The Orders of Priesthood

The Prophet Joseph Smith taught on August 27, 1843 that “there are three grand orders of priesthood.” “The Melchizedek Priesthood holds the right from the eternal God, and not by descent from father and mother; and that priesthood is as eternal as God Himself, having neither beginning of days nor end of life. The 2nd Priesthood is Patriarchal authority. Go to and finish the temple, and God will fill it with power, and you will then receive more knowledge concerning this priesthood. The 3rd is what is called the Levitical Priesthood, consisting of priests to administer in outward ordinance[sic], made without an oath; but the Priesthood of Melchizedek is by an oath and covenant” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith 322-323). The purpose of this writing is to expand upon the subject of the Second Order of Priesthood, that of “Patriarchal authority.” The term patriarchal order may also be used in this context.

From the days of Adam until the time of at least Noah, the Melchizedek Priesthood was passed from father to son in a patriarchal or lineal order. It would appear that until at least Noah’s day the presiding officer of the Lord’s Church was a direct descendant of Adam in the male line. Following the flood, this patriarchal order continued with some variations as exhibited in the cases of Abraham who received the Priesthood from Melchizedek and Moses who received the Priesthood from his father-in-law, Jethro.

In the covenant that God made with Abraham, Abraham and his descendants were promised that all future generations until the end of the earth would receive and enjoy the blessings of the priesthood through Abraham’s linage. From the meridian of time until at least the triumphal return of the Savior in the last days, the Melchizedek Priesthood is disseminated without concern for a patriarchal order although those who enter the Lord’s Kingdom “become the sons of Moses and of Aaron and the seed of Abraham” by adoption if necessary (Doctrine and Covenants 84:34).

In the Celestial Kingdom, those who inherit the blessings of eternal life will find themselves in and governed by a patriarchal order. They alone are those who will have the opportunity for eternal increase (D&C 131:4). Consider again what the Prophet said concerning this order of Priesthood: “Go to and finish the temple, and God will fill it with power, and you will then receive more knowledge concerning this priesthood.” The ordinances performed in the temples of the Lord have but one purpose in the final analysis namely, to provide God’s spirit children with the opportunity to live as their Father in Heaven lives, to have eternal life. Thus it is in the temple, as Joseph Smith said, that we learn of the opportunities and the blessings of Patriarchal authority.