Question
Gramps,
According to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, what was the lie that Lucifer told in pre-mortal life? Despite being a high-ranking angel, why did Lucifer lie and seek glory for himself? Given that there are no evil influences in the pre-mortal life, as all are angels and sons and daughters of the Heavenly Father, how is it that Lucifer became influenced by evil? Why did He misuse His agency, given that there’s no evil influence in Heaven? Logically, was Lucifer influenced?
Jericho
Answer
Dear Jericho,
Let’s look at your questions one by one.
According to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, what was the lie that Lucifer told in the pre-mortal life?
As far as I can determine, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has no official statements regarding Lucifer other than what can be found in scripture. It’s interesting to me that you ask what lie (singular) Lucifer told in the pre-mortal life. Let’s turn to the scriptures:
And whatsoever is more or less than this is the spirit of that wicked one who was a liar from the beginning. (Doctrine & Covenants 93:25)
And he became Satan, yea, even the devil, the father of all lies, to deceive and to blind men, and to lead them captive at his will, even as many as would not hearken unto my voice. (Moses 4:4)
Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. (John 8:44)
Generally speaking, someone who tells one lie is not considered fundamentally a liar. These verses, especially the last one, suggest that Lucifer’s native language is lying. If he was so “from the beginning”, then it is reasonable to assume that he told many lies in the pre-mortal realm.
Despite being a high-ranking angel, why did Lucifer lie and seek glory for himself?
At the end of the day, only Lucifer and God could answer this. But scripture gives us some ideas. First, we have those already given, describing Lucifer as simply a liar. For whatever reason, he “loveth and maketh a lie“. Isaiah, in comparing the king of Babylon to Lucifer, gives us more insight:
How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above 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. (Isaiah 14:12-14)
Here, the pride, even arrogance, is clear. It is shown again in Lucifer’s own words as reported in the book of Moses:
And I, the Lord God, spake unto Moses, saying: That Satan, whom thou hast commanded in the name of 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. (Moses 4:1)
Given that there are no evil influences in the pre-mortal life, as all are angels and sons and daughters of the Heavenly Father, how is it that Lucifer became influenced by evil?
I don’t know that this is a given. We know next to nothing about our pre-mortal lives. Only the knowledge we need to understand and choose the plan of salvation has been revealed. Many have wondered at the source of evil. That there was a war in heaven over our agency suggests we had agency even then – else how would those who followed Lucifer have been held accountable for it? The war also clearly demonstrates that there was opposition. It’s possible that this opposition was simply the fact that there were choices – if one has the choice to obey God, then by definition, one also has the choice to disobey God. You cannot have one without the other. Perhaps Lucifer only needed to know that there were options, and he of himself preferred lies, disobedience, and evil. Or perhaps there was an “enticing agent” as we have in mortality:
And it must needs be that the devil should tempt the children of men, or they could not be agents unto themselves; for if they never should have bitter they could not know the sweet (Doctrine & Covenants 29:39)
We simply do not have revelation on whether this was also the case in the pre-mortal life. (See also 2 Nephi 2 for more about agency and opposition.)
Why did He misuse His agency, given that there’s no evil influence in Heaven? Logically, was Lucifer influenced?
These are repeats of the above questions. In the end, we know that in the pre-mortal realm, we used our agency to choose to follow Christ. We also know that we have opposition, including Satan, and agency in this life so that we are free to choose. I suppose one could study and seek further personal revelation from God on the question of evil influences in the pre-mortal realm, but I believe we would do better to study how to come unto Christ in this mortal realm. This brings me back to your first question – what lie? John wrote something very relevant to this:
Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son. (1 John 2:22)
Lucifer’s rebellion in the pre-mortal realm was not just any lie, it was denying Jesus Christ, who was “Chosen from the beginning”:
And I, the Lord God, spake unto Moses, saying: That Satan, whom thou hast commanded in the name of 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;
And he became Satan, yea, even the devil, the father of all lies, to deceive and to blind men, and to lead them captive at his will, even as many as would not hearken unto my voice. (Moses 4:1-4)
Lucifer was lying when he said he would be God’s son and “redeem all mankind” – I submit he had no such intention. Even if he did, he was lying when he claimed that he would save all of us by removing our agency. He was offering a plan that was self-contradictory. We can only be saved through the proper exercise of agency. With no agency, there is no salvation or exaltation. Lucifer was lying when he rejected Jesus Christ. And Lucifer was rebelling by seeking to destroy our agency and take God’s honor to himself – to deny God. John’s description of a liar fits Satan to a T, from the beginning.
I pray that all of us will seek Christ with all our heart, might, and mind so that we will not be deceived or enticed by Satan’s lies.
Gramps
