The Final Judgment
Doctrine and Covenants 29:27–30
27 And the righteous shall be gathered on my right hand unto eternal life; and the wicked on my left hand will I be ashamed to own before the Father;
28 Wherefore I will say unto them—Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.
29 And now, behold, I say unto you, never at any time have I declared from mine own mouth that they should return, for where I am they cannot come, for they have no power.
30 But remember that all my judgments are not given unto men; and as the words have gone forth out of my mouth even so shall they be fulfilled, that the first shall be last, and that the last shall be first in all things whatsoever I have created by the word of my power, which is the power of my Spirit.
Elder Hyrum M. Smith and Janne M. Sjödahl wrote:
“. . . The language here employed [in D&C 29:27–29] is like that found in [Matthew] 25:31–46, where the Lord speaks of judgment upon nations. There has been a separation of nations, so that while some have the blessings of light, others are groping in darkness. Finally, there will be a similar separation of individuals.
“. . . ‘Depart from me, ye cursed.’ . . . This is the final fate of the sons of perdition [see D&C 76:32–39]. It should be noted that in Matthew those on the right side are ‘blessed of my Father,’ while those of the left side are ‘cursed.’ This curse they bring upon themselves by their disobedience, and not because it pleases the Creator to see them punished. ‘For behold, justice exerciseth all his demands, and also mercy claimeth all which is her own; and thus, none but the truly penitent are saved. What, do ye suppose that mercy can rob justice? I say unto you, nay; not one whit. If so, God would cease to be God’ (Alma 42:24–25).
“. . . Those whose fate is the everlasting fire are finally lost. There is no ‘return’ for them. The details of their sufferings are not revealed [see D&C 76:45–46]; only that they will not return [see Revelation 20:7–10]. . . .
“. . . Our Lord has not revealed all the rewards in store for the righteous. There will be an infinite variety in the conditions of the blessed. Nor has He revealed the final fate of the wicked. But one truth is clearly revealed—‘The first shall be the last, and the last the first.’”
(The Doctrine and Covenants Commentary, rev. ed. [1951], 154–55, 156.)
