In the following excerpt of Priesthood Expounded, published in 1985, Ross W. LeBaron writes about the restoration of priesthood keys he believed took place in the Nauvoo temple.
THE THIRD MAN
B. F. JOHNSON
The Prophet Elijah appeared, with others, in the Kirtland Temple April 3, 1836 conferring patriarchal authority upon Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery, who already held the keys of the Aaronic Priesthood, in connection with the Holy Priesthood of the Son of God.
Joseph Smith prophesied that Elijah would come again and restore the same priesthood on another man, before the last dispensation, or in the dispensation of the Fulness of Times.
The Nauvoo Temple was built for the express purpose of restoring the Fulness of the Priesthood which was lost to Israel, back to Israel. This could only be done by Elijah bestowing the keys he held upon the Patriarchal Heir of Ephraim.
Since Joseph Smith was the patriarchal Heir of Christ, who was not given the Heirship of Ephraim, but only the Heirship of Levi and Judah; Joseph Smith could not truly hold the Fulness of the Priesthood relating to that which Israel had a right to by lineage.
The Holy Priesthood, after the Order of the Son of God, does not comprehend the fulness of the Patriarchal Order of Adam; Otherwise Adam would not be God.
THE MANTLE OF THE PROPHET JOSEPH
Ross W. LeBaron
Benjamin F. Johnson testified of seeing the Mantle of the Prophet Joseph Smith fall upon Brigham Young,, yet he claimed a higher office in the priesthood than Brigham Young.
In plain words, then, he claimed authority that did not come through Joseph Smith, but that seems impossible: no it is not impossible: Joseph Smith said that Elijah must come again in the Nauvoo Temple and restore again that which was lost to Israel, even the Fulness of the priesthood.
The logic is simple; Joseph Smith was not the patriarchal heir of Ephraim, and could not bestow what Elijah had given him to a higher office.
If Elijah came and bestowed the sealing power upon a Stake President, that Stake President could only do sealings for those he presided over, and he could not give those keys to a higher officer in the Church.
Moses did not pass on the patriarchal sealing power, neither did Christ nor His Apostles pass it on to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery. Joseph Smith did not have the authority to restore the Fulness of the Priesthood to Israel.
For Elijah to come and restore keys, by the law of the priesthood, it would start a new dispensation, for one is accountable to the one he gets his keys from.
THE DISPENSATION OF B. F. JOHNSON
Ross W. LeBaron
Benjamin F. Johnson received the Keys of the Patriarchal Priesthood, directly, from Elijah, in the Nauvoo Temple. This the Lord revealed to me; and I can prove from the revelations of Joseph Smith that the principle is correct.
This authority could not be used in the Times of the Gentiles, but it could be conferred upon the proper patriarchal heir.
Adam is the God of this earth, and he has a patriarchal heir line coming down from Seth through the Patriarchs; he also has another line through Jesus Christ to Joseph Smith.
There is also a Priest King line coming from Christ through Mary Magdalene. The Priest King lineage came down to David Tuley LeBaron.
Joseph Smiths’ blessing was like unto that of Abraham, and was to be put on the head of his posterity after him. For a strange reason the patriarchal blessing to his son was not effective.
As Joseph Smith was the Third God of the Trinity, His patriarchal powers were to go directly to his twelve Apostles, the same as in the dispensation of Christ.
Moses, Christ and Joseph Smith held the Priesthood of the Son of God, and were not given the patriarchal authority of Ephraim.
Benjamin F. Johnson was the Heir of Ephraim. Joseph Smith instituted him to put the Keys of Ephraim in Esther Johnson’s family. He gave them to Alma Dayer LeBaron Sr.
The “LeBaron Priesthood” can not be traced to the Prophet Joseph Smith. It can only be traced to Elijah through Benjamin F. Johnson.
The validity of the priesthood of Alma Dayer LeBaron Sr. Will stand or fall on one basic premise, that is; the keys of the Holy Order of God, were conferred upon Benjamin F. Johnson in the Nauvoo Temple.
Indirectly, this is what was claimed by Alma Dayer LeBaron Sr. Both Johnson and LeBaron claimed that there was something that was not to be told, that could not go out to the public through them.
Joseph Smith had predicted that Elijah must come again, before the last dispensation, and restore the fulness of the priesthood. I can find no other claimant than Benjamin F. Johnson.
Alma Dayer LeBaron Sr. Held more presiding patriarchal keys than any man on earth since the days of Adam. He held the “Fulness of the Priesthood” spoken of in verse 28: Sec. 124, of the D&C.
On March l8, 1950, my father conferred upon me the Fulness of the Priesthood. April 3, 1951, Joseph W. Musser confirmed those keys given to me by my father. Thus ended the times of the Gentiles.
The only possible claim to the sealing power, by the Polygamists after 1890, was through the sealing keys of Hyrum Smith. Those keys were conferred upon John Smith by Brigham Young.
Nothing is more confusing than to try to discuss priesthood doctrine with Apostates. Especially with those who claim that the Apostleship is higher than the Priesthood of Adam.
The Patriarchal Priesthood is the Holy Order of God, while the Apostleship is the Order of the Son of God.
PAULS’ MELCHIZEDEK
Ross W. LeBaron
The Apostle Paul went great lengths to show how great Melchizedek w2as; how Abraham was blessed of him and payed tithes to him, yet Abraham held the keys of the 4th dispensation, is a God and sits on a throne.
Paul’s motive was simple, he held the priesthood of the Son of God, and was doing his best to glorify it. Joseph Smith added a little more to the fire; then Brigham Young added the last straw, by glorifying the Apostleship.
After all this he turned around and taught that Adam was God, the Father of Jesus Christ. Here then we have an Apostle of the Son of God holding higher authority than the priesthood of God himself.
Is it any wonder that he did not get the point over? In a way it was not all his fault; the people were so ignorant of priesthood doctrine and laaw, that if he would have tried to explain it, the people would have been more confused.
Brigham held the keys to preside over all the world, so who is there that needs complain.
We are in that period of time when we need to understand the office and priesthood of Adam.
Joseph Smith said that the Priesthood of Adam is the Holy Order of God; and that the Priesthood of Christ is the priesthood of the Son of God.
Joseph Smith said that the calling of Elijah was higher that an Apostle of Jesus Christ. This could not be true unless Adam is God.
Those who oppose the Adam God doctrine, will never understand the doctrine of the Priesthood.
Those who place the Apostleship above the Holy Order of Adam, will never understand the Fulness of the Priesthood.
“Without Father, without Mother, without DESCENT; Made like unto the Son of God, a priest forever; Or in other words Melchizedek was FOREORDAINED to become a Savior of a future WORLD when Noah becomes an ADAM.
This GREAT GRAND ORDER held by Melchizedek for a future life neither adds nor detracts from the priesthood bestowed by Adam, in the beginning, upon Seth and Abel.
Adam conferred the Holy Melchizedek Priesthood, after the Order of God, the FATHER, upon Seth, and the Melchizedek Priesthood, after the Order of God, the SON, upon Abel.
The Melchizedek Priesthood, after the Order of the Son of God, is incomplete without additional patriarchal keys bestowed, such as was restored in the Kirtland Temple, by Moses, Elias and Elijah.
The Fulness of the Priesthood is the Patriarchal Authority, as held by Elijah, and when conferred upon the highest Patriarchal Office or heir on earth, in the Time of Israel.
BENJAMIN F. JOHNSON
Benjamin F. Johnson received the Fulness of the Priesthood in the Nauvoo Temple, under the hands of Elijah, before coming West.
The reason that he could not preside over Brigham Young in these keys is because it was Joseph Smith’ Dispensation, and the times of the Gentiles.
The Dispensation of Benjamin F. Johnson began April 7th 1950 through the hands of Alma Dayer LeBaaron Sr. And his sons.
As the Church had signed the Manifesto of 1890, preparing the way for the Fundamentalists, likewise the leaders of the Movement signed a similar document September the 24th, 1945: Thus ending the reign of the Gentiles, and the Dispensation of Joseph and Hyrum.
God allowed thirty more years for the Fundamentalist Polygamist Patriarchs to build their patriarchal Kingdoms, without legal intervention from God, or the LeBaron Priesthood.
The LeBaron Priesthood is a fulness of the patriarchal authority as restored in the Dispensation of the Fulness of Times to Joseph Smith, Oliver Cowdery, and Benjamin F. Johnson.
Whenever God sets up His Kingdom, the Devil sets up a counterfeit; that is why there are two Churches in the LeBaron Family.
The Church of the First-Born, of the Fulness of Times. Is a counterfeit; nevertheless it has a place in the economy of heaven in opposing the true Church of the First-Born.
The True Church of the First-Born will come about through the organizing of the worthy patriarchal Families in connection with the House of Israel. This will not take place until the return of the Ancient of Days, and the Ten lost Tribes of Israel.
The setting in order of the House of to the patriarchal House of Adam, not the Church. The setting in order does not take place in the Dispensation of Joseph, and is not within his jurisdiction. Joseph Smith is not the “Mighty and Strong”, of D&C l85:7.
All the keys that the Fundamentalist ever claimed were handed down from Joseph and Hyrum, and are withing the boundaries and authority of the Apostleship, which ended April 6th 1950.
The claims of Benjamin F. Johnson can not be proven, but all the claims to authority at the present time can be proven false.
There was a time when the Apostles held all the authority ever held on earth; but it was only after they were given the patriarchal authority in the Kirtland Temple.
Neither Christ nor Joseph Smith were given the patriarchal office of Ephraim. That office was held for Benjamin F. Johnson, the patriarchal heir of Ephraim; And the Fulness of the Patriarchal Priesthood was conferred upon him in the Nauvoo Temple by Elijah.
The priesthood of Elijah was next held by Alma Dayer LeBaron Sr. who conferred them upon Ross W. LeBaron Sr. March 8th, 1950.
The calling of Elijah is above the calling of an Apostle. See TPJS page 336.
Reference
LeBaron, Ross Wesley. Priesthood Expounded. Self-published. Salt Lake, 1985, p. 09-12.
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