EXCOMMUNICATION OF THE DISCIPLES, Ch 11 of The Church and The Priesthood by Ogde

Jesus predicted that His disciples would be separated from “their company” and their names would be “cast out . . . as evil.” (Luke 6:22) He warned them of what they should expect from the Pharisees–and that they would eventually be excommunicated:

These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended. They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service. And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me. (John 16:1-3)

The fact that the Pharisees did not “know” Jesus and the Father seems to be a major reason for their persecuting Christ’s disciples. Jesus once prayed, “O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee. . . .” (John 17:25) When He had previously talked about the day of judgment, he said, “And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” (Matt. 7:23) However, in the Inspired Translation it reads, “And then will I say, Ye never knew me: depart from me ye that work iniquity.” (I.T. Matt. 7:33)

The Lord has revealed how men can come to “know God,” and it can be achieved only through the Melchizedek Priesthood:

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The power and authority of the higher, or Melchizedek Priesthood, is to hold the keys of all the spiritual blessings of the church–

To have the privilege of receiving the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, to have the heavens opened unto them, to commune with the general assembly and church of the firstborn, and to enjoy the communion and presence of God the Father, and Jesus the mediator of the new covenant. (D & C 107:18-19)