Mosiah 16:5-10

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

6 And now if Christ had not come into the world, speaking of things to come as 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 sting, there could have been no resurrection.

8 But there is a resurrection, therefore the grave hath no victory, and the sting of death 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 immortality, and this corruption shall put on incorruption, and shall be brought to stand before the bar of God, to be judged of him according to their works whether they be good or whether they be evil—

Mosiah 16:5-10

As King Benjamin told us, “the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever” (Mosiah 3:19).  Man will continue sinning and rebelling because of the fall Adam.  “Wherefore, all mankind were in a lost and in a fallen state, and ever would be save they should rely on this Redeemer” (1 Nephi 10:6). “So we see that, due to the fall, all men inherit a carnal nature, one that is completely aligned with the devil in his warfare against God. All men are an ‘enemy to God; and also is the devil an enemy to God’ (Mosiah 16:5).”^[1]

The devil had power over man and man was an enemy of God.  The devil is also an enemy go God.

Lehi, speaking to Jacob, told him:

5 And men are instructed sufficiently that they know good from evil.  And the law is given unto men.  And by the law no flesh is justified; or, by the law men are cut off.  Yea, by the temporal law they were cut off; and also, by the spiritual law they perish from that which is good, and become miserable forever.

6 Wherefore, redemption cometh in and through the Holy Messiah; for he is full of grace and truth.

7 Behold, he offereth himself a sacrifice for sin, to answer the ends of the law, unto all those who have a broken heart and a contrite spirit; and unto none else can the ends of the law be answered.

8 Wherefore, how great the importance to make these things known unto the inhabitants of the earth, that they may know that there is no flesh that can dwell in the presence of God, save it be through the merits, and mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah, who layeth down his life according to the flesh, and taketh it again by the power of the Spirit, that he may bring to pass the resurrection of the dead, being the first that should rise.

2 Nephi 2:5-8

Confronting Zeezrom, Alma₂ told him:

22 Now Alma said unto him: This is the thing which I was about to explain.  Now we see that Adam did fall by the partaking of the forbidden fruit, according to the word of God; and thus we see, that by his fall, all mankind became a lost and fallen people.

23 And now behold, I say unto you that if it had been possible for Adam to have partaken of the fruit of the tree of life at that time, there would have been no death, and the word would have been void, making God a liar, for he said: If thou eat thou shalt surely die.

24 And we see that death comes upon mankind, yea, the death which has been spoken of by Amulek, which is the temporal death; nevertheless there was a space granted unto man in which he might repent; therefore this life became a probationary state; a time to prepare to meet God; a time to prepare for that endless state which has been spoken of by us, which is after the resurrection of the dead.

25  Now, if it had not been for the plan of redemption, which was laid from the foundation of the world, there could have been no resurrection of the dead; but there was a plan of redemption laid, which shall bring to pass the resurrection of the dead, of which has been spoken.

Alma 12:22-25

Abinadi’s speaking style is interesting.  In verses 6-7, Abinadi begins to talk as though Christ had already completed His mortal ministry.  “The plan and the true story of man's life on earth, being ‘eschatological,’ i.e., beyond the limits of local time and space, is timeless. Abinadi can speak quite naturally of ‘things to come as though they had already come’ (Mosiah 16:6)…[2]

Had Christ not been born, there would have been no redemption.  Nephi wrote:

24 And, notwithstanding we believe in Christ, we keep the law of Moses, and look forward with steadfastness unto Christ, until the law shall be fulfilled.

25 For, for this end was the law given; wherefore the law hath become dead unto us, and we are made alive in Christ because of our faith; yet we keep the law because of the commandments.

26 And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins.

27 Wherefore, we speak concerning the law that our children may know the deadness of the law; and they, by knowing the deadness of the law, may look forward unto that life which is in Christ, and know for what end the law was given.  And after the law is fulfilled in Christ, that they need not harden their hearts against him when the law ought to be done away.

2 Nephi 25:24-27

If Christ had not risen from the dead, there could be no resurrection and the grave would have victory.  “I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death: O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy destruction: repentance [HEB compassion] shall be hid from mine eyes” (Hosea 13:14). “And thus God breaketh the bands of death, having gained the victory over death; giving the Son power to make intercession for the children of men” (Mosiah 15:8).

So much for what might have happened had Christ not succeeded. There is a resurrection and death has not victory.  Jacob taught, “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” (2 Nephi 9:10).  Alma₂ explained to Corianton, “And now, the plan of mercy could not be brought about except an atonement should be made; therefore God himself atoneth for the sins of the world, to bring about the plan of mercy, to appease the demands of justice, that God might be a perfect, just God, and a merciful God also” (Alma 42:15).

“[D]eath is swallowed up in Christ.”  Isaiah prophesied, “He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke [OR reproach of his people] of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken it” (Isaiah 25:8).  Paul wrote, “So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting?  O grave [GR Hades, hell], where is thy victory?” (Corinthians 15:54-55).

Christ is the light of the world.  “Behold, I am he who was prepared from the foundation of the world to redeem my people.  Behold, I am Jesus Christ.  I am the Father and the Son.  In me shall all mankind have life, and that eternally, even they who shall believe on my name; and they shall become my sons and my daughters” (Ether 3:14).  Mormon wrote to Moroni, “And now, my brethren, seeing that ye know the light by which ye may judge, which light is the light of Christ, see that ye do not judge wrongfully; for with that same judgment which ye judge ye shall also be judged” (Moroni 7:18).

With Christ, there will be no more death.

Mortal will put on immortality; corruption will put on incorruption.  “Behold, I say unto you, that there is no resurrection—or, I would say, in other words, that this mortal does not put on immortality, this corruption does not put on incorruption—until after the coming of Christ” (Alma 40:2).

We will all stand before the judgment bar of God and be judged according to our lives, be they good or evil.

Final judgment occurs after the resurrection (see Mosiah 16:10–11). However, it is implicit in Abinadi's teaching that there must be some judgment prior to the resurrection. This is apparent from Abinadi's description of two temporally separated resurrections. Obviously, at the time of the first resurrection there must be a separation of mankind into two groups: those who are able to participate in the first resurrection and those who are not. This must, of necessity, occur before resurrection and final judgment. The division of the inhabitants of the spirit world into paradise and hell or outer darkness, described previously, also supports the concept of some judgment prior to resurrection and final judgment.[3]

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[1] Cry Redemption: The Plan of Redemption as Taught in the Book of Mormon, Corbin T. Volluz, Maxwell Institute, accessed October 12, 2014.

[2] The Apocrypha and the Book of Mormon, Hugh Nibley, Maxwell Institute, accessed October 12, 2014.

[3] The Way of Life and the Way of Death in the Book of Mormon, Mack C. Stirling, Maxwell Institute, accessed October 12, 2014.