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My specific question is "WHO are these so-called council of Gods and "WHERE" did they come from? How does the LDS Church reconcile this with what God stated at Isaiah 44:6 and Isaiah 44:24?

Isaiah 44:6,"Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel And his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts; I am the first and I am the last, And there is no God beside Me."

Isaiah 44"24, "Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, and the one who formed you from the womb, I, the Lord, am the maker of all things, Stretching out the heavens by Myself, And spreading out the earth all alone."

My question came from the following LDS site: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/1971/04/the-king-follett-sermon?lang=eng

"A Council of the Gods

In the beginning, the head of the Gods called a council of the Gods; and they came together and concocted (prepared) a plan to create the world and people in it. When we begin to learn this way, we begin to learn the only true God, and what kind of a being we have got to worship. Having a knowledge of God, we begin to know how to approach Him, and how to ask so as to receive an answer."

Disclaimer: My question has nothing to do with the following question I posted here: The Mormon Church teaches that Jesus Christ created under the direction of Heavenly Father and He did not create the world "out of nothing."

Mr. Bond
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    And God said, Let us make man in our image, Genesis 1:26. I take it that the OP is asking about the matter of a plurality of gods. Genesis states 'God' (or 'Deity') - a collective noun - said let us. Thus the matter hinges on the Hebrew word elohim. (Up-voted +1.) – Nigel J Jul 20 '21 at 21:42

1 Answers1

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Who is the council of gods?

Us/Mankind

In the premortal life, our Heavenly Father called a Grand Council to present His plan for our progression1

The occasion in premortal life when the Father presented His plan to His spirit children who would come to this earth.2

Some of the references (grand council or grand councilors) may be referring to a more specific group, in which case it may be the greatest of the spirits (those who would be prophets like Abraham)

Abraham 3:22-25

22 Now the Lord had shown unto me, Abraham, the intelligences that were organized before the world was; and among all these there were many of the noble and great ones;

23 And God saw these souls that they were good, and he stood in the midst of them, and he said: These I will make my rulers; for he stood among those that were spirits, and he saw that they were good; and he said unto me: Abraham, thou art one of them; thou wast chosen before thou wast born.

24 And there stood one among them that was like unto God, and he said unto those who were with him: We will go down, for there is space there, and we will take of these materials, and we will make an earth whereon these may dwell;

25 And we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them;

Where did they come from?

Mankind are His, God's, creations/children and we were with Him in the preexistence.3

Reconciliation:

Isaiah 44:6

6 Thus saith the Lord the King of Israel, and his redeemer the Lord of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.

The LDS believe there are other gods and man can become gods, but none that they worship. No reconciliation.

They acknowledge the Father as the ultimate object of their worship, the Son as Lord and Redeemer, and the Holy Spirit as the messenger and revealer of the Father and the Son.4

See also:

Isaiah 44:24

24 Thus saith the Lord, thy redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb, I am the Lord that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself;

The LDS believe Jesus Christ did create the heavens and the earth under the direction of Heavenly Father.5

1 Gospel Topics: Council in Heaven

2 Guide to Scriptures: Council in Heaven

3 Gospel Topics: Premortality

4 Gospel Topics: Godhead

5 Gospel Topics: Creation


Other articles related (not official LDS sources):

All emphasis mine

depperm
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    The Council is "Us/Mankind/Gods" in the premortal life. Where in the Bible does it say man had a premortal life before the beginning at Genesis 1:1 and the creation of man at Genesis 1:26? What your doing is "assuming" the BoM, the Book of Abraham/Pearl of Great Price" are true. Also, Isaiah 40:12-14, especially vs14, "With whom did He/God consult and who gave Him understanding?" Romans 11:34, "Who has known the mind of the Lord, or who became His COUNSELOR?" And where did Jesus come from? How could He assist God when God said He created all alone and by Himself? Prove your position. – Mr. Bond Jul 21 '21 at 00:36
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    Yes, the LDS church assumes those books are true. That is the position of the church. This site asks what various faiths believe. It does not ask them to "prove" anything to another person. – BLT Jul 21 '21 at 01:55
  • @Mr.Bond feel free to ask more questions. Many of the gospel topic links have Bible verses, but the LDS have more scripture so it isn't limited to the bible (you are assuming they aren't, I probably won't be convincing you but they're still accepted as scriptures to the LDS) The LDS believe Jesus is the son of God, like us. Generally the LDS believe the God of the old testament is referencing Jesus not Heavenly Father (source) – depperm Jul 21 '21 at 10:21
  • @BLT You believe the Bible to be the word of God so where in the OT does it teach the Council of Gods (capitalized), that is mankind pre-existed before Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:26 when God created the world and man? I already quoted Isaiah 44:6 and Isaiah 44:24 where God created the earth and mankind all alone and by Himself so why would God have to direct Jesus Christ to help Him out? Furthermore, Isaiah 40:13-14 says, "Who has directed the Spirit of the Lord, Or as His counselor has informed Him? Vs14, "With who did He consult and who gave Him understanding." – Mr. Bond Jul 21 '21 at 13:56
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    @Mr.Bond the LDS believe the Bible but they also don't believe it to be the sole source of doctrine or scripture. You will not find all LDS beliefs spelled out in just the bible. – depperm Jul 21 '21 at 14:02
  • @depperm Please tell the listeners what happens if your sources disagree with my single source the Bible (in this case) the creation of the world and mankind? I already gave various verses that God created the earth and man "by Himself" and "all alone." Your sources state a "Council of Gods" made a plan "BEFORE" the Bible's account at Genesis 1. Scripture does not contradict themselves. Your view may not be correct; mine may not be-both can be wrong, but both cannot be right at the same time in the same place. There may be many applications of a text, but there is only one correct meaning. – Mr. Bond Jul 21 '21 at 17:30
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    @Mr.Bond I don't believe our sources disagree, just you don't agree with my sources (which is fine but realize you asked an LDS perspective question, so I'm going to use them). I've attempted to point out how/where LDS beliefs differ. I cannot reconcile LDS teachings with your view-point/understanding if you are unwilling to look at where LDS are coming from. – depperm Jul 21 '21 at 17:44
  • @depperm I'm not asking for your perspective/opinion. I'm asking you a legitimate Bible question as it relates to Genesis 1, where it says, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. At Genesis 1:26, "God said, "Let Us make man in Our image etc. Your telling me that before the beginning at Genesis 1:1 "the head of the Gods called a council of the Gods to concoct a plan to create the world and people. You also stated the council of Gods are people/us. The following site https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/bible-verses-like_Genesis-1-1/ says nothing about a pre-mortal council. – Mr. Bond Jul 21 '21 at 20:43
  • @depperm That's fine with me. Please address my last question and I will respond. Thanks! – Mr. Bond Jul 21 '21 at 21:20
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    @Mr.Bond (a) The LDS Church believes Jeremiah 1:5 and Job 38:7 evidence a premortal existence. Whether or not that's believable isn't relevant on this Stack, right? The point isn't to argue with anyone about whether or not their tradition is true, but to learn about and understand their tradition. – JBH Jul 29 '21 at 18:37
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    @Mr.Bond Also, please bear in mind that we believe the Bible suffers from mistranslation and removal of doctrine. (Article of Faith #8, 1 Nephi 13). Another of our beliefs is that if people could prove doctrine definitively from a single source of scripture, there would be only one church. – JBH Jul 29 '21 at 18:49