20 And the Gentiles are lifted up in the pride of their eyes, and have stumbled, because of the greatness of their stumbling block, that they have built up many churches; nevertheless, they put down the power and miracles of God, and preach up unto themselves their own wisdom and their own learning, that they may get gain and grind upon the face of the poor.
21 And there are many churches built up which cause envyings, and strifes, and malice. (2 Nephi 26)
Jesus taught the gospel for only three years in his lifetime, a very short time to change the world. He reached many, but at the time of His death, there was still a great deal to do. The membership was so new and the changes they had to make were great. There was intense persecution of those who followed the Savior. The apostles, who were recent converts themselves, did not have years of training and experience to fall back on. Peter became the new president of the church when Jesus was killed, but he had been a member of the church for just a short time. The leaders worked hard to preserve what the Savior had introduced, but in the end, Satan won. Over time, the leaders Jesus had chosen were killed, except for John the Beloved, and so were many of the Savior’s followers. There was now a great deal of work for one leader and his small group of followers. The authority to operate God’s church disappeared when the priesthood ended, and there were no more prophets to guide the church and keep it on track.
Although Christianity survived, there were no prophets and there was no priesthood. This had been prophesied by the early apostles themselves. Paul, talking of the second coming, said, “Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;” (2 Thessalonians 2:3)
Over time, with no clearly defined leadership and no one to receive revelation, men began to decide for themselves what the doctrine should be. This, naturally, led to disputes and disputes led to the formations of break-away sects, as groups divided over differences of opinion on what the Bible meant, what should be in the Bible, and what God would want from a changing world.
The Nicene Council met to decide on “official doctrine.” They voted and many things that modern churches teach as Biblical actually were chosen in that council, not having been strong beliefs prior to that meeting in 325 BC. Christians today might be surprised, as they read about this council, just how their doctrines came to be.
Of course, despite the council’s desire to be the final word, there continued to be reformers who felt religion was straying further and further from God’s original plan and the Savior’s teachings.
Some leaders were inspired, but others developed churches for worldly reasons, intentionally misleading people. Many began with noble purposes, doing the best they could without a prophet to lead them the way the people of the Bible had been led.
What happened next was not a surprise. Peter himself foretold of a day when the apostasy, the disappearance of God’s complete truth, would end:
“19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;
20 And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you:
21 Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began. (Acts 3, King James version of the Bible.)
Would you like to know about this time of refreshing, the restitution of all things which Peter said the prophets had foretold since the beginning of time? For more information, visit The Restoration of the Gospel.
The late Terrie Lynn Bittner—beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and friend—was the author of two homeschooling books and numerous articles, including several that appeared in Latter-day Saint magazines. She became a member of the Church at the age of 17 and began sharing her faith online in 1992.
