Authority Held by the Twelve

[calmbreeze]

"The most precious thing lost in the Apostasy was the authority held by the Twelve-the priesthood keys. For the Church to be His Church, there must be a Quorum of the Twelve who hold the keys and confer them on others. "In time came the First Vision and the restoration of the Melchizedek Priesthood by Peter, James, and John (see D&C 27:12; Joseph Smith-History 1:72). . . ."The restored Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was young when the First Presidency was organized, followed by the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, which was made up of ordinary men, and then the Quorums of the Seventy. The average age of that first Quorum of the Twelve was 28. "There has been an unbroken line of authority. The priesthood keys given to the Apostles have always been held by members of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve."

Boyd K. Packer, "The Twelve," Ensign, May 2008, 84