Mosiah 16:11-15

11 If they be good, to the resurrection of endless life and happiness; and if they be evil, to the resurrection of endless 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 not; 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 law of Moses, also teach that it is a shadow of those things which are to come—

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

Mosiah 16:11-15

When we are resurrected, we will, if we are righteous, be resurrected to endless life and happiness.  The Savior taught,

“Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,

“And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation” (John 5:28-29).

Daniel prophesied,

“And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.

“And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever” (Daniel 12:2-3).

If, however, we are wicked, we will be resurrected to endless damnation, being given to the devil. “Yea, and if it had not been for his matchless power, and his mercy, and his long-suffering towards us, we should unavoidably have been cut off from the face of the earth long before this period of time, and perhaps been consigned to a state of endless misery and woe” (Alma 9:11).

The wicked have given into to the temptations of the devil.  They give in to their worldly desires.  They never called upon Christ.  They never repented.  Even though His arms were extended to them, offering them His mercy, they ignored Him.  They were called to repentance, but refused to give up their sin.  They refused to repent.

“For those who do not repent in mortality, the day of probation is followed by the night of darkness during which no labor (repentance) can be performed, since the arm of mercy is withdrawn (see Alma 34:32–34; 3 Nephi 27:33; Mosiah 16:12; Jacob 6:5–7). The choices we make during probation determine our fate in the eternal world after probation (see Alma 34:32–36; 12:24).”[1]

The priest should fear the consequences of their sins.  They must repent and remember that, only through Christ, could they be saved. They must remember the Law of Moses “is a shadow of those things which are to come.”  We read this about the Lamanites converted to the gospel.

“Yea, and they did keep the law of Moses; for it was expedient that they should keep the law of Moses as yet, for it was not all fulfilled.  But notwithstanding the law of Moses, they did look forward to the coming of Christ, considering that the law of Moses was a type of his coming, and believing that they must keep those outward performances until the time that he should be revealed unto them.

“Now they did not suppose that salvation came by the law of Moses; but the law of Moses did serve to strengthen their faith in Christ; and thus they did retain a hope through faith, unto eternal salvation, relying upon the spirit of prophecy, which spake of those things to come” (Alma 25:15-16).

Abinadi then calls upon them to come to Christ and accept the redemption He offers.

---

[1] The Way of Life and the Way of Death in the Book of Mormon, Mack C. Stirling, Maxwell Institute.