Priesthood Keys and Authority

There are many references to the Priesthood in the Holy Bible.

We first come across the higher order of the priesthood, of which the King of Salem, Melchizedek was a member:

Gen. 14: 18
18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the Most High God.

Abraham paid tithes to Melchizedek. He was the great high priest of that day.

Later in the book of Psalms, it prophesies that Jesus Christ would also be a priest after this order:

Ps. 110: 4
4 The Lord hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.

Paul talks about both the Melchizedek and a lesser Levitical or Aaronic priesthood in Hebrews chapter 7. He makes some important points about them.

1. The Melchizedek priesthood is not a lineal priesthood. Meaning you don't have to come from a specific bloodline to be ordained to it. It is "Without Father, Without Mother". The Levitical or Aaraonic priesthood on the other hand was given to descendants of Aaron and members of the tribe of Levi.
2. The Aaronic Priesthood is a lesser priesthood or the priesthood after "Carnal Commandments" It was the priesthood used to perform the ordinances of the Mosaic law, and the gospel of repentance and baptism taught by John the Baptist.
3. The Melchizedek priesthood is the priesthood used to perform the ordinances of the higher law or the Gospel law.
4. The Melchizedek priesthood has a sacred oath connected to it.


We learn from modern revelation that Jesus not only held the Melchizedek priesthood, but he is the author of it. It his His priesthood.

D&C 107
1 There are, in the church, two priesthoods, namely, the Melchizedek and Aaronic, including the Levitical Priesthood.
2 Why the first is called the Melchizedek Priesthood is because Melchizedek was such a great high priest.
3 Before his day it was called the Holy Priesthood, after the Order of the Son of God.
4 But out of respect or reverence to the name of the Supreme Being, to avoid the too frequent repetition of his name, they, the church, in ancient days, called that priesthood after Melchizedek, or the Melchizedek Priesthood.


The Old Testament goes into great detail about how the function of the Aaronic priesthood and about what a holder of this priesthood was supposed to do.

Ex. 28:1
And take thou unto thee Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel, that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office, even Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s sons.

Num. 8: 6, 9-15,
6 Take the Levites from among the children of Israel, and cleanse them.
• • •
9 And thou shalt bring the Levites before the tabernacle of the congregation: and thou shalt gather the whole assembly of the children of Israel together:
10 And thou shalt bring the Levites before the Lord: and the children of Israel shall put their hands upon the Levites:
11 And Aaron shall offer the Levites before the Lord for an offering of the children of Israel, that they may execute the service of the Lord.
12 And the Levites shall lay their hands upon the heads of the bullocks: and thou shalt offer the one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering, unto the Lord, to make an atonement for the Levites.
13 And thou shalt set the Levites before Aaron, and before his sons, and offer them for an offering unto the Lord.
14 Thus shalt thou separate the Levites from among the children of Israel: and the Levites shall be mine.
15 And after that shall the Levites go in to do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation: and thou shalt cleanse them, and offer them for an offering.


The scriptures are clear that there is a specific way one receives the priesthood:

Heb. 5: 4
4 And no man taketh this honor unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron.


No one is to claim they have the authority or priesthood of God unless they have been called of God... as was Aaron. This is a very important idea. There are many who have claimed to be a priest or a pastor or some other priesthood office just because they have gone to divinity school, or because they "felt" a calling.. but true priesthood holders are called of God "as was Aaron."

How was Aaron called? Aaron was called of God through God's prophet on the earth at that time: Moses. In addition, he was ordained by Moses to this priesthood.

Aaron didn't take this "Honor to himself". In other words, he didn't just claim that he had been called, and then started to minister in his office. He was called by Gods prophet and ordained by the laying on of hands to this office. Moses had received his priesthood from his Father-in-Law Jethro. Moses held the Melchizedek priesthood, for it didn't come to him from his father, or lineage, but his father-in-law.

Joseph Smith received the Aaronic Priesthood from John the Baptist, who visited him as a resurrected being:

D&C 13: 1
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.

Later Joseph received the Melchizedek priesthood by the hands Peter, James, and John
who visited him and ordained him. Joseph didn't just claim he was called, he was called God as was Aaron. He received the Priesthood by those who were authorized to give it. Peter, James, and John had received their authority or priesthood from Jesus Christ himself.

So why is this so important? It is important because without the proper authority to minister in sacred things, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints could not claim to be Jesus Christ church on the earth today. In fact, no church can make that claim without the proper authority given from God and the its' priest are called of God "as was Aaron".

If its not God's Priesthood, it's not Gods church. And every ordinance performed in that church from baptism to the laying on of hands for the Gift of the Holy Ghost would be null and void.

One cannot be properly baptized without the baptizer having the proper authority. And without proper baptism, one cannot enter the Kingdom of God. (John 3:5)

There have been different claims about the priesthood from different churches.

Roman Catholics claim an unbroken line of authority from Peter to the present day pope.
Many Protestant faiths claim a priesthood of "believers". Meaning they believe that any believer is automatically given this priesthood.

Latter-day saints believe that a few decades after the original church set up by Jesus and his Apostles there was an apostasy, those who held the keys of the priesthood (The Apostles) were martyred.

While Peter and the other apostles surely ordained others to the priesthood, the keys of that priesthood, which authorize the use of the priesthood, were taken from the earth with the martyrdom of the apostles.

It is not only important to have the priesthood, but also to have the keys that authorize the use of the priesthood on the earth. (Matthew 16:19)

These keys were not passed down in the early church and therefore the authority to use the priesthood was gone. After the apostasy angelic messengers such as Peter, James, John, Elias, Elijah, Moses, and John the baptist appeared and conferred the keys and priesthood on the prophet Joseph Smith, then they were passed down to each prophet and apostle since the organization of the church and remain with the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints today.

While Roman Catholics and Protestant believers have good arguments for their beliefs, our beliefs are based on direct revelation from God. He has been very clear about he priesthood on it's use.

Ours is not just an interpretation of ancient scripture, but divine revelation direct from God about the subject.

Having said that, it might be helpful for some to explore the claims of Roman Catholics and Protestant belief.

Here are a few articles that explore those beliefs further and contrast them with that of the latter-day Saints:

Roman Catholic Views:

No Complete Apostasy
"Gates of Hell"

Protestant Views:

Priesthood of all Believers
No Need for a Priesthood
Jesus is the only Melchizedek Priesthood holder
No need for a restoration of the priesthood


We respect the views of our catholic and protestant friends. However, we also assert that God has revealed the true doctrine of the priesthood along with the priesthood itself and the appropriate keys to use it again in our day through modern prophets.


I testify that to inherit eternal life, one must have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, Repent of their sins, be Baptized by immersion, receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, and endure faithfully to the end of their lives.

I also testify that you must be baptized by one who holds the proper priesthood authority and is worthy to exorcise that authority on your behalf.

The true authority and priesthood is only found within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints today.

Baptism performed without this authority is not recognized by God, and will have no effect in the next life. I invite you to come to the loving arms of Jesus Christ by being baptized by one of His authorized servants. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Missionaries:

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