The Sons Of God

When Adam gathered together his righteous posterity he blessed them, that he might bring them into the presence of God (TPJS, p. 161).  

“They looked for a city, etc., ‘whose builder and maker is God’ (Heb. 11:10).  Moses sought to bring the children of Israel into the presence of God, through the power of the Priesthood, but he could not.  In the first ages of the world they tried to establish the same thing; and there were Eliases raised up who tried to restore these very glories, but did not obtain them; but prophesied of a day when this glory would be revealed” (ibid.).

Eliases have been sent from God unto man since the beginning.  They are preparers and restorers, and point men to Christ.  Though they themselves are tried and tested while here and are vulnerable to failing, they were among the Noble and Great Ones, and have descended to the earth to test and prove others (Abr. 3:25).  

There have been continuous attempts at helping men obtain the presence of God.  Men have almost always failed to obtain what has been offered.  Perhaps there is no greater opportunity to obtain these glories than when these Eliases walk among men in the flesh.  After their deaths, however, men fall further and further from the truth.  They lose light through iniquity and through their unbelief; through disobedience and the traditions of their fathers (D&C 93:39).  As generations pass, blindness is no longer recognized, and sight into these things is no longer desired.  It is a pitiful state.  God sends more messengers to teach and redeem his children.

Some men and women have been successful in their efforts to obtain Zion.  When Melchizedek was among men, he and his people obtained peace.  They sought for Enoch and his city.  Joseph Smith's translation of Genesis 14 is fundamental in restoring an understanding of these things to those who receive his work.

“And Melchizedek lifted up his voice and blessed Abram.

Is this "blessing" the same kind of thing spoken of above, wherein Adam "blessed" his righteous posterity that they might be brought into the presence of God?  Is it the same blessing Adam gives to Enoch at age 65, a blessing he received long after his "ordination," who thereafter walked with God 365 years (D&C 107:48-49)?  What blessing is this?

“Now Melchizedek was a man of faith, who wrought righteousness; and when a child he feared God, and stopped the mouths of lions, and quenched the violence of fire.

“And thus, having been approved of God, he was ordained an high priest after the order of the covenant which God made with Enoch,

“It being after the order of the Son of God; which order came, not by man, nor the will of man; neither by father nor mother; neither by beginning of days nor end of years; but of God;

“And it was delivered unto men by the calling of his own voice, according to his own will, unto as many as believed on his name.

Melchizedek's faith and righteousness is not common.  His life is unparalleled by men and women in our day.  He was approved of God, and received covenants from God.  God had made these same covenants with Enoch.  This order came not by man, but of God.  It came by the calling of God's own voice out of the heavens.  Melchizedek knows God, whom to know is Eternal life.    

“For God having sworn unto Enoch and unto his seed with an oath by himself; that every one being ordained after this order and calling should have power, by faith, to break mountains, to divide the seas, to dry up waters, to turn them out of their course;

“To put at defiance the armies of nations, to divide the earth, to break every band, to stand in the presence of God; to do all things according to his will, according to his command, subdue principalities and powers; and this by the will of the Son of God which was from before the foundation of the world.

God swears with an oath to those who receive this Priesthood.  This oath does not come to recipients through the words of a book gathering dust on millions of peoples' bookshelves, but from His own voice.  Those who are after this order obtain the power of God.  They stand in the presence of God.  They do all things according to the will of God.  They are approved of him.  They obtain Heaven, and have communion with the angels of Heaven.  They become the sons of God.  

“And men having this faith, coming up unto this order of God, were translated and taken up into heaven.

“And now, Melchizedek was a priest of this order; therefore he obtained peace in Salem, and was called the Prince of peace.

“And his people wrought righteousness, and obtained heaven, and sought for the city of Enoch which God had before taken, separating it from the earth, having reserved it unto the latter days, or the end of the world;

“And hath said, and sworn with an oath, that the heavens and the earth should come together; and the sons of God should be tried so as by fire” (JST Gen. 14:25-40).

As we take a look at a number of other passages of scripture you should look for these same elements to appear in the text.  It is startling to realize how many times these same themes and patterns show up in scriptures that we cavalierly apply to every male "Melchizedek Priesthood holder" in the church.  We're all mixed up.

God established his Holy Priesthood in the beginning.  This order of Priesthood that has been ever since the beginning will come again before the coming of the Son of Man (Moses 6:7).  The history of man, the Holy Priesthood, the presence upon the earth of men and women who walk with the God of Heaven, a Holy City, etc., are all a divine Chiasm.  That which has been shall be.  That which was in the beginning shall be in the end.  The course of the Lord is one eternal round.  

John the Baptist's Authority

"And the lesser priesthood continued, which priesthood holdeth the key of the ministering of angels and the preparatory gospel;

Which gospel is the gospel of repentance and of baptism, and the remission of sins, and the law of carnal commandments, which the Lord in his wrath caused to continue with the house of Aaron among the children of Israel until John, whom God raised up, being filled with the Holy Ghost from his mother's womb" (D&C 84:26-27).

God raised up John the Baptist for a specific mission.  He was Elias (JST Matt. 17:10-14).  He made straight the way of the Lord (Mark 1:3).  He preached repentance, and baptized in the river Jordan (Mark 1:4-5).  He baptized the Lord (Mark 1:9).  He was present on the Mount of Transfiguration with Moses, the full account of which we have not yet received (Mark 9:4; D&C 63:21).  Christ said that, except for himself, there was no greater prophet born among women than John (Luke 7:28).  

"The lesser priesthood" was to continue with the children of Israel "until John."  This the Lord did in his wrath.  The church in the meridian of time made claims to priesthood, but John, independent of the church had authority. The lesser priesthood continued with the church, was bestowed upon men by the church, and was the authority by which they administered the ordinances and the temple rites.

When Christ questioned the chief priests and elders about John's authority, they didn't know how to answer (Matt. 21:23-27).  They hadn't given him his authority.  They falsely believed priesthood could not exist independent of their church, independent of their hands, and independent of their consent.  But God had given authority to John.  He held the priesthood independent of the church. 

How is it that the only legal administrator in the affairs of the kingdom then upon the earth, received not his authority from those presiding in the church?  God is not confined to work within an order we presume to subject him to.  The Lord accomplishes his work in spite of men's efforts to bind him.  He established the kingdom of God through John.  The Jews of the church, including those in the chief seats, had to obey John's instructions or be damned.  Joseph Smith taught:

"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" (HC 5:256).

Also,

"What constitutes the kingdom of God?  Where there is a prophet, a priest, or a righteous man unto whom God gives His oracles, there is the kingdom of God; and where the oracles of God are not, there the kingdom of God is not" (ibid, p. 257).

"All the prophets had the Melchizedek priesthood and were ordained by God himself" (TPJS, p. 180-81).  Do you suppose Joseph Smith would include John, the greatest prophet in this statement?  Was John the only prophet for whom this was not true?  

The reason John declined to give the Holy Ghost was because it was not his mission as Elias.  His mission was to prepare the way before the Lord.  He understood that he must decrease, but the Lord must increase (John 3:30).  The Lord brought more, but John prepared the way.  John was a mighty prophet, and had the holy priesthood by "anointing" and the "decree of heaven" (HC 5:261).  He chose to work within the bounds the Lord had set, never stepping in front of the Lord.  

Men Inspired From Heaven

My mind continues to recall President Benson's warning mentioned last week.

Just four years prior to the death of Christ and his subsequent visit to the people of Nephi, Satan had great power over the people (3 Ne. 6:15).  He stirred them up "to do all manner of iniquity, and to the puffing them up with pride, tempting them to seek for power, and authority, and riches, and the vain things of the world."

"And there began to be men inspired from heaven and sent forth" among the people to testify of their sins and iniquities.  These men declared redemption in Christ through repentance (3 Ne. 6:20-21).  This was a message the people were not getting from the chief judges and high priests.  Many people were "exceedingly angry" with these prophets because of their message (ibid.).  However, it was those in authority over the people who were most angry, because they felt their authority challenged.  Some of the prophets were slain because of their testimony (v. 23).

Nephi was one of those prophets.  He was "visited by angels" and "the voice of the Lord" and was an "eye-witness" (3 Ne. 7:15).  He had "power given unto him" that he might know concerning Christ's ministry.  Grieved by the hardness of the people's hearts, and "the blindness of their minds," Nephi went forth preaching "repentance and remission of sins through faith on the Lord Jesus Christ" (v. 16).  He, and others he ordained, did baptize many (v. 25-26).  He "did minister with power and with great authority" (v. 17).  

The leaders were angry with him because they saw that he had greater power than they did.  They were unable to disbelieve his words because his faith was so great that angels ministered to him daily (v. 18).  Nephi was an Elias to the people of the land, preparing the way of the Lord.  He created quite a stir.  

What would it be like to be taught by such a man today?  Would the message borne by such a faithful messenger be different than Nephi's?  Would it be easy to recognize that he was sent forth from God?  Would we be angry at his message, or receive it with joy?  Would we look inward and analyze our lives to see if there was any truth in his message of repentance, or shun him as an apostate?  Would he be accepted by the leaders?  Would he be one of the leaders?  Should he be?  What does the Book of Mormon teach us about all of this?

President Benson taught that the 3 Nephi account "reveals many parallels to our own day."  He pointed out that the Nephites had been "prosperous and industrious."  He said they "built temples and palaces."  He pointed out that "the people rejected the Lord."  He pointed out that "dishonesty and immorality were widespread."  The people were "distinguished by ranks."  He said these things were "even as today."  

If what President Benson said was true, then we should carefully consider the parallels between those in 3 Nephi and us.  Do these things exist among us today?  Sometimes we need help to see.   

It can be difficult understanding how or of what we are to repent.  Because we compare ourselves to others we are blind, and cannot see our deficiency.  The standard against which we must measure ourselves is the Lord's standard.  That standard is found in the scriptures, in the mouths of prophets who speak for God,  and the guidance of the Holy Spirit.  A man will never be capable of full repentance if the standard against which he is comparing himself is sin-ridden Babylon.  Babylon has no instruction for you that will lead you to further light and knowledge.  It will only present you with deception and false security.  Do not trust any image or confidence borne in Babylon.  You can only trust the Lord.  His invitation has always been to repent and come unto Him.      

Like the Nephites who were destroyed before the Lord's coming in the meridian of time, our own "wickedness and evil come from 'lyings and deceivings.'  We prefer the lie that tells us we need no repentance to the truth that we must repent or perish.  We deceive ourselves into believing we are Zion.  The truth is we are far from it, and getting farther away every day.  Our whoredoms are twofold.  We both worship a false image rather than the living God, and we are also sexually impure.  Our secret abominations are the conspiracies that run among us to manipulate, get gain, use religion to promote a cause, obtain commercial advantage, and wield political influence.  We idolize men, rather than Christ.  We claim to hold keys that would allow men filled with sin to forgive sins on earth and in heaven, to grant eternal life, or to bar from the kingdom of God.  Using that false and useless claim, we slay the souls of men, thereby committing murder.  We are riddled with priestcrafts.  Men seek the praise of others rather than to bring again Zion.  We envy those who fill leadership positions because we want the power granted through priestly office and position.  Because we lack the Spirit as a guide, and rather than learning by gaining light through obedience, we engage in strife with one another to settle points of doctrine.  Any voice crying repentance is labeled a dissenter, and their words are condemned and attacked.  They are thought to be 'of the devil.'  By stirring up strife we succeed in making people fear truth.  We close our minds, become deaf and blind.  Christ's words should take precedent over the smooth things we hear from the philosophies of men, but they do not" (Snuffer).

I expect the Lord reaches out to His children in every age of the world in the same manner.  I expect he has and will do so in our day as He has in times past.  Given the awful situation we find ourselves in, and considering the parallels found in 3 Nephi to our own day, I expect to see an Elias who is come to prepare the way of the Lord.  I expect to see "men inspired from heaven and sent forth" among the people to testify of their sins and iniquities.  I expect the people will be angry with them.  These things are all to be expected.