At what did the people marvel? Both Nephi and Jacob had spoken of Christ before, so what was there to marvel about? It appears that many had presumed that the future mission of Christ had no immediate effect upon them - it was a distant future event, perhaps the way many might consider the Lord's second coming. We believe it will be "soon," but not soon enough that it makes much difference in the way we live our daily lives. Perhaps for the Nephites of the time the "marvel" was that Jacob was telling them that this future atonement had an immediate benefit in their ability to be reconciled to God, an act that could not happen except for the promise of that future atonement.