Thursday, July 15, 2021

Melvin Westenskow (1948): Great Apostasy Not Contingent Upon Every Single Person Not Being Truth to the Faith

In his 1948 book, Treasures to Share, Melvin Westenskow wrote the following, showing that, for there to be a “Great Apostasy” is not contingent upon every single person being in a state of apostasy:

 

While John was abandoned upon the Isle of Patmos (tradition has it that he returned from Patmos about 96 A.D.) he was given a vision or revelation, an account of which is recorded in the Book of Revelation. In the first verse of the first chapter it says:

 

The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass. (Revelation 1:1.)

 

John later recorded:

 

And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as a mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority. (Revelation 13:1-2.)

 

Who is this dragon that gave the beast “his power and his seat, and great authority”? And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world” (Revelation 12:9.) The dragon is the devil. Therefore, this beast is a servant of the devil, because it is from him that he (the beast) receives his “power and his seat, and great authority.” Again:

 

And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast. And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. And he opened his mouth in blasphemies against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. And it was given unto him to make war with the saints and to overcome nations. And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. (Revelation 13:3-8.)

 

The beast was to make war with the Saints and was to overcome them. He was to have power “over all kindreds, tongues, and nations.” This would seem to indicate that the apostacy was to be quite universal. All who dwell upon the earth were to worship the beast except those whose names were written in the Lamb’s book of life. That there were those who remained true to the faith during this war between the Saints and the beast is certain. But this does not discredit the idea that the apostacy was complete. While these individuals remained true, the time soon came when all of them passed away, either through persecution or by natural death. This not only left the beast in control of “All kindreds, tongues, and nations,” but also it left no individual upon the face of the earth who was recognized by God as having authority to carry on his work. (Melvin Westenskow, Treasures to Share: Dedicated to All Who are Seeking Religious Truth [Salt Lake City: The Deseret News Press, 1948], 11-12, emphasis added)