Abinadi Explains Isaiah

“I want you to know that God Himself will come down among His people to redeem them. Because He will have a mortal body, He will be called the Son of God. Because He will do the Father’s will in the flesh, He will be called the Father. And again, because He will be conceived by the power of God, He will be called the Father.

“And because He will be partly mortal, He will be called the Son. The Father and His Son are one God, the very Eternal Father of Heaven and Earth. As the Son in the flesh submits to the Holy Spirit, His desires become the desires of the Father, and the Savior will not give in to temptation. He will allow Himself to be mocked, scourged, thrown out, and disowned by His people.

“After suffering all this, and after working many mighty miracles among His people, He will be led, as Isaiah said, ‘like a lamb to the slaughter, to be crucified and slain,’ giving up His will to the will of His Father. This is how God will break the bands of death and gain victory over it. He will give the Son the power to intercede on our behalf—to plead our cause through His mercy.

“The Savior will be able to do this because He will take the sins of all people upon Himself, redeeming them and satisfying the demands of justice. He will break the bands of death and go into heaven with mercy and compassion toward all people, standing between them and justice.

“And who will be called His children? After offering His body and spirit for sin, He will see His children, whom He has spiritually borne. And who do you think His children will be?

“They will be those who believe the holy prophets, who prophesy that the Lord will come to redeem His people. They will be those who look forward to Him for a remission of their sins, patiently waiting to inherit God’s kingdom. For Christ will bear the sins of His people and die for them to redeem them from their transgressions. These people are called ‘The Children of Christ.’ All the holy prophets who have spoken of Christ since the world began are also His children, for they have published peace, bringing good news of salvation to Zion, saying, ‘Your God reigns!’ The sight of them will be beautiful among the nations.

“Those who continue to publish peace will also be beautiful to see among the nations! And again, those who publish peace from now until all eternity will be beautiful among the nations! But this is not all. For how beautiful it will be to see the Lord among the nations, who will redeem His people, granting them salvation and bringing good news as the founder of their peace.

“Without the redemption of Christ, which was planned from the beginning of the world, all would die and never rise again. But the bands of death will be broken, and the Son will reign with power over the dead, bringing to pass their resurrection!

“The first to be resurrected will be the righteous who lived before Christ. The first resurrection will also include the prophets and all who have believed and kept God’s commandments. They will be raised to live with their Redeemer and have eternal life through Christ’s redemption.

“Those who die in ignorance of Christ, who have not had salvation preached to them, will also be redeemed by the Lord and be a part of the first resurrection—have eternal life. And little children who die also have eternal life.

“But you priests should be trembling before God, for since the world began the Lord has never redeemed those who have willfully rebelled against Him and died in their sins—those who knew His commandments but would not keep them. Such people will have no part in the first resurrection. This is why you should tremble. For salvation cannot come to you in your condition. The Lord cannot deny Himself by redeeming men such as you when justice has its rightful claim.

“In the last days, the Lord’s salvation will be declared to every nation, tribe, and people, in all languages. The Lord’s watchmen—His righteous servants—will sing aloud together, for they will be one when the Lord again brings Zion.

“Then it will be declared, ‘You in the war-ravished places of Jerusalem, break forth into joy, singing together, for the Lord has comforted and redeemed you. All have seen the Lord show His great power, and now the people from all parts of the earth will yet see His salvation!’ ”