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.
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.
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.
Jacob glorifies the mercy of God. Through his plan of salvation, “he delivereth his saints from that awful monster the devil, and death, and hell” (2 Nephi 9:19). The use of terms like serpent and monster is often used in the Book of Mormon.
“[T]he Book of Mormon uses reptilian imagery in several
ways, some of which fit closely with Mesoamerican traditions. Satan is
described as ‘that old serpent’ (2 Nephi 2:18; Mosiah 16:3). This image is
broadened in other places to include ‘that awful monster the devil, and death,
and hell’ (2 Nephi 9:19; see 9:10 and 24:9), associating the reptilian monster
not only with the devil but with death and the abode of some of the dead.”[1]
“O how great the holiness of our God! For he knoweth all things, and there is not
anything save he knows it” (2 Nephi 9:20).
When Alma1’s people were in bondage, King Noah’s former
wicked priest, Amulon, “commanded them that they should stop their cries; and
he put guards over them to watch them, that whosoever should be found calling
upon God should be put to death” (Mosiah 24:11).
Even though they were not allowed to cry unto the Lord, they
continued to pour out their hearts to Him, “and he did not the thoughts of
their heart” (Mosiah 24:12).
Solomon wrote, “For the ways of man are before the eyes of
the LORD, and he pondereth all his goings” (Proverbs 5:21).
The Savior will come into the world to save all men who will
listen to His voice. His sufferings are
for all who belong to “the family of Adam” (2 Nephi 9:21). He will die and be resurrected so “all might
stand before him at the great and judgment day” (2 Nephi 9:22).
“All are commanded to repent and be baptized, to have faith
in Christ. If they don’t, ‘they cannot
be saved in the kingdom of God’ (2 Nephi 9:23).
So the commandment is to ‘all men that they must repent’ (2 Nephi 9:23;
cf. 9:24). And the willingness to repent is the essential condition of God's
covenant with men.”[2]
What if someone refuses to accept Christ and refuses to be
baptized in His name “must be damned, for the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel,
has spoken it” (2 Nephi 9:24).
The Lord would reveal to Alma1, “For behold, this
is my church; whosoever is baptized shall be baptized unto repentance. And whomsoever ye receive shall believe in my
name; and him will I freely forgive” (Mosiah 26:22).
In the great vision of the hereafter, the Lord revealed to
Joseph Smith:
“And again we bear record—for we saw and heard, and this is
the testimony of the gospel of Christ concerning them who shall come forth in
the resurrection of the just—
“They are they who received the testimony of Jesus, and
believed on his name and were baptized after the manner of his burial, being
buried in the water in his name, and this according to the commandment which he
has given—
“That by keeping the commandments they might be washed and
cleansed from all their sins, and receive the Holy Spirit by the laying on of
the hands of him who is ordained and sealed unto this power” (D&C 76:50-52).
“One of the primary objectives of the ancient authors of the
Book of Mormon was to show God's desire to save all his children. The
authors were univocal on Christ's central role in that process (see, for
example, 1 Nephi 13:40; 2 Nephi 9:23).”[3]
What about those who have not received the law? Jacob reminds us a law has been given. Channeling his father, Lehi (see 2 Nephi
2:13), he reminds us if there is no law, there is no punishment; where there is
no punishment, there is no condemnation; 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 9:25).
Paul would tell the Romans, “Because the law worketh wrath:
for where no law is, there is no transgression” (Romans 4:15).
The atonement will satisfy the demands of justice for all
who have not received the law. “[T]hey
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” (2 Nephi 9:26).
[3] Redeeming the Dead: Tender Mercies, Turning
of Hearts, and Restoration of Authority. David L. Paulsen, Kendel J.
Christensen, and Martin Pulido, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute.
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