He cried: O Jesus, thou Son of God, have mercy on me, who am in the gall of bitterness, and am encircled about by the everlasting chains of death. This desperate cry for forgiveness through Christ brought deliverance from the pains of hell Alma had experienced because of his sins (Alma 36:1620). Alma 40. . [2] For a discussion of the New Testament words that translate hell, see The Oxford Companion to the Bible, ed. Clearly fire is used as a metaphor for sufferingnot a literal fire but a state of misery. WOMEN ARE BEAUTIFUL ANGELS WHO ARE INCAPABLE OF SINNING. The Book of Mormon contains six references to the second death: one reference by Jacob (Jacob 3:11), three by Alma (Alma 12:16, 32; 13:30), and two by Samuel the Lamanite (Hel. Also, the whole thing about Daughters of Perdition. Even the regular Wikipedia seems confused: Sons of Perdition are: The pre-mortal spirit followers of Satan. 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). Yea, and it bringeth to pass the condition of repentance, that whosoever repenteth the same is not hewn down and cast into the fire; but whosoever repenteth not is hewn down and cast into the fire; and there cometh upon them again a spiritual death, yea, a second death, for they are cut off again as to things pertaining to righteousness. Crash Course Mormonism: Outer Darkness - Mormonism Research Ministry The second death is spiritual and is separation from God. How many people. This analysis will first briefly review what we know from the teachings of the Restoration about hell, second death, the lake of fire and brimstone, and outer darkness. Joseph Fielding Smith and Bruce R. McConkie have rejected the idea that those in perdition can ultimately be redeemed, which contradicts Brighams speculations. 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. 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. He had a sure witness of the Lord and willfully chose to follow Satan instead. For behold, he surely must die that salvation may come; yea, it behooveth him and becometh expedient that he dieth, to bring to pass the resurrection of the dead, that thereby men may be brought into the presence of the Lord. 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. Banishment from the joys of heaven. But behold, the resurrection of Christ redeemeth mankind, yea, even all mankind, and bringeth them back into the presence of the Lord. Thus, by the definition given by the leaders cited above, these people cannot be considered sons of perdition. 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. 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. This is the second death. Divine Love in the Fathers Plan (Dallin H. Oaks, April 2022). One of these guests, however, appeared without the proper wedding attire. In this state of torment Alma remembered his fathers teachings about Jesus Christ and his redemptive mission. 15:2830). They will live in eternal darkness, torment, and misery with Satan and his angels forever. 23:15). In addition, Alma defined the second death as dying as to things pertaining unto righteousness. These individuals are chained down to an everlasting destruction and are subject to the will of Satan. So there you go, the souls who end up in Outer Darkness are clearly apostates, or not. Thank you! Brigham Young University 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. (Selections of Doctrines of Salvation, p. 462. 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. ABCs of Science and Mormonism now available in Print from Amazon! 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). Outer Darkness Definition - Mormonism Research Ministry Followers 0. And I said unto them that it was a representation of that awful hell, which the angel said unto me was prepared for the wicked. 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. To the Church in Smyrna the Apostle John wrote: He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death (Rev. 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). By taking 2 Nephi 2:25 to its logical conclusion, we learn that Satan also fell that men might be, and that they might have joy! But Mormons do not believe that just because a Prophet said it, that it makes it true. Twelfth President Spencer W. Kimball wrote. 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. Hell is a state of suffering, both temporary and permanent. Smith described these spirits who were the first to display rebellious ways: Lucifer became perdition by rebellion. Who will partake of it, and what is the nature of the eternal torment? The Bible teaches that there is a devil and a hell, but the place of hell in the plan of salvation is taught best by the Book of Mormon. If you want to make the point that Mormon Prophets have said some weird stuff, I am all for it. The Plan of Salvation kind of negates the reason for missionary work. At the same time, prophets and apostles have taught that you can be sent to outer darkness for simply disbelieving or for apostasy or for being a part of a religion that doesn't have apostles. When the king asked, "Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment?" So, in conclusion, I would have a hard time believing that you or billions of souls as you put will qualify for perdition even while taking Mormon beliefs into account. If Lucifer had not known the effects of his rebellion, how would he ever become perdition? That it is the most severe punishment that can be meted out to man is apparent. Yet I an certainly exempt from outer darkness, no questions asked. But Mormons do not believe that just because a Prophet said it, that it makes it true. 1. This extreme punishment will not be given to any but the sons of perdition. Another manual states, Baptism is the first saving ordinance of the gospel (see Articles of Faith 1:4). Banishment from the glory of God. What is the Book of Mormons contribution to our understanding of the New Testaments teachings concerning hell, or that lake of fire John calls the second death (Rev. Outer darkness - MormonWiki.org Outer darkness - Wikipedia Possibly but there is no citation there either. After inspecting the intruder, the king instructed his servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matt. Your generous support makes the work of MRM possible. 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. Polygamy with tons more men than women sounds ill-thought out. Clearly you dont know what is and is not doctrine, and are trying to throw shade. (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.). Though we have this clarity in the scriptures that we carry with us daily, few members are aware that this insight is there." How unfair is this scenario? Dennis L. Largey was an associate professor of ancient scripture at Brigham Young University when this was published. Thus the Book of Mormon does seem to contain a reference to the degrees of glory and outer darkness. 2. Conclusion The Book of Mormon text confirms the truth of New Testament teachings on hell, second death, lake of fire and brimstone, and outer darkness. 18:8)? Those mortals who never join the LDS Church (through baptism) cannot become sons of perdition. That it is the most severe punishment that can be meted out to man is apparent. They go too far, and the Spirit leaves themYou cant renew them to repentancyou cannot save them. (Joseph Smith Jr., King Follett Discourse). 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. The "authority" to marry a man to one wife is not the same as the "authority" to marry a man to more than one wife. For example, John saw the judgment in vision and wrote that death and hell delivered up the dead . So only a prophet can put the matter to rest well, thats nice that Brigham said there were no women, Joseph F. said there were no women, but Wilford Woodruff said there was no debate and there must be women. So apostates from the church are clearly included in this list. Often in the scriptures it is difficult to discern which helltemporary or permanentis being spoken of, since many references to hell in the scriptures are used in a nonspecific manner to simply designate a place or state of suffering for the wicked. Some Christians have believed the lake of fire John spoke of to be a literal lake. Requirements for Outer Darkness : r/exmormon - reddit.com Doctrine and Covenants / Pearl of Great Price, Mormon Objections to Christian Evangelism, Teachings of the Presidents of the Church. While some apparently have taught that these spirits could be restored to a kingdom of glory, 12th President Spencer W. Kimball said this wasnt true: In the days of the restoration there apparently were those who taught that the devil and his angels and the sons of perdition should sometime be restored. After the millennium, after the last great battle between the forces of God and the forces of Satan, Satan and his followers will be cast into Outer Darkness. Hell is a place prepared for the devil and his angels, D&C 29:37-38. As soon as you define doctrine in a way that includes wikipedia, get back to me. Can someone get out of this state of Perdition once they are in it? One fire certainly shall be the lot of both. [4]. (Matt. 9:1012, 1516). Therefore the Lord used Satans evil acts to accomplish his own purposes. Yet what kind of devious person would it be who knew full well that Mormonism was trueincluding the historicity of theBook of Mormon,the authenticity of the restored churchs leadership that began withJoseph Smith,and the accuracy of theFirst Visioneventand then fight against these truths? Temporary abode of the wicked. He wrote. Matt. Brigham Young University Professor Larry E. Dahl reported: The word hell appears sixty-two times in the text of the Book of Mormon. Because of the resurrection, the body and spirit of the wicked are restoredthe body from the grave and the spirit from hell to be judged. 2:8-10) Jesus' atonement provided immortality for all people. 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). 21:8; see also 19:20). 34:3435; note Almas repetitive use of the word state in Alma 40:1112; see also D&C 101:9091; 133:7073). Only a handful of "sons of perdition" would go. You are taking quotes that are not Mormon Doctrine. Just one sin. (2) We believe in allowing our candles to burn for a maximum of four hours at a time. These pains are similar to the state of suffering experienced by the ungodly who after mortality are assigned to hell. 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. Serve Satan. But what is light? 6:28), hell fire (3 Ne. In the Book of Mormon the phrase lake of fire and brimstone is used as a metaphor for the suffering that awaits the wicked. Is outer darkness reserved for apostate LDS? - Ask Gramps The Book of Mormon teaches that only through the Atonement of Christ can one escape the damnation of hell. Jacob testified that without the infinite atonement all mankind would be forever subject to the awful monster, death and hell, and thus would become like the devil and his angels (2 Ne. Chapter 40. And remember you can be excommunicated for asking church leaders to give solid answers so trust the apologists who say to only trust the prophets on matters like this. This is the choice of an individual to reject God. 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. So, in the Mormon view, none of these so-called polygamist marriages are valid, religiously or legally. . 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. Just one rebellion. So the prophet, meeting with apostles is clear on this, there are women. Twenty-nine times the word hell is used with descriptive modifiers, for example, depths of hell (1 Ne. This is not an easy thing to do unless you are choosing to do so while being fully aware that you are doing so. Cain is a Son of Perdition. (Conference Reports, October 1958, p. 21. This page was last edited on 17 September 2010, at 20:26. How we misinterpret "black" and "curse" in the scriptures: Insights He called the Pharisees and scribes vipers and questioned, How can ye escape the damnation of hell? (Matt. Circumcision. Are the devils before the world created sons of perdition? Thank you! This is in contrast to the VAST MAJORITY OF PEOPLE, who will receive a kingdom of glory after the Final Judgment, and enter into one of three degrees of glory after the resurrection: celestial, terrestrial, or telestial kingdoms. Why practically nobody-including you, former Mormon-will ever end up in Articles 1 - 7 will help your candle last longer and perform its best. 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. https://www.fairmormon.org/answers/Plan_of_salvation/Sons_of_Perdition/Can_women_be_%22Sons_of_Perdition%22. First, it is another name for spirit prison, a temporary place in the postmortal world for those who died without a knowledge of the truth or those who were disobedient in mortality. This extreme punishment will not be given to any but the sons of perdition (Doctrines of Salvation 2:220). Horror Short Film "Outer Darkness" | ALTER | Online Premiere 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. 9:4. According to tenth President Joseph Fielding Smith. lucifer. When the lights were out and we were on the verge of sleep, our camp counselor took advantage of the moment and endeavored to imprint his teachings upon the minds of his captive audience. The first death is physical death, and everyone but the devil and his angels will overcome physical death through Resurrection. In Peters second general epistle to the Church, he taught concerning the angels who had sinned, saying that God cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness (2 Pet. While this is true, please define Mormon Doctrine before saying I did not quote Mormon Doctrine. Hence, the term outer darkness. Usually, when one is going to hell, the unspoken caveat is unless they repent. 10:28). 67, LDS Church Archives. (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1966), 758. 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. When I bring this issue up with some Latter-day Saints, I sometimes get defensive arguments. But suppose, deep down, I do believe the church is true. https://www.mormonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Outer_Darkness&oldid=27067. Into the telestial kingdom will go, according to that which is written here in this revelation, the vicious, the unclean, the ungodly (Conference Reports, April 1942, p. 27). For example: everlasting fire (Matt. outer darkness - LDS Thought This is a Son of perdition. With the sons of perdition, however, even this blessing is denied. This is the final destination of Satan himself. No exact details are given. The celestial, terrestrial, and telestial are kingdoms of glory. It is the closest Mormon analogy to the concept of hell in most other Christian traditions. Becoming a son of Perdition is hard therefore going to outer darkness is hard. While Christianity affirms that many people who were created by God will perish in hell, Mormonism also espouses this . . Delving into the interesting bits about any religion to stem from Joseph Smith Jr. Joseph F. Smith,The Second Death,inBrian H. Stuy (editor). 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. King Benjamin and Alma also use the word as to preface their reference to a lake of fire and brimstone (see Mosiah 3:27; Alma 12:17). 1:18). Nephis words can thus be applied to Jesus parable: the reason the rich man could not cross the great gulf to Abrahams bosom, or the reason the wicked could not join the Saints of God at the tree of life, is because the justice of God does not permit it. (See Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, comp. 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 . About 74 B.C. what about that 1/3 the host of heaven who didnt follow Gods plan Joseph F. Smith was so sure qualify as Sons of Perdition were NONE of them women? The terms spiritual death or second death, lake of fire and brimstone, and outer darkness are all synonymous with hell, and all are descriptive of both the temporary and the permanent hell. The apostle John saw the final judgment and wrote of the destiny of the wicked: And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. The opposition gospel twists the title of Adversary into a positive thing. Alma 40 - The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Outer Darkness - The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints In the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, the tormented rich man in hell . So, if you are directly listing to Satan, like Cain, and actively turning away from God, like Cain, then you can become a Son of Perdition. 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. Please note that FAIRMormon states it is not doctrine on the website. 9:710, 19, 26). 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. Outer Darkness - Mormonism, The Mormon Church, Beliefs, & Religion 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. 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. The Seeker: 'Big Love' in big trouble with Mormons - Chicago Tribune Banishment into outer darkness. ", Learn how and when to remove this template message, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Outer_darkness&oldid=1136269337, This page was last edited on 29 January 2023, at 15:14. We will, however, address some of the portrayals of other LDS beliefs and practices that were depicted in this episode. What is it? Also God says no one knows in scripture, so stop asking; but He also said in scripture that He upbraideth not those who have questions and if you ask it shall be opened unto you. 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. Your generous support makes the work of MRM possible. There are three references to outer darkness in the New Testament, all contained in the Gospel of Matthew. An in depth look at the Mormon doctrine of hell. Rev. Any person who inherits one of the . We probably do not want to know how horrible it is just like in this life, some things that are so horrible that happen (especially to children) wed rather not know about it, if possible. 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). Jesus warned that those who mocked their brothers by saying Thou fool were in danger of hell fire (Matt. One example would not be human since they were cast out of heaven with Satan before they could receive a body. and they were judged every man according to their works (Rev. 22:13). He stated that converts made by the Pharisees became twofold more the child of hell than their teachers (Matt. Outer Darkness. Here is one more thing to think about: I work full time with a Christian ministry aimed at converting Mormons. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. This isnt something like going out and breaking their rule of no drinking. And I said unto them that our father also saw that the justice of God did also divide the wicked from the righteous; and the brightness thereof was like unto the brightness of a flaming fire, which ascendeth up unto God forever and ever, and hath no end (1 Ne. 5:30). The Concept of Hell | Book of Mormon Central And since we know that prophets speaking define it, this is the definition we should use. Both Luther, who taught soul sleep till the resurrection of the dead, and Calvin, who taught the immortal soul, considered the "outer darkness" references in Matthew to refer to the last judgment. Johns references to the second death testify of its existence but do not offer any explanatory information that instructs those readers who do not already understand the doctrine. (Elder Bruce R. McConkie Mormon Doctrine Lecture, #2, Brigham Young University, 1967.). 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. They must have had a fullness of knowledge; a testimony which cannot be destroyed. kingdoms of glory. Also, Joseph confuses things further by combining words typically used with Hell to describe outer darkness: A sinner has his own mind and his own mind damns him. 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). 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. As explained in D&C 88:11-13: Finally, John saw that death and hell delivered up the dead to be judged according to their works, and death and hell were cast into [a] lake of fire (Rev. (p. 273). Jesus proclaimed to Peter that the gates of hell would not prevail against the rock upon which He would build the Church (Matt. (see Rom. (The Miracle of Forgiveness, p. 125). 5. 12:22; Morm. [2]. Many of the apostates of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Yea, Alma wrote, I did remember all my sins and iniquities, for which I was tormented with the pains of hell (Alma 36:13). The city of Capernaum was upbraided for its lack of faith in view of the miracles Jesus performed there. hell.. So get what they deserve. Yet how many sins and wrong choices has every humanincluding me and youmade? But wait! Those who must suffer with Satan for the deeds done in mortality will go with him into outer darkness. 67, LDS Church Archives. Who of the following is NOT eligible for Outer Darkness. Latter Day Saint beliefs on hell are connected with the movement's doctrines of the plan of salvation, the degrees of glory and the telestial kingdom. 4:32; 3 Ne. Second, it is the permanent location of Satan and his followers and the sons of perdition, who are not redeemed by the Atonement of Jesus Christ. The Book of Mormon text confirms the truth of New Testament teachings on hell, second death, lake of fire and brimstone, and outer darkness. 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. 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. In the Bible, the phrases lake of fire and lake of fire and brimstone, describing the fate of the wicked, are unique to the book of Revelation. Here, like John and Samuel, Alma equated the second death with the lake of fire and brimstone.