LDS Freedom Forum

It is interesting to know that Moses received the priesthood from Jethro, the Midianite. Midian was the son of Abraham and his wife, Keturah.

Israel did not have the priesthood. I do not know at what point it was lost, but a people usually does not fall into captivity unless they have turned from God; There are other reasons, sometimes, but it makes sense that the loss of priesthood caused by apostasy also led to the loss of freedom for the Children of Israel.

The Lord had a plan wherein the covenant people who lost the priesthood were able to be restored and given that priesthood again by a different people.

Type and shadow for our day?

Are there other groups out there that have the priesthood that we do not know about?

Bonus Question: What would a Midianite have said if he wandered over to Jerusalem and tried to tell people he had the same priesthood as Moses had?

Q # 1 and 2: No

Hugh Nibley in his book One Eternal Round speculated that Zoroaster and his followers also had access to the priesthood. Zoroasterisum is a very early, if not the earliest form of monotheism.

gkearney wrote: ↑June 13th, 2018, 9:54 am Hugh Nibley in his book One Eternal Round speculated that Zoroaster and his followers also had access to the priesthood. Zoroasterisum is a very early, if not the earliest form of monotheism.

I am quite certain that many peoples throughout the history of the earth had the full truth at one time or the other.

As an example, my bro in law served a mission with the Hmang (sp?) people of Vietnam. He was shocked when he saw his first funeral procession as the men in the procession were dressed in special clothing nearly identical to our temple robes. Coincidence? I think not.

Even when Judah was apostate and the Pharisees were running the show under Roman captivity, they still had, and exercised, the Levitical priesthood.

I think the Melchizedek Priesthood is a different matter altogether.
I also think we should not be complacent and believe we are invincible and cannot lose our priesthood authority. The church does not have the priesthood, the priesthood has the church.