LDS Freedom Forum

(Disclaimer: I have changed my mind on the subject of the “one man doctrine”, and the following information should be sufficient to show why.)

Sorry for such a wait, I have been having trouble with my laptop.

I will begin with these four quotations:

• “Whenever men can find out the will of God and find an administrator legally authorized from God, there is the kingdom of God; but where these are not, the kingdom of God is not. All the ordinances, systems, and administrations on the earth are of no use to the children of men, unless they are ordained and authorized of God; for nothing will save a man but a legal administrator; for none others will be acknowledged either by God or angels.” — Joseph Smith (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith <22 January 1843> page 274)

• “There is no salvation between the two lids of the Bible without a legal administrator.” — Joseph Smith (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith <23 July 1843> page 319)

• “. . . it is necessary to know who holds the keys of power, and who does not, or we may be likely to be deceived.” — Joseph Smith (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith <10 March 1844> page 336)

• “A man can do nothing for himself unless God direct him in the right way; and the Priesthood is for that purpose.” — Joseph Smith (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith <12 May 1844> page 364)

Presiding over the Patriarchal Priesthood or sealing power of Elijah as spoken of in Part 1 is the Keyholder, or One Anointed and Appointed:

• “And verily I say unto you, that the conditions of this law are these: All covenants, contracts, bonds, obligations, oaths, vows, performances, connections, associations, or expectations, that are not made and entered into and sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise, of him who is anointed, both as well for time and for all eternity, and that too most holy, by revelation and commandment through the medium of mine anointed, whom I have appointed on the earth to hold this power (and I have appointed unto my servant Joseph to hold this power in the last days, and there is never but one on the earth at a time on whom this power and the keys of this priesthood are conferred), are of no efficacy, virtue, or force in and after the resurrection from the dead; for all contracts that are not made unto this end have an end when men are dead.” (D&C 132:7)

There is “One Anointed and Appointed” who has the right to preside over the Priesthood, through whom the ordinances of the Gospel, more particularly the higher ordinances, must come through, either directly, or by delegation. George Q. Cannon explained:

• “There is but one man (as you have often heard), at a time on the earth, who holds this [sealing] authority. There maybe others who have this authority also . . . but they hold it subordinate to the man who holds the keys, they cannot exercise this authority only as he shall consent or delegate or authorize them to do so. There is but one man who has the power to exercise this authority, to stand, as it were, in God’s stead, to be His voice unto the people, and that is the man who stands at the head and who is President, and who holds the keys by virtue of the appointment of God. God places him there. It is not man’s act. It is God’s Providence.” — George Q. Cannon (Journal of Discourses vol. 24 <12 August 1885> pages 274-275)

So there may be many men holding the authority of the Fullness of the Priesthood, or that of a King and Priest, as we have seen hitherto, but all who hold this authority hold it subordinate to the Keyholder—the One Anointed and Appointed.
When William Smith, the Prophet’s brother attempted to exercise this authority independent of Brigham Young, who at that time was the Keyholder, Brigham explained:

• “You refer to Joseph’s teachings upstairs in the brick store. ‘That the Twelve have power to build up the kingdom of God &c.’ which the Twelve well recollect. and they also recollect that Joseph said that the sealing power is always vested in one man, and that there never was, nor never would be but one man on the earth at a time to hold the keys of the sealing power in the church, that all sealings must be performed by the man holding the keys or by his direction, and that man is the president of the church.
  Hyrum held the patriarchal office legitimately. So do you. Hyrum was counsellor. So are you. But the sealing power was not in Hyrum legitimately. Neither did he act on the sealing principle only as he was dictated by Joseph. This was proven, for Hyrum did undertake to seal without counsel, and Joseph told him if he did not stop it he would go to hell and all those he sealed with him.” — Brigham Young (Brigham Young letter to William Smith, 10 August 1845, CHL)

Now, is the President of the Church necessarily the Keyholder? No. Brigham Young said:

• “Joseph presided over the Church, by the voice of the Church.
  Perhaps it may make some of you stumble, were I to ask you a question—Does a man’s being a Prophet in this Church prove that he shall be the President of it? I answer, no! A man may be a Prophet, Seer, and Revelator, and it may have nothing to do with his being the President of the Church. Suffice it to say, that Joseph was the President of the Church, as long as he lived: the people chose to have it so. He always filled that responsible station, by the voice of the people. Can you find any revelation appointing him the President of the Church? The keys of the Priesthood were committed to Joseph, to build up the Kingdom of God on the earth, and were not to be taken from him in time or in eternity; but when he was called to preside over the Church, it was by the voice of the people; though he held the keys of the Priesthood, independent of their voice.” — Brigham Young (Journal of Discourses vol. 1 <6 April 1853> page 133)

Brigham explained on other occasions that there was a position in the Kingdom of God which was held independent of anything the people had to say:

• “Moses Said to Israel I am a God to you. Joseph Said to us I am a God to you. This was true and upon the same principles I am a God to this people & so is any man who is appointed to lead Israel or the Kingdom of God. If the people reject him they reject the one who sent him.” — Brigham Young (Wilford Woodruff Journal, 27 January 1860, CHL)

Again:

• “Who called Joseph Smith to be a prophet? Did the people or God? God, and not the people called him. Had the people gathered together and appointed one of their number to be a prophet, he would have been accountable to the people; but inasmuch as he was called by God, and not the people, he is accountable to God only and the angel who committed the gospel to him, and not any man on earth.” — Brigham Young, (Documentary History of the Church vol. 5 <29 July 1843> page 521)

Joseph Smith said:

• “God made Aaron to be the mouthpiece for the children of Israel, and He will make me be god to you in His stead, and the Elders to be mouth for me; and if you don’t like it, you must lump it.” — Joseph Smith (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith <8 April 1844> 363)

Contrast this to what Brigham said about the President of the Church:

• “Who ordained me to be First President of this Church on earth? I answer, It is the choice of this people, and that is sufficient.” — Brigham Young (Journal of Discourses vol. 6 <7 April 1852> page 320)

Moving on — Brigham Young explained:

• “What is a kingdom? A king, people, and territory. Without these things there can be no kingdom.” — Brigham Young (Complete Discourses of Brigham Young vol. 5 <8 June 1870> page 2742)

Joseph Smith had made his intentions clear in private, and in part to the public, that he was going to become a King:

• “[Joseph Smith] Said he would not prophesy any more; Hyrum should be the prophet; (did not tell them he was going to be a priest now, or a king by and by;) . . .” — Willard Richards (Willard Richards letter to Brigham Young, 18 July 1843, in Documentary History of the Church vol. 5 page 512)

• “Last Monday morning certain men came to me and said: ‘Brother Joseph, Hyrum is no prophet—he can’t lead the church; you must lead the church. If you resign, all things will go wrong; you must not resign; if you do the church will be scattered.’ I felt curious and said: ‘Have we not learned the Priesthood after the order of Melchizedek, which includes both Prophets, Priests and Kings: see Rev. 1st Chap., 6th v., and I will advance your Prophet to a Priest, and then to a King—not to the Kingdoms of this earth, but of the Most High God. See Rev. 5th Chap., 10th v.—‘Thou hast made us unto our God, Kings and Priests, and we shall reign on the earth.’” — Joseph Smith (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith <23 July 1843> page 318)

Returning to a comment Joseph made:

• “God made Aaron to be the mouthpiece for the children of Israel, and He will make me be god to you in His stead, and the Elders to be mouth for me; and if you don’t like it, you must lump it.” — Joseph Smith (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith <8 April 1844> 363)

If the original notes of this talk, it becomes more clear what Joseph spoke of — he was speaking of the one man position which he held, and explicitly uses the word “King” in connection with it:

• “God made Aaron to be their mouthpiece & Made me to be their K[ing]. & their God & if you dont like it you must lump it” — Joseph Smith (Joseph Smith sermon, 8 April 1844, Thomas Bullock Report, CHL)

A revelation given to John Taylor further demonstrates that the presiding Prophet, Priest, and King over the Kingdom of God is the one man position that acts as the mouthpiece of God and the man presiding over the ordinances. In this revelation, the Lord gave the wording for the anointing to this role. It reads:

• “I annoint you a King and a Priest over in and over my Kingdom, my Church, and my Zion; to rule and reign over my people according to the eternal laws ordained by the Almighty which govern the same in all righteousness, purity, and holiness before the Lord; and to be a priest and ruler over my people who are of the house of Israel, and to administer in all ordinances, laws, and institutions connected with my government on the earth, under my authority as the head and ruler of my people, as a Prophet, Priest, and King, a Prophet, Seer, and Revelator, and my mouthpiece unto Israel. and I confer upon you all the rights, immunities, powers, rule, and government pertaining to this under the direction of Ahman Christ.” (Revelation given to John Taylor, undated)

To understand this better, we must understand what the role of the Council of Fifty was. Contrary to what some think — it was not merely a political council. It was made up of Kings and Priests (though some Gentiles were invited to attend a few meetings), and, as such, exercised both political and spiritual authority. The following quotations are but a few which will demonstrate this:

• “This day the council was together all day again, and the same subjects continued in discussion: as previously. The name of the council was discussed and the Lord was pleased to give the following Revelation; ‘Verily thus saith the Lord, this is the name by which you shall be called, The Kingdom of God and his Laws, with the keys and power thereof, and judgement in the hands of his servants. Ahman Christ.’” (Council of Fifty, Minutes, Book 1 <14 March 1844> pages 30-31, CHL)

• “. . . they [Joseph Smith et al.] had organized a quorum of authority, not known in the law of the church; this was a council of fifty; ordained kings and priests, constituting an authority that no tribunal in the church could control.” (Editorial, The Olive Branch, Vol. 1, No. 2, pg. 18, August 1848)

• “We were kindly received by the Prophet [Joseph Smith], and introduced into what was then called the Grand Council of the Church, or in other words, the perfect organization of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints on the earth. This Council consisted of fifty members, with full authority to build up the Kingdom of God on earth, that His will might be done on earth as it is in heaven.” — Lyman Wight (An Address... <1848> page 3)

• “No revelation or law could go to the church without being presented to and sanctioned by this body of fifty.” — James Whitehead (Saints’ Herald, Vol. 26, No. 6, pg. 87, 15 March 1879)

• “15th and 16th in council with the Twelve at E. T. Benson’s when the word and will of the Lord concerning the journeying of Israel was first laid before the Council as a revelation to the church and acknowledged by the Council of Fifty. That revelation was then presented to the First Presidency of the Seventies and so down and acknowledged.” — John D. Lee (John D. Lee Journal, 15-16 January 1847, CHL)

It was in connection with the Council of Fifty that Joseph Smith was anointed and ordained as the Prophet, Priest, and King over the Kingdom of God and House of Israel:

• “In the Spring, before Joseph’s death. Hyrum acted in consert with Joseph. They took a number of the most influential and leading men—the twelve apostles that were at home—the bishops—and some of the high council, and conferred upon them, by regular and legal endowment: the keys, key-words, and ordinances, and powers of the priesthood, and organized them into a quorum, called the quorum of Fifty. . . . In this organization, men were washed and anointed and ordained by the prophets in person, to high and responsible stations, as ministers and servants of the Lord Jesus, in his kingdom on earth. Joseph himself, by the powers of the priesthood which he revealed and conferred in the quorum, was anointed and ordained a leading minister and director over the whole House of Israel forever.” — Reuben Miller (James J. Strang, Weighed in the Balance of Truth, and Found Wanting <September 1846> page 12)

William Marks wrote:

• “I was also witness of the introduction (secretly,) of a kingly form of government in which Joseph suffered himself to be ordained a king, to reign over the house of Israel forever . . .” — William Marks (“Epistle”, June 15, 1853, in Zion’s Harbinger and Baneemy’s Organ, Vol. 3, No. 7, pg. 53, July 1853)

The minutes of the Council of Fifty state:

• “Erastus Snow . . . said he never rejoiced as much as he did to day when Prest. Joseph was making his remarks. He concluded by offering a motion that this honorable assembly receive from this time henceforth and forever, Joseph Smith, as our Prophet, Priest & King, and uphold him in that capacity in which God has anointed him.
  The motion was seconded and accepted unanimously. . . . Whereupon the council adjourned agreeable to E. Snows motion with shouts of Hossanna to God and the Lamb Amen and Amen” (Council of Fifty, Minutes, Book 1 <11 April 1844> pages 113-114, 115, CHL)

The drafted constitution of the Council of Fifty further demonstrates that the Keyholder was specifically the man standing at the head of that Council:

• “Art. 2nd. I the Lord will do nothing but what I have revealed or shall reveal unto my servants the prophets and I have appointed one man, holding the keys and authority, pertaining to my holy priesthood, to whom I will reveal my laws, my statutes, my ordinances, my Judgements, my will and pleasure concerning my kingdom on the earth.
  Art. 3rd. And my Servant and Prophet whom I have called and chosen shall have power to appoint Judges and officers in my kingdom, And my people shall have the right to choose or refuse those officers and judges, by common consent: And the judges who shall be approved by my people shall condemn the guilty, and let the innocent go free! And shall have power to execute, and shall execute, justice and judgement in righteousness, and punish transgressors throughout all my kingdom on the earth; and if the judges or officers transgress, they shall be punished according to my laws.” (Council of Fifty, Minutes, Book 1 <14 April 1844> pages 154-155, CHL)

Brigham Young said:

• “He [Joseph Smith] can disagree with the whole church as he has a mind, and how? Because he is a perfect committee of himself. We have elected our prophet to be our Prophet, Priest and King, but did we choose him? Or, did he choose us? Jesus said, ye have not chosen me but I have chosen you. Our prophet has chosen us, and what this people receives through him is law.” — Brigham Young (Council of Fifty, Minutes, Book 1 <14 April 1844> pages 173-174, CHL)

This was a reference to a comment which Joseph had made about the position he held a few days earlier:

• “I am a committee of myself, and cannot mingle with any committee [a committee within the Council of Fifty commissioned to draft a Constitution] in such matters. The station which I hold is an independant one and ought not to be mingled with any thing else.” — Joseph Smith (Council of Fifty, Minutes, Book 1 <11 April 1844> pages 105-106, CHL)

Heber C. Kimball explained that Joseph Smith’s role was as a king of kings (or presiding King and Priest over the other King and Priests in the Kingdom of God):

• “Joseph Smith is the king of kings to this kingdom, but he is now gone within the vail and president Young takes his place.” — Heber C. Kimball (Council of Fifty, Minutes, Book 2 <4 March 1845> pages 36-37, CHL)

There is more to this office. Joseph Smith’s Grammar and Alphabet of the Egyptian Language demonstrates that this position as Prophet, Priest, and King also included acting as a Patriarch over the whole earth, holding the “Right of the Firstborn”:

• “Zub Zool Oan: The first born, or the first man or father of fathers”
  “Phah eh: The first man, or Adam, coming from Adam—Keys or right over Patriarchal right by appointment.”
  “Kiah broam: First reckoned in chronology—coming down from the beginning first born right or blessings”
  “Ba eth Ka: Adam or the first man or first king”
  “Ba eth kee: The next from Adam, one ordained under him, a patriarch or the right of the first born”
  “Ba eth Ki: The Third Patriarch or right of the firstborn”
  “Ba eth Ko: The fourth patriarch from Adam, the right of First born.”
  (Grammar and Alphabet of the Egyptian Language, in Fred C. Collier, “Joseph Smith’s Grammar and Alphabet of the Egyptian Language”, Doctrine of the Priesthood vol. 5 no. 10 <October 1988> pages 2, 3, 7, 12, 17, 16, 15)

• “Phah=eh: Kingly power coming from some other Kingly power” (page 9)

This is the position spoken of by Abraham in the Book of Abraham:

• “In the land of the Chaldeans, at the residence of my fathers, I, Abraham, saw that it was needful for me to obtain another place of residence;
  And, finding there was greater happiness and peace and rest for me, I sought for the blessings of the fathers, and the right whereunto I should be ordained to administer the same; having been myself a follower of righteousness, desiring also to be one who possessed great knowledge, and to be a greater follower of righteousness, and to possess a greater knowledge, and to be a father of many nations, a prince of peace, and desiring to receive instructions, and to keep the commandments of God, I became a rightful heir, a High Priest, holding the right belonging to the fathers.
  It was conferred upon me from the fathers; it came down from the fathers, from the beginning of time, yea, even from the beginning, or before the foundation of the earth, down to the present time, even the right of the firstborn, or the first man, who is Adam, or first father, through the fathers unto me.
  I sought for mine appointment unto the Priesthood according to the appointment of God unto the fathers concerning the seed.” (Abraham 1:1-4)

To be continued...