"Behold, I will reveal unto you the Priesthood, by the hand of Elijah the prophet…And he shall plant in the hearts of the children the promises made to the fathers, and the hearts of the children shall turn to their fathers." JS 1:38-39
The following are links to articles and talks about the Spirit of Elijah and family history work..
1. J. Stapley: The Spirit of Elijah
2. Light Planet The Spirit of Elijah
4. Elder David A. Bednar
The Hearts of the Children Shall Turn
"I now invite the attention of the young women, young men, and children of the rising generation as I emphasize the importance of the Spirit of Elijah in your lives today."
5. Elder Russel M. Nelson
The Spirit of Elijah
"the one hundredth anniversary of the Genealogical Society of Utah, highlight the great importance and influence of the spirit of Elijah."
6. President Gordon B. Hinckley
The Spirit of Elijah
"Behold, I will reveal unto you the Priesthood, by the hand of Elijah the prophet, before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. …"
7. Church News Article
A fullness of Priesthood
"The spirit, power, and calling of Elijah is, that ye have power to hold the key of the revelations, ordinances, oracles, powers and endowments of the fulness of..."
Published Saturday, June 2, 1990
8. Elder Mark E. Petersen
The Mission of Elijah
"One of the most important events of this dispensation was the coming of the Prophet Elijah to the Prophet Joseph Smith in the Kirtland Temple on 3 April 1836."
9. Cheryl Brown
Participating in the Mission of Elijah
"...it is obvious from the writing and records of others that he (Elijah) had one of the major missions of all the prophets who have lived on this earth." Published: Sat., Oct. 29, 1994
10. Randi Hansen
Built 175 years ago, Ohio Church Members Observe Kirtland Temple Anniversary
Kirtland, Ohio: "More than 800 members from stakes in northern Ohio gathered between two sessions at the Kirtland Temple and adjoining visitors center on Sunday, March 27, to celebrate the 175th anniversary of the dedication of the Kirtland Temple."
11. Experience the Spirit of Elijah
Turn your Heart
Click here to embark on a journey to turn your heart to your ancestors!
Who is Elijah?
In the New Testament Elias is the Greek form for the name Elijah, which is Hebrew.
Elijah is given the title of Elias as he (Elijah) was the one that restored the keys of the sealing power of the Priesthood to Peter, James and John as well as to the Prophet Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery.
The Bible Dictionary states that Elijah was noted for: "calling down fire from heaven; sealing the heavens with no rain for three and one-half years; blessing the widow's meal and oil; and raising a boy from the dead." He did not die, but rather was translated and taken to heaven in a chariot of fire in a whirlwind.
Elijah was a prophet who lived in Gilead, in the country east of Jordan. Through the influence of Ahab and Jezebel, the people had almost entirely forsaken the worship of Jehovah and turned to the worship of the Phoenician god Baal. Elijah pronounced death on Ahab and Jezebel, which came to pass.
According to Malachi's prophesy regarding Elijah's return. (Malachi 4:5) "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord."
Elijah's return is recorded in D&C 110:13-15 "After this vision had closed, another great and glorious vision burst upon us; for Elijah the prophet, who was taken to heaven without tasting death, stood before us, and said: Behold, the time has fully come, which was spoken of by the mouth of Malachi—testifying that he [Elijah] should be sent, before the great and dreadful day of the Lord come— To turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the children to the fathers, lest the whole earth be smitten with a curse—"
The following explanation of Elijah's mission is given in the Bible Dictionary: "We learn from latter-day revelation that Elijah held the sealing power of the Melchizedek Priesthood and was the last prophet to do so before the time of Jesus Christ. He appeared on the Mount in company with Moses (also translated) and conferred the keys of the priesthood on Peter, James, and John (Matt. 17: 3). He appeared again, in company with Moses and others, on April 3, 1836, in the Kirtland (Ohio) Temple and conferred the same keys upon Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery."
The power or "the spirit of Elijah" is the sealing power of the priesthood, or the authority to seal on earth and in heaven. It is also the power to loose on earth and in heaven. Because of this sealing power, the hearts of the children are turned to the fathers and the hearts of the fathers are turned to the children.
In modern day context, we relate the Spirit of Elijah to the work of family history research, while, as indicated in the information and citations herein more specifically ties the Spirit of Elijah to the sealing power. However, since the sealing of husband to wife and children to parents is required to bring about eternal families, which is the objective of family history work, speaking of the Spirit of Elijah and family history work together, to me, is a natural fit.
In the early days of the spirit of elijah . com I received an inquiry from a person in Florida who wanted to use the domain name for a movie he was producing for his college project. He said the title of the movie is, The Spirit of Elijah. I asked him to send me information about the storyline of the movie, including, if possible, the script. This inquiry gave me an opportunity to ponder the significance of what is the Spirit of Elijah. It came to me very soon that the meaning behind the Spirit of Elijah is, possibly, of utmost importance in the Lord's plan for His children. For it is through the Sealing power, which Elijah brought back to the earth in our day, that provides the welding link that binds families together for eternity. Those who through their covenants, commitments, and behavior, choose not to be together with their family, will be comfortable in a kingdom where their existence is unimaginable in it's glory. But, in order to receive all that our Heavenly Father plans to give the valiant, they must be a recipient of the blessings provided by the sealing power of the highest ordinances of the Melchizedek Priesthood. By the way, the Sprit of Elijah movie, as was explained to me, was about a Jew named Elijah who was subjected to the atrocities of a concentration camp, and a descendant of his was influenced by Elijah's spirit and the history of his experiences.
"This is the spirit of Elijah, that we redeem our dead, and connect ourselves with our fathers which are in heaven, and seal up our dead to come forth in the first ressurection; and here we want the power of Elijah to seal those who dwell on earth to those who dwell in heaven. This is the power of Elijah and the keys of the kingdom of Jehovah" (TPJS, p. 337-338).