The knowledge
In 1820, while Joseph Smith was praying in the Sacred Grove, he saw God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. Joseph, who had struggled with where to find the true Church, asked the divine figures “which of all the sects was right (for at that time it never occurred to me that they were all wrong) – and which one I should join us” (Joseph Smith, History 1:18). The answer Joseph received was a shock to him and he began his preparation as a prophet: “I was told that I should not join with any of them, because they were all wrong; and the person that spoke to me said that all their beliefs were an abomination in his sight” (Joseph Smith, History 1:19). For this reason, Joseph Smith would be called by God to restore His Church to the earth.
Belief in the Great Apostasy is central to the teachings of Latter-day Saints, that is, there has been a true abandonment of the gospel as originally taught by Jesus Christ and his apostles, therefore requiring restoration. While this may seem like a bold claim, a closer look at the New Testament shows that the apostles knew of the coming apostasy and extensively warned the Church of the false teachers who would come in its wake.
Word apostasy comes from the Greek word apostasy, which literally means “rebellion” and, in the New Testament, refers to a people rebelling against God. However, the meaning of this word is unfortunately often obscured in English translations. For example, the King James Version of 2 Thessalonians 2:3 translates apostasy as “apostasy”: “Let no man deceive you by any means; for that day will not come, unless the apostasy comes first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition. » Although it is not always clear in Bible translations, the connotation of apostasy for rebellion against God is clearly described in the Book of Mormon (see 3 Nephi 6:18; 4 Nephi 1:38).
Noel B. Reynolds noted that in light of the New Testament evidence and based on the meaning of apostasy as “rebellion”, it is a myth that “the apostasy occurred because of external persecution”. Rather, the New Testament consistently depicts the coming apostasy as an internal rebellion of members of the early Church against God and His chosen leaders—a rebellion that became more and more significant as the apostles wrote about it with fervor in the hope that the congregations might repent.
For example, when Paul was returning to Jerusalem after his third missionary journey, he warned the leaders of Ephesus: “After my departure, cruel wolves will enter among you, not sparing the flock. Men also shall arise of your own accord, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them” (Acts 20:29-30). Although the Ephesian saints were no strangers to the persecution of the Greco-Roman world (see Acts 19:24-41), Paul was far more concerned that they remain faithful to the Lord and their covenants. Additionally, much of Paul’s epistles were written in part to correct the false beliefs and attitudes that were arising in the various churches, just as he predicted.
Shortly before being executed under the command of Nero, Paul warned Timothy that the prophesied rebellion was now at hand, because many of the churches established by Paul had abandoned him and the gospel: “All those who are in Asia are turn away from me; including Phygellus and Hermogenes” (2 Timothy 1:15). This rebellion even reached some of Paul’s most trusted missionary companions: “Demas left me, having loved this present world, and departed for Thessalonica; Crescens in Galatia, Titus in Dalmatia. Only Luke is with me” (2 Timothy 4:10-11).
Unfortunately, this rebellion against the gospel will only get worse, because “the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but according to their own lusts they will accumulate for themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they will turn away their ears from the truth, and turn to fables” (2 Timothy 4:3-4). Prophecies regarding the apostasy of the New Testament Church were even made by Jesus Christ himself, such as in the parable of the wheat and the tares, and this undoubtedly influenced the way in which his apostles shaped their messages.
The concept of apostasy as rebellion against the Lord has deep roots in Jewish and Christian tradition. Indeed, as James E. Faulconer has observed, “faithfulness to God and His apostasy are often spoken of in covenant terms (throughout the Old Testament). To be faithful is to keep one’s covenant; to apostatize is to break the covenant. Furthermore, in the Greek Septuagint, the word apostasy is used to describe idolatry and abandonment of the Lord. Likewise, the same word is used to describe divorce, especially when marriage is used as a metaphor for God’s covenant with Israel. Likewise, early Christian texts describe apostasy as a corruption of priesthood leaders and a rejection of ordinances and covenants. As such, apostasy marks the loss of covenants and priesthood authority which can only be restored through a prophet of God.
The why
Although it is obvious that the New Testament apostles knew of the impending apostasy and warned others, they knew that this was not the end of the story. As Peter told the saints in Jerusalem, “the times of restoration of all things which God hath spoken by all his holy prophets from the beginning of the world” would come (Acts 3:21). This restitution of all things was initiated by God the Father and Jesus Christ through the Prophet Joseph Smith.
As Faulconer explains: “We cannot understand what apostasy means for New Testament Christians without understanding that it includes the loss of the temple and, therefore, of the priesthood, because ultimately the Apostasy rebellion involves breaking the covenant relationship with God, a relationship manifested through the priesthood, by standing in the presence of God. An important part of the Restoration involved the restoration of covenants and temples, providing a corrective to this rebellion which corrupted many early Christian doctrines and beliefs. Covenants are essential to the gospel of Jesus Christ and allow us to grow closer and more like our Savior.
Further reading
James E. Faulconer, “The concept of apostasy in the New Testament,” In Early Christians in Disarray: Contemporary Mormon Perspectives on Christian Apostasy, ed. Noel B. Reynolds (Provo, UT: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies, 2005), 133-162.
Noel B. Reynolds, “Appendix C: New Testament Evidence and Prophecies on Apostasy in the First Century Church,” In The first Christians in disarray355-369.
Kent P. Jackson, “New Testament Prophecies of Apostasy,” In Sperry Symposium Classics: The New Testament, ed. Frank F. Judd Jr. and Gaye Strathearn (Provo, UT: Center for Religious Studies, Brigham Young University; Salt Lake City, UT: Deseret Book, 2006), 394-406.
Tad R. Callister, The inevitable apostasy and the promised restoration (Salt Lake City, UT: Deseret Book, 2006), 24-49.
Remarks:
See James E. Faulconer, “The concept of apostasy in the New Testament,” In Early Christians in Disarray: Contemporary Mormon Perspectives on Christian Apostasy, ed. Noel B. Reynolds (Provo, UT: Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies (FARMS), 2005), 133-134.
Interestingly, some 2nd century Christians recognized the state of the Church after the death of the apostles. For example, quoting this verse, Cyril of Jerusalem remarked: “Thus wrote Paul, and now is the apocalypse. For men have strayed from the true faith. …And formerly the heretics were manifest; but now the Church is full of heretics in disguise. Cyril of Jerusalem, Catechetical conferences 15:9.
Noel B. Reynolds, “Introduction: What Went Wrong for the Early Christians?” “, In The first Christians in disarray7.
For a list and brief analysis of over forty New Testament scriptures dealing with the apostasy of the early Christian Church, see Noel B. Reynolds, “Appendix C: New Testament Evidence and Prophecies on Apostasy in the First Century Church,” In The first Christians in disarray355-369.
For a list of relevant passages from Paul’s epistles, see Reynolds, “Appendix C: New Testament Evidence», 360-366.
See Book of Mormon Central, “What does the parable of the wheat and the tares teach about apostasy? (Matthew 13:24-25),” Know why 660 (February 28, 2023); John W. Welch and Jeannie S. Welch, The Parables of Jesus: Revealing the Plan of Salvation (American Fork, UT: Covenant Communications, 2019), 60-67, 148-151.
See, for example, Matthew 24:5, 24, in which Jesus warns against false prophets and false Christs who would deceive many people. It is also likely that apostasy was a key topic in Jesus’ forty-day ministry. See Book of Mormon Central, “What could Jesus have taught his apostles during forty days? (Acts 1:3),” Know why 678 (July 4, 2023). Some interpreters have erroneously stated that Jesus’ granting of the keys to Peter, as recorded in Matthew 16:18, demonstrates that Jesus taught that there could be no apostasy. However, read in their proper context, the gates of hell refer specifically to the realm of the dead. Thus, Jesus taught that the priesthood authority given to the apostles would be instrumental in the work of saving the dead through vicarious ordinances (see Matthew 16:19). The idea that the gates of hell referred to the power and dominion of Satan (which led to the interpretation of Jesus promising that the Church would not be defeated by apostasy) is a late addition to the text which would be totally foreign to the Church of the New Testament. For a detailed discussion of the gates of hell in this context, see Hugh Nibley, “Baptism for the Dead in Ancient Times,” in Mormonism and early Christianity (Provo, UT: FARMS; Salt Lake City, UT: Deseret Book, 1987), 105-109; see also Book of Mormon Central, “Why are people baptized for the dead? (1 Corinthians 15:29),” Know why 687 (September 5, 2023).
Falconer, “Concept of apostasy», 137.
See Falconer, “Concept of apostasy», 137-138, 143-155. Examples of apostasyas a description of the abandonment of the Lord, we cite Joshua 22:22 and 2 Chronicles 29:19.
Falconer, “Concept of apostasy», 162.