Around 445 B.C., the Lord spoke through the prophet Malachi:
Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple... And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness (Malachi 3:1-3).
There are several parts to this particular prophecy: the messenger, the Lord coming to his temple, the purification of the sons of Levi and the offering unto the Lord in righteousness. Each part is connected to the others and has occurred in its own time over the last 190 years. The final piece was made possible just two months ago.
First, the Lord sent his messenger to prepare the way before him in the spring of 1829. Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery were prayerfully engaged in the work of translating what we now know as the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ when they came across a passage they did not understand. As they often did, they went into the woods to pray for the greater light and knowledge the needed. Joseph recorded that as they did so, "a messenger from heaven descended in a cloud of light, and having laid his hands upon us, he ordained us, saying:
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" (D&C 13, JSH 1:68-72).
The messenger introduced himself as, "John, the same that is called John the Baptist in the New Testament". It is particularly fitting that the man who was called to prepare the way for Christ's earthy ministry would also have a key role, now as a resurrected heavenly messenger, in the restoration of the priesthood preparatory to the Second Coming. It is equally appropriate that John would echo the prophecy of Malachi he was sent to fulfill.
Restoration of the Priesthood of Aaron was soon followed by the restoration of the Melchizedek Priesthood and then the doctrines related to temple worship. After building the first temple of our dispensation in Kirtland, Ohio, Jesus Christ appeared suddenly on April 3, 1836. Joseph and Oliver testified:
To understand the remaining parts of this prophecy, we first need to understand who the sons of Levi are who are to be purified and offer an offering in righteousness. In the Old Testament, the Levites performed sacrifices in the tabernacle, which was essentially a portable temple. Those sacrifices were offered on behalf of the Israelites requesting forgiveness of sin, as a sign of personal commitment to God, in gratitude for one's blessings or to continue to be at peace with the Lord. Each of these offerings were intended to point the minds of the people to the Messiah who would one day come to free them from their sins. These sacrifices were only to be done by ordained priests in the Levitical Priesthood-- and only the male descendants of Moses' brother Aaron, a Levite, were permitted to be ordained priests. The Levitical Priesthood is also known as the lesser, the preparatory or the Aaronic Priesthood.
Beginning with John the Baptist's ordination of Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery, the sons of Levi are once again called to do the work of the Priesthood of Aaron. The Lord has taught:
Therefore, as I said concerning the sons of Moses-- for the sons of Moses and also the sons of Aaron shall offer an acceptable offering and sacrifice in the house of the Lord, which house shall be built unto the Lord in this generation, upon the consecrated spot as I have appointed... whose sons are ye; and also many whom I have called and sent forth to build up my church. For whoso is faithful unto the obtaining these two priesthoods of which I have spoken... become the sons of Moses and of Aaron (D&C 84:31-34).
The sons of Levi in our day are those who have inherited his priesthood as restored by John the Baptist. Over the last several decades, there has been a renewed emphasis on purity among these modern-day priests of the Aaronic Priesthood. Whether "raising the bar" or lowering the age for missionary service, these young men have risen to the challenges of modern prophets to live with greater purity and devotion than generations past. There can be no question the Lord has been purifying the sons of Levi, and continues to purify them, in our day.
Finally, we can turn our attention to the nature of the offering to be given in preparation for the Second Coming of Christ. Clearly, it cannot be a blood sacrifice in the way the ancient Levites offered animals. Amulek, an ancient American missionary, explained:
Therefore, it is expedient that there should be a great and last sacrifice, and then shall there be, or it is expedient there should be, a stop to the shedding of blood; then shall the law of Moses be fulfilled; yea, it shall be all fulfilled, every jot and tittle, and none shall have passed away.
And behold, this is the whole meaning of the law, every whit pointing to that great and last sacrifice; and that great and last sacrifice will be the Son of God, yea, infinite and eternal (Alma 34:13-14).
In modern temples, just as in Solomon's temple, there are baptismal fonts where the living may act as proxies in performing baptisms for the dead. This principle of the gospel has been present whenever there have been temples on the earth. "Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead," wrote the Apostle Paul in one sermon about resurrection, "if the dead rise not at all? why are they then baptized for the dead?" (1 Corinthians 15:29).
In December 2017, the First Presidency of the Church announced that, under the direction of the temple presidency, ordained priests in the Aaronic or Levitical Priesthood may be asked to officiate in baptisms for the dead, including performing baptisms and serving as witnesses. This is a change from the last 180 years, when only those who were ordained to the higher or Melchizedek Priesthood could officiate. Now in more than 150 temples around the world, priests are once again performing sacred ordinances on behalf of those in need of repentance, divine covenants and the peace of God.
Therefore, as I said concerning the sons of Moses-- for the sons of Moses and also the sons of Aaron shall offer an acceptable offering and sacrifice in the house of the Lord, which house shall be built unto the Lord in this generation, upon the consecrated spot as I have appointed... whose sons are ye; and also many whom I have called and sent forth to build up my church. For whoso is faithful unto the obtaining these two priesthoods of which I have spoken... become the sons of Moses and of Aaron (D&C 84:31-34).
The sons of Levi in our day are those who have inherited his priesthood as restored by John the Baptist. Over the last several decades, there has been a renewed emphasis on purity among these modern-day priests of the Aaronic Priesthood. Whether "raising the bar" or lowering the age for missionary service, these young men have risen to the challenges of modern prophets to live with greater purity and devotion than generations past. There can be no question the Lord has been purifying the sons of Levi, and continues to purify them, in our day.
Finally, we can turn our attention to the nature of the offering to be given in preparation for the Second Coming of Christ. Clearly, it cannot be a blood sacrifice in the way the ancient Levites offered animals. Amulek, an ancient American missionary, explained:
Therefore, it is expedient that there should be a great and last sacrifice, and then shall there be, or it is expedient there should be, a stop to the shedding of blood; then shall the law of Moses be fulfilled; yea, it shall be all fulfilled, every jot and tittle, and none shall have passed away.
And behold, this is the whole meaning of the law, every whit pointing to that great and last sacrifice; and that great and last sacrifice will be the Son of God, yea, infinite and eternal (Alma 34:13-14).
In modern temples, just as in Solomon's temple, there are baptismal fonts where the living may act as proxies in performing baptisms for the dead. This principle of the gospel has been present whenever there have been temples on the earth. "Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead," wrote the Apostle Paul in one sermon about resurrection, "if the dead rise not at all? why are they then baptized for the dead?" (1 Corinthians 15:29).
In December 2017, the First Presidency of the Church announced that, under the direction of the temple presidency, ordained priests in the Aaronic or Levitical Priesthood may be asked to officiate in baptisms for the dead, including performing baptisms and serving as witnesses. This is a change from the last 180 years, when only those who were ordained to the higher or Melchizedek Priesthood could officiate. Now in more than 150 temples around the world, priests are once again performing sacred ordinances on behalf of those in need of repentance, divine covenants and the peace of God.
Echoing Malachi in an 1842 letter to the Saints, the Prophet Joseph Smith wrote:
Behold, the great day of the Lord is at hand; and who can abide the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appeareth? For he is like a refiner's fire, and like a fuller's soap; and he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness. Let us, therefore, as a church and a people, and as Latter-day Saints, offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness; and let us present in his holy temple, when it is finished, a book containing the records of our dead, which shall be worthy of all acceptation (D&C 128:24).
With a simple announcement that went unnoticed by most of the world, the Lord is fulfilling the prophecies of all the ancient prophets and preparing the world for his eventual return. It is as Christ has said; and today there is another leaf on the fig tree warning us of the approaching summer.
With a simple announcement that went unnoticed by most of the world, the Lord is fulfilling the prophecies of all the ancient prophets and preparing the world for his eventual return. It is as Christ has said; and today there is another leaf on the fig tree warning us of the approaching summer.
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