(11/18/04)
"It was only after the death of Christ's apostles that revelation ceased. The pure doctrines Christ taught became diluted with the philosophy of the world, and profane innovations appeared in the ordinances of the church. Eventually, that which had once been clear and understandable became mythical and confusing. Confusion is the field where Satan operates to deceive and lead mankind astray. Jesus and His apostles predicted a 'falling away' (see 2 Thes. 2:1-4), which did occur, and Christianity entered a long night of darkness." - Delbert L. Stapley, "What Constitutes the True Church," Ensign, May 1977, p. 22

(11/19/04)
"The process of apostasy consists in changing 'the truth of God into a lie.' (Rom. 1:25.) Alma taught that all who do not hearken to the voice of 'the good shepherd' are part of the devil's fold, and then he added, 'whosoever denieth this is a liar.' (Alma 5:38-40.) Sherem confessed, after being smitten, 'I have lied unto God; for I denied the Christ.' (Jac. 7:19; Alma 12:3.) False teachers are liars. (Rev. 2:2.) Conversely, Moroni concluded some of his expositions of the truth by saying, 'I lie not.' (Moro. 10:26-27.) In other words, to teach true doctrine is to tell the truth, and to teach false doctrine is to lie. (Mormon Doctrine, 2nd ed., pp. 440-441.) See Commentary II, pp. 57-59." - Bruce R. McConkie, "Doctrinal New Testament Commentary," 3 vols. [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1965-1973], 3:383

(11/20/04)
"Paul's warnings describe apostasy and other dangers of our day. Some of these perils are contrary to God's purposes and are championed by persuasive people possessing more ability than morality, more knowledge than wisdom. Their rationalization breeds justification. The Bible affirms that the 'way of a fool is right in his own eyes.' (Prov. 12:15.) Indeed, individuals with malignity of purpose often wear the mask of honesty. So we must constantly be on guard." - Russell M. Nelson, "Where Is Wisdom?" Ensign, Nov. 1992, p. 8

(11/21/04)
"It is evident from the scriptures that through the foreknowledge of God the ancient apostles were shown in advance that Christianity would be splintered, that its unity for which Christ had prayed would be destroyed, and that thus would come a general falling away from the original truth.... But the Lord was not content to abandon a shattered Christianity. He was still determined to save mankind if they would obey him. Therefore, knowing in advance that a falling away would take place, he provided for a restoration of the original truth in the latter days. This was voiced through the apostle Peter as one day he discoursed upon the second coming of the Lord. He explained that the Lord’s second coming would be preceded in the latter days by a restoration of the gospel which would be so extensive as to return all that God had spoken by the mouth of his holy prophets from the beginning of the world. (See Acts 3.)" - Mark E. Petersen, “The Message of Elijah,” Ensign, May 1976, p. 14

(11/22/04)
"As we contemplate the challenge of living faithful, happy, fulfilling lives in the “perilous times” spoken of by the Apostle Paul (see 2 Tim. 3:1), we must draw upon all of the spiritual powers available to us. The temple is a principal source for the renewal of these powers. Heavenly Father will not fail in his promises to us if we do all that we can do to keep open the conduit of spiritual strength that is available to us. The temple will play an increasingly important role in this regard." - Dean L. Larsen, “The Importance of the Temple for Living Members,” Ensign, Apr. 1993, p. 12