the power
and priesthood of Messiah conferred upon us.[85]
D.H.C. VI, 254: The spirit of Elias is first, Elijah
second, and Messiah last.
Elias is a forerunner to prepare the way, and the spirit and power of
Elijah is to come after, holding the keys of power, building the temple to the
capstone, placing the seals of the
Melchizedek Priesthood upon the house of Israel, and making all things ready; then
Messiah comes to his temple, which is last of all.
When we reach this point perhaps we
will have power over all our enemies, even death. What could then keep us bound to this
world? Would we not then truly be made
free? Free to learn and grow and explore
even the expanse of the universe? Would
we not then be as the gods? If so then
we will have fulfilled the object of our creation and all our sufferings and
trials will seem but a fleeting moment and will seem so small in comparison to
the reward we will then enjoy.
Chapter
6
KNOW
FOR YOURSELF
It is by faith that miracles
are wrought; and it is by faith that angels appear and minister unto men;
wherefore, if these things have ceased wo be unto the children of men, for it
is because of unbelief, and all is vain.
(Moroni : 37)
There has been so much debated
between Mormons, both fundamentalists and mainstream, about who is the “one
man” who possesses the keys and power of the priesthood, that many have
forgotten the warnings of Isaiah and others of the prophets to not to put our
trust in the arm of flesh. Isaiah warned
the latter-day saints that those who would put their trust in the arm of flesh
would be cursed. Some have “wrested” the
scriptures, changing the meaning of Isaiah’s warning to mean the exact opposite
of what he said.
Among Latter-Day
Saints are those who warn against using one’s own powers of reasoning and
prayer in order to understand the meaning of the scriptures. They interpret Isaiah’s warning to mean that,
trusting in the “one man” is the same as trusting in God, since the “one man”
is the arm of God and not the arm of flesh.
They reason further that personal revelation is trusting in the arm of
flesh unless that revelation is consistent with the opinions of the “one man.”
Such reasoning
is dangerous and can lead to deception.
It places another man and his opinions between the individual and
God. Although it is true that we must
have confidence in God that His servants will administer according to His will,
the responsibility to know what His will is falls on each one of us
individually.
D.H.C. VI. 305: …It is the first principle of the gospel to
know for a certainty the character of God, and to know that we may converse
with him as one man converses with another, and that he was once a man like us;
yea, that God himself, the Father of us all, dwelt on an earth, the same as
Jesus Christ himself did…
Blessed is he
who develops his own intellect by reasoning, for he who cannot reason is a
fool, he who will not reason is a bigot, and he who dare not reason is a slave.
John Taylor said
that he would not be a slave to any man.
The glory of man is intelligence, and this is what separates man from
the beasts of the earth. If God gave man
intelligence, then He must have intended man to use it. Remember the warning:
Beware of
false prophets lest they lead you astray!
Many have so deeply believed in the
“one man” theory that they reject, or set aside the commandments and
revelations of God in order to align themselves with the commandments of the
“one man.” Often men who are revered as
the “one man,” will become so filled with the honor and glory of their calling
that they begin to believe themselves to be incapable of leading men
astray. They consider themselves to be
“the priesthood” and as such cannot lead the church astray. This has been the case since the history of
mankind on earth. The Pharos, the Popes,
the Prophets, the Presidents; once they begin to stray from the pure teachings
of the gospel, they seem to always fall into the same old trap. One individual who claims himself to be the
“one man” declared to this writer, “I cannot speak falsely in the name of the
Lord. The Lord would take my life before He would allow me to do it.”
… They teach
for doctrines the commandments of men… (Joseph Smith 2: 19)
It
is not obedience to a man that is required, but obedience to God’s laws and
ordinances. A man may administer the
laws and ordinances of the gospel, but he is not the author of them. If a leader requires the people to surrender
their own judgment to his, then he cannot be administering the laws of God, for
God’s laws require obedience only to God.
Men are called of God to lead by teaching and example, not by coercion
and intimidation.
D.H.C.
V, 340: I did not like the old man
(Palatiah Brown) being called up for erring in doctrine. It looks too much like the Methodist, and not
like the Later Day Saints. Methodists
have creeds, which a man must believe or be asked out of the church. I want the liberty of thinking and believing
as I please. It feels so good not to be
trammeled.
Samuel Richards
wrote in the Millennial Star:
Willing obedience
to the laws and ordinances, administered by the priesthood, is
essential to life and salvation.
Even though a
man may hold the highest authority of the priesthood on the earth, that
authority is only given that he may serve his fellow man, not to dominate
them. The authority of the priesthood,
even the fullness thereof, does not give a man the right to use that authority
to intimidate others into obedience. So
often men who attain to high positions in the priesthood will use that position
to influence men to surrender their own intelligence and judgment and obey the
man with the position. They wield their
authority like a sword, demanding obedience with an implied threat that all who
dare to think contrary to the leaders will be disfellowshiped, excommunicated,
or even damned. God calls it unrighteous
dominion when priesthood leaders use such influence over men, compelling them
to surrender their own judgment and intelligence in order to remain in “good
standing.”
D&C 121: 34-
46: …the rights of the priesthood are
inseparably connected with the powers of heaven, and the powers of heaven
cannot be controlled nor handled only upon the principles of
righteousness. That they may be
conferred on us, it is
true; but
when we undertake to cover our sins, or to gratify our pride, our vain
ambition, or to exercise control or dominion or compulsion upon the
souls of the children of men, in any degree of unrighteousness, behold the
heavens withdraw themselves; the Spirit of the Lord is grieved; and when it is
withdrawn, Amen to the priesthood or the authority of that man… No power or
influence can or ought to be maintained by virtue of the priesthood.
The
gospel was never instituted to suppress freedom or intelligence. It was never designed to prevent the unworthy
from attaining admittance into the Kingdom of God; on the contrary, the gospel
was designed to assist them to do so.
The gospel is not an exclusive club catering only to the “righteous” and
“worthy” souls. Quite the opposite, the
gospel is free to all who will accept it, especially those who are in need of
repentance. As Jesus explained, the well
need no physician. The gospel is
designed to enlighten the minds of man and lead him to a reformation of his own
character. It is not only a call to
repentance; it is a guide to assist mankind in that process. The gospel is an invitation to all mankind to
come unto Christ and be made free from the bondage of sin and the devil.
Alma 43:
27: …whosoever will come may come and
partake of the waters of life freely; and whosoever will not come the same is
not compelled to come; but in the last day it shall be restored unto him
according to his deeds.
God never did give a commandment to follow earthly
leaders without question; quite the reverse, he not only tells us to question
our leaders, but gives us instructions on how to do so.
Beware of false prophets (lying teachers of religion)
who come to you disguised as sheep but underneath are ravenous wolves. You will be able to tell them by their
fruits…[86]
If thine eye offend thee (or he that
is called to see for thee), pluck him out…[87]
Obedience to a leader is only
necessary when that leader is acting in accordance with the laws and ordinances
of God.[88] An individual cannot know if their leader is
leading them right unless that individual has his own knowledge of the laws and
ordinances of the Gospel, and even then it will often require personal
revelation from God in order to avoid being deceived. Joseph Smith at times asked his followers to
do something that was contrary to their nature and understanding, but he never
required their unquestioning obedience.
Instead he always allowed them room to learn from God for themselves
whether he was leading them right.
Although
Joseph Smith did ask Heber C. Kimball to give up his wife Villate to Joseph,
Heber did not comply until he received a revelation from the Lord for himself
to do as Joseph said.[89] It was not unquestioned obedience to Joseph
Smith, which Heber was willing to give, but instead it was complete trust in
the word of God, which Heber received on his own, that persuaded him to do as
Joseph had asked. Heber must have felt
like Abraham did with his son Isaac, when he discovered that this requirement
was only a test to see if he would be obedient to God in all things. Heber was willing to be obedient unto God,
and was obedient to Joseph Smith only insofar as Joseph acted in accordance
with God’s will.[90]
When
Joseph asked Benjamin F. Johnson to petition his sister to marry Joseph as a
plural wife, Benjamin threatened to kill Joseph if he discovered that Joseph
was doing this to debauch his sister.
Joseph did not rebuke Benjamin for this threat, but instead told him
that upon delivering the message, he and his sister would receive their own
testimonies of this principle at the same time, which indeed came to pass.[91]
When Joseph told Mary E. Lightener that it was the will of the Lord that she should become Joseph’s plural wife, she flatly refused him and told him that although the
Lord may have revealed
that to him, the Lord would have to reveal that to her personally before she
would consent to such an arrangement.[92] Joseph did not remind her that he was a
prophet of the Lord, nor did he attempt to use his position of authority to
influence her in any way. Joseph simply
told her that the Lord would reveal that message to her, which did come to
pass. Although Joseph may have made
mistakes, he learned never to use his position to gain influence over his
contemporaries, but instead always trusted in the admonition of the Apostle
James:
If any of you
lack wisdom, let him ask of God…
Rather
that suppress the intelligence and reasoning power of others, by telling them
that they must trust him because he could not speak falsely in the name of the
Lord, or that as their leader the Lord would not allow him to lead them astray,
Joseph always encouraged them to do as Moroni instructed:
Moroni 10: 4,
5: I would exhort you that ye would
ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ… he will manifest the truth
of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.
And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all
things.
D&C 88:
63: … Seek me diligently and ye shall
find me; ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
If
God Himself does not discourage man to question and to think for himself, then
who is man to deny his fellowmen that right and privilege? Joseph Smith was not content to surrender his
own intelligence to that of the learned men of his day, but instead went into a
grove of trees and asked God so he could know the truth for himself. Today many of those who call themselves
followers of Joseph Smith say that a person can do the same thing only if their
answer does not contradict the current living “one man.” They warn against questioning the statements
of the living “one man,” even if those statements contradict all the prophets
who have gone before him. Ironically
these leaders accuse their followers of “pitting the dead prophets against the
living” simply because the followers recognize that their leader’s statements
contradict former revelations. They
discourage people from getting their own answers, teaching that to question the
“one man,” is walking in dangerous territory that likely will lead to deception
and apostasy. Yet the apostle James
says:
If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God who
giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not.
Seek and ye shall
find
Challenging,
or questioning a leader is often regarded as criticism that will quickly lead
to apostasy. Some who call themselves
saints will rebuke those who dare to question what the leaders proclaim to be
the word of the Lord. They will quote
the statement;
That man that
will rise up to condemn the church, saying they are out of the way while he
himself is righteous, is on the high road to apostasy, and will apostatize as
surely as God lives if he does not speedily repent.[93]
When
reading this statement, keep in mind the true definition of the Church as given
by Christ - that the church is all those who repent and come unto Christ.[94]
That man that will rise up to condemn [all those who
repent and come unto Christ] saying they are out of the way while he himself is
righteous, is on the high road to apostasy, and will apostatize as surely as
God lives if he does not speedily repent.
Understanding the true definition
of the church sheds a whole new light on questioning ones leaders. Knowing the truth can truly make you
free. Hopefully this work will encourage
new thought and a deeper understanding of D&C 132, and what it means to
have ones calling and election made sure.
After all the careful study and
research that one can do on the matter, one is ultimately
left to ask God if their understanding is correct. Remember the urging words of Oliver Cowdry,
to never cease striving until you have made your callings and elections
sure. When asking God, do not neglect to
study and ponder to first reach your own best understanding.
D&C 9: 7, 8: Behold you have not understood; you have
supposed that I would give it unto you, when you took no thought save it
was to ask me. But, behold, I say unto
you, that you must study it out in your mind; then you must ask me if it
be right. And if it is right I will cause that your bosom shall burn within
you; therefore, you shall feel that it is right. But if it be not right you shall have no such
feelings, but you shall have a stupor of thought that shall cause you to
forget the thing which is wrong…
The Lord does not answer with a feeling alone. He gives us two witnesses, the
feeling, and the understanding. Even the Lord Himself does not ask us to
believe without questioning. Instead he
encourages us to question that our understanding may increase. When our understanding is correct then the
Holy Ghost will bear witness to us that it is right. After this kind of revelation, we might
consider our old belief and say, what a stupid thought.
Even in
obtaining personal revelation, Joseph Smith instructed the saints to try the
spirits and prove them. What! Question God?
There are
many examples of men questioning the rightness of God’s instruction, but God
did not reprimand them for doing so.
Even Nephi questioned God when he was instructed to slay Laban. Rather than becoming angry at Nephi for
‘challenging his authority,’ God reasoned with Nephi and explained why it was
necessary. In seeking personal
revelation, Joseph Smith gave instruction:
D.H.C. III, 391- 392:
God has so ordained that when he has communicated, no vision is to be
taken but what you see by the seeing of the eye, or what you hear by the
hearing of the ear. When you see a
vision, pray for the interpretation; if you get not this, shut it up; there
must be certainty in this matter.
Most
people do not want to take the responsibility of obtaining personal
revelation. Instead they place a
reckless confidence in someone else to obtain the word of the Lord for
them. According to D&C 131, such
will be damned. Joseph Smith explained:
D.H.C. V.
554: When God offers a blessing or
knowledge to a man, and he refuses to receive it, he will be damned. The Israelites prayed that God would speak to
Moses and not to them; in consequence of which he cursed them with a carnal
law.
CONCLUSION
A person may
become prepared to receive the keys of the priesthood, by living all the
laws and ordinances of the gospel. Some
call it blasphemy to seek to obtain the keys of the priesthood, yet Joseph
Smith says that this is the great and grand secret of the whole matter and the
summum bonum of the whole subject - obtaining the keys and
power of the priesthood. Reaching
that goal will certainly require the sacrifice of all things, especially fear
and pride, which keep a person stuck in false traditions and false
beliefs. Because it is a personal matter
to overcome oneself, obtaining the keys and power of the priesthood can only be
accomplished “one at a time.”
Those who
receive the keys must become servants to their fellow men. Jesus said, “the greatest among you is the
servant of all.” All those who have
the keys of the priesthood have been given a personal responsibility to be
obedient unto God, and receive revelation for themselves, even if their leader
or president should instruct differently.
If the leader should abandon any principle of the gospel or teach others
to do so; the others, who also hold the keys, would only have a greater
responsibility to keep the laws of God alive.
With that responsibility they would have an even greater need to get
revelation and guidance from God.
Consider the story of the prophet
who warned Jeroboam in the days when Israel separated from Judah.[95]
It was an older prophet of God who instructed him to leave his path and
spend the night. Yet, because he obeyed
the older prophet of God, rather than the Lord Himself, he suffered the
consequences and lost his life.
Learning the truth requires
absolute humility, and an unquenchable hunger and thirst for knowledge and
understanding. As in gaining a testimony
of the Book of Mormon, by the power of the Holy Ghost we may know the truth of all
things.
Remember what Joseph Smith said:
TPJS, p. 137: Thy mind, O man! If thou wilt lead a soul unto salvation, must
stretch as high as the utmost heavens, and search into and contemplate the
darkest abyss, and the broad expanse of eternity – thou must commune with God.
D&C 88: 68: Therefore, sanctify yourselves that your
minds become single to God, and the days will come that you shall see him; for
he will unveil his face unto you, and it shall be in his own time, and in his
own way, and according to his own will.
May the words of Joseph Smith ever
ring in our ears:
Brethren, shall we not go on in so
great a cause? Go forward and not
backward. Courage, brethren; and on, on
to the victory! (D&C 128: 22-25)
End Note
[1] D&C
132: 7
[2]
Revelation to John Taylor in 1882: …
You may appoint Seymour B. Young to fill up the vacancy in the presiding quorum
of Seventies, if he will conform to my law; for it is not meet that men who
will not abide my law shall preside over my priesthood…
[3] and I
have appointed my servant Joseph to hold this power in the last days…
[4] Journal
of Discourses Vol. 1 pg. 63, 64
[5] Sacred
Loneliness by Samuel Brody page 27
[6] “…for
all contracts that are not made unto this end have an end when men are dead.”
[7] …whom
I [God] have appointed on the earth to hold this power…
[8] The Keys
of the Prilesthood Illustrated by Lynn L. Bishop & Steven L Bishop pg. 90 -
93
[9] Original
source found under that date in journal of Wilford Woodruf.
[10] D&C
124: 95
[11] Moses
5: 13
[12] D&C
131: 6
[13] D&C
128: 11
[14] D&C
84: 6
[15] A
person may have the key to a car, but that does not necessarily mean that he
knows how to drive the car. The key
merely gives him access to it.
[16] D&C
84:19 … even the key of the knowledge of
God. D&C 124: 95 …keys whereby he
may ask and receive, and be crowned with the same blessing... See also D&C 128: 14- 15 …This,
therefore, is the sealing an binding power, and, in one sense of the word, the
keys of the kingdom, which consist in the key of knowledge.
[17] D&C
132: 7, 10, 59 see also D&C 124: 94, 95, 123, 124
[18] Masterful
Discourses of Orson Pratt Lundwall p. 244, 245
[19] D&C
121: 39, 40 See also
[20]
Equating the power of Elijah with the Patriarchal authority is further
supported in D&C 124: 91-93, 124, and D&C 128 wherein both are defined
as that power to seal on earth and in heaven.
This is the same definition of the power discussed in D&C 132.
[21]D&C
84:19 … the key of the mysteries of the
kingdom, even the key of the knowledge of God.
This ordinance is also known as the Second Endowment wherein a man is
made a King and a Priest unto the Most High God.
[22] D&C
132: 7, 10, 59 see also D&C 124: 94, 95, 123, 124
[23] D&C
84: 20, 21
[24] D&C
132: 46-48
[25]DHC IV, 608: The rich
can only get them in the temple, the poor may get them on the mountaintop as
did Moses. Book B, Minutes of
Seventies Record, Sunday, Dec. 29, 1845, pp. 135-136: The second token of the Melchizedek
Priesthood is to be given only in one place and nowhere else. These signs and tokens that pertain to the
priesthood should never be given anywhere, only in such places as belong to the
Priesthood and that too by none but such as belong to the order of the Priesthood.
[26] D&C
84: 6, see also Moses 1: 2
[27] Moses
7:4
[28] John 5:
19, John 7: 16, John 17:21-23, Mat: 10 37-39 Be one with Christ as He is One
with the Father.
[29] Be ye
therefore perfect, even as I or your Father in Heaven is perfect. See also Discourses of the Prophet Joseph
Smith by Alma P. Burton page 4
[30] Words
of Joseph Smith p. 246
[31] D.H.C.
V 554 – 555: Abraham says to
Melchizedek, I believe all that thou hast taught me concerning the priesthood
and the coming of the Son of Man; so Melchizedek ordained Abraham and sent him
away. Abraham rejoiced, saying, Now I
have a priesthood.
[32] Words
of Joseph Smith p.245
[33] Helaman
10: 4, 5
[34] D&C
132: 50
[35] D&C
84: 23-25 See Also D.H.C. V, 554: The Israelites prayed that God would speak
to Moses and not to them; in consequence of which he cursed them with a carnal
law.
[36] See
Sermon on the Mount
[37] Mark 4:
3-23, 24, 25
[38] D&C
132:1
[39] See
Jacob 2: 30: “… I will command my
people…”
[40] See
verse 65: … I commanded Abraham to take
Hagar to wife.
[41] Altho ~ugh in Jacob 2:24 the Lord calls the actions
of David and Solomon abominable, In D&C 132:38 the Lord explains that in
nothing did they sin save in those things which they did not receive of the
Lord.
[42] See
Alma 11:42-45
[43] D&C
132: 5
[44] This
statement might possibly indicate that, a man who does not hold the keys of
this power would not be exempt from the law of Sarah.
[45] See
D&C 131:1-4 and also D&C 132:16,17
[46] D&C
132: 54
[47] Emma
Smith was the first wife of Joseph Smith, however she was the 18th
woman sealed to the Prophet for time and all eternity as a result of her
reluctance to accept this law. (temple
records)
[48] D&C
132: 15
[49] D&C
124: 124
[50] D&C
132: 19
[51] D&C
132: 26
[52] See
D&C 131: 1- 4
[53] See
temple marriage ceremony.
[54] When we
are elected of God, we are appointed to hold the keys of the
priesthood. (See D&C 124: 91-95 also
v. 124)
[55] The
Holy Spirit of Promise acts trough a medium and seals the election by anointing
the newly elected and showing unto him the keys whereby he may ask and receive,
and he is crowned with blessings, honor, glory, priesthood, and gifts of the
priesthood. (See D&C 124: 95 and
D&C 132: 7)
[56] D&C
132: 19, 26, 27
[57] D&C
132: 5, D&C 84: 12, D&C 132: 45 For I have conferred… See instructions
that Oliver gave to the twelve – Autobiography of Parley P. Pratt revised and
enhanced edition c 2000 p. 146 - 153
[58] D&C
132: 19, 20 See also 4th Lecture on
Faith – Attributes of God.
[59] This is
only an example for clarification. This
writer knows of no specific record where God actually anointed Moses, although
it seems almost certain that He did. See
D&C 84: 6- 13 as well as The Book of Moses chapter 1.
[60] See
D&C 132: 59
[61] D&C
124: 95 and 132: 7
[62] D&C
132: 7 …him who is anointed… through the medium of mine anointed whom I have
appointed on the earth to hold this power.
See also D&C 132: 59 “If a
man be called… as was Aaron…” God called Aaron through the medium of Moses who
had already been anointed of God. Moses
acted as a medium when he administered the ordinance to Aaron. Moses gave Aaron the keys of the priesthood,
which gave Aaron the authority to seal for time and eternity, however, Aaron
still did not have the fullness of the power of God which is only administered
by God Himself. Although Aaron had the
keys of the power of the priesthood, he could only use that power under the
condition that he acted according to the law of God, and according to the word
of God.
[63] A
command or revelation from God – The American Heritage Dictionary
[64] D&C
132: 7
[65] D&C
84: 6- 12, note that the priesthood linage of Moses went through his father in
law, Jethro, until it reached Esaias who, although he was blessed of Abraham,
he received the fullness of the power of the priesthood directly from God. It is interesting to note that the other name
of Jethro is Reuel (Exodus 2: 18) which means “Friend of God” (see footnote
56) The apostles are called the Friends
of God. (D&C 84: 63)
[66]D&C 132: 9, 10. Will I accept of an offering, saith the Lord,
that is not made in my name? Or will I receive at your hands that which I have
not appointed?
[67] The
Government of God by John Taylor page 50.
[68] D&C
132: 11, 12
[69] 1 Nephi
3: 7
[70] D&C
132: 22
[71] D.H.C.
V, p. 424
[72] TPJS p.
158, DHC III p. 383- 392
[73] The
details of the ordinances are contained in Mysteries of Godliness by
David John Buerger
[74] See
Lectures on Faith
[75] Moses
1: 39
[76] Mat.
22: 34- 40
[77] Moroni
7: 40- 48
[78] For
information on the details of the ordinances see Mysteries of Godliness
by Ddavid John Buerger.
[79] Strong’s
Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible 2001 edition
[80]
Anointing means to smear with oil by touch meaning that to be anointed of God
requires God to actually anoint one with oil with His own hands.
[81] Franklin
D. Richards and Elder James A. Little, A Compendium of the Doctrines of the
gospel, 1925 Edition, pp. 270-271, see also Genesis 8: 7 Inspired Version
[82] D&C
128: 11
[83] TPJS p.
322
[84] D&C
132 45, 46 Note that God is the one who conferred the keys and power of the
priesthood upon Joseph. This blessing is
the one referred to in 132: 5, which says, all who will have a blessing at
my hands…Also note that it was God who conferred the power upon Nephi in
Helaman 10: 7, and it was the Savior who conferred this power upon the apostles
after the resurrection. See John 20: 22,
23
[85] See
TPJS p. 150, 151
[86] Mathew
7: 15, 16 Jerusalem Bible. See
also 3 Nephi 14: 15- 20
[87] Mathew
5: 29, 30 Joseph Smith Translation
[88] If a
husband forsook his responsibilities his wife would not then loose her
obligations to the family. Rather, her
duty would be compounded. It is the same
with those who hold the keys of the priesthood.
[89] When
Heber brought his wife to Joseph, Joseph declared that Heber had passed the
test and then sealed Heber and Villate together for time and eternity.
[90] See Life
History of Heber C. Kimball
[91] See My
Life’s Review by Benjamin F. Johnson
[92] See Mary
Elizabeth Rollins Lightener Smith Pioneer Press
[93] See
TPJS for reference
[94] See
D&C 10: 67, 68
[95] I Kings
13
*** Note: D&C 43: 3 – 7 speaks about Joseph Smith
being the only one appointed to receive commandments and revelations for the
church until he be taken. Understanding
that the perpetuation of the keys of the priesthood require revelation, some
may suppose that this revelation establishes the idea that only one man can
hold the keys. However, this revelation may speak more specifically of Joseph
Smith’s appointment to restore, or establish the pattern of the gospel.
Further, that any who may be appointed in the future to receive revelations and
commandments must “come in at the gate” and receive a legitimate appointment,
and that none would receive that appointment except through the authority of
Joseph Smith, or in other words that they could trace their priesthood linage
to him. D&C 43 emphasizes the principle that there is always one who is
appointed to preside over the body and that any revelation or command from God
to the church should come through that position.
This concept is reinforced
and clarified in a revelation given to Wilford Woodruff in 1880: … and while my servant John is your
President, I wish to ask the rest of my servants of the Apostles the question,
although you have one to preside over your Quorum, which is the order of God in
all generations, do you not, all of you, hold the apostleship, which is
the highest authority ever given to men on earth? You do.
Therefore you hold in common the Keys of the Kingdom of God in
all the world.
You each of you
have the power to unlock the veil of eternity and hold converse with God the
Father, and His Son Jesus Christ and to have the ministration of angels.
It is your right,
privilege and duty to inquire of the Lord as to His mind and will
concerning yourselves and the inhabitants of Zion and their interests.
And whenever any one of
you receives the word of the Lord, let it be written and presented in your
councils and whatever by united consent you deem wisdom to be presented unto
the people, let it be presented by the President, my servant John Taylor, as
the word of the Lord. In this way you will uphold him an strengthen his hands,
as all the burden should not lie upon one man.
No comments:
Post a Comment