Commentary for the Book of Mormon: Mosiah 1-3

Chapter 1 

From Mosiah until Mormon, we are now reading the Mormon's abridgment of the Nephites record. Since this is an abridgment, this means that Mormon selected which information to include in his records and which to not. Some of what is included is Mormon's own words. Others is words that Mormon copied.

As we read the books of Mosiah up to Mormon, it's worthwhile to identify the moments where Mormon is speaking compared to words he is recording and it's worthwhile to consider why Mormon included what he did. Doing so can help promote question which leads to ponder. And pondering leads to insight.

To help you in asking these question, I will ask some of these questions myself while not providing the answer. The reason for this is because I do not know many (if not most) of these questions myself and also because I want to encourage all to seek for light from the Lord and not rely upon my insights. Nevertheless, I will do my best to break down the passages and questions so you can ask the Lord with specific questions.

1:2 -- Taught Them In All the Language of His Fathers 

Chapter 1 of Mosiah consists of Mormon's words.

Mormon records that King Benjamin had three sons, each were taught in "all" the language of King Benjamin's fathers "that thereby they might become men of understanding; and that they might know concerning the prophecies which had been spoken by the mouths of their fathers, which were delivered them by the hand of the Lord."

Staring here, we should ask what does is mean to be taught in all the language of King Benjamin's fathers. Is there a difference between "all" vs. "some." Why would being taught in all the language be important? What language was spoken by King Benjamin's fathers?

In addition to these question, observe that Mormon seems to find a causal relation between knowing all the language of the King Benjamin's and becoming "men of understanding" and "knowing the prophecies" spoken by their fathers.

What does it mean to be men of understanding? Does is simple meant to comprehend something?

For assistance, consider how Solomon is described in 1 Kings 3

9 Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people?
10 And the speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing.
11 And God said unto him, Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life; neither hast asked riches for thyself, nor hast asked the life of thine enemies; but hast asked for thyself understanding to discern judgment;
12 Behold, I have done according to thy words: lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart; so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee.

To provide further assistance, consider the ESV translation of this passage

9 Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people?”
10 It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this. 11 And God said to him, “Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches or the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, 12 behold, I now do according to your word. Behold, I give you a wise and discerning mind, so that none like you has been before you and none like you shall arise after you

What does an understand heart/mind lead to?

When Mormon says that the sons of King Benjamin are taught in "all the language of King Benjamin's" so that they "might know concerning the prophecies which had been spoken by the mouths of their father" To which "fathers" is Mormon referring? Why might this matter?

1:3-6 -- Were It Not For These Plates

Once again, like Nephi, King Benjamin explains the importance of the Brass Plates. He explains,

...were it not for these plates, which contain these records and these commandments, we must have suffered in ignorance, even at this present time, not knowing the mysteries of God.

The People of Zarahemla

We saw what happened to the people of Zarahemla ("Mulekites") because they didn't bring records with them: 1) they corrupted their language and 2) lost belief in God. Why did this happen? First, language changes overtime. However, spoken language changes much quicker than written language. This is because written language is more standardized than spoken. Moreover, spoken language is not recorded and so the rules of grammar are not enforced. Since the Mulekites did not have any record of Hebrew, the Hebrew they spoke was not tied to any rules of grammar. Thus it changed. And over almost 400 years, the change became so drastic that it didn't even resemble Hebrew.

For an idea of what how strange and different the Mulekites might have sounded to the Mosiah and his people, consider this passage of thh Lord's prayer in Old English

Fæder ureðu ðe eart on heofenumsi ðin nama gehalgodto-becume ðin ricegeweorþe ðin willa on eorðan swa swa on heofenum.Urne ge dæghwamlican hlaf syle us to-deagand forgyf us ure gyltasswa swa we forgifaþ urum gyltendumane ne gelæde ðu us on costnungeac alys us of yfle.

The English we speak derives from Old English. Over years and years Old English changed into the English we have today. If someone spoke Old English today, we would think they were speaking German. It wouldn't sound like English.

Why spend so much time on language? Because Mormon and others seems to find the preservation of language important to understanding truths about God. Amaelki in the Book of Omni associated the corruption of the Mulekites language as a reason for their disbelief in God.

their language had become corrupted; and they had brought no records with them; and they denied the being of their Creator... (Omni 17-18)

Could there be a causal relationship between the language we speak and our knowledge of God? Since language is the mechanism we use to define our reality, if we tweaked those words, would that distort our view of God?

The Bras Plates 

Having taking a brief detour into the Mulekites, let's turn back to the significance of the Brass Plates for the Nephites and Lehi and his family.

...were it not for these plates, which contain these records and these commandments, we must have suffered in ignorance, even at this present time, not knowing the mysteries of God. (Mosiah 1:3)

If Nephi had not obtained the Brass Plates, then his posterity would have become ignorant of God and failed to know his mysteries.

Why? King Benjamin explains in verse 4. Lehi, though having knowledge of God's commandments and mysteries, would not have been able to remember them all. And since he couldn't remember them all, he could only pass on what he he remembered. This would mean that his sons would know less about God's commands than Lehi, and such would be the case for each succeeding generation until finally the knowledge of God is lost, becoming like the Lamanites.

As the knowledge of God would have been reduced each successive generation, the gaps of knowledge would be replaced by culture and tradition. Yet culture and tradition, through their conceptions of right and wrong, often distort the truth and prevent us from knowing God. We see this example today where some cultures believe it's appropriate to worship one's ancestors. By following this approach, the people end of worship and devoting their attention to their ancestors who have no power to save or redeem. Thus they spend their time away from seeking after the source who can deliver salvation.

But if we have the scriptures -- records of God's interaction with humanity -- when then have knowledge of who God is and what is required to come unto him. And this is why we are commanded to read the scriptures. We read them so they we can learn of God and his way. And this is how we "profit" from them.

And to profit in these sense means to improve; to advance; to benefit.

1:11 -- Give This People a Name

We learn that before King Benjamin dies, he desire to address the people. That address is found in Mosiah 2-5. The purpose of his address is to "give [the Nephites and Mulekites -- "the Nephites"] a name. And King Benjamin desires to give the Nephites a name so that "they may be distinguished above all the people which the Lord God hath brought out of the land of Jerusalem.

We later learn in Mosiah 4 that the name King Benjamin desires to give them is the name of Christ.

What might it mean to be given or to take upon oneself the name of Christ? The meaning of Christ means anointed? What might it means to take upon the name of anointed?

Chapter 2 

1:4--Keep the Commandments of God. 

How can we show love towards our fellow human? We keep the commandments of God. Keeping the commandments of God causes us to "rejoice and be filled with love towards God and all men."

Why is this the case? Because God's commandments are all about teaching us how to love as God loves. In previous posts I explained that the word love, as used in English, is wrought with a lot of vagueness. We use love to refer to many different things that are not in the same category.

Thus when we read in 1 John 4 that God is love, all of us have different conceptions of what that means. This is because we have different conceptions of what love means. Some believe that love is the same as kindness. Thus to God is love means that he's kind. And to be kind means that God is gentle, nice, considerate, etc. Of course, this definition can't be sustained in any real way when we read the scriptures and find that God has will bring judgment on the wicked.

Thus God is kind doesn't work. Instead, love, as defined in the gospel, must refer to something different. What exactly? Well, that's where the Lord's commandments come into play. God's commands are given so that we can learn about God's character. The 10 commandments is an excellent example of this.

The first 5 teach us how to love God. By correctly loving and worshipping God, we are able to receive further commands. The second 5 are commands dealing with our relationship with our neighbor -- with other people. These commands outline how we show love towards our neighbor.

But there are more than just the 10 commandments. The 10 commands are merely the foundation upon which we learn and grow and develop God's love. Through revelation God gives us individual commands that are tailored for us and our needs. These commands, being tailored to us, teach us what aspects of our character need to change so that we can love God more. As we obey those commands, two things happen. First, our character changes to become more like Gods. Second, we understand more of what gospel love means.

As we progress further and further, we then have a clearer understanding of John's statement that God is love. We'll know because will have become the love that God is. 

2:9 -- Hearken Unto Me

King Benjamin gives us the three faculties that are required to acquire truth. The ears, the heart, and the mind.

...hearken unto me, and open your ears that ye may hear, and your hearts that ye may understand, and your minds that the mysteries of God may be unfolded to your view.

We are to open our ears to hear; heart to understand; and our minds so that we may know the mysteries of God.

Ears

First, we can't access truth is we are not willing to hear it. But hearing means more than just hearing the sound. To hear means to listen. The word for to hear in Biblical Hebrew is Shema. In Biblical Hebrew there is not distinction between listening and hearing. When one hears, one listens. Moreover, the meaning of Shema has a broader and deeper meaning than the English word to hear. While it includes listening, it also includes taking heed and responding in action to what one has heard.

The Shema, which was and is recited by the Jews as a centerpiece prayer beings with:

4. Hear [Shema], O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord:
5 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.

Thus as a daily prayer practice the Jews today are told to "hear" -- to hear, to listen, take heed, and respond in action to what one has heard.

When one listen, one open oneself to the words being taught. This can apply literally, as when one is audibly listening to a person, but it can also apply figuratively, as in listening to the words one reads -- to take the words in and listen to them, to take them into our spirit. If we come with presuppositions to what we expect to receive, then we aren't listening. Instead we are "talking". An attitude of I already know means that you fail to open yourself up to receiving more. At all times. In all places. We should open our hears to listen to truth. If we don't, then we can't receive it.

Christ expressed this concept to his disciples when he explained why some of his followers couldn't understand his parables. He explained:

I speak to them in parables; because while seeing [with physical eyes] they do not see [with spiritual eyes], and while hearing [with physical ears] they do not hear [with spiritual ears]... (Mark 4:13)

In Exodus, after Moses read the covenant to the people, the people responded that "we will do everything the Lord has said; we will obey." (24:7 NIV). But the word translated in English as "obey" is the word shema. Thus, the literal translation of this verse would read "we will d o everything the Lord has said; we will hear.

Thus to hear is to obey. When we hear the words being taught we obey them if they are true. We have to have this mindset before we can go further into what the Lord desires to teach us.

Hearts 

Having opened up our heart, the next step is to open up our hearts. As a reminder, the heart represents our core being. To open up heart means to open up ourselves to the word. We do this so that we may understand the word. To open up our hearts requires us to let go of what we think or believe is right and submit to what the Lord is teaching us through his Spirit. This process requires humility and deference to God's wisdom and majesty.

Despite all the Lord sought to do for the early saints, they never fully surrendered their hearts to the word. Jospeh Smith lamented about this towards the end of his ministry. John Taylor described the difficulties Jospeh Smith had in teaching the people:

"When Joseph Smith had anything from God to communicate to the children of men or to the Church, what was it he had to fight against all the day long? It was the prejudices of the people; and, in many instances, he could not and dare not reveal the word of God to the people, for fear they would rise up and reject it. How many times he faltered? It was not that he was particularly afraid; but he had to look after the welfare and salvation of the people. If the Prophet Joseph had revealed everything which the Lord manifested to him, it would have proven the overthrow of the people in many instances; hence he had to treat them like children, and feed them upon milk, and unfold principles gradually, just as they could receive them. Was all this because it was so hard to comprehend correct principles? No, it was because we were babes and children, and could not understand." (JD 6:165.) 

In order to truly learn from God, we have to be empty vessels. To use the proverbial image of the glass of water: if your cup is already full than it's bound to overflow. Come to God with an empty glass so he can teach you.

Mind

Having done these first two, we then open up our mind. The mind is the gateway to accessing light and truth. The mind is the center of receiving information and processing it. Joseph Smith described this the rigor and process of what our minds need to go through in order to comprehend light and truth.

The things of God are of deep import, and time and experience and careful and ponderous and solemn thoughts can only find them out. Thy mind, O Man, if thou wilt lead a soul unto salvation, must stretch as high as the utmost Heavens, and search into and contemplate the lowest considerations of the darkest abyss, and expand upon the broad considerations of eternal expanse; he must commune with God. How much more dignified and noble are the thoughts of God, than the vain imaginations of the human heart, none but fools will trifle with the souls of men. — Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p.137

What does it mean for our minds to "stretch as high as the utmost Heavens"?

What does it means for our minds to "search into and contemplate the lowest considerations of the darkest abyss"?

What does it mean for our minds to "expand upon the broad consideration of eternal expanse"?

Notice that these three things are linked with a semi-colon. Thus the stretching, searching, and expanding" are connected to communing with God. Could it be that to truly commune with God requires us first to experience both the light and dark? If so, does this mean that before communing with God our minds must experience contradiction, cognitive dissonance, and uncertainty before we commune with God. Is this process best called a wrestle?

I have tried for a number of years to get the minds of the Saints prepared to receive the things of God; but we frequently see some of them, after suffering all they have for the work of God, will fly to pieces like glass as soon as anything comes that is contrary to their traditions: they cannot stand the fire at all. How many will be able to abide a celestial law, and go through and receive their exaltation, I am unable to say, as many are called, but few are chosen" (History of the Church, 6:184–85)

Notice that Joseph Smith states that he "tried" to get the "mind of the Saints prepared to receive the things of God." Thus receiving things from God is connected to our minds being prepared to receive it. In other words, to understand the things of first requires that are minds are prepared int he first place.

To elucidate this idea, consider the Savior's response to the Nephites and Lamanites when he visited them. After teaching the Sermon on the Mount, the Savior remarked:

1 Behold, now it came to pass that when Jesus had spoken these words he looked round about again on the multitude, and he said unto them: Behold, my time is at hand.
2 I perceive that ye are weak, that ye cannot understand all my words which I am commanded of the Father to speak unto you at this time.
3 Therefore, go ye unto your homes, and ponder upon the things which I have said, and ask of the Father, in my name, that ye may understand, and prepare your minds for the morrow, and I come unto you again.
4 But now I go unto the Father, and also to show myself unto the lost tribes of Israel, for they are not lost unto the Father, for he knoweth whither he hath taken them.

The Savior wanted to teach more, but the people's minds were not ready to understand his teachings. He dismissed them for the day and commanded them to go their homes and "ponder upon the things which [he] said" so that they may "understand and prepare [their] minds" for the following day.

Often the Lord won't teach us higher truths until we have prepared our minds to receive them. And to prepare our minds require us to fast and contemplate on what's already been revealed.

2:11-16 -- Description of King Benjamin 

King Benjamin provides a list of characteristics that are worth considering.

• Served his people with all his might, mind and strength (v. 11)
• Suffered his days to spend in the service of his people (v. 12)
• Has not sought to receive or take away gold or silver from his people. He is modest. (v.12)
• Has not sustained his people to indulge in wickedness (v. 13)
• Taught his people to keep the Lord' commandments (v. 13)
• Labored with his own hands to serve, instead of being supported by his people (v. 14)
• Not burdened his people with taxes to support his lifestyle (v. 14) 
• Has not done any of the foregoing things so he can boast about, or accuse his people (v. 15)
• Has a clear conscience before God (v. 15)
• Only been in the service of his people (v. 16) 

2:33-37 -- Drink Damnation to His Soul. 

King Benjamin warns and exhorts his people to keep the commands of God. Otherwise, they will drink "damnation to their souls." This is because they have been taught the commandments of God. And because they have been taught the commandments, they have no excuse. This is because by not keeping the commandments they have acted contrary to their own knowledge. 

This is what it means to transgress God's commandments. To transgress is to knowingly go against the knowledge you have. When this happens, you have chosen to replace the Spirit of the Lord which is guiding you, with the evil spirit, which has caused you to transgress ( to knowingly go against the knowledge you've received). 

...after ye have known and have been taught all these things, if ye should transgress and go contrary to that which has been spoken, that ye do withdraw yourselves from the Spirit of the Lord, that it may have no place in you to guide you in wisdom’s paths that ye may be blessed, prospered, and preserved--

37 I say unto you, that the man that doeth this, the same cometh out in open rebellion against God; therefore he listeth to obey the evil spirit, and becometh an enemy to all righteousness; therefore, the Lord has no place in him, for he dwelleth not in unholy temples. 

Having removed the Spirit of the Lord through transgression, you are now under the control of the evil spirit who has great control over you because you acted contrary to what you know to be right. Thus you embraced darkness over light. You can't be saved by God because by your transgression you've shown that you love darkness over light, falsity over truth. You can't be saved unless you repent. 

This principle is more applicable (and thus all the more real) for us as LDS members than it is for the world. While the word is undoubtedly wicked, many do not have the same knowledge as LDS members. Because they don't have the same knowledge, there is less they have to transgress.

But this is not the case for LDS members. Through Jospeh Smith, we have been given greater access to truth than any other denomination. Not only do we have the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price, but we also have his teachings and the teachings of others that provide great insight into God's mysteries.

But the majority of the LDS church has not studied these words. This is evidence by our meetings and discussion, where our conversation remain generic and plain. We are not learning about new things, but instead of relearning things already stated n the Scriptures. 

Thus Ignoring them is a transgression. We were and are commanded to read and study the scriptures. We are commanded to seek after every good book of learning. There is no excuse. Failing to avail ourselves of more light is knowingly going against what we know. If we don't correct this then we are damned. 

To be damned simply means to be stopped in progressing. The Lord doesn't damn us, we do. We drink the damnation to our soul. And we damn ourselves because we have refused to progress in light and truth that he has provided. 

2:38 -- Sense of His Own Guilt 

Those who don't repent from their transgression, when they die, will be unable to stand before the presence of the Lord because justice will convince us our guilt. We, being those who have rejected light and truth, can't stand in the presence of the embodiment of truth. Christ and God are truth. That is who they are. If we reject truth, then we reject them. Christ is the way -- the truth and the light. Knowing that we rejected him will cause us pain, so much pain that we will shrink, like Adam and Eve, from his presence, preferring to hide ourselves. In this state, we can't be in his presence. And mercy can't have claim because we knowingly went against our knowledge. 

Chapter 3

3:2 -- Made Known to Me By An Angel. 

King Benjamin explains that his words, which he will teach to the Nephites, were given to him by an angel. This is fact is important for two reasons. First, we know the authority King Benjamin is giving these words. These words are not King Benjamin opinion. Second, we know King Benjamin's speech is revelation, not inspiration. Because it is revelation, the words King Benjamin speaks are the will of the Lord and thus we should give heed to them.

3:3 -- Awake and Hear the Words. What we read in in Mosiah 3 are the words that that the angel told King Benjamin.

3:6 -- Evil Spirits Which Dwell in The Hearts. 

The angel explains to King Benjamin the Lord's ministry. Part of the Lord's ministry was to cast out the devils. The angel clarifies this to mean the evil spirits "which dwell in the hears of the children of men." This expression is interesting. What might it means for evil spirits to dwell in one's heart? In an earlier post, I suggested that we don't have as much free will as we might think. Instead, our will is based on what voice we choose to heed. In this world we are presented with two influences--good and evil. We are directed to these choices by good and evil spirits. Choosing to heed to evil spirits permits them to inhabit our bodies, thereby controlling us.

Enslavement 

In the scriptures, Satan's control over us is often compared to enslavement. Enoch, describes Satan holding a "great chain in his hand" which "veiled" the earth "with darkness." (Moses 7). Jacob warns us about being enslaved by Satan's influence, describing those in hell as "captive spirits". What are they held captive to? Could it be that evil spirits hold them captive by having control over the people's desires?

To further flesh-out this idea, consider the passage from Alma

12 And then shall it come to pass, that the spirits of those who are righteous are received into a state of happiness, which is called paradise, a state of rest, a state of peace, where they shall rest from all their troubles and from all care, and sorrow.
13 And then shall it come to pass, that the spirits of the wicked, yea, who are evil—for behold, they have no part nor portion of the Spirit of the Lord; for behold, they chose evil works rather than good; therefore the spirit of the devil did enter into them [the wicked], and take possession of their house [body]—and these shall be cast out into outer darkness; there shall be weeping, and wailing, and gnashing of teeth, and this because of their own iniquity, being led captive by the will of the devil.

And consider Jospeh Smith's teachings:

The spirits in the eternal world are like the sprits in this world. When those who have come into this world and received tabernacles, then died and agin have risen and received glorified bodies, they will have an ascendancy over the spirits who received no bodies, or kept not their first estate, like the devil. The punishment of the devil was that he should not have a habitation like men. The devil's retaliation is, he come into the world, binds up men's bodies, and occupies them himself. When the authorities come along, they eject him for a stolen habitations. (TPJS, pg 306) 

Here, Joseph Smith teachings that devil's retaliation for having lost his body is that to inhabit the bodies of humans.

Removing the Veil

I imagine if the Lord removed the veil and shows us the reality of the spiritual realm, we would see evil spirits inhabiting the bodies of the wicked. I think we would be shocked to see that the people who think they are freely choosing their desires, are actually more like puppets on a string, The puppeteer master is the evil spirit who uses the bodies of the wicked to fulfill his or her desire and gratification. As the wicker person grows increasingly in more and more wickedness, the evil spirit exerts greater control over that person's desires and wants. Sadly, the person is not free. They never were. Instead they are being lead by the evil spirit(s) to satisfy the evil spirit's/spirits' desires.

We've heard to concept from Elder Bednar that we have the choice to choose to act or be acted upon. Part of this concept is based on this idea of spiritual possession. If a spirit possess our body, then we are being acted upon. We are not making the choice. The Spirit is. We are simply the vehicle.

Our only choice in life is whether to heed the evil spirit and allow ourselves to be controlled. Or to listen to the Spirit of truth and act upon its direction and guidance. It seems that we have no choice whether a Spirit will abide in us. Our only choice is what Spirit will we invite. Will we choose to invite the evil spirit, who will use, exploit, and control us, leading us into darkness? Or will we choose to invite good spirit, the Holy Spirit, into our lives who will comfort, direct, and teach us in all things that are just and true?

Despite the deaths and radical change to life, the pandemic of the coronavirus has been a blessing from God to show which voice we have been heeding. If this experience has created depression, anxiety, and doubt, then you can are assured that you've not been heeding the Holy Spirit. Those who fill their lives with the Holy Spirit are giving true hope and perspective that allows them to overcome the challenges in their path. Those with the Holy Spirit, while undoubtedly experience trials and hardships, are able to endure because they have the peace that comes from their hope in Christ. Those with the Holy Spirit surrender to challenge knowing that each trial will bring them closer to God.

3:7a -- He Shall Suffer. 

Many of us may wonder why suffering exists. We may further wonder why God allows such. We may even question why? But one thing we know is that we are not facing these trials alone because the Lord experienced greater suffering than any of us. Thus whatever we are going, know that the Lord went though it and more.

3:7b -- Blood Came From Every Pore

...blood cometh from every pore, so great shall be his anguish for the wickedness and the abominations of his people.

The angel explains that Christ's bleeding from every pore was the result of the "anguish" he felt for others. Christ's bleeding from every pore was the result of the love he had for the world. He loved the world so much that experiencing their sins caused him deep and gut-wretching pain.

Anguish: Extreme pain, either of body or mind. As bodily pain, it may differ from agony, which is such distress of the whole body as to cause contortion, whereas anguish may be a local pain as of an ulcer, or gout. But anguish and agony are nearly synonymous. As pain of the mind, it signifies any keen distress from sorrow, remorse, despair and kindred passions.

3:11 -- The Blood Atoneth For..

The blood of Christ only atones from those who, due to Adam's fall, died not knowing God's will for them or "who have ignorantly sinned" [this includes little children (see verse 16) or for those who have repented and retained a remission of their sins (verse 13),

Those who know the commands of God and don't keep them are in rebellion against God. Those in this group have no expectation of salvation unless they repent. Sadly many members of the LDS faith are in this group. Through commandments, the Book of Mormon, and teachings of the prophets, many have the knowledge of what God expects of them, more-so than other Christians, and they don't obey it. To not obey what one knows is rebellion. Sadly many member, unless they repent, will find themselves in hell instead of heaven.

The Lord sent his prophets to declare this message about the gospel. To tell people about God. To instruct people how to turn to him. And to provide the framework for walking back into His presence to be redeemed.

3:15 -- Hardened Their Hearts and Understood Not the Law

Due to the having heard hearts, which came from continuous transgression, the Israelites failed to understand the law of Moses and what it represented. As we learned in Nephi, developing a hard heart comes from sinning. The more we sin, the more we reject light. And that light we reject is replaced with darkness. As one sins, the more darkness they embrace until their understanding about the things of God becomes so diminished that they can't make any sense of it.

Rituals of the Law of Moses

Sadly, the rituals in the Law of Moses were designed to teach the Israelites about the concept of the atonement. This concept was illustrated through the idea of separating the clean from the unclean. It was also expressed through the shedding of the lamb's blood. Blood represents life. Moreover, blood in the rituals represented a cleanser. When someone became unclean, the person was to offer a sacrifice.

Being unclean acted as a stain upon the camp or society, much like if someone put dirt or feces on the wall of the temple. To clean that "stain" required a sanitizer. Blood was the sanitizer, much like bleach today. The blood shed would represent the cleansing of the unclean person so they could become clean again. Since blood represented life. The ultimate message being communicated through this process is that life would be shed to cleanse the individual. For those who had eyes to see, they would've seen this connected to a future atonement.

The problem is that the Israelites thought that the ritual was the real thing. In reality the ritual of was merely a type to point of person to the real thing. A person who was ritually clean wasn't necessarily spiritual clean. The idea of ritual cleanness to illustrate the concept of one needing to be made complete by another's giving of his life. But because the Israelites continued to disobey God, this message, which was baked into the ritual, went unnoticed.

Same Problem Today 

Sadly, many of us make the same mistake that the Israelites made. When it comes to attending the temple today, we believe that going through the rituals of the temple is what guarantees our salvation. This is false. Just like the rituals of the Law of Moses were instituted to point the Israelites the the real thing of the atonement, the endowment is to point us to the real thing of entering into God's presence on this earth.

It doesn't matter how many times you go to the temple if you are not actually drawing nearer to God in your life. To believe that such is the case is to make the mistake of the Israelites who mistook the means as the end -- who thought that simply performing the rituals was enough to make them holy and chosen before God. It wasn't. And it never was.

3:19 -- The Natural Man.

The angel explains to King Benjamin the way towards salvation.

3:20 -- None Shall be Found Blameless 
Earlier, the angel explained to King Benjamin, which King Benjamin relayed to the Nephites, that people who are ignorant of God's command are saved from hell. However, ignorance of God will last forever. And this the angel explains. He explains that

...that the time shall come when the knowledge of a Savior shall spread throughout every nation, kindred, tongue, and people.
21 And behold, when that time cometh, none shall be found blameless before God, except it be little children, only through repentance and faith on the name of the Lord God Omnipotent.

At some point, there will be a day where knowledge of God is spread throughout the world. And since the knowledge of God is so widespread, no one will be found blameless before God. That day is now. With the invention of technology, the world is aware of God. They might not be aware of all his commandments, but they are aware of God.  Having this knowledge of God, they will be judged on how they used it. There is not more exception for ignorance.

This is one reason why the end of the world will be so complete. The world will have knowledge of God and most will reject it. Having rejected it, they are in transgression and in rebelling to God. If they don't correct and refuse to be corrected, God, being a God of justice, as no choice but to remove them. And this he will do so that righteousness will flourish.

3:25 -- Consigned to an Awful View of Their Own Guilt and Abomination 

God will not bring about hell. We bring it about. And this is because when we die, we will come face to face with our guilt and abominations. And having this knowledge is what causes us to "shrink from the presence of the Lord." We will see that we are unclean and wicked and will not bear to stand or be in the presence of a complete just and holy being. It would be akin to elementary school athlete having to play with a NBA basketball player -- the elementary student would feel out of place. So it is with God.

3:26 -- The Wrath of God. 

The wrath of God is no other than a person being exposed to who they really are. The awful view of one's "own guilt and abominations" which results in damnation because they can't stand in God's presence. It is this damnation that is the wrath of God.

3:27 -- Fire and Brimstone

Hell is not literally fire and brimstone, as depicted in Dante's inferno or in pop culture. What the angel says is that their torment is as a lake of fire and brimstone. In other words, the torment is like a lake of fire and brimstone. The torment is likened or compared to a lake of fire and brimstone.