• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

FAIR

  • Find Answers
  • Blog
  • Media & Apps
  • Conference
  • Bookstore
  • Archive
  • About
  • Get Involved
  • Search

Premortal Life

What Was the Nature of Satan’s Premortal Proposal? (Old Testament Gospel Doctrine 2A)

January 19, 2018 by Jeffrey M. Bradshaw

William Blake, 1757-1827: Satan in His Original Glory, ca. 1805. To highlight Lucifer’s perversity, Blake has conspicuously reversed the hands in which the emblems of British monarchy are normally held. Satan’s stubborn nonconformity in this image symbolizes his intent to reverse the order of heaven.

KnoWhy for Personal Study of Gospel Doctrine Lesson 2: “Thou Wast Chosen Before Thou Wast Born” (Abraham 3; Moses 4:1-4) (JBOTL02A), 6 January 2018

Question: What was the nature of Satan’s proposal to “redeem all mankind”? How did he intend to “destroy the agency of man”? Was his proposal feasible?

Summary: It is often assumed that the gist of Satan’s premortal proposal was that he would “‘save’ all of the Father’s children by forcing each to obey the Father’s law in all things.” In light of what the Book of Mormon teaches and Joseph Smith’s statements on the subject, these assumptions should not be taken for granted. Closer study offers a more likely alternative: namely that Satan put forth a proposal to “save … people in their sins,” notably including the sons of perdition. Moreover, in the Book of Mormon, Satan’s proposal to “destroy the agency of man” is not described as an impossible attempt to force people to obey but rather as a scheme to prevent humankind from experiencing a mortal probation after the Fall.

The full article may be found at the Interpreter Foundation website: KnoWhy OTL02A — What Was the Nature of Satan’s Premortal Proposal?

Filed Under: Bible, Book of Abraham, Book of Mormon, Book of Moses, LDS Scriptures, Lesson Aids, Questions Tagged With: Agency, Council in Heaven, Gospel Doctrine: Old Testament, Lucifer, Preexistence, Premortal Life, Satan

Primary Sidebar

Faithful Study Resources for Come, Follow Me

Subscribe to Blog

Enter your email address:

Subscribe to Podcast

Podcast icon
Subscribe to podcast in iTunes
Subscribe to podcast elsewhere
Listen with FAIR app
Android app on Google Play Download on the App Store

Pages

  • Blog Guidelines

FAIR Latest

  • Beauty for Ashes
  • Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Doctrine and Covenants 67–70 – Autumn Dickson
  • Viewing Today’s Culture Through the Lens of the Gospel
  • And We Talk of Christ: Forgiving Through His Light
  • Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Doctrine and Covenants 64–66 – Autumn Dickson

Blog Categories

Recent Comments

  • Nick on As a Little Child
  • David on Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Doctrine and Covenants 49–50 – Autumn Dickson
  • Ana on Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Doctrine and Covenants 45 – Autumn Dickson
  • Kal- El Luke Skywalker on As a Little Child
  • Ned Scarisbrick on An Easter Message from FAIR

Archives

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • iTunes
  • YouTube
Android app on Google Play Download on the App Store

Footer

FairMormon Logo

FAIR is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing well-documented answers to criticisms of the doctrine, practice, and history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Donate to FAIR

We are a volunteer organization. We invite you to give back.

Donate Now

Site Footer