On April 3, 1836, the Savior, followed by three angels appeared to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery in the Kirtland, Ohio temple. The three angels conveyed priesthood keys, adding to priesthood keys already bestowed upon the two men.

Recognizing who locally exercises those keys is not hard for most experienced members, except when it comes to the keys restored by Elias. Who locally holds–or at least exercises–those keys?

Known Keys

On Saturday, September 27th 2025, all priesthood keys on earth were activated in President Dallin H. Oaks with the passing of President Russell M. Nelson, the senior living apostle and President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. President Nelson received the keys on April 7, 1984 when he was ordained an apostle. President Oaks was ordained a month later, on May 3rd. Both mens keys were inactive in a sense until they became the senior living apostle.

President Oaks will likely soon be ordained the new President of the Church by the other members of the Twelve, but he will not receive any new priesthood keys. I have no doubt the President of Church holds the keys that were given to Joseph and Oliver. Dates and names for ordinations of all persons between them and the current apostles are well established.

Most knowledgeable members of the church can name the most prominent priesthood keys recorded as restored. The question I have been struggling with is best expressed by pointing out who exercises those keys on a local level. Here are the keys and the local key holders.

• Aaronic Priesthood keys are exercised by the Bishop, the head of the local congregation. John the Baptist restored these keys on May 15th, 1929.
• Melchizedek Priesthood keys are held by the Stake President, responsible for the stake, a group of congregations. Ancient apostles Peter, James and John restored these keys soon thereafter.
• The keys of the Gathering of Israel–effectively missionary work–are held by the local mission president. These were restored by Moses on April 3, 1836.
• The keys of the Sealing power are held by the prophet, but delegated power is locally exercised by the temple president. These were restored by Elijah that same day.

Unspoken Keys

The restored keys not in that list were given by a prophet named Elias, the keys of the Dispensation of the Gospel of Abraham. Here is the very terse description of that event.

“After this, Elias appeared, and committed the dispensation of the gospel of Abraham, saying that in us and our seed all generations after us should be blessed (D&C 110:12).”

I cannot recall a sermon or lesson that expanded on these priesthood keys in any memorable way. Not only are the keys somewhat enigmatic, the prophet who restored them is too. “Elias apparently lived in mortality in the days of Abraham,” who committed the keys as recorded in D&C 110:12. “We have no specific information as to the details of his mortal life or ministry” (BD “Elias“).

These keys though are clearly very important, as noted in this quote.

“The man Elias brings back ‘the gospel of Abraham,’ the great Abrahamic covenant whereby the faithful receive promises of eternal increase, promises that through celestial marriage their eternal posterity shall be as numerous as the sands upon the seashore or as the stars in heaven for multitude. Elias gives the promise—received of old by Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—that in modern men and in their seed all generations shall be blessed. And we are now offering the blessings of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to all who will receive them” (“The Keys of the Kingdom,” Bruce R. McConkie, May 1983 General Conference).

Proposed View

I have wondered if I can make these keys more real. What if we considered these keys differently, as perhaps expressed in the temple.

• The keys of the Gathering of Israel are used in the temple recommend interviews and at the recommend desk at the temple. One must be gathered to modern-day spiritual (covenantal) Israel to enter the temple.
• The keys of the Aaronic priesthood are expressed in the ordinance of baptism for the dead.
• The keys of the Melchizedek priesthood are expressed in the ordinance of confirmation (which must be performed by a Melchizedek priesthood holder) and in ordination of men to the priesthood.
• Obviously, the delegated powers under the keys of the Sealing power are used in the final ordinance of the temple, the sealing of a marriage.

(Note that although often the sealing of a child to parents is the last ordinance performed by proxy, if it were performed in order life is lived in mortality, it would be the first ordnance of the temple, even before baptism. It is like a birth certificate, which gives a person their name, used through other ordinances.)

What if the Endowment ordinance (including initiatory) is really an expression and use of the keys Elias restored, the dispensation of the Gospel of Abraham. Abraham and Sarah are the prototype of the ancient patriarchs and matriarchs, all the way back to Adam and Eve.

When asked about this topic, ChatGPT responded insightfully. “In temple ordinances, people enter into covenants that unfold Abraham’s promises [including] Endowment (covenants of obedience, sacrifice, consecration—living as Abraham’s children) and Sealing ordinances (eternal marriage, posterity, exaltation—the fullness of the Abrahamic covenant).

“So the keys of Elias aren’t just about marriage; they are about the whole framework by which the covenant of Abraham extends to all who accept the gospel. . . . Put simply: everything in the temple that inducts people into Abraham’s covenantal promises flows from Elias, while the eternal binding power itself flows from Elijah.”

Restoration of Patriarchal Priesthood

A great priesthood revelation opens with “there are, in the church, two priesthoods, namely, the Melchizedek and Aaronic, including the Levitical Priesthood” (D&C 107:1). Yet later in this revelation, after introducing the office of patriarch in the Melchizedek priesthood, the revelation speaks of another “order.” “The order of this priesthood was confirmed to be handed down from father to son, and rightly belongs to the literal descendants of the chosen seed, to whom the promises were made. This order was instituted in the days of Adam, and came down by lineage” (D&C 107:40–41).

Five years after this revelation, Joseph Smith said “there are three grand orders of Priesthood” (1) the Melchizedek, (2) Aaronic and (3) “patriarchal authority” (Joseph Smith Papers, History, 1838–1856, volume E-1 [1 July 1843–30 Apr. 1844], p. 1703, entry dated 5 Oct. 1840). Is it possible this third “priesthood” or order’s operation in the family is why it was not mentioned as a priesthood “in the church” in D&C 107:1?

Might Elias have lived in the days of Joseph of Egypt, whose sons were the last to be counted as heads of families named in patriarchal blessings? Is it possible Elias actually restored the patriarchal priesthood, which should be remembered in connection with the restoration of the Aaronic and Melchizedek priesthoods?

Priesthood Keys in the Home

What if in the sealing of a marriage, the power of two sets of priesthood keys are active. The sealing power is used to seal the woman and the man together, but perhaps as a capstone to the endowment they are given their own set of the patriarchal order keys, enabling them to govern their family by priesthood power.

I don’t know if the patriarch and matriarch in a home hold priesthood keys, but promises of the sealing ordinance makes it seem possible given the scope of their future roles. When a new quorum, ward or stake is organized, a new set of keys is forged and given to new leaders as they are set apart. Priesthood keys, under the direction of higher keys, can be created. Certainly the creation of a family can warrant such.

Perhaps the authority given should not be termed “keys” even if it conveys a level of independent authority appropriately. President Oaks has said, “The principle that priesthood authority can be exercised only under the direction of the one who holds the keys for that function is fundamental in the Church but does not apply to the exercise of priesthood authority in the family. A father who holds the priesthood presides in his family by the authority of the priesthood he holds. He has no need to have the direction or approval of priesthood keys in order to counsel the members of his family, hold family meetings, give priesthood blessings to his wife and children, or give healing blessings to family members or others” (“The Powers of the Priesthood” April 2018 General Conference).

President Oaks has been clear about women having authority in the priesthood at least in church settings. “We are not accustomed to speaking of women having the authority of the priesthood in their Church callings, but what other authority can it be? When a woman—young or old—is set apart to preach the gospel as a full-time missionary, she is given priesthood authority to perform a priesthood function” (“The Keys and Authority of the Priesthood” April 2014 General Conference).

Elder Oaks was also clear a mother has authority in the home. “When my father died, my mother presided over our family. She had no priesthood office, but as the surviving parent in her marriage she had become the governing officer in her family.”

Perfect Families Under the Patriarchal Order

Elder Oaks continued about the type of authority that governs in the family. “A most important difference in the functioning of priesthood authority in the family and in the Church results from the fact that the government of the family is patriarchal, whereas the government of the Church is hierarchical” (“Priesthood Authority in the Family and the Church” October 2005 General Conference).

President Oaks’s most recent message was about the family. “The Church of Jesus Christ is sometimes known as a family-centered church. It is!” He continued to note what might be termed the preimmience of the family in God’s eternal plans. “Our relationship to God and the purpose of our mortal life are explained in terms of the family. The gospel of Jesus Christ . . . . was first taught to us in the council of an eternal family, it is implemented through our mortal families, and its intended destiny is to exalt the children of God in eternal families” (“The Family-Centered Gospel of Jesus Christ” October 2025 General Conference).

In 2005 he said, “If all families were complete and perfect, the Church could sponsor fewer activities” (“Priesthood Authority in the Family and the Church” October 2005 General Conference). If the objective of the church is to create “complete and perfect” families, then how does the patriarchal priesthood perhaps function in eternity?

Is the patriarchal priesthood subordinate to the Melchizedek priesthood as exercised in the church? Does one have to descend from the Savior at the head of the church through all the levels of hierarchy to finally arrive at the family and the patriarchal priesthood?

Alternatively, is it possible that perfected families, governed by the patriarchal order might be equal to the church? Why do we not speak of Jesus Christ as the head of our family, like He is the head of the church? Why do we think there is some level of revelation available at the “highest councils of the church” that is not available to a husband and wife if they function with similar righteousness?

Christ the Ultimate Patriarch

Of course we can metaphorically be children of Christ. But Abinadi explained much more clearly how Christ is both the Father and the Son. He quoted Isaiah, explaining how Christ “shalt make his soul an offering for sin” and then “he shall see his seed” (Mosiah 14:8–10). Abinadi explained that after Christ died on the cross, “having gained the victory over death” he saw his “seed:”

“Behold I say unto you, that whosoever has heard the words of the prophets, yea, all the holy prophets who have prophesied concerning the coming of the Lord—I say unto you, that all those who have hearkened unto their words, and believed that the Lord would redeem his people, and have looked forward to that day for a remission of their sins, I say unto you, that these are his seed, or they are the heirs of the kingdom of God.

“For these are they whose sins he has borne; these are they for whom he has died, to redeem them from their transgressions. And now, are they not his seed?

“Yea, and are not the prophets, every one that has opened his mouth to prophesy, that has not fallen into transgression, I mean all the holy prophets ever since the world began? I say unto you that they are his seed” (Mosiah 15:8–13).

In our day, we know by revelation more about this moment when Christ died. President Joseph F. Smith saw in vision “an innumerable company of the spirits of the just, who had been faithful in the testimony of Jesus while they lived in mortality.” They were “filled with joy and gladness, and were rejoicing together because the day of their deliverance was at hand” as they awaited “the advent of the Son of God into the spirit world, to declare their redemption from the bands of death” (D&C 138:11–16).

And so of course we speak of all the righteous being children of Christ. But his seed is not limited just to the “holy prophets.” Consider what happened three days after the Savior’s death, how Christ became the Father when he arose from the dead. Paul speaks of Christ as a “figure” of Adam (Romans 5:14), and the Bible Dictionary explains Paul is speaking of Christ as a “second Adam” (Bible Dictionary, sv. Pauline Epistles, Romans.)

The moment Christ entered his body, he entered the next world. He became the only living soul in that world, the Adam of the Kingdom of God. All those raised up in the first resurrection will have bodies like Christ’s. They will take upon themselves the name of Christ. They will be his children.

Christ will replace Adam as the head of the human family for all those who choose to believe in him.

Seeking the Patriarchal Order

When Christ said the Kingdom of God was at hand, he wasn’t speaking of 3000 years down the road. He was talking of something less than 3 years (Matt. 10:7). He lives there now! That world is being populated with others who have been resurrected (Matt. 27:52). The message of Christ is that death does not matter. A righteous couple can begin now to be his children through the patriarchal order, to have all the blessings promised “as fast as ye are able to receive them” (D&C 111: 11).

God’s house is a house of order. The patriarchal order surely can never be in opposition to priesthood keys held by the church. Elder Oaks’s teaching about personal and priesthood lines of communication is relevant. “Both lines must be functioning [and in proper balance] in our family life and in our personal lives if we are to have the growth and achieve the destiny identified in our Heavenly Father’s plan for His children” (“Two Lines of Communication” October 2010 General Conference).

It seems significant that the first chapter of Abraham’s writings—the head of the last line of patriarchs—opens with the summary, “Abraham seeks the blessings of the patriarchal order” (Heading to Abraham 1). The quotes below from a church study guide for this chapter seem to me to support the idea that Elias’s key at least empower those who are sealed in marriage in the temple.

As the book of Moses notes after describing Adam’s authority “Now this same Priesthood, which was in the beginning, shall be in the end of the world also” (Moses 6:7). President’s Oaks’s focus on the family may herald the continued emphasis on increasing our understanding and power through the patriarchal priesthood—a priesthood perhaps restored by Elias.

Quotes on Patriarcal Order

Continues through Eternity: “The Priesthood was originally exercised in the patriarchal order; those who held it exercised their powers firstly by right of their fatherhood. It is so with the great Elohim. … The patriarchal order is of divine origin and will continue throughout time and eternity” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph F. Smith (1998), 139, 140.)

Patterned after the Family of God: “We can enter an order of the priesthood named the new and everlasting covenant of marriage (see D&C 131:2), named also the patriarchal order, because of which order we can create for ourselves eternal family units of our own, patterned after the family of God our Heavenly Father” (Elder Bruce R. McConkie (1915–85) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, “The Doctrine of the Priesthood,” Ensign, May 1982, 34).

Sealed for Eternity: “The order of priesthood spoken of in the scriptures is sometimes referred to as the patriarchal order because it came down from father to son. But this order is otherwise described in modern revelation as an order of family government where a man and woman enter into a covenant with God—just as did Adam and Eve—to be sealed for eternity, to have posterity, and to do the will and work of God throughout their mortality.

For Husband and Wife: “Adam held the priesthood. Eve served in matriarchal partnership with the patriarchal priesthood. So today, each wife may join with her husband as a partner unified in purpose. Scriptures state clearly, ‘Neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord’ (1 Corinthians 11:11)” (President Russell M. Nelson, “Lessons from Eve,” Ensign, Nov. 1987, 87).

“If a couple are true to their covenants, they are entitled to the blessing of the highest degree of the celestial kingdom. These covenants today can only be entered into by going to the House of the Lord” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Ezra Taft Benson (2014), 171). (Study guide is published at: “Come, Follow Me: Seeking the Blessings of the Patriarchal Order, Abraham 1” in Liahona, February 2022.)