In an instruction on priesthood, read in the October 1840 General Conference, Joseph Smith provided further commentary on this passage, stating:

There are two priesthoods spoken of in the scriptures, viz, the Melchizedek and the Aaronic or Levitical[.] Although there are two priesthoods, yet the Melchizedek priesthood comprehends the Aaronic or Levitical priesthood and is the Grand head and holds the highest authority which pertains to the priesthood— the keys of the Kingdom of God in all ages of the world to the latest posterity on the earth— and is the channel through which all knowledge, doctrine, the plan of salvation[,] and every important truth is revealed from heaven. Its institution was prior to “the foundation of this earth or the morning stars sang together or the sons of God shouted for joy,” it is the highest and holiest priesthood and is after the order of the Son [of] God, and all other priesthoods are only parts, ramifications, powers[,] and blessings belonging to the same and are held controlled and directed by it. It is the channel through which the Almighty commenced revealing his glory at the beginning of the creation of this earth and through which he has continued to reveal himself to the children of men to the present time and through which he will make known his purposes to the end of time.¹

This quote indicates that the Aaronic Priesthood is considered an appendage of the Melchizedek Priesthood, which is the authority of Jesus Christ Himself. On another occasion, Joseph Smith taught simply, “All priesthood is Melchizedek; but there are different portions or degrees of it.”²

1. Instruction on Priesthood, circa 5 October 1840, p. 1, JSP.

2. Discourse, 5 January 1841, as Reported by William Clayton, p. 5, JSP.

Every person ordained to an office in the Melchizedek Priesthood holds the same priesthood, regardless of their office or calling. Thus, the offices of elder, high priest, Seventy, and Apostle all hold the same priesthood. All officers of the Church, male or female, hold priesthood authority to operate within their calling. The “right of presidency” mentioned in verse 8 refers to the keys of the priesthood, or the authority to direct the work of the Church. In the modern Church “the Presidency of the High Priesthood” (D&C 107:9), or the First Presidency, holds all priesthood keys and has the right to direct all other Church officers who hold priesthood offices and priesthood authority, whether it be a group of elders or the Relief Society.

As noted in section 107, the work of the Melchizedek Priesthood is to administer in spiritual things (D&C 107:8, 12). This work contrasts with that of the Aaronic Priesthood, which is tasked with administering in “outward ordinances” (D&C 107:14) such as the sacrament, baptism, and so forth. Though the priesthood is hierarchical, with high priests occupying a position above the elders, it is not dictatorial. In a letter written to John S. Carter in April 1833, Joseph Smith taught, “the duty of a high priest is to administer spiritual and holy things and to hold communion with God but not to exercise monarchial government or to appoint meetings for the Elders without their consent[,] and again it is the high priests duty to be bet[t]er qualified to teach principles and doctrines than the Elder[,] for the office of Elders is an appendage to the high priesthood.”³

3. Letterbook 1, p. 30, JSP.

In the modern Church, the “bishopric” referred to in verse 15 is interpreted to refer to the Presiding Bishopric. In the Church today, local bishops hold the keys of the Aaronic Priesthood and preside over the Aaronic Priesthood holders in their ward or branch. Though the office of bishop is a part of the Aaronic Priesthood, in practice it is always held by a high priest who acts as the bishop and the presiding high priest over a ward. The revelation explains that high priests can function in the offices of the Aaronic Priesthood (D&C 107:10, 17).

As explained in verse 16, a literal descendant of Aaron has a “legal right” to the office of bishop, though this only refers to the office of bishop and not to the position of a ward bishop. A lineal connection to Aaron does not guarantee an appointment to the office of bishop; a candidate must still be worthy and receive their calling through the proper channels of authority (see commentary for D&C 68:13–21). For a literal descendant of Aaron to hold the office of Presiding Bishop, he must first be identified and found worthy by the First Presidency, who preside over the Aaronic Priesthood.

Currently only the presiding high priest (i.e., the president of the Church) can hold and exercise all the keys of the priesthood that the Lord has delegated to him as President of the Church. Similarly the modern Church believes that all members of the Church, who qualify, have the “privilege of receiving the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven” (D&C 107:19). For men to receive these mysteries, they must first be found worthy and receive the higher priesthood (D&C 84:33–39). Several years later, in Nauvoo, JS revealed that Women and men must both enter into the fulness of the everlasting covenant to receive these blessings (D&C 132:19–24). The promise is then given to both men and women that they may become part of the Church of the Firstborn (D&C 93:22) and receive the presence of the Father and the Son (D&C 107:19). Every person may receive these blessings as quickly as they can qualify.

The Aaronic Priesthood enables people to receive the higher blessings mentioned in verse 19 by administering the outward ordinances necessary to return to God, referred to here as the “letter of the gospel” (D&C 107:20). Ordinances such as baptism act as doorways for a deeper connection with God. For example, the cleansing baptism of fire comes upon people through the power of the Holy Ghost only after they are baptized. Implied in verse 20 is the teaching of Paul that “the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life” (2 Corinthians 3:6). Going through the motions when it comes to the outward ordinances of the gospel, such as baptism and the covenants of the sacrament, does not produce exaltation.

Verses 21–26 establish the three presiding quorums of the Church, specifically the First Presidency, the Quorum of the Twelve, and the Quorum of the Seventy. While this passage states several times that these quorums are “equal in authority and power,” this phrase does not mean that the Church is governed by three different but equal quorums. Elder Hyrum Smith and Janne M. Sjodhal explained, “It should be understood that this condition of equality could prevail only when the ranking quorum is no longer in existence, through death or otherwise. When the First Presidency becomes disorganized on the death of the President then the Apostles become the presiding quorum, or council of the Church, with all the power to organize again the First Presidency, when they fall back again as the second ranking quorum of the Church.”⁴ As time went on and the Church expanded, the number of stakes increased into the thousands, and the role of the Twelve increased in importance.

The phrase “chosen by the body” (D&C 107: 22) refers to when the First Presidency was organized at a council of high priests held in Amherst, Ohio, on January 25, 1832.⁵ At that time, the higher quorums of the Church—the Twelve, and the Seventy—were not yet restored. The “body” that sustained Joseph Smith as President of the Church consisted of the whole body of the priesthood of the Church present at the Amherst conference. After the Twelve and the Seventy were organized in 1835, the governing councils of the Church consisted of the First Presidency, the Quorum of the Twelve, and the Seventy. In our day, the “body” that sustains the new President of the Church is the Quorum of the Twelve. When a President of the Church dies, the First Presidency is dissolved and the Quorum of the Twelve becomes the highest governing quorum, making the president of the Twelve the highest presiding officer in the Church until a new President is sustained by the Twelve and set apart as the President of the Church. According to the pattern established by the Twelve, they sustain the most senior apostle to be the new Church president.⁶

In our time, the process of choosing a new president of the Church has become fairly seamless. At the death of the president of the Church, the Twelve briefly become the presiding quorum only for a short time. The Twelve then sustain the new president of the Church. This process at first took several years following the death of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young, but has become a matter of days since Lorenzo Snow became the president of the Church. Several Church leaders have commented on how this process is not an election, but a sustaining. President Joseph Fielding Smith taught, “There is no mystery about the choosing of the successor to the President of the Church. The Lord settled this a long time ago, and the senior apostle automatically becomes the presiding officer of the Church, and he is so sustained by the Council of the Twelve which becomes the presiding body of the Church when there is no First Presidency. The president is not elected, but he has to be sustained both by his brethren of the Council and by the members of the Church.”⁷

President Spencer W. Kimball taught a similar principle when he said, “It is reassuring to know that [a new President is] . . . not elected through committees and conventions with all their conflicts, criticisms, and by the vote of men, but [is] called of God and then sustained by the people. . . The pattern divine allows for no errors, no conflicts, no ambitions, no ulterior motives. The Lord has reserved for himself the calling of his leaders over his church.”⁸ President Gordon B. Hinckley also testified, “At [the president of the Church’s] passing, that authority becomes operative in the senior Apostle, who is then named, set apart, and ordained a prophet and President by his associates of the Council of the Twelve. There is no electioneering. There is no campaigning. There is only the quiet and simple operation of a divine plan which provides inspired and tested leadership.”⁹

4. Hyrum M. Smith and Janne M. Sjodahl, Doctrine and Covenants Commentary, 1951, 700.

5. See “Presidency of the High Priesthood,” JSP.

6. See Harold B. Lee, “The Strength of the Priesthood,” April 1972 General Conference.

7. Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, 3:156.

8. Spencer W. Kimball, Ensign, Jan. 1973, 33.

9. Gordon B. Hinckley, Ensign, May 1986, 46–47

The Lord’s directive in verse 27 that decisions in the presiding quorums must be unanimous does not mean that there is always absolute agreement. The leaders of the Church come from different backgrounds and bring different gifts and experience to their service. Though there can be spirited discussions among the leaders of the Church over the best course to pursue, Church leaders and members are instructed to seek unanimity in their counsels through a spirit of meekness and gentle persuasion (see D&C 121:41–43). When President Henry B. Eyring first witnessed a discussion among the leaders of the Church, he later recalled thinking, “This is the strangest . . . Here are the prophets of God, and they’re disagreeing in an openness that I had never seen in business . . . I watched this process of them disagreeing and I thought, ‘good heavens!’ It was more open than anything I had ever seen with all the groups I had seen in business.”

However, as the meeting went on, President Eyring witnessed what he later called a miracle. The Spirit began to work on every person in the room, and each came to see the right path, and a spirit of unity prevailed. “I saw the most incredible thing,” President Eyring recalled, “I have seen a miracle! I have seen unity!” But then he saw President Harold B. Lee, who was chairing the meeting, pause the discussion and say, “Wait a minute, I think we will bring this matter up again some other time. I sense there is someone in the room who is not yet settled.” When the meeting ended, President Eyring saw someone from the meeting thank President Lee for recognizing their feelings and holding off on making the decision. President Eyring was moved by what he saw, saying later, “This is what it claims to be. This is the true Church of Jesus Christ. Revelation is real, even in business settings.”¹⁰

The Lord’s expectation of unanimity might slow the process of decision-making in the Church, but it is another indelible example of how the Holy Spirit helps lead and guide Church councils.

10. “Henry B. Eyring: Forget Harvard and Stanford. We’re in Another Kind of Thing Here,” YouTube video, accessed May 19, 2021, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8tccvnKEy0.

In verses 33–35 the Lord establishes the Twelve and the Seventy primarily as traveling authorities and charges them “to regulate all the affairs of the same in all nations, first unto the Gentiles and secondly unto the Jews” (D&C 107:33–34). The Twelve were originally intended to act as a traveling high council, working to solve differences and problems in the branches of the Church that were not part of an organized stake and thus had no high council or stake presidency to assist them. As time went on and the Church expanded, the number of stakes increased into the thousands, and the role of the Twelve increased in importance.

Members of the Twelve spend much of their time traveling to assist in regulating and governing the work of the Church. President Boyd K. Packer, an apostle for several decades, gave this accounting of his travels: “I am no different from the Brethren of the Twelve . . . when I tell you that the records show I have been in Mexico and Central and South America more than 75 times, in Europe over 50 times, Canada 25 times, the islands of the Pacific 10 times, Asia 10 times, and Africa 4 times; also China twice; to Israel, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the Dominican Republic, India, Pakistan, Egypt, Indonesia, and many, many other places around the globe. Others have traveled even more than that.”¹¹

11. Boyd K. Packer, “The Twelve,” April 2008 General Conference.

Verses 36–37 state that the standing, or local, high councils in the Church are equal in authority to the Twelve and the Seventy, this statement must be taken in historical context. At the time this revelation was given, there were only two stake high councils, one in Ohio and one in Missouri. The high council in Kirtland was presided over by Joseph Smith and the members of the First Presidency (see D&C 102:3). The stake presidency in Zion was presided over by David Whitmer, William W. Phelps, and John Whitmer.¹² The simple fact that there were only two high councils, with one led by the First Presidency, increased these councils’ importance in managing the affairs of the Church.

Today, stakes of the Church number in the thousands and exist on every continent except Antarctica. While stake presidencies and stake high councils play a vital role in the local communities in which they are found, they are not treated as a separate quorum on the same level of authority as the First Presidency, the Twelve, or the Seventy. This difference in authority does not undermine the importance of local stake high councils in any sense. As the Church has grown, distinguishing between “general” authorities, who have no specific area assigned to them, and “area” authorities, who act as a standing high council in their own communities, is important. Members of the Church are asked to sustain both the general officers and local authorities of the Church.¹³

12. See Minutes, 3 July 1834, p. 43, JSP.

13. See Russell M. Nelson, “Closing Remarks,” October 2019 General Conference.

The Twelve are charged as part of their duties to seek out evangelists to serve in all the large branches of the Church (D&C 107:39). “This order of the priesthood” is the patriarchal priesthood, which Joseph Smith later explained more extensively and linked to the ordinances of the temple that were revealed in Nauvoo.¹⁴ The patriarchal order should be considered not as an order separate from the Melchizedek Priesthood, but as an appendage to the higher priesthood, like the Aaronic Priesthood. Evangelists are chosen to provide patriarchal blessings.

Joseph Smith taught, “An Evangelist is a Patriarch[,] even the oldest man of the blood of Joseph or of the seed of Abraham, wherever the Church of Christ is established in the Earth, there should be a Patriarch for the benefit of the posterity of the Saints as it was with Jacob, in giving his patriarchal blessing unto his sons.”¹⁵ In most stakes a stake patriarch provides these blessings. Patriarchal blessings are a great source of comfort, guidance, and connection for Latter-day Saints.¹⁶

14. See Discourse, 27 August 1843, as Reported by Willard Richards, p. 74, JSP; see also JS History, vol. E-1, p. 1708, JSP.

15. JS History, vol. C-1, p. 9 [addenda], JSP.

16. See General Handbook, 18.17–18.17.3.

Doctrine and Covenants 107:53–55 was originally received as a part of a blessing Joseph Smith Jr. gave to his father and mother on December 18, 1833. Joseph later revised the wording of the blessing in the fall of 1835. In the blessing, Joseph Jr. declared that his father was given the “keys of the patriarchal priesthood over the kingdom of God on earth.”¹⁷ This blessing is tied directly to Joseph Sr.’s ordination as the Patriarch to the Church in December 1834.¹⁸ The blessing also declared that Lucy Mack Smith “shall be a partaker with my father in all his patriarchal blessings.”

The blessing to Joseph Sr. begins with the words, “Blessed of the Lord is my father, for he shall stand in the midst of his posterity and shall be comforted by their blessings when he is old and bowed down with years, and shall be called a prince over them, and shall be numbered among those who hold the right of patriarchal priesthood, even the keys of that ministry: for he shall assemble together his posterity like unto Adam; and the assembly which he called shall be an ensample for my father, for this it is written of him.” The blessing continues with the text of Doctrine and Covenants 107:53–56 in full.¹⁹ Later the blessing mentions Lucy Mack Smith and reads in part:

So shall it be with my father: he shall be called a prince over his posterity, holding the keys of the patriarchal priesthood over the kingdom of God on earth, even the Church of the Latter Day Saints; and he shall sit in the general assembly of patriarchs, even in council with the Ancient of Days when he shall sit and all the patriarchs with him—and shall enjoy his right and authority under the direction of the Ancient of Days.

And blessed, also, is my mother, for she is a mother in Israel, and shall be a partaker with my father in all his patriarchal blessings.

Blessed is my mother, for her soul is ever filled with benevolence and philanthropy; and notwithstanding her age, she shall yet receive strength and be comforted in the midst of her house: and thus saith the Lord, She shall have eternal life.²⁰

Joseph Smith Sr. served as the Patriarch to the church until his death in 1840. As the eldest surviving Smith son, Hyrum Smith succeeded his father as patriarch to the church. The office of Patriarch to the Church continued to be passed down through Hyrum’s descendants until the death of Elder Eldred G. Smith in 2013. At the October 1979 General Conference, Eldred Smith was granted emeritus status, and with his death the office of Patriarch to the Church was discontinued. At the time Elder Smith was granted emeritus status, President N. Eldon Tanner explained the reason for the change, stating, “Because of the large increase in the number of stake patriarchs and the availability of patriarchal service throughout the world, we now designate Elder Eldred G. Smith as a Patriarch Emeritus, which means that he is honorably relieved of all duties and responsibilities pertaining to the office of Patriarch to the Church.”²¹ Patriarchs who serve in stakes around the globe now carry on the work first started in this dispensation by Joseph Smith Sr.

17. The first part of this blessing is found in JS Journal, 1832–1834, pp. 33–34, JSP. The blessing was expanded in 1835 and can be found in its expanded form in Appendix 5, Document 1. Blessing to Joseph Smith Sr. and Lucy Mack Smith, between circa 15 and 28 September 1835, p. 9, JSP.

18. “Historical Introduction,” Appendix 5, Document 1. Blessing to Joseph Smith Sr. and Lucy Mack Smith, between circa 15 and 28 September 1835, JSP.

19. Appendix 5, Document 1. Blessing to Joseph Smith Sr. and Lucy Mack Smith, between circa 15 and 28 September 1835, p. 9, JSP.

20. Appendix 5, Document 1. Blessing to Joseph Smith Sr. and Lucy Mack Smith, between circa 15 and 28 September 1835, p. 9, JSP.

21. N. Eldon Tanner, “The Sustaining of Church Officers,” October 1979 General Conference.

Verse 58 in Doctrine and Covenants 107 marks the beginning of an additional revelation that Joseph originally received in Hiram, Ohio, on November 11, 1831.²² Parts of this revelation—specifically verses 61, 70, 73, 76–77, 88, 90, 93, and 98—were published in a separate section in the 1835 edition of the Doctrine and Covenants. Most of the content of this additional revelation concerns the role of a bishop and its relationship to the lineal descendants of Aaron (see commentary on D&C 68:13–21).

Verses 58–67 establish the basic principle that quorums of the priesthood are generally presided over by those who hold the same office as the members of a particular quorum, elders over elders, deacons over deacons, and so forth. In the modern Church, a notable exception to this rule is the priests quorum, which is presided over by a ward’s bishop, who in turn acts as the presiding officer for the Aaronic Priesthood (D&C 107:88). Elder Quentin L. Cook explained:

The bishop has a paramount role in serving as a shepherd to guide the rising generation, including young single adults, to Jesus Christ . . . The bishopric supports parents in watching over and nurturing children and youth in the ward. The bishop and ward Young Women president counsel together. You might ask, “Why is the bishop directed to spend so much time with the youth?” The Lord has organized His Church to accomplish crucial priorities. Accordingly, the organization of His Church has a structure in which the bishop has a dual responsibility. He has doctrinal responsibility for the ward as a whole, but he also has specific doctrinal responsibility for the priests quorum.²³

In a similar vein, President Russell M. Nelson taught bishoprics that their “first and foremost responsibility is to care for the young men and young women of [their] ward.”²⁴

22. Revelation, 11 November 1831–B [D&C 107 (partial)], JSP.

23. Quentin L. Cook, “Bishops—Shepherds over the Lord’s Flock,” April 2021 General Conference.

24. Russell M. Nelson, “Witnesses, Aaronic Priesthood Quorums, and Young Women Classes,” November 2019 General Conference.

Verses 68–76 contain extensive instructions to the bishops of the Church. At the time this revelation was received, the use of the term bishop referred to the role of what we would now call the Presiding Bishop in the Church. Verse 75 points out that if other bishops are called, the same instructions apply to them as well. Today thousands of bishops serve throughout the Church. The Presiding Bishopric plays a vital role in the Church’s mission, especially in the temporal affairs of the Church. Elder Quentin L. Cook summarized the responsibilities of local bishops in the modern Church as follows:

“The bishop has five principal responsibilities in presiding over a ward:

1. 1. He is the presiding high priest in the ward.
2. 2. He is president of the Aaronic Priesthood.
3. 3. He is a common judge.
4. 4. He coordinates the work of salvation and exaltation, including caring for those in need.

And he oversees records, finances, and the use of the meetinghouse.

In his role as presiding high priest, the bishop is the ward’s ‘spiritual leader.’ He is a ‘faithful disciple of Jesus Christ.’”²⁵

25. Quentin L. Cook, “Bishops—Shepherds over the Lord’s Flock,” April 2021 General Conference. See also General Handbook, 6.1.1–4.

No person in the Church, not even a member of the First Presidency, is exempt from the justice and laws of God (D&C 107:84). Verse 82 explains that if a member of the First Presidency is found in transgression, he should be tried before “the common council of the church.” The head of this “common council” is the head of the “common judges” (D&C 107:74) in Israel, or the Presiding Bishop of the Church. President Joseph Fielding Smith explained, “The bishop is a common judge in Israel, and members are amenable to his jurisdiction. In case of an accusation made against one of the First Presidency, the case would be tried before the presiding bishop and a council of high priests.”²⁶ John A. Widtsoe called this bishop’s council “a tribunal extraordinary, from which there is no appeal, to be convened if it should be necessary to try a member of the First Presidency.”²⁷

Throughout the history of the Church, several members of the First Presidency have been brought before a common council. In August 1834, after the members of Zion’s Camp returned from their march to Missouri, Sylvester Smith (no relation to Joseph Smith) accused President Joseph Smith of improper conduct during their journey. George A. Smith, who also traveled with Zion’s Camp, remembered the circumstances that led to the trial:

I remember well in Zion’s Camp, Levi W. Hancock made a fife, from a joint of sweet elder, Sylvester Smith marched his company to the music of that fife. That fife may be considered almost the introduction of martial music among the “Mormons.” A dog came out and barked, when Sylvester Smith was going to kill the dog. Joseph said he was a good watch dog, Sylvester became wrathy and threatened; finally Joseph reproved him sharply, showing him that such a spirit would not conquer or control the human family, that he must get rid of it, and predicted that if he did not get rid of it, the day would come when a dog would gnaw his flesh, and he [would] not have the power to resist it.

Some months after the return to Kirtland, Sylvester Smith preferred a charge against Joseph the Prophet, for having prophesied lies in the name of the Lord, and undertook to substantiate that charge on the ground that the Prophet had said a dog should bite him, if he did not get rid of that spirit, when he had not power to resist. They were three days and parts of nights, with the High Council in Kirtland, in investigating this charge; one person spoke three hours in behalf of the Prophet. Sylvester published a confession which can be seen in the Church History, acknowledging his fault.²⁸

Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer, and Frederick G. Williams were also tried in front of a common council.²⁹

26. Joseph Fielding Smith, Church History and Modern Revelation, 1953, 2:21.

27. John A. Widtsoe, Priesthood and Church Government, 1939, 212.

28. George A. Smith, in Journal of Discourses, 11:7; see also Minutes, 11 Aug. 1834, JSP; Minutes, 23 Aug. 1834, JSP; Minutes, 28–29 Aug. 1834, JSP; and Andrew Jenson, “Smith, Sylvester,” in LDS Biographical Encyclopedia, 1901, 1:191. 

29. Smith, Church History and Modern Revelation, 3:21.

The Lord specifies the duties of presidents and the general sizes of quorums for deacons, teachers, priests, and elders in the Church. All presidents are directed to “sit in council” with the members of their quorum, seeking insights and revelation from all quorum members (D&C 107:85–87, 89). This direction emphasizes the principle that presiding officers are not expected to dominate their quorums, but to lead wisely and serve those that they lead. Elder David A. Bednar taught, “I believe the gift of discernment operates more effectively when we’re listening as opposed to when we’re talking.”³⁰

In verse 91, the highest presiding officer in the Church (the President) is compared to Moses—not to Christ—because like Moses, the President of the Church ultimately serves under the direction of the Lord. The President of the Church, a modern prophet, presides over modern Israel with all of the gifts, powers, and priesthood held anciently by Moses. When President Gordon B. Hinckley was asked by broadcaster Larry King point blank, “What is your role? You’re the leader of a major religion. What’s your role?” President Hinckley replied, “My role is to declare doctrine. My role is to stand as an example before the people. My role is to be a voice in defense of the truth. My role is to stand as a conservator of those values which are important in our civilization and our society. My role is to lead.”³¹

30. Quoted in Michael Magleby, “To Sit in Council,” Ensign, January 2018.

31. Gordon B. Hinckley, “What Are People Asking about Us?” October 1998 General Conference.

The end of section 107 references a “vision showing the order of the Seventy” (D&C 107:93). We do not have a record of this vision, but the reference underscores the fact that God established the government of the Church by revelation. At a meeting on February 14, 1835, the Twelve Apostles received their calling. During the meeting, Joseph Smith declared that he had called the meeting because “God had commanded it and it was made known to him by vision.”³² Joseph Young, who was called as one of the Presidents of the Seventy around the same time, later recalled that a week before the meeting on February 14, Joseph Smith had told him and Brigham Young that he (Joseph Smith) had received a revelation to appoint Twelve Apostles and to designate the Seventy.³³

The phrase “the vision showing the order of the Seventy” from verse 93 led Elder Orson F. Whitney to reason:

Now, if he [Joseph Smith] saw the Seventies in vision, why not the Apostles? Why not the First Presidency? Why not the stakes and wards, with their presiding officers, and even the auxiliary organizations? Who can say that he did not see them? Who can say that these quorums of the Priesthood, these auxiliary societies and associations, the Church of God in its entirety as it exists upon the earth, are not a reflex of the Church of God in heaven, so far as it is adapted to our present conditions, so far as it has been found necessary to organize it here; the eventual outcome to be a perfect Church, corresponding in every particular to the Church of the First Born; and this that the will of God may be done upon earth even as it is done in heaven?³⁴

32. Minutes, Discourse, and Blessings, 14–15 Feb. 1835, p. 147, JSP.

33. Joseph Young, History of the Organization of the Seventies, 1878, 1–2; see JSP, Documents, Vol. 4, fn 538.

34. Orson F. Whitney, in Conference Report, April 1912, 51.