According to John Welch, building upon the foundational testimony of Christ, each Book of Mormon prophet distinctively accented certain attributes of Jesus Christ. Judging simply from the names and titles that they used in referring to the Lord, we can see that each Book of Mormon prophet related to and testified of Jesus in his own personal ways, revealing to us things about Jesus Christ and also about the prophets who knew him.
King Benjamin received from the angel of the Lord a succinct explanation of the atoning mission of Christ (Mosiah 3:2-27) Those words became the centerpiece of Benjamin’s speech, during which he announced to his people that his son Mosiah was their new king (Mosiah 1:120; 2:30) and gave the people a new name that distinguished them above all people (Mosiah 1:11).
On a day when the newly appointed king normally received his new coronation name and titles, Benjamin solemnly disclosed for the first time an extended name of Jesus Christ and gave it to the entire multitude by way of covenant. The new name testified that the Savior would be called “Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Father of heaven and earth, the Creator of all things from the beginning” (Mosiah 3:8). The people’s use of this name in their response (Mosiah 4:2) and its subsequent reappearance in the record (Helaman 14:12) suggest that this extended name had sacred, perhaps ceremonial significance among the Nephites.
Benjamin’s speech, which was delivered at the temple in Zarahemla where blood sacrifices were routinely performed under the law of Moses (Mosiah 2:3), emphasized more than any other aspect of Christ’s ministry the atoning functions of his blood. Four times, Benjamin mentioned the “blood” of Christ in connection with the atonement (Mosiah 3:11,15,16,18), and the people answered him saying, “Apply the atoning blood of Christ” (Mosiah 4:2). Other Book of Mormon prophets had previously spoken and would later speak of having their garments washed white in the blood of the Lamb, but no prophet gave such clear information about the atoning work of Christ‘s blood itself or placed such central attention on the fact that Christ’s blood actually would be spilt. Benjamin alone described Jesus’ bloody sweat coming form every power in anguish for his people. Interestingly, Benjamin linked the atoning blood of Christ with the full range of atonement concepts under the law of Moses; he assured the people that Christ’s blood atones for the sins of all those who humble themselves and repent, and for the sins of those “who had fallen by the transgression of Adam, who have died not knowing the will of God concerning them, or who have ignorantly sinned” (Mosiah 3:11). The need under the law of Moses to atone even for sins committed in ignorance is stated in Numbers 15:27-29, and such iniquities were of particular interest on the Day of Atonement when the scapegoat carried away “all their iniquities” (Leviticus 16:22).
Indeed, so holy was the Day of Atonement in the Jewish tradition that on this day--and on this day alone--could the name of God, YHWH, be pronounced. Exactly ten times during the traditional Yom Kippur service in Israel would the priest utter this name out loud, and each time upon hearing the name the Israelites would fall prostrate to the ground. Thus it is noteworthy that in Benjamin’s speech, the exalted name Lord God appears ten times (five as “Lord God,” four as “Lord God Omnipotent,” and one as “Lord Omnipotent”)> Seven of these utterances are in the words of the angel to Benjamin (Mosiah 3:5,13,14,17,18,21,23); the other three are in the words of Benjamin (Mosiah 2:30,41; 5:15), occurring at important ceremonial breaking points in the speech. [John W. Welch, “Ten Testimonies of Jesus Christ from the Book of Mormon,” F.A.R.M.S., 1994, pp. 11-12]