What Are The Key Events And Key Doctrines That Shaped The Restoration

The restoration of the gospel and the organizing of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was replete with important events and inspiring doctrines that shed important light on the nature of God, man, and the Plan of Salvation. It is the purpose of this essay to describe ten important events and key doctrines that shaped the restoration. The Great Apostasy The Great Apostasy was an event that occurred shortly after the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, when the Apostles that he had called were murdered or exiled, and the surviving disciples were left without proper authority or priesthood keys to pick up the pieces. What occurred was a large series of schisms, reformations, and altering of key doctrines that distorted the true

God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ both appeared to Joseph Smith in answer to his prayer, and they told him that none of the Churches were true and that all their creeds were incorrect. This event opened the door for the restoration as this was the first prophetic experience that Joseph Smith had, and it was one that answered several important questions. First, it proves the creedal doctrine of the trinity to be in error, as God the Father and Jesus Christ were both two separate personages who appeared to Joseph Smith, and more importantly, it tells us in what type of order the Christian world was in when this revelation occurred: it was in apostasy, and it needed to be restored. Restoration of the Priesthood Keys In 1836 the keys of the priesthood were restored to the Church through the angelic visitations. In the Kirtland Temple, the resurrected Moses, Elias, and Elijah restored to Joseph Smith the keys of the Gathering of Israel, the keys of the gospel of Abraham, and the sealing keys that bind families together. These were keys that were lost in the Great Apostasy and were finally restored to earth through Joseph

It is that scripture which is the keystone of our religion.... It is the Book of Mormon” Nature of God. Perhaps the most important sermon Joseph Smith ever gave was delivered not long before he was martyred on the subject of the nature and character of God. Jesus taught that eternal life was to know the one true God (cf. John 17:3) and so Joseph had to cut through the creedal misunderstandings for the people to understand who God really is, and the answer he gave was groundbreaking. He declared, “God himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted man, and sits enthroned in yonder heavens!” This doctrine teaches not only about God, but also about us. It is foundational because it teaches us where we come from, that we are true children of our Father in heaven, and that when