Sons of Perdition

Doctrine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or Mormonism, refers to Sons of Perdition as those few souls who have been born on this earth who "have been made partakers" of God's power, yet "suffered themselves through the power of the devil to be overcome, and to deny the truth and defy" God by denying the Holy Spirit after having received it, denying the Only Begotten Son and "put him to an open shame." They openly and knowingly fight against God and Christ, having sided with Satan even though they had once tasted of full gospel knowledge by the power of the Holy Ghost.

Thus, as punishment they are "doomed to suffer the wrath of God, with the devil and his angels in eternity;" (Doctrine and Covenants 76:30-49) their torment and anguish cannot be comprehended by mortal persons. This eternal torment is called hell, or Outer Darkness.

All other persons, except these who commit the "sin against the Holy Ghost," will inherit a kingdom of glory.

There are those who fear that they have committed the "unpardonable sin," because they have not been faithful members of the Church. It must be emphasized that the witness described means that the person has had the heavens opened unto him and has personally seen, and even spoken with, the Savior, and then has turned against Him, bringing him to open shame. Cain is a Son of Perdition. He had a sure witness of the Lord and willfully chose to follow Satan instead.

We can assume also that Judas Iscariot, who betrayed the Christ, is a Son of Perdition. Jesus said of him that it would have been better for him if he had never been born. This is a description of Sons of Perdition:

And while we were yet in the Spirit, the Lord commanded us that we should write the vision; for we beheld Satan, that old serpent, even the devil, who rebelled against God, and sought to take the kingdom of our God and his Christ—

Wherefore, he maketh war with the saints of God, and encompasseth them round about.

And we saw a vision of the sufferings of those with whom he made war and overcame, for thus came the voice of the Lord unto us:

Thus saith the Lord concerning all those who know my power, and have been made partakers thereof, and suffered themselves through the power of the devil to be overcome, and to deny the truth and defy my power—

They are they who are the sons of perdition, of whom I say that it had been better for them never to have been born;

For they are vessels of wrath, doomed to suffer the wrath of God, with the devil and his angels in eternity;

Concerning whom I have said there is no forgiveness in this world nor in the world to come—

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 an open shame.

These are they who shall go away into the lake of fire and brimstone, with the devil and his angels—

And the only ones on whom the second death shall have any power;

Yea, verily, the only ones who shall not be redeemed in the due time of the Lord, after the sufferings of his wrath.

For all the rest shall be brought forth by the resurrection of the dead, through the triumph and the glory of the Lamb, who was slain, who was in the bosom of the Father before the worlds were made (Doctrine and Covenants 76:28-39).

The Book of Mormon prophet Alma the Younger had this to say:

“… they shall be as though there had been no redemption made; for they cannot be redeemed according to God’s justice; and they cannot die, seeing there is no more corruption” (Alma 12:18).

This quote from Alma certifies, as have statements from modern prophets, that even the Sons of Perdition will be resurrected and will keep their resurrected bodies into the eternities. This is one reason why the Lord says that Cain will rule over Satan -- because Cain has a resurrected body and Satan does not.

From Elder Reed Smoot, Conference Report, October 1933, Afternoon Meeting, p.109:

All men will be saved except the sons of perdition, who have had every opportunity not only for salvation but for exaltation to the highest glory; and then have denied, trampled upon and thrown it all away. These are the only ones who cannot be saved in some degree of glory; and the reason why they are lost is because they have sinned away the power of repentance, upon which all salvation is predicated.

See also Hell, Outer Darkness, Last Judgment, Forgiveness