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 . The kingdom that is not a kingdom of glory is called outer darkness. 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. 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. The Book of Mormon presents several significant insights concerning the lake of fire and brimstone of which John spoke. 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. Ray L. Huntington and Terry B. 3:12), the tares are gathered and burned in the fire (Matt. (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1966), 758. 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. 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. Matt. It also adds insight that, when blended with other essential doctrines, offers a more complete understanding of the plan of salvation. 5:22), burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire (Matt. 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. John did not define the second death other than to make it synonymous with the lake of fire and brimstone that awaits the wicked. lift[ed] up his eyes and saw Abraham and Lazarus across an impassable gulf (Luke 16:23). This extreme punishment will not be given to any but 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 who once were baptized and confirmed into Mormonism, what is your status? Even if I did, I still am not eligible for outer darkness. When I bring this issue up with some Latter-day Saints, I sometimes get defensive arguments. It is true that the only mortals who had once been members are eligible to become sons of perdition, a fact that may worry some former Mormons who wonder if they might be destined for outer darkness. It honors and glorifies Satan. I was taught that to be condemned to outer darkness you would have to deny Christ to his very face and that could occur . 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. In this context, outer darkness is the spirit prison, or that part of the spirit world that the wicked inhabit prior to their resurrection. 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. 2. 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). In short, Outer Darkness is eternal torture. ABCs of Science and Mormonism now available in Print from Amazon! Bad as they may suffer, and awful as their punishment may be, they are not among that group which is to suffer the eternal death and banishment from all influence concerning the power of God (Conference Reports, October 1958, 21). The apostle James taught that the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity . First of all, to become a son of perdition, you need to have been baptized into the church, then turned from the religion in order to fight against it, all the while knowing it is true. 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.). 67, LDS Church Archives. https://www.mormonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Outer_Darkness&oldid=27067. All missionaries are doing is trying to upgrade people to a premium plan of ruling over planets and polygamy. No exact details are given. This isnt something like going out and breaking their rule of no drinking. Smith taught: The sons of perdition are those who have had a knowledge of the truth, have known that Jesus Christ was the Son of God, have had the testimony of the Spirit of the Lord, the Holy Ghost, and these things have all been revealed so that they know they are true; and then they turn against them and fight them knowingly. 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. 9:16; emphasis added). The Book of Mormon also teaches that by coming unto Christ, one can escape the pains of hell experienced in this life. Your generous support makes the work of MRM possible. 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. 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 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. Is Jesus the Only Redeemer? To become a church member, baptism and confirmation are required. Everyone but the Sons of Perdition and the devil and his devils, will overcome spiritual death through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. D&C 133:73 says, These shall go away into outer darkness, where there is weeping, and wailing, and gnashing of teeth. Humans who never heard about Mormonism will not go there, as tenth President Joseph Fielding Smith said, That is a punishment that will not come to those who have never known the truth. That last part of the previous sentence is very important. Jesus also referred to outer darkness in two parables he gave during the last week of his life. 14:18.) 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. Mormons believe that only a Son of Perdition will go to Outer Darkness, their version of most Christian religions understanding of Hell. 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. Only a handful of "sons of perdition" would go. 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 ). Thank you! Divine Love in the Fathers Plan (Dallin H. Oaks, April 2022). and they were judged every man according to their works (Rev. As a young boy, I attended a two-week Christian camp. 2. 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 each of the New Testament references to outer darkness, Christ declared the punishment that awaits faithless and wicked people. 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. By EntropyJustKillUsNow, March 29, 2017 in Social Hall. 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. 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. Pingback: The Shunning Key by bwv549 - Mormon Bandwagon, A Son of Perdition is: Outer Darkness - Social Hall - Mormon Dialogue & Discussion Board. 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. From its beginnings, it taught that very few people would go to "outer darkness" the Mormon concept of hell. So the prophet, meeting with apostles is clear on this, there are women. For example: everlasting fire (Matt. 23:15). He is damned by mortification and is his own condemner and tormenter. This is a Son of perdition. 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. There are two categories for those who should be considered sons of perdition. 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. 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. 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. Dennis L. Largey, Hell Second Death, Lake of Fire and Brimstone, and Outer Darkness, inThe Book of Mormon and the Message of the Four Gospels, ed. Youll never regret it. One of these guests, however, appeared without the proper wedding attire. 3:20; 10:9- 10; Eph. Now go take a nap and rest well! 9:16), unquenchable fire (Mosiah 2:38), and hell fire (3 Ne. A lot of people wanted a source on that. Source: https://www.fairmormon.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/What_is_Mormon_Doctrine.pdf. 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.). 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). 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. 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. Which would be a sure-fire way to know that a spirit is headed to Outer Darkness? But Mormons do not believe that just because a Prophet said it, that it makes it true. The sons of perdition are those who have had a knowledge of the truth, have known that Jesus Christ was the Son of God, have had the testimony of the Spirit of the Lord, the Holy Ghost, and these things have all been revealed so that they know they are true; and then they turn against them and fight them knowingly (Conference Reports, April 1942, p. 27. In this parable, a king arranged a wedding for his son, but the normal guests did not come; therefore, the king sent his servants to gather guests from off the street. How impossible would it be for a former Mormon (with full knowledge, even!) Another manual states, Baptism is the first saving ordinance of the gospel (see Articles of Faith 1:4). - Wilford Woodruff in a meeting with the apostles, 1893 D. Michael Quinn, The Mormon Hierarchy: Extensions of Power (Salt Lake City, Utah: Signature Books, 1997) p. 795. . 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). The New Testament contains four references to the second death, all located in the Revelation of John. However, based on the teaching of church leaders, I believe it is utterly impossible for any mortal to become this despised son of perdition. Provo, UT 84602 They did what they did with their eyes open, and were in rebellion against God. The Book of Mormon provides another testament of the reality of a designated place called hell, where the wicked are consigned. What do Mormons believe happened in the pre-existence? Dennis L. Largey was an associate professor of ancient scripture at Brigham Young University when this was published. I said: I dont know and he said, How can I find outI just called Spencer Kimball and he told me he didnt know either. They are the celestial kingdom, the terrestrial kingdom, the telestial kingdom, and outer darkness. In the rest of the article, were going to have to assume that Mormonism is true (of course, I dont think it is!) The celestial, terrestrial, and telestial are kingdoms of glory. So why dont we get outer darkness too? You are taking quotes that are not Mormon Doctrine. 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. outer darkness. They have wilfully (sic) made themselves servants of Satan and servants to him shall they remain forever. 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). Also, Mormons believe in three Heavens. Hence, the term outer darkness. 20:1315). Italics in original). 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. ; Mormon Temple Worship. Banishment from all progress. 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. They will not have access to the Holy Ghost or Heavenly Father or Jesus. Thank you! In each New Testament passage that speaks of hell (the word hades is neutralneither a place of punishment nor reward but the place of departed spirits) the context associates it with suffering and punishment. 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? 28:2223). Smith said this will be practically indescribable: The extent of this punishment none will ever know except those who partake of it. They believe that they are mortal men capable of mistakes just like the rest of us. Mormon doctrines are often contradictory and inconsistent. Possibly but there is no citation there either. In the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, the tormented rich man in hell . Today, interpretation of these "outer darkness" verses are a subset of Protestant discussion on hell and annihilationism. Hell is outer darkness; it is the lake of fire; and it is the second death. Concerning the first resurrection John observed: Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years (Rev. Is Jesus the Only Redeemer? In harmony with this doctrinal truth that death and hell will deliver up the spirits and bodies of their captives, King David received the promise that his soul would not be left in hell (see Ps. These are they who do two very specific things. The followers of Satan who will suffer with him in eternity. 2:11). 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. Did I really have full knowledge? Christians have debated for centuries the nature of the hell fire of which Jesus spoke (Matt. Mormons also believe that those on Earth with bodies can become a Son of Perdition, tho this is difficult to do. As explained in D&C 88:11-13: Through baptism and confirmation by priesthood authority, you became a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (True to the Faith: A Gospel Reference, 2004, p. 21, So, even if you attended LDS Church services, sang the hymns, and even partook of the weekly sacrament, yet you were never baptized and confirmed into the faith, you can never become a son of perdition. 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. Polygamy with tons more men than women sounds ill-thought out. 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 ). This is the choice of an individual to reject God. . lucifer. Clear as mud. hell.. Sorry ladies, you cant actually apostatize from the church, I guess (Someone tell Kate Kelly her excommunication is not valid!). Joseph Fielding Smith and Bruce R. McConkie have rejected the idea that those in perdition can ultimately be redeemed, which contradicts Brighams speculations. (Matt. 14:34), awful hell (1 Ne. That it is the most severe punishment that can be meted out to man is apparent. 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. 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. 12:22). Although this is an obvious scare tactic, this accusation is not true according to important LDS leaders.