Restoration Defined

What is the definition of "restoration" according to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church)?
Ray Farmer
Jealous of and Zealous for the Book of MormonJust now

Many have explained what the idea of restitution or restoration means to the LDSaints and they have done a very fine job.

But since we are talking of the LDSaints, it may be interesting to explore the definitions given in the Book of Mormon.

Resurrection

Often LDSaints will quote the following verse and apply it to the restoration of the church in the form of the church to which they adhere:

Acts 3:21 Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.

Looking at the pages of the Book of Mormon, we find that this is a misapplication of the verse. Instead, this verse refers to the Resurrection. Watch for similar language.

Alma 40

21. ....the dead shall come forth, and be reunited, both soul and body, and be brought to stand before God, and be judged according to their works.
22. Yea, this bringeth about the restoration of those things of which has been spoken by the mouths of the prophets.
23. The soul shall be restored to the body, and the body to the soul; yea, and every limb and joint shall be restored to its body; yea, even a hair of the head shall not be lost; but all things shall be restored to their proper and perfect frame.
24. And now, my son, this is the restoration of which has been spoken by the mouths of the prophets--

Alma 11

43. The spirit and the body shall be reunited again in its perfect form; both limb and joint shall be restored to its proper frame, even as we now are at this time; and we shall be brought to stand before God, knowing even as we know now, and have a bright recollection of all our guilt.
44. Now, this restoration shall come to all, both old and young, both bond and free, both male and female, both the wicked and the righteous; and even there shall not so much as a hair of their heads be lost; but every thing shall be restored to its perfect frame, as it is now, or in the body, and shall be brought and be arraigned before the bar of Christ the Son, and God the Father, and the Holy Spirit, which is one Eternal God, to be judged according to their works, whether they be good or whether they be evil.
45. Now, behold, I have spoken unto you concerning the death of the mortal body, and also concerning the resurrection of the mortal body. I say unto you that this mortal body is raised to an immortal body, that is from death, even from the first death unto life, that they can die no more; their spirits uniting with their bodies, never to be divided; thus the whole becoming spiritual and immortal, that they can no more see corruption.

Alma 41:2 I say unto thee, my son, that the plan of restoration is requisite with the justice of God; for it is requisite that all things should be restored to their proper order. Behold, it is requisite and just, according to the power and resurrection of Christ, that the soul of man should be restored to its body, and that every part of the body should be restored to itself.

Restoration of the House of Israel to Knowledge and Lands

1 Nephi 15:19 And it came to pass that I, Nephi, spake much unto them concerning these things; yea, I spake unto them concerning the restoration of the Jews in the latter days.

1 Nephi 15:20 And I did rehearse unto them the words of Isaiah, who spake concerning the restoration of the Jews, or of the house of Israel; and after they were restored they should no more be confounded, neither should they be scattered again.

Helaman 15:11 Yea, even if they should dwindle in unbelief the Lord shall prolong their days, until the time shall come which hath been spoken of by our fathers, and also by the prophet Zenos, and many other prophets, concerning the restoration of our brethren, the Lamanites, again to the knowledge of the truth--

3 Nephi 29:1 And now behold, I say unto you that when the Lord shall see fit, in his wisdom, that these sayings shall come unto the Gentiles according to his word, then ye may know that the covenant which the Father hath made with the children of Israel, concerning their restoration to the lands of their inheritance, is already beginning to be fulfilled.

Wickedness never was Happiness

One concept that LDSaints would not agree with is the restoration of one's character before and after the Judgement. They would tell you that the wicked, even those who lived life in opposition to every rule of righteousness will be glorified in a Kingdom of God and be happy beyond any human comprehension. The final restoration to be discussed dashes this particular doctrine.

Alma leads off:

4. And if their works are evil they shall be restored unto them for evil. Therefore, all things shall be restored to their proper order, every thing to its natural frame--mortality raised to immortality, corruption to incorruption--raised to endless happiness to inherit the kingdom of God, or to endless misery to inherit the kingdom of the devil, the one on one hand, the other on the other--
5. The one raised to happiness according to his desires of happiness, or good according to his desires of good; and the other to evil according to his desires of evil; for as he has desired to do evil all the day long even so shall he have his reward of evil when the night cometh.
6. And so it is on the other hand. If he hath repented of his sins, and desired righteousness until the end of his days, even so he shall be rewarded unto righteousness.
7. These are they that are redeemed of the Lord; yea, these are they that are taken out, that are delivered from that endless night of darkness; and thus they stand or fall; for behold, they are their own judges, whether to do good or do evil.

The whole concept of the Telestial Kingdom is destroyed by this next single passage.

10. Do not suppose, because it has been spoken concerning restoration, that ye shall be restored from sin to happiness. Behold, I say unto you, wickedness never was happiness.
11. And now, my son, all men that are in a state of nature, or I would say, in a carnal state, are in the gall of bitterness and in the bonds of iniquity; they are without God in the world, and they have gone contrary to the nature of God; therefore, they are in a state contrary to the nature of happiness.
12. And now behold, is the meaning of the word restoration to take a thing of a natural state and place it in an unnatural state, or to place it in a state opposite to its nature?

The point is made again later in the Book of Mormon who missed the above understanding:

Mormon 9

13. And because of the redemption of man, which came by Jesus Christ, they are brought back into the presence of the Lord; yea, this is wherein all men are redeemed, because the death of Christ bringeth to pass the resurrection, which bringeth to pass a redemption from an endless sleep, from which sleep all men shall be awakened by the power of God when the trump shall sound; and they shall come forth, both small and great, and all shall stand before his bar, being redeemed and loosed from this eternal band of death, which death is a temporal death.
14. And then cometh the judgment of the Holy One upon them; and then cometh the time that he that is filthy shall be filthy still; and he that is righteous shall be righteous still; he that is happy shall be happy still; and he that is unhappy shall be unhappy still.

The LDS Idea of Restoration

The doctrine of Restoration came as a development. The original concept was that the coming forth of the Book of Mormon would bring about a reformation among the Church, the saints of Jesus scattered on the earth at that time. The original 1833 Book of Commandments put forth as much:

Book of Commandments (1833), Chapter 4, Page 11

5 And thus, if the people of this generation harden not their hearts, I will work a reformation among them, and I will put down all lyings, and deceivings, and priestcrafts, and envyings, and strifes, and idolatries, and sorceries, and all manner of iniquities, and I will establish my church, like unto the church which was taught by my disciples in the days of old.

Of course someone saw the danger of “reformation” and altered the word to “restoration” in later printings.

Section 10 of the Doctrine and Covenants makes this clear. There is a mystery revealed in that section. Talking about the Book of Mormon coming to light,

62. Yea, and I will also bring to light my gospel [restored by the Book of Mormon] which was ministered unto them [Nephite prophets], and, behold, they shall not deny that which you have received [beliefs gleaned from the Bible], but they shall build it up [beliefs gleaned from the Bible], and shall bring to light the true points of my doctrine, yea, and the only doctrine which is in me.
63. And this I do that I may establish my gospel, that there may not be so much contention; yea, Satan doth stir up the hearts of the people to contention concerning the points of my doctrine; and in these things they do err, for they do wrest the scriptures and do not understand them.
64. Therefore, I will unfold unto them this great mystery;
65. For, behold, I will gather them as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, if they will not harden their hearts;
66. Yea, if they will come, they may, and partake of the waters of life freely.
67. Behold, this is my doctrine--whosoever repenteth and cometh unto me, the same is my church.
68. Whosoever declareth more or less than this, the same is not of me, but is against me; therefore he is not of my church.

The Church of Christ, His body, His temple, existed before the coming forth of the Book of Mormon. But the members were scattered and many (not all) stumbled because truths were removed from the true teachings they held, “that which you have received”.

1 Nephi 13:29 And after these plain and precious things were taken away it goeth forth unto all the nations of the Gentiles; and after it goeth forth unto all the nations of the Gentiles, yea, even across the many waters which thou hast seen with the Gentiles which have gone forth out of captivity, thou seest--because of the many plain and precious things which have been taken out of the book, which were plain unto the understanding of the children of men, according to the plainness which is in the Lamb of God--because of these things which are taken away out of the gospel of the Lamb, an exceedingly great many do stumble, yea, insomuch that Satan hath great power over them.

The Book of Mormon was to come forth and supply all of the Plain and Precious parts whose absence caused MANY, not all, to stumble. To those who were not stumbling,

49. Now, this is not all--their [Nephite Prophets] faith in their prayers was that this gospel [Book of Mormon] should be made known also, if it were possible that other nations should possess this land;
50. And thus they did leave a blessing upon this land in their prayers, that whosoever should believe in this gospel [Book of Mormon Gospel] in this land might have eternal life;
52. And now, behold, according to their faith in their prayers will I bring this part of my gospel to the knowledge of my people. Behold, I do not bring it to destroy that which they have received [beliefs gleaned from the Bible], but to build it up.
53. And for this cause have I said: If this generation harden not their hearts, I will establish [strengthen, build it up] my church among them.
54. Now I do not say this to destroy my church, but I say this to build up my church;
55. Therefore, whosoever belongeth to my church need not fear, for such shall inherit the kingdom of heaven.

Of course, this ”reformation” did not take place. As it says in verse 53, "And for this cause have I said: If this generation harden not their hearts, I will establish my church among them", the world of religion, seeing the actions and teachings of the early LDSaints and the rejection of the New Covenant, the Book of Mormon, the reformation will take place in the near future.