Joseph Smith recorded the following visions received in the Kirtland Temple in 1836:

" . . . The heavens were again opened unto us; and Moses appeared before us, and committed unto us the keys of the gathering of Israel from the four parts of the earth, and the leading of the ten tribes from the land of the north."After this, Elias appeared, and committed the dispensation of the gospel of Abraham, saying that in us and our seed all generations after us should be blessed.

"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

ElijahT 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 -

"Therefore, the keys of this dispensation are committed into your hands; and by this ye may know that the great and dreadful day of the Lord is near, even at the doors." (D&C 110:11-16.)

At the April 1993 conference, Elder James E. Faust, then of the Quorum of the Twelve and now second counselor in the First Presidency, said: "In my opinion, members of the Church have the most effective cure for our decaying family life. It is for men, women, and children to honor and respect the divine roles of both fathers and mothers in the home. In so doing, mutual respect and appreciation among the members of the Church will be fostered by the righteousness found there. In this way the great sealing keys restored by Elijah, spoken of by Malachi, might operate `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.' (D&C 110:15; see also Mal. 4:6.)

"President Joseph Fielding Smith stated concerning the keys of Elijah: `This sealing power bestowed upon Elijah, is the power which binds husbands and wives, and children to parents for time and eternity. It is the binding power existing in every Gospel ordinance. . . . It was the mission of Elijah to come, and restore it so that the curse of confusion and disorder would not exist in the kingdom of God.' (Elijah the Prophet and His Mission

Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1957T, p. 5.) Confusion and disorder are all too common in society, but they must not be permitted to destroy our homes.

"Perhaps we regard the power bestowed by Elijah as something associated only with formal ordinances performed in sacred places. But these ordinances become dynamic and productive of good only as they reveal themselves in our daily lives. Malachi said that the power of Elijah would turn the hearts of the fathers and the children to each other. The heart is the seat of the emotions and a conduit for revelation. (See Mal. 4:5-6.) This sealing power thus reveals itself in family relationships, in attributes and virtues developed in a nurturing environment, and in loving service. These are the cords that bind families together, and the priesthood advances their development. In imperceptible but real ways, the `doctrine of the priesthood shall distil upon thy soul

and thy homeT as the dews from heaven.' " (D&C 121:45.)