Doctrine and Covenants Section 78:15 identifies Jesus Christ as "the Holy One of Zion, who hath established the foundations of Adam-ondi-Ahman."¹ The physical and spiritual foundations for Zion² were established three years before Adam's death.³ At that time, Adam established the physical foundation for Zion when he gathered his righteous posterity at Adam-ondi-Ahman.⁴

During this physical gathering, the Lord established two spiritual foundations for Zion, including the organization of the Patriarchal Priesthood⁵ and the Patriarchal Order of the Priesthood.⁶ These terms are often used synonymously,⁷ and their meanings are sometimes reversed when scholars distinguish one from the other.⁸ The Patriarchal Priesthood is an ancient order of the Melchizedek Priesthood handed down by lineage from father to son⁹ and it includes the office of patriarch.¹⁰ The Patriarchal Priesthood is also called the Evangelical Priesthood¹¹ because an evangelist is a patriarch.¹² A patriarch holds the keys to bless the Lord's chosen people with the promise of exaltation according to their lineage.¹³ At Adam-ondi-Ahman, Adam gave his final patriarchal blessing to seven generations of his righteous posterity.¹⁴ His final blessing extended to seven high priests who were previously ordained patriarchs and who then stood as the patriarchal heads of their seven generations.¹⁵

The seven high priests were ordained to the Patriarchal Priesthood before the gathering at Adam-ondi-Ahman. For example, Seth was born to Adam and Eve after the death of Abel.¹⁶ He was the first of seven patriarchs ordained by Adam when Seth was 69 years old.¹⁷ Many years later, at Adam-ondi-Ahman, Adam blessed Seth "that his posterity should be the chosen of the Lord, and that they should be preserved unto the end of the earth" as stated in Doctrine and Covenants Section 107:42.¹⁸ This means that when Adam died, the Patriarchal Priesthood line of authority passed to Seth and his descendants by lineage.¹⁹ The establishment of the Patriarchal Priesthood by right of primogeniture²⁰ was the first spiritual foundation laid at Adam-ondi-Ahman, which brought God's ancient people back into his presence.²¹

The Patriarchal Order of the Priesthood was the second and most important spiritual foundation of Zion established anciently at Adam-ondi-Ahman.²² Under this priesthood order every worthy holder of the Melchizedek Priesthood held a patriarchal office over his own posterity regardless of whether he was a firstborn son or not.²³ This stands in contrast to the Patriarchal Priesthood that passed from father to firstborn son as illustrated in Doctrine and Covenants Section 84 where Noah's Patriarchal Priesthood line of authority came through the lineage of Abel, not Seth.²⁴ At Adam-ondi-Ahman, the Patriarchal (evangelical) Priesthood was confirmed upon Seth and his firstborn sons by right of primogeniture, but the Patriarchal Order of the Priesthood was confirmed upon all worthy men and their wives through the sealing ordinance of the temple regardless of lineage.²⁵

Husbands and wives enter the highest Patriarchal Order of the Melchizedek Priesthood when they are sealed in the temple.²⁶ The temple sealing ordinance also seals together multiple generations of earthly families into the family of God.²⁷ The sealing ordinance is the gateway to exaltation in the celestial kingdom.²⁸ Adam and Eve were married (sealed) for time and eternity in the Garden of Eden, but Adam administered the sealing ordinance to his righteous posterity for the first time at Adam-ondi-Ahman.²⁹ He did so in the same way that the sealing ordinance is administered in modern temples today.³⁰ The sealing ordinance is the covenant foundation for the eternal family,³¹ which was and is required to establish Zion.³² Adam's righteous posterity was brought into God's presence at Adam-ondi-Ahman³³ through the administration of the temple sealing ordinance.³⁴ This became the foundation for the patriarchal family on earth³⁵ and a type³⁶ for the governing family organization in heaven.³⁷

The keys of the Patriarchal Priesthood³⁸ and the keys of the Patriarchal Order of the Priesthood³⁹ are both necessary foundations for the establishment of Zion.⁴⁰ The Lord's covenant people⁴¹ receive patriarchal blessings through the keys and authority of the Patriarchal Priesthood.⁴² These blessings include the promise of exaltation as a conditional blessing⁴³ according to a declared lineage in the house of Israel.⁴⁴ Lineage is important because the chosen bloodline⁴⁵ carries the promise of exaltation⁴⁶ made to the fathers as a matter of birthright.⁴⁷ Children are born into the chosen bloodline based on their premortal worthiness and foreordination,⁴⁸ but that birthright alone will not exalt them.

The birthright blessing⁴⁹ of exaltation is realized as the children of promise,⁵⁰ including the seed of Abraham,⁵¹ make and keep sacred temple covenants⁵² pertaining to the Patriarchal Order of the Priesthood.⁵³ Through the temple sealing ordinance⁵⁴ men and women are ordained to become kings and queens in God's celestial kingdom.⁵⁵ Those that are faithful to this ordination will be exalted⁵⁶ and they shall inherit thrones, kingdoms, principalities, and powers, dominions, all heights and depths as promised in Doctrine and Covenants Section 132:19.⁵⁷ This is a founding principle of Zion.⁵⁸

When Adam administered the temple sealing ordinance to his posterity for the first time at Adam-ondi-Ahman⁵⁹ the foundations were fully established to physically and spiritually build the ancient city of Zion.⁶⁰ Enoch built the first city of Zion based on these two foundations and his city was subsequently translated and taken to heaven.⁶¹ This first city of Zion is a type and foreshadow for the city of New Jerusalem (Zion) that will again be established⁶² after the future gathering of saints at Adam-ondi-Ahman just 3½ years before the Second Coming.⁶³