Was the Priesthood
Restored
through Joseph Smith?
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The Authority for this Analytical View
Brigham Young said:
“Take up the Bible, compare the religion of the Latter-day Saints with
it, and see if it will stand the test.” Journal
of Discourses, 17:46
Apostle Orson Pratt:
“...convince us of our errors of doctrine, if we have any, by reason,
by logical arguments, or by the word of God, and we will be ever grateful for
the information, and you will ever have the pleasing reflection that you have
been instruments in the hands of God of redeeming your fellow beings from the
darkness which you may see enveloping their minds.” The Seer, pages 15-16
When was the Priesthood Restored?
David Whitmer, who was a friend of Joseph Smith and one of his witnesses
for the Book of Mormon, wrote some revealing information about the
restoration of the priesthood:
“This
matter of ‘priesthood,’ since the days of Sydney Rigdon, has been the great
hobby and stumbling block of the Latter Day Saints.
Priesthood means authority; and authority is the word we should use. I do not think the word priesthood is mentioned in the New
Covenant of the Book of Mormon. Authority
is the word we used for the first two years in the Church of Christ, and lineal
priesthood of the old law being in the church, all
originated in the mind of Sydney Rigdon.
He explained these things to Brother Joseph in his way, out of the old
Scriptures, and got Brother Joseph to inquire, etc.
He would inquire, and as mouthpiece speak out the revelations just as
they had it fixed in their hearts. As
I have said before, according to the desires of the heart, the inspiration
comes, but it may be the spirit of man that gives it...This is the way the High
Priests and the ‘priesthood’ as you have it, was introduced into the Church
of Christ almost two years after its beginning - and after we had baptized and
confirmed about two thousand souls into the church.”
(An Address to All Believers In
Christ, by David Whitmer, page 64)
David Whitmer also make known that early revelations, purported to be
from God, were later altered and changed by inserting the priesthood doctrine
into them.
“You
have changed the revelations from the way they were first given and as they are
today in the Book of Commandments, to support the error of Brother Joseph in
taking upon himself the office of Seer to the church.
You have changed the revelations to support the error of high priests.
You have changed the revelations to support the error of a President of
the high priesthood, high counselors, etc.
You have altered the revelations to support you in going beyond the plain
teachings of Christ in the new covenant part of the Book of Mormon.”
Ibid., Pg. 49
In order to see what changed in revelations David Whitmer was speaking
of; it would be necessary to compare the original 1833 Book of Commandments with
the present day Doctrine and Covenants. This
is not so difficult, since the 1833 Book of Commandments has been republished by
both the Mormon Church in Utah and the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints (Independence, MO) and can be found in many Ward libraries or
Institutes of Religion.
Doctrine and Covenants (D. & C.) Section 2 - this
section is not found in the Book of Commandments.
The fact that it was missing from the 1833 Book of Commandments indicates
a pretentious revelation after the fact, to make it appear that Smith received
an early revelation on it.
D. & C. Section 5 -
verse 17 is not found in the book of Commandments.
This verse predicts the coming priesthood, which if it was not in the
original revelation, it was conveniently added to make it appear that God spoke
early about the priesthood. (The
subheading under Section 5 in the 1973 edition of D & C gives Section 13 as
a cross reference to the ordination; showing this refers to the coming
priesthood.)
D. & C. Section 7 –
verse 5 was altered and verses 6 and 7 were added since 1833. These verses speak of Peter, James, and John possessing the
keys of the ministry, which then was passed to Joseph Smith.
D. & C. Section 13 - this
entire section is not found in the 1833 Book of Commandments.
The date heading this revelation, May 15, 1829, makes an early date for
the Aaronic Priesthood. This is
what Whitmer said never occurred. This
section was not published in the Doctrine and Covenants until 1876.
D. & C. Section 20 – verse
64 was altered and verses 65 through 67 were added since the 1833 edition.
This section gives instructions concerning the ordination of church
president and high priesthood.
D. & C. Section 27 – verse
5 was altered and verses 6 through 13 and 15 through 17 were added since 1833.
All of these verses support the new priesthood that Whitmer said did not
exist while he was in the leadership of the church.
What Does the Bible Say?
The biblical purpose of the Aaronic Priesthood was to offer sacrifices
for the atonement for sin (Hebrews 5:1-3, Leviticus 17:11).
Jesus put an end to his by
offered himself as the ultimate and perfect sacrifice for sins (Hebrews 7:27 and
9:11-14). Therefore, we need not
daily offer blood sacrifices, as the high priests, or Aaronic Priests did; for
Jesus did it once for all when he offered up himself.
The Aaronic priesthood is no longer needed and was abolished at the cross
of Christ (Hebrews 7:27). Aaronic
priests were not part of the New Testament Church and never will be, since Jesus
put an end to their work.
Dear Mormon friend, a careful perusal of the evidence indicates there is
no historical support for the restoration of the priesthood in Mormon journals,
diaries, letters nor printed matter prior to October, 1834.
It does not precede the church in 1829 as Smith later wrote by changing
the Book of Commandments. If such
an important event which took place, why was there no mention of it, and why did
David Whitmer say that it was later added, and again, why was it later slipped
into the Doctrine and Covenants? Why
would John the Baptist restore the Aaronic Priesthood when it was abolished at
the cross? Why would Peter, James,
and John restore the Melchizedek Priesthood when they were aware, as the book of
Hebrews tells us, that Jesus alone holds it?
Jesus became our high priest (Hebrews 2:17) and is the only one who
qualifies for the Melchizedek Priesthood. No
one can hold it but Jesus Christ. ? Please
don’t settle for an alternative to what Jesus really offers us.
Have you accepted the only High
Priest, Jesus, and made him the Savior and Lord of your life
Copyright
2000, Kurt Van Gorden
If you have any questions, or you want further information, write:
PO Box 780, Victorville, CA 92393-0780
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