The Great Apostasy

They say

Matthew 16:18 — the church never died.

Gates of Hades are prison doors of the dead, not a devil army. Prevail means they do not get the last word. Jesus died, entered Hades, and rose. 2 Thessalonians 2:3: a falling away first. Acts 20:29: wolves after Paul. Amos 8:11: a famine of hearing the word. Restoration is Easter for the church — not a claim that Jesus failed.

• Matthew 16:18

  KJV · Upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

  NRSVUE · On this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.

• 2 Thessalonians 2:3

  KJV · That day shall not come, except there come a falling away first.

  NRSVUE · For that day will not come unless the rebellion comes first.

• Gospel Topics

  Apostasy

• Gal1:8 library

  Gates of hell

• Gal1:8 library

  Great Apostasy

They say

Prevail means the church could never fall.

The Greek verb is katischuō: be too strong, have the lasting victory. It is not “never have a hard century.” Jesus died, entered Hades, and rose. The church can die and still be raised. If it was restored, the gates did not win. 2 Thessalonians 2:3 already says a falling away comes first.

• Matthew 16:18

  KJV · The gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

  NRSVUE · The gates of Hades will not prevail against it.

• Gal1:8 library

  Gates of hell

• Gospel Topics

  Apostasy

They say

You insult every Christian who lived between the apostles and Joseph.

1 Nephi 13: the gospel goes through a Gentile church that lost ‘many plain and precious things.’ Restoration is the recovery, not the insult. Other churches have truth. They do not have the keys. D&C 1:30 already says collectively, not individually.

• 1 Nephi 13:26–29

  They have taken away from the gospel of the Lamb many parts which are plain and most precious… because of these things which are taken away… an exceedingly great many do stumble.

• Gospel Topics

  Apostasy

They say

Only true church means everyone else is damned.

D&C 1:30 is the sentence they hate. Read the next clause: collectively, not individually. Lesson 1 of Preach My Gospel is this claim: apostles died, priesthood authority was lost, God restored it through Joseph. Keys can be lost. Scripture can remain. Both happened.

• Doctrine and Covenants 1:30

  The only true and living church upon the face of the whole earth, with which I, the Lord, am well pleased, speaking unto the church collectively and not individually.

• Preach My Gospel

  Lesson 1 — The Restoration

• Gal1:8 library

  Only true church

They say

Protestants already fixed whatever was broken.

FAIR: loss of keys is not loss of every Christian truth. Gospel Topics: Apostasy. Protestants already claimed the medieval church lost the gospel. That is an apostasy. Then they say ours makes Jesus a liar. Use both links.

• FAIR

  The Apostasy

• Gospel Topics

  Apostasy