Nephi writes that while impersonating Laban and in his conversations with Laban’s servant Zoram, he apparently said things that caused Zoram to suppose that he “spake of the brethren of the church” (1 Nephi 4:26). This mention of a “church,” which Laban was apparently a part of, raises some interesting questions. Was this “church” like our Church today? Was Lehi’s family a part of this “church”? There is a statement by Bruce R. McConkie which has been quoted as follows:
"Was there a Church anciently, and if so, how was it organized and regulated? There was not so much as the twinkling of an eye during the whole so-called pre-Christian Era when the Church of Jesus Christ was not upon the earth, organized basically in the same way it now is. Melchizedek belonged to the Church; Laban was a member; so also was Lehi, long before he left Jerusalem.
There was always apostolic power. The Melchizedek Priesthood always directed the course of the Aaronic Priesthood. All of the prophets held a position in the hierarchy of the day“ (Bruce R. McConkie, ”The Bible, a Sealed Book," in Supplement, a Symposium on the New Testament, 1984, p. 6) as quoted in Book of Mormon Student Manual for Religion 121 and 122, pp. 5-6]
Questions arise from this quote, not from what is said but in how it is understood:
(1) Was the organization of the “church” (mentioned in 1 Nephi 4:26) the same church to which Lehi belonged? The answer is “Yes,” and “No.” Although one of the definitions for the word “church” is “a particular sect, denomination, or division of Christians,” there is another definition which means “the ecclesiastical government of a particular religious group, or its power, as opposed to secular government” (Webster’s New World Dictionary). We might assume that among the Jews of Lehi’s day, there was no separation of church and state, but is our assumption correct? How do we account for the fact that the lives of the chosen prophets of God, Jeremiah and Lehi, were sought by the government authorities? (See Jeremiah 11:18-23; 18:18; 1 Nephi 1:20). If Laban’s “church” was composed of the Jewish ecclesiastical and governmental authorities, then in fact, Lehi and his family were part of that “church” also. To understand the other answers, it is necessary to lay a little more groundwork.
(2) What is an apostle, or apostolic power? According to Bruce R. McConkie, “An apostle is a special witness of the name of Christ who is sent to teach the principles of salvation to others. He is one who knows of the divinity of the Savior by personal revelation and who is appointed to bear testimony to the world of what the Lord has revealed to him.” (Mormon Doctrine, p. 46). Again, both Jeremiah (Jeremiah 1:1-19) and Lehi (1 Nephi 1:5-19) were special witnesses of the Lord, but were the ecclesiastical and governmental authorities of the Jews in agreement with their message? Was Laban in agreement with their message? I don’t think so. (see Jeremiah 26:10-11; 1 Nephi 1:19-20.)
(3) In what way did the Melchizedek Priesthood direct the Aaronic Priesthood in the time of Lehi? According to another dictionary, “ekklesia [the Greek word for ‘church’] was also used among the Jews (LXX) for the ‘congregation’ of Israel which was constituted at Sinai and assembled before the Lord at the annual feasts in the persons of its representative males (Acts 7:38).” (The Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Vol. 1, p. 283)
According to Cleon Skousen, we should remember that Moses received two sets of laws. The first law which was given to Moses was the Law of the Covenant, which prevails whenever the government of God is upon the earth. This Law was on the first set of stone tablets given to Moses and included all the higher ordinances of the Gospel--even the temple endowment (D&C 84:21-24, plus Inspired Version, Exodus 34:1). When Moses came down from the mount and found the people indulging in the fertility rites of the Egyptians (with several thousand of them naked, drunken and dancing around the fertility symbol of a golden bullock), he smashed the tablets on which the higher laws were written (Exodus 32:19; Deuteronomy 9:17). The Lord then had Moses make a second set of tablets which provided a lower order of laws designed to be a schoolmaster to the children of Israel so they could at least survive as a people until Christ came. (See Galatians 3:19,24) This became known as “the Law of Moses” or the “law of carnal commandments.” It should be remembered, however, that this was the second “law of Moses.” [W. Cleon Skousen, Treasures from the Book of Mormon, Vol. 2, p. 2036]
According to Bruce R. McConkie, through Moses the Lord attempted to set up the house of Israel as a kingdom of priests of the holy order, with each man and his family enjoying the full blessings of the patriarchal order and priesthood (Exodus 19:5-6; Deuteronomy 7:6). But Israel rebelled, rejected the higher law, and the Lord took Moses and the fulness of the priesthood from them (Inspired Version, Exodus 34:1-2; D & C 84:17-25). From then until the personal ministry of our Lord among men, the Aaronic Priesthood continued as the most prevalent authority of God on earth (D & C 84:26-28).
There were many times, however, and may have been at all times, prophets and worthy men in Israel who held the Melchizedek Priesthood. Joseph Smith said, “All the prophets had the Melchizedek Priesthood and were ordained by God himself,” that is, those persons so honored held their authority by special dispensation, for the general priesthood rule found among the people was the Levitical order (Teachings, p. 181; Doctrines of Salvation, Vol. 3, pp. 80-102).
Regarding this Melchizedek Priesthood, McConkie quotes Joseph Smith, “All other authorities or offices in the church are appendages to this priesthood… . The Melchizedek Priesthood holds the right of presidency, and has power and authority over all the offices in the church in all ages of the world, to administer in spiritual things” (Teachings, p. 322). [Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, pp. 477-478]
Thus, the answer to how Lehi and Laban both belonged to the same Church of Christ, to how the basic organization of the Church was the same as in all dispensations, and how the Melchizedek Priesthood directed the Aaronic Priesthood lies in responsibility to proper authority. In other words, it was the obligation of every Jew to follow the presiding authority of the day, which authority was held by the prophets. Both Lehi and Laban were under obligation through Levitical covenants to follow the direction of the Melchizedek Priesthood. Lehi responded and was saved. Laban rejected the authority and was destroyed. [See the commentary on Mosiah 18:17 and Mosiah 25:19,23 for further discussion on the idea of a “church” among the Nephites]
1 Nephi 4:28 When Laman saw me he was exceedingly frightened, and also Lemuel and Sam ([Illustration] “Laman, Lemuel, and Sam were deeply frightened when they saw Nephi suddenly appear before them dressed in the armour of Laban and accompanied by Laban’s servant.” [W. Cleon Skousen, Treasures from the Book of Mormon, Vol. 1, p. 1051]