Unit 1: Day 2

The Great Apostasy

Introduction

Jesus Christ established His Church during His ministry on the earth. President Henry B. Eyring of the First Presidency explained: “The Apostles, after the Ascension of Christ, continued to exercise the keys He left with them. But because of disobedience and loss of faith by the members, the Apostles died without the keys being passed on to successors. We call that tragic episode ‘the Apostasy’” (“The True and Living Church,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2008, 21). Because of this widespread apostasy, the priesthood authority was lost from among the people. Understanding about the Great Apostasy helps us better understand the need for the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ in these latter days.

Jesus Christ Established His Church When He Was on the Earth

In the following chart, match the part to the machine or piece of equipment it belongs to:

How useful are these machines without the parts you matched to them? Compare this to the Lord’s Church. Are there essential parts that if removed from the Church of Jesus Christ would make it unable to function or even exist?

1. In your scripture study journal, write the heading Essential Elements of Jesus Christ’s Church. As you discover the various elements during this lesson, list them under this heading.

Read Ephesians 2:19–22, and mark the foundation upon which Jesus Christ built His Church during His mortal ministry. Why do you think apostles and prophets are considered the “foundation” of the Church? Who is the cornerstone?

Write the following truth in your list of essential elements of Jesus Christ’s Church in your scripture study journal: Apostles and prophets form the foundation of the Church of Jesus Christ.

What is happening in the following picture?

Read John 15:16, and look for another element of Jesus Christ’s Church that is essential for the salvation of God’s children.

Before the Savior’s Ascension, He gave His Apostles the authority to direct the Church and act in God’s name for the salvation of His children. This priesthood authority includes the priesthood keys, or rights, to direct the Church and perform the ordinances necessary for salvation. Add the following truth to the list in your scripture study journal: Priesthood authority is necessary to receive the covenants and ordinances of salvation.

Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles described another essential element of the true Church: “The truths and doctrine we have received have come and will continue to come by divine revelation. In some faith traditions … doctrinal matters may become a contest of opinions. … We value scholarship that enhances understanding, but in the Church today, just as anciently, establishing the doctrine of Christ or correcting doctrinal deviations is a matter of divine revelation to those the Lord endows with apostolic authority” (“The Doctrine of Christ,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2012, 86).

According to Elder Christofferson, what is one essential role of apostles and prophets?

A doctrine is a fundamental, eternal truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Why do you think it is essential that true doctrine is taught and understood correctly in the Lord’s Church?

Include the following truth in your list in your scripture study journal: The apostles and prophets establish correct doctrine through divine revelation.

Although there are many doctrines of the gospel of Jesus Christ, you are encouraged to gain a deeper understanding of the following Basic Doctrines throughout your seminary experience. Doing so will help strengthen your testimony and prepare you to teach the gospel to others.

• Godhead

• Plan of Salvation

• Atonement of Jesus Christ

• Dispensation, Apostasy, and Restoration

• Prophets and Revelation

• Priesthood and Priesthood Keys

• Ordinances and Covenants

• Marriage and Family

• Commandments

2. Choose one of the Basic Doctrines above. In your scripture study journal, write an explanation of why that doctrine is meaningful to you.

Watch for these doctrines throughout your study of the Doctrine and Covenants this year, and seek to deepen your knowledge and understanding of them.

To help you identify another essential element of the Lord’s Church, look at the following pictures and consider what they have in common.

An ordinance is a sacred, formal act performed by someone with proper priesthood authority and authorization to perform the ordinance. Why do you think ordinances are an essential part of Jesus Christ’s Church? (To help you answer this question, read John 3:5. Then think about what would happen if you were not able to receive the ordinances of baptism and confirmation and receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.)

A covenant is “an agreement between God and man, but they do not act as equals in the agreement. God gives the conditions for the covenant, and men agree to do what He asks them to do. God then promises men certain blessings for their obedience” (Guide to the Scriptures, “Covenant,” scriptures.lds.org). An ordinance is the means by which we make covenants with God, and blessings come from keeping those covenants.

All of the saving ordinances of the priesthood are accompanied by covenants, which are sacred agreements with God. Add the following truth to the list in your scripture study journal: In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we can receive ordinances that are necessary for our salvation.

When He was on the earth, Jesus Christ established each of the elements you have learned about as essential parts of His Church. After He died, was resurrected, and ascended into heaven, He continued to lead and guide His Apostles through revelation. Under the leadership of the Apostles, the ancient Church spread quickly and thousands of people were baptized. Congregations of Saints were formed throughout much of the Roman Empire (this included modern-day Spain, Turkey, Greece, Italy, Syria, and other parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa). Elders, bishops, deacons, priests, teachers, and evangelists (patriarchs) were called and given proper priesthood authority by the Apostles.

The Great Apostasy Occurred during the Centuries Following the Lord’s Mortal Ministry

Despite the efforts of the Apostles, the early Church faced threats both from within the Church and from outside. Read the following passages of scripture and identify some of these threats:

Acts 12:1–3

Acts 20:29–30

2 Timothy 4:1–4

2 Peter 2:1–2

3. Why do you think these threats were so dangerous to the Church? Write your thoughts in your scripture study journal.

President Boyd K. Packer, President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, spoke of the great losses the New Testament Church experienced during this time:

“James was killed in Jerusalem by Herod. Peter and Paul died in Rome. Tradition holds that Philip went to the East. Much more than this we do not know.

“They scattered; they taught, testified, and established the Church. And they died for their beliefs, and with their deaths came the dark centuries of apostasy” (“The Twelve,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2008, 84).

What happens to a structure if the foundation is removed?

The fall of the early Church is called the Great Apostasy. Apostasy occurs when people turn away from gospel truths and reject the Lord’s authorized servants.

President Packer further explained the most significant loss resulting from the Great Apostasy: “The most precious thing lost in the Apostasy was the authority held by the Twelve—the priesthood keys. For the Church to be His Church, there must be a Quorum of the Twelve who hold the keys and confer them on others” (“The Twelve,” 84).

4. In your scripture study journal, write answers to the following questions:

   1. How would the loss of priesthood authority affect the other essential elements of the Church?

   2. Why was there no way to repair the Church without the prophets and apostles, priesthood authority, and correct knowledge of Jesus Christ’s doctrine?

President Packer said of this time in history: “As the centuries passed, the flame flickered and dimmed. Ordinances were changed or abandoned. The line was broken, and the authority to confer the Holy Ghost as a gift was gone. The Dark Ages of apostasy settled over the world” (“The Cloven Tongues of Fire,” Ensign, May 2000, 8).

5. Answer the following question in your scripture study journal: Why do you think it is important to understand the Great Apostasy and its consequences?

As you study the Doctrine and Covenants and Joseph Smith—History during this seminary course, you will learn that a restoration of truth and priesthood authority was necessary to overcome the effects of the Great Apostasy. The Restoration is “God’s reestablishment of the truths and ordinances of His gospel among men on earth. The gospel of Jesus Christ was lost from the earth through the apostasy that took place following the earthly ministry of Christ’s Apostles. That apostasy made necessary the restoration of the gospel” (Guide to the Scriptures, “Restoration of the Gospel,” scriptures.lds.org).

As you study you will recognize how each of the essential elements of the Church of Jesus Christ was restored to the earth through the Prophet Joseph Smith. The Lord has once again established His Church for the purpose of offering salvation to the world.

6. Explain to a family member or friend (in person) the essential elements of the Church of Jesus Christ and how they were lost from the early Church. Explain why it is important to understand the Great Apostasy. In your scripture study journal, write how your conversation went and how your family member or friend responded.

7. Write the following at the bottom of today’s assignments in your scripture study journal:

   I have studied “The Great Apostasy” lesson and completed it on (date).

   Additional questions, thoughts, and insights I would like to share with my teacher: