“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.”
Several things about this formulation are interesting. Most interesting is the closing declaration, “And thus it is. Amen.” It is iconic. It is as if the statement were an authorized, serious message, intended to be accompanied by the requisite formalities to let the reader know that this is serious stuff. This is “most holy.” This is not just a passing description. It holds terrible, eternal significance. So the material that preceded it holds important keys to understanding. Important warnings and knowledge. Perhaps, as a result of the concluding punctuation, we should be very, very careful about the words that preceded it. [This is why I’m conducting this exercise.]
Now look at the beginning-
“Thus they become…” These individuals have become something. The “high priests” about whom this material has been written have been in the process of becoming something holy from before the foundation of the world. This is pre-earth or pre-mortal existence stuff. The history, or background leading up to finding a holy high priest in mortality is eons in the making. It goes back to before this world had been reorganized.
“..high priests forever…” This priestly authority and holy order is not mortal. It is without beginning in this mortal phase of existence.
Now comes the formula of the authority: “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.” Look at it in pieces.
-After the order of the Son
-After the order of the Only Begotten of the Father
-After the order of Him who is without beginning of days or end of years
-After the order of Him who is full of grace
-After the order of Him who is full of equity
-After the order of Him who is full of truth.
What does it mean to be “begotten” of the Father? (Psalms 2: 7.)
What does it mean to be a “son” of the Father? (1 John 3: 1-3.)
What does it mean to be full of “grace?” (D&C 93: 11-20.)
What does it mean to be full of “equity?” (Proverbs 2: 9.)
What does it mean to be full of “truth?” (D&C 93: 24.)
This is interesting. What are we to make of such “holy” men who are “high priests after the order of the Son of God?”
Do you think we make a man such a thing by sustaining him in Ward, Stake and General Conferences? Can we make one of them at all?
If we never realize who they are, does that mean they don’t exist? Does it mean they weren’t ordained before the foundation of the world?
If they come, minister in obscurity, never hold high office and never have a single building at BYU, BYU Hawaii or BYU Idaho named after them, are they any less?
Does our recognition of them make them any more?
Are they here to be recognized? Are they here just to teach so that others may be brought back to God by learning His commandments and enter into His rest?
This is quite different than what I’ve been told in Gospel Doctrine class. It is beginning to look and feel a lot like what Joseph Smith was saying right at the end in the Nauvoo period. I wonder why we neglect this today?