THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST

Approximately 2,000 years ago when Jesus Christ was living on the earth, he organized his church. In doing so, he taught the eternal doctrines of his gospel. He performed ordinances and miracles. He fulfilled his mission by performing the atonement, which included resurrecting the third day from the tomb. He also called and ordained apostles to help teach and lead his church under his direction. The apostles were also called to be special witnesses of Jesus Christ. He made one the apostles the president or prophet of the church. He gave the men of his church the priesthood, which allowed men to act in God’s name. People who joined Christ’s church through baptism were known as Saints. If we were to name the church that Christ organized, it would be called The Church of Jesus Christ of the Saints because Christ organized it and it was done for his followers, the members of his church.

The scriptures teach of a great apostasy, which would come to the earth and take the Lord’s church and his priesthood from it. We know that this occurred not too long after Christ ascended to the Father and with the death of the last apostle the gospel and the keys to exercise the priesthood were no longer on the earth. Everything that Christ had established had left the earth. Gone were the days of prophets and apostles and with them revelation. Because of the organization and leadership of the church no longer being on the earth, the teachings of Jesus Christ were lost. What remained of some of them were corrupted and mingled in with the ideas of men. However, the scriptures also tell us that the Lord did promise to end the apostasy in the latter-days by restoring his church upon the earth for one last time.

On April 6, 1830, the Lord Jesus Christ restored his church upon the earth. Once again, he established his organization by calling and ordaining leaders, prophets and apostles. Revelation and the priesthood along with the necessary keys have been restored. Christ restored his doctrines through his prophet, the same teachings of ancient times. The same ordinances were restored and miracles have been performed in his name. The Lord once again calls the members of his church in these latter-days Saints as he did in ancient times. For the reasons of truth being restored and Christ organizing his church once again, the Church is called The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. With the apostasy ending by the truth of Jesus Christ restored on the earth, the Lord has promised that his gospel will never be taken from the earth again.