pgs. 180 and 181...he would not deny the commandments of God, having sealed the truth of his words by his death.

9 Now Abinadi said unto him: I say unto you, I will ^anot recall the words which I have spoken unto you concerning this people, for they are true; and that ye may know of their surety I have suffered myself that I have fallen into your hands.

10 Yea, and I will ^asuffer even until death, and I will not recall my words, and they shall stand as a ^btestimony against you. And if ye slay me ye will shed ^cinnocent blood, and this shall also stand as a testimony against you at the last day.

11 And now king Noah was about to release him, for he feared his word; for he feared that the judgments of God would come upon him.

12 But the ^apriests lifted up their voices against him, and began to accuse him, saying: He has reviled the king. Therefore the king was stirred up in ^banger against him, and he delivered him up that he might be slain.

13 And it came to pass that they took him and bound him, and ^ascourged his skin with faggots, yea, even unto ^bdeath.

14 And now when the flames began to scorch him, he cried unto them, saying:

15 Behold, even as ye have done unto me, so shall it come to pass that thy ^aseed shall cause that many shall suffer the pains that I do suffer, even the pains of ^bdeath by fire; and this because they believe in the salvation of the Lord their God.

16 And it will come to pass that ye shall be afflicted with all manner of ^adiseases because of your iniquities.

17 Yea, and ye shall be smitten on every hand, and shall be driven and scattered to and fro, even as a wild flock is driven by wild and ferocious beasts.

18 And in that day ye shall be ^ahunted, and ye shall be taken by the hand of your enemies, and then ye shall suffer, as I suffer, the pains of ^bdeath by fire.

19 Thus God executeth ^avengeance upon those that destroy his people. O God, ^breceive my soul.

20 And now, *when ^aAbinadi had said these words, he fell, having suffered death by fire; yea, having been put to death because he would not deny the commandments of God, having sealed the truth of his words by his ^bdeath.

* VERSE 20 (ABOUT 148 B.C.).

THE BOOK OF MOSIAH

CHAPTER 18

Alma preaches in private—He sets forth the covenant of baptism and baptizes at the waters of Mormon—He organizes the Church of Christ and ordains priests—They support themselves and teach the people—Alma and his people flee from King Noah into the wilderness. About 148—145 B.C.

1 And now, it came to pass that Alma, who had fled from the servants of king Noah, ^arepented of his sins and iniquities, and went about privately among the people, and began to teach the words of Abinadi—

2 Yea, concerning that which was to come, and also concerning the resurrection of the dead, and the ^aredemption of the people, which was to be brought to pass through the power, and sufferings, and ^bdeath of Christ, and his resurrection and ascension into heaven.

3 And as many as would hear his word he did teach. And he taught them privately, that it might not come to the knowledge of the king. And many did believe his words.

4 And it came to pass that as many as did believe him did go forth to a ^aplace which was called Mormon, having received its name from the king, being in the ^bborders of the land having been infested, by times or at seasons, by wild beasts.

5 Now, there was in Mormon a fountain of pure water, and Alma resorted thither, there being near the water a thicket of small trees, where he did hide himself in the daytime from the searches of the king.

6 And it came to pass that as many as believed him went thither to hear his words.

7 And it came to pass *after many days there were a goodly number gathered together at the place of Mormon, to hear the words of Alma. Yea, all were gathered together that believed on his word, to hear him. And he did ^ateach them, and did preach unto them repentance, and redemption, and faith on the Lord.

8 And it came to pass that he said unto them: Behold, here are the waters of Mormon (for thus were they called) and now, as ye are ^adesirous to come into the ^bfold of God, and to be called his people, and are willing to bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light;

9 Yea, and are ^awilling to mourn with those that ^bmourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as ^cwitnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death, that ye may be redeemed of God, and be numbered with those of the ^dfirst resurrection, that ye may have eternal life—

10 Now I say unto you, if this be the desire of your hearts, what have you against being ^abaptized in the ^bname of the Lord, as a witness before him that ye have entered into a ^ccovenant with him, that ye will serve him and keep his commandments, that he may pour out his Spirit more abundantly upon you?

11 And now when the people had heard these words, they clapped their hands for joy, and exclaimed: This is the desire of our hearts.

12 And now it came to pass that Alma took Helam, he being one of the first, and went and stood forth in the water, and cried, saying: O Lord, pour out thy Spirit upon thy servant, that he may do this work with holiness of heart.

13 And when he had said these words, the ^aSpirit of the Lord was upon him, and he said: Helam, I baptize thee, having ^bauthority from the Almighty God, as a testimony that ye have entered into a ^ccovenant to serve him until you are dead as to the mortal body; and may the Spirit of the Lord be poured out upon you; and may he grant unto you eternal life, through the redemption of Christ, whom he has prepared from the ^dfoundation of the world.

14 And after Alma had said these words, both Alma and Helam were ^aburied in the water; and they arose and came forth out of the water rejoicing, being filled with the Spirit.

This section is often discussed during lessons about peer pressure. A lot of people, especially teenagers, think that peer pressure is just a "pop-psychology" term and don't really worry about it. The story of King Noah and Abinadi proves that it is real and we are greatly influenced by those around us. In verse 11 we read that king Noah was about to release Abinadi but in verse 12 we read that the priests (peers) "stirred up anger against him" and in the end he was burned at the stake. It's really sad that king Noah wasn't stronger. If it weren't for Alma this whole story would be too much to handle. As it is I hate that Abinidi died such an awful death. The only redeeming factor is that before he died he converted Alma.

I have been fortunate in my life to be the recipient of much positive peer pressure. In middle school and high school many of my friends were trying to do their best to live the gospel and they inspired me to do the same. My college and mission experiences overflowed with wonderful examples and people whose testimonies helped build my own. As a wife and mother I have been inspired my so many, many wonderful friends and examples. By influencing me in this way all of these people were doing what Alma taught in verses 8 and 9 of chapter 18. I want to send out a big THANK YOU to all of you who live your lives in a way that puts positive peer pressure on those around you!!!! Never underestimate your ability to influence others for good!

pgs. 178 and 179...He is the light and the life of the world; yea, a light that is endless, that can never be darkened.

THE BOOK OF MOSIAH

CHAPTER 16

God redeems men from their lost and fallen state—Those who are carnal remain as though there was no redemption—Christ brings to pass a resurrection to endless life or to endless damnation. About 148 B.C.

1 And now, it came to pass that after Abinadi had spoken these words he stretched forth his hand and said: The time shall come when all shall see the ^asalvation of the Lord; when ^bevery nation, kindred, tongue, and people shall see eye to eye and shall ^cconfess before God that his ^djudgments are just.

2 And then shall the ^awicked be ^bcast out, and they shall have cause to howl, and ^cweep, and wail, and gnash their teeth; and this because they would not ^dhearken unto the voice of the Lord; therefore the Lord redeemeth them not.

3 For they are ^acarnal and devilish, and the devil has power over them; yea, even that old serpent that did ^bbeguile our first parents, which was the ^ccause of their fall; which was the cause of ^dall mankind becoming carnal, sensual, devilish, ^eknowing evil from good, ^fsubjecting themselves to the devil.

4 Thus all mankind were ^alost; and behold, they would have been endlessly lost were it not that God redeemed his people from their lost and fallen state.

5 But remember that he that persists in his own ^acarnal nature, and goes on in the ways of sin and rebellion against God, remaineth in his fallen state and the ^bdevil hath all power over him. Therefore he is as though there was no ^credemption made, being an enemy to God; and also is the ^ddevil an enemy to God.

6 And now if Christ had not come into the world, speaking of things to come ^aas though they had already come, there could have been no redemption.

7 And if Christ had not risen from the dead, or have broken the bands of death that the grave should have no victory, and that death should have no ^asting, there could have been no resurrection.

8 But there is a ^aresurrection, therefore the grave hath no victory, and the sting of ^bdeath is swallowed up in Christ.

9 He is the ^alight and the life of the world; yea, a light that is endless, that can never be darkened; yea, and also a life which is endless, that there can be no more death.

10 Even this mortal shall put on ^aimmortality, and this ^bcorruption shall put on incorruption, and shall be brought to ^cstand before the bar of God, to be judged of him according to their works whether they be good or whether they be evil—

11 If they be good, to the resurrection of ^aendless life and ^bhappiness; and if they be evil, to the resurrection of ^cendless damnation, being delivered up to the devil, who hath subjected them, which is damnation—

12 Having gone according to their own carnal wills and desires; having never called upon the Lord while the arms of mercy were extended towards them; for the arms of mercy were extended towards them, and they would ^anot; they being warned of their iniquities and yet they would not depart from them; and they were commanded to repent and yet they would not repent.

13 And now, ought ye not to tremble and repent of your sins, and remember that only in and through Christ ye can be saved?

14 Therefore, if ye teach the ^alaw of Moses, also teach that it is a ^bshadow of those things which are to come—

15 Teach them that redemption cometh through Christ the Lord, who is the very ^aEternal Father. Amen.

THE BOOK OF MOSIAH

CHAPTER 17

Alma believes and writes the words of Abinadi—Abinadi suffers death by fire—He prophesies disease and death by fire upon his murderers. About 148 B.C.

1 And now it came to pass that when Abinadi had finished these sayings, that the king commanded that the ^apriests should take him and cause that he should be put to ^bdeath.

2 But there was one among them whose name was ^aAlma, he also being a descendant of Nephi. And he was a young man, and he ^bbelieved the words which Abinadi had spoken, for he knew concerning the iniquity which Abinadi had testified against them; therefore he began to plead with the king that he would not be angry with Abinadi, but suffer that he might depart in peace.

3 But the king was more wroth, and caused that Alma should be cast out from among them, and sent his servants after him that they might slay him.

4 But he fled from before them and ^ahid himself that they found him not. And he being concealed for many days did ^bwrite all the words which Abinadi had spoken.

5 And it came to pass that the king caused that his guards should surround Abinadi and take him; and they bound him and cast him into prison.

6 And after three days, having counseled with his ^apriests, he caused that he should again be brought before him.

7 And he said unto him: Abinadi, we have found an accusation against thee, and thou art worthy of death.

8 For thou hast said that ^aGod himself should come down among the children of men; and now, for this cause thou shalt be put to death unless thou wilt recall all the words which thou hast spoken evil concerning me and my people.

I found this wonderful quote for today's reading. It's kind of long so I'll pass on making my own commentary and let it speak for itself. (I know you don't have all day to read this blog! ;) )

“A Man Named Alma”

“One of the wicked priests of King Noah is a man named Alma, who is a descendant of Nephi. When first introduced in the Book of Mormon, Alma is a young man in the process of being converted by Abinadi. (Mosiah 17:2.) Much of the religious history of the Nephite nation for the next three hundred years is concerned with this man and his descendants. Alma not only begins a religious revival among his own people, but later he is given power by King Mosiah to establish churches throughout all the land of Zarahemla. (See Mosiah 25:19.)

“Still later we read that Alma’s son (also called Alma) succeeds his father as the religious leader of the people and also becomes the first chief judge over the Nephite nation. Other descendants of Alma the elder who become great religious leaders of the Nephites include his grandson (Helaman); great-grandson (Helaman, the son of Helaman); great-great-grandson (Nephi, the son of Helaman who is the son of Helaman); and great-great-great-grandson (Nephi the second, who is also the chief disciple of the resurrected Jesus Christ). Abinadi may have felt that he had failed as a missionary; so far as the record indicates, his only convert was Alma. However, as mentioned above, the missionary efforts of Abinadi affected the religious life of the Nephites for hundreds of years” (Daniel H. Ludlow, A Companion to Your Study of the Book of Mormon, p. 187).

pgs. 176 and 177...how beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of those that are still publishing peace!

And they are ^aone God, yea, the very ^bEternal ^cFather of heaven and of earth.

5 And thus the flesh becoming subject to the Spirit, or the Son to the Father, being one God, ^asuffereth temptation, and yieldeth not to the temptation, but suffereth himself to be mocked, and ^bscourged, and cast out, and disowned by his ^cpeople.

6 And after all this, after working many mighty miracles among the children of men, he shall be led, yea, even ^aas Isaiah said, as a sheep before the shearer is dumb, so he ^bopened not his mouth.

7 Yea, even so he shall be led, ^acrucified, and slain, the ^bflesh becoming subject even unto death, the ^cwill of the Son being swallowed up in the will of the Father.

8 And thus God breaketh the ^abands of death, having gained the ^bvictory over death; giving the Son power to make ^cintercession for the children of men—

9 Having ascended into heaven, having the bowels of mercy; being filled with compassion towards the children of men; standing betwixt them and justice; having broken the bands of death, taken upon ^ahimself their iniquity and their transgressions, having redeemed them, and ^bsatisfied the demands of justice.

10 And now I say unto you, who shall declare his ^ageneration? Behold, I say unto you, that when his soul has been made an offering for ^bsin he shall see his ^cseed. And now what say ye? And who shall be his seed?

11 Behold I say unto you, that whosoever has heard the words of the ^aprophets, yea, all the holy prophets who have prophesied concerning the coming of the Lord—I say unto you, that all those who have hearkened unto 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 say unto you, that these are his seed, or they are the heirs of the ^bkingdom of God.

12 For these are they whose sins ^ahe has borne; these are they for whom he has died, to redeem them from their transgressions. And now, are they not his seed?

13 Yea, and are not the ^aprophets, every one that has opened his mouth to prophesy, that has not fallen into transgression, I mean all the holy prophets ever since the world began? I say unto you that they are his seed.

14 And these are ^athey who have published peace, who have brought good ^btidings of good, who have ^cpublished salvation; and said unto Zion: Thy God reigneth!

15 And O how beautiful upon the mountains were their feet!

16 And again, how beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of those that are still publishing peace!

17 And again, how beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of those who shall hereafter publish peace, yea, from this time henceforth and forever!

18 And behold, I say unto you, this is not all. For O how beautiful upon the mountains are the ^afeet of him that bringeth good tidings, that is the founder of ^bpeace, yea, even the Lord, who has redeemed his people; yea, him who has granted salvation unto his people;

19 For were it not for the redemption which he hath made for his people, which was prepared from the ^afoundation of the world, I say unto you, were it not for this, all mankind must have ^bperished.

20 But behold, the bands of death shall be broken, and the Son reigneth, and hath power over the dead; therefore, he bringeth to pass the resurrection of the dead.

21 And there cometh a resurrection, even a ^afirst resurrection; yea, even a resurrection of those that have been, and who are, and who shall be, even until the resurrection of Christ—for so shall he be called.

22 And now, the resurrection of all the prophets, and all those that have believed in their words, or all those that have kept the commandments of God, shall come forth in the first resurrection; therefore, they are the first resurrection.

23 They are raised to ^adwell with God who has redeemed them; thus they have eternal life through Christ, who has ^bbroken the bands of death.

24 And these are those who have part in the first resurrection; and these are they that have died before Christ came, in their ignorance, not having ^asalvation declared unto them. And thus the Lord bringeth about the restoration of these; and they have a part in the first resurrection, or have eternal life, being redeemed by the Lord.

25 And little ^achildren also have eternal life.

26 But behold, and ^afear, and tremble before God, for ye ought to tremble; for the Lord redeemeth none such that ^brebel against him and ^cdie in their sins; yea, even all those that have perished in their sins ever since the world began, that have wilfully rebelled against God, that have known the commandments of God, and would not keep them; ^dthese are they that have ^eno part in the first ^fresurrection.

27 Therefore ought ye not to tremble? For salvation cometh to none such; for the Lord hath redeemed none such; yea, neither can the Lord redeem such; for he cannot deny himself; for he cannot deny ^ajustice when it has its claim.

28 And now I say unto you that the time shall come that the ^asalvation of the Lord shall be declared to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people.

29 Yea, Lord, ^athy ^bwatchmen shall lift up their voice; with the voice together shall they sing; for they shall see eye to eye, when the Lord shall bring again Zion.

30 Break forth into joy, sing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem; for the Lord hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem.

31 The Lord hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the ^asalvation of our God.

In these verses Abinadi tells the wicked priests what Isaiah meant when he referred to the "seed" of Christ. He teaches that there are 3 things a person must do in order to be an heir (or seed) to the kingdom of God:
1. hear the words of the prophets
2. believe that the Lord will redeem His people
3. look forward to that day for a remission of sins
When it's summed up like that it doesn't seem so difficult, right?
I am so touched by verses 14-18 which talks about the prophets who publish peace. Religion and politics are mostly separated in our society today but it is a sweet reminder that when the gospel is lived by all there is peace.
And, of course the straight doctrine Abinadi teaches in verses 21-26 about who is resurrected and when is pure and beautiful doctrine that we have all come to know. I hope we can all appreciate that knowledge and never take it for granted.

pgs. 174 and 175...The Father, because he was conceived by the power of God; and the Son, becuase of the flesh; thus becoming the Father and the Son -

28 And moreover, I say unto you, that ^asalvation doth not come by the ^blaw alone; and were it not for the ^catonement, which God himself shall make for the sins and iniquities of his people, that they must unavoidably perish, notwithstanding the law of Moses.

29 And now I say unto you that it was expedient that there should be a law given to the children of Israel, yea, even a very ^astrict law; for they were a stiffnecked people, ^bquick to do iniquity, and slow to remember the Lord their God;

30 Therefore there was a ^alaw given them, yea, a law of performances and of ^bordinances, a law which they were to ^cobserve strictly from day to day, to keep them in remembrance of God and their duty towards him.

31 But behold, I say unto you, that all these things were ^atypes of things to come.

32 And now, did they ^aunderstand the law? I say unto you, Nay, they did not all understand the law; and this because of the hardness of their hearts; for they understood not that there could not any man be saved ^bexcept it were through the redemption of God.

33 For behold, did not Moses prophesy unto them concerning the coming of the Messiah, and that God should redeem his people? Yea, and even ^aall the prophets who have prophesied ever since the world began—have they not spoken more or less concerning these things?

THE BOOK OF MOSIAH

CHAPTER 14

Isaiah speaks Messianically—Messiah’s humiliation and sufferings are set forth—He makes his soul an offering for sin and makes intercession for transgressors—Compare Isaiah 53. About 148 B.C.

1 Yea, even doth not Isaiah say: Who hath ^abelieved our report, and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?

2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground; he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him there is no beauty that we should desire him.

3 He is ^adespised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

4 Surely he has ^aborne our ^bgriefs, and carried our sorrows; yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

5 But he was ^awounded for our ^btransgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are ^chealed.

6 All we, like ^asheep, have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquities of us all.

7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he ^aopened not his mouth; he is brought as a ^blamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb so he opened not his mouth.

8 He was taken from prison and from judgment; and who shall declare his generation? For he was cut off out of the land of the living; for the transgressions of my people was he stricken.

9 And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the ^arich in his death; because he had done no ^bevil, neither was any deceit in his mouth.

10 Yet it pleased the Lord to ^abruise him; he hath put him to grief; when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin he shall see his ^bseed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.

11 He shall see the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied; by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall ^abear their iniquities.

12 Therefore will I divide him a portion with the ^agreat, and ^bhe shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death; and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bore the sins of many, and made ^cintercession for the transgressors.

THE BOOK OF MOSIAH

CHAPTER 15

How Christ is both the Father and the Son—He shall make intercession and bear the transgressions of his people—They and all the holy prophets are his seed—He bringeth to pass the resurrection—Little children have eternal life. About 148 B.C.

1 And now Abinadi said unto them: I would that ye should understand that ^aGod himself shall ^bcome down among the children of men, and shall ^credeem his people.

2 And because he ^adwelleth in ^bflesh he shall be called the ^cSon of God, and having subjected the flesh to the ^dwill of the ^eFather, being the Father and the Son—

3 The Father, ^abecause he was ^bconceived by the power of God; and the Son, because of the flesh; thus becoming the Father and Son—

Abinadi does such an amazing job here using the Law of Moses and the writings of Isaiah to defend himself and his beliefs before King Noah. He would have been a brilliant lawyer if he lived in our time! His explanation of the law of Moses and the purpose it served is one of the clearest we have anywhere. He also describes the Saviors role and why he is sometimes referred to as our father but is also our Father in Heaven's Son. It's a hotly contested subject even today but he addressed it well! I like this quote from a statement released by the first presidency in 1916 that elaborates on this matter:

“In all His dealings with the human family Jesus the Son has represented and yet represents Elohim His Father in power and authority. This is true of Christ in His preexistent, antemortal, or unembodied state, in the which He was known as Jehovah; also during His embodiment in the flesh; and during His labors as a disembodied spirit in the realm of the dead. . . . Thus the Father placed His name upon the Son; and Jesus Christ spoke and ministered in and through the Father’s name; and so far as power, authority, and Godship are concerned His words and acts were and are those of the Father” (in James E. Talmage, The Articles of Faith, p. 471; the entire statement, “The Father and the Son: A Doctrinal Exposition by the First Presidency and the Twelve,” is found on pages 466–73 of The Articles of Faith).

pgs. 172 and 173...now Abinadi said unto them; I know if ye keep the commandments of God ye shall be saved.

30 Know ye not that I speak the ^atruth? Yea, ye know that I speak the truth; and you ought to tremble before God.

31 And it shall come to pass that ye shall be smitten for your iniquities, for ye have said that ye teach the law of Moses. And what know ye concerning the law of Moses? ^aDoth salvation come by the law of Moses? What say ye?

32 And they answered and said that salvation did come by the law of Moses.

33 But now Abinadi said unto them: I know if ye ^akeep the commandments of God ye shall be saved; yea, if ye keep the commandments which the Lord delivered unto Moses in the mount of ^bSinai, saying:

34 ^aI am the Lord thy God, who hath ^bbrought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

35 Thou shalt have no ^aother God before me.

36 ^aThou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing in heaven above, or things which are in the earth beneath.

37 Now Abinadi said unto them, Have ye done all this? I say unto you, Nay, ye have not. And have ye ^ataught this people that they should do all these things? I say unto you, Nay, ye have not.

THE BOOK OF MOSIAH

CHAPTER 13

Abinadi is protected by divine power—He teaches the Ten Commandments—Salvation does not come by the law of Moses alone—God himself shall make an atonement and redeem his people. About 148 B.C.

1 And now when the king had heard these words, he said unto his priests: Away with this fellow, and slay him; for what have we to do with him, for he is ^amad.

2 And they stood forth and attempted to lay their hands on him; but he withstood them, and said unto them:

3 ^aTouch me not, for God shall smite you if ye lay your hands upon me, for I have not delivered the message which the Lord sent me to deliver; neither have I told you that which ye ^brequested that I should tell; therefore, God will not suffer that I shall be destroyed at this time.

4 But I must fulfil the commandments wherewith God has commanded me; and because I have told you the truth ye are angry with me. And again, because I have spoken the word of God ye have judged me that I am mad.

5 Now it came to pass after Abinadi had spoken these words that the people of king Noah durst not lay their hands on him, for the Spirit of the Lord was upon him; and his face ^ashone with exceeding luster, even as Moses’ did while in the mount of Sinai, while speaking with the Lord.

6 And he spake with ^apower and authority from God; and he continued his words, saying:

7 Ye see that ye have not power to slay me, therefore I finish my ^amessage. Yea, and I perceive that it cuts you to your hearts because I tell you the truth concerning your iniquities.

8 Yea, and my words fill you with wonder and amazement, and with anger.

9 But I finish my message; and then it ^amatters not whither I go, if it so be that I am saved.

10 But this much I tell you, what you ^ado with me, after this, shall be as a ^btype and a shadow of things which are to come.

11 And now I read unto you the remainder of the ^acommandments of God, for I perceive that they are not written in your hearts; I perceive that ye have studied and taught ^biniquity the most part of your lives.

12 And now, ye remember that I ^asaid unto you: Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of things which are in heaven above, or which are in the earth beneath, or which are in the water under the earth.

13 And again: Thou shalt not ^abow down thyself unto them, nor serve them; for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquities of the fathers upon the children, unto the third and fourth generations of them that hate me;

14 And showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments.

15 Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him ^aguiltless that taketh his name in vain.

16 Remember the ^asabbath day, to keep it holy.

17 Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work;

18 But the seventh day, the sabbath of the Lord thy God, thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy man-servant, nor thy maid-servant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates;

19 For in ^asix days the Lord made heaven and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is; wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

20 ^aHonor thy ^bfather and thy mother, that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.

21 Thou shalt not ^akill.

22 Thou shalt not commit ^aadultery. Thou shalt not ^bsteal.

23 Thou shalt not bear ^afalse witness against thy neighbor.

24 Thou shalt not ^acovet thy neighbor’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife, nor his man-servant, nor his maid-servant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is thy neighbor’s.

25 And it came to pass that after Abinadi had made an end of these sayings that he said unto them: Have ye ^ataught this people that they should observe to do all these things for to keep these commandments?

26 I say unto you, Nay; for if ye had, the Lord would not have caused me to come forth and to prophesy evil concerning this people.

27 And now ye have said that salvation cometh by the law of Moses. I say unto you that it is expedient that ye should ^akeep the law of Moses as yet; but I say unto you, that the time shall come when it shall ^bno more be expedient to keep the law of Moses.

Abinadi is an excellent example of courage and conviction. I love this painting by Arnold Frieberg because it helps me picture how much ridicule and derision Abinadi actually faced. His willingness to preach the commandments of God to the kings wicked priests even though he knew they wanted to condemn him for it is an example to all of us today, especially full time missionaries. I wonder which part of his speech touched Alma and brought about his conversion???

pgs. 170 and 171...thy watchmen shall lift up the voice... for they shall see eye to eye when the Lord shall bring again Zion.

THE BOOK OF MOSIAH

CHAPTER 12

Abinadi is imprisoned for prophesying the destruction of the people and the death of King Noah—The false priests quote the scriptures and pretend to keep the law of Moses—Abinadi begins to teach them the Ten Commandments. About 148 B.C.

1 And it came to pass that *after the space of two years that Abinadi came among them in disguise, that they knew him not, and began to ^aprophesy among them, saying: Thus has the Lord commanded me, saying—Abinadi, go and prophesy unto this my people, for they have hardened their hearts against my words; they have repented not of their evil doings; therefore, I will ^bvisit them in my anger, yea, in my fierce anger will I visit them in their iniquities and abominations.

2 Yea, wo be unto this generation! And the Lord said unto me: Stretch forth thy hand and prophesy, saying: Thus saith the Lord, it shall come to pass that this generation, because of their iniquities, shall be brought into ^abondage, and shall be smitten on the ^bcheek; yea, and shall be driven by men, and shall be slain; and the vultures of the air, and the dogs, yea, and the wild beasts, shall devour their ^cflesh.

3 And it shall come to pass that the ^alife of king Noah shall be valued even as a garment in a hot ^bfurnace; for he shall know that I am the Lord.

4 And it shall come to pass that I will smite this my people with sore afflictions, yea, with famine and with ^apestilence; and I will cause that they shall ^bhowl all the day long.

5 Yea, and I will cause that they shall have ^aburdens lashed upon their backs; and they shall be driven before like a dumb ass.

6 And it shall come to pass that I will send forth ^ahail among them, and it shall smite them; and they shall also be smitten with the ^beast wind; and ^cinsects shall pester their land also, and devour their grain.

7 And they shall be smitten with a great pestilence—and all this will I do because of their ^ainiquities and abominations.

8 And it shall come to pass that except they repent I will utterly ^adestroy them from off the face of the earth; yet they shall leave a ^brecord behind them, and I will preserve them for other nations which shall possess the land; yea, even this will I do that I may discover the abominations of this people to other nations. And many things did Abinadi prophesy against this people.

9 And it came to pass that they were angry with him; and they took him and carried him bound before the king, and said unto the king: Behold, we have brought a man before thee who has prophesied evil concerning thy people, and saith that God will destroy them.

10 And he also prophesieth evil concerning thy ^alife, and saith that thy life shall be as a garment in a furnace of fire.

11 And again, he saith that thou shalt be as a stalk, even as a dry stalk of the field, which is run over by the beasts and trodden under foot.

12 And again, he saith thou shalt be as the blossoms of a thistle, which, when it is fully ripe, if the wind bloweth, it is driven forth upon the face of the land. And he pretendeth the Lord hath spoken it. And he saith all this shall come upon thee except thou repent, and this because of thine iniquities.

13 And now, O king, what great evil hast thou done, or what great sins have thy people committed, that we should be ^acondemned of God or judged of this man?

14 And now, O king, behold, we are ^aguiltless, and thou, O king, hast not sinned; therefore, this man has ^blied concerning you, and he has prophesied in vain.

15 And behold, we are strong, we shall not come into bondage, or be taken captive by our enemies; yea, and thou hast prospered in the land, and thou shalt also prosper.

16 Behold, here is the man, we deliver him into thy hands; thou mayest do with him as seemeth thee good.

17 And it came to pass that king Noah caused that Abinadi should be cast into prison; and he commanded that the ^apriests should gather themselves together that he might hold a council with them what he should do with him.

18 And it came to pass that they said unto the king: Bring him hither that we may question him; and the king commanded that he should be brought before them.

19 And they began to question him, that they might cross him, that thereby they might have wherewith to ^aaccuse him; but he answered them boldly, and withstood all their questions, yea, to their astonishment; for he did ^bwithstand them in all their questions, and did confound them in all their words.

20 And it came to pass that one of them said unto him: ^aWhat meaneth the words which are written, and which have been taught by our fathers, saying:

21 ^aHow beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him ^bthat bringeth good tidings; that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good; that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth;

22 ^aThy watchmen shall lift up the voice; with the voice together shall they sing; for they shall see eye to eye when the Lord shall bring again Zion;

23 Break forth into joy; sing together ye waste places of Jerusalem; for the Lord hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem;

24 The Lord hath made bare his holy ^aarm in the eyes of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God?

25 And now Abinadi said unto them: Are you ^apriests, and pretend to teach this people, and to understand the spirit of prophesying, and yet desire to know of me what these things mean?

26 I say unto you, wo be unto you for perverting the ways of the Lord! For if ye understand these things ye have not taught them; therefore, ye have perverted the ways of the Lord.

27 Ye have not applied your ^ahearts to ^bunderstanding; therefore, ye have not been wise. Therefore, what teach ye this people?

28 And they said: We teach the law of Moses.

29 And again he said unto them: If ye teach the ^alaw of Moses why do ye not keep it? Why do ye set your hearts upon ^briches? Why do ye commit whoredoms and ^cspend your strength with harlots, yea, and cause this people to commit sin, that the Lord has cause to send me to prophesy against this people, yea, even a great evil against this people?

This situation Abinadi finds himself in is so ironic. He is trying to teach the word of God but the "priests" of Noah are accusing him of being a fraud. Clearly, it is the "priests" who are a fraud and Abinadi who has the Spirit of the Lord with him. I know this happens in society today as well. Those who are actually good are accused of being evil by those who are evil and claiming to be good. This is yet another of Satan methods of deceiving us. There are so many instances of this in our world today (attacks on the family, just to name one) that it is important we stay close to the Spirit so we are not deceived.