After Abinadi's beautiful sermon on Jesus Christ, King Noah says "we will put you to death because you said that God will come down among the children of men."
They killed him literally because he testified of Jesus Christ.
I remember a few years ago there was a shooting somewhere and the shooter asked the people if they were Christian and if they said yes, he shot them. I remember thinking to myself, 'Is that really what the Lord expects of me? He wants me, the mother of four young children, to be honest in that situation and die for my beliefs?'
In the United States, where I live, the idea of being killed because you are a Christian seems so far-fetched it's something we don't think about.
This chapter in Mosiah (Chapter 17) made me think of this talk by Elder Dennis E Simmons from April 2004 called "But If Not..." He cites this scripture in Daniel (3:17-18) Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego are threatened with a fiery death, not unlike Abinadi. Their answer is full of faith. They say (with typical teenage boy confidence) God will deliver us from your measly little fire. But if not, we will still not worship your gods. Elder Simmons says "They knew they could trust God - even if things didn't turn out the way they hoped."
The Lord does expect us to be willing to die for our testimonies - with perfect trust in Him that even if we die (or something less melodramatic happens to us) He will consecrate it for our gain and the gain of my family. I could answer a shooter and say "I love my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and I will die so you will know the truth of my words," with faith that either the Lord will deliver me out of his hands or He will take care of my little ones after I'm gone.
It is unlikely that I will ever be in such a situation, usually it will be a more subtle consequence: ridicule, ostracism or mockery. But in either case I know what I will do and that brings me peace.
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