The Restoration

Why was a restoration necessary?

After Jesus Christ established His Church and ascended to heaven, His apostles were persecuted and killed one by one. With their deaths, the authority of the priesthood — the power to act in God's name — was lost from the earth. This period is known as the Great Apostasy.

For centuries, many truths of the gospel were lost or changed. People sought God sincerely, but did not have access to the fulness of the gospel that Jesus Christ had taught. God, in His love for His children, prepared the time to restore everything that had been lost.

The First Vision

In the spring of 1820, a 14-year-old boy named Joseph Smith had questions about which church was true. Influenced by James 1:5, he decided to pray and ask God directly. While praying in a grove in New York, he had a vision in which God the Father and Jesus Christ appeared to him.

This event, known as the First Vision, marked the beginning of the Restoration of the gospel. God had spoken to man again.

The Restoration of the priesthood and the Church

• John the Baptist restored the Aaronic Priesthood to Joseph Smith in 1829
• Peter, James and John restored the Melchizedek Priesthood shortly afterward
• On April 6, 1830, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was formally organized
• The Book of Mormon was published as an additional testament of Jesus Christ
• The same organization that Jesus established — with apostles and prophets — was restored

What does this mean for you?

The Restoration is not just history — it has deep implications for every person today. It means that the fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ is available again: the authority of the priesthood, sacred covenants, saving ordinances and the guidance of living prophets and apostles.

If you have questions about Joseph Smith, the First Vision or the origin of the Church, we would love to talk with you without any pressure.