Restored and Restoring

“We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the kingdom of God” (Articles of Faith 1:9). This article of faith is the best description of the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believe that the church Christ established during His mortal ministry was taken away through its members’ unbelief and apostasy. This falling away required a restoration.

This restoration began in 1820 when a young man named Joseph Smith went into a grove of trees to ask God for forgiveness of his sins and which church he should ally with. Because Joseph had great faith that his prayer would be answered and because the world was ready, God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ visited Joseph.

In Joseph’s own words:

I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me. . . . When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other—This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him! My object in going to inquire of the Lord was to know which of all the sects was right, that I might know which to join. No sooner, therefore, did I get possession of myself, so as to be able to speak, than I asked the Personages who stood above me in the light, which of all the sects was right (for at this time it had never entered into my heart that all were wrong)—and which I should join. I was answered that I must join none of them, for they were all wrong;

This event began Joseph’s calling as a prophet of God and the prophet of, what LDS church members call, the Restoration. This is ongoing process has restored key elements of the gospel while allowing for the revelation of “many great and important things pertaining to the kingdom of God.”

What things have been restored up to now?

• The Priesthood – the authority to act in the name of God
• Ordinances – what we must do to be saved
  • Baptism
  • Gift of the Holy Ghost
  • Initiatory
  • Endowment
  • Sealing
• Organization of Christ’s Church
• Revelation from God
• Prophets
• Temples – houses of the Lord where certain ordinances must be performed

What things haven’t been restored? Great question! We just don’t know a lot of it. What do we know?

• Zion, the city of Enoch will return
• Writings of prophets that have been lost will be found
• Gathering of the 12 tribes of Israel – this is ongoing
• Many signs and wonders leading up to the 2nd coming of Christ

In 2020, the Church released “The Restoration of the Fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ: A Bicentennial Proclamation to the World.” This proclamation starts with a declaration that God loves all His children in every nation of the world. The Restoration is a demonstration of that love. God wants each of us to return to Him. He wants each of us to have the opportunity to choose His plan, fulfill His ordinances, and make and keep sacred covenants. Gaining a testimony of the Restoration allows us to feel God’s love. In fact, every time we feel and listen to the Holy Ghost, God’s love is shown and expressed to us.

The Heavens are open. Direction from God is available to all men. Christ’s church has been restored to the Earth. We are living in the Restoration that will ultimately lead to the Savior’s 2nd Coming.