Mormons--properly referred
to as Latter-day Saints,
members of The Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints--often talk
about the Restoration.
And while you may be
familiar with the Reformation
as a period of great
change within Christianity,
the Restoration is
something else entirely.
It refers to the full
modern-day return
of the ancient Church
of Jesus Christ, the one
that Jesus Himself organized, as
described in the New Testament.
This restored
organization is called
The Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter-day Saints.
Soon after he called
His Twelve Apostles,
Jesus organized
His Church in order
to bring salvation to
all God's children.
The new Church would
teach men and women
about the nature of God,
what was necessary for them
to do in order to become more
like Him and return to Him.
In the New Testament,
the Apostle Paul
explains that Jesus's
Church was "built
upon the foundation of
the apostles and prophets,
Jesus Christ himself being
the chief corner stone."
During His ministry, Jesus
taught the Apostles His gospel
and gave them authority to
teach truth and minister
to the people.
This is called priesthood.
After His death
and Resurrection,
Jesus directed His Apostles
to "go ye therefore, and teach
all nations."
The Apostles, entrusted with the
light of the Savior's gospel,
taught the people and
shared that light with them.
Christianity, the
belief in Christ
and the light of the
gospel, began to spread.
But over time, the
Apostles were killed.
And with that, the priesthood
and the light of the gospel
were lost, and
darkness crept in.
That foundation of truth through
His apostles and prophets
was gone.
Although the light of the Lord's
faithful followers continued,
without His apostles
and prophets,
God's official channel of
revelation and authority
through His spokesmen ended.
When the gospel light
dimmed, the result
was confusion and a departure
from many truths, something
prophesied by the Apostle Paul.
When talking about the Second
Coming of Jesus Christ,
Paul said, "Let
no man deceive you
by any means: for that
day shall not come,
except there come a
falling away first."
Latter-day Saints call
this a period of apostasy.
The divine return of the Church
of Jesus Christ--with its
foundation of
apostles and prophets,
gospel light and knowledge, and
priesthood authority--is what
Latter-day Saints refer
to as the Restoration.
The Apostle Peter
foretold the Restoration
when he declared there would
be a time of "restitution
of all things, which God hath
spoken by the mouth of all
his holy prophets."
Latter-day Saints believe that
to prepare for this restitution
or restoration of
all things, God
inspired many of His
children during what came
to be known as the Reformation.
Martin Luther, John Calvin,
William Tyndale, and others
earnestly sought to return to
the basics of the gospel as
written in the Bible.
Reception of the
light of the gospel
began again, growing
in a time and a place
where religious
freedom was encouraged.
The conditions were ripe for a
full and complete restoration
of Christ's Church.
In 1820, during a time
of religious fervor
in the new American
nation, a young farm boy
named Joseph Smith
knelt in prayer
in the woods near his
home to inquire where
to find truth and
light and to ask God
which church he should join.
His prayer was answered
with a heavenly visitation
from God the Father and
His Son, Jesus Christ, who
told him to join none of
them, but that the light
of the gospel and the
Church of Jesus Christ
would be restored to
the earth through him.
Over the next 10
years, he continued
to receive light,
knowledge, and revelation.
With direction from God and
the priesthood authority
he received, on April 6, 1830,
Joseph Smith and five other men
formally organized The Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints, beginning
the fulfillment
of Peter's prophecy of the
restitution of all things.
So what was restored?
Everything found in
Christ's original Church:
truth, revelation, and the
pure doctrine of Christ.
Ordinances were restored,
like baptism by immersion
and conferring the
gift of the Holy Ghost
and priesthood
authority from God.
And it is a full restoration of
the same foundation of apostles
and prophets, who even today
follow the Lord's charge
to teach all nations.
Members of The Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints
believe God restored His Church
for a very simple reason:
He loves all of His
children and wants
them to have joy in this life
and return to live with Him.
Through His living prophets
and the truths in His restored
Church, God shows the way.
The Restoration, what it
is, why it was needed,
and how it was
accomplished--now you know.
