Alma's Mini-Lecture on the High Priesthood of God.
[The Eternal Nature of Priesthood Is Disclosed]

ALMA
CHAPTER 13

Men are called as high priests because of
their exceeding faith and good works—They
are to teach the commandments—Through
righteousness they are sanctified and enter
into the rest of the Lord—Melchizedek was
one of these— . . .

"AND again, my brethren, I would cite your minds forward to the time when the Lord God gave these commandments unto his children; and I would that ye should remember that the Lord God ordained priests, after his holy order, which was after the order of his Son, to teach these things unto the people.
"And those priests were ordained after the order of his Son, in a manner that thereby the people might know in what manner to look forward to his Son for redemption.
"And this is the manner after which they were ordained—being called and prepared from the foundation of the world according to the foreknowledge of God, on account of their exceeding faith and good works; in the first place being left to choose good or evil; therefore they having chosen good, and exercising exceedingly great faith, are called with a holy calling, yea, with that holy calling which was prepared with, and according to, a preparatory redemption for such.
"And thus they have been called to this holy calling on account of their faith, while others would reject the Spirit of God on account of the hardness of their hearts and blindness of their minds, while, if it had not been for this they might have had as great privilege as their brethren.
"Or in fine, in the first place they were on the same standing with their brethren; thus this holy calling being prepared from the foundation of the world for such as would not harden their hearts, being in and through the atonement of the Only Begotten Son, who was prepared—
"And thus being called by this holy calling, and ordained unto the high priesthood of the holy order of God, to teach his commandments unto the children of men, that they also might enter into his rest—
"This high priesthood being after the order of his Son, which order was from the foundation of the world; or in other words, being without beginning of days or end of years, being prepared from eternity to all eternity, according to his foreknowledge of all things—
"Now they were ordained after this manner—being called with a holy calling, and ordained with a holy ordinance, and taking upon them the high priesthood of the holy order, which calling, and ordinance, and high priesthood, is without beginning or end—
"Thus they become high priests forever, after the order of the Son, the Only Begotten of the Father, who is without beginning of days or end of years, who is full of grace, equity, and truth. And thus it is. Amen.
"Now, as I said concerning the holy order, or this high priesthood, there were many who were ordained and became high priests of God; and it was on account of their exceeding faith and repentance, and their righteousness before God, they choosing to repent and work righteousness rather than to perish;
"Therefore they were called after this holy order, and were sanctified, and their garments were washed white through the blood of the Lamb.
"Now they, after being sanctified by the Holy Ghost, having their garments made white, being pure and spotless before God, could not look upon sin save it were with abhorrence; and there were many, exceedingly great many, who were made pure and entered into the rest of the Lord their God.
"And now, my brethren, I would that ye should humble yourselves before God, and bring forth fruit meet for repentance, that ye may also enter into that rest.
"Yea, humble yourselves even as the people in the days of Melchizedek, who was also a high priest after this same order which I have spoken, who also took upon him the high priesthood forever.
"And it was this same Melchizedek to whom Abraham paid tithes; yea, even our father Abraham paid tithes of one–tenth part of all he possessed.
"Now these ordinances were given after this manner, that thereby the people might look forward on the Son of God, it being a type of his order, or it being his order, and this that they might look forward to him for a remission of their sins, that they might enter into the rest of the Lord.
"Now this Melchizedek was a king over the land of Salem; and his people had waxed strong in iniquity and abomination; yea, they had all gone astray; they were full of all manner of wickedness;
"But Melchizedek having exercised mighty faith, and received the office of the high priesthood according to the holy order of God, did preach repentance unto his people. And behold, they did repent; and Melchizedek did establish peace in the land in his days; therefore he was called the prince of peace [after the Lord Jesus Christ/Jehovah], for he was the king of Salem; and he did reign under his father.
"Now, there were many before him, and also there were many afterwards, but none were greater; therefore, of him they have more particularly made mention.
"Now I need not rehearse the matter; what I have said may suffice. Behold, the scriptures are before you; if ye will wrest them it shall be to your own destruction."
~ Book of Mormon | Alma 13:Heading-20

In Chapter 12 Alma spoke of the Plan of Redemption, and the sending out of the Garden Adam and Eve for partaking of the forbidden fruit. Alma spoke how the Plan of Redemption did benefit man in their probationary state. And Alma's perspective spans from before the foundation of the earth where the Plan of Redemption was set out, and concernng whosoever would repent and come unto God as opposed to those of a hardness of heart who would not exercise their agengy in selecting good to do good rather than evil to do evil. Is does seem that Alma has seen from all eternity to all eternity, and he knew of where he spoke concerning not only the Plan of Redeption but in Chapter 13 he seems to know and understand much about the priesthood of God.

"I Would Cite Your Minds
Forward To The Time When"

The Lord God is Our Father in Heaven, the Father of Spirits. In Heaven He did set out the Plan of Redemption and He also grave his children His Commandments and He did ordain priests, after His only order, which was after the order of His Son. And His Holy Order was to teach these thing unto the people. The events and pattern is Heaven is also that which Jesus has seen his Father do and what he, Jesus who is also Jehovah, has contintued to do here of earth to carry the WORD forth unto all people.

The WORD was first preached in Heaven by this Power and Priesthood after the Order of the Son of God. It was established by God the Father of Spirits as just set out, in Heaven before it was upon earth. And it was as stated by John:

  • "In the beginning was the gospel preached through the Son. And the gospel was the word, and the word was with the Son, and the Son was with God, and the Son was of God."
    ~ JST | John 1:1

    • And that Priesthood of the Holy Order of God was before the foundation of the world and was without beginning or end, being the very eternal and everlasting Priesthood and Power of God. It is that very Priesthood and Power by which heaven and earth under the power of God is set up as the Patriarchal Order of the Priesthood of God. And it was first on earth established with Adam and Eve, the first Patriarch and Matriarch of man on earth as it also was so set out and designed in heaven.

    It was that priethood of the Patriarchal High Priest Enoch which raised his city unto heaven, as was also accomplished by Melchizedek, that Prince of Peace of Salem. And it is by that same priesthood and power by which the promises and blessings have remained in Joseph, Jacob, Isaac and Abraham (D&C 27:10). And it is by those promises and blessings that have continued to come in and through those priesthood covenants of the Last Great Patriarchal Father Joseph (JST Genesis 50:24-34 & 2 Nephi 3:5-16 | See Josephs Blessing).

    We understand that in the preexistence that a third part of God the Father's spirit children were inflenced by and followed after Lucifer, who by the hardness of their hearts and the closing of their eyes and the stopping of their hears, came not to understand and accept the Plan of Redemption as set out and taught by those hold God's priesthood in heaven. That is the war in heaven was that of words and ideas, the Plan of Redemption by the prieshood of God so being opposed by Lucifer and his angels. And Lucifer and his angels were cast out of heaven and down to earth without ever to receive a body of flesh and bone to house their spirit.

    And just as what Lucifer and his angels did in heaven has resulted in their being cast out from the presence of God, so it was the intent of God that all the rest of his children would pass through a time of maturation, clothed with a tabernacle of clay, to exercise their agency here on earth as to whether they would here chose the good or the evil. And whether they would of themselves chose the way of truth and light and righteousness and goodness. The Pre-mortal realm was but out first estate. All those who kept that first estate are those who are born unto this second temporal estate of separation and maturation of testing and probationary time to allow further selection of the good or the evil of the natural man, whether the strength of the spirit will control the natural man in and unto the ways of righteousness or whether the natural man, who is an enemy of God will prevail and come to die the second death out of the presence of God forever.

    In heaven there were positions of priesthood held and exercised and may were foreordained that man might continue to receive such blessing from God here below in his earthly realm. And also whether those of heaven, that would choose to come down to earth, would continue to walk in the ways of God by the power of the righteous control of the spirit righteousness over that of the natural man on earth, so as to return to the high Celestial Kingdom of God or unto some lesser realm where God does not reside. They having been measured and found lacking.

    But all is provided the way of mercy over judgment, of forgiveness as a result of coming unto Christ in repentance. And by the power of the atonement for the righteousness of the Savior to be imputed unto them, that they might be judged according to their good works, having their sins remitted by their faith in Christ and their choosing to live the commandments of God. It is the pattern of righteousness that man must subject their self to by the control of the spiritual over the natural man. And the sooner man will turn himself unto God and live by God's word, the better are his chances and his developed degree of intelligence which will be to his advantage in the world to come.