Sign 5 – Dark Ages

Year: 476

Scriptures:

Isaiah 60:2

2 For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.

1 Nephi 8:23

23 And it came to pass that there arose a mist of darkness; yea, even an exceedingly great mist of darkness, insomuch that they who had commenced in the path did lose their way, that they wandered off and were lost.

The dark ages was a period of about 1000 years beginning with the fall of the Roman Empire (The Roman Empire fell in 476 A.D., when Germanic tribes disposed of the last emperor of Rome) in 476 AD to the age of the Renaissance (Encyclopedia Britannica. The Renaissance began in Italy during the late 13th century and spread throughout Europe in the 15th century, ending finally in the 16th and early 17th century.) in about 1275 AD. During this time the apostasy was complete and the gospel, light and truth were not upon the earth. Progress came to a standstill and the world sank into ignorance and illiteracy. Darkness covered the earth and gross darkness the people.