Apostasy of Early Christian Church

When you sit down to learn about what Latter-Day Saints believe, in the first few lessons you're going to cover something called "The Great Apostasy" or the apostasy of the early christians after Christ ascended into heaven. It is taught before the law of tithing, why Sunday matters, or any of the other "big" doctrinal points of our religion. You might ask yourself why this matters so much? Is knowing about this really going to help you get to heaven? The answer is yes, and I'm going to try and explain why. Just keep in mind that I'm not a professional historian, but I am someone who has paid attention and done her own research.

As I pointed out in my last entry, there have been numerous apostasies since the beginning of the world (which is when the world becomes wicked, there is no priesthood authority on the Earth, with it ending with God calling a prophet to restore things to how it should be). Why this one matters the most, and why it is refereed to as "The Great Apostasy" is because it is also to be the last apostasy before the second coming of Christ and the end of the world as we know it. It is also known as "Great" because of how far they had to fall. They had apostles, the complete doctrine, Christ's church established - but in only a matter of years it all started to fall apart. The apostles were killed off or sent into excel, people did the best they could, but in the end the doctrines got changed.

This Fall was such a big deal, that prophets throughout the Bible talked about it. An example is Amos 8:11:

11Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord:

This Fall was also not a new thing or a surprise. The apostles themselves saw it happening and knew it was inevitable, as recorded in 1 Corinthians 11:18:

18For first of all, when ye come together in the church, I hear that there be divisions among you; and I partly believe it.

And in Galatians 1:6-7:

6I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:

7 Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.

And finally with 2 Thessalonians 2:2-3:

2That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.

3Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;

This is all interesting to know, but why is this not just a history lesson? Why, especially to Latter-Day Saints, is this so important? Because without a falling away and the resulting religious confusion and lost of vital doctrine and ordinances, we could not have had a restoration. One of the main facts that makes our religion different from other Christian faiths is that we believe that Christ's church as was originally established in the New Testament was restored to the Earth through Joseph Smith. Without this, all the doctrinal revelation we have received through the line of authority given from Joseph Smith to the current prophet Thomas S. Monson would all be simply the nice impressions of some well meaning people, rather than the voice of God to men on Earth like Peter or Moses of the Bible.

Joseph Smith's divine calling as a prophet of God is key to our salvation, and without an understanding of the state of apostasy the world was currently in at the time we really don't have any grounds for accepting the calling of a new prophet.