Melchizedek -- Part 3 (the Prince of Peace)

Here are links to part 1 and part 2. I am quoting the same verses multiple times in this series because there are multiple aspects to discuss and we need to focus on one at a time. Here is another item from the JST of Genesis 14 that I have not highlighted yet but want to discuss in this post

33 And now, Melchizedek was a priest of this order; therefore he obtained peace in Salem, and was called the Prince of peace...

36 And this Melchizedek, having thus established righteousness, was called the king of heaven by his people, or, in other words, the King of peace.

Why was Melchizedek called both king of peace and prince of peace? Alma 13 gives a possible clue

But Melchizedek having exercised mighty faith, and received the office of the high priesthood according to the holy order of God, did preach repentance unto his people. And behold, they did repent; and Melchizedek did establish peace in the land in his days; therefore he was called the prince of peace, for he was the king of Salem; and he did reign under his father. (Alma 13:18)

He literally was the king of peace since he was the king of a city named Salem (meaning peace in Hebrew and which most scholars agree was Jerusalem). But since he simultaneously was a king and reigned under his father, he was both king and prince. We know little about Melchizedek but absolutely nothing about his father. We can reasonably assume that he was righteous based on what we know about Melchizedek and the fact that he reigned under him.

But there might be deeper underlying truths to this idea of being a prince of peace. There are three persons in the scriptures that are referred to as prince of peace. In addition to Melchizedek, only Abraham and Jesus Christ get this title. Interestingly, the father/son or king/prince duality is a recurring theme. Notice for instance the extensive use of "father/fathers" in the beginning of the Book of Abraham where Abraham seeks to become a prince of peace

1 In the land of the Chaldeans, at the residence of my fathers, I, Abraham, saw that it was needful for me to obtain another place of residence;

2 And, finding there was greater happiness and peace and rest for me, I sought for the blessings of the fathers, and the right whereunto I should be ordained to administer the same; having been myself a follower of righteousness, desiring also to be one who possessed great knowledge, and to be a greater follower of righteousness, and to possess a greater knowledge, and to be a father of many nations, a prince of peace, and desiring to receive instructions, and to keep the commandments of God, I became a rightful heir, a High Priest, holding the right belonging to the fathers.

3 It was conferred upon me from the fathers; it came down from the fathers, from the beginning of time, yea, even from the beginning, or before the foundation of the earth, down to the present time, even the right of the firstborn, or the first man, who is Adam, or first father, through the fathers unto me.

4 I sought for mine appointment unto the Priesthood according to the appointment of God unto the fathers concerning the seed.

To become a follower of righteousness and prince of peace, Abraham needed to be appointed unto the Priesthood. This priesthood was a patriarchal order, transmitted from father to son, creating kings and princes, like Melchizedek who became the archetype of a holder of this priesthood. In the original language, Abraham, means "father of a multitude".  The wordplay is evident: "In the land of the Chaldeans, at the residence of my fathers, I, Father of a Multitude...sought for the blessings of the fathers".

The only other passage of scripture containing the title "prince of peace" is Isaiah 9:6

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Again we see the pattern of father and son (implied by prince). We know that Jesus Christ is both the father (in more than one sense) and the son. Some people trip over the oddity of that passage to our modern ears, but I find it beautiful

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. (Mosiah 15)

What we have seen so far is that there are three persons with the title, Prince of Peace in the scriptures: Melchizedek, Abraham and Jesus Christ. In each case, there is a father-son theme. I think it has much to do with the priesthood. The Melchizedek Priesthood is not dependent on a tribe like the Levitical Priesthood. It's a pattern of Father-Son family priesthood. Paul spends much of his letter to the Hebrews that this is the priesthood that Jesus came to restore

5 So also Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest; but he that said unto him, Thou art my Son, to day have I begotten thee.

6 As he saith also in another place, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.

There is no coincidence that Abraham, the father who sought for the blessings of the fathers, is mentioned so much in D&C 132. We get too hung up on plural marriage sometimes that we miss the beautiful truths about the priesthood and the everlasting covenant.

28 I am the Lord thy God, and will give unto thee the law of my Holy Priesthood, as was ordained by me and my Father before the world was.

29 Abraham received all things, whatsoever he received, by revelation and commandment, by my word, saith the Lord, and hath entered into his exaltation and sitteth upon his throne.

30 Abraham received promises concerning his seed, and of the fruit of his loins—from whose loins ye are, namely, my servant Joseph—which were to continue so long as they were in the world; and as touching Abraham and his seed, out of the world they should continue; both in the world and out of the world should they continue as innumerable as the stars; or, if ye were to count the sand upon the seashore ye could not number them.

31 This promise is yours also, because ye are of Abraham, and the promise was made unto Abraham; and by this law is the continuation of the works of my Father, wherein he glorifieth himself.

32 Go ye, therefore, and do the works of Abraham; enter ye into my law and ye shall be saved.

As we enter into the law of the Melchizedek Priesthood, we like Joseph Smith, are the seed of Abraham and the same promises apply to us. That is, as Abraham's seed, our seed will also perpetuate into the eternities. This is how the priesthood and the covenant are preserved, from father to son becoming kings and princes. It is perhaps confusing then that Paul states:

Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually. (Hebrews 7:3)

From the context, it seems like Paul describes Melchizedek here. But Joseph Smith clarifies and explains that this does not apply to the person, Melchizedek, but rather his priesthood.

For this Melchizedek was ordained a priest after the order of the Son of God, which order was without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life. And all those who are ordained unto this priesthood are made like unto the Son of God, abiding a priest continually. (JST Hebrews 7:3)

Early Christian extra-Biblical sources show that there was a great deal of confusion back then as well. Some considered Melchizedek as a divine figure and perhaps even the pre-mortal Christ himself. Others considered him just a mortal man, although a righteous high priest. I think the confusion comes from the fact that Melchizedek became the archetype of a priesthood holder after the order of the Son of God. Epitomizing this order, the man and the priesthood got confused as the tradition was passed down, scriptures were lost and perhaps deliberately changed. This is just my theory anyway.

The point is that the priesthood itself is eternal, without father and descent, while those who enter into this order become part of an eternal chain of father and descent. They are the seed of Father Abraham (who sought the blessings of his fathers) and receive the promise that their seed shall continue "out of the world". They become princes of peace and kings of righteousness, like Abraham and Melchizedek, receiving all these promises that are too great to fully comprehend.

Let me just add as a final note that I think princess, queen and priestess applies just as much. Despite the technicalities of the patriarchal order where men are ordained at least here on earth, the promises and blessings apply in equal measure and women obviously have a sacred role in the "continuation of the seeds for ever and ever" (D&C 132:19).

Abinadi and the name of Christ

In this post, Lord Wilmore identifies angels as the source of the name of Christ in the Book of Mormon. The name, Jesus Christ, is special sacred knowledge revealed by angels and recorded in holy writ. The post mentions Abinadi as an example. In Mosiah 15:21, Abinadi says:

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.

At this point, Abinadi reveals the name of Christ to king Noah and his priests as if they don't know. Really? The Book of Mormon has mentioned Jesus Christ numerous times before this point. But what we need to keep in mind (and what makes the Book of Mormon so complex) is that it was put together long after these events from different sources, some of them being abbreviated. There are several subtle details that are easily missed, but demonstrate another case of both complexity and internal consistency of the Book of Mormon.

Abinadi's use of the name, Christ

Abinadi enters the scene in Mosiah 11 and in Mosiah 12 he starts his sermon. Not once is Christ mentioned by name until Mosiah 15:21. "Christ - for so shall he be called" signifies an introduction. After this, Abinadi mentions Christ by name 7 times in the remaining 25 verses of his sermon. We have seen some posts before demonstrating how many details Joseph Smith would need to keep in his mind and get straight, had he made this up. Making sure to mention Christ by name only after an introduction in the middle of the sermon (actually more towards the end), is another one of those. These details are sometimes so subtle that nobody even thinks about it. I didn't until very recently.

Zeniff's people's knowledge of Christ

Not only does Abinadi not mention Christ by name until Mosiah 15:21. He is not mentioned at all among the people of Zeniff. Abinadi started preaching during the reigh of King Noah, Zeniff's son. Unlike Noah, Zeniff seemed a righteous king. But even though Mormon quotes directly from Zeniff's writings in Mosiah 10 and 11, Christ is not mentioned at all. It is obvious that his name was not common knowledge among the people of Zeniff and Noah. How can that be? Surely, Christ is mentioned multiple times just a few chapters earlier in Mosiah. King Benjamin gave the people a new name. The name was Christ. They entered into a covenant and were born by Him becoming his sons and daughters.

But this is all just another demonstration of the complex, yet consistent narrative of the Book of Mormon, including subtle details. Zeniff and his group had already left Zarahemla when King Benjamin addressed the people. The reason is the Book of Mormon not always being chronological and Mosiah 9 starting with a flashback. In fact, Abinadi revealed the name of Christ to King Noah and his people in the land of Nephi a few decades before king Benjamin revealed the name of Christ to his people in Zarahemla. The reception could not have been more different. Here is the result from King Benjamin's speech

And now, because of the covenant which ye have made ye shall be called the children of Christ, his sons, and his daughters; for behold, this day he hath spiritually begotten you; for ye say that your hearts are changed through faith on his name; therefore, ye are born of him and have become his sons and his daughters. (Mosiah 5:7)

King Noah on the other hand, says

7 And he said unto him: Abinadi, we have found an accusation against thee, and thou art worthy of death.
8 For thou hast said that God himself should come down among the children of men; and now, for this cause thou shalt be put to death (Mosiah 17)

The "new name" that King Benjamin would give his people indicates that the name of Christ was not common knowledge among the people of Zarahemla at the time. In that case, it is reasonable to conclude that it was not common knowledge decades earlier either, as Zeniff and his group went up to the Land of Nephi. That explains why Zeniff never mentioned Christ and Abinadi had to introduce him by name. 

Access to the small plates of Nephi

Is it really reasonable to think that the people of Zarahemla, led by a righteous king, did not know Christ by name? Then why is "Christ" found multiple times in the Book of Mormon prior to these events in Mosiah? We need to keep in mind that everything prior to Mosiah in the Book of Mormon is taken from the small plates of Nephi. They were considered sacred and contained sacred knowledge revealed by angels. Nephi has this to say about them:

And an account of my making these plates shall be given hereafter; and then, behold, I proceed according to that which I have spoken; and this I do that the more sacred things may be kept for the knowledge of my people. (1 Nephi 19:5)

Since Nephi has just mentioned the large plates, I assume "more sacred" is in comparison with them. Perhaps the small plates, for this reason, were not copied and distributed among the people and the name of Christ was not taught and generally known in Zarahemla until King Benjamin gave his speech. Similarly, the people of Zeniff and Noah had no access to the small plates of Nephi that were in King Benjamin's possession, and had to learn the name of Christ from Abinadi (who might have learned it from an angel?).

It all makes sense and remains consistent, but we need to study deep and pay attention to the details to realize it. 

A reasonable question to ask about all this is what "Christ" is doing in the Book of Mormon at all, being a Greek translation of the Hebrew, "Messiah". Obviously, Christ is just the English translation (because that is considered his name in English) of an unknown word/name in the Nephite language. We don't know what that was. We only know that it was considered sacred, it was only revealed on certain occasions and it had special transforming power.

Cast out -- Part 2

In part 1, we saw several examples of messengers with the word of God being cast out. This resulted in the wicked people casting them out being destroyed and the word being preserved. One of the outcasts we read about is Jesus Christ himself, who is also known as "the Word". But the pattern looks a bit different in this case. 

When Nephi sees the coming of Christ in a vision

And I beheld that he went forth ministering unto the people, in power and great glory; and the multitudes were gathered together to hear him; and I beheld that they cast him out from among them. (1 Nephi 11:28)

According to the pattern discussed in part 1, we would expect to see those who cast him out destroyed. But it is Christ who dies

32 And it came to pass that the angel spake unto me again, saying: Look! And I looked and beheld the Lamb of God, that he was taken by the people; yea, the Son of the everlasting God was judged of the world; and I saw and bear record.
33 And I, Nephi, saw that he was lifted up upon the cross and slain for the sins of the world. (1 Nephi 11)

He is also judged of the world. When Nephi's vision is over, he explains the meaning of what he and his father saw to his brothers

33 Wherefore, if they should die in their wickedness they must be cast off also, as to the things which are spiritual, which are pertaining to righteousness; wherefore, they must be brought to stand before God, to be judged of their works; and if their works have been filthiness they must needs be filthy; and if they be filthy it must needs be that they cannot dwell in the kingdom of God; if so, the kingdom of God must be filthy also.

34 But behold, I say unto you, the kingdom of God is not filthy, and there cannot any unclean thing enter into the kingdom of God; wherefore there must needs be a place of filthiness prepared for that which is filthy.

35 And there is a place prepared, yea, even that awful hell of which I have spoken, and the devil is the preparator of it; wherefore the final state of the souls of men is to dwell in the kingdom of God, or to be cast out because of that justice of which I have spoken.

36 Wherefore, the wicked are rejected from the righteous, and also from that tree of life, whose fruit is most precious and most desirable above all other fruits; yea, and it is the greatest of all the gifts of God. (1 Nephi 15)

When Nephi saw the tree of life in 1 Nephi 11, he asked for an interpretation and saw the Savior in a vision. He saw Jesus Christ being cast out and judged of the world. But he also saw that all this would lead to the resurrection and judgment, where the wicked would be judged by him and cast out from the tree of life. There is neat symmetry here.

We see the same in Abinadi's speech.

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. (Mosiah 15:5)

Again, it is the outcast who dies in this specific case

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. (Mosiah 15:7)

But it all happens for a reason. 

The time shall come when all shall see the salvation of the Lord; when every nation, kindred, tongue, and people shall see eye to eye and shall confess before God that his judgments are just. And then shall the wicked be cast out, and they shall have cause to howl, and weep, and wail, and gnash their teeth; and this because they would not hearken unto the voice of the Lord; therefore the Lord redeemeth them not. (Mosiah 16:1-2)

There is a certain irony at play: The Savior is cast out and suffers physical death, leading to the resurrection. Those who cast him out will be among the resurrected and brought to stand in front of him on judgment day to be cast out and suffer spiritual death.

While there are many examples of the righteous cast out from among the wicked on earth, we never see the wicked cast out by the righteous. The wicked are only cast out on the final day of judgment, when there is no probation any longer. Here on earth, God's people is even instructed not to cast out anyone.

therefore if ye know that a man is unworthy to eat and drink of my flesh and blood ye shall forbid him. Nevertheless, ye shall not cast him out from among you, but ye shall minister unto him and shall pray for him unto the Father, in my name (3 Nephi 18:29-30)

The act of casting out may seem brutal in any circumstance, but when studying this topic, I see God's mercy on display. 

• Even though Samuel the Lamanite was cast out, God asked him to return to give them a chance to be warned about the consequences of casting out the righteous and the prophets. "never hath any of them been destroyed save it were foretold them by the prophets of the Lord."(2 Nephi 25:9). They are always warned first.
• When there is anyone righteous left among them, God will spare the people (see Genesis 18:23-33)
• When there is none righteous left and they are ripe in iniquity, God destroys them to cleanse his vineyard and give others a chance
• When the roles are reversed and there are wicked among the righteous, the righteous are asked not to cast them out but minister unto them instead
• The only time when the wicked are described as cast out from the righteous, is on judgment day. This is of necessity because no unclean thing can enter into the kingdom of God

In the next part, we will see how "cast out" applies on a personal level

"Therefore he sent angels to converse with them, who caused men to behold of his glory."

The title of this post comes from Alma 12:29. This verse encapsulates both a major theme from the temple and a major theme from the scriptures, particularly the Book of Mormon. It's been on my mind quite a bit lately. This concept helps us connect the teachings of the temple to the scriptures.

After studying Alma 12-13 recently, I noticed something interesting that I had not previously considered:

Angels are the source of the name of Christ.

This principle is taught very clearly in many places in scripture. 

• Jacob makes it abundantly clear that an angel revealed to him the name of Christ (see 2 Nephi 10:3). 
• Jacob makes it clear that "all the holy prophets" before him "knew of Christ," "had a hope of his glory" and "believed in Christ and worshiped the Father in his name." (See Jacob 4:4-6.)
• Benjamin rehearses the words given to him by an angel, which includes the name of Jesus Christ. (See Mosiah 3:8.)
• Samuel the Lamanite was commanded by the voice of the Lord to "prophesy unto the people whatsoever things should come into his heart." This included the name of Christ, which he received from an angel of the Lord. (See Helaman 13:3, 6-7.) 

Here are some related examples:

• In a vision, Lehi is given a book by a divine messenger which "manifests plainly of the coming of a Messiah" (see 1 Nephi 1:19), though we are not certain whether Christ's name was given to him at that time. 
• Part of the message Abinadi was sent to deliver "with power and authority from God" included the name of Christ. (See Mosiah 13:6 and Mosiah 15:21.)
• Ammon acted in the role of the angel for King Lamoni and his people. (See Alma 18:29.)
• Interestingly, Alma-2 does not learn the name of Christ from the angel who visits him.  Rather, after the visitation of the angel and while he suffered intense agony and pain of spirit, he "remembered also to have heard [his] father prophesy unto the people concerning the coming of one Jesus Christ, a Son of God, to atone for the sins of the world." (See Alma 36:17.) Thus it seems this verse teaches Alma-2 the importance of earthly messengers -- prophets -- and the need to hearken to their word. (Recall that a central theme in Alma 36 is Alma teaching his son through poetry how his word became God's word through conversion to Jesus Christ. See this post.)

It is that final example that leads us to my next point, which is that priesthood authority is given to man on earth to help the sons and daughters of God be reborn into new creatures, spiritual creatures, who are then able to spread the word and help others in the same way they were helped.

This is taught quote plainly in Alma 12-13. I quoted Alma 12:29 in the title of this post.  Here is the very next verse:

30 And they began from that time forth to call on his name; therefore God conversed with men, and made known unto them the plan of redemption, which had been prepared from the foundation of the world; and this he made known unto them according to their faith and repentance and their holy works.

Reiterating an ancient doctrine

Alma-2 certainly isn't breaking new ground here. Rather, he is reiterating a doctrine as old as Adam and Eve. Thankfully, the Book of Moses offers us a glimpse into how this unfolded.

The connections between Alma 12-13 and Moses 4-6 are intriguing. A recent Interpreter article lists numerous connections between the Book of Mormon and Book of Moses in general.  Below I'll note a few verses specific to Alma 12-13 which are worth studying.

 Compare Alma 12:33 -- 

33 But God did call on men, in the name of his Son, (this being the plan of redemption which was laid) saying: If ye will repent, and harden not your hearts, then will I have mercy upon you, through mine Only Begotten Son;

...with Moses 6:23, 52, 62 --

23 And they were preachers of righteousness, and spake and prophesied, and called upon all men, everywhere, to repent; and faith was taught unto the children of men.
...
52 And he also said unto him: If thou wilt turn unto me, and hearken unto my voice, and believe, and repent of all thy transgressions, and be baptized, even in water, in the name of mine Only Begotten Son, who is full of grace and truth, which is Jesus Christ, the only name which shall be given under heaven, whereby salvation shall come unto the children of men, ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, asking all things in his name, and whatsoever ye shall ask, it shall be given you.
...
62 And now, behold, I say unto you: This is the plan of salvation unto all men, through the blood of mine Only Begotten, who shall come in the meridian of time.

The connections don't end there. Alma's sermon in Alma 13 teaches us more about what it means to participate in the "holy order of God." These priests were ordained by God "to teach these things unto the people" (Alma 13:1). Notice what Adam is described as doing right after the account of his baptism and receipt of the Holy Ghost:

1 And it came to pass that Enoch continued his speech, saying: Behold, our father Adam taught these things, and many have believed and become the sons of God... (Moses 7)

Adam learned "these things" at least in part from the angel who came to him and taught him the meaning of sacrifice: 

7 And then the angel spake, saying: This thing is a similitude of the sacrifice of the Only Begotten of the Father, which is full of grace and truth.
8 Wherefore, thou shalt do all that thou doest in the name of the Son, and thou shalt repent and call upon God in the name of the Son forevermore. (Moses 5)

It is vital to remember that the account of Adam's baptism by water and the Spirit (at the end of Moses 6) and teaching (at the beginning of Moses 7) comes to us by way of an account of the teachings of Enoch, who was also called and chosen by God to be a teacher of these same things.  So all of this is a story within a story, which is very interesting. As if Enoch (the name means "the initiated one") is being taught to understand himself as an Adam of sorts.

Conclusion

The Holy Order of God goes all the way back to Adam. Angels do indeed bring glad tidings. God calls upon men not only to repent but also to "work righteousness" and "teach these things unto the people." (See Alma 13:1, 10.)

The recipe for eternal life

I was thinking I should identify scriptures in the Book of Mormon that go something like this: "If ye [description of actions], ye shall have eternal life/be saved/lifted up". In Alma 41:8 we read that "the way is prepared that whosoever will may walk therein and be saved". Jesus Christ has done the work. Without him it would all be impossible. So it is up to us now. What do we need to do? How do we find and walk on this way that has been prepared? Let's look for some answers in the Book of Mormon.

I will write the relevant contents from the verses in the form of a list. Not everyone likes the checklist approach to the gospel but this is just to get a better overview of the conditions that are stated. It's not possible to find or list all of those scriptures here but we will include several here and perhaps more in later posts.

2 Nephi 31:20

Conditions:

• Press forward with a steadfastness in Christ
• Have a perfect brightness of hope
• Have a love of God and of all men
• Feast upon the word of Christ
• Endure to the end

Reward:

• Ye shall have eternal life

Alma 7:15-16

Conditions:

• Come and fear not, and lay aside every sin
• Show unto your God that ye are willing to repent of your sins...
• ...and enter into a covenant with him to keep his commandments
• Witness it unto him by going into the waters of baptism
• Keep the commandments of God from thenceforth (after baptism)

Reward:

• Eternal life

Alma 37:36-37

Conditions:

• Cry unto God for all thy support
• Let all thy doings be unto the Lord
• Whithersoever thou goest let it be in the Lord
• Let all thy thoughts be directed unto the Lord
• Let the affections of thy heart be placed upon the Lord forever
• Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings
• When thou liest down at night, lie down unto the Lord
• When thou risest in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God

Reward:

• Ye shall be lifted up at the last day

Mosiah 15:22-23

Conditions:

• Believe in the words of the prophets
• Keep the commandments of God

Reward:

• Have eternal life through Christ

2 Nephi 9:18

Conditions:

• Be righteous
• Believe in the Holy One of Israel
• Endure the crosses of the world and despise the shame of it

Reward:

• Inherit the kingdom of God

Moroni 8:10

Conditions:

• Repent
• Be baptized
• Humble yourselves as little children

Reward:

• Shall be saved

Jacob 6:11

Conditions:

• Repent
• Enter in at the strait gate
• Continue in the way which is narrow

Reward:

• Obtain eternal life

Mosiah 2:41

Conditions:

• Keep the commandments of God
• Hold out faithful to the end

Reward:

• Dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness

Conclusions

There are obviously many ways to describe the conditions for eternal life. For instance, "humble yourselves" will enable you to "continue in the way which is narrow". Trying to see a pattern here, I would say it looks something like this

Covenant preparation / find the way and enter through the gate	Faith Repentance Baptism
Covenant keeping / "walk therein"	Keep the commandments Endure to the end

This is the essence, but there are different ways to describe it and sometimes it depends on the audience. For instance, when Alma speaks to Helaman, who has already entered into a covenant, focus is on covenant keeping, and the advice he gives is what will help to do just that. Notice also that although the first example from 2 Nephi 31 is focusing on the covenant keeping part only, the preceding part (basically the rest of the chapter) is all about covenant preparation.

"And who shall be his seed?" (Part 1)

10 ... 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? (Mosiah 15)

Sometimes a verse takes on new meaning and added depth as one's own understanding of the Gospel deepens. Such is the case with the verse above.  Abinadi's last question in this verse really struck me.

Abinadi immediately answers his own question:

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? (Mosiah 15)

In light of the "doctrinal mentorship" extending from Abinadi to Alma-1 and later Alma-2, it seems likely to me that these words of Abinadi are at the root of Alma-2's famous sermon on the word of God (see what I did there?), wherein he likens the word of God to a seed. We also see traces of this doctrine taught by Alma-2 to the people of Zarahemla.

Let's try to find the elements mentioned by Abinadi in Mosiah 15:11 in the sermons of Alma-2:

"whosoever has heard the words of the prophets," "believed that the Lord would redeem his people"

10 And now I ask of you on what conditions are they saved? Yea, what grounds had they to hope for salvation? What is the cause of their being loosed from the bands of death, yea, and also the chains of hell?
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? (Alma 5)

That's about as clear as it can be. Not only do we get the specific words here, we also get Abinadi and Alma-1 directly mentioned.

"looked forward to that day for a remission of their sins"

As a side note, this wording is connected to Alma-1 in his words at the waters of Mormon:

20 Yea, even he commanded them that they should preach nothing save it were repentance and faith on the Lord, who had redeemed his people.
21 And he commanded them that there should be no contention one with another, but that they should look forward with one eye, having one faith and one baptism, having their hearts knit together in unity and in love one towards another.
22 And thus he commanded them to preach. And thus they became the children of God. (Mosiah 18)

Alma-2 uses this type of wording several times in his ministry:

15 Do ye exercise faith in the redemption of him who created you? Do you look forward with an eye of faith, and view this mortal body raised in immortality, and this corruption raised in incorruption, to stand before God to be judged according to the deeds which have been done in the mortal body? (Alma 5)

6 But behold, I trust that ye are not in a state of so much unbelief as were your brethren; I trust ... that ye look forward for the remission of your sins, with an everlasting faith, which is to come. (Alma 7)

2 And those priests were ordained after the order of his Son, in a manner that thereby the people might know in what manner to look forward to his Son for redemption. (Alma 13)

Interestingly, "look forward" is used 6 times on the small plates (2 Nephi 25:16, 18, 24, 27; 26:8; Jarom 1:11), though never in connection with "redemption" or "remission of sin."

Conclusion

This is yet another interesting example of evidence of Book of Mormon figures reciting doctrines taught by their direct predecessors.  A quote from Isaiah taught by Abinadi to Alma-1 is then taught by him, followed by Alma-2. For additional examples, see here.

Redemption through ascension

I just liked the sound of that title, but I'm going to preface this by saying my ideas are highly speculative. I just found Mosiah 18:1-2 interesting

1 And now, it came to pass that Alma, who had fled from the servants of king Noah, repented of his sins and iniquities, and went about privately among the people, and began to teach the words of Abinadi—

2 Yea, concerning that which was to come, and also concerning the resurrection of the dead, and the redemption of the people, which was to be brought to pass through the power, and sufferings, and death of Christ, and his resurrection and ascension into heaven.

Even though it's not what I had in mind with this post, this is another example of internal consistency. Alma sums up the teachings of Abinadi. Verse 2 is a repetition of Abinadi's main themes. One could argue that these are pretty common all throughout the Book of Mormon. But "redemption of the people" is an Abinadi trademark. Another interesting one is "ascension into heaven". This is a more peculiar point to bring up but it is indeed a reference to Abinadi's teachings.

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. (Mosiah 15)

When I read the first quote in Mosiah 18:1-2 recently, I read it as follows: "began to teach the words of Abinadi- yea, concerning:

• that which was to come
• the resurrection of the dead
• the redemption of the people, which was to be brought to pass through:
• the power
• sufferings and
• death of Christ,
• his resurrection and
• ascension into heaven"

Does it really say that redemption comes through his ascension into heaven? At least, that is one way of reading it. Is there any redemptive power in the ascension? It's not standard Church teaching, so I'm a bit hesitant to make the claim, even though it does appear to be there in Mosiah 18:2 and perhaps also in the verse it is referring to, Mosiah 15:9.

The alternative reading is "began to teach the words of Abinadi-, yea, concerning:

• that which was to come
• the resurrection of the dead
• the redemption of the people, which was to be brought to pass through the power, and sufferings, and death of Christ
• his resurrection and ascension into heaven"

Then we avoid the weird notion of Christ redeeming us through his ascension. But to be honest, I think the first reading makes more sense linguistically. In any case, I find the possibility intriguing. Even if we read it the other way, why did Alma teach the people of Christ's ascension? My speculative thoughts are related to the observation that the atonement of Christ is frequently described as preparing the way. Christ broke the bands of death by resurrecting. This "way" was unavailable to man, but has become available because Christ walked it and thereby prepared it for us. Similarly, perhaps ascending to the Celestial Kingdom after the resurrection is also a "way" that had to be prepared and was prepared by Christ through His ascension? Or perhaps it was a necessary completory step of the mission of He who had "descended below all things"(D&C 88:6)?