- 25After Abinadi had finished saying this, he asked them: Have you taught these people to take care to do all these things, to keep these commandments? 26I tell you: No. Because if you had, the Lord wouldn’t have had me come and prophesy evil about this people. 27Now you’ve said that salvation comes by the Law of Moses. I tell you, while it’s still necessary for you to keep the Law of Moses, the time will come when it won’t be necessary to keep it anymore. 28Furthermore, I declare that salvation doesn’t come by the Law alone. If it weren’t for the atonement God Himself will make for His people’s sins and iniquities, they would unavoidably perish, despite the Law of Moses. 29You should understand that it was necessary for there to be a very strict law given to the Israelites. They were a stubborn people, quick to commit iniquity and slow to remember the Lord who is God. 30So a law of performances and ordinances was given to them, one they were to strictly follow on a daily basis to remind them of God and their duty toward Him. 31But I tell you all these things symbolized what was to come.
- 32Now, did they understand the Law? I tell you: No, not all of them understood the Law — because of the hardness of their hearts. They didn’t understand that no one could be saved except through God’s redemption. 33Didn’t Moses prophesy to them about the coming Messiah and that God would redeem His people? Yes, and even all the prophets that have prophesied ever since the world began, haven’t they spoken more or less about these things? 34Haven’t they said that God Himself would come down among mankind and take upon Himself the form of a man and go about in great power on the earth? 35And haven’t they also said He would enable the resurrection of the dead and that He Himself would be oppressed and afflicted?
- 14Of course, doesn’t Isaiah say: Who believes what we’ve heard? Who’s heard the Lord’s revelation? 2For He’ll grow up with His favor like a lively vine springing from the desert ground. He has no rank or position deserving respect, and when we notice Him, there’s nothing about Him to please us. 3He is despised and rejected by men — a man of sorrow and familiar with disease. And we turned our faces away, ignoring Him. He was despised and thought to be of no value. 4Yet it was our sickness He took upon Himself, our suffering He endured.
- 5He suffered for our sins, healed our sickness; was punished for our iniquities, bearing our guilt to completely restore us. 6We all strayed like sheep, wandering off — each one going their own way; and the Lord has imposed on Him the guilt belonging to us all. 7He was oppressed and submitted, without complaining; like a lamb brought to be slaughtered, and as a ewe is silent while they shear her, so He endured without opening His mouth. 8He was condemned by an unjust judgment. There were none who defended Him. For He was slain as a sacrifice for the transgressions of My people, who deserved the punishment. 9He died with the wicked, and was buried with the rich. Though He had done no evil, nor had He declared anything untrue; 10but the Lord was content with His offering; satisfied with His healing.
- After He made himself a sin offering, He’ll inherit offspring, obtain eternal life, and vindicate God’s promises. 11He’ll see His sacrifice and will be satisfied; by the understanding He gains, the righteous Servant will make many others righteous, for He’ll remove their iniquities. 12Therefore I intend for Him to inherit multitudes, and His triumph will endow Him eternally — because He submitted willingly to death, and He was regarded as a sinner; but instead, He took on other’s guilt while making intercession for sinners.
- 15Then Abinadi said to them: I want you to understand that God Himself will come down among mankind and redeem His people. 2And because He’ll dwell in the flesh, He’ll be called the Son of God. He’ll subject the flesh to the Father’s will, gaining the role of the Father and the Son: 3the Father because He was conceived by God’s power and the Son because of the flesh, becoming the Father and Son in this way. 4And they’re united as one God — indeed, the very Eternal Father of heaven and earth. 5So the flesh becomes subject to the Spirit, or the Son to the Father, being one God, suffering temptation and not yielding to it, but allowing Himself to be mocked, whipped, thrown out, and disowned by His people.
- 6After all this, and after performing many mighty miracles among mankind, He’ll be led, just as Isaiah said, as a ewe is silent while they shear her, so He endured without opening His mouth. 7Yes, He’ll be led, crucified, and killed, the mortal flesh fully surrendering to death, the Son’s will submitting entirely to the Father’s will. 8And so God breaks the chains of death, gaining victory over death, giving the Son power to make intercession for mankind, 9having ascended into heaven, showing tender mercy, being filled with compassion toward mankind, standing between them and justice, having conquered death, Himself assuming responsibility for their transgressions and iniquity, having redeemed them, and satisfied the demands of justice.
- 10Now I ask you: Who will identify His sons and daughters? I tell you that after His life has been made a sin offering, He’ll reclaim His children. Now, what do you say? Who will be His children? 11I tell you that whoever has believed the prophet’s words — moreover, all the holy prophets who have prophesied about the Lord’s coming, I tell you that all those who have followed their words and believed that the Lord would redeem His people and have looked forward to that day for a remission of their sins, I tell you that these are His children, or they are heirs of God’s kingdom. 12These are the ones whose sins He has borne; these are the ones He has died for, to redeem them from their transgressions. And now, are they not His children? 13And the prophets, every one who’s proclaimed His messages, who hasn’t fallen into transgression — I mean all the holy prophets since the world began — I tell you that they are His children. 14These are the ones announcing good news, that proclaim peace, that report coming good fortune, announcing victory, telling Zion: Your God reigns! 15How welcome on the mountain are their footsteps! 16And how welcome on the mountain are the footsteps of those who are still announcing victory! 17Again, how welcome on the mountain are the footsteps of those who will continue announcing victory from now on and forever!
- 18I tell you: This isn’t all. Again, how welcome on the mountain are the footsteps of Him who brings good news and is the Founder of peace — meaning, the Lord who’s redeemed and granted His people salvation. 19If it weren’t for the redemption He has made for His people, which was planned from the start of creation, I say that if it weren’t for this — all mankind would be doomed. 20But the chains of death will be broken. And the Son’s authority includes power over the dead; therefore He owns the resurrection of the dead. 21And a resurrection is coming, that is a first resurrection, of those who have lived, now live, and will live, up until the resurrection of Christ (and that is His name). 22Now the resurrection of all the prophets and those who have believed their messages — or those who have kept God’s commandments — are the ones who will come forth in the first resurrection; therefore that is the initial resurrection. 23They’re raised to live with God, who’s redeemed them. So they have eternal life through the Messiah, who’s broken the chains of death.
- 24And those who have died in ignorance before the Messiah came, not having salvation taught to them, are also included in the first resurrection. So the Lord brings about their restoration, and they’re included as part of the first resurrection, or have eternal life, being redeemed by the Lord. 25And little children also have eternal life.
- 26However, beware and fearful of God’s judgment of you — as you should — because the Lord doesn’t redeem anyone who rebels against Him and dies in their sins. Understand that everyone, from the beginning, who deliberately refuses to follow God while knowing His commandments, won’t be redeemed by Him. These people don’t have any part in the first resurrection. 27Therefore shouldn’t you be afraid? Because the Lord hasn’t redeemed anyone like that, and salvation doesn’t come to anyone like that. And He can’t redeem them either, for He can’t go back on His word or deny justice when it applies.
- 28Now I tell you that the time will come when the Lord’s salvation will be declared to all people of every nation, tribe, and language. 29Listen, your border guards shout out together their joyful praise, for everyone will witness the Lord’s return to Zion. 30Everyone will proclaim together, O ruins of Jerusalem! The Lord now comforts you His people, coming to redeem Jerusalem. 31The Lord will bare His holy arm in the sight of every nation, and all will see God’s victory to the very end of the earth.
- 16After Abinadi had spoken these words, he reached out his arms and said: The time will come when everyone will see the Lord’s salvation, when all people of every nation, tribe, and language will see with their own eyes and acknowledge before God that His judgments are correct. 2Then the wicked will be thrown out, and they’ll have a reason to howl, weep, wail, and grind their teeth — because they wouldn’t hearken to the Lord’s voice. Therefore the Lord won’t redeem them. 3Because they’re carnal and devilish; and the accuser has power over them. Indeed, that old snake who deceived our first parents, which was the cause of their fall, resulting in mankind becoming carnal, sensual, devilish, knowing evil from good, and subjecting themselves to the accuser. 4All mankind was then lost and they would have been permanently lost if God hadn’t redeemed His people from their lost and fallen state. 5But remember that those who persist in their own carnal nature and follow sin and rebellion against God will remain in their fallen state, and the accuser has influence over them. So they’re as if no redemption had been made — effectively enemies of God; and the accuser is clearly an enemy of God.
- 6Now if the Messiah had not come into the world — speaking of future events as if they had already happened — there would have been no redemption. 7And if the Messiah hadn’t risen from the dead or broken the chains of death — so that the grave had no victory and death no bite — there would have been no resurrection. 8But there is a resurrection. Therefore the grave doesn’t have any victory, and death’s bite is swallowed up through the Messiah. 9He is the light and life of the world, an endless light that can never be darkened and an endless life so there is no more death. 10This mortal body will become immortal, and our decaying flesh will become free from decay, and in our bodies we’ll stand before the judgment seat of God to be judged by Him. Judged based on our works, whether they’re good or evil: 11if good, to the resurrection of endless life and happiness; and if evil, to the resurrection of endless damnation, handed over to the accuser, who has authority over the condemned, which is damnation. 12They lived unworthy, selfish lives, never repenting and asking forgiveness from the Lord, although He was always ready to forgive; they refused His mercy. They ignored warnings about their iniquities, and they wouldn’t abandon them. And though they were commanded to repent, they refused to repent.
- 13Now shouldn’t you fear God’s judgment and repent of your sins? Remember, you can be saved only in and through the Messiah. 14Therefore if you teach the Law of Moses, also teach that it foreshadows what’s coming. 15Teach them that redemption comes through Christ the Lord, who is the very Eternal Father. Amen.
Chapter 8