An a

ncien

t fa

llin

g aw

ay c

an h

elp

you

know

how

to

stan

d st

rong

tod

ay.

Per

son

al

App

lic

ati

on

: God

will

giv

e us

trut

h an

d kn

owle

dge

whe

n w

e as

k. B

ut w

e ne

ed to

bel

ieve

in H

im a

nd

belie

ve H

e an

swer

s pr

ayer

s. W

e ca

n sh

ow G

od th

at re

ceiv

ing

pers

onal

re

vela

tion

is im

port

ant t

o us

by

aski

ng q

uest

ions

and

act

ing

on th

e an

swer

s w

e re

ceiv

e. A

s w

e se

ek a

nsw

ers,

He

give

s us

kno

wle

dge

and

guid

ance

.

His

tor

ica

l Po

int:

As

apos

tasy

spr

ead,

man

y pe

ople

beg

an to

thin

k th

at G

od w

asn’

t goi

ng to

spe

ak to

His

peo

ple

anym

ore

exce

pt th

roug

h th

e sc

riptu

res

that

alre

ady

exis

ted.

This

fals

e be

lief t

hat t

he h

eave

ns w

ere

“sea

led”

cau

sed

man

y pe

ople

to s

top

aski

ng q

uest

ions

and

see

king

reve

-la

tion.

As

a re

sult,

“[th

ose]

that

[sai

d], W

e ha

ve e

noug

h, fr

om th

em [w

as]

take

n aw

ay e

ven

that

whi

ch th

ey [h

ad]”

(2 N

ephi

28:

30).

Per

son

al

App

lic

ati

on

: The

prie

stho

od a

nd it

s ke

ys a

re e

ssen

tial,

beca

use

with

out t

hem

ther

e is

no

way

to re

ceiv

e sa

ving

ord

inan

ces

and

mak

e et

erna

l co

vena

nts.

The

auth

ority

and

key

s of

the

prie

stho

od w

ere

rest

ored

thro

ugh

Jose

ph

Smith

so

that

thes

e es

sent

ial o

rdin

ance

s co

uld

once

aga

in b

e ad

min

iste

red

to m

em-

bers

of C

hris

t’s C

hurc

h (s

ee Jo

seph

Sm

ith H

isto

ry 1

:66–

75).

His

tor

ica

l Po

int:

Whe

n Ch

rist c

ame

to th

e ea

rth,

H

e or

dain

ed 1

2 Ap

ostle

s an

d ga

ve th

em th

e pr

iest

hood

, w

ith k

eys

and

auth

ority

to a

ct in

His

nam

e. B

ut a

s w

icke

d-ne

ss s

prea

d an

d pe

ople

reje

cted

trut

h, th

ese

prie

stho

od

keys

wer

e ta

ken

from

the

eart

h.

Let’s

look

at s

ome l

esso

ns fr

om th

e Gre

at

Apos

tasy

we c

an a

pply

to o

ur li

ves t

oday

:

Less

on #

2:

Prie

sth

oo

d k

eys

are

Nec

essa

ry f

or

Salv

atio

n

Less

on #

1:

Reve

lati

on

is K

ey

With

all

the

pers

ecut

ion

that

Chr

istia

ns s

uffer

ed a

fter t

he S

avio

r’s

Resu

rrec

tion

and

Asce

nsio

n, th

e Th

essa

loni

an S

aint

s fig

ured

the

Seco

nd C

omin

g w

ould

be

happ

enin

g so

on. B

ut P

aul t

augh

t the

m

that

bef

ore

Chris

t’s S

econ

d Co

min

g th

ere

wou

ld b

e a

“falli

ng a

way

firs

t” (2

 Thes

salo

nian

s 2:

3). Th

at fa

lling

aw

ay d

id o

ccur

. We

refe

r to

it as

the

Gre

at A

post

asy.

Afte

r peo

ple

reje

cted

and

kill

ed th

e Sa

vior

and

His

Apo

stle

s, th

e Lo

rd’s

prie

stho

od a

utho

rity

and

His

Chu

rch

wer

e lo

st fr

om th

e ea

rth.

This

con

-tin

ued

until

Hea

venl

y Fa

ther

and

Jesu

s Ch

rist a

ppea

red

to Jo

seph

Sm

ith in

18

20 to

beg

in th

e Re

stor

atio

n of

the

fuln

ess

of th

e go

spel

.Ev

en th

ough

the

fuln

ess

of th

e go

spel

was

n’t o

n th

e ea

rth

durin

g th

at

time,

we

can

gain

a lo

t fro

m s

tudy

ing

this

per

iod.

A G

rea

t (A

post

asy) H

isto

ry

Les

son

By H

eath

er B

erge

son

Chur

ch M

agaz

ines

Per

son

al

App

lic

ati

on

: Jo

seph

Sm

ith w

as th

e fir

st p

roph

et

in th

is d

ispe

nsat

ion,

and

we

have

bee

n bl

esse

d w

ith li

ving

pro

phet

s an

d ap

ostle

s ev

er s

ince

. Tod

ay, P

resi

dent

Rus

sell 

M. N

elso

n, h

is C

ouns

elor

s, an

d th

e Tw

elve

Ap

ostle

s ha

ve th

e ke

ys a

nd a

utho

rity

to d

irect

the

Chur

ch, a

nd G

od g

uide

s th

em o

n ho

w

to b

est h

elp

Chur

ch m

embe

rs. A

s w

e su

stai

n ou

r lea

ders

and

follo

w th

eir c

ouns

el, w

e ca

n kn

ow th

at w

e ar

e fo

llow

ing

God

’s di

rect

ion.

Per

son

al

App

lic

ati

on

: Af

ter t

he R

esto

ratio

n br

ough

t an

end

to

the

Gre

at A

post

asy,

God

pro

mis

ed th

at th

ere

wou

ld n

ever

be

a ge

nera

l ap

osta

sy fr

om th

e tr

uth

agai

n (s

ee D

octr

ine

and

Cove

nant

s 65

:2).

But w

e st

ill h

ave

to b

e ca

refu

l and

gua

rd o

urse

lves

aga

inst

per

sona

l apo

stas

y.

Her

e ar

e so

me

thin

gs y

ou c

an d

o to

str

engt

hen

your

faith

in Je

sus

Chris

t, re

mai

n st

rong

in H

is C

hurc

h, a

nd p

rogr

ess

alon

g th

e co

vena

nt p

ath:

• Le

arn

how

the

Holy

Ghos

t spe

aks t

o yo

u an

d st

rive

to a

lway

s fol

low

the

prom

ptin

gs yo

u re

ceive

from

Him

.•

Stud

y an

d po

nder

eac

h co

vena

nt y

ou’ve

mad

e (o

r one

day

hop

e to

mak

e).

• St

rive

to o

bey

the

com

man

dmen

ts a

nd k

eep

your

sta

ndar

ds h

igh.

• W

rite

dow

n an

d ac

t on

coun

sel f

rom

Chu

rch

lead

ers

at g

ener

al

conf

eren

ce.

• Po

nder

the

Savi

or’s

love

for y

ou a

s yo

u pa

rtak

e of

the

sacr

amen

t.•

Seek

to c

onst

antly

str

engt

hen

your

test

imon

y th

roug

h da

ily s

crip

ture

st

udy,

pray

er, a

nd s

ervi

ce.

See

True

to th

e Fa

ith (2

004)

, 13–

14. N

E

His

tor

ica

l Po

int:

Thro

ugho

ut h

isto

ry, t

he L

ord

has

guid

ed

His

peo

ple

thro

ugh

livin

g pr

ophe

ts a

nd a

post

les.

But

dur

ing

the

Gre

at A

post

asy,

whe

n th

ere

was

no

one

on e

arth

with

apo

stol

ic

auth

ority

, the

re w

as n

o on

e to

act

as

God

’s sp

okes

man

on

the

eart

h.

His

tor

ica

l Po

int:

The

Gre

at A

post

asy

had

been

pro

phes

ied

in O

ld T

esta

men

t tim

es (s

ee Is

aiah

60:

2; A

mos

8:1

1–12

). Th

e pr

ophe

cy w

as fu

lfille

d as

fals

e te

achi

ngs

divi

ded

the

peop

le

of th

e an

cien

t Chu

rch.

The

doct

rines

that

Chr

ist t

augh

t be

cam

e co

rrup

ted

and

man

y pe

ople

did

n’t k

now

how

to

find

trut

h.

Less

on #

3:

Foll

ow

Liv

ing

Pro

phet

s an

d A

post

les

Less

on #

4:

Ho

w t

o G

uard

Yo

urse

lf A

gai

nst

Apo

stas

y

HiS

Au

ThO

rIt

Y

“Prie

stho

od is

the

mea

ns w

here

by th

e Lo

rd a

cts

thro

ugh

men

to s

ave

soul

s. O

ne o

f the

defi

ning

fe

atur

es o

f the

Chu

rch

of Je

sus

Chris

t, bo

th a

ncie

ntly

and

toda

y, is

His

au

thor

ity. Th

ere

can

be n

o tr

ue C

hurc

h w

ithou

t divi

ne a

utho

rity.”

Elde

r Dav

id A

. Bed

nar o

f the

Quo

rum

of t

he T

wel

ve A

post

les,

Apr

. 201

2 ge

nera

l co

nfer

ence

(Ens

ign

or L

iaho

na, M

ay 2

012,

48)

.

O c t o b e r 2 0 1 9 9

ILLUSTRATIONS BY BRYAN BEACH