The Mormon Plan of Salvation

An important key to effectively witnessing to Mormons is knowing what they believe so you can converse with them intelligently. In this post we’ll look at what Mormons believe about eternal destiny and compare and contrast it with what is written in the Word of God.

According to Mormonism there are six places to spend eternity:

In the lowest Telestial Kingdom, ‘which is better than this earth,’ you dwell apart from the Father and Son. Mormons believe that Adolph Hitler, and possibly Judas reside there; something they would have attained after paying for their own sins in a place Mormons call ‘Spirit Prison.’

The middle Terrestrial Kingdom, is for non-committal Latter-Day Saints, and ‘Gentiles’ who rejected the Mormon ‘gospel’ but received it in ‘Spirit Prison’ after death. Those in this kingdom live in the presence of the Son.

The highest Celestial Kingdom is for ‘worthy’ temple Mormons with a valiant testimony, who obeyed God’s commandments, and endured to the end.

There are two other levels in the Celestial Kingdom which are both for singles, and those who became angels.

Finally, there is the Outer Darkness which is for Lucifer, the demons, and Mormons who commit the unpardonable sin of breaking the oaths and covenants of the priesthood. They are called the ‘Sons of Perdition.’

It is noteworthy that you have to be a Mormon first before denying ‘the truth,’ and so the idea is that less than one percent of all mankind go to hell, largely because of time spent in the ‘Spirit Prison.’

“There is hope for the besotted & crimstained after they have paid the uttermost farthing and been punished sufficiently, to receive the Telestial Kingdom.” (Orson F. Whitney – Collected Discourses 1886 v.5)

The reality that the Mormon plan of salvation is a very optimistic lie becomes obvious when you examine what Mormons believe in light of the Word of God.

For example:

1. Mormonism mangles 1 Corinthians 15:40-42 to promote three kingdoms of glory. But Paul is not talking about kingdoms in 1 Corinthians, he is simply comparing our current terrestrial (physical) body to our future telestial (spiritual) body.
2. The Bible never speaks of future kingdoms (plural), but only of a singular future kingdom.
3. ‘Telestial’ is not in the Bible. It’s an entirely made-up concept. When Jesus refers to mansions in John 14:2-3 He also says, “where I am, there you may be also,” so there is no exclusion from His presence. And this is why there can also be no such place as ‘Spirit Prison.’ As Paul wrote to the Corinthians to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:8). There is no ‘in between’ time!
4. “Sons of perdition” according to Mormonism are: (a) those spirits who rebelled before coming to earth, and (b) those who left and deny Mormonism.

Here’s what is written in the Mormon Gospel Doctrine: “It is doubtful if even Judas was sufficiently enlightened to become a son of perdition … Not even Judas Iscariot, the betrayer of Jesus, will be destined for Outer Darkness.” [Gospel Doctrine page 545]

Yet Jesus called Judas a “son of perdition” in John 17:12. And Acts 1:25 says Judas goes “to his own place.” Jesus pronounced a “woe” over Judas in Mark 14:21. This hardly sounds like a kingdom better than this earth.

The Mormon optimistic lie has evoked dubious speculations such as: “The Prophet Joseph Smith told us that if we could get one little glimpse into the telestial glory even, the glory is so great that we would be tempted to commit suicide to get there.” (March 10, 1964, BYU Speeches of the Year, 1964, p. 4)

Such speculative musings reveal the lack of reverential fear of dying in your sin, the final judgment, and the lake of fire, and help us to appreciate the bondage people are in when caught up in this cult.

The Bible speaks of only two destinies for mankind:

1. Heaven for the believer, and;
2. The lake of fire for those who die in their sin.

Pray for the Lord to grant you opportunities to share the real Jesus, the real gospel under the unction of the real Holy Spirit to lost Mormons who have placed their hope and trust in a lie.

Written by Don McAreavy, Vigilant Minds

Vigilant Minds reaches out to those leaving the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or the Watchtower, to provide them with biblical truth, understanding, experience, friendship, social gatherings and discipleship. The ministry puts an emphasis on how to defend the Christian faith biblically while also comparing Christian doctrine with the beliefs of these respective religious organizations. For more information visit: vigilantminds.ca.