The views expressed . As used in the New Testament, hell is an English word which is translated from two Greek words: hades (used ten times) and geenna (twelve times). Brigham Young University But unofficial prophets speaking at BYU or in their own books say no, except Brigham in the Journal of Discourses which is unofficial. Gregory A. Boyd, Paul R. Eddy Across the Spectrum: Understanding Issues in Evangelical Theology pp285 2009 "For example, how can hell be a place of outer darkness (Matt. 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. The phrase first occurs in Jesus' comment concerning the faith of the Centurion of Capernaum: And I say to thee that many shall come from the east and the west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven: But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into the exterior darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. has got to say that the sun does not shine while he sees it; he has got to deny Jesus Christ when the heavens have been opened unto him, and to deny the plan of salvation with his eyes open to the truth of it (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 358). 16:18). . 22:13) if it is also a place of perpetual fire (Matt. Hell is a place prepared for the devil and his angels, D&C 29:37-38. 20:6). 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. Joseph restated that anyone who apostatized from the church was a son of perdition in a poem for W.W. Phelps, Sons of Perdition as those who are ever lost, and can never return to the presence of God, the poem declared that such is the torment apostates receive. (Joseph Smith, The Answer to W.W. Phelps, Esq. Source: https://www.lds.org/scriptures/gs/sons-of-perdition. Banishment from all progress. 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). lift[ed] up his eyes and saw Abraham and Lazarus across an impassable gulf (Luke 16:23). No exact details are given. Bruce M. Metzger and Michael D. Coogan (New York: Oxford University Press, 1993), s.v. 67, LDS Church Archives. That Satan rebelled against Christ and God the Father and was cast out with all of Satans followers and will not receive a body. Although this is an obvious scare tactic, this accusation is not true according to important LDS leaders. They go too far, and the Spirit leaves themYou cant renew them to repentancyou cannot save them. (Joseph Smith Jr., King Follett Discourse). This website is not owned by or affiliated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (sometimes called the Mormon or LDS Church). 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). In the D&C, the definition of those who go to Outer Darkness is stated as: the end thereof, neither the place thereof, nor their torment, no man knows; Neither was it revealed, neither is, neither will be revealed unto man, except to them who are made partakers thereof;Nevertheless, I, the Lord, show it by vision unto many, but straightway shut it up again; Wherefore, the end, the width, the height, the depth, and the misery thereof, they understand not, neither any man except those who are ordained unto this condemnation (D&C 76:45-48). Thus, many would say I fight against the church. In the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, the tormented rich man in hell . Outer Darkness. Jesus proclaimed to Peter that the gates of hell would not prevail against the rock upon which He would build the Church (Matt. 20:14), or the outer darkness (Matt. In Mormonism, Outer darkness is described as "those who are unfaithful, those who will listen to Satan, who will lend a willing ear to his blandishments and to his allurements, when they go from this state of existence, they go into a condition where they are subject to his power. ). Whats interesting is that there are many former Mormons who still believe Jesus Christ was the Son of God and have a testimony of the Spirit of the Lord. However, their faith no longer is in the Jesus of Mormonism but the Jesus of the Bible. Okay, so Cain, we have one guaranteed person according to no citation whatsoever. Comparison Chart - Mormonism and Christianity - Apologetics A person would have to be very wicked to know the church was true yet still fight against it! But to pass it off as a belief of an entire Church, organization and people is wrong. 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. What is the Mormon plan of salvation? Outer Darkness, I always heard, was reserved for a handful of suckers like Cain and Judas who saw God and/or Jesus and were still rebellious. Source: https://www.fairmormon.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/What_is_Mormon_Doctrine.pdf. Smith described these spirits who were the first to display rebellious ways: Lucifer became perdition by rebellion. This extreme punishment will not be given to any but the sons of perdition. Jacob taught that the lake of fire is not a literal fire but a figurative representation of torment: And assuredly, as the Lord liveth, for the Lord God hath spoken it, and it is his eternal word, which cannot pass away, that they who are righteous shall be righteous still, and they who are filthy shall be filthy still; wherefore, they who are filthy are the devil and his angels; and they shall go away into everlasting fire, prepared for them; and their torment is as a lake of fire and brimstone, whose flame ascendeth up forever and ever and has no end (2 Ne. Which means that really, no one knows anything about this. https://www.mormonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Outer_Darkness&oldid=27067. 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.). 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. And if they be evil they are consigned to an awful view of their own guilt and abominations, which doth cause them to shrink from the presence of the Lord into a state of misery and endless torment, from whence they can no more return; therefore they have drunk damnation to their own souls. 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. In my last post, I claimed that I might be a candidate for outer darkness. To add an RSC website shortcut to your home screen, open the website in the Safari browser. With the sons of perdition, however, even this blessing is denied. The sinner must deal with the self-created gulf on his own, with the help of the Savior and his Atonement. Those who have never received the light are not to become Sons of Perdition. In Christianity, the "exterior darkness" or outer darkness is a place referred to three times in the Gospel of Matthew (8:12, 22:13, and 25:30) into which a person may be "cast out", and where there is "weeping and gnashing of teeth". Another name for Outer Darkness is hell. Therefore repent ye, repent ye, lest by knowing these things and not doing them ye shall suffer yourselves to come under condemnation, and ye are brought down unto this second death (Hel. It is impossible for those who never joined Mormonism to become sons of perdition. Outer Darkness - The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints In the Book of Mormon the phrase lake of fire and brimstone is used as a metaphor for the suffering that awaits the wicked. Joseph Fielding Smith and Bruce R. McConkie have rejected the idea that those in perdition can ultimately be redeemed, which contradicts Brighams speculations. [4] Augustine, The City of God, trans. To qualify, a person would not only have to leave the Mormon church but also vehemently speak against it. Therefore, they have drunk out of the cup of the wrath of God, which justice could no more deny unto them than it could deny that Adam should fall because of his partaking of the forbidden fruit; therefore, mercy could have claim on them no more forever. And as such I would qualify. 1:13), gates of hell (2 Ne. However, sons of perdition cannot achieve forgiveness and will be completely cast outside of the light of God. 14:34), awful hell (1 Ne. True, some former Mormons have expressed doubts and wondered if the church might possibly be true, which is a completely natural response after having left the one true church. If they decided they made a mistake because they still believed the church were true, they would be more apt to rejoin it rather than stay excommunicated and fight against it. What is it? On the day of Pentecost, the apostle Peter spoke of the promise David had received that his soul would not be left in hell (Acts 2:27). Therefore the Lord used Satans evil acts to accomplish his own purposes. We found these portrayals to be highly inaccurate. Alma the Younger contributed even more insight on the second death when he gave the wicked people of Ammonihah a detailed description of the fate of those who harden their hearts against the word of God: Then if our hearts have been hardened, yea, if we have hardened our hearts against the word, insomuch that it has not been found in us, then will our state be awful, for then we shall be condemned. So apostates from the church are clearly included in this list. 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 Prophet Joseph Smith would not countenance the teaching of this doctrine, and sanctioned the decision of the bishop that any who taught it should be barred from communion (The Miracle of Forgiveness, p. 125). 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. The Book of Mormon also teaches that by coming unto Christ, one can escape the pains of hell experienced in this life. You dont believe it is true, which is the reason why you left. Does this description of God make it sound as if he is just (at least according to an LDS context)? A representation of the tree degrees of glory and outer darkness. Source. Are the devils before the world created sons of perdition? How we misinterpret "black" and "curse" in the scriptures: Insights How many people. 20:1315). So, in the Mormon view, none of these so-called polygamist marriages are valid, religiously or legally. 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). Dennis L. Largey was an associate professor of ancient scripture at Brigham Young University when this was published. Because reasons. Just one rebellion. Yea, behold, this death bringeth to pass the resurrection, and redeemeth all mankind from the first deaththat spiritual death; for all mankind, by the fall of Adam being cut off from the presence of the Lord, are considered as dead, both as to things temporal and to things spiritual. Your generous support makes the work of MRM possible. And since we know that prophets speaking define it, this is the definition we should use. Woman must atone for sins committed by the volition of her own choice, but she will never become an angel to the devil, and sin so far as to place herself beyond the reach of mercy. Brigham Young Discourse delivered October 8, 1861, pp. (You are not one of those spirits since you have a mortal body.). 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. Outer Darkness - Mormonism, The Mormon Church, Beliefs, & Religion 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). Those mortals who did join the LDS Church in this lifetime must fit the following criteria to be classified as a son of perdition, with a destiny to outer darkness. Many of the apostates of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. New Testament [ edit] [1], Other views include those of Zane C. Hodges who controversially suggested that it represents a place for those who make it to heaven based on their faith, but have failed to perform good works during their time on the earth.[2]. I wonder if the language is tripping people up here. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. (Selections of Doctrines of Salvation, p. 462. This is full on rejection of God. The Plan of Salvation kind of negates the reason for missionary work. Spirit world (Latter Day Saints) - Wikipedia In each of the New Testament references to outer darkness, Christ declared the punishment that awaits faithless and wicked people. Doctrine and Covenants / Pearl of Great Price, Mormon Objections to Christian Evangelism, Teachings of the Presidents of the Church. Hell is a state of suffering, both temporary and permanent. Do "apostates" go to outer darkness or telestial kingdom? Is outer darkness reserved for apostate LDS? - Ask Gramps Your email address will not be published. Who goes to Outer Darkness, a handy guide - Exploring Mormonism They place themselves beyond the power of repentance and beyond the mercies of God. Christ brings to pass the resurrection of all menThe righteous dead go to paradise and the wicked to outer darkness to await the day of their resurrectionAll things will be restored to their proper and perfect frame in the Resurrection.