--- title: Times and Seasons description: Issues of 1844 to 1845. authors: - Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints editors: - Ebenezer Robinson - Don Carlos Smith - Smith, Joseph, Jr. - Taylor, John collections: - periodicals tags: - newspaper - times-and-seasons - nauvoo - nineteenth-century periodical: Times and Seasons volume: 5 number: 23 published: 1844-12-15 publisher: E. Robinson and D. C. Smith; later John Taylor publisher_place: Commerce and Nauvoo, Illinois language: en type: article reference: "“Keys,” *Times and Seasons* 5, no. 23 (December 15, 1844): 748–749." printed_title: KEYS. source: url: https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_times-and-seasons_1844-12-15_5_23 transcription: Text from the Centerplace.org transcription (https://www.centerplace.org/history/ts/v5n23.htm), with its page breaks; this Internet Archive scan is the reference copy (its OCR was used only as a witness for OCR repair) identifier: per_utah-and-the-mormons_times-and-seasons_1844-12-15_5_23 start_page: 748 end_page: 749 curator_note: A Mormon newspaper published by the church in Nauvoo; included for historical study. Inclusion does not imply endorsement. rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1844 (Nauvoo, Illinois); published before 1931, so public domain in the United States source: https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_times-and-seasons_1844-12-15_5_23 publication_year: 1844 --- # Keys This may be thought by some to be rather a singular caption for a religious article, but when duly considered, it is presumed, that persons of candor will reflect upon it as an expression, or as a term, when used in the revelations of God, conveying the meaning of power, authority, and knowledge: The symbolical meaning of the word "key" or "keys" pertaining to the priesthood of the Son of God, cannot, or will not be fully defined to the present generation, because the world is unworthy of the information. The first important passage in the bible, relating to this matter, is found in Isaiah; the which, with some other very curious knowledge unexplained, we will here quote: "And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will call my servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah: And I will clothe him with thy robe, and strengthen him with thy girdle, and I will commit thy government into his hand; and he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to the house of Judah. 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. And they shall hang upon him all the glory of his father's house, the offspring and the issue, all vessels of small quantity, from the vessels of cups, even to all the vessels of flagons. In that day, saith the Lord of hosts, shall the nail that is fastened in the sure place be removed and be cut down and fall; and the burden that was upon it shall be cut off: for the Lord hath spoken it." Now, permit us to read our translation of the two first verses from the Hebrew of Michaelis: And it shall be in that day that I call unto my servant, through Eliakim, (Hebrew, God raises up) the son of Hilkiah; that I will cause him (my servant) to be clothed with thy robe, (i.e. Isaiah) and to be strengthened with thy girdle, &c., &c, and he (i.e. the servant) shall be a father to Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. The next verse, the 22nd is fully expounded by John in his Revelations on the Isle of Patmos. And shows that Jesus Christ is the "servant" spoken to in the two previous verses, and that he holds the "key of David." "The nail fastened in a sure place," remains a mystery to the world, and will, but the wise understand. As to the "offspring and issue of his father's house" being appended to Jesus Christ, the Latter-day Saints believe that-but if any man believes that the 25th verse is a true translation and explanation of the "nail," he is welcome to his opinion; he knows nothing of the key of David, and little about the keys of the kingdom. As Nephi said, it supposes us that the "keys" of the kingdom of heaven, spoken of in Matthew 16:19, was a symbolical expression which conveyed to the saints then an idea similar to the "horns of Joseph" at any rate, power, authority, knowledge, and the assurance of eternal life, seem to be locked or unlocked by these "keys" as much as the prisons of the dead, or "death or hell," are opened and shut by the keys that are held by the resurrected Savior. That great phrase-I have all power in heaven and on earth delivered unto me, coupled with "if any man will follow me," let him keep my commandments, has often passed through the mind of holy men, and they have spoken as moved by the Holy Ghost: but unaccountable and mysterious as it may appear to some, the 'key' or 'keys' come from the Son of God of his own good will and pleasure. For it is written in Jeremiah 1:5, "Before I formed thee in the belly, I knew thee, &c., and sanctified thee and ordained thee a prophet unto the nations." There are other instances to show that God ordains his servants, before they take upon them flesh, but let this suffice. The power or keys, conferred by such ordination, is made manifest by the Holy Ghost,-of which "John was filled from his mother's womb,' and went forth in the spirit and power of Elias. But we have said enough on this subject, and will conclude that in all ages, whenever a messenger, or, we will say prophet of God, has graced the earth, his own works has been the evidence of his power, authority, and knowledge,-keys. Abel's offering was accepted.-Enoch was translated. Noah built the ark.-Moses brought the stone tables. Elijah was translated. Jesus showed Peter, James, and John the transfiguration. Joseph Smith brought forth the Book of Mormon: and what was the reception these holy men and many others met with holding the keys of light and knowledge? With a few exceptions, the answer is MARTYRDOM in the most hellish sense of the word.-And what has been the reception of those who have said they were apostles, and were not? They have built cities and towers, and been honored by the world for shedding blood, because the devil loves his own. And even the great Anti Christ of the last days, who would feign to make the world believe, (the saints know better) that he is "my servant" the branch holding the before mentioned key of David, has gone to Pittsburg [Pittsburgh] to prepare for war. "Wisdom will be justified of her children."