Are Jesus and Satan Brothers?

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints teaches that Satan is a spirit son of God who rebelled in the premortal council, and that the Beloved Son was the one the Father sent. A 1986 answer in the church’s Ensign magazine calls Jesus and Lucifer spirit brothers, with Jesus the older brother as the Firstborn. John 1:1–3John 1:1–3 · King James Version^1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ^1:2 The same was in the beginning with God. ^1:3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.John 1:1–3 · King James VersionOpen the Source says the Word was God and that all things were made by him. Jesus is God.

Key Points

• Gospel Topics, SatanGospel Topics, Satan · English, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day SaintsSatan, also called the adversary or the devil, is the enemy of all righteousness and of those who seek to follow God. He is a spirit son of God who was once an angel “in authority in the presence of God.” But in the premortal Council in Heaven, Lucifer, as Satan was then called, rebelled against God.Gospel Topics, Satan · English, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day SaintsOpen the Source (1) calls Satan a spirit son of God who was once an angel in authority, and who rebelled in the premortal Council in Heaven when he was called Lucifer.
• The June 1986 EnsignEnsign, June 1986, How Can Jesus and Lucifer Be Spirit Brothers? · English, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day SaintsOn first hearing, the doctrine that Lucifer and our Lord, Jesus Christ, are brothers may seem surprising to some—especially to those unacquainted with latter-day revelations. But both the scriptures and the prophets affirm that Jesus Christ and Lucifer are indeed offspring of our Heavenly Father and, therefore, spirit brothers.Ensign, June 1986, How Can Jesus and Lucifer Be Spirit Brothers? · English, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day SaintsOpen the Source (11) says the scriptures and the prophets affirm that Jesus Christ and Lucifer are offspring of Heavenly Father and spirit brothers, and it cites Colossians 1:15Colossians 1:15 · King James VersionWho is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:Colossians 1:15 · King James VersionOpen the Source and Doctrine and Covenants 93:21 for Jesus as the older brother.
• Moses 4:1Moses 4:1 · English, churchofjesuschrist.orgAnd 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 · English, churchofjesuschrist.orgOpen the Source (2) has Satan say, “give me thine honor.” Moses 4:2Moses 4:2 · English, churchofjesuschrist.orgBut, 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.Moses 4:2 · English, churchofjesuschrist.orgOpen the Source has the Beloved Son say the glory belongs to the Father forever.
• Abraham 3:27–28Abraham 3:27–28 · English, churchofjesuschrist.orgAnd 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.Abraham 3:27–28 · English, churchofjesuschrist.orgOpen the Source (3) has two answers to “Whom shall I send?” The Lord sends the first. The second is angry and does not keep his first estate, and many follow him.
• Doctrine and Covenants 76:25–26Doctrine and Covenants 76:25–26 · English, churchofjesuschrist.orgAnd 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.Doctrine and Covenants 76:25–26 · English, churchofjesuschrist.orgOpen the Source (4) calls the rebel an angel who was thrust down, Lucifer, a son of the morning. Doctrine and Covenants 29:36Doctrine and Covenants 29:36 · English, churchofjesuschrist.orgAnd it came to pass that Adam, being tempted of the devil—for, behold, the devil was before Adam, 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;Doctrine and Covenants 29:36 · English, churchofjesuschrist.orgOpen the Source (5) says a third part of the hosts of heaven turned away.
• John 1:3John 1:3 · King James VersionAll things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.John 1:3 · King James VersionOpen the Source (6) says all things were made by the Word, and without him was not any thing made that was made. Colossians 1:16Colossians 1:16 · King James VersionFor by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:Colossians 1:16 · King James VersionOpen the Source (7) says by him were all things created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible.
• Hebrews 1:5Hebrews 1:5 · King James VersionFor unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son?Hebrews 1:5 · King James VersionOpen the Source (8) asks to which of the angels God ever said, “Thou art my Son.” Mark 6:3Mark 6:3 · King James VersionIs not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him.Mark 6:3 · King James VersionOpen the Source (9) names Jesus’ brothers in Nazareth. Hebrews 2:11Hebrews 2:11 · King James VersionFor both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren,Hebrews 2:11 · King James VersionOpen the Source (10) says he is not ashamed to call the sanctified brethren.

What the Church’s Satan Page Says

Gospel Topics states the teaching in the church’s own sentences. Gospel Topics, SatanGospel Topics, Satan · English, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day SaintsSatan, also called the adversary or the devil, is the enemy of all righteousness and of those who seek to follow God. He is a spirit son of God who was once an angel “in authority in the presence of God.” But in the premortal Council in Heaven, Lucifer, as Satan was then called, rebelled against God.Gospel Topics, Satan · English, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day SaintsOpen the Source (1):

Satan, also called the adversary or the devil, is the enemy of all righteousness and of those who seek to follow God. He is a spirit son of God who was once an angel “in authority in the presence of God.” But in the premortal Council in Heaven, Lucifer, as Satan was then called, rebelled against God.

Gospel Topics, Satan · English, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

The same pageGospel Topics, Satan · English, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day SaintsSatan, also called the adversary or the devil, is the enemy of all righteousness and of those who seek to follow God. He is a spirit son of God who was once an angel “in authority in the presence of God.” But in the premortal Council in Heaven, Lucifer, as Satan was then called, rebelled against God.Gospel Topics, Satan · English, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day SaintsOpen the Source (1) says that since then he has sought to destroy the children of God on the earth and to make them miserable. It names agency as one primary issue in the conflict. It quotes his offer in Moses: he would redeem all mankind so that not one soul would be lost, and he asked for the Father’s honor. It says he persuaded a third part of the hosts of heaven to turn away, and that he and his followers were cut off from God’s presence and denied a physical body. The page uses the words “spirit son.” It does not use the phrase “spirit brother,” and it does not say that God loves Satan.

What the 1986 Ensign Says

The phrase “spirit brothers” is in the church’s own magazine. In the June 1986 Ensign, Jess L. Christensen, then an Institute of Religion director at Utah State University, answered a reader’s question in the I Have a Question column. Ensign, June 1986Ensign, June 1986, How Can Jesus and Lucifer Be Spirit Brothers? · English, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day SaintsOn first hearing, the doctrine that Lucifer and our Lord, Jesus Christ, are brothers may seem surprising to some—especially to those unacquainted with latter-day revelations. But both the scriptures and the prophets affirm that Jesus Christ and Lucifer are indeed offspring of our Heavenly Father and, therefore, spirit brothers.Ensign, June 1986, How Can Jesus and Lucifer Be Spirit Brothers? · English, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day SaintsOpen the Source (11):

On first hearing, the doctrine that Lucifer and our Lord, Jesus Christ, are brothers may seem surprising to some—especially to those unacquainted with latter-day revelations. But both the scriptures and the prophets affirm that Jesus Christ and Lucifer are indeed offspring of our Heavenly Father and, therefore, spirit brothers.

Ensign, June 1986 · English, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

The answerEnsign, June 1986, How Can Jesus and Lucifer Be Spirit Brothers? · English, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day SaintsOn first hearing, the doctrine that Lucifer and our Lord, Jesus Christ, are brothers may seem surprising to some—especially to those unacquainted with latter-day revelations. But both the scriptures and the prophets affirm that Jesus Christ and Lucifer are indeed offspring of our Heavenly Father and, therefore, spirit brothers.Ensign, June 1986, How Can Jesus and Lucifer Be Spirit Brothers? · English, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day SaintsOpen the Source (11) goes on to say that as the Firstborn of the Father, Jesus was Lucifer’s older brother, and it cites Colossians 1:15 and Doctrine and Covenants 93:21. It explains the split by agency. It says Lucifer was not created evil but became Satan by his own choice, that Jesus gave the glory to God while Lucifer sought honor for himself, and it compares the two to Cain and Abel and to Jacob and Esau. In Latter-day Saint teaching, then, the kinship rests on the belief that all spirits, Jesus and Lucifer included, are children of Heavenly Father. The difference between the two is the choice each one made.

What Moses and Abraham Say

Moses 4:1Moses 4:1 · English, churchofjesuschrist.orgAnd 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 · English, churchofjesuschrist.orgOpen the Source (2) is the Father speaking to Moses. Satan, the one Moses has commanded in the name of the Only Begotten, came and said he would be the Father’s son, redeem all mankind, and do it surely, and therefore the Father should give him his honor. Moses 4:2Moses 4:2 · English, churchofjesuschrist.orgBut, 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.Moses 4:2 · English, churchofjesuschrist.orgOpen the Source is the Beloved Son, chosen from the beginning: Father, thy will be done, and the glory be thine forever. Moses 4:3Moses 4:3 · English, churchofjesuschrist.orgWherefore, 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 4:3 · English, churchofjesuschrist.orgOpen the Source says Satan rebelled, sought to destroy the agency of man, and sought the Father’s own power, and was cast down by the power of the Only Begotten. Moses 4:4Moses 4:4 · English, churchofjesuschrist.orgAnd 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 · English, churchofjesuschrist.orgOpen the Source says he became Satan, the devil, the father of all lies.

Abraham 3:27–28Abraham 3:27–28 · English, churchofjesuschrist.orgAnd 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.Abraham 3:27–28 · English, churchofjesuschrist.orgOpen the Source (3) is the same council in another telling. The Lord asks whom he shall send. One answers like unto the Son of Man: here am I, send me. Another answers the same words. The Lord says he will send the first. The second is angry, does not keep his first estate, and many follow him. The church’s footnotes on those verses point back to Moses 4.

In Moses 4:1–4Moses 4:1 · English, churchofjesuschrist.orgAnd 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 · English, churchofjesuschrist.orgOpen the Source (2) and Abraham 3:27–28Abraham 3:27–28 · English, churchofjesuschrist.orgAnd 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.Abraham 3:27–28 · English, churchofjesuschrist.orgOpen the Source (3), Jesus and Satan both stand in the premortal council. One is the Beloved Son who yields the glory. The other is the rebel who asks for the honor and is cast down. Moses and Abraham call Jesus the Beloved Son and the Only Begotten. The word “brother” is not in these verses. The Ensign answer draws that conclusion from the shared spirit parentage.

Who Is Lucifer in Doctrine and Covenants?

Doctrine and Covenants 76:25–26Doctrine and Covenants 76:25–26 · English, churchofjesuschrist.orgAnd 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.Doctrine and Covenants 76:25–26 · English, churchofjesuschrist.orgOpen the Source (4) says an angel of God who was in authority in the presence of God rebelled against the Only Begotten Son, whom the Father loved and who was in the bosom of the Father. He was thrust down and was called Perdition. The heavens wept over him. He is Lucifer, a son of the morning. The section’s footnotes name Isaiah 14:12Isaiah 14:12 · King James VersionHow art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!Isaiah 14:12 · King James VersionOpen the Source. That oracle is a taunt against the king of Babylon. The verse says the day star has fallen from heaven. The Doctrine and Covenants passage uses the name Lucifer for the angel who rebelled. Isaiah’s chapter is about that king.

Doctrine and Covenants 29:36Doctrine and Covenants 29:36 · English, churchofjesuschrist.orgAnd it came to pass that Adam, being tempted of the devil—for, behold, the devil was before Adam, 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;Doctrine and Covenants 29:36 · English, churchofjesuschrist.orgOpen the Source (5) says the devil was before Adam, rebelled, said “Give me thine honor, which is my power,” and turned away a third part of the hosts of heaven because of their agency. Verse 37 says they were thrust down, and thus came the devil and his angels.

Who Created Satan?

John 1:1–3John 1:1–3 · King James Version^1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ^1:2 The same was in the beginning with God. ^1:3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.John 1:1–3 · King James VersionOpen the Source (6) says the Word was in the beginning with God, the Word was God, and all things were made by him. Colossians 1:16–17Colossians 1:16–17 · King James Version^1:16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: ^1:17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.Colossians 1:16–17 · King James VersionOpen the Source (7) says by him were all things created, that are in heaven and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers, and he is before all things. Angels are among the invisible things that were created. In historic Christian reading, Satan is a created being who fell. On that reading he is not a second son of the same kind as the Son.

Hebrews 1:5Hebrews 1:5 · King James VersionFor unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son?Hebrews 1:5 · King James VersionOpen the Source (8) puts the question to the angels: unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? Hebrews 1:14Hebrews 1:14 · King James VersionAre they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?Hebrews 1:14 · King James VersionOpen the Source says the angels are ministering spirits. John 8:44John 8:44 · King James VersionYe 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 · King James VersionOpen the Source says the devil was a murderer from the beginning and there is no truth in him. The Godhead in Latter-day Saint Teaching is the church’s account of three beings. Is Jesus God? is the confession that the Son is God, the maker, and not the eldest brother of the angels.

Did Jesus Have Brothers?

Mark 6:3Mark 6:3 · King James VersionIs not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him.Mark 6:3 · King James VersionOpen the Source (9) is a question from Nazareth. They name his mother Mary and his brothers James, Joses, Juda, and Simon, and they say his sisters are there with them. Those are the brothers and sisters the town names. Matthew 13:55Matthew 13:55 · King James VersionIs not this the carpenter’s son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas?Matthew 13:55 · King James VersionOpen the Source gives the same list. That question is about Jesus’ family in Nazareth. It is a different question from the premortal council.

Is Jesus Our Brother?

Hebrews 2:11Hebrews 2:11 · King James VersionFor both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren,Hebrews 2:11 · King James VersionOpen the Source (10) says both he that sanctifies and they who are sanctified are all of one, and he is not ashamed to call them brethren. Hebrews 2:14Hebrews 2:14 · King James VersionForasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;Hebrews 2:14 · King James VersionOpen the Source says the children are partakers of flesh and blood, and he likewise took part of the same, so that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil. Romans 8:29Romans 8:29 · King James VersionFor whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.Romans 8:29 · King James VersionOpen the Source says those whom God foreknew he predestinated to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. That brotherhood is the redeemed with the Son who took flesh and destroyed the devil’s power. It is not a shared premortal species with Satan.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why Did Jesus and Lucifer Choose Differently?

The June 1986 Ensign answer explains it by agency. It says agency has existed from all eternity, citing Doctrine and Covenants 93:30–31, and that Lucifer “was not created evil, but became Satan by his own choice.” It compares the two to Cain and Abel, and to Joseph and the brothers who sought to kill him.

Why Does Heavenly Father Allow Satan to Tempt People?

Gospel Topics, SatanGospel Topics, Satan · English, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day SaintsSatan, also called the adversary or the devil, is the enemy of all righteousness and of those who seek to follow God. He is a spirit son of God who was once an angel “in authority in the presence of God.” But in the premortal Council in Heaven, Lucifer, as Satan was then called, rebelled against God.Gospel Topics, Satan · English, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day SaintsOpen the Source (1) says Heavenly Father allows Satan and his followers to tempt us as part of our experience in mortality. It adds that individuals do not have to give in, and that each person has the power to choose good over evil.

Who Created Satan?

Latter-day Saint texts call Satan a spirit son who chose rebellion. In the New Testament, John 8:44John 8:44 · King James VersionYe 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 · King James VersionOpen the Source calls the devil a murderer from the beginning, a liar, and the father of it. Christians read Colossians 1:16Colossians 1:16 · King James VersionFor by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:Colossians 1:16 · King James VersionOpen the Source to include him among the invisible things the Son made.

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