A New Day Dawns, Christ's Church Is Restored...

In an earlier post, I talked of the early church of Christ and how that church was lost through apostacy (Apostacy Was Foretold). Some in my faith refer to this as the primitive church, but I don't like that designation because it connotes a rough, unfinished, or incomplete condition which simply was not the case. Christ's church was complete and perfect both in its organization and in its theology. It was, after all, instituted by the master Himself. But if the sole intent of the term primitive is to signify early or first, then why not use those less ambiguous terms instead of  the more nuanced, and thus, less clear term which might convey unintended meanings. Clarity, in principle, is a simple thing, but on occasion can be difficult to achieve.

If the church and was lost through apostacy, what, precisely was lost? Well, perhaps the most important thing lost was God's sanctioning priesthood authority and power. When this was lost after all of Christ's original apostles had been taken from the earth, the Lord's divine inspiration and direction were lost as well, and the people of the church who remained were left to themselves with no one to guide them through the gift of revelation. The power to administer the gospel was also lost, and the dark ages and the inquisition and persecutions of all sorts were some of the fruits of that loss.

It truly was an uninspired time and remained so until God again began to speak to men through His spirit. When the earth once again was blessed with God's refreshing spirit, inspiration in all endeavors both great and small have resulted in an age of enlightenment unparalleled in human history.

The spiritual side of this enlightenment resulted in the movement known as the reformation. Great men, inspired and awakened by God's spirit began to realize that God's authority had been lost from the earth, and with it, the pure and profoundly simple truths of the gospel Christ taught.

The Bible had been preserved, but not in a form which was accessible to common people. And so, one of the early efforts of some of these inspired men was to translate the Bible from Greek and Hebrew into English and German. These men paid a heavy price, and were persecuted by the Catholic church who wanted the Bible to remain in the hands of their priests, and the people to remain dependent on them for their spiritual education and salvation. Many of these men lost their lives in this effort.

One of the simpliest, albeit incomplete, definitions of priesthood authority is that it is the authority given to men by God to act in His name. This authority is essential to the church of Christ. It would be an act of utter vanity and arrogance for anyone to form a church without that authority. Without God's authority...His permission, a person may organize a church, but it will not be Christ's church. It is through priesthood authority that prophets are called and receive revelation from the Lord. When that authority is invested in a prophet, the church of Christ can exist, and at no other time.

What this means is that if God's authority had been lost from the earth, that it would have to be restored again by some means. And, since this power and authority could no longer be found on earth, it would necessarily have to be restored by a divinely appointed heavenly messenger. Angelic messengers might sound like fantasy to you, but if you believe the Bible, then you must recognize that such things are not only possible, but occurred with regularity anciently. And if so then, why not now, especially when there is a clearly defined need such as this?

It is through this priesthood authority that prophets are called and receive revelation from the Lord, and when Christ's church is found on the earth, it operates through this authority and power.. Speaking of this priesthood authority, Paul preached the following doctrine in Hebrews 5:4:

 4 And no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron.

And how was Aaron called? He was called through inspiration as Moses spoke with the Lord. Moses then placed his hands on Aaron's head and conferred priesthood power and authority upon him. It was Aaron, his sons, and their descendants which performed all of the priesthood ordinances of the temple from that time forward through the time of Christ when the old law was fulfilled, and a new and higher law was given.

If a church is to belong to the Lord, then He must have a way to direct its affairs and make His will known. Throughout all recorded history, God's people and His church have been led by prophets. And, if that is true, why would our times be any different? Isn't it logical to presume that if the church of Christ were to be found on the earth in our day that prophets would, through the revelation they receive from the Lord, preside over that church? It is a pattern that spans millennia, why would our day be an exception to that well established pattern?

Some claim that because we have the bible, further revelation is no longer necessary...that we have all we need and that this is the reason that the heavens are silent. They maintain that revelations, visions and miracles ceased with the ancient apostles and that there never will be any more of them.

This is a philosophy that doesn't make sense to me because it presumes that the world is static and that our condition is essentially unchanged from the time when the Bible was written. I would be quick to agree that people haven't changed that much over the centuries. The fact that history repeats itself with clock-like regularity makes this fairly evident. But to presume that our world even faintly resembles the Biblical world and that God would, therefore, have nothing new to say to us is truly naive.

Media, the internet, drugs, tobacco, abortion, science as an institution are merely some of the ways which distinguish our day from Biblical times. Based on what I see around me, I humbly suggest that there never was a time when the need for contemporary direction from the Lord through a prophet was more needed than right now. And, if we truly are living in the time which immediately preceeds the Lord's second coming, then prophets seem essential to prepare a people ready to receive Him when He returns.

Another thing to consider is that if what these people claim is true, that prophets are no longer necessary, the same result could have been accomplished much sooner than our day. God could have given all of His law within a couple of generations, or even one for that matter. Then, if the things which God revealed at this much earlier date were written down and carefully preserved through all the generations which followed, there would have never been a need for prophets beyond the first or second generation. The fact that the Lord didn't do that then suggests to me that He wouldn't do it now either, and that He recognizes our need for the constant direction a prophet provides even if we don't.

Also, the belief that prophets aren't necessary in our day presumes that the Bible is so plainly written and translated that no further clarification of any of its passages will ever be needed. The fact that there are so many churches, all with differing interpretations of the same Bible text certainly indicates that the guidance a prophet could provide would be of utmost value. They do, after all, speak with the Lord and receive clarification from Him directly.

To claim that prophets are no longer necessary, then, is like saying that we know and understand the Bible so well that even if we had the chance to talk with the Lord, as prophets do, it would be a waste of both our time and His. Neither of us would have anything to say or ask on the subject. That, obviously, isn't true.

It is my testimony that God does speak in our day through prophets. His church has been renewed and all that was lost through the apostacy which occurred after Christ's original apostles were taken from the earth has been restored.

This restoration began when a boy seeking knowledge asked the Lord in humble prayer which church he should join. This boy's name was Joseph Smith, a simple farm boy with practically no education. The account of his experience while praying, given in his own words, is found here: Joseph Smith History . I ask you to prayerfully and humbly consider his story. I have done so and so powerful was God's witness to me that I dare not deny it. I know the truth of these things for myself.

Christ said that by their fruits we could know whether men were good or not. One of the definitive fruits of the prophet Joseph Smith is the Book of Mormon. This book was revealed to Joseph Smith through the power of God. It is a book of ancient scripture written by the prophets of a people who lived in the Americas hundreds of years before Christ was born. As I read and prayerfully studied this book I came to feel the spirit testifying to me of its truthfulness. I know that The Book of Mormon is the word of God, and therefore, that Joseph Smith, who brought this book forth, was a prophet.

Earlier, I wrote a post briefly explaining a bit more about the Book of Mormon. That post is found here: The Book of Mormon. You can request a free copy of the Book of Mormon here: Free Copy.

Joseph Smith was the first prophet called since the apostle Peter led the church of Christ after His ascension. There have been many others since his death. The prophet which currently presides in our day is named Thomas S. Monson.

The church that God restored to the earth in our day is known as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. It's official web site is here: www.LDS.org.

Check out some of the other links to the right under the favorite links section of this blog.

Amos 3:7     God won't do anything without revealing it to His prophets.

Moroni 7:29-38.    The Lord works miracles among men and sends His angels to minister to their needs whenever and wherever there are those who have faith in Him.