I want to spend a few minutes with you today talking about what took place in

getsemini trying to make sense of a phrase that Elder Nile Maxwell of the

quorum of the 12 said repeatedly in different venues. He mentioned this phrase

often but never explained it in depth. He referred to what he called the awful arithmetic of the atonement.

And I'd like to do some math today with you to try to make sense of the multiplication and division, the

addition and subtraction that went into the Lord's ordeal in that sacred

garden. In fact I want to start though with a question it was meant to be

rhetorical when Jacob first phrased it in Jacob chapter 4 verse 12 he says why not

speak of the atonement of Christ?

He's asking, again, rhetorically, as if to say,

is there anything more important to talk about?

Why not speak of the atonement of Christ?

Well, I know rhetorical questions aren't meant to be answered,

but if there were one person who would have the right to actually voice a response to this and not the one that

Jacob intended that would be the apostle John. Now most prophets would vouch for what Jacob is trying to convey here.

Jacob himself talks about every prophet speaking of Jesus Christ, prophesying, pointing to him.

Abinidae says the same thing.

As he's speaking to the wicked priests of Noah,

he says to them, did not Moses prophesy unto them

concerning the coming of the Messiah

and the God should redeem his people.

Yea, and even all the prophets who have prophesied ever since the world began.

...