“Restoration of the Priesthood”

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Lesson Date: 02/19/2023

Lesson: 8

Week: 8

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“Restoration of the Priesthood”

Published 02/13/2023 by Randal S. Chase

Church History Lesson 08 (D&C 13,27,84,107; JSH 66–73)
February 13-19

THE RESTORATION OF THE AARONIC PRIESTHOOD

● The Prophet Joseph Smith described the circumstances surrounding the restoration of the Aaronic priesthood (JS–History 68–72).

● The words spoken by John the Baptist to Joseph and Oliver (D&C 13:1).

“Upon you my fellow servants, in the name of Messiah I confer the Priesthood of Aaron, which holds the keys of the ministering of angels, and of the gospel of repentance, and of baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; and this shall never be taken again from the earth, until the sons of Levi do offer again an offering unto the Lord in righteousness.”

●   The keys associated with the Aaronic priesthood (D&C 84:26–27).
—   The ministering of angels.
—   The preparatory gospel—the gospel of repentance and of baptism, and the remission of sins, and the law of carnal commandments.
—   It is an appendage to the Melchizedek priesthood.

● The Ministering of Angels (D&C 107:20, 14).

President Gordon B). Hinckley said, “That means . . . that if you live worthy of the priesthood, you have the right to receive and enjoy the very power of heavenly beings to guide you, to protect you, to bless you.”1

President Wilford Woodruff said, “I had the administration of angels while holding the office of a priest. I had visions and revelations. I traveled thousands of miles. I baptized men, though I could not confirm them because I had not the authority to do it. I speak of these things to show that a man should not be ashamed of any portion of the priesthood.”2

Elder Dallin H. Oaks said, “[The ministering of angels can occur through personal appearances and] “can also be unseen. Angelic messages can be delivered by a voice or merely by thoughts or feelings communicated to the mind. . . .Most angelic communications are felt or heard rather than seen.”3

● Never . . . Taken Again from the Earth

Elder Joseph Fielding Smith said, “We may be sure that the Aaronic priesthood will never be taken from the earth while mortality endures, for there will always be need for temporal direction and the performance of ordinances pertaining to ‘the preparatory Gospel.’”4

THE RESTORATION OF THE MELCHIZEDEK PRIESTHOOD

● Some weeks after John the Baptist restored the Aaronic priesthood, Peter, James, and John appeared to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery and conferred upon them the Melchizedek priesthood.

● Heading, D&C 13 An account of this experience is not included in the Doctrine and Covenants, but references to it can be found in these scriptures (D&C 13:Heading; D&C 27:12–13).

The Keys Associated with the Melchizedek Priesthood:

●   D&C 84:19–22
—   The authority to administer the gospel of Jesus Christ
—   Knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom and knowledge of God
—   The ability to see the face of God (obtain exaltation).

●   D&C 107:8–12, 18–19
—   The keys of the spiritual blessings of the Church
—   The right to have the heavens opened & receive the “mysteries” (revelation)
—   The right to commune with heavenly beings

●   D&C 110:11–16
—       The keys of the gathering of Israel
—   The gospel of the dispensation of Abraham
—   The sealing power.

A Comparison of the Two Priesthoods:

Aaronic Priesthood Melchizedek Priesthood

1. Holds the keys of the ministering 1. Administers the gospel (D&C
of angels (D&C 84:26) 84:19) and holds the keys to the spiritual blessings of the Church (D&C 107:18)

2.   Administers the preparatory                    2.   Holds the keys of the mysteries
gospel (D&C 84:26), including:                          of the kingdom (D&C 107:19;
a.   Faith 84:19)
b.   Repentance
c.   Baptism for remission of sins
d.   The law of carnal commandments

3. Officiates in temporal matters 3. Necessary to see God and live
(D&C 20:46–59) (D&C 107:19; 84:22)

● Following the time of Moses the greater priesthood was withdrawn from the people as a whole because of their unrighteousness (D&C 84:23–28).

● Only the Aaronic Priesthood continued among the tribe of Levi, John the Baptist being the last to receive it before the ministry of Christ.

THE THREE GRAND ORDERS OF THE PRIESTHOOD

The Prophet Joseph Smith said:

“There are three grand orders of priesthood. . . .

“1st. . . . What was the power of Melchizedek? ‘Twas not the Priesthood of Aaron which administers in outward ordinances, and the offering of sacrifices. Those holding the fullness of the Melchizedek Priesthood are kings and priests of the Most High God, holding the keys of power and blessings. In fact, that priesthood is a perfect law of theocracy, and stands as God to give laws to the people, administering endless lives to the sons and daughters of Adam. . That priesthood is as eternal as God Himself, having neither beginning of days nor end of life.

“The 2nd 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.

“The 3rd is what is called the Levitical Priesthood, consisting of priests to administer in outward ordinances, made without an oath; but the Priesthood of Melchizedek is by an oath and covenant.”5

Notes:
1. In Conference Report, Oct. 1982, 64; or Ensign, Nov. 1982, 45.
2. The Discourses of President Wilford Woodruff, sel. G. Homer Durham [1946], 298.
3. In Conference Report, Oct. 1998, 51; or Ensign, Nov. 1998, 39.
4. Church History and Modern Revelation, 4 vols. [1946–1949], 1:62.
5. History of the Church, 5:554–555.

By Randal S. Chase|2022-12-29T00:00:00-07:00February 13th, 2023|

About the Author: Randal S. Chase

Randal S. Chase spent his childhood years in Nephi, Utah, where his father was a dry land wheat farmer and a businessman. In 1959 their family moved to Salt Lake City and settled in the Holladay area. He served a full-time mission in the Central British (England Central) Mission from 1968 to 1970. He returned home and married Deborah Johnsen in 1971. They are the parents of six children—two daughters and four sons—and an ever-expanding number of grandchildren. He was called to serve as a bishop at the age of 27 in the Sandy Crescent South Stake area of the Salt Lake Valley. He served six years in that capacity, and has since served as a high councilor, a stake executive secretary and clerk, and in many other stake and ward callings. Regardless of whatever other callings he has received over the years, one was nearly constant: He has taught Gospel Doctrine classes in every ward he has ever lived in as an adult—a total of 35 years. Dr. Chase was a well-known media personality on Salt Lake City radio stations in the 1970s. He left on-air broadcasting in 1978 to develop and market a computer-based management, sales, and music programming system to radio and television stations in the United States, Canada, South America, and Australia. After the business was sold in 1984, he supported his family as a media and business consultant in the Salt Lake City area. Having a great desire to teach young people of college age, he determined in the late 1980s to pursue his doctorate, and received his Ph.D. in Communication from the University of Utah in 1997. He has taught communication courses at that institution as well as at Salt Lake Community College and Dixie State University for 21 years. He served as Communication Department chair and is currently a full-time professor at Dixie State University in St. George, Utah. Concurrently with his academic career, Brother Chase has served as a volunteer LDS Institute and Adult Education instructor in the CES system since 1994, both in Salt Lake City and St. George, where he currently teaches a weekly Adult Education class for three stakes in the Washington area. He has also conducted multiple Church History tours and seminars. During these years of gospel teaching, he has developed an extensive library of lesson plans and handouts which are the predecessors to these study guides. Dr. Chase previously published a thirteen-volume series of study guides on the Book of Mormon, Church History, the Old Testament, and the New Testament. The series, titled Making Precious Things Plain, along with four smaller study guides on Isaiah, Jeremiah, the story of the Nativity, and the final week of our Lord’s atoning sacrifice, are designed to assist teachers and students of the gospel, as well as those who simply want to study on their own. Several of these books are also available in the Spanish language.