Mosiah 17

(All of my own thoughts are in red type 6/20 Green 3/21  Orange 6/22 Brown 2023.)

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. Considering that no one said a word or tried to stop him because he said "touch me not" and was "shining"....how bold of the king when he was finished to just continue with wanting to kill him. Nothing Abinadi said or how he looked or the power that was in his words phased him at all? Or anyone else except Alma?
  2 But there was one among them whose name was ^aAlma, he also being a descendant of Nephi. So was he related to Amulek? Not sure now why I thought he was related to Amulek, other than them both being Nephites... weren't all these people Nephites? I guess they could be descendants of Sam or Ishmael or Zoram...And he was a young man, I wonder what his "story" is and how he got become a priest of King Noah so young this voids my theory that perhaps Alma the younger was already a teen when his father was converted and he ^bbelieved the words which Abinadi had spoken, for he knew but stayed silent? went along? 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. Did Alma know he was speaking out at the risk of his own life?
  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. Hidden somewhere he had access to write things down...
  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. I wonder why it took him 3 days?
  7 And he said unto him: Abinadi, we have found an accusation against thee, and thou art worthy of death. Trying to sound like what they are going to do is "just"
  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. This is the kind of nonsense thinking consuming the crazy left these days. You should die because you have a belief about God. But if you'll deny the evil things you said about us (you hurt my feelings) then you don't have to die for what you said about God. Whaaat? I suppose they would say these "words" could lead to an insurrection, so they have to be silenced...
  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. This is a type of Christ. He allowed them to take him and crucify him.
 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. Very few have this kind of conviction and faith in our 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. This shows Noah had a tiny bit of sense and belief in God and worried he could be wrong.
 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. There's the great and spacious building again...Don't underestimate the power of the "group"
 13 And it came to pass that they took him and bound him, and ^ascourged his skin with faggots, yea, even unto ^bdeath. Again a type
 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. He is prophesying that others will be martyred in like manner. Not a pretty picture...
 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. If Noah was fearful at Abinadi's words before he should surely be terrified now! Notice that being God's people doesn't mean He always spares you from evil...Right here he says that evil people sometimes "destroy his people" and then God executes vengeance upon them. I hope "his people" who suffer death this way can all say "receive my soul" and be spared the suffering part of it somehow...I just read an account of a dream where there were beheaded for not denying Christ, but their spirit was taken out of their body so they didn't feel anything. Surely this is how "death is sweet to the righteous"!
 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. Killed because of his words. So evil and weak at the same time.

Mosiah 16

(All of my own thoughts are in red type 6/20 Green 3/21 orange 6/22 Brown 6/23)

Chapter 16

God redeems men from their lost and fallen state—Those who are carnal remain as though there were 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. This is a repeat of what he said 4 versers ago. So...no matter what you think is “your personal truth” NO ONE will deny, at that day, the absolute truth. How this will be made known and undeniable, I would love to know...
  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; You cannot rebel unless you have heard. How much time will they have to hear and hearken and then rebel? A day? A year? A generation? therefore the Lord redeemeth them not. Jesus Christ is the Redeemer of all mankind, but He doesn’t redeem all mankind. Many will not choose Him, so they will not be redeemed. Their choice. He offered it to ALL. And no ‘other god’ can give it to them, no matter what they have believed.
  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. If you believe that you are ‘going your own way’ in not following God, you are sorely mistaken. You are following the devil’s way and you have given him power over you. The devil is the cause of your fall.
  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. One way to read this, is that after one has been "redeemed" or born again, receiving the "mighty change", becoming a "new creature in Christ", you are no longer "fallen" and the devil doesn't have power over you anymore. 
  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. This is for all those who say “there is no Christ”. If that is true, then we are all lost; we will not be resurrected; and there is no way back. It seems like he's saying that redemption and resurrection are two different things. We are to be redeemed while we are still in the world and resurrected after we die. 
  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? Yes, tremble. Because if you do not repent, then it’s the same as if there were no Christ. You will be lost. (Except you will still receive the gift of resurrection.)
 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. This is laid out so clearly. How do you help people to understand the reality of these truths when they are so consumed with pride?

Mosiah 15

(All of my own thoughts are in red type 6/20 green 3/21 orange 6/22 Brown 2023.)

Chapter 15

How Christ is both the Father and the Son—He will make intercession and bear the transgressions of His people—They and all the holy prophets are His seed—He brings 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. It seems to follow, that for the sake of the priests that Abinadi quoted the last chapter to teach them about Jesus Christ.
  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; not sure why this makes Him the Father...sounds like a thing that would make Him the Son...maybe it is because the power to atone and be resurrected came from the Father thus giving Him the authority to become our spiritual Father and the Son, because of the flesh; thus becoming the Father and Son—
  4 And they are ^aone God, does "they" mean Jesus as the Father and the Son are one God, or "they" meaning God the Father and Jesus, His Son are "one God"? I kind of like the meaning of the first. I have always heard they are one God as meaning the Father and Son are "one" in purpose. But what if it just means Jesus Himself is "one God" being our Spiritual Father when we "take His name upon us" and the literal physical Son of God the Father. yea, the very ^bEternal ^cFather of heaven and of earth. (continuing...) Because he created the earth, all mortals are under His salvation and rule and our "heavenly" outcome is conditioned upon our response to His Atoning Sacrifice and keeping His commandments. 
     5 And thus the flesh becoming subject to the Spirit, or the Son to the Father, being one God, again...is this the 'flesh' of Jesus being subject to the 'spirit' Jesus? or the Son Jesus being subject to the Father Eloheim?^asuffereth temptation, and yieldeth not to the temptation, but suffereth himself to be mocked, and ^bscourged, and cast out, and disowned by his ^cpeople.

Something to ponder: 
The New and Everlasting Covenant by Chauncey Riddle given at The 1989 Sperry Symposium on the Doctrine and Covenants
   “We begin with the concept of our God. We know of three beings who are our God: the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost  1. These three are individuals, yet they are also one, and furthermore, they invite every human being to become one with them  2. The good news of the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ is that God is our Father and invites us to become as he is and one with him through his son Jesus Christ.
   Though there be gods and lords many, there is but one God, and that God is the priesthood–ordered community of all the righteous exalted beings who exist. To be invited to join them by hearing the Gospel of Jesus Christ is to receive the greatest message in the universe; to be enabled to join them by receiving the New and Everlasting Covenant is to have the greatest opportunity in the universe; to be joined with them is the greatest gift in the universe, which gift is life eternal, sharing with them all the good they have and are.
    This good which they share is righteousness. Righteousness is that necessary order of social relationships in which beings of knowledge and power must bind themselves in order to live together in accomplishment and happiness for eternity. They bind themselves to each other with solemn covenants to become predictable, dependable and united so that they can be trusted. They bind themselves to be honest, true, chaste and benevolent so that they can do good for all other beings, which good they do by personal sacrifice to fulfill all righteousness.
    The contrary of this good is evil. Evil is departing from God’s order of righteousness by twisting and/or diminishing it. Evil enables one being in a social order to fulfill his own personal desires at the expense of others, thus to be a law unto himself.”

  6 And after all this, after working many mighty miracles among the children of men, for our day it's important to see that even while people were choosing evil, He still showed mercy by performing miracles for the humble and believing among them...he shall be led, yea, even ^aas Isaiah said, as a sheep before the shearer is dumb, so he ^bopened not his mouth. I love that they had Isaiah too...
  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 the Father? breaketh the ^abands of death, having gained the ^bvictory over death; giving the Son sounds like this goes with the "God" first named...power to make ^cintercession for the children of men—Jesus got his power from God His Father. 
  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. The effect of atoning for our sins on Christ was compassion not vengeance. Why then, do we want justice so much for other sinners but mercy for ourselves? I think if we really understood each person, we would look upon their sins with compassion. We were all born innocent children. Imperfect things happen to that perfect child to shape their beliefs and reactions and responses to life. If they act badly, and you traced it back, you would find an innocent child that understood their imperfect life and circumstances incorrectly, through no fault of their own. The “traditions of their fathers” are passed on. Jesus meets all that with perfect understanding and compassion and willingly atoned to make ALL of it perfect in the end, IF we come unto Him and repent and believe on His name. One should also consider the premortal soul's condition and level of commitment and faithfulness, I would think. How does that translate here on earth?
 10 And now I say unto you, who shall declare his ^ageneration? This is from Isaiah... 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, this could be a reference supporting the idea that being born again is an event ("that day") I say unto you, that these are his seed, or they are the heirs of the ^bkingdom of God. If we want to become heirs of the kingdom of God, then we need to become His seed (be born again) and we do that by hearing and acting on the word of God; believing that we can repent and have our sins remitted and actually repenting. I can only imagine how Christ must feel when we refuse to repent for sins He already atoned for. We need to believe that we need to seek Him diligently until we are born again.
 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, does this say that some prophets have fallen into transgression or can, meaning they are not infallable? 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! the prophets
 16 And again, how beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of those that are still publishing peace! living prophets
 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! future prophets
 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; Abinadi is just now answering the priest’s original question - "Who was Isaiah talking about when he said, “how beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of them that bringeth good tidings.”
 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. Abinadi is speaking and Alma is converted and it is his son Alma that has the experience of being in the 'gall of bitterness' to know what it feels like to 'perish'. I wonder if some of the anguish that caused Alma to pray for his son was about his fear that he would ultimately 'perish' without redemption....I have always thought of Alma having his son Alma the younger after he was converted. But what if he was already a young man and then his father converted, but he did not? That would explain more easily why he was acting the way he was. He was raised under the wicked King Noah's rule and cultural deceptions. 
 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. If I take this literally, then something will happen so that the 7.5 billion people on the earth (or whatever number are alive at the time this happens) will all have the truth declared to them so that they can either accept or rebel before the great and final cleansing of the wicked on the earth.
 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. Perhaps this "time" will be linked to the establishment of Zion. How else can the prophecy be fulfilled that "he who will not lift up his sword against his neighbor must flee to Zion" if they don't know what/where/who Zion is?
 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. Again...when is this day? Is it before the Second Coming? And is “his arm” a person or the “arm” of His power? 

Mosiah 14

(All of my own thoughts are in red type 6/20 Green 3/21 Orange 6/22  Brown 2023)

Chapter 14

Isaiah speaks messianically—The 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. Consider the entire text highlighted:) I'm going to go through this reading and put C if it only can apply to Christ; S if it can only apply to the End-Time Servant and B if it could be both

  1 Yea, even doth not Isaiah say: Who hath ^abelieved our report, and to whom is the arm of the Lord S revealed? Is Isaiah saying "who is it that believes my prophecy? Who is it that recognize the "arm of the Lord?" Why is Abinadi quoting Isaiah to King Noah and his priests?    
  2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground; B he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him there is no beauty that we should desire him. S? I don't believe that Christ wasn't handsome (if that is what this is saying) What is a "root out of dry ground"? He is not wealthy?
  3 He is ^adespised and rejected of men; C - only some men, not all; S - according to prophecy What makes men "despise" him? This word implies a negative emotional reaction a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; C in Gethsemane; S - will know in the future and we hid as it were our faces from him; How was this C? Could be B he was despised, and we esteemed him not.  C was despised and esteemed not by some, not all. S will be, according to prophesy
  4 Surely he has ^aborne our ^bgriefs, and carried our sorrows; yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. C literally experienced our griefs and sorrows S may bear the griefs and sorrows of our mistreatment of him 
  5 But he was ^awounded for our ^btransgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him; This could mean that the price for our eventual peace was paid by Him; or that peace represents our silence or apathy in a desire to avoid conflict, for which we deserve chastening, and that burden is taken on by the S and with his stripes we are ^chealed. B - Christ's atonement offers healing; and the Servant is marred and is a means of deliverance
  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. B - I think the S takes on persecution because of our sins that require he come and set God's house in order, at his own peril and persecution. "All" doesn't seem to exclude anyone. How have we "all" gone astray? What is our "own way"? My thoughts are that until we approach God in total submission to do His will in ALL things, that we are "going after our own way" which means we have gone astray. 
  7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he ^aopened not his mouth; B he is brought as a ^blamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb so he opened not his mouth. B
  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. C
  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. C
 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. S - unless "prolong his days" means he was resurrected, not sure how this is Christ. 
 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. B
 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. B? Did he have all this memorized? Avaraham Gileadi has a commentary on Isaiah that he interprets for the last days. In this chapter he says that it speaks of Jesus Christ and also an “end-time” servant. Since the Lord himself commanded us to search Isaiah, I think it’s time for me to read this book of scripture again. I just read all this asking if Abinadi could be saying that he himself experienced all these things and maybe that is why he is quoting it? It seems to fit...

Mosiah 13

(All of my own thoughts are in red type 6/20 Green 3/31 Brown2023.)

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 will 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. The guilty and proud cannot stay in conversation with truth. Notice they don't have any way to refute what he said, so they dismiss the whole conversation by calling him crazy.
  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; He's tracking what he's said! therefore, God will not suffer that I shall be destroyed at this time. No, “but if not...” in Abinadi’s words. He KNEW God would protect him...for now. I would think Nephi's experience with his brothers was a witness God had done this before. 
  4 But I must fulfil the commandments wherewith God has commanded me; He had a testimony like Nephi - I will go and do what the Lord commands; He’ll prepare a way. No doubt. Pure faith! 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. He probably knew they would react that way, but he knew he had to keep the commandment to testify, no matter what happened.
  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. What a cool witness for these men to have that God is truly with Abinadi! This is their chance to confess. Considering they just called him crazy, God knew they would not take his words seriously not to touch him unless he added a physical witness of his words. So cool.
  6 And he spake with ^apower and authority from God; and he continued his words, saying: There is a difference between speaking about God and speaking with the "power of God". I think the listeners cannot deny the latter. I don't know that I've ever really heard someone speak with that kind of power.
  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. I wonder what Abinadi experiences because his countenance shines. And how that must have emboldened him! Interesting that he receives a witness that his words have penetrated their hearts. All but Alma rebel against this witness.
 8 Yea, and my words fill you with wonder and amazement, and with anger. Interesting that they can be filled with wonder and amazement but not let it humble them.
 9 But I finish my message; and then it ^amatters not whither I go, if it so be that I am saved. Here is his “but if not...” faith statement. It’s not “but if I am not able to deliver my message”; just “but if I am not preserved after I fulfill God’s commands”. We all have to be willing to give our very lives in following the directions God gives to us.
 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. warning! I think he already made a prophecy that King Noah would die by fire...so does Abinadi already know that he himself will die by fire? Sounds terrifying, unless you have the “peace of God which passeth all understanding.” "The Son of Man hath descended below them all..."
 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. how does one intentionally study iniquity? What is he reading from? Does he have a manuscript of the brass plates? Do they have one and he’s reading from their text? 
 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; In the context of this statement it sounds like we “hate” God when we worship anything or anyone but Him. You truly cannot serve two masters (“Love the one and hate the other”) How are these iniquities experienced by the children? Wars? Famine?
 14 And showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments. We all need mercy. This is "good news" for us then that God will show mercy to those who love him and show that love to Him by keeping His commandments. It seems significant that he says "unto thousands"...using a number to teach that God numbers, counts, knows individually those who love Him and keep His 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; Interesting that even the “stranger” within our homes are commanded not to do any work on the Sabbath. It sounds like it’s okay to not give them that choice. “Sorry...it’s my home and we don’t work on the Sabbath. If you stay here, you have to follow this command, or you perhaps will cause me to sin.” It kind of goes against the prevailing cultural belief that we are “not to judge” and to let everyone choose. If someone is with us, I suppose we are to teach them like Abinadi “why” we are to keep it holy and bear witness of God. 
 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. This is the only one of the Ten Commandments that comes with a promise. My brother-in-law, Travis Baer, was hit by lightning years ago and had the distinct impression that his life was spared because he honored his mother and father (which was a challenge with his father because he was very active in anti-Mormon stuff).
 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. This is a big one for the Lamanites and also this King Noah that taxes his people to death and covets their labor
 25 And it came to pass that after Abinadi had made an end of these sayings  He repeated all the Ten Commandments (Law of Moses they professed to live by) 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. When will our prophet “prophesy evil concerning this people?” Are we protected by honoring even just these ten? I believe the Law of Moses had hundreds of laws. All the activities in our country to remove the display of these Ten Commandments from public spaces is a direct affront to God and will bring about the curses promised for doing so!
 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.
 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. He is plainly teaching that “church” doesn’t save you. There is something more than the law...it’s the atonement. And it’s the atonement of Jesus Christ that offers a remission of sins when we are “born again”. Then we are offered salvation. The law is our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ for that very purpose.
 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; In our mortal world, the more laws you need, the less righteous you are. Our original constitution was about limiting government and one of it’s founders said this form of government was only doable for a moral and a religious people. They needed to have a higher power than the law that they were subject to so they wouldn’t need laws to dictate every nuance of interaction. One can easily see how far we have moved from that original concept with just one piece of legislation that can be thousands and thousands of pages long. In God’s world, we really only need two laws. Love God and Love your Neighbor. We can only fully do that when we receive and know His love through the baptism by fire and the Holy Ghost. Then we are given the gift of charity so we can truly love our neighbor.
 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. This is one of the reasons we are told to pray daily, read scriptures daily, take the sacrament weekly... to keep us in remembrance of God and our duty towards him. When we let go of these daily things, we can lose our connection to God and our duty towards him and over time our necks can become stiffened towards those things.
 31 But behold, I say unto you, that all these things were ^atypes of things to come. Are the laws “these things” he’s referring to? What is/are the “thing/s to come”? Is it not redemption through the Atonement of Jesus Christ when our baptism is complete? He uses the plural of "things"...what else are the laws of Moses a type of things to come besides the atonement? Our daily performances are also meant to keep us in remembrance of God and our duty towards Him. How are things like prayer, scripture study, service, family history, etc types of something to come? 
 32 And now, did they ^aunderstand the law? I say unto you, Nay, they did not all seems to allow that "some" may have... 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. We are not saved through the law alone.
 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? This is one of the “restorations” that the Book of Mormon brings to the world. The Old Testament prophets DID preach about Jesus Christ. 
 34 Have they not said that ^aGod himself should come down among the children of men, and take upon him the form of man, and go forth in mighty power upon the face of the earth?
 35 Yea, and have they not said also that he should bring to pass the ^aresurrection of the dead, and that he, himself, should be oppressed and afflicted? The Jews still look for this Messiah...although many are coming to believe in Christ. Soon the gospel will be taken to the Jews and they will all know He has already come. But He will reclaim them who have been lost to the knowledge of Him because of the teaching is of their fathers.