Question
Gramps,
Why wasn’t the Priesthood passed onto righteous males by the Apostles so the Church could have kept on going?
Karen
Answer
Dear Karen,
The Great Apostasy reflects both a loss of authority and a loss of truth. These two are related. The classic verse prophesying of the Apostasy speaks of a “falling away” (2 Thes. 2:3), or “apostasia”. This same word shows up in Acts 21:21, where Paul is accuse.
“that thou teachest all the Jews which are among the Gentiles to forsake (apostasia) Moses, saying that they ought not to circumcise their children, neither to walk after the customs.”
In both cases, what is being discussed is not just a “falling away”, but a rebellion or defection. The accuracy of this term can be seen in our New Testament epistles where Paul is constantly trying to pull the churches back on track (even warning against strange gospels), but even Clement (a late contemporary of the apostles) rebuked the early saints for not following the elders.
Think of the apostasy as a mutiny aboard a ship (Lehi’s family is a good example here). The captain can appoint a new captain to succeed him, but it doesn’t matter if the crew is fighting his orders. The apostles manned the helm of the early church, but it grew faster than they could manage and as a result strange doctrines crept up. In the end, the ship was steered astray and became an organization of well intentioned men.
Gramps
