"The Key of the House of David": Part 1

Elephant in the Room

I have been waiting a long time to discuss priesthood keys since they are the symbol of religious authority.

In this series we will discuss the question, "Is it possible common consent is nonexistent because its keys have not been turned?"  

And if so, then what else have priesthood keys been up to? 

Oh, oh.  Looks like somebody snuck out of the house after curfew.  

I Lost my Keys and said a Prayer

Have you ever misplaced your keys and turned over the couch cushions trying to find them?  "Honey, where are my keys?! I can't get to work without them."

Well, have you ever wondered what happens to priesthood keys that are misplaced?

Do they go into some heavenly Lost and Found?  Can they be stolen, like a physical object, by a thief in the night? 

Can a man rob God . . . of His keys?

"Mormon, Your Table is Ready"

Maybe we can learn something about priesthood keys from the Book of Mormon?

Well, let's see . . . what does the Most Correct Book on Earth (which contains, according to the Lord, "the fulness of my everlasting gospel" (D&C 27:5)) have to say about keys . . .

Hold on.  Just to be clear, the Book of Mormon:

   contains the record
   of a fallen people,
   and the fulness
   of the gospel
   of Jesus Christ.

(D&C 20:9)

Okay.  Looking . . . looking . . . looking . . . that's weird. 

The only keys mentioned in the Book of Mormon are the keys Zoram used to open the treasury containing the brass plates (1 Nephi 4:20).

Fact:  The Book of Mormon DOES NOT MENTION priesthood keys at all. 

Huh.

Reading the Fine Print  

Are priesthood keys fungible? Are they exchangeable, replaceable, interchangeable?

Or are keys fashioned for the holder, custom-crafted, unique, specific, and non-transferable?

I mean, when Peter conferred authority on Joseph Smith, did Peter lose his own keys?  Or are there an infinite set of keys to pass around?

What did the Lord mean when He said:

   The keys which I have given
   unto [Jospeh], and also
   to youward, shall not be taken
   from him till I come.

(D&C 112:15)

How about Joseph: could he pass along his keys or not?  Was he able to go to Home Depot and make a duplicate set of keys to give to a neighbor in case of emergency?  

Well, let's double-check.  The Lord said to Joseph in 1833:

   Verily I say unto you,
   the keys of this kingdom
   shall never be taken from you,
   while thou art in the world,
   neither in the world to come;

(D&C 90:3)

Ummm.  Well, that was in 1833.  What about before, when Joseph was still on probation?  What was the Lord's "exit" strategy, then?

​   I have given unto [Joseph]
   the keys of the mystery
   of those things which have been
   sealed, even things which were
   from the foundation of the world,
   and the things which shall come
   from this time until the time
   of my coming, if he abide in me,
   and if not, another will I plant
   in his stead.

(D&C 35:18)

Ah, so keys can be lost.

Skeleton Key

A skeleton key can open any lock.  As Isaiah prophesied:

​   And the key
   of the house of David
   will I lay upon his shoulder;
   so he shall open, and none
   shall shut; and he shall shut,
   and none shall open.

   And I will fasten him
   as a nail in a sure place;
   and he shall be for a glorious
   throne to his father’s house.

(Isaiah 22:22-23)

What is a key but a nail with teeth?  It can open heaven or shut hell.  It can open hell and shut heaven.  Jesus said He holds "the keys of hell and death" (Revelation 1:18).

So why do we take such pride in our "keys" when they belong to Him?  Why do we boast of our priesthood "authority" when we are but temporary custodians of what belongs to Christ? 

And when He returns, won't all priesthood keys be returned to Him who is the Key of Heaven?

Well, it looks like I was wrong.  We can lose keys, but God cannot.  He never loses anything (see, John 6:39).

[THEM ARE SOME BIG KEYS: Official Emblem of the Papacy of the Roman Catholic Church]

What About Church Authority?

If keys are transferable and irrevocable, then the Catholic Church still has them, right?  After all, Jesus said to Peter:

   I will give unto thee 
   the keys of the kingdom 
   of heaven: and whatsoever 
   thou shalt bind on earth 
   shall be bound in heaven.

(Matt. 16:19).  

The Catholic Church claims an unbroken line of authority back to Peter.  (Sound familiar?)  

But can priesthood authority remain intact over hundreds of years? 

Let's look at what the Lord said:

   The keys of the kingdom of God
   are committed unto man on the earth
   [NOTE: when Peter received them],
   and from thence shall the gospel
   roll forth unto the ends of the earth
   [NOTE: It has since 34 A.D.,
   or whenever Cornelius
   was baptized],
   as the stone which is cut
   out of the mountain
   without hands 
   [NOTE: so not by man]
   shall roll forth, until it has
   filled the whole earth.

(D&C 65:2)

And let's not forget, Christ's kingdom is "not of this world." 

   My kingdom is not
   of this world: 
   if my kingdom
   were of this world,
   then would my 
   servants fight.

(John 18:36).

​So it seems like the "keys to the kingdom of heaven" that Christ is referring to must be something different than the Church organization -- which is very much "of this world."

What Do We Do With Keys?

So what exactly did Peter's keys entitle him to do?

Become a pope?  Run a multi-national religious organization with thousands of cathedrals and tens of thousands employees, with billions of dollars to bankroll the cares of this world, buy insurance and retain armies of lawyers to settle abuse claims? 

. . . or were his keys intended to help him condescend and to become the servant of all, like Christ?