Book of Mormon: Gospel Doctrine Teacher’s Manual, (1999),
79–83
1. Introduction
a) Abinadi
comes out of nowhere
i)
Preaches one sermon in which he warns Noah and his
court that terrible things will happen if they don’t repent
ii) Returns
to preach an incandescent Atonement sermon and to condemn Noah and court for
their disobedience and evil
b) Know
nothing else about Abinadi
i)
Where did he live? In the land of Nephi or the land of
Zarahemla?
ii) What
was his occupation?
iii) Who
was his family?
iv) What
did he do during the two years between his first sermon and his second?
c) Abinadi
like some other prophets who seem alone – appearing, then disappearing or dying
i)
Samuel the Lamanite
ii) The
apostle Stephen in the New Testament
iii) John
the Baptist
d) Chronology
i)
Three kings each in two different lands:
(1) In
the land of Zarahemla, we had Mosiah 1, who lead his people out of the Land of
Nephi, King Benjamin and Mosiah 2 – for whom the Book of Mosiah is named
(2) In
the land of Nephi, we had Zeniff, who lead the expedition back to this land
from the land of Zarahemla, Noah and Limhi.
ii) Comparison
between two kings who ruled in two lands
(1) King
Noah
(2) King
Benjamin
2. Abinadi
calls Noah and his priests to repentance, exhorts them to keep the
commandments, and teaches of the Atonement.
a) Reading
1 – Mosiah 12:1-2, 8
1 And it came to pass that after
the space of two years that Abinadi
came among them in disguise, that they knew him not, and began to prophesy among them,
saying: Thus has the Lord commanded me, saying—Abinadi, go and prophesy unto
this my people, for they have
hardened their hearts against my words; they have repented not of their evil doings; therefore, I will visit them in my anger, yea, in my fierce anger will
I visit them in their iniquities and abominations.
2 Yea, wo
be unto this generation! And the Lord said unto me: Stretch forth thy
hand and prophesy, saying: Thus saith the Lord, it shall come to pass that this
generation, because of their
iniquities, shall be brought into bondage, and shall be smitten on the
cheek; yea, and shall be driven by men, and shall be slain; and the vultures of
the air, and the dogs, yea, and the wild beasts, shall devour their flesh.
SKIP
8 And it shall come to pass that except they repent I will utterly
destroy them from off the face of the earth; yet they shall leave a
record behind them, and I will preserve them for other nations which shall
possess the land; yea, even this will I do that I may discover the abominations
of this people to other nations. And many things did Abinadi prophesy against
this people.
i)
When Ammon discovers King Limhi and his people, they
are in bondage to the Lamanites.
b) Carry
Abinadi bound before King Noah
i)
Noah’s priests try to cross Abinadi, but are
unsuccessful
ii) Ask
Abinadi a question
(1) Reading
2 – Mosiah 12:20-24
20 And it came to pass that one of
them said unto him: What meaneth the
words which are written, and which have been taught by our fathers,
saying:
21 How
beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings;
that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good; that publisheth
salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth;
22 Thy
watchmen shall lift up the voice; with the voice together shall they sing; for
they shall see eye to eye when the Lord shall bring again Zion;
23 Break forth into joy; sing together ye
waste places of Jerusalem; for the Lord hath comforted his people, he hath
redeemed Jerusalem;
24 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 salvation
of our God?
(a) The
feet of him that bring good tidings
(i) During
this time, messages were taken from place to place by messengers, who often ran
with their messages
(ii) In
ancient Greece, popular history says the news of an Athenian victory over the
Persians at the Battle of Marathon was carried a distance of over 25 miles from
Marathon back to Athens by a runner who died after delivering his message.
(iii) The feet were a
metaphor describing the messenger
(iv) Because the
message is beautiful, the messenger is beautiful.
iii) Abinadi
gives Noah’s priests a pretty chippie response to their question:
(1) READ
Mosiah 12:25-29
25 And now Abinadi said unto them:
Are you priests, and pretend to teach
this people, and to understand the spirit of prophesying, and yet desire to know
of me what these things mean?
26 I say unto you, wo be unto you for
perverting the ways of the Lord! For if
ye understand these things ye have not taught them; therefore, ye have
perverted the ways of the Lord.
27 Ye
have not applied your hearts to understanding; therefore, ye have not been wise. Therefore, what teach ye this people?
28 And they said: We teach the law of Moses.
29 And again he said unto them: If ye teach the law of Moses why do ye
not keep it? Why do ye set your hearts upon riches? Why do ye commit
whoredoms and spend your strength with harlots, yea, and cause this people to
commit sin, that the Lord has cause to send me to prophesy against this people,
yea, even a great evil against this people?
(a) Note
that Abinadi does not give them an answer to their question.
(b) 29 If ye teach the law of Moses why do ye
not keep it?
(i) We
can’t understand most gospel principles unless we live them.
(c) 27
Ye have not applied your hearts to
understanding; therefore, ye
have not been wise
(d) Reading
3 – Doctrine and Covenants 8:2-3
2 Yea, behold, I will tell you in your mind and in your heart,
by the Holy Ghost, which shall come upon you and which shall dwell in your
heart.
3 Now, behold, this is the spirit of revelation; behold, this is the spirit
by which Moses brought the children of Israel through the Red Sea on dry
ground.
(e) Reading
4 – Mosiah 13:11
11 And now I read unto you the
remainder of the commandments of God, for
I perceive that they are not written in your hearts; I perceive that ye have studied and taught iniquity
the most part of your lives.
c) The
law of Moses
i)
Abinadi teaches Noah’s priests the Ten Commandments
(1) The
law of Moses
(2) Shows
they are not living the Law of Moses
ii) Salvation
doesn’t come through the Law of Moses
(1) Reading
5 - Mosiah 13:27-30
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 keep the law of Moses as yet; but I say unto you, that the time shall come when it shall no more be
expedient to keep the law of Moses.
28 And moreover, I say unto you, that salvation doth not come by the law alone;
and were it not for the atonement,
which God himself shall make for the
sins and iniquities of his people, that they must unavoidably perish, notwithstanding the law of Moses.
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 strict law; for they were
a stiffnecked people, quick to do iniquity, and slow to remember the
Lord their God;
30 Therefore there was a law given them, yea, a law of performances and of ordinances,
a law which they were to observe strictly from day to day, to keep them in
remembrance of God and their duty towards him.
d) Abinadi
begins teaching about the Atonement
e) Noah
doesn’t like what he’s hearing and tries to cut Abinadi off
i)
Abinadi responds powerfully
ii) READ
– Mosiah 13:3-5
3 Touch 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 requested that I should tell; therefore, God will not suffer that I shall be destroyed at this time.
4 But I must fulfil the commandments wherewith
God has commanded me; 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.
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 shone with exceeding luster,
even as Moses’ did while in the mount of Sinai, while speaking with the
Lord.
f) On
at least three other occasions in the scriptures it appears that the Lord has
protected his messengers so that they could deliver his message.
i)
When the Sanhedrin caught Stephen and accused him of
blasphemy, they “saw his face as it had been the face of an angel." (Acts
6:15)
ii) When
Laman and Lemuel attempted to kill Nephi by throwing him into the sea, he said,
“Touch me not, for I am filled with the power of God, even unto the consuming
of my flesh; and whoso shall lay his hands upon me shall wither even as a dried
reed; and he shall be as naught before the power of God, for God shall smite
him. (1 Nephi 17:48)
iii) When
Lehi and Nephi were in the Lamanite prison, and enemies came to slay them,
“they did shine exceedingly, even as the faces of angels." (Hel. 5:36)
g) Moses’
face shining while on Mount Sinai
i)
The Catholic translators of the Douay Version followed
the pattern of the Septuagint Bible by translating the same verse as follows:
'And he knew not that his face was horned from the conversation with the Lord.
And Aaron and the children of Israel seeing the face of Moses horned, were
afraid to come near.' Because of this faulty
interpretation, the great sculptor Michelangelo put horns on his famous
statue of Moses!
3. Abinadi
quotes Isaiah, testifies of the Atonement, and exhorts Noah’s priests to teach
the people that redemption comes through Christ.
a) Abinadi
continues with his testimony of Christ and His Atonement
b) As
part of his testimony of Jesus Christ, Abinadi quoted the prophet Isaiah.
i)
Isaiah 53
c) God
will come down to dwell with His people
i)
Reading 6 – Mosiah 15:1-5
1 And now Abinadi said unto them:
I would that ye should understand that God himself shall come down among the
children of men, and shall redeem his people.
2 And because he dwelleth in flesh he shall be
called the Son of God, and having subjected the flesh to the will of the
Father, being the Father and the Son—
3 The Father, because he was conceived by the
power of God; and the Son, because of the flesh; thus becoming the Father and
Son—
4 And they are one God, yea, the very Eternal
Father of heaven and of earth.
5 And thus the flesh becoming subject to the
Spirit, or the Son to the Father, being one God, suffereth temptation, and
yieldeth not to the temptation, but suffereth himself to be mocked, and
scourged, and cast out, and disowned by his people.
d) Sometimes
people will become confused about the description of Christ as the Father
i)
Articles of Faith by James E. Talmage
(1) "Father"
as Literal Parent.
(a) "God
the Eternal Father, whom we designate by the exalted name-title 'Elohim,' is
the literal Parent of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and the spirits of the
human race."
(b) In
this designation, Jesus Christ's role is that of the Son of God, both
spiritually and physically.
(c) God
the Father is the Father of our spirits and only he holds that role.
(2) "Father"
as Creator.
(a) In
this context Jehovah or Jesus Christ is the Father of this earth and the
universe, along with the plants and animals on the earth.
(b) "Jesus
Christ, whom we also know as Jehovah, was the
executive of the Father, Elohim, in the work of creation.... Jesus Christ, being the Creator, is
consistently called the Father of heaven and earth...and since His creations
are of eternal quality He is very properly called the Eternal Father of heaven
and earth."
(3) Jesus
Christ the "Father" of Those Who Abide in His Gospel.
(a) "If
it be proper to speak of those who accept and abide in the Gospel as Christ's
sons and daughters--and upon this matter the scriptures are explicit and cannot
be gainsaid nor denied--it is consistently proper to speak of Jesus Christ as
the Father of the righteous, they having become His children and He having been
made their Father through the second birth--the baptismal regeneration."
(4) Jesus
Christ the "Father" by Divine Investiture of Authority.
(a) "In
all His dealings with the human family Jesus the Son has represented and yet
represents Elohim His Father in power and authority. This is true of Christ in
His preexistent, antemortal, or unembodied state, in the which He was known as
Jehovah; also during His embodiment in the flesh; and during His labors as
a disembodied spirit in the realm of the
dead; and since that period in His resurrect state."
(b) Jesus
said, "I and my Father are one" (John 10:30) and "I am come in
my Father's name" (John 5:43).
(5) "Just
as a child has a legal right to the surname of its parent, so did the Only
Begotten--who was 'conceived by the power of God' in spirit and in flesh--have
a legal right to the divine name Father." (Studies In Scripture, 7:245)
e) Teaching
of the Atonement
i)
Reading 7 - Mosiah 15:7-9
7 Yea, even so he shall be led,
crucified, and slain, the flesh becoming subject even unto death, the will of
the Son being swallowed up in the will of the Father.
8 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—
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 himself their
iniquity and their transgressions, having
redeemed them, and satisfied
the demands of justice.
f) Abinadi
answers the questions of King Noah’s priests about the feet of those who bring
good tidings
i)
Reading 8 – Mosiah 15:10-18
10 And now I say unto you, who
shall declare his generation? Behold, I say unto you, that when his soul has
been made an offering for sin he shall see his seed. 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 prophets, 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, I say unto
you, that these are his seed, or they are the heirs of the kingdom of God.
12 For these are they whose sins he 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 prophets, every one
that has opened his mouth to prophesy, that has not fallen into transgression,
I mean all the holy prophets ever since the world began? I say unto you that
they are his seed.
14 And these are they who have published
peace, who have brought good tidings of good, who have published salvation; and
said unto Zion: Thy God reigneth!
15 And O how beautiful upon the mountains were
their feet!
16 And again, how beautiful upon the mountains
are the feet of those that are still publishing peace!
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!
18 And behold, I say unto you, this is not
all. For O how beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth
good tidings, that is the founder of peace, yea, even the Lord, who has
redeemed his people; yea, him who has granted salvation unto his people;
g) Abinadi
declares black-letter Atonement doctring
i)
READ Mosiah 15:19-27
19 For were it not for the
redemption which he hath made for his people, which was prepared from the
foundation of the world, I say unto you, were it not for this, all mankind must
have perished.
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
first 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 dwell with God who has
redeemed them; thus they have eternal life through Christ, who has broken 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 salvation 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 children also have eternal life.
26 But behold, and fear, and tremble before
God, for ye ought to tremble; for the Lord redeemeth none such that rebel
against him and die 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; these are
they that have no part in the first resurrection.
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 justice when it has its claim.
h) Abinadi
continues to preach of the Resurrection
i)
Reading 9 – Mosiah 16:8-11
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 light 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—
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—
4. Abinadi
seals his testimony of the Savior with his life.
a) Reading
10 – Mosiah 17:1-4
1 And now it came to pass that when
Abinadi had finished these sayings, that the
king commanded that the priests should take him and cause that he should be put
to death.
2 But there was one among them whose name was
Alma, he also being a descendant of Nephi. And he was a young man, and he believed the words which Abinadi had
spoken, for he knew 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.
4 But he fled from before them and hid himself
that they found him not. And he being concealed for many days did write all the
words which Abinadi had spoken.
i)
Alma the Younger speaks about the source of his
father’s testimony of Christ
(1) READ
– Alma 5:11-12
11 Behold, I can tell you—did not my father Alma believe in the
words which were delivered by the mouth of Abinadi? And was he not a holy
prophet? Did he not speak the words
of God, and my father Alma believe them?
12 And according
to his faith there was a mighty change wrought in his heart. Behold I
say unto you that this is all true.
b) Reading
11 - President Ezra Taft Benson said: “Christ changes men, and changed men can
change the world. Men changed for Christ will be captained by Christ. … Men
captained by Christ will be consumed in Christ. … Their will is swallowed up in
His will. (See John 5:30.) They do always those things that please the Lord.
(See John 8:29.) Not only would they die for the Lord, but more important they
want to live for Him” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1985, 5–6; or Ensign, Nov.
1985, 6).
Conclusion
