The Apostasy -- The Reformation -- The Restoration
Jesus Christ taught the pure truth.
"But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God..." (John 8:40) "And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not." (John 8:45)
The Apostles continued to teach the pure truth.
"...One faith..." (Ephesians 4:5) "...so soon removed... unto another gospel..." (Galatians 1:6-7) "...contentions among you...." (1 Corinthians 1:11)
Apostle Paul foretold of a “falling away” from the pure truth.
"Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first..." (2 Thessalonians 2:2-3)
The Savior and the Apostles were killed and the “falling away” occurred.
"…I hid my face from thee for a moment…" (Isaiah 54:8)
34-100 AD The Apostles lead, as directed by Jesus Christ, the New Testament Church.
60-70 AD Peter and Paul were martyred.
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The Apostasy.
The Dark Ages
“...darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people...” (Isaiah 60:2)
"...I will send a famine in the land...of hearing the words of the Lord." (Amos 8:11-12)
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325 AD The Roman Emperor Constantine the Great called the first ecumenical (general) church council, consisting of 300 Bishops, to deal with the disputes, to make doctrine uniform throughout the empire. The Council of Nicaea adopted a statement known as the Nicene Creed. Constantine was baptized on his deathbed.
395 AD The Roman Empire was split into the West and East Roman empires.
476 AD Christianity also had a Western and an Eastern Church. The center of the Western church was in Rome and the center of the Eastern Church was in Constantinople. The most powerful leaders were the bishops of Rome, called the pope, in the West and the patriarch of Constantinople in the East.
1095 AD Urban II Pope of the Roman Catholic Church called for a “Crusade” to recapture the Holy Land from the Muslims.
1096-1270 AD The Crusades. There were 8 Crusades plus a “children Crusade” in which thousands of children from the ages of 10 to 18 died. Some Popes used the Crusades for personal and political gain. The crusaders failed to accomplish their goal of recapturing the Holy Land.
1378 AD A disagreement among the cardinals resulted in the election of two rival popes. For a time, three men opposed one another as the rightful pope. Bishops and clergyman elected a forth man Martin V as the single Pope in 1417 AD.
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The Reformation.
Preparing of the world for the Restoration.
1388 AD The first English translation of the Bible was completed by John Wycliffe an English priest and his followers.
1450 AD Johannes Gutenberg refined movable type, allowing books to be widely available. (One of the first books printed, in Latin, was the “Gutenberg Bible”.)
1476 AD William Caxton set up the first printing press in England.
1492 AD Christopher Columbus made his first voyage to America.
1517 AD Martin Luther protested the sale of indulgences* and other practices of the Catholic Church. Thus beginning of the Protestant Reformation.
*(In 1515, Pope Leo X authorized Archbishop Albrecht of Mainz to sell indulgences, in part to raise money for the building of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. Albrecht's indulgence seller, Johann Tetzel, told potential buyers that an indulgence freed them from punishment for confessed sins and could even release souls from purgatory.)
1522 AD The German Protestant reformer Martin Luther translated the New Testament into German.
1523 AD Catholic princes tried to keep people from reading Luther's German New Testament.
1604 AD King James I of England authorized a committee of about 50 scholars to prepare a revision of earlier English translations of the Bible. The King James Version appeared in 1611.
1620 AD The Pilgrims arriven in Plymoth
1740-1760 AD The first Great Awakeing
1775-1783 AD The American Revolutionary War.
1787 AD The Constitution of the United States was signed. “We the people... of the United States... secure the blessings of liberty....”
1790-1830 AD The second Great Awakening.
1791 AD The United States Bill of Rights came into effect. 1st Amendment “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof....”
With this Bill of Rights law in place.
The 'Restoration' could now take place in the United States.
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The Restoration
“...the Gentiles shall come to thy light...” (Isaiah 60:3)
"Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets." (Amos 3:7)
1805 AD Joseph Smith was born in the town of Sharon Vermont.
1820 AD God called a Prophet (Joseph Smith) to; Restore the pure Gospel of Jesus Christ once again upon the Earth.
1829 AD May 15th John the Baptist was sent to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery to restore to earth the power and authority of the Aaronic Priesthood. (D.&C. 13:1)
1829 AD May or June Peter James and John were sent to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery to restore to earth the power and authority of the Melchizedek Priesthood. (D.&C. 128:20)
1830 AD March 26th The bringing forth another testament of Jesus Christ, the Book of Mormon. (Ezekiel 37:16-20)
1830 AD April 6th The organizing and restoring of the Church of Jesus Christ upon the earth once again. (D. & C. 20:1)
Following the organization of the Church of Jesus Christ, once again upon the earth in 1830. The Lord gradually continued to reveal his will, concerning the organizing of various priesthood offices, quorums, and councils as needed to provide leadership for the growth of His Church.
1830 AD April The calling and ordaining of Apostles, elders, priests, teachers, and deacons. (D.&C. 20:2-3) (D.&C. 20:38-39)
1831 AD Feb. 4th The calling and ordaining of Bishops. (D.&C. 41:9-10)
1831 AD June The calling and ordaining of High priests. (Note: The heading to D.&C. 52)
1832-33 AD The organizing of the First Presidency. (D.&C. 81:1-2)
1833 AD December The calling and ordaining of a Patriarch. (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith [1976], 38–39)
1834 AD February 17 The calling of a High council. (D.&C. 102)
1835 AD Organizing of the Quorum of the twelve Apostles. (D.&C. 107:23-24)
1835 AD The calling and ordaining of Seventys. (D.&C. 107:25)
1835 AD The organizing of the first Quorm of the Seventy. (D.&C. 107:26, 93-97)
The Lord continues to guide and give revelations about the organization and responsibilities of the priesthood to guide the growth of the Church. One example of this is the calling of Area Authority Seventies and the accompanying organization of the Third, Fourth, and Fifth Quorums of the Seventy in 1997. (Area Authority Seventies) Ensign October 2002
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Additional Information
The Great Apostasy
(Wilford Woodruff's search for the true Church explains the Apostasy and need for the Restoration. It emphasizes four essential elements of the true Church that were lost because of the Great Apostasy.) 16:33 min.
Prelude to the Restoration
(The New Testament Church, The Great Apostasy, The Long Dark Night, Renaissance and Reformation, Discovery and Colonization of America, Religious Freedom in America--, Church History In The Fulness Of Times Student Manual, (2003), pages 1–13)
<< President James E. Foust
"The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a restoration of the original Church established by Jesus Christ" The Restoration of All Things, by President James E. Foust (15:47 min.)
Apostasy and Restoration by Elder Dallin H. Oaks, of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. (17:47 min.)
The Restoration
Joseph Smith's search for truth led to the First Vision and the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ. (19:12 min.)
<< Elder Jeffrey R. Holland,of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Knowing the Godhead (By Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, Ensign January 2016)