The following talk was delivered on April 7, 2024, at “The Heavens Speak” conference in Geneva, New York.

This is… It’s gone back and forth, and right now the “forth” is that it’s gonna go out over the Internet because this particular venue has an adequate connection to the Internet. And it was supposed to start at 10 [o’clock], and it’s 10, and I like to be prompt. 

I appreciate the invitation to come. For those that are unfamiliar with how we conduct conferences, volunteers decide that they would like to host a conference, and then they organize it, they arrange for the venue, they take care of all of the responsibilities associated with making a conference work, and they do it largely “volunteering” and out of pocket. Now, meals are very often the subject of requests that you pay for your own meal. But anytime someone agrees to do a conference, what they’re agreeing to do is to SACRIFICE, which is an essential component of having faith. You cannot have faith if your religion doesn’t require that you make sacrifices. Therefore, if you’re looking to be compensated to participate in anything that we do, you’re sadly mistaken, because we would like to encourage you to have faith. Those who attend the conference, by and large, are here as I am, paying your own way, buying your own plane ticket, renting your own car, paying for your own hotel, and making a sacrifice. I mean, the invitation to come and speak is not an invitation to “not sacrifice.” 

Religion mandates that we sacrifice for it in order to give us the capacity to have faith. When you have a multi-billion dollar organization supporting and compensating you, it’s a matter of a truism, as Joseph described in the Lectures on Faith, it becomes impossible if you’re rewarded in order to have faith. And so I’m grateful for the faith of those that have organized and sacrificed to make this conference take place.

If you did not see and haven’t had access to what was presented last evening, it’s worth the time and the trouble of looking at. One of the things that happened was a report on the translation of the Book of Mormon into Hebrew—not just “Hebrew,” but “Old Testament Hebrew,” and not just “Old Testament Hebrew,” but the canon as it existed at 600 BC and earlier; and so the later prophets, who wrote after the moment that they departed from Jerusalem at 600 BC may have used slightly different vocabulary, added some words that didn’t appear in the earlier canon, or used grammar adjustments that don’t appear in the earlier canon. What is being done in the Hebrew translation is literally pre-600 BC Jewish Scripture, just as it would have been composed by the authors, although they used a different vocabulary. 

(Brian [McNulty]! How you doin’? We have a Scotsman here! [Brian responds,] “I’m doin’ okay.” [Denver responds in a Scottish accent,] “Yer doin’ okay.” Well… )

Salvation comes through Jesus Christ. He was assigned the role of Redeemer before the foundation of the world, and in all likelihood was the only one that could have fulfilled that role. Resurrection is only available through Jesus Christ. Forgiveness of sins is only possible because of the atonement of Jesus Christ. This talk is about how, from time to time, Christ sends authority and order into the world, for His purposes. How He chooses to establish order does not change His essential, central, and singular role as our Savior. 

Seven years ago, after a solar eclipse that traversed the United States, I gave a talk titled “The Holy Order.” Now another solar eclipse will traverse the United States in two days after this talk. This is titled “The Holy Order, Part 2.” Actually, the change in schedule: it’s tomorrow. Tomorrow there’ll be another eclipse.

The previous talk is both a paper that can be downloaded from my website and one of the essays in the book Eight Essays. The two talks (or papers) belong together. 

Footnote 9 to that earlier talk explains a concern when we receive more Gospel light (I’m reading that footnote): 

Although I am going to discuss this topic in only a limited way, each time I convey more of what God is now doing it gives God’s opponents more information they can use to deceive others. I hesitate to equip the pretenders, the well-intentioned but deceived, and the foolish with more ammunition to make a better pretense. Even those who hold good intentions are often tempted to run into errors because they possess only a tiny fraction of the truth. We should all only disclose what God approves…when He directs, and how He directs. 

I should add that one of the problems that I have seen (and this isn’t in the paper, this is an aside, which I probably shouldn’t do ‘cuz it’s just gonna make this thing longer), but one of the things that I have noticed is that big religious ideas overwhelm weak minds. And sometimes people, in their enthusiasm, display a lot of foolishness simply because the big religious ideas are beyond their capacity to handle.

I’ve noticed when something new is added, there are those who start discussing it as if it were their own insight—even when they have never said one word about it until after they first learn of it from me. The same caution as set out in footnote 9 in the earlier talk applies equally here. 

I am not going to repeat anything from the earlier talk but will assume you understand what was taught there, and this will follow up on that discussion. 

The earlier Holy Order talk explained the term “fullness of the priesthood.” It was used by Joseph Smith at different times with different meanings, but we can do better than that. This talk is going to clarify that term.

The fullness of the Priesthood, including the rites of the Holy Order, is not something that has ever been or can be publicly explained in complete detail. The fullness of the Priesthood is different from the fullness of the Gospel. The Book of Mormon contains the “fullness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”

The fullness of the Gospel was intended openly for everyone. In contrast, the “fullness of the Priesthood” (which is the Holy Order after the Order of the Son of God) is not something that was restored to the church Joseph Smith organized, nor is it publicly available, nor is it intended FOR everyone. It may SERVE everyone, but it will never be held by everyone. The fullness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ produces faith in the Savior and will save you if accepted and obeyed. The Book of Mormon reports that some of what Jesus Christ taught cannot be written, neither can they be uttered by man (3 Nephi 9:5; see also 3 Nephi 8:4). Joseph Smith could not write all that God revealed to him. Much of those unspeakable things belong to the fullness of the Priesthood but will not be publicly available before the Lord’s return. 

Adam and Eve were the original priestly patriarch and matriarch to whom God gave the right of dominion over every living thing that moves upon the earth (Genesis 2:8-9). That appointment by God giving them dominion was (and is) part of the Holy Order. They held it jointly, as companions. Joseph Smith explained, 

[The Holy Order] was first given to Adam; he obtained the [first presiding position on the Earth], and held the keys of it from generation to generation. He obtained it in the Creation, before the world was formed, as in Genesis 1:26 , 27, 28. He had dominion given him over every living creature. He is Michael the Archangel, spoken of in the Scriptures. Then to Noah, who is Gabriel; he stands next in authority to Adam in the [Holy Order]; he was called of God to this office, and was the Father of all living in this day, and to him was given the dominion. These men held keys first on earth, and then in heaven. The [Holy Order] is an everlasting principle, and existed with God from eternity, and will to eternity, without beginning of days or end of years. The keys have to be brought from heaven, whenever the Gospel is sent. When they are revealed from Heaven, it is by Adam’s authority. (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, hereafter referred to as TPJS, p. 157; see also JSP Documents Vol. 6, pp. 542-543)

This (from Joseph) ties together parenthood, priesthood, dominion, and Holy Order. All of these elements were necessary for Adam and Eve to be at the head of the Holy Order and are necessary for it to exist today. In “Our Divine Parents” (a talk and paper you can also read on the website), the nature of eternal unity between the man and the woman and the dual nature of God were explained. 

The Holy Order is not synonymous with having your calling and election made sure. You can have your calling and election made sure without having the Holy Order. 

The Holy Order is not synonymous with being redeemed from the fall and returning to God’s presence. That also can happen without having the Holy Order. 

Nor is the Holy Order synonymous with having the fullness of revelations from before the creation of the world through the end of this cycle of creation. That, also, can be given to a person while they still lack the Holy Order. 

An individual does not need to possess the Holy Order to be able to enter into a covenant. Covenants have been offered mankind by God through the Holy Order. Once offered, covenants are still honored even if the Holy Order is no longer present. The condition for a covenant to remain in effect requires only that the covenant never change. If officiators make changes, the covenant is broken and is no longer in effect. 

Further, it is not required for you to be initiated into the Holy Order to become a member of the eternal Family of God. All those who will be exalted will be members. Only a tiny fraction of the Family