DO LATTER-DAY SAINTS BELIEVE JESUS AND SATAN ARE BROTHERS? by Michael Hickenbotham Before proceeding it should be made clear that those begotten” by the Father and the angels of God were com- who ask this question out of the blue generally have a manded to worship Him.3 Because Mormons believe hidden agenda. I’m not talking about those who have that we are also spirit children of this same Heavenly heard it asked (or maybe read it) and now wonder how Father, we believe Jesus may properly be referred to as this can be. I’m talking about people who are commit- our “spirit brother” or “elder brother.” Although the ted to trying to put LDS teachings in the most unfavor- scriptures refer to Jesus Christ as the “firstborn among able light possible and attempting to persuade others many brethren”4 and the “firstborn of every creature,”5 that Mormon doctrine is heretical and should be ignored this idea is foreign to many Christians. They often try by others. Those people already know the answer to to rationalize these scriptures by arguing that Christ this and other common anti-Mormon questions. Their was the “firstfruits” of the resurrection6 and therefore real purpose is to shock those who have little or no un- was “firstborn” in that sense. This is also true, but a derstanding of the LDS concept of the plan of salvation careful analysis of the scriptures noted above reveals and to convince those people that Latter-day Saints have that Jesus Christ’s pre-eminence as firstborn relates to a radical and blasphemous view of Christ. In their minds His own pre-existence and that of man.7 Significantly, such views firmly establish us as a cult that believes in Revelation 3:14 affirms that Jesus Christ was “Amen “another Jesus” and “another gospel.”1 By shocking in the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the cre- this way, they hope to prevent people from further in- ation of God.” He was the first of all the spirit progeny vestigating the truth of the LDS plan of salvation. of our Father in Heaven and thus our elder brother. When men follow him and become one with him, “he is Why would anti-Mormons want to prevent people from not ashamed to call them brethren.”8 hearing about the plan of salvation? One possible rea- son is that they are afraid that once people understand The concept that Christ’s spirit was organized by our the plan fully, they will accept the enlightened truths it Father in Heaven is difficult for many Christians to contains in preference to the traditional concepts taught accept because they have been taught that Christ is by apostate Christianity.2 Anti-Mormons surely must eternal in the same sense as God the Father. At first realize that any knowledgeable student of LDS doctrine glance the LDS doctrine seems to contradict that eter- will not be shocked by questions about the relationship nal nature. Modern scripture helps us understand this between Christ and Satan since they will know the concept: truth: Mormons believe all of the spirits created by our Heavenly Father are brothers and sisters, including Man was also in the beginning with God. Intel- every human that has ever lived and every angel, ligence, or light of truth was not created or made whether good or bad. In order to explain this concept to neither indeed can be. For man is spirit. The those who are new to LDS beliefs, we must first lay elements are eternal, and spirit and element, some groundwork to better understand Christ’s rela- inseparably connected, receive a fullness of joy; tionship to his Father and to us and discover how and when separated, man cannot receive a Lucifer came to be Satan. fulness of joy.9 In the Book of Abraham we are told: THE PREEMINENCE OF CHRIST If there be two spirits, and one shall be more Latter-day Saints believe Jesus Christ holds a intelligent that the other, yet these two spir- preeminent position among all pre-existent spir- its, notwithstanding one is more intelligent its. Paul indicates that He was called the “first than the other, have no beginning; they ex- The Foundation for Apologetic Information & Research 2 Do Latter-day Saints Believe Jesus and Satan Are Brothers? isted before, they shall have no end, they shall THE CREATION OF SPIRITS AND exist after, for they are gnolaum, or eternal. And the Lord said unto me: These two facts do exist, THE COUNCIL IN HEAVEN that there are two spirits, one being more intel- Modern scripture has also restored knowledge of the ligent than the other; there shall be another spirit creation11 and what is referred to as the council more intelligent than they; I am the Lord thy in heaven where our Heavenly Father laid out His plan God, I am more intelligent than they all… for this earthly existence.12 It also explains how Christ I now, therefore, have come down unto thee to affirmed His support for that plan and Lucifer proposed declare unto thee the works which my hands an alternative plan that was ultimately rejected by the have made, wherein my wisdom excelleth them Father and a majority of His spirit children. The mi- all, for I rule in the heavens above, and in the nority that sided with Lucifer chose to follow him even earth beneath, in all wisdom and prudence, over though it meant never receiving mortal bodies. John all the intelligences thine eyes have seen from the Revelator described the expulsion of Lucifer and the beginning; I came down in the beginning in his followers from Heavenly Father’s presence as a war the midst of all the intelligences thou hast seen. in heaven: Now the Lord had shown unto me, Abraham, And there was a war in heaven: and Michael the intelligences that were organized before the and his angels fought against the dragon; and world was; and among all these there were the dragon fought and his angels, and prevailed many of the noble and great ones; And God saw not; neither was their place found any more in these souls that they were good, and he stood heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that in the midst of them, and he said: These I will old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which make my rulers; for he stood among those that deceiveth the whole world; he was cast out into were spirits, and he saw that they were good; the earth, and his angels were cast out with and he said unto me: Abraham, thou art one of him.13 them; thou wast chosen before thou wast born. And there stood one among them that was like Verse 4 of the same chapter (Revelation 12) explains unto God, and he said unto those who were with “his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and him: We will go down, for there is space there, did cast them to the earth.” The inclusion of this de- and we will take of these materials, and we will scription in John’s Revelation about the last days has make an earth whereon these may dwell; convinced some Christians that these events have not yet taken place, but similar descriptions in Isaiah 14:10– And we will prove them herewith, to see if they 16 and especially 2 Peter 2:4 and Jude 1:6 confirm that will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God these events have already taken place. In fact they took shall command them; And they who keep their place before the foundation of the world14 when Christ first estate shall be added upon; and they who was chosen to be the redeemer of all mankind.15 keep not their first estate shall not have glory in the same kingdom with those who keep their first estate; and they who keep their second es- GOD IS THE FATHER OF US ALL tate shall have glory added upon their heads for ever and ever.10 Scripture also informs us that Christ consistently re- ferred to God the Eternal Father as not only His own From these verses we learn that God organized all spir- Father but also as our Father.16 He taught all men to its from pre-existing intelligence. Among these spirits approach God in prayer by saying “Our Father which that Abraham saw were the noble and great spirits. art in heaven”17 and after the resurrection He told Mary These no doubt included the spirits of Christ and the Magdalene: “I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; prophets plus many other righteous spirits of men who and to my God, and your God.”18 These verses and mod- have lived or will live on the Earth. The spirits of Luci- ern revelation19 affirm that the title Father is to be un- fer and the angels that followed him were also num- derstood literally. The scriptures teach us that we all bered among these spirits. Because the intelligence from have “one father” and “one God” who created us.20 That which all spirits were organized was eternal, the spir- Being is the Father of the spirits of all men,21 more com- its themselves are also eternal. Therefore the spirits of monly called our Heavenly Father.22 Christ and all men are eternal. Copyright © 2001 by FAIR Michael Hickenbotham 3 Latter-day Saint children learn about their relationship tians understood these teachings about the pre-exist- to their Father in Heaven from a young age by singing ence of man and shared this knowledge until it was con- one of their favorite hymns entitled I Am a Child of demned by the Council of Constantinople in 553 A.D.