T F Once a spirit enters Outer Darkness, there will be no leaving there. [2] For a discussion of the New Testament words that translate hell, see The Oxford Companion to the Bible, ed. Hell is a place prepared for the devil and his angels, D&C 29:37-38. Mormons also believe that those on Earth with bodies can become a Son of Perdition, tho this is difficult to do. One must be on a high eminence to fall so low; and few in worlds history have attained such a height. I was taught that to be condemned to outer darkness you would have to deny Christ to his very face and that could occur . 25:30). . The use of the term exterior darkness is in Jesus' parable of the wedding feast (also known as the parable of the marriage of the king's son). The second death is a second separation from God, not because of Adams transgression (the first death) but because of ones own failure to repent of personal sin. He wrote. Even Nazi dictator Adolph Hitler will get nothing less than the telestial kingdom since he was never baptized/confirmed into the church; work was done in proxy for him in the London, England temple several decades ago. Banishment from all progress. Samuel also confirms the relationship John spoke of between the second death and the wicked being cast into fire, but he adds this explanatory clause: For they are cut off again as to things pertaining to righteousness.. The Sons of Perdition are those who have lived as mortal men and women on the earth, have had the heavens opened to them and received a certain knowledge that Jesus is the Christ, and then have rejected the Savior, "having denied the Only Begotten Son of the Father, having crucified him unto themselves and put him to an open shame" (Doctrine and Covenants 76:34-35; see also Doctrine and Covenants 76:3133, 3637). Banishment from the power of God. For many are called, but few are chosen." 6:8). I did cite sources spoken from the pulpit by a prophet. [3]. They must have had a fullness of knowledge; a testimony which cannot be destroyed. [1] The pains of hell can also be experienced in mortality (Jacob 3:11). In this realm, as the name implies, there will be no light, and consequently no heat. But Mormons do not believe that just because a Prophet said it, that it makes it true. This objection is inconsistent since Mormonism teaches that Lucifer's demon forces, which are clearly destined for "outer darkness," make up one-third of God's "children" (Bruce R. McConkie,Mormon Doctrine, p. 195). It must be emphasized that the witness described means that the person has had the heavens opened unto him and has personally seen, and even spoken with, the Savior, and then has turned against Him, bringing him to open shame. To become a son of perdition one must sin against the Holy Ghost, but before that is possible, one must receive the gift of the Holy Ghost (Doctrine and Covenants Student Manual Religion 324 and 325, 2001, p. 161). Clearly, when it comes to perdition and outer darkness, I can clearly not choose the wine in front of me, and anyone who speaks on the matter has a dizzying intellect. Each person must reap the harvest of the seeds sown in this life. John did not define the second death other than to make it synonymous with the lake of fire and brimstone that awaits the wicked. Jesus disciples were told not to fear those who could kill the body but to fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell (Matt. Everyone is already going to the terrestrial kingdom by default. But to pass it off as a belief of an entire Church, organization and people is wrong. One memorable night, he instructed us about the pains of hell. He asked us to imagine being stabbed and having that initial intense pain of the insertion of the knife last for twenty years. That ought to bring a sigh of relief to many who are reading this article! Outer darkness is a eternal place of torment reserved for those who are sons of perdition. According to LDS scripture, this will be a place that where there is weeping, and wailing, and gnashing of teeth (Doctrine and Covenants 101:91; also see 133:73). Following this introduction will be a discussion of the usage of these termsfirst in the New Testament, then in the Book of Mormon. Outer darkness is not a kingdom of glory. The city of Capernaum was upbraided for its lack of faith in view of the miracles Jesus performed there. 15:2830). Source: https://www.fairmormon.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/What_is_Mormon_Doctrine.pdf. Smith said this will be practically indescribable: The extent of this punishment none will ever know except those who partake of it. While Christianity affirms that many people who were created by God will perish in hell, Mormonism also espouses this . Temporary abode of the wicked. These pains are similar to the state of suffering experienced by the ungodly who after mortality are assigned to hell. FAIRMormon says on this page even: When any man, except the President of the Church, undertakes to proclaim one unsettled doctrine, as among two or more doctrines in dispute, as the settled doctrine of the Church, we may know that he is not moved upon by the Holy Ghost, unless he is acting under the direction and by the authority of the President. But wait! Jesus proclaimed to Peter that the gates of hell would not prevail against the rock upon which He would build the Church (Matt. The latter meaning is a place where the glory of God is completely absent, and is the place where Satan and his angels will reside. It is doubtful if even Judas, who betrayed Jesus, was sufficiently enlightened to become a son of perdition (Gospel Doctrine,p. 545). You have to be pretty bad to go to the Teresita's kingdom, and horrendous to go to outer darkness. Jesus declared that this exalted city would be brought down to hell (Matt. lift[ed] up his eyes and saw Abraham and Lazarus across an impassable gulf (Luke 16:23). And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire (Rev. But as with anything, that doesnt stop prophets from talking about it like they knew. They have said things much stranger and I am sure you know of them. 9:16; emphasis added). One fire certainly shall be the lot of both. [4]. So why dont we get outer darkness too? Okay so clearly we have billions of souls who qualify as perdition and go to outer darkness according to one prophet in his personal books and not officially speaking as a prophet. Is Jesus the Only Redeemer? The phrases depths of hell, awful hell, sleep of hell, pains of hell, chains of hell, everlasting hell, and endless hell are all unique to the Book of Mormon. See Michael Hicks, Joseph Smith, W.W. Phelps, and the Poetic Paraphrase of The Vision, Journal of Mormon History 20 (Fall 1994) 2: 63-84 for discussion of authorship of this poem.). Latter-day Saints understand hell to be a literal place and/or stateeither the temporary hell in the spirit world where the unjust suffer in a state of torment until they are resurrected to a telestial glory (D&C 76:8185, 98112), or the permanent hell where the wicked (the sons of perdition) continue to suffer eternally after the resurrection (D&C 76:37, 4548). That there will also be daughters of Perdition there is no doubt in the minds of the brethren. For example, John saw the judgment in vision and wrote that death and hell delivered up the dead . The term second death refers to spiritual death or separation from God. 16:811)meaning to be left with those who would partake of that permanent hell reserved only for those who, as Jacob stated, are filthy still.. . King Benjamin also taught that the fiery suffering was a state of misery one encounters when viewing ones sinfulness: They shall be judged, every man according to his works, whether they be good, or whether they be evil. While John could be referring to the sons of perdition in this passage, the specific sins he identified are characteristic of those who will suffer in hell but, after experiencing their part in the lake of fire, will be released from their torment and be resurrected to a telestial glory (see D&C 76:10312). Clearly you dont know what is and is not doctrine, and are trying to throw shade. Twelfth President Spencer W. Kimball wrote. Outer darkness is something which cannot be described, except that we know that it is to be placed beyond the benign and comforting influence of the Spirit of God banished entirely from his presence (Ibid.). Sons of perdition include (1) those who followed Satan and were cast out of heaven for rebellion during premortality and (2) those who were permitted to be born to this world with physical bodies but then served Satan and turned utterly against God. The ex-mortal sons of perdition will be resurrected, as will everyone else; but they will finally suffer the second death, the spiritual death, for they are cut off again as to things pertaining to righteousness. (Hel. However, based on the teaching of church leaders, I believe it is utterly impossible for any mortal to become this despised son of perdition. It honors and glorifies Satan. to become a son of perdition? 11:3940; 18:13), pains of hell (Jacob 3:1112; Alma 14:6; 26:13; 36:13), chains of hell (Alma 5:7, 910; 12:11; 13:30; 26:14), child of hell (Alma 11:23; 54:11), powers of hell (Alma 48:17), everlasting hell (Hel. the man was silent (Matt 22:12); therefore, the king said: "Bind him hand and foot, and cast him into the exterior darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Over the 30 years in Christian ministry, I have met many former Mormons who once believed in Mormonism, but none has ever confessed that they still believe Mormonism to be true. 20:1314). 67, LDS Church Archives. However, sons of perdition cannot achieve forgiveness and will be completely cast outside of the light of God. Making the LDS Church Slightly Better: A Members Wish List, You continue to fight against the true church, Those spirits who rebelled against God in the preexistence are the original sons of perdition. However, I think the breakdown I have above is accurate because outer darkest is a place of permanence for the filthy. Yes, they were said by Prophets of their church. So I thought Id get it all out there in one simple post. (Matt. In this context, outer darkness is the spirit prison, or that part of the spirit world that the wicked inhabit prior to their resurrection. Your email address will not be published. Generally, the outer darkness is thought to be hell; however, many Christians associate the outer darkness more generally as a place of separation from God or from the metaphorical "wedding banquet" that Jesus is expected to have upon his Second Coming. It occurs in a doctrinal discussion Alma conducted with his son Corianton. Outer darkness is something which cannot be described, except that it is to be placed beyond the benign and comforting influence of the Spirit of Godbanished entirely from his presence. But suppose, deep down, I do believe the church is true. Please read, the source above, What is Official LDS Doctrine. St. Augustine wrote: Hell, which also is called a lake of fire and brimstone, will be material fire, and will torment the bodies of the damned, whether men or devilsthe solid bodies of the one, aerial bodies of the others; or if only men have bodies as well as souls, yet the evil spirits, though without bodies, shall be so connected with the bodily fires as to receive pain without imparting life. This extreme punishment will not be given to any but the sons of perdition ( Doctrines of Salvation 2:220 ). All missionaries are doing is trying to upgrade people to a premium plan of ruling over planets and polygamy. kingdoms of glory. The wicked, or in this particular context, the sons of perdition who are filthy still after judgment and resurrection, are assigned to everlasting punishment (see 2 Ne. In revealing Satans tactics, Nephi wrote: And behold, others he flattereth away, and telleth them there is no hell; and he saith unto them: I am no devil, for there is noneand thus he whispereth in their ears, until he grasps them with his awful chains, from whence there is no deliverance. Doctrine and Covenants / Pearl of Great Price, Mormon Objections to Christian Evangelism, Teachings of the Presidents of the Church, Divine Love in the Fathers Plan (Dallin H. Oaks, April 2022). 20:6). No exact details are given. Horror Short Film "Outer Darkness" | ALTER | Online Premiere 31,262 views Mar 31, 2022 Subscribe to ALTER on YouTube: https://goo.gl/LnXRC3 .more .more 1K Dislike Share Save Description. Those in this second group will be resurrected from the dead but will not be redeemed from the second (spiritual) death and cannot dwell in a kingdom of glory (D&C 88:32, 35). The Book of Mormon text confirms the truth of New Testament teachings on hell, second death, lake of fire and brimstone, and outer darkness. Banishment from the presence of God. He once said that a person. Clean and Unclean (2) We believe in allowing our candles to burn for a maximum of four hours at a time. To the Church in Smyrna the Apostle John wrote: He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death (Rev. At the end of the twenty years, the knife would be withdrawn and again stabbed into us, with the resulting excruciating pain lasting another twenty years; this process would then be repeated for all eternity. A church manual reports, To become a son of perdition one must sin against the Holy Ghost, but before that is possible, one must receive the gift of the Holy Ghost (Doctrine and Covenants Student Manual Religion 324 and 325, 2001, p. 161). The word hell is mentioned twenty-three times in the New Testament: fifteen times in the Gospels, twice in the book of Acts, once each in James and 2 Peter, and four times in the book of Revelation. Women or not. What do Mormons believe happened in the pre-existence? Johns announcement of death and hell releasing their dead for judgment is augmented by the Book of Mormon prophet Jacob, who taught the same doctrine but provided significantly more detail. You not only need to have been a Mormon, but you have to have full knowledge that this is the restored church of God and still fought against it. Another manual states, Baptism is the first saving ordinance of the gospel (see Articles of Faith 1:4). The first three are referred to as the three degrees of glory, often compared to the sun, the moon, and the stars ( D&C 76:70, 78, 98 ). 2. Meanwhile, I have known many who could be considered fighters against the church, including those who became involved in what could be considered anti-Mormon activities. Mormons believe we existed before coming to Earth. Tenth President Joseph Fielding Smitha general authority who spoke more about this issue than any other leaderstated. Because reasons. (Elder Bruce R. McConkie Mormon Doctrine Lecture, #2, Brigham Young University, 1967.). In Christianity, it is understood that anyone who denies the holy spirit goes to outer darkness, but they see it as a synonym for Hell. It is, therefore, important to examine carefully the context of each reference. Ellipsis mine). There was a movement a few years ago to have people deny the holy spirit on Youtube, where many a youtuber claimed they would now go to Outer Darkness. Thirty-three times it stands alone, without modifiers or explanation of what it means, as in And thus we see the end of him who perverteth the ways of the Lord; and thus we see that the devil will not support his children at the last day, but doth speedily drag them down to hell (Alma 30:60). They did what they did with their eyes open, and were in rebellion against God. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Son_of_perdition_(Mormonism). 12:16), hell which hath no end (1 Ne. Who will partake of it, and what is the nature of the eternal torment? This is not an easy thing to do unless you are choosing to do so while being fully aware that you are doing so. The celestial, terrestrial, and telestial are kingdoms of glory. The second death is spiritual and is separation from God. Then, I say unto you, they shall be as though there had been no redemption made; for they cannot be redeemed according to Gods justice; and they cannot die, seeing there is no more corruption (Alma 12:13,1618). The third use occurs in the parable of the talents: "And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth" (Matthew 25:30). Delving into the interesting bits about any religion to stem from Joseph Smith Jr. Joseph F. Smith,The Second Death,inBrian H. Stuy (editor). J. Reuben Clark, Jr., Church Leaders and the Scriptures, [original title When Are the Writings or Sermons of Church Leaders Entitled to the Claim of Scripture?] Immortality and Eternal Life: Reflections from the Writings and Messages of President J. Reuben Clark, Jr., Vol, 2, (1969-70): 221; address to Seminary and Institute Teachers, BYU (7 July 1954); reproduced in Church News (31 July 1954); also reprinted in Dialogue 12/2 (Summer 1979): 6881. The Book of Mormon speaks of only two groups who inhabit the postmortal spirit world: the righteous, who exist in a state of happiness called paradise; and the wicked, who are consigned to outer darknessthe wicked being those who have been captivated by the devil and who will be resurrected to an endless hell. Sons of Perdition are to be cast out with the devil and his angels into outer darkness. 5:30). outer darkness. Outer darkness is something which cannot be described, except that we know that it is to be placed beyond the benign and comforting influence of the Spirit of God-banished entirely from his presence. So I found one, by Joseph F. Smith, Thus we see that the first death which came into the world is also the last death which shall be pronounced upon the sons of perdition. Jesus warned that those who mocked their brothers by saying Thou fool were in danger of hell fire (Matt. For those born in this life, the person must be a former member who knew Mormonism was true but still rebelled and went against the truth while still knowing it was true. Just one sin. Meanwhile, sixth President Joseph F. Smith, also taught that a full knowledge of the truth is necessary, adding that not even Judas Iscariotthe betrayer of Jesuswill be destined for Outer Darkness: It is probable that only personages who have acquired similar full knowledge, who willfully and deliberately deny the truth, when they know it to be the truth, can commit the unpardonable sin and become sons of perdition. (The Miracle of Forgiveness, p. 125). He was not ignorant, and therefore he became perdition, and they who followed him were sons of perdition, because he and they sinned knowingly. 5. 12:22; Morm. The Nephites became so wicked, that contemplating murder was a source of happiness. Mormons believe that there Prophets are fallible and in no way perfect. They are sons of perdition because, Having denied the Holy Spirit after having received it, and having denied the Only Begotten Son of the Father, having crucified him unto themselves and put him to open shame (D. & C. 76:35). But Mormons do not believe that just because a Prophet said it, that it makes it true. This is a place very close in nature to the biblical hell. Only a handful of "sons of perdition" would go. In short, Outer Darkness is eternal torture. Satan and his followers are beings of spirit who were denied bodies and cast out of heaven during pre-mortal existence (see Plan of Salvation). But behold, the resurrection of Christ redeemeth mankind, yea, even all mankind, and bringeth them back into the presence of the Lord. . There are two categories for those who should be considered sons of perdition. T F It is practically impossible for those who were human to ever be sent to Outer Darkness. Which means that really, no one knows anything about this. If Lucifer had not known the effects of his rebellion, how would he ever become perdition? . 9:16) after the final judgment. No Mormon since the 1890 change has had the authority to marry any man to more than one woman. What qualifies a person to be a Son of Perdition? For many years, those who have forfeited their membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints may have been told by other Mormons that they were Sons of Perdition destined for Outer Darkness. It doesnt matter because I never joined. They will live in eternal darkness, torment, and misery with Satan and his angels forever. (Joseph F. Smith,The Second Death,inBrian H. Stuy (editor), Collected Discourses: Delivered by Wilford Woodruff, his two counselors, the twelve apostles, and others, 18681898, 5 vols., (Woodland Hills, Utah: B.H.S. The LDS version of the King James Bible and the Book of Mormon help us to understand that the word black is actually a Hebrew idiom, meaning gloomy, dejected, or spiritual darkness, and has nothing to do with skin tone. It is the closest Mormon analogy to the concept of hell in most other Christian traditions. Bold and italics in original). Then is the time when their torments shall be as a lake of fire and brimstone, whose flame ascendeth up forever and ever; and then is the time that they shall be chained down to an everlasting destruction, according to the power and captivity of Satan, he having subjected them according to his will. Serve Satan. Also, Mormons believe in three Heavens. Though we have this clarity in the scriptures that we carry with us daily, few members are aware that this insight is there." Outer darkness is a place reserved for the Devil, his angels, and the sons of perdition. It is an eternal destination, a place where very few (if any) human beings will ever be sent. Even if a person had once been a Latter-day Saint, Kimball said it still was practically impossible for a human to become a son of perdition: The sin against the Holy Ghost requires such knowledge that it is manifestly impossible for the rank and file to commit such a sin (Miracle of Forgiveness, p. 123) (Doctrine and Covenants Student Manual Religion 324 and 325, p. 161).