The Order of the Restoration

    There is a logical progression and order in the construction of building a structure, be it a tangible physical building or an instituational organization. Certainly you cannot put a roof on before the walls are in place to hold it up. And you cannot properly set the walls in place before they have a proper foundation upon which they may securly rest. And there is a degree of skill and related performance, which only authorized empowered and skilled workers must act in their proper order so as to have the work done properaly, adequately and in order to insure the next logical steps in the constrution sequence are properly supported for their beginning and completion.

In any such undertaking there is a critical flow schedule of times and order of completion in the which there are organized schedules of what must be done before whatelse, and what things must wait to be done until other steps of progression are able to be further carry to insure the success of the next step, and so on and so forth.

The first step is to establish that the proper authority and order is being followed. Of course the line of authority begins at the top. Even Jesus Christ himself established just what that was to be when in everything he did he displayed his obedience and submission to the governing and authority of the 'Father', his Father in Heaven above. Jesus even taught the apostles that they were to ask and obtain their approval from the father by speaking unto the Father in the name of Jesus Christ. And thus Jesus further established that next in the line of authority the order was to be next to Jesus Christ. And the gospel, scriptures and Jesus Christ established that it was the Father who had entrusted all things into the hand of our Lord Jesus Christ. Thus to begin the process of the restoration who else should it commence with but first the Father and second the Father setting forth that all was thence to be done by the ministering hand of the Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ.

The First Vision

And this is exactually who first appears to the youth who was to be formed into the prophet of God and of the restoration. It was God the Father of Spirits, Elohim, and His Son Jesus Christ, who is the same as Jehovah, who first appears to the boy, prophet to be, Joseph Smith. And what is important in the order of Heaven is what the Father does furst do. He immediately establishes that line of authority by the simple and singular statement, "Joseph, this is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!" (PoGP Joseph Smith History 1:17) Jesus was/is the same as Jehovah, the first born son of God the Father of Spirits in the spirit. As the Father's firstborn and heir, who works under the direction of the Father, for, of and in the stead of the Father, to minister unto us who are the Lord's temporal creations as directed by the Father; it is upon Jesus Christ/Jehovah that the full responsibility of ministering to the affairs of this world. Thus as the Father is in charge and our Lord and God Jesus/Jehovah is he that ministers unto us in behalf of the Father, is respect to that line and order of proper authority, it was the Father who was in charge and he but introduced the Son, Jesus Christ, who was placed by the Father to minister unto this termporal creation. So the Father immediately introducted the Son and referred Joseph Smith to hear and be subject unto that singular administration which the Father had establish from the beginning in the preexistence.

And from thence all was by and under the direction of the Lord Jesus Christ. And though others would next come an minister unto Joseph Smith, it would all be as directed by Jesus Christ. It was place into the hands of that Lord and God of the Old Testament Jehovah, who is the same as Jesus Chirst, of whom even David spoke of in Psalm 110:1, saying, "The LORD of my Lord . . . " distingulishing, that the LORD Elohim, was higher and over David's Lord Jehovah, who would be Jesus Christ as he would condescend to come to earth to redeeem his people. Thus even David was familiar with the concept that there was that higher LORD GOD the FATHER, unto whom even he, Jehovah, was subject to. And that it would be that HIGHER LORD GOD the FATHER upon whose right hand the Lord God Jehovah would stand or sit, and was glorified by the Father, and chosen to minister unto us on earth.

This is what the Old Testament established. It is what Jesus taught and instructed his followers in as he often spoke of his Father and even taught us to pray to him who was our Father who art in Heaven. And this was the very manner and way that it was and had to be in the course of the restoration of all things as well. If it had not been so, if it had been in any other manner, then it would have been a matter by which men could easily discern that it was not a true restoration.

The Ministration of Angels

In considering the 'ministration of angels,' a brief definition of just who angels are is of imporatance and also how they work. Angels are as it were the children of God the Father of Spirits, who in fact begins with the first born son of God the Father of Spirits, and that is His son Jehovah. One question asked in the Psalms in this, 'Who maketh his angels spirits?' (Psalm 104:4; Hebrews 1:7 (1-10)) In answer to that, it is God the Father of Spirits who is the 'maker' of spirits. And he does so from that which we are taught is that which is eternally co-existant with God, and that is Intelligence. Also in that Hebrews reference it begins as follows:

"GOD [Elohim], who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, "Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son [Jesus Christ/Jehovah], whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom [Jesus] also he [Elohim] made the worlds; "Who [Jesus] being the brightness of his [Elohim's] glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; "Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. "For unto which of the angels said he [Elohim] at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son? "And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God [children of God] worship him. "And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire. "But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. "Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God [Elohim], even thy God [Elohim], hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. "And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands:" ~ New Testament | Hebrews 1:1-10

In the Old Testament it is not easy to distinguish who hath spoken Jehovah, Elohim or Jehovah in the stead of Elohim as though he were the Father, as he was placed in the stead of the Father to minister to us in all things. It's easier in the New Testament to know that Jesus Christ, who is Jehovah, is speaking unto us as the Son in behalf of the Father. And it is the Son, as Jehovah, who made the temporal worlds under direction of the Father [Elohim]. It is Jesus who is the brightness of his Father's glory. It is Jesus who is the express image of the Father. Jesus upholds all things by the word of God's Priesthood. It is Jesus who purged our sins and has sat down on the right hand of God. It was Jehovah who was chosen from among us to be our Redeeming Ministering God in the name of the Father, and he received a more excellent name of Jehoshua [Jesus]. For who of all of God's spirit children, his angels, did Elohim select to come to earth and to be his son but Jehovah the heir, the first born son in the spirit, and the Only Begotten Son of the Father in the flesh? And Elohim broutht his 'firstbegotton' into the world and said, 'Let all the angels of God [God's children] worship him [Jesus Christ our condescending Ministering God Jehovah]. It is Elohim who maketh his angels spirits [his children] and makes them ministers of fire unto man. Elohim positioned Jehovah, the Son, as our Ministering God and made him King of Righteousness. Jehovah, the Son, hath loved righteousness and hated iniquity, thus Elohim anointed him above his fellows, a Ministering Redeeming God Jehovah condescending below all things in order to be a sinless sacrifice for all of mankind. And under the direction of the Father [Elohim], our Lord [Jehovah/Jesus] laid the foundation of the temporal earth, and also the temporal heavens are the works of his hands.

"I answer, Yes. But there are no angels who minister to this earth but those who do belong or have belonged to it."
~ Doctrine and Covenants | Section 130:5

Now the ministration of 'angels' to the earth is that only those children of God who pertain unto this earth is given to minister unto it as angels, whether in times past, present or furture. Then as the restoration began to unfold over the years to come, each ministering character/angel would be he who had been sent and commissioned by Jesus Christ. And they would minister the process of the restoration as sent by Christ, in the name of the Lord, each standing properly in his correctly established deligated position of authority as Jesus had so established it and set it out in his administrations by his deligation and authority and power given him by the Father.

Moroni, A Ministering Angel Sent by Jesus

Provided the foundational volume of additional scripture of the representative Stick of Joseph upon which the Restored Church was founded, it being restored and established by the hand of the tribe of Ephraim on the earth for man. Moroni's ministering unto Joseph Smith pertaining to the coming forth of the Book of Mormon, the representative volume of the stick of Joseph, did visit Joseph Smith a number of times in preparing and governing the processes of the coming forth of the Book of Mormon. It is unto Moroni to whom the keys of the stick of Ephraim has been committed (D&C 27:5)

John the Baptist, A Ministering Angel Sent by Jesus

He who was the authorized Aaronic Priest who prepared the way before Jesus Christ in Christ's day, returned to earth to restore that priesthood of Aaron that he held unto Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery.

Peter, James and John, Ministering Angels Sent by Jesus

The three chief apostles of Jesus Christ returned to earth as ministering angels to restore that higher priesthood of the Son of God, also called the Melchizedek Priesthood and also the priesthood of being an apostle of the Lord.

Jesus Christ, A Special Ministering Angel

Jesus Christ came 'swiftly' to his temple to accept it as an acceptable House of the Lord, prepared for the performance of the higher associated ordinances of the priesthood. (D&C 110:1-10)

Moses, A Ministering Angel Sent by Jesus

Moses came as a Ministering Angel to committ unto the seed of Abraham in Ephraim the keys of the gathering of Israel from the four parts of the earth—and leading of the ten tribes from the land of the north. (D&C 110:11)

Elias, A Ministering Angel Sent by Jesus

Elias, who is that same person as Gabriel and Noah*, came to the Kirtland Temple to restore the dispensation of the gospel of Abraham, that in Abraham's seed [Ephriam/Jesus Christ] all generations after 'us' [of Ephraim/Israel] should be blessed.(D&C 110:12) Abraham had sought for the blessing of the fathers and of the promised seed (Abraham 1:1-4), and he has received them though indeed it was Noah who did stand at the head of the dispensation as father unto the children of man since the time of the flood and upon this matter at hand. As to the keys and who Elias is see D&C 27:6-7. There it records that Elias was he who visited Zacharias and who pronounced that John, son of Zacharias, would be filled with the spirit of 'Elias.' And therein rests another lesson concerning the 'title' Elias as assigned priesthood calling.

Elijah, A Ministering Angel Sent by Jesus

Elijah, who Malachi testified would be sent before the great and dreadful day of the Lord, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the children to the fathers, lest the whole earth be smitten with a curse. The was the priesthood keys of the ordinances and work of the temples for the ancestors of man who had past away not having received these blessing while in life.(D&C 110:13-16) Now it was Elijah unto the Lord did grant the sealing power unto in his day, and whatever he sealed on earth was sealed in heaven and was so done on earth according to the words of Elijah, which by the spirit reflected the word and mind of the Lord.

Other Ministering Angels Sent by Jesus

Now it is not to be supposed that all such ministering of angels are spoken of here. There were others. And the ministering of angels continues in the church today as they are needed to meet the conditions of men on earth today.

Conclusion

Here now has been presented an orderly set of events that governed the restoration of the fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ upon the earth. The events did follow a 'critical flow' of how it need to proceed and what was to be done and accomplished before what. Certainly in many respects this is but a presentation simplification. But a good one I hope to the enlightenment of any who happen upon it.

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* That Elias is the same as Noah does not come directly from Joseph Smith. Jospeh Smith taught that Gabriel was the same as Noah. As to the identity of Elias as Moses one is to turn to the 27th section of the Doctrine in Covenants which states:

"And also with Elias, to whom I have committed the keys of bringing to pass the restoration of all things spoken by the mouth of all the holy prophets since the world began, concerning the last days;
"And also John the son of Zacharias, which Zacharias he (Elias) visited and gave promise that he should have a son, and his name should be John, and he should be filled with the spirit of Elias;"
~ Doctrine and Covenants | Section 27:6-7

The joining concepts and continuation here does strongly suggest that Elias who visited Zacharias is the same as the Elias who held the keys of bringing to pass the restoration of all things spoken by the mouth of all the holy prophets since the world began. And that Elias, the holder of the keys, sounds very much like that Elias who appeared in the Kirtland temple.

"After this, Elias appeared, and committed the dispensation of the gospel of Abraham, saying that in us and our seed all generations after us should be blessed."
~ Doctrine and Covenants | Section 110:12

No where else is 'Elias' point out as having appeared to restore such as he held in the sequence of the restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. If the Elias of D&C 110:12 is not the same as the Elias of D&C 27:6, then the restoration of the gospel is NOT COMPLETE, as the Elias of section 26 who 'hold the keys to the restoration of all things ...', has not come yet. The only logical solution is that the Elias of D&C 27:6 is the same Elias as in D&C 110:12. Then that leaves us back to determining that the Elias in D&C27:6 is the same Elias of D&C 27:7. For indeed, it is Gabriel who visited Zacharias in the New Testament that Joseph Smith the prophet identified as being the same as Noah. And it make perfectly good sense that it would be the calling and responsiblity of such as Noah, the father of the human race since the time of the universal flood who would have the responsibility to insure the restoration of such matters as stated in D&C 27:6 for the benefit and salvation of 'his' children. Yet it would be less than honest to not point out that there are some who do not see it this way. And you'll have to search their logic to determine why that is for it escapes me. And that is because the 'he' in D&C 27:7 has no one else but 'Elias' to have that pronoun to refer to except someone straight out of 'limbo' so to speak. And the published D&C considers it to be as indicated by the name (Elias) place right by the pronoun 'he' to identify who it is that it refers to, and that must be to the previous verse's Elias as well, for there is none other in view upon the page or within the text.

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