Читать книгу Essentials in Church History - Joseph Fielding Smith - Страница 127

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While translating, Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery discovered that the question of baptism for the remission of sins was mentioned several times in the record. This caused them to marvel, for the doctrine of baptism was misunderstood in the world. They concluded to inquire of the Lord for light. On the 15th day of May, 1829, they retired to the woods and prayed for instruction on this question. While thus engaged in prayer a heavenly messenger descended in a cloud of light and said that he was John, known as John the Baptist in the New Testament. He said he acted under the direction of Peter, James and John, who held the keys of the Melchizedek Priesthood, and had been sent to confer on Joseph and Oliver the Aaronic Priesthood, which holds the keys of the temporal Gospel. He laid his hands upon their heads and said:

“Upon you my fellow servants, in the name of Messiah, I confer the Priesthood of Aaron, which holds the keys of the ministering of angels, and of the Gospel of repentance, and of baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; and this shall never be taken again from the earth, until the sons of Levi do offer again an offering unto the Lord in righteousness.”

He stated that the Melchizedek Priesthood would soon he conferred upon them and that Joseph Smith should be called the first and Oliver Cowdery the second elder of the Church.