LDS Priesthood Unveiled Appendix 1than the United States of America. And no American religion is “lifted up in the pride of
their hearts” more than the members of the Mormon faiths—the very people who have
access to the “fullness of the everlasting Gospel as delivered by the Savior to the ancient
inhabitants” of America.^55
The second and last time Christ mentioned the word “priest,” also has a similar
implication:
Yea, wo be unto the Gentiles except they repent; for it shall come to pass in
that day, saith the Father, that I will cut off thy horses out of the midst of
thee, and I will destroy thy chariots; And I will cut off the cities of thy land,
and throw down all thy strongholds; And I will cut off witchcrafts out of thy
land, and thou shalt have no more soothsayers; Thy graven images I will also
cut off, and thy standing images out of the midst of thee, and thou shalt no
more worship the works of thy hands; And I will pluck up thy groves out of
the midst of thee; so will I destroy thy cities. And it shall come to pass that all
lyings, and deceivings, and envyings, and strifes, and priestcrafts, and
whoredoms, shall be done away.^56Jesus, the Christ, was greatly annoyed by any man who felt he had the right to take a
position of authority over another. Two of his Jewish disciples, James and John, approached
him and asked, “Grant unto us that we may sit, one on thy right hand, and the other on thy left
hand, in thy glory.” The other ten heard about the arrogant proposition and began to contend
with James and John. Jesus calmed them down and explained a few things about one
desiring to “exercise authority upon” another:
Ye know that they which are accounted to rule over the Gentiles exercise
lordship over them; and their great ones exercise authority upon them. But so
shall it not be among you: but whosoever will be great among you, shall be your
minister: And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all.^57At one point during his ministry, Jesus even rebuked his disciples’ arrogance in
believing that they, alone, had some kind of special power and authority that was not
given to all other mortals equally.^58 Joseph Smith knew that there was no part of the
“fullness of the everlasting Gospel, delivered by the Savior” to the world that
included, or will ever include, a “priesthood” of any kind. However, he knew that an
individual having the “proper” authorization/authority was paramount to having a
key to the order of the Universe. Free-willed beings cannot be allowed to do anything
they wish; if allowed, the Universe would be in a constant state of chaos and
disruption. Joseph attempted to teach the people correct principles and allow them to
govern themselves. The “correct principles” he attempted to teach them were the
“fullness of the everlasting Gospel, delivered by the Savior.” The people rejected these
principles as they governed themselves.
The Holy Order of the Universe
There is an order to the Universe. Authority is given to a few chosen
individuals who maintain this order—an order that is without “beginning of days, nor