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Priesthood Line of Authority

Harold B. Lee, Stand Ye In Holy Places

 “All elders of the Church, meaning all who hold the Melchizedek Priesthood, have all the priesthood necessary to preside in any calling in the Church, if they are called by those in authority, sustained by a vote of the people, and then ordained to the office and given the keys of that office by those in authority. The Lord very clearly set this forth in a revelation in the early history of the Church:. . . it shall not be given to any one to go forth to preach my gospel, or to build up my church, except he be ordained by someone who has authority, and it is known to the church that he has authority, and has been regularly ordained by the heads of the church. (D&C 42:11.) One of the most significant things about your priesthood is that by tracing the line of your authority through the one who ordained you back through the various steps, your priesthood authority can be traced back to the Savior himself”

Harold B. Lee, Stand Ye In Holy Places, p.252

Numbers 27:18, 22-23

18 And the Lord said unto Moses, Take thee Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit, and lay thine hand upon him;

19 And set him before Eleazar the priest, and before all the congregation; and give him a charge in their sight.

22 And Moses did as the Lord commanded him: and he took Joshua, and set him before Eleazar the priest, and before all the congregation:

23 And he laid his hands upon him, and gave him a charge, as the Lord commanded by the hand of Moses.  Numbers 27:18, 22-23

Acts 6:5-6

5 ¶And the saying pleased the whole multitude: and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolas a proselyte of Antioch:

6 Whom they set before the apostles: and when they had prayed, they laid their hands on them. Acts 6:5-6

Alma 6:1

1 And now it came to pass that after Alma had made an end of speaking unto the people of the church, which was established in the city of Zarahemla, he ordained priests and elders, by laying on his hands according to the order of God, to preside and watch over the church. Alma 6:1

3 Nephi 18:36-37

36 And it came to pass that when Jesus had made an end of these sayings, he touched with his hand the disciples whom he had chosen, one by one, even until he had touched them all, and spake unto them as he touched them.

37 And the multitude heard not the words which he spake, therefore they did not bear record; but the disciples bare record that he gave them power to give the Holy Ghost. And I will show unto you hereafter that this record is true. 3 Nephi 18:36-37

Doctrine and Covenants 84:6-16

 6 And the sons of Moses, according to the Holy Priesthood which he received under the hand of his father-in-law, Jethro;

 7 And Jethro received it under the hand of Caleb;

 8 And Caleb received it under the hand of Elihu;

 9 And Elihu under the hand of Jeremy;

 10 And Jeremy under the hand of Gad;

 11 And Gad under the hand of Esaias;

 12 And Esaias received it under the hand of God.

 13 Esaias also lived in the days of Abraham, and was blessed of him—

 14 Which Abraham received the priesthood from Melchizedek, who received it through the lineage of his fathers, even till Noah;

15 And from Noah till Enoch, through the lineage of their fathers;

16 And from Enoch to Abel, who was slain by the conspiracy of his brother, who received the priesthood by the commandments of God, by the hand of his father Adam, who was the first man— Doctrine and Covenants 84:6-16