Adam Holds the Keys.—The Prophet Joseph Smith treats thus the theme of the Gospel dispensations:
"Commencing with Adam, who was the first man, * * * the first and father of all, not only by progeny, but the first to hold the spiritual blessings, to whom was made known the plan of ordinances for the salvation of his posterity unto the end, and to whom Christ was first revealed, and through whom Christ has been revealed from heaven, and will continue to be revealed from henceforth;—Adam holds the keys of the dispensation of the fulness of times; i.e., the dispensation of all the times have been and will be revealed through him from the beginning to Christ, and from Christ to the end of all the dispensations that are to be revealed."—("History of the Church," Vol. IV, pp. 207, 208.)
"All Things in Christ."—Having cited Paul (Ephesians 1:9,10), as showing how God "purposed in himself, that in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth," the Prophet goes on to say:
"Now the purpose of himself, in the winding up scene of the last dispensation, is that all things pertaining to that dispensation should be conducted precisely in accordance with the preceding dispensations.
"And again, God purposed in himself that there should not be an eternal fulness until every dispensation should be fulfiled and gathered together in one, and that all things whatsoever that should be gathered together in one in those dispensations unto the same fulness and eternal glory, should be in Christ Jesus; therefore he set the ordinances to be the same forever and ever, and set Adam to watch over them, to reveal them from heaven to man, or to send angels to reveal them.
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"This, then, is the nature of the Priesthood: every man holding the presidency of his dispensation, and one man holding the presidency of them all, even Adam; and Adam receiving his presidency and authority from the Lord, but cannot receive a fulness until Christ shall present the kingdom to the Father, which shall be at the end of the last dispensation."—(Ibid, pp. 208-209.)
Distinctive Features.—Each dispensation stands for some particular development of God's work. Each period possess certain distinguishing characteristics, to point out which, rather than to give an exhaustive narration of events and happenings, is the aim of the present article. In the Adamic dispensation, or the period during which Adam lived upon the earth, in addition to the Creation and the Fall, already treated in previous chapters, we find the following distinctive features:
(1) The institution of the law of sacrifice, foreshadowing the Atonement that was to be made by the Lamb of God.
(2) The introduction and first promulgation of the Gospel, as a means of redeeming mankind from the effects of the Fall.