# Mosiah 16

*Paraphrase*

### A Day of Judgment

After Abinadi finished speaking, he raised his hand and said, “A time is coming when everyone will see the Lord’s salvation. Every nation, family, language, and people will see it clearly and admit before God that his judgments are just. Then the wicked will be thrown out. They’ll have every reason to howl, weep, cry out, and grind their teeth. Why? Because they refused to listen to the Lord’s voice. So the Lord won’t rescue them. They’re driven by flesh and ruled by the devil—that ancient serpent who deceived our first parents and caused their fall. That fall made all humanity carnal, sensual, and devilish, knowing evil from good, slaves to the devil.”

“All humanity was lost. We would have been lost forever if God hadn’t rescued his people from their fallen state. But remember this: anyone who clings to his selfish nature and keeps sinning and rebelling against God stays trapped in that fallen state. The devil has total power over him. It’s as if no rescue ever happened. He’s God’s enemy, and the devil is God’s enemy too.”

### Christ Breaks Death’s Chains

“If Christ hadn’t come into the world—I’m speaking of future things as if they’d already happened—there could be no redemption. If Christ hadn’t risen from the dead and broken death’s chains so the grave has no victory and death has no sting, there could be no resurrection.”

“But there is a resurrection. So the grave has no victory, and death’s sting is swallowed up in Christ. He is the light and life of the world—a light that never ends, that can never be put out, and a life that never ends, where death can’t touch us anymore.”

### Standing Before God

“This dying body will become immortal. This decaying flesh will become incorruptible. We’ll stand before God to be judged by our actions—whether they were good or evil. If they’re good, we’ll rise to endless life and happiness. If they’re evil, we’ll rise to endless damnation—handed over to the devil who’s enslaved us. That’s what damnation is. They followed their own selfish desires and cravings. They never called on the Lord, even while mercy reached out to them. Mercy reached out, but they refused. They were warned about their sins, but they wouldn’t turn away. They were told to change, but they wouldn’t.”

### Abinadi’s Final Warning

“Shouldn’t you be trembling right now? Shouldn’t you turn from your sins and remember that only through Christ can you be saved?”

“So if you teach the law of Moses, teach that it’s a shadow pointing to what’s coming. Teach them that redemption comes through Christ the Lord, who is the very Eternal Father. Amen.”

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*Source: [The Book of Mormon](https://bookofmormon.com/paraphrase/mosiah/16)*
