Restoration of the Gospel

When Jesus Christ was on the earth, He established His

Church among His followers. After His Crucifixion and the

deaths of His Apostles, the fulness of the gospel was taken from

the earth because of widespread apostasy (see “Apostasy,”

pages 13–14). Many men and women sought the fulness of

gospel truth during the centuries of the Great Apostasy, but

they were unable to find it. Although many preached with

sincerity about the Savior and His teachings, none had the

fulness of the truth or priesthood authority from God.

The Great Apostasy was a time of spiritual darkness, but

we now live in a time when we can partake of “the light of

the glorious gospel of Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:4; see also

D&C 45:28). The fulness of the gospel has been restored, and

the true Church of Jesus Christ is on the earth again. No other

organization can compare to it. It is not the result of a reformation,

with well-meaning men and women doing all in

their power to bring about change. It is a restoration of the

Church established by Jesus Christ. It is the work of Heavenly

Father and His Beloved Son.

As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day

Saints, you can receive blessings that were absent from the

earth for almost 2,000 years. Through the ordinances of baptism

and confirmation, you can receive the remission of your

sins and enjoy the constant companionship of the Holy

Ghost. You can live the gospel in its fulness and simplicity.

You can gain an understanding of the nature of the Godhead,

the Atonement of Jesus Christ, the purpose of life on earth,

and the reality of life after death. You have the privilege of

being guided by living prophets, who teach God’s will in our

day. Temple ordinances enable you to receive guidance and

peace, prepare for eternal life, be sealed to your family for

eternity, and provide saving ordinances for your deceased

ancestors.

Events of the Restoration

The following outline summarizes a few of the important

events in the restoration of the gospel and the establishment

of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which the

Lord has declared is “the only true and living church upon

the face of the whole earth” (D&C 1:30).

Early spring, 1820. Seeking the true Church of Jesus

Christ, 14-year-old Joseph Smith prayed in a grove of

trees near his home in Palmyra, New York. In answer

to his humble prayer, Heavenly Father and Jesus

Christ visited him and told him that he must not join

any of the churches on the earth at that time. (See

Joseph Smith—History 1:11–19.) In the Church we refer

to this experience as Joseph Smith’s First Vision.

September 21–22, 1823. Joseph Smith was visited by an

angel named Moroni. Moroni prophesied of coming

events and told Joseph of the Book of Mormon record,

written on plates of gold. The angel allowed Joseph to

see the gold plates, which were buried in the nearby

Hill Cumorah. (See Joseph Smith—History 1:27–53.)

September 22, 1827. Joseph Smith received the gold plates

from Moroni at the Hill Cumorah after having met

with Moroni on September 22 of each of the previous

four years. (See Joseph Smith—History 1:53, 59.)

May 15, 1829. Having read about baptism for the

remission of sins as they worked on the translation of

the gold plates, Joseph Smith and his scribe Oliver

Cowdery went to a secluded area to inquire of the

Lord concerning the matter. There, on the banks of the

Susquehanna River near Harmony, Pennsylvania, they

received the answer to their prayer. John the Baptist, a

resurrected being, came to them as “a messenger from

heaven . . . in a cloud of light.” He conferred upon

them the Aaronic Priesthood. Then, in obedience to his

instructions, Joseph and Oliver baptized each other

and ordained each other to the Aaronic Priesthood.

(See Joseph Smith—History 1:68–72; see also D&C 13.)

May 1829. The ancient Apostles Peter, James, and John

conferred the Melchizedek Priesthood upon Joseph

Smith and Oliver Cowdery. (See D&C 128:20.)

June 1829. Guided “by the gift and power of God”

(D&C 135:3), the Prophet Joseph Smith completed the

translation of the Book of Mormon.

March 26, 1830. The first printed copies of the Book of

Mormon became available in Palmyra, New York.

April 6, 1830. The Church was organized in Fayette

Township, New York, beginning with six members.

March 27, 1836. The Kirtland Temple, the first temple

built in this dispensation, was dedicated. The Prophet

Joseph Smith offered the dedicatory prayer, which had

been given to him by revelation. (See D&C 109.)

April 3, 1836. The Savior appeared to Joseph Smith

and Oliver Cowdery in the Kirtland Temple. Moses,

Elias, and Elijah also appeared and gave priesthood

keys to Joseph and Oliver. Elijah brought the keys of

the sealing power, which make it possible for families

to be sealed together forever. (See D&C 110.)

The Destiny of the Church

The Old Testament prophet Daniel prophesied that God

would “set up a kingdom” that would “never be destroyed”

and would “stand for ever” (Daniel 2:44). In making this

prophecy, he spoke of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday

Saints, the kingdom of God on the earth today. From the

day the Church was organized with six members, it has

grown and flourished, and it will continue to progress until

it has “filled the whole earth” (Daniel 2:35; see also D&C

65:2). Hundreds of thousands of people are baptized every

year. The Book of Mormon is being translated in many languages.

Temples are being built throughout the world. With

Jesus Christ at the head of the Church, living prophets will

guide the Church’s progress until the earth is prepared for

the Savior’s Second Coming.

The Prophet Joseph Smith spoke of the blessings of the

Restoration: “Now, what do we hear in the gospel which we

have received? A voice of gladness! A voice of mercy from

heaven; and a voice of truth out of the earth; glad tidings for

the dead; a voice of gladness for the living and the dead; glad

tidings of great joy” (D&C 128:19).

Additional references: Isaiah 2:1–3; 29:13–14; Acts 3:19–21; Revelation

14:6–7; 2 Nephi 3:3–15; D&C 128:19–21; 133:36–39, 57–58; Joseph Smith—

History

See also Apostasy; Joseph Smith; Revelation; Second Coming of Jesus

Christ