In number 9 we talked about being Sealed by the Holy Spirit of Promise. Now let us look at one of the results of that sealing.
D&C 76:53-55
53 And who overcome by faith, and are sealed by the
Holy Spirit of promise, which the Father sheds forth upon all those
who are
just and true.
54 They are they who are the church of the
Firstborn.
55 They are they into whose hands the Father
has given all things—
Section 78 was given in March 1832, and the individuals mentioned in that revelation was hidden for many years by used code names. Now we know that Joseph Smith, Sidney Rigdon, and Newel K. Whitney were told:
21 For ye are the church of the Firstborn,
and he will take you up in a cloud, and appoint every man his portion.
There are those on the earth now that are part of the 144,000. It is their calling to bring others to the Church of the Firstborn.
D&C 77:11
11 Q. What are we to
understand by sealing the one hundred and forty-four thousand, out of
all the
tribes of Israel—twelve thousand out of every tribe?
A. We are to understand that those who are sealed are high priests,
ordained
unto the holy order of God, to administer the everlasting gospel; for
they are
they who are ordained out of
every
nation, kindred, tongue, and people, by the angels to whom is
given power
over the nations of the earth, to
bring
as many as will come to the church of the Firstborn.
Section 93 is a great section that talks about how we can approach the Savior and be begotten by him.
1 Verily, thus saith the Lord: It shall come to pass
that every soul who forsaketh his sins and cometh unto me, and calleth
on my
name, and obeyeth my voice, and keepeth my commandments, shall see my
face and
know that I am; . . .
22 And all those who are begotten through me are
partakers of the glory of the same, and are the church of the
Firstborn.
Notice how the Melchizedek priesthood, Second Comforter and mysteries all come together in the Church of the Firstborn as described in D&C 107.
18 The power and authority of the higher, or
Melchizedek Priesthood, is to hold the keys of all the spiritual
blessings of
the church—
19 To have the privilege of receiving the mysteries
of the kingdom of heaven, to have the heavens opened unto them, to
commune with
the general assembly and church of the Firstborn, and to enjoy the
communion
and presence of God the Father, and Jesus the mediator of the new
covenant.
Section 88 (the Olive Leaf) gave the promise of membership in the Church of the Firstborn.
3 Wherefore, I now send upon you another Comforter,
even upon you my friends, that it may abide in your hearts, even the
Holy
Spirit of promise; which other Comforter is the same that I promised
unto my
disciples, as is recorded in the testimony of John.
4 This Comforter is the promise which I give unto
you of eternal life, even the glory of the celestial kingdom;
5 Which glory is that of the church of the
Firstborn, even of God, the holiest of all, through Jesus Christ his
Son—
Joseph Smith tells us:
Wednesday, 4.—I spent the day in the upper part of
the store, that is in my private office * * * in council with General
James
Adams, of Springfield, Patriarch Hyrum Smith, Bishops Newel K. Whitney
and
George Miller, and President Brigham Young and Elders Heber C. Kimball
and
Willard Richards, instructing them in the principles and order of the
Priesthood, attending to washings, anointings, endowments and the
communication
of keys pertaining to the Aaronic Priesthood, and so on to the highest
order of
the Melchizedek Priesthood, setting forth the order pertaining to the
Ancient
of Days, and all those plans and principles by which any one is
enabled to
secure the fullness of those blessings which have been prepared for
the Church of the Firstborn, and come
up and abide in the
presence of the Eloheim in the eternal worlds. (May 4, 1842) DHC 5:1-2
Hebrews 12:
18 For ye are not come unto the mount that might be
touched, and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness,
and
tempest, . . .
22 But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the
city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable
company
of angels,
23 To the general assembly and church of the
firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of
all, and to
the spirits of just men made perfect,
Brigham Young:
Talk about the Saints coming up to the Church
of the Firstborn, to the state of perfection
which Enoch attained; D&C 76:67 if men and
women ever attain
to this, they have got to be pure in all their habits, pure in their
spirits as
well as in their doctrines, for the Lord has told us what is right and
required
in those things. (JD 3:51)