"Stretch forth thine hand" -- Part 3 (Book of Mormon)

This post will take us back to continue a series of posts from a few weeks ago on the phrase "stretch forth thy hand."

Part 1: Introduction

Part 2: Old Testament

In today's post, we'll look at how this phrase is used in the Book of Mormon. 

So far, we've seen (in part one) that Nephi subtly compares himself to Moses using this phrase in 1 Nephi 17. In part two, we noted that the underlying Hebrew term 'shalach' is used in Genesis 3 both to describe God send Adam and Eve out of the Garden and to describe why He expelled them -- to prevent them from stretching forth their hand and partaking of the tree of life. 

As is often the case, the Book of Mormon sheds a lot of light on how this phrase relates to the gospel of Jesus Christ. We find this phrase many time in the Book of Mormon, often in the context of calling a people to repentance.  

I've already cited two examples from the Book of Mormon back in part 1.  See Helaman 13:4 and 1 Nephi 17:53.)

Here are a few more examples:

In Jacob 5, the Lord of the vineyard weeps and laments the corruption of his fruit (see verse 41):

47 But what could I have done more in my vineyard? Have I slackened mine hand, that I have not nourished it? Nay, I have nourished it, and I have digged about it, and I have pruned it, and I have dunged it; and I have stretched forth mine hand almost all the day long, and the end draweth nigh. And it grieveth me that I should hew down all the trees of my vineyard, and cast them into the fire that they should be burned. Who is it that has corrupted my vineyard?

As he calls King Noah and his wicked priests to repentance, Abinadi says this:

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. (Mosiah 12)

And again:

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 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. (Mosiah 16)

Alma-2 and Amulek stretch forth their hands on multiple occasions as they preach repentance:

25 But Amulek stretched forth his hand, and cried the mightier unto them, saying: O ye wicked and perverse generation, why hath Satan got such great hold upon your hearts? Why will ye yield yourselves unto him that he may have power over you, to blind your eyes, that ye will not understand the words which are spoken, according to their truth? (Alma 10)

21 And now it came to pass that when Alma had said these words unto them, he stretched forth his hand unto them and cried with a mighty voice, saying: Now is the time to repent, for the day of salvation draweth nigh; (Alma 13)

7 Therefore he did say no more to the other multitude; but he stretched forth his hand, and cried unto those whom he beheld, who were truly penitent, and said unto them: (Alma 32)

The soldier who smote off the scalp of Nephite dissenter Zerahemnah uses this gesture as he invites the enemy soldiers to lay down their weapons and enter into a covenant (I discussed covenant imagery contained in this chapter in this post):

13 And it came to pass that the soldier who stood by, who smote off the scalp of Zerahemnah, took up the scalp from off the ground by the hair, and laid it upon the point of his sword, and stretched it forth unto them, saying unto them with a loud voice: (Alma 44)

Finally, we see Christ stretching forth His hand twice before "crying" unto the people:

9 And it came to pass that he stretched forth his hand and spake unto the people, saying:

10 Behold, I am Jesus Christ, whom the prophets testified shall come into the world. (3 Nephi 11)

1 And it came to pass that when Jesus had spoken these words unto Nephi, and to those who had been called, (now the number of them who had been called, and received power and authority to baptize, was twelve) and behold, he stretched forth his hand unto the multitude, and cried unto them, saying: Blessed are ye if ye shall give heed unto the words of these twelve whom I have chosen from among you to minister unto you, and to be your servants; and unto them I have given power that they may baptize you with water; and after that ye are baptized with water, behold, I will baptize you with fire and with the Holy Ghost; therefore blessed are ye if ye shall believe in me and be baptized, after that ye have seen me and know that I am. (3 Nephi 12)

There is a definite theme here.  Prophets are an extension of God, sent to fallen man to proclaim repentance. It is also interesting to note that Alma-2 explains the reason why God sent Adam and Eve out of the Garden before they had a chance to partake of the fruit of the tree of life. It was to grant them time and space to repent prior to partaking of the fruit of the tree of life:

2 Now behold, my son, I will explain this thing unto thee. For behold, after the Lord God sent our first parents forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground, from whence they were taken—yea, he drew out the man, and he placed at the east end of the garden of Eden, cherubim, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the tree of life—

3 Now, we see that the man had become as God, knowing good and evil; and lest he should put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat and live forever, the Lord God placed cherubim and the flaming sword, that he should not partake of the fruit—

4 And thus we see, that there was a time granted unto man to repent, yea, a probationary time, a time to repent and serve God.

5 For behold, if Adam had put forth his hand immediately, and partaken of the tree of life, he would have lived forever, according to the word of God, having no space for repentance; yea, and also the word of God would have been void, and the great plan of salvation would have been frustrated. (Alma 42; see also Alma 12:23-24)

What I've learn from these verses is that God always warns His children of the danger of turning away from Him. This is accomplished by messengers, descending from Mount Zion, stretching forth their hand, and calling the covenant people to repentance. 

I believe Jacob summarizes it best when he says:

4 And how merciful is our God unto us, for he remembereth the house of Israel, both roots and branches; and he stretches forth his hands unto them all the day long; and they are a stiffnecked and a gainsaying people; but as many as will not harden their hearts shall be saved in the kingdom of God. (Jacob 6)

We read several times in Isaiah chapters quoted in 2 Nephi the the hand of the Lord is "stretched out still" (see 2 Nephi 19:12, 17, 21; 20:4). I typically see this referenced in a positive sense -- and it surely is a positive thing that we have time and space granted to us to repent and prepare to meet God.  Scholars note that the imagery referred to by Isaiah is actually harsh and threatening. (See this paper by Ann Madsen for a more detailed discussion.) I enjoy the dual nature of this phrase: at the same time a loving invitation to the penitent and a stern reminder to the rebellious. This is yet another manifestation of "the two ways."


In the final installment in this series, we'll look at the Book of Moses. We find there are remarkable and unique example of "stretching forth" of hands during a visionary experience Enoch had with God.

Subtle evidence that the latter-day Gentiles are meant to be a covenant people

32 (And these are the words which I spake unto my servant Moses, and they are true even as I will; and I have spoken them unto you. See thou show them unto no man, until I command you, except to them that believe. Amen.) (Moses 4)

As I finished up my most recent three part post series about Adam and Even in the scriptures, an idea grabbed my attention. It has a lot to do with the verse above, which is the final verse in Moses 4 contained in parentheses.  

The other important context has to do with the target audience in each sermon in the Book of Mormon that contains references to Adam and Eve:

• 2 Nephi 2:15-26 (Lehi speaking to his son Jacob)
• 2 Nephi 9:9,21 (Jacob speaking to Nephites)
• Jacob 4:3-5 (Jacob speaking to Nephites)
• Mosiah 3:11-26; 4:7 (King Benjamin speaking to his people/s as they enter a covenant)
• Mosiah 16:3 (Abinadi speaking to apostate Nephite priests)
• Alma 12:21-26 (Alma-2 speaking to rebellious Nephites)
• Alma 42:2-7 (Alma-2 speaking to his son Corianton)
• Helaman 14:16-18 (Samuel the Lamanite speaking to wicked Nephites)
• Mormon 3:20 (Mormon writing to latter-day Gentiles)
• Mormon 9:11-14 (Moroni writing to latter-day Gentiles)
• Ether 8:25 (Moroni writing to latter-day Gentiles)
• Moroni 8:8 (Mormon writing to his son Moroni)
• Moroni 10:3 (Moroni writing to latter-day Gentiles)

Do you see a pattern? Aside from the Gentiles, the audience is always comprised of covenant-keepers or those who were once covenant-keepers.

I see a message embedded in the fact that the last of these prophets spoke to us in the same way and about the same topics their predecessors spoke to other covenant-keepers. We are part of the house of Israel. We belong in the fold of God. That we have these words is an indication that the latter-day work has commenced (see Ether 4:17). This fits with the purposes outlined in the Title Page:

Which is to show unto the remnant of the house of Israel what great things the Lord hath done for their fathers; and that they may know the covenants of the Lord, that they are not cast off forever—And also to the convincing of the Jew and Gentile that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God, manifesting himself unto all nations

Furthermore, this detail gives us a plausible explanation for why/how these doctrines came to be suppressed/lost.  Suppose they were given to given from the beginning with the instruction that they only be shown to believers.  As apostasy set in, it wouldn't take long for these hidden doctrines to come to be viewed with suspicion and eventually left behind altogether.  

There is a pretty close parallel in the early Christian church that is well documented, where esoteric teachings and rites were widely practiced at first, but eventually considered heretical and excised from the practice of Christianity.

Even in the church today there are quite a few mainstream believing members who consider the temple problematic. This could be a pattern. Unlike previous dispensations, though, we know there won't be another global apostasy, so it becomes an individual question.  Will we embrace these doctrines and seek to understand them?  Or will we reject them and lose the understanding they offer?

Adam and Eve in the scriptures, part 3

This is the final post in a series about references to Adam and Eve in the scriptures. Part 1 offered a numerical overview. Part 2 looked qualitatively at references to Adam and Eve in the Bible and the Doctrine & Covenants. This final part will first look at references to Adam and Eve in the Book of Moses and Book of Abraham, and then we'll conclude with a look at the Book of Mormon.

Book of Moses

Moses 1:34 -- The first man of all men is called Adam.

Moses 3:19-23 -- Adam named all living things; Eve was created from one of Adam's ribs.

Moses 4:6-31 -- Satan beguiles Adam and Eve; the ground is cursed for their sake; they are clothed with coats of skins; they are driven out.

Moses 5 -- Adam and Eve obey the law of sacrifice and are taught by angels. Cain slays Abel and secret combinations are formed.

Moses 6 -- Adam and Eve hearken unto the voice of the Lord and repent. They teach their children the Gospel. Adam is baptized.

Moses 7:1 -- 

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, and many have believed not, and have perished in their sins, and are looking forth with fear, in torment, for the fiery indignation of the wrath of God to be poured out upon them.

Book of Abraham

Abraham 1:3, 26 -- The priesthood came to Abraham through Adam.

Abraham (Facsimile 2) -- Key-words of the Holy Priesthood were given to Adam in the Garden of Eden.

Abraham 5:13-21 -- Creation account.

Book of Mormon

Doctrinal topics found in connection with references to "Adam" or "Eve" or "first parents" abound in the Book of Mormon. It's impressive to see how often and how deeply the doctrine connects.  There is also a conspicuous amount of overlap with doctrinal concepts in the Book of Moses.

2 Nephi 2:15-26 (Lehi)

• God created all things “to bring about his eternal purposes in the end of man” including opposition in all things. 

• Satan seeks our misery.

• In mortality mankind is given the opportunity to repent.

• Men are that they might have joy.

• Christ came to redeem mankind.

2 Nephi 9:9,21 (Jacob)

• Satan seeks our misery.

• Satan beguiled our first parents.

• He “transformeth himself nigh unto an angel of light”

• Christ suffered the pains of all mankind.

Jacob 4:3-5 (Jacob)

• “All the holy prophets” had a hope of Christ’s glory.

Mosiah 3:11-26; 4:7 (King Benjamin -- quoting an angel in ch. 3)

• The natural man in each of us can be “put off” through:

• The Atonement of Jesus Christ

• Yielding to the enticings of the Holy Spirit

• Becoming submissive meek, and humble

• The atonement was prepared “from the foundation of the world for all mankind who ever were, are, or will be.

Mosiah 16:3 (Abinadi)

• Satan beguiled Adam and Eve and caused their fall

Alma 12:21-26 (Alma-2)

• Death came about by the fall.

• Space was granted unto man to repent

• The purpose of life is to prepare to meet God and prepare for the endless state that comes after the resurrection.

Alma 42:2-7 (Alma-2)

• Becoming cut off from God’s presence allowed mankind to “[become] subjects to follow their own will”

Helaman 14:16-18 (Samuel the Lamanite)

• Adam’s fall cut us off from the presence of the Lord.

• Christ brought about the resurrection and conditions of repentance to bring us “back into the presence of the Lord”

Mormon 3:20 (Mormon)

• Every soul must stand before the the judgment seat of Christ to be judged

Mormon 9:11-14 (Moroni)

• The fall came by Adam, the redemption of Adam came by Christ

Ether 8:25 (Moroni)

• Satan beguiled our first parents.

Moroni 8:8 (Mormon -- quoting the word of the Lord)

• The curse of Adam is taken from little children through Christ.

Moroni 10:3 (Moroni)

• God was merciful to Adam

Conclusion

I can't help but marvel at the amount of deep yellow in that Book of Mormon list.  There is a tight connection between references to deep gospel doctrine and Adam and Eve.  This is essentially absent from the Old Testament.  Why? Was it because the temple doctrines once had by ancient Israelites ended up suppressed and stripped away?  Was this doctrinal tradition preserved on the brass plates?

'New life' as an early Christian/temple theme (and major mantic symbol), part 1

Stisa's last post reminded me of a few concepts I'd like to touch on as I continue to flesh out the "mantic versus sophic" battle of worldviews. The contest between the materialist/intellectual mindset and the 'heavenly order' mindset goes back to Cain and Abel. Abel "hearkened unto the voice of the Lord" whereas Cain "hearkened not," instead asking: "Who is the Lord that I should know him?" (See Moses 5:16-17.) 

On the surface, the differences between the brothers might have seemed trivial.  Able tended sheep. Cain tilled the ground. But there was a major difference beneath the surface.  Cain loved Satan more than God and obeyed Satan's commands.  God warned Cain against rejecting the "greater counsel which was had from God."  Cain, in response, grew angry. The following sequence of events results in Cain covenanting with Satan in exchange for worldly wealth and murdering his brother.

In this story, we see a pattern -- rejecting the word of God led Cain to "get gain" in this life but lose eternal life. (I mentioned the Hebrew connection between Cain and "get gain" in a previous post here.)  Abel, by contrast, lost his mortal life as a result of his faithfulness but found eternal life in the process. Abel honored the vision of a heavenly order by which all things must be done on earth.  Cain rejected this idea and sought to create for himself the things he desired on earth. Thus by valuing God's wisdom over his own life, Abel will never die, and by rejecting God's "greater counsel" in favor of worldly gain, Cain will never return to God's presence.

This is ancient wisdom told in the form of a simple story of two brothers, with the deeper wisdom tucked safely beneath the surface. This understanding of the need to find new life through Christ was also taught symbolically through ancient temple rituals. Stisa's post pointed out how the holy anointing oil is a temple symbol for light and life, and how Abinadi makes this same connection in Mosiah 16:8-9. He didn't choose those words randomly, either.  He is clearly preaching to these priests the things they have rejected by favoring the Law of Moses over the Doctrine of Christ.

Abinadi's experience is a nice analog to what must have been happening in Jerusalem following Josiah's temple "purge" around 621 AD. This was a battle of worldviews, and the original temple symbols which emphasized the Doctrine of Christ were suppressed.

Old becomes new

If the Doctrine of Christ was stripped from the temple a few decades before Lehi first saw his vision, many parts of the Book of Mormon suddenly make much more sense.  Nephi's obvious disdain for "the Jews" in Jerusalem (see 2 Nephi 25:2, for example) makes sense in this context -- they corrupted the holy temple.  Jacob's condemnation of the Jews for "looking beyond the mark" also makes sense (see Jacob 4:14).  Just prior to that verse, Jacob lays out in several verses what the ancient, original meaning of the Israelite religion is:

4 For, for this intent have we written these things, that they may know that we knew of Christ, and we had a hope of his glory many hundred years before his coming; and not only we ourselves had a hope of his glory, but also all the holy prophets which were before us.
5 Behold, they believed in Christ and worshiped the Father in his name, and also we worship the Father in his name. And for this intent we keep the law of Moses, it pointing our souls to him; and for this cause it is sanctified unto us for righteousness, even as it was accounted unto Abraham in the wilderness to be obedient unto the commands of God in offering up his son Isaac, which is a similitude of God and his Only Begotten Son.
6 Wherefore, we search the prophets, and we have many revelations and the spirit of prophecy; and having all these witnesses we obtain a hope, and our faith becometh unshaken, insomuch that we truly can command in the name of Jesus and the very trees obey us, or the mountains, or the waves of the sea.
7 Nevertheless, the Lord God showeth us our weakness that we may know that it is by his grace, and his great condescensions unto the children of men, that we have power to do these things.
8 Behold, great and marvelous are the works of the Lord. How unsearchable are the depths of the mysteries of him; and it is impossible that man should find out all his ways. And no man knoweth of his ways save it be revealed unto him; wherefore, brethren, despise not the revelations of God.
9 For behold, by the power of his word man came upon the face of the earth, which earth was created by the power of his word. Wherefore, if God being able to speak and the world was, and to speak and man was created, O then, why not able to command the earth, or the workmanship of his hands upon the face of it, according to his will and pleasure?
10 Wherefore, brethren, seek not to counsel the Lord, but to take counsel from his hand. For behold, ye yourselves know that he counseleth in wisdom, and in justice, and in great mercy, over all his works. (Jacob 4)

This is the mantic worldview in a nutshell. That is the religion of Adam, Abel, Seth, Enoch, Noah, Melchizedek, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, and Moses. The "Old Testament religion" we think about and read about is a corrupted version of this, not the other way around.

Margaret Barker writes about the importance of establishing what came first in the context of the early Christians. Her words apply just as aptly to thinking about the ancient Israelite religion:

There is a tendency to classify according to the categories of a later age. What became the canonical texts are the norm, and all others, together with the ideas they represent have a lower status. Instead of asking how such 'strange' texts came to be written, we should be asking how they came to be excluded. (The Great High Priest, p. 26)

If the religious reformation is successful enough in suppressing older doctrines, these will appear to be completely new when they are restored. For example, consider the following words of Jesus:

24 ¶ Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.
26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
27 For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works. (Matthew 16)

It seems Jesus was reiterating suppressed truth with these words (rather than breaking new ground). He is teaching the same lesson we can learn from the story of Cain and Abel. 

"He is the light and the life of the world"

Frequent readers of the blog know that we think there is a strong case to be made for Lehi's and Nephi's faith being defined by what Margaret Barker would call temple theology. This is related to the first temple and an older sophic worldview, uncorrupted by the Deuteronomist reform and the second temple. The reform took away physical objects from the temple but also many of the associated teachings. There are many aspects of this that could be discussed. One is the holy anointing oil that I recently read about in this paper.

The temple of Nephi

Before I get into the holy anointing oil, I want to examine the temple in the land of Nephi. Details about what happened inside of Nephite temples are not given in the Book of Mormon. But we read in 2 Nephi 5 that Nephi built a temple and he built it "after the manner of the temple of Solomon" (2 Nephi 5:16). It would reflect temple worship and theology from the first temple period before the Deuteronomist reform.

I believe that this temple of Nephi is the same temple that is mentioned in Mosiah 11. I will not go into the long-winded explanation of why I think that is the case, and I may be wrong. There may have been several temples in the land of Nephi or Zeniff and his group may even have built one when they went back to the land of Nephi. But I think most likely that the part of the land that they were granted by the Lamanite King included the old temple of Nephi. 

If this is the case, Nephi's temple was in use from the time it was built in 2 Nephi 5 and until Mosiah and his group fled the land in the Book of Omni. Perhaps it was used after that too but at least by the time Zeniff and his group returned to the land, there seems to have been only Lamanites there. The temple of Nephi had remained unused for a while or perhaps used for other purposes.

Zeniff's brief account in Mosiah 9 and 10 does not mention the temple at all. But in Mosiah 11:5, we read

For he put down all the priests that had been consecrated by his father, and consecrated new ones in their stead, such as were lifted up in the pride of their hearts.

I have previously thought that the priests of king Noah were more like royal advisers or servants, but we know there was a temple in the land and at least in Old Testament times, "priest" would be associated with temple service. The temple is mentioned some verses later

And he also caused that his workmen should work all manner of fine work within the walls of the temple, of fine wood, and of copper, and of brass. (Mosiah 11:10)

So to continue my speculations, the temple of Nephi had been an integral part of Nephites religous life until Mosiah with his group had fled the land. It had been unused for a time but restored and perhaps rededicated under Zeniff upon their arrival. But his wicked son, Noah, corrupted it by consecrating new priests "lifted up in the pride of their hearts" and caring more for the "fine work within the walls" than the worship and ordinances within the walls.

The holy anointing oil

What does this heading have to do with the previous section? In the paper I linked, Margaret Barker explains:

In the seventh century BC, during the reign of King Josiah, there had been a revolution in Jerusalem, and many of the treasures of Solomon’s temple that had been kept in the holy of holies were hidden away. The ark disappeared, the manna disappeared, Aaron’s rod disappeared, and the holy anointing oil disappeared. All, they said, would all be restored in the time of the Messiah. Indeed, there could be no Messiah until the oil was restored, and no holy temple.

King Noah was not king Josiah and we don't know in what ways he could have corrupted the temple. But when his priests and himself claimed to follow the law of Moses and denied the coming of Christ (in fact, they executed Abinadi for teaching it), it bears striking resemblance to the Deuteronomist view and their corruption of the temple. In any case, I find it likely that the holy anointing oil, once used in the temple of Nephi after the manner of the temple of Solomon, among many other things, had been discarded or misunderstood. 

Barker explains what this oil originally meant. She uses many biblical and extra-biblical sources to demonstrate that the holy anointing oil was closely linked to both resurrection and light. I will refer to her paper rather than quote all her examples, but they show how the holy oil was used to anoint the person receiving a resurrected immortal body. This is exemplified by Enoch and happened in the holy of holies in the temple. The light symbolism is also prevalent in the temple. The seven-branched lamp (menorah) was to burn continually from evening to morning to ensure that there was always light in the temple. Barker explains

In the Zohar, the holy oil has two roles in the temple: it is the oil of the light, which means the heavenly source of light that never ceases, and the oil for the light, which burns in the seven branched lamp in the temple, the symbol of the tree of life. The tree of life was remembered as a tree of fire; Enoch described it as beautiful and perfumed, gold and red like fire.

I find it likely that these ancient teachings and symbols were found in the original temple of Nephi but had become corrupted with king Noah, if not before. When Abinadi is put on trial, he challenges king Noah and his priest to answer if salvation comes through the law of Moses. They answer yes. Abinadi goes on to explain about the coming of Christ that the whole law is pointing towards, something they have apparently missed. Then he says:

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. (Mosiah 16)

A light that is endless is symbolized by the menorah in the temple, something king Noah and his priest apparently not had understood or perhaps even removed from the temple completely. In general the light and the life (resurrection) fits the ancient holy anointing oil symbolism in the temple. Knowing that king Noah had a temple but rejected Christ that the symbolism was pointing to, I don't think it is a big stretch to assume that Abinadi was inserting temple symbolism in his sermon to get his point across. A few verses later he says:

Therefore, if ye teach the law of Moses, also teach that it is a shadow of those things which are to come (Mosiah 16:14)

Everything points to Christ, including the law of Moses, the temple and the holy anointing oil, even though king Noah and his temple priests had misunderstood. This was Abinadi's message, a message that he was willing to sacrifice his own life for. 

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