2 Thessalonians 2

The Great Apostasy

A group of New Testament era people gathered around a man. The people are listening to the man speak. The image illustrates the development of false beliefs and apostasy occuring in the early Christian church following the deaths of the original apostles of Jesus Christ.

What would your life be like if you did not have the fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ? Paul taught the Saints in Thessalonica that eventually the wickedness of the people would result in a falling away from the gospel (see 2 Thessalonians 2:1–7). This lesson can help you understand how the Apostasy of the New Testament Church occurred and why the Savior’s Church needed to be restored in the latter days.

The Great Apostasy

Imagine you are a missionary on your first day of your mission. You need to teach someone about the Great Apostasy.

How would you explain this to them?
Why might this be challenging?
Why do you think it is important to understand the Great Apostasy?

In your study journal, write down questions you have about the Great Apostasy or questions an investigator might ask. As you study, seek Heavenly Father’s help to find answers to these questions.

Paul prophesies of the falling away of the Church

The Thessalonian Saints had many concerns about the Second Coming of Jesus Christ and thought it could happen very soon. Paul addressed their concerns in his letter and explained that something else would take place before Christ would come again.

2 Thessalonians 2:1–3 is a doctrinal mastery passage. Consider marking doctrinal mastery passages in a distinctive way so you can locate them easily.

Read 2 Thessalonians 2:1–3 and look for what Paul taught would happen before Christ’s Second Coming. Use the footnotes to help you better understand Paul’s words.

What did Paul teach would happen before Christ’s Second Coming?

This “falling away” described by Paul was the Great Apostasy, which occurred after the death of Jesus Christ’s Apostles. This Great Apostasy is different from personal apostasy, which is when individuals rebel or fall away from truth (see Guide to the Scriptures, “ Apostasy,” scriptures.ChurchofJesusChrist.org).

How do Paul’s words show God’s care and concern for the Thessalonian Saints?

One of the truths we can learn from these verses is that it was prophesied anciently that before the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, an apostasy from His Church would occur.

Why do you think this truth is important to understand?

President M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles explained why periods of apostasy take place.

Our Heavenly Father loves all of His children, and He wants them all to have the blessings of the gospel in their lives. Spiritual light is not lost because God turns His back on His children. Rather, spiritual darkness results when His children turn their collective backs on Him. It is a natural consequence of bad choices made by individuals, communities, countries, and entire civilizations.

(M. Russell Ballard, “Learning the Lessons of the Past,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2009, 32)

What stands out to you in this statement? Why?

Because Heavenly Father knows all things (see 2 Nephi 9:20), the Great Apostasy did not come as a surprise to Him. He loves all of His children (see John 3:16), so He provided a way to overcome this Great Apostasy through the Restoration of Jesus Christ’s Church and gospel (see Acts 3:19–21; Ephesians 1:10).

Deepen your understanding of the Great Apostasy

The following activity can help you better understand how the Great Apostasy occurred and why the Savior’s Church needed to be restored in the latter days.

Study the following scripture passages and the statement by President Russell M. Nelson, and then respond to the questions below.

1 Nephi 13:24–28: Nephi sees in vision what would happen to important truths in the Bible.
Amos 8:11–12: Amos prophesies of a coming spiritual famine.
Acts 20:29–30: Paul warns that members of the Savior’s Church would be led astray from the gospel.
President Russell M. Nelson taught:

“Our living God is a loving God! He wants His children to know Him and Jesus Christ, whom He has sent! And He wants His children to gain immortality and eternal life!

“For this glorious purpose, our missionaries teach of the Restoration. They know that some 2,000 years ago, the Lord established His Church. After His Crucifixion and the death of His Apostles, men changed the Church and its doctrine. Then, after generations of spiritual darkness, and as predicted by previous prophets, Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ restored the Church, its doctrine, and its priesthood authority. Because of that Restoration, knowledge and essential ordinances for salvation and exaltation are again available to all people. Ultimately, that exaltation allows each of us to dwell with our families in the presence of God and Jesus Christ forever!”

Russell M. Nelson, “Catch the Wave,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2013, 46

If you still have questions about what the apostasy is, consider studying the section “The Great Apostasy” in “Lesson 1: The Message of the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ” in Preach My Gospel: A Guide to Missionary Service (2019). You could also learn more about these topics by watching “What Is the Restoration?” (5:13) or “Jesus Christ’s Church” (1:27), which can be found on ChurchofJesusChrist.org.

What is the Restoration?Jesus Christ’s Church

Writing on a piece of paper with a pen or pencil.

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles shared questions that he and his wife may have had if they had lived during the Great Apostasy: “What’s missing here? What do we wish we had? What do we hope God will provide in response to our spiritual longing?” (“A Perfect Brightness of Hope,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2020, 81). Ponder similar thoughts and feelings you might have had if you had lived at that time.

Optional: Want to Learn More? 

Did Christians who lived before the Restoration notice the Apostasy?

Reformer Martin Luther (1483–1546) taught:

I have sought nothing beyond reforming the Church in conformity with the Holy Scriptures. … I simply say that Christianity has ceased to exist among those who should have preserved it.

(In E. G. Schwiebert, Luther and His Times: The Reformation from a New Perspective [1950], 509)

Early American Christian leader Roger Williams (1603–83) explained:

The apostasy … hath so far corrupted all that there can be no recovery out of that apostasy till Christ send forth new apostles to plant churches anew.

(In Philip Schaff, The Creeds of Christendom, 3 vols. [1877], 1:851)

The Dutch philosopher Erasmus (1466–1536) taught:

Everything is now so entangled with these questions [of doctrine] and decrees that we dare not even hope to call the world back to true Christianity.

(The Praise of Folly, trans. Clarence H. Miller, 2nd ed. [2003], 155–56)

Has there been only one apostasy?

Throughout time, there have been many dispensations that ended in apostasy. The Lord in His mercy then restored His gospel to the earth by calling prophets. To learn more about this pattern, watch “Dispensations: The Pattern of Apostasy and Restoration” (6:52), available at ChurchofJesusChrist.org.

Dispensations: The Pattern of Apostasy and Restoration

How should we view good people of other faiths?

President Dallin H. Oaks of the First Presidency explained:

We believe that most religious leaders and followers are sincere believers who love God and understand and serve him to the best of their abilities. We are indebted to the men and women who kept the light of faith and learning alive through the centuries to the present day. We have only to contrast the lesser light that exists among peoples unfamiliar with the names of God and Jesus Christ to realize the great contribution made by Christian teachers through the ages. We honor them as servants of God.

(Dallin H. Oaks, “Apostasy and Restoration,” Ensign, May 1995, 85)