Jacob's Sermon to the Nephites

Oratory:  2 Nephi chapter 9 & 10- Jacob's Sermon to the Nephites

Section Analyzed:   "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.  And assuredly, as the Lord liveth, for the Lord God hath spoken it, and it is his eternal word, which cannot pass away, that they who are righteous shall be righteous still, and they who are filthy shall be filthy still; wherefore, they who are filthy are the devil and his angels; and they shall go away into everlasting fire, prepared for them; and their torment is as a lake of fire and brimstone, whose flame ascendeth up forever and ever and has no end" (2 Nephi 9:15-16)

Analysis:  This passage established the tone of the sermon as well as several of its key themes.  With imagery of "torment... as a lake of fire and brimstone" and "flame that ascend[s] up forever" Jacob makes it clear that salvation is a very serious matter.  There are grave risks involved with being unrepentant, and the prophet is unrestrained in his depiction of the consequences of sin.

Also introduced is the theme of eternal judgement, which Jacob refers back to throughout the sermon.  This may indicate that the audience of the remaining company willing to remain with Nephi in the promised land is not only slipping into unrighteousness, but also perhaps that they have began to justify their actions.  Jacob's hope in that case would be to instruct the people on the eternal significance of their use of agency and cause them to recognize the source of this mentality as "the devil and his angels."