Mosiah 29

(All of my own thoughts are in red type 6/20 Orange 7/22 Brown 2023)

Chapter 29

Mosiah proposes that judges be chosen in place of a king—Unrighteous kings lead their people into sin—Alma the younger is chosen chief judge by the voice of the people—He is also the high priest over the Church—Alma the elder and Mosiah die. About 92–91 B.C.

  1 Now when Mosiah had done this he sent out throughout all the land, among all the people, desiring to know their will concerning who should be their king. Government should be asking the people their will. Not just a handful of selected leaders who haven't asked the people who they represent. So easy in our day to gather the "voice of the people" with the internet...Mosiah decided who should have the plates but he let the people have a voice in who would be their political leader. 
  2 And it came to pass that the voice of the people came, saying: We are desirous that Aaron thy son should be our king and our ruler.
  3 Now Aaron had gone up to the land of Nephi, therefore the king could not confer the kingdom upon him; neither would Aaron take upon him the kingdom; neither were any of the sons of Mosiah willing to take upon them the kingdom. Sounds like they already had this conversation before they left...
  4 Therefore king Mosiah sent again among the people; yea, even a written word sent he among the people. And these were the words that were written, saying:
  5 Behold, O ye my people, or my brethren, This is significant. People in leadership, political or church, should esteem the people they lead as their brothers, not anything less than their equal for I esteem "to regard with respect" you as such, I desire that ye should consider the cause which ye are called to consider—for ye are desirous to have a king.
  6 Now I declare unto you that he to whom the kingdom doth rightly belong has declined, and will not take upon him the kingdom.
  7 And now if there should be another appointed in his stead, behold I fear there would rise contentions among you. And who knoweth but what my son, to whom the kingdom doth belong, Interesting that even after Aaron refused to be king, Mosiah thinks he could still claim it later... should turn to be angry and draw away a part of this people after him, which would cause wars and contentions among you, which would be the cause of shedding much blood and perverting the way of the Lord, yea, and destroy the souls of many people. 
  8 Now I say unto you let us be wise and consider these things, being wise is exploring the future possible consequences for your choices for we have no right to destroy my son, neither should we have any right to destroy another if he should be appointed in his stead.
  9 And if my son should turn again to his pride and vain things History shows that people can go from wicked to righteous to wicked. We do not know the hearts of other people and their future and perhaps Mosiah does know his son Aaron...he would recall the things which he had said, and claim his right to the kingdom, which would cause him and also this people to commit much sin. Here Mosiah explains why Aaron could claim right to be king later...he would take back his saying he didn't want it if he turns back to his pride and vain things. We are all tempted by Satan to do the same, no matter our conversion experiences.
 10 And now let us be wise and look forward to these things, and do that which will make for the peace of this people. Second call to "be wise and look to the future".
 11 Therefore I will be your king the remainder of my days; nevertheless, let us appoint judges, to judge this people according to our law; and we will newly arrange the affairs of this people, for we will appoint wise men to be judges, that will judge this people according to the commandments of God. Kings to judges. A new system of government. We need to go back to our "old" system of government, which would be a "new" system for us as far as what we've experienced for decades. Notice the laws were based on the commandments of God. Our country/constitution has the same moral founding. We need to elect judges who will judge according to this divine document!
 12 Now it is better that a man should be judged of God than of man, for the judgments of God are always just, but the judgments of man are not always just. This is why we leave final judgment to God. Also teaches the fallibility of all men, even righteous ones.
 13 Therefore, if it were possible that you could have just men to be your kings, who would establish the laws of God, and judge this people according to his commandments, This would be good, because just kings are a type of the Savior who will rule and reign as king of kings.  yea, if ye could have men for your kings who would do even as my father Benjamin did for this people—I say unto you, if this could always be the case then it would be expedient that ye should always have kings to rule over you. Less risk with one man than many judges, if the one man is fully converted and righteous.
 14 And even I myself have labored with all the power and faculties which I have possessed, he doesn't just sit there on his throne (probably doesn't have one either...) to teach you the commandments of God, and to establish peace throughout the land, that there should be no wars nor contentions, no stealing, nor plundering, nor murdering, nor any manner of iniquity;
 15 And whosoever has committed iniquity, him have I punished according to the crime which he has committed, according to the law which has been given to us by our fathers. He was prophet and king
 16 Now I say unto you, that because all men are not just it is not expedient that ye should have a king or kings to rule over you. Fallen world
 17 For behold, how much iniquity doth one wicked king cause to be committed, yea, and what great destruction!
 18 Yea, remember king Noah, his wickedness and his abominations, and also the wickedness and abominations of his people. Behold what great destruction did come upon them; and also because of their iniquities they were brought into bondage. If we are in bondage, it is because of iniquity. We really are in bondage right now with the illusion of freedom. Our elections are rigged; elites and corporations control and run everything; we are subject to unjust judges and lawless mobs and mandates - all because of our collective iniquity. Isaiah prophesies that we are in bondage and that an end time servant leads the repentant righteous in an exodus to Zion. Look for the same story in the Book of Mormon. Mormon tries to teach us about our day through the things he chose to include in his record.
 19 And were it not for the interposition of their all-wise Creator, and this because of their sincere repentance, they must unavoidably remain in bondage until now. Sincere repentance is the only way out of bondage. I believe we are still in this COVID bondage because we have not repented...sincerely enough. And the rest of the reasons for bondage we don't even acknowledge or see. For sure, it has to do with ignoring the Proclamation on the Family and its warning about the destruction of the family. The LGBTQ movement is bent on it.
 20 But behold, he did deliver them because they did humble themselves before him; and because they cried mightily unto him he did deliver them out of bondage; and thus doth the Lord work with his power in all cases among the children of men, extending the arm of mercy towards them that put their trust in him. This is the way out. Humility; repentance; trust in God Notice they had to cry mightily. This is not a simple prayer. And notice this is how the Lord works with his power in ALL cases. So it works EVERY time. You are delivered through sincere repentance, mighty prayer, humility, trust and faith. WE need to know this formula!
 21 And behold, now I say unto you, ye cannot dethrone an iniquitous king save it be through much contention, and the shedding of much blood. You also cannot win back freedom lost without bloodshed. Oh man...is this what we’re headed for?
 22 For behold, he has his friends in iniquity, and he keepeth his guards about him; and he teareth up the laws of those who have reigned in righteousness before him; and he trampleth under his feet the commandments of God; DOES THIS DESCRIBE OUR DAY OR WHAT!!!!
 23 And he enacteth laws, and sendeth them forth among his people, yea, laws after the manner of his own wickedness; and whosoever doth not obey his laws he causeth to be destroyed; and whosoever doth rebel against him he will send his armies against them to war, and if he can he will destroy them; and thus an unrighteous king doth pervert the ways of all righteousness. Part of the reason a wicked king causes his people to do so much iniquity is because of these evil laws he makes. The “go along to get along crowd” is usually the majority. Gotta keep my job and pay my bills, so I’ll do it... this is coming too (here, actually)
 24 And now behold I say unto you, it is not expedient that such abominations should come upon you.
 25 Therefore, choose you by the voice of this people, judges, that ye may be judged according to the laws which have been given you by our fathers, which are correct, and which were given them by the hand of the Lord. We need to do a much better job choosing. And if no righteous have decided to run, then someone righteous has to step up to the plate. We have sinned greatly in this area...And now we can't even choose righteously because the elections are rigged
 26 Now it is not common that the voice of the people desireth anything contrary to that which is right; but it is common for the lesser part of the people to desire that which is not right; therefore this shall ye observe and make it your law—to do your business by the voice of the people. We are making laws by the voice of the lesser part of the people because they are louder and the greater part of the people fear them because they have no problem using force. And...now the ‘lesser’ part of the people are CHEATING!
 27 And if the time comes that the voice of the people doth choose iniquity, then is the time that the judgments of God will come upon you; yea, then is the time he will visit you with great destruction even as he has hitherto visited this land. I think the majority of the people still support the constitution, but I don’t know if the majority aren’t choosing iniquity in their personal lives...apparently 62% of Americans favor abortion...so that's a majority choosing evil!
 28 And now if ye have judges, and they do not judge you according to the law which has been given, ye can cause that they may be judged of a higher judge.
 29 If your higher judges do not judge righteous judgments, ye shall cause that a small number of your lower judges should be gathered together, and they shall judge your higher judges, according to the voice of the people. Checks and balances...
 30 And I command you to do these things in the fear of the Lord; because He is the Supreme Judge and can ‘outvote’ ALL of you with one glance of His eye! and I command you to do these things, and that ye have no king; that if these people commit sins and iniquities they shall be answered upon their own heads. Yep This has something to do with ending the Davidic covenant where the king answers for the sins of the people. What covenant are they under then? 
 31 For behold I say unto you, the sins of many people have been caused by the iniquities of their kings; therefore their iniquities are answered upon the heads of their kings. This goes for the prophet as well...”On the other hand, “if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, … his blood will I require at the watchman’s hand.”⁴” (Elder Christofferson)  Would not want to be a prophet...
 32 And now I desire that this inequality should be no more in this land, especially among this my people; but I desire that this land be a land of liberty, and every man may enjoy his rights and privileges alike, so long as the Lord sees fit that we may live and inherit the land, yea, even as long as any of our posterity remains upon the face of the land. This is what we are trying to get back to.
 33 And many more things did king Mosiah write unto them, unfolding unto them all the trials and troubles of a righteous king, yea, all the travails of soul for their people, and also all the murmurings of the people to their king; and he explained it all unto them. in writing, no less Why did he feel the need to let them know all this? That it’s not easy to be a king, let alone a righteous king and to have all that responsibility...So they wouldn’t desire kings or to even be a king anymore? So they’d see how hard it is to maintain righteous kings? 
 34 And he told them that these things ought not to be; but that the burden should come upon all the people, that every man might bear his part. Here’s his big “why”.
 35 And he also unfolded unto them all the disadvantages they labored under, by having an unrighteous king to rule over them;
 36 Yea, all his iniquities and abominations, and all the wars, and contentions, and bloodshed, and the stealing, and the plundering, and the committing of whoredoms, and all manner of iniquities which cannot be enumerated—telling them that these things ought not to be, that they were expressly repugnant to the commandments of God.
 37 And now it came to pass, after king Mosiah had sent these things forth among the people they were convinced of the truth of his words. mission accomplished
 38 Therefore they relinquished their desires for a king, and became exceedingly anxious that every man should have an equal chance throughout all the land; yea, and every man expressed a willingness to answer for his own sins. This has been my ‘cry’ during this pandemic. Let me be responsible for my own health and you be responsible for yours!
 39 Therefore, it came to pass that they assembled themselves together in bodies throughout the land, to cast in their voices concerning who should be their judges, to judge them according to the law which had been given them; and they were exceedingly rejoiced because of the liberty which had been granted unto them. Sounds like they are admitting that having a king is not full liberty. Did people "run" for office, or did they just "write in" who they thought would be good?
 40 And they did wax strong in love towards Mosiah; yea, they did esteem him more than any other man; for they did not look upon him as a tyrant who was seeking for gain, yea, for that lucre which doth corrupt the soul; for he had not exacted riches of them, neither had he delighted in the shedding of blood; but he had established peace in the land, and he had granted unto his people that they should be delivered from all manner of bondage; therefore they did esteem him, yea, exceedingly, beyond measure. I think to "esteem" and love him is different than worshiping or idolizing him or blindly following him. I think they had great respect for him because they saw the fruits of his righteousness and love for them.
 41 And it came to pass that they did appoint judges to rule over them, or to judge them according to the law; and this they did throughout all the land.
 42 And it came to pass that Alma was appointed to be the first chief judge, he being also the high priest, his father having conferred the office upon him, and having given him the charge concerning all the affairs of the church. No separation of church and state here. Not in conflict. Mosiah said he'd be king for the rest of his life, but he transitions them to the judges system while he is still king. Wonder how that worked...
 43 And now it came to pass that Alma did walk in the ways of the Lord, and he did keep his commandments, and he did judge righteous judgments; and there was continual peace through the land.
 44 And thus commenced the reign of the judges throughout all the land of Zarahemla, among all the people who were called the Nephites; and Alma was the first and chief judge. or president
 45 And now it came to pass that his father died, being eighty and two years old, having lived to fulfil the commandments of God. We should all want that said of us after we die... 82 doesn't seem that old
46 And it came to pass that Mosiah died also, in the thirty and third year of his reign, being sixty and three years old; king for 27 years, since the age of 36. That’s pretty short life span in our reckoning...making in the whole, five hundred and nine years from the time Lehi left Jerusalem.
 47 And thus ended the reign of the kings over the people of Nephi; and thus ended the days of Alma, who was the founder of their church. Was he kind of seen as their “Joseph Smith”?

Mosiah 28

(All of my own thoughts are in red type 6/20 Green 4/21 orange 6/22 Brown 2023)

Chapter 28

The sons of Mosiah go to preach to the Lamanites—Using the two seer stones, Mosiah translates the Jaredite plates. About 92 B.C. This will be our latter day experience as we gather in the Lamanites to fulfil God's covenant with them, if we serve as the 'spiritual kings and queens' prophesied in the scriptures.

  1 Now it came to pass that after the sons of Mosiah had done all these things, they took a small number with them and returned to their father, the king, and desired of him that he would grant unto them that they might, with these whom they had selected, go up to the land of Nephi that they might preach the things which they had heard, and that they might impart the word of God to their brethren, the Lamanites—I’m wondering if their thinking was influenced by their own past. They used to want to destroy the church and didn’t believe their fathers, like the Lamanites didn’t believe Lehi. Maybe they thought the Lamanites might receive them better because they used to be like them in some ways. I guess since they were all descendants of Lehi, that was the most important thing in common. Maybe those they “selected” also had to be direct descendants of Lehi, for this reason. Just a thought... As we look at this experience as a type for our day, it's comforting to know that these special missionaries were former sinners and had repented. Isn't that us too? But look what we can do if we repent!
  2 That perhaps they might bring them to the knowledge of the Lord their God, and convince them of the iniquity of their fathers; and that perhaps they might cure  Interesting word, “cure”...like their hatred is best described as a disease that has spread from generation to generation, but could be changed/cured with the truth them of their hatred towards the Nephites, that they might also be brought to rejoice in the Lord their God, that they might become friendly to one another, and that there should be no more contentions in all the land which the Lord their God had given them. Who wouldn’t want that? Why do we have to war because of something that happened between brothers so long ago? The restoration of the House of Israel will surely end contentions with others!
  3 Now they were desirous that salvation should be declared to every creature, for they could not bear that any human soul should perish; yea, even the very thoughts that any soul should endure endless torment did cause them to quake and tremble. Sometimes I think you can only have this kind of compassion if you have seen hell yourself. Otherwise, it's too easy to want our enemies to suffer for the evil they have perpetrated on others. Just yesterday when I heard Anthony Fauci got Covid for a second time, I found myself hoping he falls into the pit he has digged for others...I believe this kind of compassion only come from the "mighty change of heart" 
  4 And thus did the Spirit of the Lord work upon them, for they were the very vilest of sinners. And the Lord saw fit in his infinite mercy to spare them; nevertheless they suffered much anguish of soul because of their iniquities, suffering much and fearing that they should be cast off forever. We are being given a sense of how much they understood hell, even though we don’t. We also see, considering how they used to be so convinced they were they were right in their sins, that they now knew if they could change so could the Lamanites.  What does it mean when the Lord says "he saw fit in his infinite mercy to spare them"? Does that mean there are those He does not see fit to spare? What determines if we merit the Lord's mercy? I assume that the "mercy" part is that they didn't "deserve" the divine intervention and mercy. Perhaps the "saw fit" part is that in His omniscience He knew they would respond and repent. Or...because of the faith and prayers of others, He saw fit to give them the chance.
  5 And it came to pass that they did plead with their father many days that they might go up to the land of Nephi. Why did it take Mosiah so long to tell them yes? Was their faith greater than Mosiah's? 
  6 And king Mosiah went and inquired of the Lord if he should let his sons go up among the Lamanites to preach the word. Here is leadership by direct revelation:
| 7 And the Lord said unto Mosiah: Let them go up, for many shall believe on their words, and they shall have eternal life; and I will deliver thy sons out of the hands of the Lamanites. Who shall have eternal life? The sons of Mosiah or those that believe on their words? If Mosiah shared this revelation with his sons, how this would strengthen their faith as they went forward. They could have faith they wouldn’t be killed and they would have some success. To their credit, they were willing to go NOT knowing this. It also may reveal this was Mosiah’s fear...that they might not return alive. Notice how easy it was for Mosiah to answer them with "And the Lord said". The sons of Mosiah didn't have to wonder or pray about whether it was Mosiah's words or the Lord's. Mosiah didn't say, "I prayed about it, and now I feel good about it, so you can go." No, it was "and the Lord said: "let them go...and I will deliver them". We need that so much in our day!
  8 And it came to pass that Mosiah granted that they might go and do according to their request. Why did they need Mosiah's permission? 
  9 And they took their journey into the wilderness to go up to preach the word among the Lamanites; and I shall give an account of their proceedings hereafter.
 10 Now king Mosiah had no one to confer the kingdom upon, for there was not any of his sons who would accept of the kingdom.
 11 Therefore he took the records which were engraven on the plates of brass, and also the plates of Nephi, and all the things which he had kept and preserved according to the commandments of God, after having translated and caused to be written the records which were on the plates of gold which had been found by the people of Limhi, which were delivered to him by the hand of Limhi;
 12 And this he did because of the great anxiety of his people; for they were desirous beyond measure to know concerning those people who had been destroyed. What were they so anxious about? Some unknown enemy that could destroy them too?
 13 And now he translated them by the means of those two stones which were fastened into the two rims of a bow. Not sure if these are the same thing as "seer stones" that they say JS used, but the concept is the same...
 14 Now these things were prepared from the beginning, a  nd were handed down from generation to generation, for the purpose of interpreting languages; I wonder why God chose this method for translating?
 15 And they have been kept and preserved by the hand of the Lord, that he should discover to every creature who should possess the land the iniquities and abominations of his people; because...you don’t get to stay on this land if you are wicked and he wants all the inhabitants to know that! We live on this same land and these same things have been discovered by us through this record.
 16 And whosoever has these things is called seer, If you take this literally, you have to possess them to be a seer; maybe never using them... after the manner of old times.
 17 Now after Mosiah had finished translating these records, behold, it gave an account of the people who were destroyed, from the time that they were destroyed back to the building of the great tower, at the time the Lord confounded the language of the people and they were scattered abroad upon the face of all the earth, yea, and even from that time back until the creation of Adam.
 18 Now this account did cause the people of Mosiah to mourn exceedingly, yea, they were filled with sorrow; nevertheless it gave them much knowledge, in the which they did rejoice.
 19 And this account shall be written hereafter; for behold, it is expedient that all people should know the things which are written in this account. ‘expedient’ means; suitable for achieving a particular end in a given circumstance which sounds like, if you read their account, you can know quickly and sufficiently to be convinced that the wicked on this land will be destroyed if they become the majority. Perhaps we should share this part of the Book of Mormon with our neighbors...When we get the "sealed portion" we'll have all things to the end as well - the "whole" story...
 20 And now, as I said unto you, that after king Mosiah had done these things, he took the plates of brass, and all the things which he had kept, and conferred them upon Alma, who was the son of Alma; yea, all the records, and also the interpreters, and conferred them upon him, and commanded him that he should keep and preserve them, and also keep a record of the people, handing them down from one generation to another, even as they had been handed down from the time that Lehi left Jerusalem. This tradition never died or diminished through the years with them. 

Mosiah 27

(All of my own thoughts are in red type 6/20 green 4/21 Orange 6/22  Brown 2023.)

Chapter 27

Mosiah forbids persecution and enjoins equality—Alma the younger and the four sons of Mosiah seek to destroy the Church—An angel appears and commands them to cease their evil course—Alma is struck dumb—All mankind must be born again to gain salvation—Alma and the sons of Mosiah declare glad tidings. About 100–92 B.C.

  1 And now it came to pass that the persecutions which were inflicted on the church by the unbelievers became so great that the church began to murmur, and complain to their leaders concerning the matter; and they did complain to Alma. And Alma laid the case before their king, Mosiah. And Mosiah ^aconsulted with his priests. Trying to read this in light of coming persecution. We are going to have to be ready for this. We're going to want to murmur. We're going to complain to our leaders. They may even take our grievances to the president of the United States. I think they were trying to get a law passed to make it punishable if people persecute others like this. We'd call them "discrimination laws" today.  Is Alma the prophet, or Mosiah? Just noticing that Mosiah had “priests”. Was this a religious office or political? Is this another example where government and religion were not separate? I think our Presidents can and do have religious advisors...
  2 And it came to pass that king Mosiah sent a proclamation throughout the land round about that there should not any unbeliever ^apersecute any of those who belonged to the church of God. This should spawn a hate crime bill protecting christians or mormons. Why not, they have them for other "group". But at the point it happens to us, we'll be labeled "dangerous", so the persecution will be deemed justified and the government will probably participate in it. 
  3 And there was a strict command throughout all the churches that there should be no ^apersecutions among them, that there should be an ^bequality among all men; The prophet will condemn persecution within the church as well
  4 That they should let no pride nor haughtiness disturb their ^apeace; that every man should ^besteem his ^cneighbor as himself, ^dlaboring with their own hands for their support . this suggests that the form the persecution took was pride and looking down on others as less than you. Maybe the wealthy didn’t feel like they had to share their wealth or wanted to support others with their wealth so they didn’t have to labor.
   5 Yea, and all their priests and teachers ^ashould ^blabor with their own hands for their support, in all cases save it were in sickness, or in much want; and doing these things, they did abound in the ^cgrace of God. Maybe the ones who thought themselves better were teachers that wanted to be paid to teach.
  6 And there began to be much peace again in the land; and the people began to be very numerous, and began to scatter abroad upon the face of the earth, yea, on the north and on the south, on the east and on the west, building large cities and villages in all quarters of the land. When people obey out of fear or reason, or just laws, there is peace. Interesting that this pride seemed to be put down so easily. 
  7 And the Lord did ^avisit them and ^bprosper them, and they became a large and wealthy people.
  8 Now the sons of Mosiah were numbered among the ^aunbelievers; and also one of the sons of Alma was numbered among them, he being called Alma, after his father; nevertheless, he became a very wicked and an ^bidolatrous man. And he was a man of many words, and did speak much ^cflattery to the people; therefore he ^dled many of the people to do after the manner of his ^einiquities. Those who are gifted with language and the ability to persuade must be careful how they use that gift.
  9 And he became a great hinderment to the prosperity of the church of God; ^astealing away the hearts of the people; causing much dissension among the people; giving a chance for the enemy of God to exercise his ^bpower over them. This last phrase is how Alma was the cause of much iniquity. He ‘gave the enemy of God a chance to exercise his power over them’ by his words, providing temptation through ideas and reason and logic. It also teaches that the people he persuaded were still responsible for giving in to Satan's power. 
 10 And now it came to pass that while he was going about to ^adestroy the church of God, for he did go about secretly with the sons of Mosiah seeking to destroy the church, and to lead astray the people of the Lord, contrary to the commandments of God, or even the king—How did he do this "secretly"?
 11 And as I said unto you, as they were going about ^arebelling against God, behold, the ^bangel of the Lord ^cappeared unto them; and he descended as it were in a ^dcloud; and he spake as it were with a voice of thunder, which caused the earth to shake upon which they stood; When was the last time this happened? Ever in our day? Why not?
 12 And so great was their astonishment, that they fell to the earth, and understood not the words which he spake unto them. because they were not conscious? 
 13 Nevertheless he cried again, saying: Alma, arise and stand forth, for why persecutest thou the church of God? For the Lord hath said: ^aThis is my church, and I will establish it; and nothing shall ^boverthrow it, save it is the transgression of my people. THIS IS GOD'S CHURCH and NOTHING SHALL OVERTHROW IT, except our own transgression. We know Zion is established, so that is done by those who don't rebel and the return of the 10 Tribes and those gathered by the 144000. If there is some widespread apostasy in these latter days, maybe one of the reasons the building of the NJ is not led by the gentiles. Had the thought that much of the "falling away" in our day will be because people can't handle the persecution (Great and Spacious bldg/Lehi's dream) 

 14 And again, the angel said: Behold, the Lord hath ^aheard the prayers of his people, and also the ^bprayers of his servant, Alma, who is thy father; for he has ^cprayed with much faith concerning thee that thou mightest be brought to the ^dknowledge of the truth; therefore, for this purpose have I come to ^econvince thee of the power and authority of God, that the ^fprayers of his servants might be answered according to their faith.DO NOT underestimate the power of prayer! Pray with faith! Pray that the wicked are brought to a knowledge of the truth. People can be convinced by the power and authority of God. I really want to believe that we can “pull down” the powers of heaven through our faith. This angel came because Alma had prayed WITH MUCH FAITH, specifically that his son would be BROUGHT to a knowledge of the truth. He prayed he could somehow be CONVINCED with the power and authority of God. What did Alma do/believe that the Lord knew he had MUCH FAITH? When we learn to do this, we can affect/change things by our faith. Remember the bible dictionary states: “ Faith is a principle of action and of power, and by it one can command the elements, heal the sick, and influence any number of circumstances when occasion warrants... All true faith must be based upon correct knowledge or it cannot produce the desired results. Faith in Jesus Christ is the first principle of the gospel and is more than belief, since true faith always moves its possessor to some kind of physical and mental action; it carries an assurance of the fulfillment of the things hoped for.” From this we can assume that Alma ‘did’ something to show/exercise his faith besides just pray. What physical and mental actions did he take? Is the ‘assurance’ we have something that comes by the Spirit, or is it assurance because we know we are showing our exceeding faith and that God will honor it?  
 15 And now behold, can ye dispute the power of God? For behold, doth not my voice shake the earth? And can ye not also ^abehold me before you? And I am sent from God. remember he was sent to convince Alma. So here’s an angel; his voice shakes the earth. Are you convinced?
 16 Now I say unto thee: Go, and remember the captivity of thy fathers in the land of ^aHelam, and in the land of Nephi; and remember how great things he has done for them; for they were in ^bbondage, and he has ^cdelivered them.There is a strong message in the scriptures about bondage. It is at the bottom of the Pride Cycle and only God can deliver once you get there. And now I say unto thee, Alma, go thy way, and seek to destroy the church no more, that their prayers may be answered, see what prayer and faith can do? and this even if thou wilt of ^dthyself be ^ecast off.
 17 And now it came to pass that these were the last words which the angel spake unto Alma, and he departed.
 18 And now Alma and those that were with him fell again to the earth, for great was their astonishment; for with their own eyes they had beheld an ^aangel of the Lord; and his voice was as thunder, which ^bshook the earth; and they knew that there was nothing save the power of God that could shake the earth and cause it to tremble as though it would part asunder. I think they were convinced! You think it would be enough to see an angel, but to have the earth quake at his voice...that would be amazing!
 19 And now the astonishment of Alma was so great that he became ^adumb, that he could not open his mouth; yea, and he became weak, even that he could not move his hands; therefore he was taken by those that were with him, and carried helpless, even until he was laid before his father. Our bodies have a physical reaction to glory and truth. Maybe it's one of the reasons we have a veil placed over us in this life. It also may be why the Father has to communicate to us through the Holy Ghost to veil His glory so we can function in our bodies.
 20 And they rehearsed unto his father all that had happened unto them; and his father rejoiced, for he knew that it was the power of God. His faith had assured him this would happen!
 21 And he caused that a multitude should be gathered together that they might witness what the Lord had done for his son, and also for those that were with him.
 22 And he caused that the priests should assemble themselves together; and they began to fast, and to pray  Some things require fasting along with prayer. The more you need/want something the more you should add fasting to your prayers to the Lord their God that he would open the mouth of Alma, that he might speak, and also that his limbs might receive their strength—that the eyes of the people might be opened to see and know of the goodness and glory of God. We live in a day where the eyes of the people need to be opened to see and know the goodness and glory of God. We should pray and fast much.
 23 And it came to pass after they had fasted and prayed for the space of two days and two nights, some fasts need to be longer than 24 hours. Also could be an example of the “much” part of praying and fasting much. Also could be an exercise of faith, going beyond the normal 24 hour fast, to show God how much you desire something the limbs of Alma received their strength, and he stood up and began to speak unto them, bidding them to be of good comfort:
 24 For, said he, I have repented of my sins, and have been redeemed of the Lord; behold I am born of the Spirit. Something we all must eventually say...
 25 And the Lord said unto me: Marvel not that all mankind, yea, men and women, all nations, kindreds, tongues and people, must be ^aborn again; yea, ^bborn of God, ^cchanged from their carnal and ^dfallen state, to a state of righteousness, being redeemed of God, becoming his ^esons and daughters; Part of me says, why not marvel? It doesn't seem to be a common or easy thing. How is it done? Isn't that a marvel when it happens? Maybe we are to marvel not, because it isn’t supposed to be a rare event. It should happen to everyone. How are we “changed” to a “state” of righteousness? Earlier I asked how we “become” a son or daughter of God. Apparently this ‘change’ is part of that. For Alma it was this experience that changed him. We are taught sometimes that for most people it is a process. I’m not convinced of that. Being born is not a process. It happens in one experience. If God is using that analogy, then it doesn’t make sense to me that we can make that mean it can take a lifetime. Birth is preceded by a period of development, though, so if there is a process, it is the preparation for this rebirth moment.
 26 And thus they become new creatures; and unless they do this, they can in ^anowise inherit the kingdom of God. Here’s our motivation. We can’t go to the celestial kingdom unless we become these “new creatures”. 
 27 I say unto you, unless this be the case, they must be cast off; and this I know, because I was like to be cast off.
 28 Nevertheless, after ^awading through much ^btribulation, repenting nigh unto death, the Lord in mercy hath seen fit to snatch me out of an ^ceverlasting burning, and I am born of God.Maybe the "wading through much tribulation and repenting" are not optional. But how do you do this? What did Alma experience that he would describe it as “wading” through much “tribulation”? How do you really “repent night unto death”? Do we need to pray to have God show us the ‘effects’ of our sins on others? 
 29 My soul hath been ^aredeemed from the gall of bitterness and ^bbonds of iniquity. I was in the darkest abyss; but now I behold the marvelous light of God. My soul was ^cracked with eternal torment; but I am snatched, and my soul is ^dpained no more. Everyone that is under Satan's control is in the bonds of iniquity. We need to pray they/we are delivered as Alma.
 30 I rejected my Redeemer, and denied that which had been spoken of by our fathers; but now that they may foresee that he will come, and that he remembereth every creature of his creating, he will make himself manifest unto ^aall.This is such a sweet truth! God remembers EVERY creature of his creating and He WILL make himself manifest unto ALL! The hope is that is comes before the last day.
 31 Yea, ^aevery knee shall bow, and every tongue confess before him. Yea, even at the last day, when all men shall stand to be ^bjudged of him, then shall they confess that he is ^cGod; then shall they confess, who live ^dwithout God in the world, that the judgment of an everlasting punishment is just upon them; and they shall quake, and tremble, and shrink beneath the glance of his ^eall-searching eye. The all-seeing eye is a symbol from the scriptures but Satan has co-opted it. Earlier I asked the question about the resurrection of our bodies as being a pre-judgment before our final judgment at the bar of God. This verse says we are “judged at the last day” and it takes place when “every knee shall bow”, so that sounds like a judgment day when Christ comes, when the disciples are said to be the judges. Wondering how that all works...
 32 And now it came to pass that Alma began from this time forward to teach the people, and those who were with Alma at the time the angel appeared unto them, traveling round about through all the land, publishing to all the people the things which they had heard and seen, and preaching the word of God in much tribulation, being greatly persecuted by those who were unbelievers, being smitten by many of them. Some of this seems just since he has been a persecutor himself. I say 'just' in a karma kind of way. But he also has personal understanding for why they are doing it that would give him great patience.
 33 But notwithstanding all this, they did impart much consolation to the church, confirming their faith, and exhorting them with long-suffering and much travail to keep the commandments of God. Not sure if the 'long-suffering and much travail' part is referring to Alma or the members, but if it's the members, it's a lesson in faithfulness no matter our condition. I think it refers to Alma and it teaches us that even though he had this miraculous experience, that doesn’t mean God makes it easy for him to share and teach. He still has to exercise his faith and demonstrate it to God by not giving up when it’s hard. 
 34 And four of them were the ^asons of Mosiah; and their names were Ammon, and Aaron, and Omner, and Himni; these were the names of the sons of Mosiah.
 35 And they traveled throughout all the land of Zarahemla, and among all the ^apeople who were under the reign of king Mosiah, ^bzealously striving to repair all the injuries which they had done to the church, ^cconfessing all their sins, and publishing all the things which they had seen, and explaining the prophecies and the scriptures to all who desired to hear them. Agency - you had to desire to hear Seems like the redemption Alma felt was a kind of grace forgiveness, knowing their repentance would continue after their experience as they tried to repair the damage they had done.
 36 And thus they were instruments in the hands of God in bringing many to the knowledge of the truth, yea, to the knowledge of their Redeemer. They went from being instruments of Satan to instruments of God. 
 37 And how blessed are they! For they did ^apublish ^bpeace; they did publish good tidings of good; and they did declare unto the people that the Lord reigneth.