Memo #104 (87 to go to my 105th birthday)

May 1, 2009
From: Dad, Grandpa, etc. Richard M. Pratt
Re: The 5th Article of Faith

“We believe that a man must be called of God, by prophecy, and by the laying on of hands, by those who are in authority, to preach the Gospel and administer in the ordinances there of.”
Last night a former fellow temple worker called to see if I could substitute for him. I of course had to answer no because I have been released from that calling and with the release my authority to administer the Temple Ordinances ends. I could be recalled but not likely.
“A man must be called of God, by prophecy, and by the laying on of hands by those who are in authority to preach the Gospel and administer in the ordinances there of.” Without this policy the Kingdom of Heaven would be unorganized chaos.
If a man assumed one of the offices in the Kingdom without proper authorization chaos would result.
Example: Supposing a man here in the United States decided to appoint himself the Ambassador to England. He arrives gets off the plane, asks directions to the U. S. embassy head quarters, walks into the foyer and the front desk person asks their business. What would happen when the imposter announces that he is the new ambassador. Security would be on him within seconds and he would be escorted to an unpleasant future.
No man can assume any office in the Priesthood unless properly called by one having the authority to make the call. Then the person must be presented to the congregation for a sustaining vote. This is following the pattern in the Bible both old and New Testaments.
Moses was told by the Lord: “Thou shalt bring Aaron and his sons unto the door of the tabernacle (portable temple) of the congregation, and wash them with water. And thou shalt put upon Aaron the holy garments, and anoint him, and sanctify him, that he may minister unto me in the priests office…and thou shalt bring his sons…and thou shalt anoint them, as thou didst anoint their father, that they many minister unto me in the priests office; for their anointing shall surely be an everlasting Priesthood throughout their generations. Thus did Moses according to all that the Lord commanded him.”
The Priesthood exists in two parts: the Aaronic Priesthood and the Melchizedek Priesthood.
The Aaronic or lesser Priesthood takes care of and administers to the temporal needs of the church.
The Melchizedek or higher Priesthood administers to the spiritual things of the kingdom. And by its power whatsoever is sealed on earth is sealed in heaven and whatsoever is loosed on earth is loosed in heaven.
Because of the failure to keep the commandments the Melchizedek Priesthood was taken from the earth with the translation of Moses. From then until Christ’s personal ministry on earth, about 1500 years later, only the Aaronic priesthood was administered to the people. Although the prophets from Joshua to Malachi, about 1100 years, continued to operate under the direction of the Melchizedek Priesthood.
When Jesus Christ came, he restored the Melchizedek Priesthood to the Jews and began to build up the church among them. However, it was lost again by apostasy and was taken from the earth once more.
It has been restored to the earth in these last days by the ministry of Peter, James, and John, who literally came to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery in the spring of 1829 and conferred this power and authority upon them. And of course they received it on the Mt. of Transfiguration.
And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, and was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses, and Elias (Elijah) talking with them. (Moses had been gone 1451 years and Elijah 875 years) and thus the Melchizedek Priesthood was again established upon the earth only to be lost again from the earth about 100 years later after all the Apostles had been killed except John.
John, of course, didn’t die but was translated like Moses to live in the flesh until the triumphal coming of Jesus (soon). The last we know of John he was a slave on the island of Patmos about 25 miles West of modern Turkey not far from Ephesus. Here John received the revelation and recorded it as the last book in the New Testament.
Shortly thereafter John just disappeared about 98 AD and thus ended any authority on earth to act in the name of God until the revelation to the boy prophet Joseph Smith 1700 years later in 1820.
So the Melchizedek Priesthood, the power to act in the name of god was taken from the earth from Moses to Christ, about 1500 years and after about 100 years it was taken away again until Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery in 1829. it will never again be taken from the earth until the son’s of Levi do offer again an offering unto the Lord in righteousness. In plain English it is here to stay and will have a delegation of Priesthood holders to welcome the Savior at his coming.
“When Jesus began to be about 30 years of age, (It was illegal by Jewish law to be a minister before that age so Jesus had patiently waited ‘til then to start his ministry as he tried always to obey the law of the land.) He cometh from Galilee to Jordan unto John to be baptized of him. But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thus and comest thou to me?”
“And Jesus answering said unto him, suffer it to be so now; for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness. Then he suffered him. And Jesus when he was baptized, went up straight way out of the water (immersion); and lo the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: and lo a voice from heaven, saying, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Notice the law of witnesses.
John had been told previously by an angel that he would baptize the Son of God and he would know who he was by a dove landing on his shoulder representing the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost cannot come in the form of a dove as recorded because the Holy Ghost is a man but the bird was a witness and then the Father cinched it by speaking from the Heavens. Now fully prepared and authorized Jesus begins his mission by choosing twelve apostles and organizing his church.
Notice in all cases that HE chooses them and ordains them. They do not choose him. No record is given at this point of his having received the priesthood but there is no doubt that he has it as manifest by the continuing stream of miracles he performs.
“And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of disease among the people.
And his fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatic, and those that had palsy; AND HE HEALED THEM.” And here is an interesting item: “and cast out many devils; and suffered not the devils to speak, BECAUSE THEY KNEW HIM.”
Then he called the twelve men who were to be his apostles and the head of the kingdom of God which He was founding.
“When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, whom do men say that I the son of man am?”
“And they said, some say that thou art John the Baptist (John had his head cut off six months earlier!) Some Elias and others Jeremias, or one of the prophets. (who were long dead or translated)
“He saith unto them, but whom say ye that I am?
And Simon Peter answered and said, THOU ART THE CHRIST, THE SON OF THE LIVING GOD.”
“And Jesus answered and said unto him, blessed art thou Simon Bar-Jona; for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
And I say 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.”
So Peter was the first of the twelve to receive the testimony by the Holy Ghost that Jesus was indeed the Son of God and the Savior of the world.
And here is another interesting truth. Peter is told that flesh and blood hadn’t revealed it unto him but it had come from God the Father. And upon this great truth, REVELATION, and the Savior calls it a rock ~ therefore the Savior is saying that upon the ROCK OF REVELATION he will build his church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Some think that the antecedent here is Peter and it would then read, “upon Peter I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against Peter.”
Use your power to REASON again ~ Revelation is the rock as clearly stated and hell cannot prevail against it.
But Peter ~ hell did prevail against him and he was crucified about 66 B.C. at Rome. Several of the prophets out lived him and continued to guide the church by revelation in fact the Book of Revelations written by John was received and written about thirty years after the death of Peter.
Peter ~ a fantastic man ~ requested that he be crucified upside down because he had betrayed the Savior three times. I don’t know how much truth there is in that as we only have it from legend but it sounds like that great prophet.
Shortly after this Jesus takes Peter, James, and John upon a high mountain where they had the thrilling experience of being transfigured and the record says of the Son that his face did shine as the sun and his raiment was white as the light. “And be hold a voice out of the cloud which said, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.”
Moses and Elijah appeared unto them and conveyed the keys (authority) of the gathering of Israel and the power to seal on earth and it would be sealed in heaven. Which is the power or authority to bind from Adam and Eve to the last child born to this earth in one perpetual continuous family so far as the faithful are concerned.
This Jesus clearly taught the Sadducees, which say that there is no resurrection, and asked him, saying, “Master, Moses said, if a man die having no children, his brother shall marry his wife and raise up seed unto his brother. Now there were with us seven brethren: and the first, when he had married a wife, deceased and having no issue, left his wife unto his brother; likewise the second also, and the third, unto the seventh. And last of all, the woman died also. Therefore in the resurrection whose wife shall she be of the seven? For they all had her.”
NOTE: the Sadducees are trying to trap the Savior so that they could accuse him of blaspheme which carried the death penalty. They were hoping he would designate one of the seven as her eternal husband (but on to devilish tricks.) He gave them the truth. Saying where you are all going there is neither marriage nor given in marriage . He knew that it would be useless to try to give them the law of Celestial marriage for they wouldn’t believe it.
Then he gave an answer that they clearly understood (although we don’t get its meaning.)
Said he; “I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob” God is not the God of the dead but of the living…and they were astonished at his doctrine.
What they were hearing was: the three patriarchs, though dead for 2000 years are living but you are dead and have no God.
Unauthorized ministrations in priestly functions are not only invalid but also grievously sinful.
In his dealing with mankind God recognizes and honors the Priesthood established by his direction; and countenances no unauthorized assumption of authority.
None but those who are duly authorized to teach can be regarded as TRUE expounders of the word of God. “No man taketh this honor unto himself, but he that is called of God as was Aaron.” And Aaron was called thru Moses unto whom the Lord revealed his will in the matter. This authority to act in the name of the Lord is given to those only who are chosen of God; it is not to be had for the asking of it; it is not to be bought with gold. We read of Simon, the sorcerer, who coveted the power possessed by the apostles: he offered them money saying, “give me this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands he may receive the Holy Ghost.” But Peter answered him with righteous indignation: “Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God
May be purchased with money. Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter; for thy heart is not right in the sight of God.”
No one may officiate in any ordinances of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day-Saints unless he has been ordained to the particular order or office of the Priesthood by those possessing the authority to do so.
Thus no man receives the Priesthood except under the hands of one who holds that Priesthood himself; that one MUST have obtained it from others previously
commissioned and so every bearer of the Priesthood can trace his authority to the hands of Joseph Smith, the Prophet, who received his ordination under the hands of the apostles Peter, James and John and they had been ordained by the Lord Jesus Christ.
And I so testify, knowing that it is true. In the name of our Redeemer, Jesus Christ Amen.

All my love,
Dad, Grandpa etc. Richard Marden Pratt


As most of you know our dear father Richard Marden Pratt passed away on April 1, 2009 and his funeral was April 6, 2009. He was released from the temple in December and has studied and written with great faith that we all would benefit from his wisdom and knowledge. His hope is that we stay true to the faith and add to our faith. He has given me strict instructions to send out the memos on the blog site once a month. There are 88 yet to come out! He was and is truly an amazing man!


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