SAVED IN THE KINGDOM

 

 

There are two prophets in the Book of Mormon who I admire for one specific thing: they valued being saved in the kingdom of God more than they valued their lives.

As you will recall, Abinadi, was a prophet sent to the descendants of Zeniff with a grim prediction of bondage and destruction if they did not turn away from their sins. The king who sat on the throne governing this people was Zeniff's son Noah. Unlike his father before him who led the people in righteousness, Noah was the opposite.

Abinadi's message was not well received to say the least. In fact, King Noah sought to put him to death. Abinadi escaped only to resurface two years later not caring much for his life. This time King Noah succeeded in turning Abinadi into one of the great Christian martyrs. 

The scriptures say Abinadi 'suffered death by fire' (Mosiah 17:20). Our modern-day supposition of this would be being burned at stake, however, the description of his death never mentions that this was the case. Instead, it states that Abinadi was 'scourged with faggots'...'until the flames began to scorch him' (Mosiah 17:13,14).

Such a death is almost too much for our modern sensibilities to contemplate because history speaks of the ancient method of burning bundles of sticks (faggots) with which they poked and burnt the victim's skin until he died. Sometimes this process was dragged out for days or weeks to maximise the extent of the agony. This is most likely the death that Abinadi suffered.

Abinadi testified of Christ, spoke at length about resurrection and expounded on Isaiah but the greatest words he uttered were these: "....I finish my message; and then it matters not whither I go, if it so be that I am saved." (Mosiah 13:9)

 

Ether was banished by the Jaredites who rejected his ‘great and marvellous prophecies’ and ‘esteemed him as naught, and cast him out’ (Ether 13:13). He was reduced to living in a cavity of a rock where he lived during the day recording the sad tale of the destruction of his people, the results of which he viewed by night (v 14).

Ether spent six years in the cavity of the rock because people sought to kill him (Ether 13:22;14:3;15:14). There was no mention of any friends or family. He lived in such a manner for this long to bear witness of the total destruction of the Jaredites. After their last and fatal battle, the Lord instructed Ether to view the carnage and record that all the words of the Lord had been fulfilled (Ether 15:33).

 

We don’t know what happened to Ether, whether he was translated or whether he died but he didn’t much care according to the very last words he wrote : ‘it mattereth not, if it so be that I am saved in the kingdom of God’ (Ether 15:33,34).

An iron-clad testimony of Christ would mean that you would not only live for it but die for it too. When I read Nephi’s vision of us and the persecution that awaits us before the Saviour comes (1 Nephi 14:12-14), I wonder how many of us would say that it doesn’t matter what happens to us if we are saved in the kingdom of God. I only hope that I am one of them.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Ether by James H Fullmer)