Doctrine and Covenants Section 77:11 identifies the 144,000 Servants from Revelation 7:3-4¹ as "high priests, ordained unto the holy order of God."² The holy order of God³ frequently refers to the Melchizedek Priesthood,⁴ but in this context the words refer more particularly to the highest order⁵ or fullness of the Melchizedek Priesthood.⁶ This order is called the Patriarchal Order of the Priesthood and it is reserved for those who will become kings and priests in the celestial kingdom.⁷

Doctrine and Covenants Section 77:11 also states that the 144,000 are ordained⁸ "by the angels to whom is given power over the nations of the earth."⁹ These angels include Peter, James, John, Moses, Elias, and Elijah.¹⁰ The 144,000 Servants are ordained to preside¹¹ within the Patriarchal Order of the Priesthood¹² with their wives¹³ to whom they must be sealed.¹⁴ The high priests will preside over the tribes of Israel within the Church of the Firstborn.¹⁵ The sealing ordinance is the gateway ordinance¹⁶ for membership in the Church of the Firstborn.¹⁷

The 144,000 high priests (including their wives) belong to the Church of the Firstborn because, in addition to their sealing in the temple,¹⁸ they also have their calling and election made sure.¹⁹ The Church of the Firstborn is the divine patriarchal order in its eternal form.²⁰ It is also Christ's heavenly church.²¹ Membership in the heavenly church is limited to those that qualify for exaltation²² in the celestial kingdom.²³ They include the 144,000 Servants that have the seal of the living God²⁴ and have their calling and election made sure on earth or in the postmortal spirit world.²⁵ They will then receive as joint-heirs with Christ all that the Father has.²⁶ Members of the Church of the Firstborn are sometimes called the inner circle of faithful members of the Lord's earthly church, which is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.²⁷ To be included in this inner circle,²⁸ husbands and wives must be sealed in the temple and remain worthy of their covenants.²⁹

The 144,000 Servants are both mortals and righteous spirits of the dead³⁰ that qualify for exaltation and godhood as the sixth seal comes to a close³¹ and at any time before the Second Coming.³² During the sixth seal and early in the seventh seal, these exaltation-worthy servants³³ shall rise above all others to rule as kings and priests (queens and priestesses) in the future millennium.³⁴ Joseph Smith said: "Those holding the fullness of the Melchizedek Priesthood are kings and priests of the Most High God, holding the keys of power and blessings."³⁵ As kings, they will rule and reign in God's millennial government;³⁶ and as priests they will preside over the ecclesiastical work of exaltation throughout the millennium.³⁷ The authority and power of these kings and priests, as well as their wives who are queens and priestesses,³⁸ come from the Patriarchal Order of the Priesthood³⁹ that they receive through the earthly sealing ordinance.⁴⁰

The sealing ordinance makes kings/queens and priests/priestesses from among the ranks of the whole family of God in all their generations.⁴¹ This family organization⁴² is called Israel.⁴³ The whole house of Israel will be governed by the 144,000 kings and priests⁴⁴ according to the perfect law of theocracy.⁴⁵