Doctrine and Covenants 128
Historical Context
On September 7, 1842, Joseph Smith was in hiding when he dictated a letter providing instructions to the Saints about keeping records while performing baptisms for the dead. The Prophet had been forced into hiding when men were sent to apprehend him on charges that he was involved in an assassination attempt on Lilburn W. Boggs, the former governor of Missouri. This letter followed up on teachings given in a letter written September 1 about the proper procedures for performing and recording proxy baptisms for the deceased. In his second epistle, Joseph went into greater detail, opening the scriptures to explain how proxy ordinances create a “welding link” between the living and the dead (D&C 128:18).
At Joseph’s request, the letter was read to the Saints “at the Grove near the Temple.” William Clayton recorded in Joseph’s journal that “the important instructions contained in the foregoing letter made a deep and solemn impression on the minds of the saints, and they manifested their intentions to obey the instructions to the letter.” The letter was published shortly after in the October 1, 1842, issue of Times and Seasons. Under Joseph Smith’s direction the letter was included in the 1844 edition of the Doctrine and Covenants.
See “Historical Introduction,” Letter to the Church, 7 September 1842 [D&C 128].
Verse-by-Verse Commentary
D&C 128:1–5
1 As I stated to you in my letter before I left my place, that I would write to you from time to time and give you information in relation to many subjects, I now resume the subject of the baptism for the dead, as that subject seems to occupy my mind, and press itself upon my feelings the strongest, since I have been pursued by my enemies.
2 I wrote a few words of revelation to you concerning a recorder. I have had a few additional views in relation to this matter, which I now certify. That is, it was declared in my former letter that there should be a recorder, who should be eye-witness, and also to hear with his ears, that he might make a record of a truth before the Lord.
3 Now, in relation to this matter, it would be very difficult for one recorder to be present at all times, and to do all the business. To obviate this difficulty, there can be a recorder appointed in each ward of the city, who is well qualified for taking accurate minutes; and let him be very particular and precise in taking the whole proceedings, certifying in his record that he saw with his eyes, and heard with his ears, giving the date, and names, and so forth, and the history of the whole transaction; naming also some three individuals that are present, if there be any present, who can at any time when called upon certify to the same, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.
4 Then, let there be a general recorder, to whom these other records can be handed, being attended with certificates over their own signatures, certifying that the record they have made is true. Then the general church recorder can enter the record on the general church book, with the certificates and all the attending witnesses, with his own statement that he verily believes the above statement and records to be true, from his knowledge of the general character and appointment of those men by the church. And when this is done on the general church book, the record shall be just as holy, and shall answer the ordinance just the same as if he had seen with his eyes and heard with his ears, and made a record of the same on the general church book.
5 You may think this order of things to be very particular; but let me tell you that it is only to answer the will of God, by conforming to the ordinance and preparation that the Lord ordained and prepared before the foundation of the world, for the salvation of the dead who should die without a knowledge of the gospel.
Joseph Smith had promised the Saints further instructions on the subject of baptisms for the dead (D&C 127:10). In verses 1–5, he expounds on the scriptural background of the practice. Joseph commonly shared how the practice of proxy ordinances for the dead is an essential part of the plan of God “prepared before the foundation of the world” (D&C 128:5). In an article published in Times and Seasons on April 15, 1842, Joseph Smith taught:
The great Jehovah contemplated the whole of the events connected with the earth, pertaining to the plan of salvation, before it rolled into existence, or ever the “morning stars sung together for joy,” the past, the present and the future, were, and are with him one eternal now . . . he comprehended the fall of man, and their redemption; he knew the plan of salvation, and pointed it out; he was acquainted with the situation of all nations; and with their destiny; he ordered all things according to the council of his own will, he knows the situation of both the living, and the dead, and has made ample provision for their redemption, according to their several circumstances, and the laws of the kingdom of God, whether in this world, or in the world to come.”
D&C 128:6–9
6 And further, I want you to remember that John the Revelator was contemplating this very subject in relation to the dead, when he declared, as you will find recorded in Revelation 20:12—And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
7 You will discover in this quotation that the books were opened; and another book was opened, which was the book of life; but the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works; consequently, the books spoken of must be the books which contained the record of their works, and refer to the records which are kept on the earth. And the book which was the book of life is the record which is kept in heaven; the principle agreeing precisely with the doctrine which is commanded you in the revelation contained in the letter which I wrote to you previous to my leaving my place—that in all your recordings it may be recorded in heaven.
8 Now, the nature of this ordinance consists in the power of the priesthood, by the revelation of Jesus Christ, wherein it is granted that whatsoever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatsoever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Or, in other words, taking a different view of the translation, whatsoever you record on earth shall be recorded in heaven, and whatsoever you do not record on earth shall not be recorded in heaven; for out of the books shall your dead be judged, according to their own works, whether they themselves have attended to the ordinances in their own propria persona, or by the means of their own agents, according to the ordinance which God has prepared for their salvation from before the foundation of the world, according to the records which they have kept concerning their dead.
9 It may seem to some to be a very bold doctrine that we talk of—a power which records or binds on earth and binds in heaven. Nevertheless, in all ages of the world, whenever the Lord has given a dispensation of the priesthood to any man by actual revelation, or any set of men, this power has always been given. Hence, whatsoever those men did in authority, in the name of the Lord, and did it truly and faithfully, and kept a proper and faithful record of the same, it became a law on earth and in heaven, and could not be annulled, according to the decrees of the great Jehovah. This is a faithful saying. Who can hear it?
Joseph Smith taught of “a power which records or binds on earth and binds in heaven” (D&C 128:9). This power, commonly referred to in the Church today as the sealing power, is not exclusive to this dispensation. It has been exercised by prophets in all dispensations whenever the keys of the Melchizedek Priesthood have been present on the earth. The word seal appears many times in the scriptures. Jesus Christ was “sealed” by God the Father (John 6:27). Paul taught the Saints of his day that God had anointed and sealed them (2 Corinthians 1:21–22). When Paul wrote to the Saints in Ephesus, he spoke of them being “sealed by that holy Spirit of promise” (Ephesians 1:13). In the book of Revelation, John spoke of God’s servants being sealed “in their foreheads” (Revelation 7:3). The power to seal was promised to the Apostle Peter when the Savior told him, “I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Matthew 16:19).
The sealing power essentially gives the Lord’s servants who hold it power to perform certain acts on earth that are validated (sealed) in heaven. The sealing keys were given to Joseph Smith by the ancient Prophet Elijah when he appeared in the Kirtland Temple (D&C 110:13–16). Today the President of the Church holds and directs the use of sealing keys. When new members of the Quorum of the Twelve are called, they are given the sealing keys (though the Twelve act under the direction of the President of the Church in using those keys). The sealing power is also given to a select number of officiators who serve in temples and perform sealing ordinances. The sealing authority is the power by which “all covenants, contracts, bonds, obligations, oaths, vows, performances, connections, associations, or expectations” receive “efficacy, virtue, or force in and after the resurrection from the dead” (D&C 132:7).
D&C 128:10–14
10 And again, for the precedent, Matthew 16:18, 19: And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
11 Now the great and grand secret of the whole matter, and the summum bonum of the whole subject that is lying before us, consists in obtaining the powers of the Holy Priesthood. For him to whom these keys are given there is no difficulty in obtaining a knowledge of facts in relation to the salvation of the children of men, both as well for the dead as for the living.
12 Herein is glory and honor, and immortality and eternal life—The ordinance of baptism by water, to be immersed therein in order to answer to the likeness of the dead, that one principle might accord with the other; to be immersed in the water and come forth out of the water is in the likeness of the resurrection of the dead in coming forth out of their graves; hence, this ordinance was instituted to form a relationship with the ordinance of baptism for the dead, being in likeness of the dead.
13 Consequently, the baptismal font was instituted as a similitude of the grave, and was commanded to be in a place underneath where the living are wont to assemble, to show forth the living and the dead, and that all things may have their likeness, and that they may accord one with another—that which is earthly conforming to that which is heavenly, as Paul hath declared, 1 Corinthians 15:46, 47, and 48:
14 Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. The first man is of the earth, earthy; the second man is the Lord from heaven. As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy; and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. And as are the records on the earth in relation to your dead, which are truly made out, so also are the records in heaven. This, therefore, is the sealing and binding power, and, in one sense of the word, the keys of the kingdom, which consist in the key of knowledge.
In Doctrine and Covenants 128:10–14, Joseph Smith uses the term summum bonum when he describes how to obtain the knowledge of salvation. Summum bonum is a Latin term meaning “the highest good, especially as the ultimate goal according to which values and priorities are established in an ethical system.” Joseph explains that the summum bonum pertaining to the question of salvation for all men and women is the power of the priesthood. It is through the priesthood that God gives His followers the necessary knowledge they need to provide ordinances that open the door to deliverance for both the living and the dead.
The imagery of death is already present in the ordinance of baptism by immersion. Paul taught that those who “were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into death” and “that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in a newness of life” (Romans 6:3–6). Furthering this imagery, Joseph teaches that baptismal fonts in temples are “a similitude of the grave” and should be put “in a place underneath where the living are wont to assemble” (D&C 128:13). In most temples built by the Church, baptismal fonts are customarily placed in the lower part of temples. Even in one-story temples, fonts are typically found in a step-down area. If a temple is built in conditions in which a font cannot be placed underground, the font is placed beneath the chapel and other rooms where the living meet.
D&C 128:15–16
15 And now, my dearly beloved brethren and sisters, let me assure you that these are principles in relation to the dead and the living that cannot be lightly passed over, as pertaining to our salvation. For their salvation is necessary and essential to our salvation, as Paul says concerning the fathers—that they without us cannot be made perfect—neither can we without our dead be made perfect.
16 And now, in relation to the baptism for the dead, I will give you another quotation of Paul, 1 Corinthians 15:29: Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? Why are they then baptized for the dead?
Joseph quotes two teachings from the New Testament concerning work for the dead. Paul explicitly mentions baptisms for the dead in 1 Corinthians 15:29 in a discussion about the resurrection, though he offers no commentary or instructions on the practice. In Hebrews 11, Paul lists ancient prophets who demonstrated faith in God and then states “that they without us should not be made perfect” (Hebrews 11:40). By quoting these two scriptures in verses 15 and 16, Joseph ties the fate of the deceased and the fate of the living together—the dead gain salvation through proxy ordinances, and the living gain salvation by laboring to carry out these ordinances. The temple is the connection between the salvation of the living and the dead.
President Rudger Clawson explained, “We have two great churches, one in heaven, the other upon the earth. They are moving along parallel lines, and the temple of God, as it appears to me, is the connecting link that connects the heavens and the earth, because it is through the temple that we will be able to reach our dead, and not otherwise. To pray for the dead may not be of any real assistance to them. To actually help them we must do a work for them.”
In a similar fashion, Elder David A. Bednar taught, “The temple is the great point of intersection between heaven and earth. In this sacred place, holy work will be performed through selfless service and love. The temple reminds me of all that is good and beautiful in the world.”
D&C 128:17–18
17 And again, in connection with this quotation I will give you a quotation from one of the prophets, who had his eye fixed on the restoration of the priesthood, the glories to be revealed in the last days, and in an especial manner this most glorious of all subjects belonging to the everlasting gospel, namely, the baptism for the dead; for Malachi says, last chapter, verses 5th and 6th: Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord: And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.
18 I might have rendered a plainer translation to this, but it is sufficiently plain to suit my purpose as it stands. It is sufficient to know, in this case, that the earth will be smitten with a curse unless there is a welding link of some kind or other between the fathers and the children, upon some subject or other—and behold what is that subject? It is the baptism for the dead. For we without them cannot be made perfect; neither can they without us be made perfect. Neither can they nor we be made perfect without those who have died in the gospel also; for it is necessary in the ushering in of the dispensation of the fulness of times, which dispensation is now beginning to usher in, that a whole and complete and perfect union, and welding together of dispensations, and keys, and powers, and glories should take place, and be revealed from the days of Adam even to the present time. And not only this, but those things which never have been revealed from the foundation of the world, but have been kept hid from the wise and prudent, shall be revealed unto babes and sucklings in this, the dispensation of the fulness of times.
The prophecy at the end of the book of Malachi is among the most haunting in all of scripture. Malachi 4:5–6 is quoted in Doctrine and Covenants 128:17 precisely as it appears in the King James Version of the Bible. When the Savior quotes the same verses to the Nephites (3 Nephi 25), His words were also translated in the Book of Mormon to match the King James Version. When Joseph Smith reached Malachi during his project of translating the Bible, he made no changes to the entire book of Malachi and instead simply wrote in the manuscript, “Malachi Correct.”
When Joseph says that he “might have rendered a plainer translation” to Malachi 4:5–6 (D&C 128:18), it is very likely that he is referring to Moroni’s rendering of the verses, found in Doctrine and Covenants 2. During his appearance to Joseph in 1823, Moroni quoted the passage in Malachi but made several key changes. For instance, Moroni explains that Elijah’s coming held a purpose, which, specifically, was to reveal the priesthood (D&C 2:1). Moroni also altered the text of the passage so that it declares that Elijah “will plant in the hearts of the children the promises made to the fathers” (D&C 2:2). Moroni softened the phrase “lest I come and smite the earth with a curse” and instead said, “if it were not so, the whole earth would be utterly wasted at his coming” (D&C 2:3). Joseph first published Moroni’s commentary on this revelation in the April 1842 edition of Times and Seasons a few months before Doctrine and Covenants 128 was written.
In a sermon given on January 21, 1844, Joseph again quoted Malachi 4:5–6 and then offered this commentary:
The word turn here (Malachi 4:6) should be translated bind or seal. But what is the object of this important mission or how is it to be fulfilled? The keys are to be delivered[,] the spirit of Elijah is to come, The gospel to be established[,] the Saints of God gathered[,] Zion built up, & the Saints to come up as saviors on mount Zion[;] but how are they to become Saviors on Mount Zion[?] by building their temples[,] erecting their baptismal fonts[,] and going forth and receiving all the ordinances, baptisms, confirmations, washings[,] anointings[,] ordinations, and sealing powers upon our heads in behalf of all our progenitors who are dead and redeem them that they may come forth in the first resurrection and be exalted to thrones of glory with us. And herein is the chain that binds the hearts of the fathers to the children and the children to the Fathers, which fulfills the mission of Elijah[;] and I would to God that this temple was now done that we might go into it.
D&C 128:19–20
19 Now, what do we hear in the gospel which we have received? A voice of gladness! A voice of mercy from heaven; and a voice of truth out of the earth; glad tidings for the dead; a voice of gladness for the living and the dead; glad tidings of great joy. How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of those that bring glad tidings of good things, and that say unto Zion: Behold, thy God reigneth! As the dews of Carmel, so shall the knowledge of God descend upon them!
20 And again, what do we hear? Glad tidings from Cumorah! Moroni, an angel from heaven, declaring the fulfilment of the prophets—the book to be revealed. A voice of the Lord in the wilderness of Fayette, Seneca county, declaring the three witnesses to bear record of the book! The voice of Michael on the banks of the Susquehanna, detecting the devil when he appeared as an angel of light! The voice of Peter, James, and John in the wilderness between Harmony, Susquehanna county, and Colesville, Broome county, on the Susquehanna river, declaring themselves as possessing the keys of the kingdom, and of the dispensation of the fulness of times!
Doctrine and Covenants 128:19–21 briefly recounts some of the key events of the early Restoration. Some of these events are well known and extensively documented in the writings of Joseph Smith and his contemporaries, such as the appearance of Moroni or the voice of the Lord to the Three Witnesses of the Book of Mormon. Other events mentioned in these verses are less well-known or are completely undocumented outside of this passage. For instance, Joseph’s statement about the “voice of Peter, James, and John in the wilderness between Harmony, Susquehanna County, and Colesville, Broome county, on the Susquehanna river” (D&C 128:20) is the most detailed statement we have about the location and circumstances of the appearance of these three New Testament Apostles.
In an addition to an 1830 revelation (D&C 27) that was first included in the 1835 Doctrine and Covenants, the Lord clarifies that Peter, James, and John brought “the keys of my kingdom, and a dispensation of the gospel for the last times; and for a fulness of times, in the which I will gather together in one all things both which are in heaven, and what are in earth, and also all those whom my father hath given me out of the world” (D&C 27:12–14). A 2020 proclamation by the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles declares, “Three of the original twelve Apostles—Peter, James, and John—restored the apostleship and keys of priesthood authority.”
Another incident—entirely unknown outside of this passage—is Joseph’s mention of “the voice of Michael on the banks of the Susquehanna, detecting the devil when he appeared as an angel of light!” (D&C 128:20). This incident must have taken place early in the Restoration since Joseph and Emma Smith left their home there in September 1830 and never returned. Michael is identified in the scriptures as “the archangel who contended with the devil” (Jude 1:9; see also Revelation 12:7). Doctrine and Covenants 27:11 directly identifies Michael as Adam. Doctrine and Covenants 29:11 describes Michael as “the Lord’s archangel,” who will signal the great resurrection of the dead when he sounds his trump.
In section 128, Joseph recorded that Michael detected the devil’s attempt to appear as an “angel of light” (D&C 128:20). In an 1839 discourse given to the Twelve, Joseph spoke about how to detect Satan, stating, “As there are many keys to the kingdom of God[,] the following one will detect Satan when he transforms himself nigh unto an angel of light.” Similar instructions were given by Joseph in a discourse recorded on February 9, 1843, which was later included as section 12 of the Doctrine and Covenants.
D&C 128:21
21 And again, the voice of God in the chamber of old Father Whitmer, in Fayette, Seneca county, and at sundry times, and in divers places through all the travels and tribulations of this Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints! And the voice of Michael, the archangel; the voice of Gabriel, and of Raphael, and of divers angels, from Michael or Adam down to the present time, all declaring their dispensation, their rights, their keys, their honors, their majesty and glory, and the power of their priesthood; giving line upon line, precept upon precept; here a little, and there a little; giving us consolation by holding forth that which is to come, confirming our hope!
In his 1838 history, Joseph Smith gave a more detailed account of the event described in Doctrine and Covenants 128:21 as “the voice of God in the chamber of old Father Whitmer, in Fayette, Seneca county.” The account reads as follows:
We now became anxious to have that promise realized to us, which the Angel that conferred upon us the Aaronic Priesthood had given us, viz: that provided we continued faithful; we should also have the Melchizedek Priesthood, which holds the authority of the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost. We had for some time made this matter a subject of humble prayer, and at length we got together in the Chamber of Mr. Whitmer’s house in order more particularly to seek of the Lord what we now so earnestly desired: and here to our unspeakable satisfaction did we realize the truth of the Savior’s promise; “Ask, and you shall receive, seek, and you shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto you;” for we had not long been engaged in solemn and fervent prayer, when the word of the Lord, came unto us in the chamber, commanding us; that I should ordain Oliver Cowdery to be an Elder in the Church of Jesus Christ, and that he also should ordain me to the same office, and then to ordain others as it should be made known unto us, from time to time: we were however commanded to defer this our ordination until, such times, as it should be practicable to have our brethren, who had been and who should be baptized, assembled together, when we must have their sanction to our thus proceeding to ordain each other, and have them decide by vote whether they were willing to accept us as spiritual teachers, or not, when also we were commanded to bless bread and break it with them, and to take wine, bless it, and drink it with them, afterward proceed to ordain each other according to commandment, then call out such men as the Spirit should dictate, and ordain them, and then attend to the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost, upon all those whom we had previously baptized; doing all things in the name of the Lord.
The account also mentions the voices of several other angels, including Michael (Adam, see D&C 27:11) and Gabriel, whom Joseph Smith identified as the ancient prophet Noah. Joseph later taught that “he [Gabriel-Noah] stands next in authority to Adam in the priesthood.”
The account also mentions Raphael, an angel not mentioned anywhere else in the current canon of scripture, though he is a prominent figure in the book of Tobit, found in the Apocrypha (Tobit 3:17; 5:4). The name Raphael means “God heals.” In the book of Tobit, Raphael first appears as a human. When he reveals himself as an angel, he says that he is “one of seven angels who stand ready and enter before the glory of the Lord” (Tobit 12:15). The book of Tobit is part of the apocryphal books, about which the Lord declared “there are many things contained therein that are true, and it is mostly translated correctly” but also warned that “there are many things contained therein that are not true, which are interpolations by the hand of men” (D&C 91:1–2). Outside of Doctrine and Covenants 128, Raphael is not mentioned in any other known statement of Joseph Smith. His mention here confirms that he is an important messenger for God, even though we know little about his mission or his mortal identity. The phrase “divers angels” (verse 21) implies there are other angelic messengers who assisted in the Restoration, whose labors will undoubtedly come to light at a later time.
D&C 128:22–25
22 Brethren, shall we not go on in so great a cause? Go forward and not backward. Courage, brethren; and on, on to the victory! Let your hearts rejoice, and be exceedingly glad. Let the earth break forth into singing. Let the dead speak forth anthems of eternal praise to the King Immanuel, who hath ordained, before the world was, that which would enable us to redeem them out of their prison; for the prisoners shall go free.
23 Let the mountains shout for joy, and all ye valleys cry aloud; and all ye seas and dry lands tell the wonders of your Eternal King! And ye rivers, and brooks, and rills, flow down with gladness. Let the woods and all the trees of the field praise the Lord; and ye solid rocks weep for joy! And let the sun, moon, and the morning stars sing together, and let all the sons of God shout for joy! And let the eternal creations declare his name forever and ever! And again I say, how glorious is the voice we hear from heaven, proclaiming in our ears, glory, and salvation, and honor, and immortality, and eternal life; kingdoms, principalities, and powers!
24 Behold, the great day of the Lord is at hand; and who can abide the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appeareth? For he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fuller’s soap; and he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness. Let us, therefore, as a church and a people, and as Latter-day Saints, offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness; and let us present in his holy temple, when it is finished, a book containing the records of our dead, which shall be worthy of all acceptation.
25 Brethren, I have many things to say to you on the subject; but shall now close for the present, and continue the subject another time. I am, as ever, your humble servant and never deviating friend,
Joseph Smith.
Doctrine and Covenants 128:22–25 ends with a stirring call for the Latter-day Saints to make an offering unto the Lord through their efforts to perform and record work for the deceased. The offering of the Saints is compared to the offering of the sons of Levi described in an earlier revelation as “an acceptable offering and sacrifice in the house of the Lord” (D&C 84:31).
In an instruction on priesthood given on October 5, 1840, Joseph Smith mentioned the sons of Levi when he explained that animal sacrifice, as practiced in the Old Testament, would be temporarily reinstated as part of the restitution of all things in the latter days. The 1840 instruction declared, “These sacrifices as well as every ordinance belonging to the priesthood will[,] when the temple of the Lord shall be built and the sons of Levi be purified[,] be fully restored and attended to. All their powers[,] ramifications, and blessings—[that] ever did and will exist when the powers of the Melchizedek Priesthood are sufficiently manifest, else how can the restitution of all things spoken of by all the Holy prophets be brought to pass?” The same instruction clarified that this was only to be a temporary reinstatement of animal sacrifice, adding, “It is not to be understood that, the law of Moses will be established again with all its rights and variety of ceremonies. This has never been spoken off by the prophets. But those things which existed prior to Moses’ day viz., sacrifice, will be continued.”
Those who hold the authority of the priesthood effectively act as the modern “sons of Levi” (see D&C 84:32–34) in creating another offering. Their offering is the record demonstrating that the ordinances of salvation have been performed for the living and the dead through the sealing power given in the last days.
Footnotes
