How Understanding the Great Apostasy Increases our Appreciation for the Restoration
1Description
Cover image: “Light Descending” by Oliver Johnson.
“Immerse yourself in the glorious light of the Restoration. As
you do, general conference next April will be not only memorable; it will be unforgettable.”
–President Russell M. Nelson, Oct. 2019 General Conference
There are moments when things click into place,
times when seemingly random fragments of thought and information suddenly fit
together to form a clear picture in your mind. In my mid-teens, I had such a
moment, which altered the way I view the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.
On a Sunday evening, I found myself listening
to a radio station which played Latter-day Saint music and firesides. This
particular night’s broadcast featured a speaker whose focus was the great
apostasy and events leading to Joseph Smith’s first vision. As an active member
of the church, this was certainly not the first exposure I’d had to words like apostasy, the dark ages, the renaissance,
the reformation, and names such as Tyndale,
Gutenberg, Luther, and Wesley. But for some reason on this night, it seemed
that all of the information gleaned from years of home, church, and seminary teachings
connected like puzzle pieces, opening the eyes of my understanding. It felt as
if I had stepped through a doorway, expecting to enter a familiar room, but instead
found myself standing on a high mountain where a broad new view stretched
before me.
It is possible, through the witness of the Holy
Spirit, to have a firm testimony of the restoration of the gospel of Jesus
Christ without having a true understanding of the apostasy which preceded it.
Such had been the case with me. But as my understanding of the apostasy
increased, my appreciation of the magnificent blessings of the restored gospel
was greatly enhanced.
As church members accept President Russell M. Nelson’s
invitation to “…prepare for a unique [general] conference that will commemorate
the very foundations of the restored gospel…” (1) we may wish to familiarize ourselves with the
events leading up to the restoration. Last year’s “Come, Follow Me” study of
the New Testament laid the perfect foundation, as we reviewed the birth and
ministry of Jesus Christ.
The New Testament clearly shows the Savior
setting up a church organization during His time on earth, with apostles, ordinances,
and spiritual gifts. As one becomes familiar with the teachings of Jesus Christ
and reads of His unceasing efforts to heal and bless His followers, one begins
to form a picture of the way His church operated, with miracles in abundance. The
Savior conferred priesthood keys and authority on those who would carry on the
work after His death.
“Jesus, Savior, came to earth,
organized a living church,
went about His work divine–
Glory! How the light did shine!
Taught the people His good news,
twelve apostles He did choose.
He gave sight unto the blind–
Glory! How the light did shine!” (2)
The epistles contained in the New Testament
show a pattern of the apostles working to correct any false teachings and
practices which crept in among new members of Christ’s church, but the
priesthood keys were lost with the deaths of the apostles. I have thought many
times of the people in whom the light of Christ was a guiding force, who lived
during the dark times of the apostasy, seeking for spiritual truth wherever it
could be found. Many of them recognized that the priesthood had been lost from
the earth, ordinances changed, and doctrines twisted by men. Infant baptism and
the doctrine of original sin were introduced, the very nature of God was
subject to debate, the doctrine of transubstantiation was created, detracting
from the simple, yet powerful ordinance of the sacrament. Where was baptism for
the dead? Where were any temple
ordinances? The scriptures were taken out of the hands of the common people. “…scriptural
ignorance abounded because people lacked access to the Bible, especially in a
language they could understand.” (3)
Though the form of a church was still in place,
it was a far cry from the organization established by Jesus Christ. There were
still earnest followers of Christ left on the earth, but without a prophet or
apostles to correct tainted doctrine and practices, the world slipped gradually
into centuries of spiritual darkness. Elder Tad R. Callister writes that,
“There are at least seventy scriptures in the Bible that testify or warn of the
Apostasy of Christ’s Church.” (4)
“But Jesus’ church and all its fruits
were pulled up by their sacred roots,
truth was twisted, light was lost.
Oh! How dreadful was the cost!
There followed centuries of half lit days,
as if the sun refused to share its strongest rays.
Where was the light of God to penetrate the haze?” (5)
My continued study of the apostasy has shown
that God’s hand was at work even during dark times, gradually preparing for the
full restoration of the gospel. I highly recommend reading the following, from
President M. Russell Ballard:
“Now we stand on barren ground
where a garden once was found.
How we hunger, how we need
a gardener to replant the seed.
We continue in our search,
Christians here, without a church,
hoping truth will be restored,
gospel fulness from the Lord.
We will watch until that time,
waiting for the light to shine!” (6)
Enter young Joseph Smith. This is the era into
which he was born, as a resurgence of religious fervor began sweeping through
his community. He recorded, “…there was in the place where we lived an unusual
excitement on the subject of religion…Indeed, the whole district of country
seemed affected by it, and great multitudes united themselves to the different
religious parties…” (7) Joseph’s own search for truth led to his remarkable
first vision and the dawn of the
restoration.
I have imagined my life without the fruits of
the restoration, and the picture is bleak. No Book of Mormon, Doctrine and
Covenants, or Pearl of Great Price. My understanding of the Atonement of Jesus
Christ would be incomplete at best. There would be no true understanding of the
nature of the God I worship, no inkling of a Heavenly Mother or eternal
marriage. When my youngest brother died just after birth, our family’s mourning
would have been unbearable–thinking him to be lost to us forever. There would
be no priesthood blessings, no living prophets and apostles to show a clear
path to God. The constant gift of the Holy Ghost would not be mine. No temples
would grace the earth, thus, no lasting connection to those who have lived
before me, or those who will follow after. No miracles or other spiritual
gifts. It is unsettling to imagine the confusion and discouragement of such a
life.
Is it any wonder that we celebrate the restoration? No longer must we wait for the light to shine. Let us bask in the glorious light of the restored church and gospel of Jesus Christ!
<figure class="wp-block-audio"></figure>
Waiting for the Light to Shine
by Lynne Perry Christofferson
Choir:
Tanya Barkdull,
Tammy Simister Robinson,
LaReneTinney,
Johanne Frechette Perry,
Rob Rowberry,
Roger Hoffman,
Daron Bradford,
Steve Meredith
“Jesus, Savior, came to earth,
organized a living church,
went about His work divine–
Glory! How the light did shine!
Taught the people His good news,
twelve apostles He did choose.
He gave sight unto the blind–
Glory! How the light did shine!
But Jesus’ church and all its fruits
were pulled up by their sacred roots,
truth was twisted, light was lost.
Oh! How dreadful was the cost!
There followed centuries of half lit days,
as if the sun refused to share its strongest rays.
Where was the light of God to penetrate the haze?
Now we stand on barren ground
where a garden once was found.
How we hunger, how we need
a gardener to replant the seed.
We continue in our search,
Christians here, without a church,
hoping truth will be restored,
gospel fulness from the Lord.
We will watch until that time,
waiting for the light to shine!”
*This song is part of “Let the Morning Come,” a
musical celebration of Joseph Smith and the restoration, by Janice Kapp Perry,
Steven Kapp Perry, and Lynne Perry Christofferson. Songbook, script, and
recording available at janicekappperry.com.
Notes:
- President
Russell M. Nelson, Closing Remarks, October 2019 General Conference.
2. From the song “Waiting for the Light to Shine,” by Lynne Perry Christofferson. From the album “Let the Morning Come,” Prime Recordings, 2005.
3. Elder D. Todd Christofferson, The Blessing
of Scripture, April 2010.
4. Elder Tad R. Callister, The
Blueprint of Christ’s Church, Deseret Book Company, Salt Lake City, 2015, p.
30.
5. From the song “Waiting for the Light to Shine,” by Lynne Perry Christofferson. From the album “Let the Morning Come,” Prime Recordings, 2005.
6. ibid.
7. Joseph Smith History 1:5, Pearl of Great Price.
Recommended Reading:
The Blueprint of Christ’s Church, (pa
United States
