THE BOOK OF MOSIAH
CHAPTER 3
King Benjamin continues his address—The Lord Omnipotent shall minister
among men in a tabernacle of clay—Blood shall come from every pore as
he atones for the sins of the world—His is the only name whereby salvation comes—Men can put off the natural man and become saints through the atonement—The torment of the wicked shall be as a lake of fire and brimstone. [About 124 B.C.]
1 AND
again my brethren, I would call your attention, for I have somewhat more to speak unto you; for behold, I have things to tell you concerning that which is to come.
2 And the things which I shall tell you are made known unto me by an angel [ Why do angels visit men? see Moroni 7:30-31 in this case so Benjamin can bear testimony of Christ ] from God. And he said unto me: Awake; and I awoke, [ It is not in a dream, as he was awake. He has his full faculties present. ] and behold he stood before me.
3 And he said unto me: Awake, [ The second awake is really more to say now make sure I have your undivided attention here. ] and hear the words which I shall tell thee; for behold, I am come to declare unto you the glad tidings of great joy. [ Same words that the angel spake to the Shepards Luke 2:10. With the declaration of this information by the angel King Benjamin is now responsible for more. see vs 21-22 ]
4 For the Lord hath heard thy prayers, [ It would appear that King Benjamin was doing what a good righteous leader does for his people; he prays for them. ] and hath judged of thy righteousness, [ So he had asked the Lord for some answers and he was living worthy to receive them. ] and hath sent me to declare unto thee that thou mayest rejoice; and that thou mayest declare unto thy people, [ The angel is visiting him with specific information for him to share with his people - specific instructions from the Lord.] that they may also be filled with joy. [ After the message is delivered to King Benjamin he is to share it with the people. "When the focus of our lives is on Jesus Christ and His gospel, we can feel joy regardless of what is happening—or not happening—in our lives. --My dear brothers and sisters, the joy we feel has little to do with the circumstances of our lives and everything to do with the focus of our lives. ...When the focus of our lives is on God’s plan of salvation, which President Thomas S. Monson just taught us, and Jesus Christ and His gospel, we can feel joy regardless of what is happening—or not happening—in our lives. Joy comes from and because of Him. He is the source of all joy. We feel it at Christmastime when we sing, “Joy to the world, the Lord is come.”9 And we can feel it all year round. For Latter-day Saints, Jesus Christ is joy!...Joy is powerful, and focusing on joy brings God’s power into our lives. As in all things, Jesus Christ is our ultimate exemplar, “who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross.”17 Think of that! In order for Him to endure the most excruciating experience ever endured on earth, our Savior focused on joy!" Joy and Spiritual Survival By President Russell M. Nelson President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles Oct General Conference 2016 ]
5 For behold, the time cometh, and is not far distant, that with power, the Lord Omnipotent who reigneth, [ Speaking of the Savior (Jesus Christ) he says that he is all powerful ] who was, and is from all eternity to all eternity, [ What is the significance to us? If he is eternal then he was there before and will be there after - if God never dies he never ceases to be our God. Hence he is the owner of the plan forever. ] shall come down from heaven among the children of men, [ How is that significant to us? The Savior is like us - he was in the premortal relem with us; he came to earth just like we did. ] and shall dwell in a tabernacle of clay, [ Significance to us? He has a body of flesh; hence he was subject to the passions, and trials of the flesh. ] and shall go forth amongst men, working mighty miracles, such as healing the sick, raising the dead, causing the lame to walk, the blind to receive their sight, and the deaf to hear, and curing all manner of diseases. [ What does this mean for us? He showed us his power, he showed us that he has compassion on us, he showed us how to treat each other. ]
6 And he [ Christ ] shall cast out devils, [ By both his command and by his example. How does he do that? By teaching them a better way to live. He teaches faith, repentance and baptism. And he uses his power. ] or the evil spirits which dwell in the hearts [ Feelings, emotions desires. ] of the children of men.
7 And lo, he [ Christ ] shall suffer temptations, and pain of body, hunger, thirst, and fatigue, even more than man can suffer, except it be unto death; [ There are a few thing that we need to remember That the savior knew it was going to be tough as he asked if there was another way Mark 14:25-36. Jesus knew cognitively what He must do, but not experientially. He had never personally known the exquisite and exacting process of an atonement before. Thus, when the agony came in its fulness, it was so much, much worse than even He with his unique intellect had ever imagined! No wonder an angel appeared to strengthen him! (See Luke 22:43.)] for behold, blood cometh from every pore, [ How much pain is that? Was his body transformed in some way at that time in order to allow that to happen? ] so great shall be his anguish [ To distress with extreme pain or grief. anguish and agony are nearly synonymous. As pain of the mind, it signifies any keen distress from sorrow, remorse, despair and kindred passions. ] for the wickedness and the abominations [ Extreme hatred; detestation. The way of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord. Proverbs 15:8. Hence, defilement, pollution, in a physical sense, or evil doctrines and practices, which are moral defilements, idols and idolatry, are called abominations. The Jews were an abomination to the Egyptians; and the sacred animals of the Egyptians were an abomination to the Jews. The Roman army is called the abomination of desolation. Matthew 24:15. In short, whatever is an object of extreme hatred, is called an abomination. ] of his people.
8 And he shall be called Jesus Christ, [ The phrase “Jesus Christ, the son of God” appears in almost every major prophecy about Jesus Christ, almost as if it were a formal, royal title. In the ancient Near East, when kings ascended to the throne, they often took upon themselves a new, throne name for themselves to proclaim their divine right to kingship. "Book of Mormon prophets often spoke of Jesus Christ long before his birth and referred to him as "that which is to come."32 Lehi and his sons Nephi and Jacob knew of Christ's name and title, his baptism by John, his teachings, his selection of twelve apostles, his miraculous healings and casting out of devils, and his death on the cross (see 1 Nephi 10:7–10; 11:27–33; 2 Nephi 10:3; 25:19). Alma knew the name of Christ's mother, Mary, and of Christ's sufferings and death (see Alma 7:10–12). King Benjamin also knew the name of Christ's mother, along with other details of the Savior's life, such as the kinds of miracles he would perform, his temptation and suffering, his crucifixion, and his resurrection after three days (see Mosiah 3:5–10). Samuel the Lamanite spoke of the heavenly signs that would accompany the birth and death of the Savior (see Helaman 14:3–6, 20–27). Equally significant is that the Book of Mormon suggests that various Old World prophets also knew details of Christ's life long before he was born. Nephi noted that Zenock and Neum had written of the Messiah's crucifixion, while Zenos wrote of his burial and the three days of darkness that would be a sign of his death (see 1 Nephi 19:10). A later Nephi, son of Helaman, declared that "many prophets" of old had testified of Christ, including Moses, Abraham, Zenock, Ezias, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and "all the holy prophets" between the time of Abraham and the time of Moses (see Helaman 8:13–20). Critics of the Book of Mormon claim that such details of Christ's life could not have been known before he was born. But early Christians readily accepted the idea. Ignatius, bishop of Antioch (died AD 107), wrote to the Magnesians: "The divinest prophets lived according to Christ Jesus. On this account also they were persecuted, being inspired by His grace to fully convince the unbelieving that there is one God, who has manifested Himself by Jesus Christ His son."33 The Epistle of Barnabas, which was widely read in Christian congregations of the second century AD, indicates in its twelfth chapter that Moses knew that the Messiah would be called Jesus. Chapter 32 of the Book of the Bee, a thirteenth-century text first published fifty-six years after the Book of Mormon, preserves a number of early Christian traditions about prophecies of Christ uttered by various Old Testament prophets. According to the account, the prophet Hosea "prophesied mystically about our Lord Jesus Christ who was to come; saying that when He should be born, the oak in Shiloh should be divided into twelve parts; and that He should take twelve disciples of Israel."34 The prophet Nahum "prophesied that when the Messiah should be slain, the vail of the temple should be rent in twain, and that the Holy Spirit should depart from it."35 The prophet Habakkuk "prophesied concerning the Messiah, that He should come, and abrogate the laws of the Jews."(Hab. 1:1) The prophet Zephaniah "prophesied concerning the Messiah, that He should suffer, and that the sun should become dark, and the moon be hidden."37 The prophecy in this document attributed to Nahum was attributed by the fourth-century Christian Father Epiphanius to Habakkuk. The fact that Epiphanius predated the writing of the Book of the Bee by nine centuries demonstrates the antiquity of the stories recounted in it.38 Nephi, the son of Helaman, specifically noted that the Old Testament prophet Jeremiah had foretold the coming of Christ (see Helaman 8:20).39 Two second-century church fathers, Justin Martyr and Irenaeus, writing of Christ's preaching to the dead while his body lay in the tomb, attributed to Jeremiah a prophecy (one not found in the biblical account) in which the prophet wrote that the Lord would descend to preach salvation to the dead. In Dialogue with Trypho 72, Justin Martyr wrote, "And again, from the sayings of the same Jeremiah these have been cut out [by the Jews]: 'The Lord God remembered His dead people of Israel who lay in the graves; and He descended to preach to them His own salvation.'"40 Irenaeus cited the same passage in Against Heresies 4.22.41 The Book of the Bee also preserves an earlier tradition of another non-biblical prophecy of Jeremiah, declaring that "this (prophet) during his life said to the Egyptians, 'a child shall be born—that is the Messiah—of a virgin, and He shall be laid in a crib, and He will shake and cast down the idols.' From that time and until Christ was born, the Egyptians used to set a virgin and a baby in a crib, and to worship him, because of what Jeremiah said to them, that He should be born in a crib."42 The story is drawn from The Lives of the Prophets 2:8–10, a text that a number of scholars have suggested was originally written in Hebrew by Egyptian Jews during the lifetime of Jesus himself.43 The text was not published in any Western languages until nearly eighty years after the Book of Mormon first appeared. Another Christian document known from medieval manuscripts in various languages is 4 Baruch, which is subtitled "The Things Omitted from Jeremiah the Prophet." The Ethiopic version attributes the book to Jeremiah's scribe Baruch, but the Greek says it was written by Jeremiah. Chapter 9 has Jeremiah prophesying of the coming of Jesus Christ, the son of God; of his selection of twelve apostles; of his death and resurrection after three days; and of his return in glory to the Mount of Olives. According to the account, Jeremiah was stoned for this declaration.44 The New Testament suggests in passing that Abraham knew of Christ's coming (see John 8:56; Galatians 3:8), though the Old Testament story of Abraham itself does not demonstrate this. The Book of Mormon prophet Jacob noted that Abraham's offering of Isaac was "a similitude of God and his Only Begotten son" (Jacob 4:5)—something that is confirmed in several early Christian sources, such as Epistle of Barnabas 7:3; Irenaeus, Against Heresies 4.4, 5; and Augustine, City of God 16.32. But foreshadowing is not the same as outright prophecy or revelation. From the Book of Abraham that Joseph Smith restored, we learn that the ancient patriarch actually saw Christ in the premortal council (see Abraham 3:22–28). This kind of intimate knowledge of the Savior on the part of Abraham is suggested in a centuries-old Ethiopic text that derives from a Coptic text dated by the translator to the sixth century but not published until 1922. In Kebra Nagast 14, we read: "And God held converse with Abram, and He said unto him, 'Fear thou not. From this day thou art My servant, and I will establish My Covenant with thee and with thy seed after thee . . . and afterwards I will send My Word for the salvation of Adam and his sons for ever.'"45 Chapter 104 of the same work says, "And thou dost not understand that they were justified by faith—Abraham, and David and all the Prophets, one after the other, who prophesied concerning the coming of the son of God. And Abraham said, 'Wilt Thou in my days, O Lord, cast Thy word upon the ground?' And God said unto him, 'By no means. His time hath not yet come, but I will shew thee a similitude of His coming.'" God then has Abraham meet with Melchizedek, who "gave him the mystery of the bread and wine, that same which is celebrated in our Passover for our salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ."46 From these early accounts, we see that the idea that details of the life of Christ were known by a number of prophets prior to his birth was common in early Christianity, as it is in the Book of Mormon." Ancient Texts in Support of the Book of Mormon ] the son of God, the Father of heaven and earth, [ His father will be God the Father ] the Creator of all things from the beginning; and his mother shall be called Mary. [ His mother will be a mortal. ]
9 And lo, he [ Jesus Christ ] cometh unto his own, [ Who are his own? While the common answer may be the Jews; on a much grander scale it is the children of man, he is our creator, his own as he is our savior, he owns us. ] that salvation might come unto the children of men even through faith on his name; [ Or to those that believe in him. If we do not believe in him then he does not have the power to save us. Faith is the only requirement for salvation implicated here. Similar to statements made by Paul. ] and even after all this they shall consider him a man, and say that he hath a devil, and shall scourge him, and shall crucify him.
10 And he shall rise the third day from the dead; and behold, he [ Jesus Christ ] standeth to judge the world; [ In my view this may be the hardest thing he will have to do - harder than Gethsemane. He loves us so much and this judgement will be final, eternal and infinite. He will make it so that some may return and live with him and other cannot. As a Bishop I have learned first hand how hard it is to with hold temple blessings or the sacrament from those who have sinned. These are only temporary in most cases but it is hard - I cannot imagine the stress and grief associated with such a final judgement. ] and behold, all these things are done that a righteous judgment might come upon the children of men.
11 For behold, and also his blood atoneth for the sins of those who have fallen by the transgression of Adam, [ Man or mankind – in the council in heaven we agreed using our agency to be bound by the consequences of any action of Adam who was to be our first parent – just as we are bound by any actions of any other of our parents – some are born into the church others are not… ] who have died not knowing the will of God concerning them, or who have ignorantly sinned. [ Little children or those who die in innocence or ignorance. ]
12 But wo, wo unto him who knoweth that he rebelleth against God! For salvation cometh to none such except it be through repentance and faith on the Lord Jesus Christ. [ Why is that? Well if you do not have enough faith to believe in him, that he can save you then it is you that has limited his power to work in your life. If you will not make the effort to repent then he will not force you to repent as that would destroy the law of agency. ]
13 And the Lord God hath sent his holy prophets among all the children of men, [ Why does the Lord need prophets here on the earth? ] to declare these things to every kindred, nation, and tongue, [ To declare his word to the people ] that thereby whosoever should believe that Christ should come, [ That they can come to understand and know God. ] the same might receive remission of their sins, [ Then receive(something that will happen at some time forward) a remission of their sins. When we come to understand the entire plan - that God is indeed in charge, that there will be a judgement that there is an eternity - then we will. ] and rejoice with exceedingly great joy, [ How does Gospel knowledge help us to rejoice no matter what our physical situtation? ] , even as though he had already come among them.
14 Yet the Lord God saw that his people [ He is speaking directly about the children of Israel right here as they are the ones to whom the Lord tried to give the original laws and ordinances of the gospel; but they rejected them. ] were a stiffnecked people, [ God wanted them to sanctify themselves but they rejected the message, and received a lesser law. Exodus 19: 10-11 ] and he appointed unto them a law, even the law of Moses. [ So the Lord gives them a law, a law designed to point them toward Christ. And even with this law life would be pointless without the atonement. vs15 Although it was clearly given to point souls to Christ, the Israelites misunderstood and lost sight of the purpose of the law. They focused on the law itself and added new traditions, making the law complex and difficult to live. Because of their misunderstanding of the law, the Jews ultimately rejected their Savior. King Benjamin explained this sad situation: ]
15 And many signs, and wonders, and types, and shadows showed he unto them, concerning his coming; and also holy prophets spake unto them concerning his coming; and yet they hardened their hearts, and understood not that the law of Moses availeth nothing except it were through the atonement of his blood. [ So that even with the law of Moses - they were still doomed without the atonement. ]
16 And even if it were possible that little children could sin they could not be saved; [ Or if the atonement were not there it would not be possible for little children to be saved. ] but I say unto you they are blessed; for behold, as in Adam, [ Man or mankind – in the council in heaven we agreed using our agency to be bound by the consequences of any action of Adam who was to be our first parent – just as we are bound by any actions of any other of our parents – some are born into the church others are not…] or by nature, they fall, even so the blood of Christ atoneth for their sins.
17 And moreover, I say unto you, that there shall be no other name given nor any other way nor means whereby salvation can come unto the children of men, [ Because Jesus was the one who fulfilled the atonement. ] only in and through the name of Christ, the Lord Omnipotent. [ All powerful - there is no power that he does not have. King Benjamin I believe is the only prophet in the scriptures to use the term omnipotent. ]
18 For behold he judgeth, and his judgment is just; and the infant perisheth not that dieth in his infancy; but men drink damnation to their own souls except they humble themselves and become as little children, and believe that salvation was, and is, and is to come, in and through the atoning blood of Christ, the Lord Omnipotent.
19 For the natural man [ In a temporal existence, without a knowledge of the Gospel plan, while in a physical body, mankind is incapable of not sinning. He is living in a sin filled environment; therefore he will sin unless he sees the distinction between what leads to Christ and what doesn’t. Becoming as the Gods, knowing good and evil, mankind will still sin unless he can choose between one or the other, and then choose good in the presence of evil, as do the Gods. This will always be the case until he “putteth off the natural man.” The terms natural or by nature, as commonly used, indicate an inherent part of our identity, something with which we are born. In the scriptures, however, natural means fallen or sinful. Though born innocent (see D&C 93:38), all men, through the Fall of Adam, come into a fallen world and into a state of spiritual death (see Alma 42:9), separated from the presence of God. Knowing good and evil (see Moses 4:11; 5:11) and living in this imperfect state, all men sin (see Romans 3:23; 1 John 1:8, 10) and experience a resultant “fall” of their own (see Moses 6:49, 55). In other words, it is through transgression of God’s law that one becomes a “natural man” (see Alma 42:10, 12; D&C 20:20). Hence, a natural man is an enemy to God (see Mosiah 3:19 ) until he qualifies for the cleansing influence of the Atonement through living the commandments of God (see Mosiah 3:11–12, 19 ). ] is an enemy to God, [ Why is natural man an enemy to God? Let's look at the characteristics of natural man. Prideful - he see's himself as better than others, Arrogant - his opinion is more important than others - including God's, Impatient - wants what he wants NOW, Selfish - thinks of his own needs first and foremost, Dominering - has to be in control of calling all the shots, Authoritarian - knows better than any one else and wants them to recognize that. So looking at those qualities and characteristics it is no wander that natural man is an enemy to God - they are complete opposites of what he asks of us later in this verse.] and has been from the fall of Adam, [ In the council in heaven we agreed using our agency to be bound by the consequences of any action of Adam who was to be our first parent – just as we are bound by any actions of any other of our parents – some are born into the church others are not…] and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields [we are bound to the actions of Adam because we choose to be so bound (agency in the premortal life), and we must allow ourselves to become subject (agency in our mortal life) to the promptings of the spirit ] to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, [ Elder Jeffery R Holland "education, or public service, or social responsibility, or professional accomplishment of any kind is in vain if we cannot, in those crucial moments of piv- otal personal history, submit ourselves to God even when all our hopes and fears may tempt us otherwise. We must be willing to place all that we have—not just our possessions (they may be the easiest things of all to give up), but also our ambition and pride and stubbornness and vanity—we must place it all on the altar’ of God, kneel there in silent submission, and willingly walk away. I believe what I am describing here is the scriptural definition of a saint, one who will “yield to the enticings of the Holy Spirit,” and “through the atonement of Christ . . . becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father”" Brigham Young University 1988–89 Speeches] and putteth off the natural man [ Wow as I read this one day I was hit by the powerful thought that this was really the answer to almost every problem in the world. The natural man is prideful, as a result there are wars, fights, jealousy, theft, lying ,cheating the list goes on and on. The natural man would suggest that there is noting that I can do about who I am. This is a really deceptive plan that Satan has brought forward. You see if we are under the assumption that I cannot do anything about who I am or what I feel, then you cannot hold me to blame for anything that I decide to do, after all I cannot do anything about it, I was born this way. He the Lord suggests that is not true. He is suggesting that we must put off all thoughts that you are simply a result of birth. If you choose to follow him, truly follow him by doing all that he asks we can become like him in every aspect of character. No exceptions. Here in this verse he suggests the pattern that we need in our life to accomplish that, ie: to submit to his will - even as a child does, by being submissive, humble, patient and full of love. Just as a side note. I felt that Satan uses this with those who feel that they have a same gender attraction. That attraction is made up of attractions of natural man, they are not Godlike attractions. Satan would have man simple say well I was born that way, the Lord would suggest to put off the natural man if we are to become like him. ] and becometh a saint [ “The word saint in Greek denotes ‘set apart, separate, [and] holy’ [ In Daniel H. Ludlow, ed., Encyclopedia of Mormonism, 5 vols. (1992), 3:1249]. If we are to be Saints in our day, we need to separate ourselves from evil conduct and destructive pursuits that are prevalent in the world. Why is it only through the Atonement of Christ that you can become a Saint? One final misunderstanding is the common notion in the world today that a person is “born that way and there is nothing they can do about it.” That we are all slaves to our own appetites and temptations. This violates every principle of agency and strikes at the very heart of the Plan of Salvation. In contrast, Elder David A. Bednar has taught that “every appetite, desire, propensity, and impulse of the natural man may be overcome by and through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.” In fact, “The precise nature of the test of mortality, then, can be summarized in the following question: Will I respond to the inclinations of the natural man, or will I yield to the enticings of the Holy Spirit and put off the natural man and become a saint through the Atonement of Christ the Lord (see Mosiah 3:19)? That is the test” (Bednar, May 2013 Ensign). And it is a test of agency. ] through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father. [ A little child trusts his parent completely - he trusts that whatever happens they are going to make that best choices for the child. We too have to trust our Father in Heaven that completely. We must not be mistaken by trials - those trials are allowed to take place that we might grow, that we might grasp those spiritual concepts required for our eternal exaltation, and as children of our Father in Heaven we trust in his plan - we have faith in his plan - the reason that we are here. We obey his commandments just as the elements do because of unwavering faith. When we are the lowest we must always remember who is in charge - Our Father in Heaven WebDynamics and the story of the $50,000 drive, and the trials that ensued. There is a real danger in talk of sacrifice of self and preferences. Godly sacrifice is quite a different thing from the world’s kind of submission—giving in and giving up. Passivity is not what God is after. In the world we often encourage people to move from passive compliance to self-respect: “Stand up for yourself!” What we often fail to recognize in the secular world is that there is a level that is still higher than self-respect; it is God-respect. Submitting to God is quite a different thing from being a doormat. In godly submission, as in all things, Jesus is preeminent. He did not allow Himself to be mocked and crucified because He was weak and frightened. It was a triumph of His goodness that He did not use His immense power to destroy those who persecuted Him. He chose to let goodness govern His power. The Person with the greatest power chose to be most submissive. There is a lesson there for those who worry about power in the world. As we imperfect humans develop courage and strength, we don’t have to use them to prove ourselves smart or powerful. The better we get, the more we will use our strength to bless. So he then will submit to the will of the father in all things. ]
20 And moreover, I say unto you, 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.
22 And even at this time, when thou shalt have taught thy people the things which the Lord thy God hath commanded thee, even then are they found no more blameless in the sight of God, [ King Benjamin was given the message that he needed to share. with that message once it has been told to the people they are now held accountable as well. ] only according to the words which I have spoken unto thee. [ The direction given to him by the angel. vs 2 ]
24 And thus saith the Lord: They shall stand as a bright testimony against this people, at the judgment day; whereof they shall be judged, every man according to his works, [ His character. ] whether they be good, or whether they be evil.
25 And if they be evil they are consigned to an awful view of their own guilt and abominations, [ Where is the judgement coming from here? Note that it is their view that changes, how they see themselves. They are the ones who have come to recognize that they are not worthy and they cannot stand to be in his presence. The judgement here is coming from within. ( 2 Ne. 9:15-17)] which doth cause them to shrink from the presence of the Lord into a state of misery and endless torment, [ What causes them to shrink? First the word shrink - to shrink implies that you go from something larger to something smaller. something or some part that you had is now missing - taken away. so what have they lost? They have lost the light that guided them, they cannot have any confidence in the presence of God. I would suppose that all of the kingdoms of glory are defined that way - they are defined as kingdoms based on your confidence that you have in our relationship to God. Without any confidence so to speak we would always just run from God. so we would no be happy in a place were we ran into God everyday. If we are at least trying to do his will and trying to be like him we can certainly recognize that we are far short, but that is our goal we are reaching toward it - at the very least. ] from whence they can no more return; therefore they have drunk damnation to their own souls. [ Why can they not return? First why would they want to try to return? If you reach the point where you have gone so far off you do not care or want to try. That is the point where satan try's to push us and once there we give up and he has won that soul. Compare Isa. 57:17 - 23 ]
26 Therefore, they have drunk out of the cup of the wrath of God,< [ This is not an executionary judgement, nor one made with anger, it is based on our "own awful view" (previous verse) of knowning who we are and what we have chosen to be, compared to who and what God is in His Glory. ] which justice could no more deny unto them than it could deny that Adam [ If Adam had to be removed from the presence of God for transgression; the law was broken and the punishment had to be delivered. Then it will be no different for us. If God is to remain as God then justice has to prevail. The reason why Adam and Even were removed from the Garden in the first place was because it was a place were God walked in the cool of the day we are taught. They were in his presence, and there is an ETERNAL LAW that states that no unclean thing can dwell in the presence of God. When Adam and Eve partook of the fruit they became unclean, so the law had to be enforced. ] should fall because of his partaking of the forbidden fruit; therefore, mercy [ Mercy is the time required for the individual to develop the kind of character God has, it is what makes God -God. So mercy will act over time in order for you to satisfy the demands of justice, or a time when you have developed the character that makes God God, if you have exercised faith unto repentance, which is the change of your character. ] could have claim on them no more forever.
27 And their torment is as [ Or it is like. ] a lake of fire and brimstone, whose flames are unquenchable, and whose smoke ascendeth up forever and ever. Thus hath the Lord commanded me. Amen. [ If you listen close enough you can feel the power of the message; it was so powerful that the people were overwhelmed. and the power of his discourse takes us to the first few verses of the next chapter. See also Isa. 30:33 for simular text. ]