Son of perdition

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The notion of the Son of Perdition or the Son of Sin can be found in 2 Thessalonians 2:3 and John 17:12 and is a name commonly associated with the Antichrist or the Lawless One and the biblical term of the Devil's Advocate mentioned in 1 and 2 John.

1 Roman-catholic church and Orthodox churches
2 Protestant churches
3 The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
4 See also
5 References

[edit] Roman-catholic church and Orthodox churches

The Roman-catholic and Eastern Orthodox traditions considers him to come at the time of the End of the World, when the katechon, the one who restrains, will be taken out. Some understand katechon as the Grand Monarch or a new Orthodox Emperor, some as the rebirth of the Holy Roman Empire, some as a secret and mysterious organization, that keeps on restraining the Evil after the fall of all Christianity.

[edit] Protestant churches

Some commentators have linked the term and identity to the Roman Catholic Church and the Pope (See Free Presbyterian Church, Ian Paisley and Historicism).

[edit] The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Son of Perdition is also a phrase used by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (sometimes referred to as Mormons) to describe a person who will not take part in the glory of God in the afterlife.

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 or intelligence after the resurrection; Celestial, Terrestrial, or Telestial Kingdoms.

Most Latter-day Saints believe that the Sons of Perdition will be cast into outer darkness; the scriptures do not use this exact phrase in connection with the Sons of Perdition, but state that they "shall go away into the lake of fire and brimstone, with the devil and his angels."^[1]

Mormons believe that free will is one of the greatest gifts of God, and that there could be some who will completely reject Jesus Christ and salvation. God will not force someone, including Satan, to be saved if they do not desire to be saved. Therefore, Sons of Perdition are allowed to remove themselves from the presence of God and live in whatever degree of darkness they desire.

In an LDS context, the name Perdition refers to either Lucifer^[2] or Cain^[3] both of whom are symbols of ultimate evil.

According to LDS theology, there are two classes of persons who will become sons of perdition:

The pre-mortal spirit followers of Satan. It is taught that, in the pre-mortal life, they chose to follow a plan proposed by Satan, rather than that presented by God the Father and Jesus. Thus ensued the War in Heaven, which resulted in Satan and his followers being cast out of heaven and denied the opportunity of receiving a physical body.
Those in mortal life who "deny the Holy Ghost," which is generally interpreted as rejecting and denying Christ after receiving a personal witness of him from the Holy Ghost. It is frequently—though not universally—added that a son of perdition must have a "perfect knowledge" of Jesus and that mere faith or belief in him is not enough. Joseph Smith, Jr. taught:

All sins shall be forgiven, except the sin against the Holy Ghost; for Jesus will save all except the sons of perdition. What must a man do to commit the unpardonable sin? He must receive the Holy Ghost, have the heavens opened unto him, and know God, and then sin against him. After a man has sinned against the Holy Ghost, there is no repentance for him. He 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.^[4]

In the Doctrine and Covenants, Section 88:24, sons of perdition are described as inhabiting "a kingdom which is not a kingdom of glory." The most comprehensive exposition of the phrase can be found in Section 76 in the Doctrine and Covenants.^[5]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

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