2 Nephi 9:26-29

26  For the atonement satisfieth the demands of his justice upon all those who have not the law given to them, that they are delivered from that awful monster, death and hell, and the devil, and the lake of fire and brimstone, which is endless torment; and they are restored to that God who gave them breath, which is the Holy One of Israel.
27  But wo unto him that has the law given, yea, that has all the commandments of God, like unto us, and that transgresseth them, and that wasteth the days of his probation, for awful is his state!

2 Nephi 9:25-27 (Emphasis mine)

I've heard this question many times - What happens to those who die without hearing about Jesus?  A response I reject is that they will end up in hell, cut off from God.  As I study the Gospel, this response makes no sense.  Where's the justice of God?  How can He punish someone who have no heard of Christ, the Bible, or the Gospel?  History is full of people like this.

Jacob gives us the answer.  To paraphrase, the atonement will step in and meet the demands of justice for those who have not heard the Gospel.  They are delivered from hill and restored to the Holy One of Israel.

13  (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law.
14  Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.
15  But not as the offence, so also is the free gift.  For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.
16  And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification.
17  For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)

Romans 5:13-17 (Emphasis mine)

Verse 27 begins what I've considered the "wo's"  scriptures.  Jacob begins to warn us of the consequences of ignoring God, His teachings, and His commandments.  He warns us of the consequences of these poor decisions.

He begins by warning those of us who have received the law.  Jacob warns that, if you have the law, and you violate the law, you are committing sin. Not only are you committing sin, you are basically wasting your life.  

In the October 2006 General Conference, Elder Richard G. Scott said:

"There are those who attempt to scale a difficult rock cliff by a method called “soloing.” They ascend alone, without equipment, companions, or any secure protection. They depend on their own skill and capacity. They do it for the thrill of living on the edge with high risk. It is done despite the probability that in time they will fall and be seriously injured or lose their life. They are like many who face the challenges and temptations of life without the security of following the commandments of God, guided by the Holy Spirit. In today’s difficult world they will almost surely violate critical laws, with painful, destructive consequences. Do not “solo” in life. You will almost certainly fall into transgression ... When you learn those commandments, continue to practice them, and have a plan to avoid danger, you will have a secure means of obtaining protection against Satan’s temptations. You will develop strength of character that will fortify you against transgression. Should you make a wrong move, there need be no enduring problem because of the belaying or help that is available through your repentance.Let the Savior be your “lead” in life." (Emphasis mine)

In the October 2008 General Conference, Elder James J. Hamula said:

"Therefore, Satan is marshalling every resource at his disposal to entice you into transgression. He knows that if he can draw you into transgression, he may prevent you from serving a full-time mission, marrying in the temple, and securing your future children in the faith, all of which weakens not only you but the Church. He knows that nothing can overthrow God’s kingdom 'save it [be] the transgression of [his] people.' (Mosiah 27:13)" (Emphasis mine)

17  Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.

James 4:17 (Emphasis mine)

28  O that cunning plan of the evil one!  O the vainness, and the frailties, and the foolishness of men!  When they are learned they think they are wise, and they hearken not unto the counsel of God, for they set it aside, supposing they know of themselves, wherefore, their wisdom is foolishness and it profiteth them not.  And they shall perish.
29  But to be learned is good if they hearken unto the counsels of God.

2 Nephi 9:28-29 (Emphasis mine)

What is it about us that makes us think we are so wise when we think we know a lot about something?  It's easy to become (frequently unintentionally) proud because of this knowledge.  It's easier to ignore those who don't know as much as we do.  In fact, they should be partaking of our profound wisdom.

As a science teacher, sometimes it's easy to get caught up in the knowledge and learning of science.  It feels like I'm learning all the explanations.  I'm becoming quite a bright and brilliant person. 

17  This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind,

18  Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:
19  Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.

Ephesians 4:17-19 (Emphasis mine)

God gives us knowledge and learning to help us become better people.  Through this learning, we can become away of the teachings of the Gospel and apply them in our lives.  We can become closer to God, having a life full of happiness and joy, ultimately leading to returning back to God for all eternity.

2 Nephi 9:20-25

This morning I was thinking that today is the quiet day of Holy Week. Christ rode triumphantly into Jerusalem. He had the Last Supper with his disciples, teaching them one last time.

The atonement began later that evening. In the Garden of Gethsemane, He suffered as no human could, taking upon Himself the all the sins of mankind. The words of Luke...

39 ¶ And he came out, and went, as he was wont, to the mount of Olives; and his disciples also followed him.

40 And when he was at the place, he said unto them, Pray that ye enter not into temptation.

41 And he was withdrawn from them about a stone's cast, and kneeled down, and prayed,

42 Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.

43 And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him.

44 And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.

Luke 22:39-44 (Emphasis mine)

He knew what was to come.  He prayed to his Father, asking that He not have to do this.  But, we see the entire key to the atonement - "not my will, but thine be done."  The sacrifice had to be voluntary.  Only He could complete the plan of salvation.  Only through Him could we be united with God again someday.  Only through Him would death be conquered, and only through Him would evil be defeated.  The  willing Son went forward, suffering so that "his sweat was as it were great drops of blood."  An angel strengthened Him.

After this suffering, He was betrayed by his disciple.  He suffered further; He went through the mockery of a trial, was condemned and hung on a cross among thieves.  He was alone. As He was dying, He was mocked. There was no angel strengthening Him this time.  He had to do it alone.  At one point he cried:

46  And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?  that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

Matthew 27:46 (Emphasis mine)

Finally, the time arrived.  It was over,  He had won.  He proclaimed His victory with the cry "... It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost."  (John 19:30)

His mission was almost fulfilled.  Through His voluntary suffering in Gethsemane and willingness to give up His life (which as the Son of God He could have easily saved), we could now return to be with our Father and Christ through the eternities.

One finally victory was still to be achieved.  His body was still in the grave.  He had not won the final victory over death.  Tomorrow, Easter Sunday, mercy will meet the demands of justice.  Evil has lost and can never keep  us from being forever being cutoff from the presence of God, unless we choose to voluntarily live a life of sin.  Tomorrow we celebrate the final victory over both the first and second deaths.

Now on to the words of Jacob.

20  O how great the holiness of our God!  For he knoweth all things, and there is not anything save he knows it.
21  And he cometh into the world that he may save all men if they will hearken unto his voice; for behold, he suffereth the pains of all men, yea, the pains of every living creature, both men, women, and children, who belong to the family of Adam.
22  And he suffereth this that the resurrection might pass upon all men, that all might stand before him at the great and judgment day.
23  And he commandeth all men that they must repent, and be baptized in his name, having perfect faith in the Holy One of Israel, or they cannot be saved in the kingdom of God.
24  And if they will not repent and believe in his name, and be baptized in his name, and endure to the end, they must be damned; for the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, has spoken it.
25  Wherefore, he has given a law; and where there is no law given there is no punishment; and where there is no punishment there is no condemnation; and where there is no condemnation the mercies of the Holy One of Israel have claim upon them, because of the atonement; for they are delivered by the power of him.

2 Nephi 9:20-25 (Emphasis mine)

Jacob again praises God.  He reminds us that Christ would come to this world, suffer for all, "...if they will hearken unto his voice..." (v21) so we can be saved in the kingdom of God.

Once again we have the warning of the consequences of choosing poorly.  If we choose to not hearken unto His voice, we  "...must be damned..."  (v24)  The choice is ours and ours alone.  We cannot be forced to be good or evil.  We cannot be forced to "...hearken unto his voice..." (v21) or to ignore his voice.  We will make that choice.  That choice will have eternal consequences for us.  It is one not to be made lightly.

6  Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord:
7  (For we walk by faith, not by sight:)

2 Corinthians 5:6-7 (Emphasis mine)

7  That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:
8  Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:
9  Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.

1 Peter 1:7-9 (Emphasis Mine)

In the October 2005 General Conference, President Henry B. Eyring said... 

"So, the great test of life is to see whether we will hearken to and obey God’s commands in the midst of the storms of life. It is not to endure storms, but to choose the right while they rage. And the tragedy of life is to fail in that test and so fail to qualify to return in glory to our heavenly home..It will take unshakable faith in the Lord Jesus Christ to choose the way to eternal life. It is by using that faith we can know the will of God. It is by acting on that faith we build the strength to do the will of God. And it is by exercising that faith in Jesus Christ that we can resist temptation and gain forgiveness through the Atonement.  We will need to have developed and nurtured faith in Jesus Christ long before Satan hits us, as he will, with doubts and appeals to our carnal desires and with lying voices saying that good is bad and that there is no sin. Those spiritual storms are already raging. We can expect that they will worsen until the Savior returns.  However much faith to obey God we now have, we will need to strengthen it continually and keep it refreshed constantly. We can do that by deciding now to be more quick to obey and more determined to endure. Learning to start early and to be steady are the keys to spiritual preparation. Procrastination and inconsistency are its mortal enemies." (Emphasis mine)

In the October 2000 General Conference Session, Elder Richard  G. Scott said...

"Why have our Father and His Son commanded us to repent? Because they love us. They know all of us will violate eternal laws. Whether they be small or large, justice requires that every broken law be satisfied to retain the promise of joy in this life and the privilege of returning to Father in Heaven. If not satisfied, in the Day of Judgment justice will cause that we be cast out of the presence of God to be under the control of Satan. It is our Master and His redeeming act that make it possible for us to avoid such condemnation. It is done through faith in Jesus Christ, obedience to His commandments, and enduring in righteousness to the end.  Are you taking full advantage of the redeeming power of repentance in your life so that you can have greater peace and joy? Feelings of turmoil and despondency often signal a need for repentance. Also the lack of the spiritual direction you seek in your life could result from broken laws. If needed, full repentance will put your life together. It will solve all of the complex spiritual pains that come from transgression. But in this life it cannot remedy some of the physical consequences that can occur from serious sin. Be wise and consistently live well within the boundaries of righteousness defined by the Lord."  (Emphasis mine)

Let us use this sacred and special weekend to renew our commitment to Christ.  Let us all strengthen our faith, to express our gratitude for His great and voluntary sacrifice that makes it so that we can return to our Father's and His presence again and remain there for all eternity.

2 Nephi 9:15-19

15  And it shall come to pass that when all men shall have passed from this first death unto life, insomuch as they have become immortal, they must appear before the judgment–seat of the Holy One of Israel; and then cometh the judgment, and then must they be judged according to the holy judgment of God.
16  And assuredly, as the Lord liveth, for the Lord God hath spoken it, and it is his eternal word, which cannot pass away, that they who are righteous shall be righteous still, and they who are filthy shall be filthy still; wherefore, they who are filthy are the devil and his angels; and they shall go away into everlasting fire, prepared for them; and their torment is as a lake of fire and brimstone, whose flame ascendeth up forever and ever and has no end.

2 Nephi 9:15-16 (Emphasis mine)

Jacob tells us that the day will come when all must stand before Christ.  At that time, we will face His judgment.We know this to be so because we have His word.  Christ' s word is eternally.  His word will come to pass.

The judgement identified by Jacob is an important principle.  It is a concept that is found repeatedly throughout scripture.  Here are but a few examples.

10  Therefore hearken unto me, ye men of understanding: far be it from God, that he should do wickedness; and from the Almighty, that he should commit iniquity.
11  For the work of a man shall he render unto him, and cause every man to find according to his ways.
12  Yea, surely God will not do wickedly, neither will the Almighty pervert judgment.

Job 34:10-12 (Emphasis mine)

7  The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.
8  The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.
9  The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.

Psalms 19:7-9 (Emphasis mine)

16  ¶ And moreover I saw under the sun the place of judgment, that wickedness was there; and the place of righteousness, that iniquity was there.
17  I said in mine heart, God shall judge the righteous and the wicked: for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work.

Ecclesiastes 3:16-17 (Emphasis mine)

36  But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.

Matthew 12:36 (Emphasis mine)

27  For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.

Matthew 16:27 (Emphasis mine)

1  THEREFORE thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things.
2  But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things.
3  And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God?

Romans 2:1-3 (Emphasis mine)

In the April 2003 conference, Elder Robert C. Oaks discussed the judgment.  Elder Oaks stated that...

"Obedience, discipline, love, and forgiveness are just a few of the divine characteristics of our Lord Jesus Christ. Each reminds us of where we need to look for the standards by which we will be measured as we prepare for the Lord’s judgment bar, the place where we will be judged for who we really are ...Whether we will realize our longed-for return to God’s presence hinges on the outcome of our Day of Judgment before the Lord Jesus Christ. His careful, penetrating gaze will not be deflected ... We will indeed stand and be judged for what we really are.  This life is our opportunity to sculpt a celestial soul sufficient to stand the scrutiny of the Son ... We have been given both a perfect pattern and the perfect tools to sculpt an eternal masterpiece. May we use them as we look to Christ and dedicate our lives to Him." (Emphasis mine)

Those who have lived a righteous life will be righteous eternally; those who are "filthy" (v16) will remain so eternally.  They will reap justice based on their choices.  They will suffer eternally for their choices.

The next set of scriptures are "a Hymn to the Holy One of Israel."  (The Book of Mormon - A Reader's Edition by Grant Hardy, pg. 85).  As I share this, I will use Hardy's outline of this set of scriptures.

17  O the greatness and the justice of our God!  

For he executeth all his words, 

       and they have gone forth out of his mouth, 

       and his law must be fulfilled.

18  But, behold, the righteous, 

       the saints of the Holy One of Israel, 

       they who have believed in the Holy One of Israel,  

       they who have endured the crosses of the world, and despised the shame 

                         of it, 

they shall inherit the kingdom of God, 

       which was prepared for them from the foundation of the world, 

and their joy shall be full forever.

19  O the greatness of the mercy of our God, 

       the Holy One of Israel!  

For he delivereth his saints from that awful monster the devil, 

       and death, and hell, 

       and that lake of fire and brimstone, 

       which is endless torment.

2 Nephi

It is appropriate that Jacob's hymn of praise follows his words concerning the resurrection, atonement, judgment, and goodness of Christ.  Those that are righteous will be delivered from the devil and they shall inherit the kingdom of God.  His words and promises are eternally, everlasting, and just.  Is there a better reason to praise God? 

14  I the LORD have spoken it: it shall come to pass, and I will do it; I will not go back, neither will I spare, neither will I repent; according to thy ways, and according to thy doings, shall they judge thee, saith the Lord GOD.

Ezekiel 24:14 (Emphasis mine)

11  But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee.
12  For thou, LORD, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield.

Psalms 5:11-12 (Emphasis mine)

10  That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;
11  Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;
12  Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:

Colossians 1:10-12 (Emphasis mine)

In the October 2006 conference, Elder Richard G. Scott, said... 

"Justice guarantees that you will receive the blessings you earn for obeying the laws of God ... When you obey the laws of God, you are blessed .." (Emphasis mine) 

Jacob's words should resonate with all followers of Christ.  He teaches us great and eternally truths about God and his promises.  As we read the Book of Mormon, we are constantly reminded of the powerful promises and blessing we have if we follow the teachings and example of Christ.

2 Nephi 9:13-14

13  O how great the plan of our God!  For on the other hand, the paradise of God must deliver up the spirits of the righteous, and the grave deliver up the body of the righteous; and the spirit and the body is restored to itself again, and all men become incorruptible, and immortal, and they are living souls, having a perfect knowledge like unto us in the flesh, save it be that our knowledge shall be perfect.
14  Wherefore, we shall have a perfect knowledge of all our guilt, and our uncleanness, and our nakedness; and the righteous shall have a perfect knowledge of their enjoyment, and their righteousness, being clothed with purity, yea, even with the robe of righteousness.

2 Nephi 9:13-14 (Emphasis mine)

Jacob is full of praise for God in his sermon - O the wisdom of God, his mercy and grace! (v8), O how great the goodness of our God who prepareth a way for our escape  (v10), and lastly O how great the plan of our God! (v13).

Through God's wisdom, mercy and grace (the resurrection) we will not become devils, being shut off from the presence of God. 

The goodness of God allows us to escape from the monsters of death and hell; the death of the body and of the spirit.to again become living souls.  We are delivered by the Holy One of Israel.

Finally, the plan of God.  Through this plan, the spirits and bodies of the righteous will be reunited, becoming a living soul once again.  Death is no longer the victor.  The devil will not win. He will be conquered and we will be with God again.  We will be closed with the pure robe of righteousness.

Through this process, Christ is the key.  The atonement makes this all possible.

12  Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

Acts 4:12

8  Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;
9  And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;

Hebrews 5:8-9 (Emphasis mine)

1  MY little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not.  And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:

1 John 2:1 (Emphasis mine)

Elder James Faust said:

"Paul gave a simple explanation for the need of the Atonement: “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.” Jesus Christ was appointed and foreordained to be our Redeemer before the world was formed. With His divine sonship, His sinless life, the shedding of His blood in the Garden of Gethsemane, His excruciating death on the cross and subsequent bodily Resurrection from the grave, He became the author of our salvation and made a perfect Atonement for all mankind."

October 2001 Conference (Emphasis mine)

Elder Earl C. Tingey, Presidency of the Seventy, gave a great example of what it is Christ offers us.

"Sin and the need to repent might be represented by a man who takes a journey. On his back is a large empty bag. From time to time, he picks up a rock, representing the transgression of a law. He places the rock in the bag on his back. Over time, the bag becomes full. It is heavy. The man cannot continue on his journey. He must have a way to empty the bag and remove the rocks. This can be done only by the Savior through the Atonement."

April 2006 Conference (Emphasis mine)

We are all so blessed because of the wisdom, grace, goodness and great plan of God.  Through the resurrection and atonement, we are saved from becoming a devil and spending eternity in torment, suffering an eternal spiritual death.  Instead, they day can come that will be able to enter into the presence of God, participating the joy of the righteous.

2 Nephi 9:6-12

6  For as death hath passed upon all men, to fulfil the merciful plan of the great Creator, there must needs be a power of resurrection, and the resurrection must needs come unto man by reason of the fall; and the fall came by reason of transgression; and because man became fallen they were cut off from the presence of the Lord.
7  Wherefore, it must needs be an infinite atonement—save it should be an infinite atonement this corruption could not put on incorruption.  Wherefore, the first judgment which came upon man must needs have remained to an endless duration.  And if so, this flesh must have laid down to rot and to crumble to its mother earth, to rise no more.

2 Nephi 9:6-7 (Emphasis mine)

Through the fall we all must die.  Not only do we die, we are cut off from God's presence.  This was not God's plan for us.  He wants us to return to His presence.  This can only come about through the atonement and resurrection.  

The resurrection is an essential part of this "infinite atonement."  (v7)  Without this, we would have returned to the dust from which we were made and we would rise no more.  That's it.  It's over.  We wold have no hope. 

8  There is no man that hath power over the spirit to retain the spirit; neither hath he power in the day of death: and there is no discharge in that war; neither shall wickedness deliver those that are given to it.

Ecclesiastes 8:8

22  For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

1 Corinthians 15:22

8  O the wisdom of God, his mercy and grace!  For behold, if the flesh should rise no more our spirits must become subject to that angel who fell from before the presence of the Eternal God, and became the devil, to rise no more.
9  And our spirits must have become alike unto him, and we become devils, angels to a devil, to be shut out from the presence of our God, and to remain with the father of lies, in misery, like unto himself; yea, to that being who beguiled our first parents, who transformeth himself nigh unto an angel of light, and stirreth up the children of men unto secret combinations of murder and all manner of secret works of darkness.

2 Nephi 9:8-9 (Emphasis mine)

What are the consequences of there being no resurrection?  We will not only become subject to the devil, but we will become angels to the devil.  This is the consequence of what happened when the devil beguiled Adam and Eve in the Garden.  (The word beguiled come from the Middle English bigilen [bi-, be- + gilen - to deceive]).  (The Free Dictionary, accessed April 7, 2011.)

To make matters worse, we will remain "in misery"  (v9) like the devil.  (When I was growing up, my mother used to say "Misery doesn't love company.  It insists upon it!  The devil demands we share in his misery for all eternity.)   All in all, it is not a pleasant outcome.

9  And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

Revelation 12:9 (Emphasis mine)

10  O how great the goodness of our God, who prepareth a way for our escape from the grasp of this awful monster; yea, that monster, death and hell, which I call the death of the body, and also the death of the spirit.
11  And because of the way of deliverance of our God, the Holy One of Israel, this death, of which I have spoken, which is the temporal, shall deliver up its dead; which death is the grave.
12  And this death of which I have spoken, which is the spiritual death, shall deliver up its dead; which spiritual death is hell; wherefore, death and hell must deliver up their dead, and hell must deliver up its captive spirits, and the grave must deliver up its captive bodies, and the bodies and the spirits of men will be restored one to the other; and it is by the power of the resurrection of the Holy One of Israel.

2 Nephi 9:10-12 (Emphasis mine)

We read very discouraging words is vs. 8-9; Jacob now reveals the truth, and a powerful truth it is.  Through the atonement and resurrection, God has prepared a way for us to escape from the clutches of the devil.  Death is no longer final.  The grave (temporal death) will "deliver up its dead."  (v11)  

More importantly, hell must deliver its dead, those who suffer a spiritual death.  Because of the atonement and resurrection, being cutoff from the presence of God is no longer forever.  The day will come when it will end and we will return to His presence.  The day will come when we will be fully restored through the power of Christ's resurrection.  

I really like the title, "the Holy One of Israel."  (v12)  It emphasizes that a mere man cannot achieve this.  It requires a unique,  special, and powerful individual.  And that individual must be holy (that is, divine). Only Christ could have offered himself a willing sacrifice for our sins.  We can, someday, return to the presence of the Lord.  

2 Nephi 9:1-5

Back in the dark ages when I was attending the University of Utah, I took a Book of Mormon class at the Institute of Religion.  The instructor (Bro. Gonzales, as I recall) spent a lot of time talking about 2 Nephi 9.  He said he loved this chapter because it contained so many gospel truths.  That's why I decided to look at this set of scriptures next.

A little background.  Jacob, Nephi's brother, is the speaker.  This sermon occurs about three decades after Laman, Lemuel, and their "followers" have split from Nephi's group.  The heading to chapter 6 gives us an overview of Jacob's sermon.

"Jacob recounts Jewish history: Their Babylonian captivity and return; the ministry and crucifixion of the Holy One of Israel; the help received from the gentiles; and their Latter-day restoration when they believe in the Messiah."

The next two chapters are readings from Isaiah (chapters 50, 51, 52:1-2).  These chapters have messianic prophesies of Isaiah and a discussion of the gathering of Israel.

Jacob picks up his sermon in Chapter 9.

Jews shall be gathered in all their lands of promise—Atonement ransoms man from the fall—The bodies of the dead shall come forth from the grave, and their spirits from hell and from paradise—They shall be judged—Atonement saves from death, hell, the devil, and endless torment—The righteous to be saved in the kingdom of God—Penalties for sins set forth—The Holy One of Israel is the keeper of the gate.

2 Nephi 9:Heading

(Note - I recently purchased A Reader's Edition to the Book of Mormon by Grant Hardy.  In this book, he breaks up each chapter into paragraphs to help the narrative flow more easily.  I'm going to break up this chapter using the paragraph breaks found in Hardy's book (see pgs. 83-89).

1  AND now, my beloved brethren, I have read these things that ye might know concerning the covenants of the Lord that he has covenanted with all the house of Israel—
2  That he has spoken unto the Jews, by the mouth of his holy prophets, even from the beginning down, from generation to generation, until the time comes that they shall be restored to the true church and fold of God; when they shall be gathered home to the lands of their inheritance, and shall be established in all their lands of promise.
3  Behold, my beloved brethren, I speak unto you these things that ye may rejoice, and lift up your heads forever, because of the blessings which the Lord God shall bestow upon your children.

2 Nephi 9:1 - 3 (Emphasis mine)

The gathering of Israel is very important to Nephi.  He frequently discusses it in his writings, so it's not surprising to see Jacob discussing that very topic as a part of his sermon.  Here Jacob reiterates the word of the Lord as found in Isaiah. 

3  That then the LORD thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath scattered thee.

Deuteronomy 30:3

14  And I will be found of you, saith the LORD: and I will turn away your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places whither I have driven you, saith the LORD; and I will bring you again into the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive.

Jeremiah 29:14

37  Behold, I will gather them out of all countries, whither I have driven them in mine anger, and in my fury, and in great wrath; and I will bring them again unto this place, and I will cause them to dwell safely:
38  And they shall be my people, and I will be their God:
39  And I will give them one heart, and one way, that they may fear me for ever, for the good of them, and of their children after them:

Jeremiah 32:37 - 39 (Emphasis mine)

2  Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy;
3  And gathered them out of the lands, from the east, and from the west, from the north, and from the south.
4  They wandered in the wilderness in a solitary way; they found no city to dwell in.
5  Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted in them.
6  Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them out of their distresses.
7  And he led them forth by the right way, that they might go to a city of habitation.

Psalms 107:2 - 7 (Emphasis mine)

4  For I know that ye have searched much, many of you, to know of things to come; wherefore I know that ye know that our flesh must waste away and die; nevertheless, in our bodies we shall see God.
5  Yea, I know that ye know that in the body he shall show himself unto those at Jerusalem, from whence we came; for it is expedient that it should be among them; for it behooveth the great Creator that he suffereth himself to become subject unto man in the flesh, and die for all men, that all men might become subject unto him.

2 Nephi 9:4 - 5 (Emphasis mine)

Jacob touches upon the atonement in these scriptures.  He teaches that we will someday stand before God in our bodies.  He will come to Earth at Jerusalem, and he will die and, if we choose, we will become subject unto him.

Job's words are a marvelous proclamation of the truth Jacob teaches in these two scriptures (and a great way to end this post!).

25  For I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth:
26  And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God:

Job 19:25 - 26 (Emphasis mine)