“And these are those who have part in the first resurrection; and these are they that HAVE DIED before Christ CAME, in their ignorance, not having salvation declared unto them. And thus the Lord bringeth about the restoration of these; and they have a part in the first resurrection, or have eternal life, being redeemed by the Lord” (Mosiah 15:24; EMPHASIS ADDED).

Recognizing he was constantly slipping between past, present, and future in his dictation, Joseph Smith made yet another blunder in the following chapter (“HAD NOT COME”), and quickly remedied all gaffes with an escape value phrase which allowed back-pedaling to continue:

“And now if Christ HAD NOT COME into the world, SPEAKING OF THINGS TO COME AS THOUGH THEY HAD ALREADY COME, there could have been no redemption” (Mosiah 16:6; EMPHASIS ADDED).

See Wesley P. Walters, The Use of the Old Testament in the Book of Mormon (St. Louis, MO: Wesley P. Walters, April 1981), 80.