Another Testament of Jesus Christ

I finished reading the Book of Mormon on April 6.  For this most recent reading, I started March 8 and read about 18 pages a day, finishing in less than a month.  I've never read the Book of Mormon that quickly before.

Jesus Christ

The one thing that stood out to me as I read it "quickly" this time was how much of it is indeed centered around Jesus Christ.  Mormon did a spectacular job compiling thousands of years of records into one book with one central theme: Jesus Christ.  All the prophets, from Lehi to Mormon, were concerned about was teaching the people about Jesus Christ.

In General Conference last week, Elder Bednar made a very interesting comment related to this.  He said, "The Book of Mormon is the most correct of any book on earth because it centers upon the Truth (see John 14:6; 1 Nephi 13:40), even Jesus Christ, and restores the plain and precious things that have been taken away from the true gospel (see 1 Nephi 13:26, 28–29, 32, 34–35, 40). The unique combination of these two factors—a focus on the Savior and the plainness of the teachings—powerfully invites the confirming witness of the third member of the Godhead, even the Holy Ghost. Consequently, the Book of Mormon speaks to the spirit and to the heart of the reader like no other volume of scripture." ("Watching with All Perseverance")

Abinadi

As always, the one person who fascinated me the most was Abinadi.  This one man, who left Zarahemla to go to the Land of Nephi with Zeniff, seemingly comes out of obscurity to denounce King Noah and to call that subset of Nephites to repentance.  For a few days in King Noah's court, the whole remaining history of the Nephites and Lamanites would be decided.  Abinadi would die by fire.  Alma would repent and go on to be the means of organizing the church and would leave a trail of posterity from Alma the Younger to Nephi the Disciple.  The other priests of Noah, including Amulon, would become dissenters and stir up the Lamanites for decades and would be the cause of so many wars and bloodshed.  So impressed was either Mormon's dad or grandfather, that both Mormon and his father were named after the Waters of Mormon, which is where the first members of the church Alma organized were baptized.  I am truly awed whenever I think of the lasting effects of Abindi's choice to call King Noah to repentance.