Hi Terry–
I’m glad to see that you are
open-minded and willing to let me respond to these questions. If you
don’t mind, I’d like to answer these questions one at a time.
DO LATTER-DAY SAINTS BELIEVE
THAT JESUS AND SATAN ARE OR WERE BROTHERS?
To give a proper answer,
this will take a bit of explanation. First, most non-LDS Christians
believe in the pre-mortality of Jesus. We do also. We also believe that
all who live on this earth, past and present, lived before with God in
Heaven. We believe that God is literally the Father of our spirits.
"Furthermore we have had
fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence:
shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits,
and live?" (Heb 12:9)
"Have we not all one
father?..." (Mal 2:10a)
"One God and Father of
all..." (Eph 4:6a)
"Then shall the dust return
to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God
who gave it." (Eccl 12:7)
Being children of God we
were all brothers and sisters. Jesus, known as Jehovah in the OT, was
our Father’s firstborn.
And again, when he bringeth
in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the
angels of God worship him. (Heb 1:6)
In mortality, Jesus would be
God’s Only Begotten.
Jeremiah was informed that
he lived before he was born.
"Then the word of the LORD
came unto me, saying, Before I formed thee in the belly I knew
thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I
sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet
unto the nations." (Jer 1:4-5)
Our Father presented a plan
to us.
"And the Lord God spake unto
Moses, saying: The heavens, they are many, and they cannot be numbered
unto man; but they are numbered unto me, for they are mine. And as one
earth shall pass away, and the heavens thereof even so shall another
come; and there is no end to my works, neither to my words. For
behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the
immortality and eternal life of man." (Moses 1:38-40)
While we were in the
presence of God we walked by sight; now, our memories are taken away
and we walk by faith.
"There is no
remembrance of former things; neither shall there be any remembrance
of things that are to come with those that shall come
after." (Eccl 1:11)
"And there stood one among
them that was like unto God, and he said unto those who were with him:
We will go down, for there is space there, and we will take of these
materials, and we will make an earth whereon these may dwell; and we
will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever
the Lord their God shall command them; and they who keep their
first estate shall be added upon; and they who 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 estate shall have
glory added upon their heads for ever and ever." (Abr 4:24-26)
Lucifer seeks power.
"For thou hast said in thine
heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne about the
stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation,
in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the
clouds; I will be like the most high." (Isa 14:13-14)
A Savior is Chosen.
"And I, the Lord God, sake
unto Moses, saying: That Satan, whom thou hast commanded in the name on
mine Only Begotten, is the same which was from the beginning, and he
came before me, saying—Behold, here am I, send me, I will be thy son,
and I will redeem all mankind, that one soul shall not be lost, and
surely I will do it; wherefore give me thine honor. But, behold, my
Beloved Son, which was my Beloved and Chosen from the beginning, said
unto me—Father, thy will be done, and the glory be thine forever.
Wherefore, because that Satan rebelled against me, and sought to
destroy the agency of man, which I, the Lord God, had given him, and
also, that I should give unto him mine own power; by the power of mine
Only Begotten, I caused that he should be cast down;..." (Moses 4:1-3)
"And the Lord said: Whom
shall I send? And one answered like unto the Son of Man: Here am I,
send me. And another answered and said: Here am I, send me. And the
Lord said: I will send the first. And the second was angry,
and kept not his first estate; and at that day, many followed after
him." (Abr 4:27-28)
War in Heaven.
"And there was a war in
heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the
dragon fought and his angels, and prevailed not; neither was their pace
found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old
serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world:
he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him."
(Rev 12:7-9)
Lucifer is cast out.
"And I, Lehi, according to
the things which I have read, must needs suppose that an angel of God,
according to that which is written, had fallen from heaven;
wherefore, he became a devil, having sought that which was
evil before God. And because he had fallen from heaven, and had
become miserable forever, he sought also the misery of all mankind."
(2Ne 2:17-18a)
"... for he rebelled
against me, saying, Give me thine honor, which is my power; and
also a third part of the hosts of heaven turned he away from me because
of their agency; and they were thrust down, and thus came the
devil and his angels;..." (D&C 29:36b-37)
"And this we saw also, and
bear record, that an angel of God who was in authority in the presence
of God, who rebelled against the Only Begotten Son whom the Father
loved and who was in the bosom of the Father, was thrust down from the
presence of God and the Son, and was called Perdition, for the heavens
wept over him—he was Lucifer, a son of the morning. And we beheld, and
lo, he is fallen! is fallen, even a son of the morning!" (D&C
76:25-27)
"And the angels which
kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath
reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the
great day." (Jude 1:6)
Lucifer rebelled and
was cast out! He has lost his inheritance! He was once a son
of God and our brother, but that was before. There is no longer any
relationship! He has become Satan. He is an enemy to us and
to God!!
Jesus during His mortal
ministry recalled the event.
"And he [Jesus] said unto
them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven." (Luke
10:18)
–Raymond
