SAYS YOU: "When you show me where those who are in the second resurrection are discussed in the Book of Mormon, I will show you where the other kingdoms are discussed."
ME: Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things? You seem to think that "first" is used as some kind of sequencial indicator. If so, yougreatly err.
The First is the Greatest
First may also mean the top, the most important, the greatest. That is why it is said the righteous are raised in the first resurrection.
Let's read together. In Matthew 22:38 Jesus said loving the Father "is the first and great commandment". Clearly there were, sequentially, thousands of commandments that preceeded this. But this is the most important of all or,in other words,the first.
In 1 Corinthians 12:28 wefindthat the Apostles were in the top posision: "And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets...." The "secondarily" indicates importance and not sequence.
In 1 Corinthians 15:3 we see what doctrines are most important "For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures...."
Abinadi and the First Resurrection
It seems that Abinadi was not talking about the reuniting of the body and soul. He was talking about the soul at death being placed in paradise or outer darkness to await the resurrection. Alma clears this up later.
Alma 40
11....the spirits of all men, as soon as they are departed from this mortal body, yea, the spirits of all men, whether they be good or evil, are taken home to that God who gave them life.
12. And then shall it come to pass, that the spirits of those who are righteous are received into a state of happiness, which is called paradise....
13. And then shall it come to pass, that the spirits of the wicked, ...shall be cast out into outer darkness; ....
14. Now this is the state of the souls of the wicked, yea, in darkness, and a state of awful, fearful looking for the fiery indignation of the wrath of God upon them; thus they remain in this state, as well as the righteous in paradise, until the time of their resurrection.
Now here is where he gives some clarification of the words of Abinadi:
15. Now, there are some that have understood that this state of happiness and this state of misery of the soul, before the resurrection, was a first resurrection. Yea, I admit it may be termed a resurrection, the raising of the spirit or the soul and their consignation to happiness or misery, according to the words which have been spoken.
16. And behold, again it hath been spoken, that there is a first resurrection, a resurrection of all those who have been, or who are, or who shall be, down to the resurrection of Christ from the dead.
17. Now, we do not suppose that this first resurrection, which is spoken of in this manner, can be the resurrection of the souls and their consignation to happiness or misery. Ye cannot suppose that this is what it meaneth.
The First ressurection is the greatest resurrection
So, we see Jesus was right! John 5:29 And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.
So,unless Jesus, too, was operating under the OT misunderstanding of His Gospel, there is the "first" resurrection and then there is the other.
Abinadi uses many discriptors that all amount to the same thing:
Mosiah 15
22. And now, the resurrection of all the prophets, and all those that have believed in their words, or all those that have kept the commandments of God, shall come forth in the first resurrection; therefore, they are the first resurrection.
23. They are raised to dwell with God who has redeemed them; thus they have eternal life through Christ, who has broken the bands of death.
24. And these are those who have part in the first resurrection....they have a part in the first resurrection, or have eternal life, being redeemed by the Lord.
Between Death and the Resurrection
SAYS YOU: "Alma described the Spirit World as a space between death and the resurrection because that’s all he knew"
ME: First off, we do not hear the words of Alma. We are reading God declaring His Words through Alma, Nephi, Abinadi, Mormon, and Moroni. We are not reading words of men struggling in darkness and ignorance.
Moroni 10:27 And I exhort you to remember these things; for the time speedily cometh that ye shall know that I lie not, for ye shall see me at the bar of God; and the Lord God will say unto you: Did I not declare my words unto you, which were written by this man, like as one crying from the dead, yea, even as one speaking out of the dust?
God was not dictating an OT misunderstanding.
2 Nephi 33
10. ....And if ye shall believe in Christ ye will believe in these words, for they are the words of Christ, and he hath given them unto me....
11. And if they are not the words of Christ, judge ye--for Christ will show unto you, with power and great glory, that they are his words, at the last day; and you and I shall stand face to face before his bar; and ye shall know that I have been commanded of him to write these things....
I find it astounding that I have to defend the Book of Mormon with you. It is the keystone of your religion according to your sales material. It contains the fulness of the Gospel when combined with the Bible. But such it is, alas. However, it is an admission that your beloved doctrine is not found in the New Covenant, even the Book of Mormon. Most LDSaints claim otherwise. At least you are honest to a point.
SAYS YOU: "that’s all he knew"
ME: What else is there to know? He covers everything. You certainly can't be refering to Apostate Fathers or that mixed up and confused section 138! Ask me anything regarding that state between death and the resurrection and I will show you that the Book of Mormon and Bible address your questions.
SAYS YOU: "When you show me where those who are in the second resurrection are discussed in the Book of Mormon, I will show you where the other kingdoms are discussed."
ME: As I explained, there is nothing called the second resurrection. There is the the great, or first, resurrection and then there is the other. Who, you ask? These are the goats, the chaff, the bad fish, the five foolish, those on His Left Hand, the asses, those of the devil's fold, those cast out.