The Mormon Church believes in the Apostasy, as well as the presence and power of Prophets.
When Jesus was teaching on earth, he gave his apostles the power of the priesthood, allowing them to teach the Word in His name. During this time, they taught the beliefs of Christianity and led many people to accept Christ as their Lord and Savior. They continued in this capacity for long after Jesus had been crucified and resurrected. However, after the apostles passed away, there was no one to take their place on earth. Soon after, the general truths and teachings of the Church began to fall to the wayside. This is known as the Great Apostasy.
The Apostasy lasted for hundreds of years. Then the Lord spoke to a man named Joseph Smith. Joseph Smith was revealed as a new prophet, and was given the Church doctrines, which he was then commanded to preach in the name of God. Joseph Smith was directed to restore and rebuild the Church in the latter days (Thus the name “Latter Day Saints). This period of time is known as the Restoration, for it is the time during which God’s Word was restored upon the earth and offered for new generations to follow.
Joseph Smith was visited by the angel Mormon, who gave him golden plates upon which the new doctrines were written. The translation became the Book of Mormon, an accounting of God’s interactions with numerous groups of people who lived on the American continent.
The Church began with six attendants at the first service on April 6, 1830. Since then, millions of Mormon followers have come to the Church and learned from the Book of Mormon. The organization is the same of that Jesus had placed on earth, complete with apostles and prophets.
Come back next week for the last sections of our series on Mormons and the Jesus Christ Church of Latter Day Saints, when we will examine the biography of Joseph Smith and the roles of the apostles in today’s ever-changing world.
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