The Apostasy

On his way to Jerusalem, Paul bypasses Ephesus and goes further south to Miletus. He has the elders stationed in Ephesus come to Miletus to meet with him. By the power of the Holy Ghost, he knows his end is at hand, in Jerusalem. It is now especially that Paul prophesies of the Great Apostasy. This of course, means the end of the church, yet not the end of Christianity. That is where many of the early saints found confusion. They had been told the church would end, and indeed the temple at Jerusalem was destroyed, but Christianity survived. What was is it that ended then?

The Great Apostasy was the period of time when the Priesthood, Christ’s church, gospel, and authority, were removed from the earth. The apostles of the Lamb, such as Paul, were slain. There is especially powerful imagery foreshadowing the apostasy contained in the twenty-first chapter of Acts. Luke describes how Paul was thrown out of the temple, and the “doors were closed.” These doors would have been enormous, extremely heavy, and therefore not easily opened. Their closure stands as a symbol that the temple would no longer be a place of worship. It also symbolically parallels the end of Paul’s ministry upon the earth.

Christ’s church was necessarily removed from the earth as the people hardened their hearts and were no longer willing to receive it. It is absolutely of no wonder that the time of the Great Apostasy coincides with what our history books have labeled as the Dark Ages. It was a horrible time of pestilence, bloodshed, disease, and sorrow. Without the light of Christ to provide life and hope for the world, its inhabitants were inevitably mired in a state of evil and misery. This especially illustrates the importance of the power and ordinances of the gospel. Though Christianity maintained many of the fundamental doctrines, the church remained on the earth without the necessary direction to progress and succeed. Corruption ensued and apostasy continued.

Oh how glorious, then was the restoration of the gospel of Christ in these latter days. The apostasy at last came to an end as Christ and his Holy Father appeared to the boy Joseph Smith in the latter days, ushering in the dispensation of the fullness of times. I am so grateful for the gospel, for the light and truth that comes from seeking and following Christ. He is the light, the life, and the hope of the world. I am so grateful to live in this time, when his Priesthood and Church have been restored to the earth.