{"id":41456,"date":"2021-02-12T07:39:51","date_gmt":"2021-02-12T12:39:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.timesandseasons.org\/?p=41456"},"modified":"2021-02-12T10:27:29","modified_gmt":"2021-02-12T15:27:29","slug":"the-keys-of-the-ministering-of-angels","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/2021\/02\/the-keys-of-the-ministering-of-angels\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cThe keys of the ministering of angels\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

One of the persistent questions from Doctrine and Covenants, Section 13 is what is meant by the statement that the Priesthood of Aaron \u201cholds the keys of the ministering of angels.\u201d\u00a0 Answers from general authorities in recent years have varied, including the idea that the Aaronic priesthood comes with a special privilege to have the visitation and ministering of angels;[1]<\/a> the idea that when men ordained with the Aaronic priesthood serve other people, they act as ministering angels themselves;[2]<\/a> \u00a0and the idea that when men ordained to the Aaronic priesthood administer ordinances that offer a remission of sins to those who receive the ordinances (i.e., baptism and the sacrament), they open the door to the ministering of angels to all Church members, since spiritual cleanliness is generally a prerequisite of communion with heavenly beings.[3]<\/a>\u00a0 The fact that there are a few different answers is an indication, to me, that we don\u2019t really know what is meant by the phrase.\u00a0 This may be, in part, because it brings up a conundrum that we are generally faced with when discussing the priesthood in the Church\u2014what does ordination to the priesthood offer that is not available to faithful, believing, and righteous members of the Church otherwise?<\/p>\n

First, however, it is worth investigating what the term \u201ckeys\u201d might mean in this context.\u00a0 In one dictionary that was contemporary with Joseph Smith’s time, there are eleven different definitions for the word “key”, four of which are possibly relevant.\u00a0 The relevant ones are: 1) \u201cAn instrument for shutting or opening a lock;\u201d 2) \u201cAn index, or that which serves to explain a cypher.\u00a0 Hence,\u201d 3) \u201cThat which serves to explain any thing difficult to be understood;\u201d and 4) \u201cIn the Romish church, ecclesiastical jurisdiction, or the power of the pope, or the power of excommunicating or absolving.\u201d[4]<\/a>\u00a0 The first definition, taken figuratively, could be understood as meaning that the Aaronic priesthood is an instrument for unlocking the veil to allow angels to minister to the holder.\u00a0 The second and third definitions could be understood to mean that the Aaronic priesthood opens the ordained individual\u2019s eyes to the appropriate way to receive the ministering of angels. \u00a0The fourth definition I listed could be understood as the authority to call on angels to minister to the holder (i.e., it is within their ecclesiastical jurisdiction to call on angels).\u00a0 The fourth definition that I listed is the root of how we use the term \u201cpriesthood keys\u201d in the Church today, though Joseph Smith frequently used the third definition in his use of the word \u201ckey.\u201d\u00a0 These definitions, taken together, create a range of options for us to understand what is meant when it is stated that the Priesthood of Aaron \u201cholds the keys of the ministering of angels.\u201d<\/p>\n

I believe that the idea of the Aaronic priesthood bestowing a special privilege to have the visitation and ministering of angels the ministering of angels is the most straightforward interpretation of the text.\u00a0 I also believe that a good case can be made towards that interpretation fitting within Joseph Smith\u2019s larger religious vision.\u00a0 One of the major threads of Joseph Smith\u2019s religious thought was a desire to have people see the face of God in vision or to enter into the presence of God.\u00a0 As early as November 1831, a revelation (now Section 67) promised the elders of the Church that: \u201cIt is your\u00a0privilege & a promise I give unto you that have been\u00a0ordained unto the ministry that in as much as ye strip\u00a0yourselves from Jealesies & fears & humble yourselves\u00a0before me[\u2014]for ye are not sufficiently humble[\u2014]the veil shall be wrent\u00a0& you shall see me & know that I am[,]\u00a0not with the\u00a0carnal neither natural\u00a0but with the spiritual for no man\u00a0hath seen God at any time in the flesh but by the Spirit of\u00a0God[,]\u00a0neither can any natural man abide the presence of God.\u201d[5]<\/a>\u00a0 Here we see a promise from the Lord to \u201cyou that have been ordained\u201d that if they purify their souls, they will have the chance to \u201csee me & know that I am.\u201d\u00a0 This theme of purification to prepare to see and know God appears in many of the revelations we have in the Doctrine and Covenants.<\/p>\n

Significantly, this theme of seeing the Lord was including one revelation about the priesthood that was received in September of 1832 (now Section 84).\u00a0 This revelation states that the \u201cPriesthood which is after the holiest order of God\u201d (what we would call the Melchizedek priesthood today), \u201cadminestereth the gospel and holdeth the key of the misteries [mysteries] of the kingdom, even the key of the knowledge of God[.] therefore in the ordinences thereof the power of Godliness is manifest and without the ordinences thereof, and the authority of the Priesthood, the power of Godliness is not manifest unto man in the flesh, for without this no man can see the face of God even the father and live.\u201d[6]<\/a>\u00a0 Here again, priesthood ordination is linked to \u201cthe key of the knowledge of God,\u201d and it is stated that \u201cwithout this now man can see the face of God even the father and live.\u201d\u00a0 While it\u2019s not the most straightforward language, the \u201ckey of the knowledge of God\u201d seems to be similar to the earlier promise that the elders could \u201csee me & know that I am.\u201d \u00a0In other words, those ordained to the higher priesthood could have the opportunity to see God and come to know Him if they were pure.\u00a0 This understanding seems to be confirmed as the 1832 revelation continues by stating that: \u201cMoses plainly taught to the children of Israel\u00a0in the wilderness,\u00a0and saught diligently to sanctify his people that they might\u00a0behold the face of God, but they hardened ther hearts and could not endure\u00a0his presence.\u201d[7]<\/a>\u00a0 The ongoing goal of Moses\u2019s ministry, in this understanding, was to sanctify his people so they could \u201cbehold the face of God.\u201d<\/p>\n

The revelation goes on to discuss the Priesthood of Aaron.\u00a0 After the text discusses how the Children of Israel \u201chardened their hearts,\u201d causing them to fail to behold the face of God, it states that the Lord was angry and \u201ctook Moses out of [their] midst and the holy Priesthood\u00a0also,\u201d but noted that \u201cthe lesser Priesthood continued.\u201d\u00a0 In language that seems to be echoed in Section 13 (which was written in 1838\/1839, so about six years later), the 1832 revelation explains that this lesser Priesthood \u201choldeth the keys of the ministring of Angels and the preparitory gospel, which gospel is the gospel of repentence\u00a0and of\u00a0Baptism, and the remission of sins, and the Law of carnal commandments.\u201d[8]<\/a>\u00a0 It is possible to see this lesser priesthood, with its preparatory gospel, as a stepping-stone to the higher priesthood and its functions.\u00a0 If the higher priesthood was important for being able to behold the face of God (as we quoted above, \u201cwithout this now man can see the face of God even the father and live\u201d), then the lesser priesthood could prepare people for communion with the ultimate heavenly Being by allowing them to commune with lesser heavenly beings (the ministering of angels).\u00a0 Thus, it almost seems to be a ritualized system of progression in the priesthood from the lesser, Aaronic priesthood (which enables the ministering of angels), to the higher, Melchizedek priesthood (which enables entering the presence of God).[9]<\/a><\/p>\n

As mentioned at the outset, however, this conceptual process is complicated by the fact that the opportunities to experience the ministering of angels or to behold the face of God are also offered outside of the priesthood.\u00a0 For example, a May 1833 revelation (now Section 93) opens with a promise that \u201cevry soul who forsaketh their sins and cometh unto me and calleth on my name and obeyeth my voice and keepeth all my commandments shall see my face and know that I am.\u201d[10]<\/a>\u00a0 Not just those who could receive the priesthood, but every<\/em> soul could have that opportunity.\u00a0 Similarly, in 1842, Joseph Smith taught the Female Relief Society that: \u201cIf you live up to your privilege, the angels cannot be restrain\u2019d from being your associates\u2014 females, if they are pure and innocent can come into the presence of God; for what is more pleasing to God than innocence; you must be innocent or you cannot come up before God.\u201d[11]<\/a> \u00a0It seems that here, innocence rather than priesthood was the prerequisite to the ministering of angels and entering the presence of God, meaning the opportunity was available outside of the priesthood.\u00a0 In Joseph Smith\u2019s own histories, he reported having the First Vision\u2014where he beheld Jesus Christ, God the Father, and many angels\u2014and several visits from an angel that prepared him to receive and translate the Book of Mormon years before he received any priesthood ordinations.\u00a0 This indicates that the understanding of the priesthoods as being a ladder that one must climb to commune with heavenly beings is overly simplistic.<\/p>\n

In 1931, the Quorum of the Twelve grappled this quandary.\u00a0 They responded in a Church periodical to the question: \u201cMay one have revelations and visions of heavenly beings, without the Priesthood?\u201d\u00a0 Their response was that: \u201cJoseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery did so. In May, 1829, John the Baptist appeared to them, and that was before either of them had been ordained. It was John, in fact, who conferred the Priesthood upon them. This function of having visions, of course, was exceptional in their case.\u201d\u00a0 Acknowledging that this left them with complications about the purpose of the priesthood, they followed up by asking the question: \u201cIf, then, one may pray, may have his prayers answered, may have the Holy Ghost bestowed upon him, and may exercise many of its gifts, without holding any Priesthood, what is the place of Priesthood on the earth?\u201d\u00a0 Their response, in short, was that: \u201cChiefly Priesthood functions in connection with organization. That is, the greatest need of Priesthood is where there is a service to be performed to others besides ourselves,\u201d such as when ordinances are performed.[12]<\/a>\u00a0 This is accurate in describing how the priesthood functions in relationship to gifts of the Spirit and answers to prayers, but not terribly useful in answering our question about what is meant by the Aaronic priesthood holding the keys of the ministering of angels.<\/p>\n

I think at this point we are still left with more questions than answers about what the keys of the ministering of angels means in the context of the Aaronic priesthood.\u00a0 Personally, I usually think about it as a special right to the ministering of angels, comparable to how confirmation bestows the gift of the Holy Ghost on individuals as compared to occasional influences of the Holy Spirit on those who have not received that ordinance.\u00a0 (Though, admittedly, even though I have been ordained to the Aaronic priesthood for approximately two decades, I have not openly experienced the ministering of angels in a recognizable way.)\u00a0 No matter how the phrase is defined or understood, however, it leaves open the question of what difference being ordained to the Aaronic Priesthood makes in our ability to receive the ministering of angels, particularly as this applies to faithful women in the Church.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Footnotes:<\/strong><\/p>\n

[1]<\/a> Joseph Fielding Smith wrote: “It is to be the privilege of those holding the keys of the Aaronic priesthood to have the visitation and ministering of angels if the occasion should arise, in relation to the temporal matters of the Church.” (Answers to Gospel Questions<\/em> 1:116.)\u00a0 Similarly, Elder L. Tom Perry taught: “Young men of the Aaronic Priesthood, I testify to you that the Lord is bound by solemn covenant to bless your lives according to your faithfulness. If you will heed the voice of warning of the Holy Ghost and will follow His direction, you will be blessed with the ministering of angels. This blessing will add wisdom, knowledge, power, and glory to your life. This is a sure blessing promised to you by the Lord.” (L. Tom Perry, “The Priesthood of Aaron”, Ensign<\/em>, Nov. 2010, 91\u201394.)<\/p>\n

[2]<\/a> L. Tom Perry shared that a friend \u201cshared a brief experience that deeply touched his heart, because one of the priests reminded him of what it really means to be a true minister of Jesus Christ\u2014literally, a ministering angel.\u201d \u00a0The experience was of a priest serving someone in the ward during a sacrament meeting (L. Tom Perry, “The Priesthood of Aaron”, Ensign<\/em>, Nov. 2010, 91\u201394).<\/p>\n

[3]<\/a> Dallin H. Oaks stated: “In general, the blessings of spiritual companionship and communication are only available to those who are clean. As explained earlier, through the Aaronic Priesthood ordinances of baptism and the sacrament, we are cleansed of our sins and promised that if we keep our covenants we will always have His Spirit to be with us. I believe that promise not only refers to the Holy Ghost but also to the ministering of angels, for ‘angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, they speak the words of Christ’ (2 Ne. 32:3; 2 Ne. 32:32; Ne. 32:3; 2 Ne. 32:3). So it is that those who hold the Aaronic Priesthood open the door for all Church members who worthily partake of the sacrament to enjoy the companionship of the Spirit of the Lord and the ministering of angels.” (“The Aaronic Priesthood and the Sacrament.” Conference Report Oct 1998 p. 51.)<\/p>\n

[4]<\/a> http:\/\/webstersdictionary1828.com\/Dictionary\/key<\/a><\/p>\n

[5]<\/a> “Revelation, circa 2 November 1831 [D&C 67],” p. 115, The Joseph Smith Papers, accessed February 11, 2021, https:\/\/www.josephsmithpapers.org\/paper-summary\/revelation-circa-2-november-1831-dc-67\/2<\/a><\/p>\n

[6]<\/a> “Revelation, 22\u201323 September 1832 [D&C 84],” p. [1], The Joseph Smith Papers, accessed February 11, 2021, https:\/\/www.josephsmithpapers.org\/paper-summary\/revelation-22-23-september-1832-dc-84\/1<\/a><\/p>\n

[7]<\/a> “Revelation, 22\u201323 September 1832 [D&C 84],” p. [1], The Joseph Smith Papers, accessed February 11, 2021, https:\/\/www.josephsmithpapers.org\/paper-summary\/revelation-22-23-september-1832-dc-84\/1<\/a><\/p>\n

[8]<\/a> “Revelation, 22\u201323 September 1832 [D&C 84],” p. [1], The Joseph Smith Papers, accessed February 11, 2021, https:\/\/www.josephsmithpapers.org\/paper-summary\/revelation-22-23-september-1832-dc-84\/1<\/a><\/p>\n

[9]<\/a> This seems to be incorporated into the Nauvoo endowment temple ordinance, which Joseph Smith described as being \u201cthe communication of keys pertaining to the Aaronic Priesthood, and so on to the highest order of the Melchizedek Priesthood.\u201d (Cited in Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith<\/em>, [SLC: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2007], 414.\u00a0 See also \u201cHistory of the Church\u201d [manuscript], book C-1, pp.\u00a01328\u201329.)<\/p>\n

[10]<\/a> “Revelation, 6 May 1833 [D&C 93],” p. [1], The Joseph Smith Papers, accessed February 11, 2021, https:\/\/www.josephsmithpapers.org\/paper-summary\/revelation-6-may-1833-dc-93\/1<\/a><\/p>\n

[11]<\/a> “Nauvoo Relief Society Minute Book,” p. [38], The Joseph Smith Papers, accessed February 11, 2021, https:\/\/www.josephsmithpapers.org\/paper-summary\/nauvoo-relief-society-minute-book\/35<\/a><\/p>\n

[12]<\/a> Improvement Era, October 1931, Page 735, see https:\/\/prophetsseersandrevelators.wordpress.com\/2017\/10\/04\/why-priesthood-at-all\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

One of the persistent questions from Doctrine and Covenants, Section 13 is what is meant by the statement that the Priesthood of Aaron \u201cholds the keys of the ministering of angels.\u201d\u00a0 Answers from general authorities in recent years have varied, including the idea that the Aaronic priesthood comes with a special privilege to have the visitation and ministering of angels;[1] the idea that when men ordained with the Aaronic priesthood serve other people, they act as ministering angels themselves;[2] \u00a0and the idea that when men ordained to the Aaronic priesthood administer ordinances that offer a remission of sins to those who receive the ordinances (i.e., baptism and the sacrament), they open the door to the ministering of angels to all Church members, since spiritual cleanliness is generally a prerequisite of communion with heavenly beings.[3]\u00a0 The fact that there are a few different answers is an indication, to me, that we don\u2019t really know what is meant by the phrase.\u00a0 This may be, in part, because it brings up a conundrum that we are generally faced with when discussing the priesthood in the Church\u2014what does ordination to the priesthood offer that is not available to faithful, believing, and righteous members of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10397,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[17,2895,13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-41456","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-church-history","category-come-follow-me-currculum","category-scriptures"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41456","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10397"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=41456"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41456\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":41458,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41456\/revisions\/41458"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41456"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41456"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41456"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}