2 Nephi 9 - 11

This address given to the people of Nephi by Jacob is one of my favorites in all of scripture. I read it yesterday and decided to again read it this morning

Jacob begins with -

"...my beloved brethren, I speak unto you these things that ye may rejoice, and lift up your heads forever, because of the blessings which the Lord God shall bestow upon your children.
4 For I know that ye have searched much, many of you, to know of things to come..." (Book of Mormon 2 Nephi 9:3 - 4)

He follows then with the testimony of Christ which is to come -

"...I know that... in the body he shall show himself unto those at Jerusalem, from whence we came; for it is expedient that it should be among them; for it behooveth the great Creator that he suffereth himself to become subject unto man in the flesh, and die for all men, that all men might become subject unto him." (Book of Mormon 2 Nephi 9:5)

For -

"...it must needs be expedient that Christ...should come among the Jews, among those who are the more wicked part of the world; and they shall crucify him—for thus it behooveth our God, and there is none other nation on earth that would crucify their God.
4 For should the mighty miracles be wrought among other nations they would repent, and know that he be their God.
5 But because of priestcrafts and iniquities, they at Jerusalem will stiffen their necks against him, that he be crucified." (Book of Mormon 2 Nephi 10:3 - 5)

The people of Nephi, like many people today, may have been somewhat concerned about what was to happen when a they die because Jacob begins to teach his people about this thing which is to come to them and to all men -

"For as death hath passed upon all men, to fulfil the merciful plan of the great Creator, there must needs be a power of resurrection, and the resurrection must needs come unto man by reason of the fall; and the fall came by reason of transgression; and because man became fallen they were cut off from the presence of the Lord. (Book of Mormon 2 Nephi 9:6)

And this power of resurrection requires an atonement -

Wherefore, it must needs be an infinite atonement—save it should be an infinite atonement this corruption could not put on incorruption. " (Book of Mormon 2 Nephi 9:7)

Jacob suggests that because of the fall, there is a judgement at death, a first judgement, not the judgment. But without the infinite atonement of the Savior he describes what would of happen to all men -

"...Wherefore, the first judgment which came upon man must needs have remained to an endless duration. And if so, this flesh must have laid down to rot and to crumble to its mother earth, to rise no more.
[and]... if the flesh should rise no more our spirits must become subject to that angel who fell from before the presence of the Eternal God, and became the devil, to rise no more.
9 And our spirits must have become like unto him, and we become devils, angels to a devil, to be shut out from the presence of our God, and to remain with the father of lies, in misery, like unto himself..." (Book of Mormon 2 Nephi 9:7 - 9)

For what it is worth, and this is my opinion only, as I read these verses I have come to believe the world of spirits or where all spirits of all men that die remain here on the earth. We know that Satan and his angels were cast down to earth. In my opinion, for our spirits to become subject to the devil, it must be where the devil and his angels are and that is here on earth. In fact everything that has to do with the children of God and the plan of salvation is involved with this earth. We even know that the earth will eventually receive its paradisiacal glory and those that become celestial will reside on the earth. It just makes sense to me.

But because of the atonement, Jacob suggests that in the first judgement there are two places that the spirits of men may go - 1) hell & 2) paradise. He describes the first condition, including death or the loss of the temporal body as the "monster" -

"...the grasp of this awful monster; yea, that monster, death and hell, which I call the death of the body, and also the death of the spirit." (Book of Mormon 2 Nephi 9:10)

"..which spiritual death is hell" (Book of Mormon 2 Nephi 9:12) being that the spirit is cut off from the presence of God being subjected to the buffetings of Satan.

Who are in the grasp the monster - death and hell? The wicked, those that received not the testimony of God in the flesh (see D&C 76), and even "..those who have not the law given to them" (Book of Mormon 2 Nephi 9:26). Some have described this as the "prison house in the spirit world" (Doctrine and Covenants Official Declaration 1:16)

The second place Jacob suggests with this first judgment -

"For on the other hand, the paradise of God must deliver up the spirits of the righteous, and the grave deliver up the body of the righteous..."(Book of Mormon 2 Nephi 9:13)

Because of the infinite atonement of the Savior, the spirits of all men when in the grasps of the monster - death and hell or the righteous of paradise the -

"...death of which I have spoken, which is the spiritual death, shall deliver up its dead; which spiritual death is hell; wherefore, death and hell must deliver up their dead, and hell must deliver up its captive spirits, and the grave must deliver up its captive bodies, and the bodies and the spirits of men will be restored one to the other...
[And] on the other hand, the paradise of God must deliver up the spirits of the righteous, and the grave deliver up the body of the righteous; and the spirit and the body is restored to itself again, and all men become incorruptible, and immortal, and they are living souls, having a perfect knowledge like unto us in the flesh, save it be that our knowledge shall be perfect...
15 And it shall come to pass that when all men shall have passed from this first death unto life, insomuch as they have become immortal, they must appear before the judgment–seat of the Holy One of Israel; and then cometh the judgment, and then must they be judged according to the holy judgment of God..." (Book of Mormon 2 Nephi 9:12 - 15)

"...and it is by the power of the resurrection of the Holy One of Israel... O how great the plan of our God!" (Book of Mormon 2 Nephi 9:12 - 13)

And as we are brought before the judgement of God -

"...we shall have a perfect knowledge of all our guilt, and our uncleanness, and our nakedness; and the righteous shall have a perfect knowledge of their enjoyment, and their righteousness, being clothed with purity, yea, even with the robe of righteousness." (Book of Mormon 2 Nephi 9:14)

And -

"...they who are righteous shall be righteous still, and they who are filthy shall be filthy still..."
(Book of Mormon 2 Nephi 9:16)

And -

"...shall receive a reward according to their works..."
(Doctrine and Covenants Section 138:59)

Jacob reminds us -

"...Remember that his paths are righteous. Behold, the way for man is narrow, but it lieth in a straight course before him, and the keeper of the gate is the Holy One of Israel; and he employeth no servant there; and there is none other way save it be by the gate; for he cannot be deceived, for the Lord God is his name." (Book of Mormon 2 Nephi 9:41)

"And he cometh into the world that he may save all men if they will hearken unto his voice; for behold, he suffereth the pains of all men, yea, the pains of every living creature, both men, women, and children, who belong to the family of Adam.
22 And he suffereth this that the resurrection might pass upon all men, that all might stand before him at the great and judgment day.
23 And he commandeth all men that they must repent, and be baptized in his name, having perfect faith in the Holy One of Israel, or they cannot be saved in the kingdom of God.
24 And if they will not repent and believe in his name, and be baptized in his name, and endure to the end, they must be damned; for the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, has spoken it."
(Book of Mormon 2 Nephi 9:21 - 24)