The Great Apostasy

SpencerMarsh — Wed, 02 Sep 2026 04:35:14 GMT

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	\|\|John sees the Son of Man, who commands him to write to the seven churches. Ephesus has done many good things, is now fallen and must repent, having left the Lord (2:5-6). The church in Pergamos has held fast against Satan, but harbors proponents of the doctrine of Balaam who eat meat sacrificed to idols and commit fornication. There are also Christians there who hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which the Lord hates (2:12-16). In spite of many good works, the church at Thyatira permits Jezebel to pass herself off as a prophetess while seducing the Lord’s servants to fornicate and to eat things sacrificed unto idols (2:18-20). There appear to be only a few members in Sardis who “have not defiled their garments” and who are worthy to walk with the Lord (3:1-6). Laodiceans focused on wealth, are comfortable, and do not recognize their need for the Lord’s aid. They are neither cold nor hot, and the Lord will spew them out (3:16-17).		\|\|John sees the Son of Man, who commands him to write to the seven churches. Ephesus has done many good things, is now fallen and must repent, having left the Lord (2:5-6). The church in Pergamos has held fast against Satan, but harbors proponents of the doctrine of Balaam who eat meat sacrificed to idols and commit fornication. There are also Christians there who hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which the Lord hates (2:12-16). In spite of many good works, the church at Thyatira permits Jezebel to pass herself off as a prophetess while seducing the Lord’s servants to fornicate and to eat things sacrificed unto idols (2:18-20). There appear to be only a few members in Sardis who “have not defiled their garments” and who are worthy to walk with the Lord (3:1-6). Laodiceans focused on wealth, are comfortable, and do not recognize their need for the Lord’s aid. They are neither cold nor hot, and the Lord will spew them out (3:16-17).
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			====Scriptural Objections to the Great Apostasy====
			Christian apologists claim that the Church could never have been lost during the Great Apostasy because Jesus predicted that it would always remain on the earth. Some apologists claim that the Church was never lost based on a scripture from the book of Jude. Both claims are deficient for a few reasons.

			=====Jude 1:3 — The Faith Once Delivered to the Saints=====
			Jude 1:3 reads, "Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints."

			Some contend that "once" here means "one and only one time." This belief is reflected in the [https://biblehub.com/jude/1-3.htm vast majority of biblical translations]. For example, the ''New International Version'' (NIV), Jude 1:3 reads, "Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt compelled to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was '''once for all''' entrusted to God’s holy people" (emphasis added).

			The Greek term translated as "once" or "once for all" is ''ἅπαξ'' (HAH-pahcks). This term can mean simply "once," as the King James Version renders it.

			=====Matthew 16:18 — The Gates of Hell=====
			Matthew 16:18 reads, "And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."

			Some Christian apologists claim this means that the earthly Church organization would never be taken away.
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	\| title = ===Question: How did the ~~death~~ of ~~the~~ Apostles contribute to the Great Apostasy?===		\| title = ===Question: How did the deaths of Jesus's Apostles contribute to the Great Apostasy?===
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	====Teeing the Ball Up: The Loss of Apostolic Authority====		====Teeing the Ball Up: The Loss of Apostolic Authority====
	The best way to make an error permanent is to ensure that there is no authoritative way to correct it. The death or removal of Apostles with priesthood authority from God from the earth ensured such a demise. The scriptures predict that the great and abominable church would fight against the Apostles of the Lamb (1 Nephi 11:34–36). After their death, the adversary sowed tares among the wheat, symbolizing those that rebelled against the true Church of Christ and its teachings (Doctrine and Covenants 86:1&~~ndash3~~). The Apostolic authority was restored to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery by Peter, James, and John (Doctrine and Covenants 27:13). It is clear from historical scholarship that apostolic authority was considered necessary to lead the church, that all valid Apostles died, and that there was no apostolic authority on the earth until it was restored to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery.		The best way to make an error permanent is to ensure that there is no authoritative way to correct it. The death or removal of Apostles with priesthood authority from God from the earth ensured such a demise. The scriptures predict that the great and abominable church would fight against the Apostles of the Lamb (1 Nephi 11:34–36). After their death, the adversary sowed tares among the wheat, symbolizing those that rebelled against the true Church of Christ and its teachings (Doctrine and Covenants 86:1–3). The Apostolic authority was restored to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery by Peter, James, and John (Doctrine and Covenants 27:13). It is clear from historical scholarship that apostolic authority was considered necessary to lead the church, that all valid Apostles died, and that there was no apostolic authority on the earth until it was restored to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery.

	=====The Necessity of Apostolic Authority=====		=====The Necessity of Apostolic Authority=====
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	John then appeared with Peter and James, with apostolic keys "committed" to them, to give those keys to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery (Doctrine and Covenants 27:13).		John then appeared with Peter and James, with apostolic keys "committed" to them, to give those keys to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery (Doctrine and Covenants 27:13).

	John's and the Three Nephites' existence as ministering angels does not negate the Latter-day Saint belief in the loss of Apostolic authority or in the Great Apostasy. Still, it does show that one conception of Latter-day Saint belief is inaccurate: Latter-day Saints cannot affirm that apostolic authority was simply ''extinguished'' by ~~killing~~ the Apostles. Latter-day Saints must affirm something else. One possibility is that the translated Apostles' authority to lead was taken away upon their translation. Another ~~is that whatever valid priesthood authority was left after the non-translated Apostles were killed, God removed it from the translated Apostles. Yet another~~ possibility is that they retained priesthood keys but lacked ''divine permission'' to exercise them.		John's and the Three Nephites' existence as ministering angels does not negate the Latter-day Saint belief in the loss of Apostolic authority or in the Great Apostasy. Still, it does show that one conception of Latter-day Saint belief is inaccurate: Latter-day Saints cannot affirm that apostolic authority was simply ''extinguished'' by the deaths of the Apostles. Latter-day Saints must affirm something else. One possibility is that the translated Apostles' authority to lead was taken away upon their translation (and then regranted to John, who ordained Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery). Another possibility is that they retained priesthood keys but lacked ''divine permission'' to exercise and bestow them. The latter is the correct view, since Doctrine and Covenants 7:7 states that John’s priesthood authority would not be taken away until He comes again.
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The Great Apostasy