Moses, Elijah, and Elias appearing in the Kirtland Temple
After the vision of Jesus Christ in the Kirtland Temple on April 3, 1836, “the heavens were again opened” (Doctrine and Covenants 110:11) to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery. Three ancient prophets appeared and committed essential priesthood keys to them. This lesson can help students understand how the priesthood keys restored to the Prophet Joseph Smith can bless their lives.
Possible Learning Activities
How would life be different?
To begin class, consider writing the following incomplete question on the board:
What would your life be like without ?
Invite students to complete the question in their study journals with something they feel would be difficult to live without. Invite a few students to share how they completed the question and to briefly explain why their lives would be challenging without it.
After students have shared, complete the question on the board with phrases such as “missionary work,” “the fulness of the gospel,” “temple and family history work,” and “the opportunity to be sealed to your family.” Invite class members to silently contemplate how life would be different without these blessings from Heavenly Father and to record any feelings they might have. Encourage students to continue pondering the significance of these blessings in their lives as they learn about sacred events that helped make them possible.
Consider writing the following bolded truth on the board: The Lord sent heavenly messengers to restore priesthood keys to the Prophet Joseph Smith. To help students better understand the significance of this truth, copy the following chart onto the board and invite students to re-create it in their study journals. (Explain that students should leave enough room to add an additional question to the bottom of each column later in this lesson.) Invite students to use their scriptures to fill in the chart.
After you have given students enough time to study, invite volunteers to come to the board and write in each column what they learned. If needed, remind students of the following:
Remember that “priesthood keys are the authority to direct the use of the priesthood on behalf of God’s children. The use of all priesthood authority in the Church is directed by those who hold priesthood keys” (General Handbook: Serving in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 3.4.1, ChurchofJesusChrist.org; see also Doctrine and Covenants 65:2).
To help students better understand the keys that were restored, invite them to study these keys by using other scripture passages, general conference talks, or other divine sources. They might study footnotes or look up “priesthood keys,” unfamiliar words, or any of the heavenly visitors’ names in the Guide to the Scriptures, Bible Dictionary, or Topical Guide. They might search “keys restored in the Kirtland Temple” in the Gospel Library app.
Or divide students into small groups and provide each group with one of the study activities from the handout titled “Priesthood Keys Restored in the Kirtland Temple.” Invite each group to discuss the handout together and add insights to their chart.
Moses restored the keys to the “gathering of Israel” (Doctrine and Covenants 110:11). The keys of gathering authorize those servants holding this authority to preach the restored gospel of Jesus Christ to the nations of the earth.
President Russell M. Nelson declared:
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President Russell M. Nelson
When we speak of gathering Israel on both sides of the veil, we are referring, of course, to missionary, temple, and family history work. We are also referring to building faith and testimony in the hearts of those with whom we live, work, and serve. (Russell M. Nelson, “Let God Prevail,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2020, 92)
How might you help to build faith and testimony in the hearts of those you associate with each day?
How has your life or the life of someone you know been influenced by the Lord reaching out to us through missionary work?
Elias committed the dispensation of the gospel of Abraham (see Doctrine and Covenants 110:12). This includes the restoration of the Abrahamic covenant.
President Russell M. Nelson explained:
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President Russell M. Nelson
The covenant God made with Abraham … contained several promises, including … all nations of the earth would be blessed by his seed. …
… We have received, as did they of old, the holy priesthood and the everlasting gospel. We have the right to receive the fulness of the gospel, enjoy the blessings of the priesthood, and qualify for God’s greatest blessing—that of eternal life. (Russell M. Nelson, “Covenants,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2011, 87–88)
What are some ways the Lord is blessing individuals, families, and nations through His gospel and His priesthood?
What blessings from the Lord are you experiencing through His gospel and His priesthood?
Elijah restored the sealing keys, which include the authority to seal families together in the temple.
Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles explained:
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Elder Gary E. Stevenson
Sealing keys, restored by the Old Testament prophet Elijah, enable ordinances to take place in holy temples. Ordinances performed in these temples enable individuals and families to return to the presence of our heavenly parents. (Gary E. Stevenson, “Where Are the Keys and Authority of the Priesthood?,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2016, 31)
What are some ways the Lord blesses us through temple work and sealings?
How has the Lord blessed, or how can He bless, you and your family through ordinances of the temple?
Consider reminding students of what they reflected on at the beginning of the lesson. Invite them to write in their study journals “Why are these keys important to me?” Give them time to reflect and answer this question based on their study or what they learned in the activity.
Encourage students to mark in their scriptures any important words or phrases they discovered.
How is the Savior preparing us for His Second Coming through the priesthood keys that Moses, Elias, and Elijah restored?
Why do you think the earth would “be smitten with a curse” (Doctrine and Covenants 110:15) at the Lord’s coming without the restoration of these priesthood keys?
To conclude, invite students to complete the following in their journals. You might ask a few to share what they wrote.
Imagine a friend tells you she learned about the priesthood keys restored in the Kirtland Temple. Your friend then says, “I’m not sure what any of it has to do with me.” Using what you learned today, explain what keys were restored and how they have blessed or can bless your friend.