1 Now it came to pass that Alma began to adeliver the word of bGod unto the people, first in the land of Zarahemla, and from thence throughout all the land. Remember these “words” which he preaches are to end contention, persecution, and pride in the church.
2 And
these are the words which he spake to the people in the church which
was established in the city of Zarahemla, according to his own record,
saying:
3 I, Alma, having been aconsecrated by my father, Alma, to be a bhigh priest over the church of God, he having power and cauthority from God to do these things, behold, I say unto you that he began to establish a church in the dland
which was in the borders of Nephi; yea, the land which was called the
land of Mormon; yea, and he did baptize his brethren in the waters of
Mormon. He begins by reminding them that God gave him the power and authority to establish a church and baptize and to lead and to preach. He was not doing it out of desire for power. It was God’s plan and His will.
4 And behold, I say unto you, they were adelivered out of the hands of the people of king Noah, by the mercy and power of God. The story begins with bondage and repentance and deliverance. He also started with their own, more recent history.
5 And behold, after that, they were brought into abondage
by the hands of the Lamanites in the wilderness; yea, I say unto you,
they were in captivity, He doesn’t say they were brought into bondage by the Lord, but by the Lamanites; they were “in” captivity, not brought into captivity and no mention of it happening because of iniquity. I’ll have to go back and look at that...but if they were righteous, why weren’t they delivered before they were brought into bondage? and again the Lord did deliver them out of bbondage
by the power of his word; Message...God delivered them again. He did it by the power of his word. How is that how they were delivered? The ultimate bondage is sin. Perhaps the bondage was because of their former lives of sin? But we are delivered from the bondage of sin literally by the power of His word. and we were brought into this land, and here
we began to establish the church of God throughout this land also. another reminder that the church was a part of God’s plan.
6 And now behold, I say unto you, my brethren, you that belong to this church, have you sufficiently retained in aremembrance
the captivity of your fathers? I think he's talking about their literal fathers and grandfathers...not way way back. Yea, and have you sufficiently retained
in remembrance his mercy and long-suffering towards them? Perhaps he asked this because if they had sufficiently retained in remembrance the captivity of their fathers, which came because of iniquity and deliverance only came after repentance and suffering...they wouldn't be so quick to contend with and persecute one another. And moreover,
have ye sufficiently retained in remembrance that he has bdelivered their souls from hell? And how did he do that? Also emphasizing that without this deliverance their souls were destined for hell.
7 Behold,
he changed their hearts; Baptism by fire and the Holy Ghost! yea, he awakened them out of a deep sleep, and
they awoke unto God. We all need to do this. We are all in a deep sleep until this happens. Behold, they were in the midst of darkness;
nevertheless, their souls were illuminated by the light of the
everlasting word; yea, they were encircled about by the abands of death, and the bchains of hell, and an everlasting destruction did await them. It feels like THIS is where we are today. Most people are in a deep sleep and need awakened unto God. We are truly in the midst of darkness and we desperately need our souls illuminated by the light of the everlasting word. We are encircled about by the bands of death and the chains of hell and it feels like an everlasting destruction awaits us.
8 And now I ask of you, my brethren, were they destroyed? Behold, I say unto you, Nay, they were not. Will we be destroyed? I pray we’ll say, “Nay, we were not”...
9 And again I ask, were the bands of death broken, and the achains
of hell which encircled them about, were they loosed? I say unto you,
Yea, they were loosed, and their souls did expand, and they did bsing redeeming love. And I say unto you that they are saved. This only comes through redemption through Christ and a remission of sins which comes by the baptism by fire and the Holy Ghost. The soul expanding and singing redeeming love are the fruits of this gift because you KNOW that you have been delivered from hell!
10 And now I ask of you on what conditions are they asaved?
Yea, what grounds had they to hope for salvation? What is the cause of
their being loosed from the bands of death, yea, and also the chains of
hell? Exactly my question!
11 Behold, I can tell you—did not my father Alma believe in the words which were delivered by the amouth of Abinadi? And was he not a holy prophet? Did he not speak the words of God, Prophets should speak the words of God and we should know it and my father Alma believe them?
12 And according to his faith there was a mighty achange wrought in his heart. Behold I say unto you that this is all true. According to his faith there was a mighty change wrought in his heart. Is this why the prophet/apostles are always asking how we can increase our faith? Why was Alma’s faith greater than the other priests? How do we get this ‘mighty change’ according to our faith? I am taking time daily to "see with an eye of faith" the day when I will receive this mighty change.
13 And behold, he apreached the word unto your fathers, and a mighty change was also wrought in their hearts, and they humbled themselves and put their btrust in the true and cliving God. And behold, they were faithful until the dend; therefore they were saved. It sounds like Abinadi’s words and then Alma’s words (the words of God) are what caused a mighty change in their hearts. How do we let God’s word change our hearts too? We have to humble ourselves and put our trust in the “true and living God” and not in man or ourselves or in riches. Then we must be faithful to that testimony to the end. When was the last time you heard the preaching of the word of God with such power and authority that the result was a mighty change of heart?
14 And now behold, I ask of you, my brethren of the church, have ye aspiritually been bborn of God? Have ye received his image in your countenances? Have ye experienced this mighty cchange in your hearts? What if you say, “no”? Clearly baptism alone is not the end goal.
15 Do ye exercise faith in the redemption of him who acreated you? Do you look forward with an eye of faith, this is a real thing and a practice and view this mortal body raised in immortality, and this corruption braised in incorruption, to stand before God to be cjudged according to the deeds which have been done in the mortal body? I love to practice seeing this with an eye of faith while I listen to the Tabernacle Choir sing "Alleluia"! (https://youtu.be/PWZ6VfLwbiQ)
16 I say unto you, can you imagine more "eye of faith" language to yourselves that ye hear the voice of the Lord, saying unto you, in that day: Come unto me ye ablessed, for behold, your works have been the works of righteousness upon the face of the earth? I often imagine that “day of judgment” and ask myself if I can stand before God with a clear conscience...here we are being taught to "see" it as if it were here, the way you want it to happen.
17 Or do ye aimagine to yourselves that ye can lie unto the Lord in that day, and bsay—Lord, our works have been righteous works upon the face of the earth—and that he will save you? you might be able to lie here on earth to man, but you cannot, cannot, cannot lie to God and you’ll know it. and you would never want to practice "imagining" that...
18 Or
otherwise, can ye imagine yourselves brought before the tribunal of God
with your souls filled with guilt and remorse, having a remembrance of
all your guilt, yea, a perfect aremembrance of all your wickedness, yea, a remembrance that ye have set at defiance the commandments of God? If we are guilty and unrepentant we also need to imagine standing before God in this condition...
better yet...imagine yourself repenting before Christ of all your guilt now. I like to imagine this while I listen to "Adagio for Strings" (https://youtu.be/WAoLJ8GbA4Y)
19 I
say unto you, can ye look up to God at that day with a pure heart and
clean hands? I say unto you, can you look up, having the aimage of God engraven upon your countenances?
20 I say unto you, can ye think of being saved when you have yielded yourselves to become asubjects to the devil? Take note: YOU yield yourself to the devil. He cannot force you until after you yield to him. Then when in his chains, he will force you to be his subject.
21 I say unto you, ye will know at that day that ye cannot be asaved; for there can no man be saved except his bgarments are washed white; yea, his garments must be cpurified
until they are cleansed from all stain, through the blood of him of
whom it has been spoken by our fathers, who should come to redeem his
people from their sins.
22 And
now I ask of you, my brethren, how will any of you feel, if ye shall
stand before the bar of God, having your garments stained with ablood and all manner of bfilthiness? Behold, what will these things testify against you?
23 Behold will they not atestify that ye are murderers, Doesn't seem like he would be saying they are literally murderers. So why does he say this? If Christ atoned for all of our sins in the Garden and on the cross, then because we have all sinned, are we all murderers of Him, when we use our agency to willfully sin? yea, and also that ye are bguilty of all manner of wickedness?
24 Behold, my brethren, do ye suppose that such an one can have a place to sit down in the kingdom of God, with aAbraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob, and also all the holy prophets, whose garments are cleansed and are spotless, pure and white? If your garments have been cleansed, then they were once not clean. This means that ALL have sinned and need that cleansing...even the greatest prophets that have lived.
25 I
say unto you, Nay; except ye make our Creator a liar from the
beginning, or suppose that he is a liar from the beginning, ye cannot
suppose that such can have place in the kingdom of heaven; but they
shall be cast out for they are the achildren of the kingdom of the devil. I keep hearing in my mind the phrase, "The kingdom of heaven is within you". In that context, if you are the children of the kingdom of the devil, then his kingdom can also be within you. When I pray in my heart "thy kingdom come" I am praying that God's kingdom will come into my heart and stay there.
26 And now behold, I say unto you, my brethren, if ye have experienced a achange of heart, and if ye have felt to sing the bsong of redeeming love, I would ask, ccan ye feel so now? What is the “song of redeeming love”? Is it an actual song? I imagine it is what Alma felt after he had his experience with the angel, tasted of hell and then was redeemed out of that into God’s love and forgiveness. But how do you feel that without having that experience? I think he's referring to the baptism by fire. That is when you receive a remission of sins and know for yourself the redemption offered to you through Christ. That is when you sing this song! Perhaps you cannot sing it unless you have experienced the reality of hell and understand fully what Christ has saved you from.
27 Have ye walked, keeping yourselves ablameless before God? Through repentance and charity... After this baptism, you must continue to press forward, for you have only entered the gate. You must continue grace for grace and grace to grace until you receive the Second Comforter. Could ye say, if ye were called to die at this time, within yourselves, that ye have been sufficiently bhumble? That your garments have been ccleansed and made white through the blood of Christ, who will come to dredeem his people from their sins?
28 Behold, are ye stripped of apride? how do you know if you are stripped of pride? how do you get there? I say unto you, if ye are not ye are not prepared to meet God. Behold
ye must prepare quickly; for the kingdom of heaven is soon at hand, and
such an one hath not eternal life. In order to prepare to meet God (so we don’t fear meeting Him) we must be humble (the opposite of prideful) What does he mean when he says the kingdom of heaven is soon at hand? Certainly it doesn't refer to his coming. It must be the day we die and "are taken home to that God who gave us life"...? Is it the "within you" kind of at hand? Is it the opportunity for it to be within you that is at hand?
29 Behold, I say, is there one among you who is not stripped of aenvy? Envy is the precursor to the pride that comes from loving riches more than God. It keeps you from giving to the poor and the needy. I say unto you that such an one is not prepared; and I would that he should prepare bquickly, for the hour is close at hand, and he knoweth not when the time shall come; In God’s time, life is so short that the hour of returning to Him is always “close at hand” for such an one is not found guiltless. What "hour" is close at hand? What "time" shall come? The meeting of God?
30 And again I say unto you, is there one among you that doth make a amock of his brother, or that heapeth upon him persecutions? this is due to the pride that comes from self-righteousness...thinking you are better than someone else and beyond that letting that belief lead you to actions that express that feeling in words and actions towards those you think “deserve” it. This can easily be done by thinking you are more righteous than others.
31 Wo unto such an one, for he is not prepared, and the atime is at hand that he must repent or he cannot be saved! the right time to repent is always NOW.
32 Yea, even wo unto all ye aworkers of iniquity; repent, repent, for the Lord God hath spoken it! Iniquity is something we “work” at; “work” over in our minds. It is manifest in our words and actions towards others. Alma’s giving the “Stop it!” speech...to the members of the church! Our leaders never speak to us this way...but we need it.
33 Behold, he sendeth an invitation unto aall men, for the barms of mercy are extended towards them, and he saith: Repent, and I will receive you. Here’s the mercy. You can be guilty of all this pride and persecution and still repent. God can change you. He wants you to repent. He invites ALL (so that includes everyone) and He does it with love. He’ll wrap His arms of mercy around you and receive you. Remember heaven rejoices more over one sinner who repents than 99 righteous people that need no repentance.
35 Yea, come unto me and bring forth works of righteousness, and ye shall not be hewn down and cast into the fire— Works of righteousness...you can’t just “say”, you must do.
36 For behold, the time is at hand He keeps using this phrase...what "time" is at hand? that whosoever abringeth forth not good fruit, or whosoever doeth not the works of righteousness, the same have cause to wail and mourn.
37 O ye workers of iniquity; ye that are apuffed up in the vain things of the world, ye that have professed to have known the ways of righteousness nevertheless have gone bastray, as csheep having no dshepherd, notwithstanding a shepherd hath ecalled after you and is still calling after you, but ye will not fhearken unto his voice! Remember these are church members. They “profess” to have known the ways of righteousness yet they have gone astray. Remember that “upon my house it shall begin...first among those who “profess” to have known me”. Why is the prophet stressing that we learn to “hear Him” if we already DO hear Him? Does he see us in this same way? Are we not hearing Him? Pres. Nelson’s invitation is given with love and none of the feeling that Alma is giving. No chastisement. Just the invitation. Now there is the warning, that if we don’t learn to hear Him, we won’t survive spiritually, but that doesn’t tell us what we’re doing wrong. or that the time is "at hand"...just that "the day will come" He started out April Conference asking us to pray to know what debris we need to clear from our life, but he didn’t point out the debris he sees. I think you really have to be wanting to hear the correction to see it. How likely is that if you are prideful or caught in blindness that you will seek to see and hear it? Why doesn’t God tell them to pound the pulpit and be more direct like Alma? Is it because we’ve had it long enough that we should know better? What about all the converts? Is it because of them that we don’t get the heavy hand? It might sound like I am saying that we are as sheep with no shepherd because we don't get Alma-like speeches from our shepherds. But here we are taught that that is no excuse. We always have the Good Shepherd who is always calling after us and is still calling...we just have to want to hear and hearken to His voice. And we have THIS very iron rod, word of God. THESE words can have the same impact upon us as if we heard Alma speak them. We are under condemnation because we have taken them lightly. We don't hear them spoken to us and since our modern day prophet isn't speaking the same way, we think we are exempt. But Mormon saw our day and HE is speaking to US, right now, whether the prophet is repeating his words or not.
38 Behold, I say unto you, that the good ashepherd doth call you; yea, and in his own name he doth call you, which is the name of Christ; and if ye will not bhearken unto the voice of the cgood shepherd, to the dname by which ye are called, behold, ye are not the sheep of the good shepherd. this is the test...If you “hear” and “heed” His voice, then you know you are one of His sheep. To “hearken” to His voice, then you are following Him as your shepherd and going where He leads, not where the world leads. Jesus is the one who stands at the gate of the Second Baptism "and he employeth no servant there". This is the gate He calls each of us to enter. Here is where we truly "take His name upon us", that up until then we only witness that we are "willing to take upon us the name of Christ".
39 And now if ye are not the asheep of the good shepherd, of what fold are ye? Behold, I say unto you, that the bdevil is your shepherd, and ye are of his fold; and now, who can deny this? Behold, I say unto you, whosoever denieth this is a cliar and a dchild of the devil.
40 For I say unto you that whatsoever is agood cometh from God, and whatsoever is bevil cometh from the devil. Pretty black and white. No pandering here.
41 Therefore, if a man bringeth forth agood works
he hearkeneth unto the voice of the good shepherd, and he doth follow
him; but whosoever bringeth forth evil works, the same becometh a bchild of the devil, for he hearkeneth unto his voice, and doth follow him. We are always enticed by one or the other. Every choice is following one or the other. Take “every thought captive for Christ” and check yourself to see who you are listening to; who are you following, because it’s either Christ or the devil. That’s your choice. Every time. C.S. Lewis said, "There is no neutral ground in the universe: every square inch, every split second, is claimed by God, and counterclaimed by Satan."
42 And whosoever doeth this must receive his awages of him; therefore, for his bwages he receiveth cdeath, as to things pertaining unto righteousness, being dead unto all good works. Satan NEVER rewards his followers, ultimately. They may be lured in with fame and riches and power, but in the end, the devil will shove them into the pit himself. That’s his reward for listening to him.
43 And now, my brethren, I would that ye should hear me, for I speak in the aenergy of my soul; for behold, I have spoken unto you plainly that ye cannot err, or have spoken according to the commandments of God. He is asking them to make a choice. They cannot say they didn’t know what he meant. He spoke plainly. We need that plainness today. We have it right here! Why do I need it spoken again by a prophet in our day? These words were written by a prophet FOR US!
44 For I am called to speak after this manner, does this mean he was called to speak after this manner for this specific talk or that his calling in general requires that he speak after this manner when needed? according to the aholy order
of God, which is in Christ Jesus; yea, I am commanded to stand and
testify unto this people the things which have been spoken by our
fathers concerning the things which are to come. It sounds like he sees this as the office of his calling, not that he got a specific revelation to speak this way. His conversion was brought about by an angel speaking plainly to him of the hell that awaited him if he didn’t repent. It worked for him. Makes sense he would see this as the most effective way to preach. It would seem this is the calling of all prophets: to "stand an testify of the things which have been spoken by our fathers (in the scriptures) concerning the things which are to come." And the greatest "thing to come" is Jesus Christ to atone for the sins of the world and then his return. But also those things that will precede is coming.
45 And this is not all. Do ye not suppose that I aknow
of these things myself? Behold, I testify unto you that I do know that
these things whereof I have spoken are true. And how do ye suppose that I
know of their surety?
46 Behold, I say unto you they are made aknown unto me by the Holy Spirit of God. Behold, I have bfasted
and prayed many days that I might know these things of myself. And now I
do know of myself that they are true; for the Lord God hath made them
manifest unto me by his Holy Spirit; and this is the spirit of crevelation which is in me. He doesn’t say they were made known unto him the day the angel came to him. He says he fasted and prayed many days to receive his witness by the Holy Spirit. Alma was no stranger to fasting many days. He also fasted many days before Amulek received him into his home. He was the prophet and yet revelation still came after great effort and sacrifice. This is important for us to learn.
47 And
moreover, I say unto you that it has thus been revealed unto me, that
the words which have been spoken by our fathers are true, even so
according to the spirit of prophecy which is in me, which is also by the
manifestation of the Spirit of God. We all have to receive this testimony for ourselves. Why did he still feel the need for this confirmation even after his experience of being born again? Maybe the knowledge he received in his experience was limited to knowing his sins and his redemption, but not other things...
48 I
say unto you, that I know of myself I want to say this so much! that whatsoever I shall say unto
you, concerning that which is to come, is true; and I say unto you, that
I know that Jesus Christ shall come, yea, the Son, the Only Begotten of
the Father, full of grace, and mercy, and truth. And behold, it is he
that cometh to take away the sins of the world, yea, the sins of every
man who steadfastly believeth on his name.
49 And now I say unto you that this is the aorder
after which I am called, yea, to preach unto my beloved brethren, whether he's warning or praising, he's doing it out of love for the people yea,
and every one that dwelleth in the land; yea, to preach unto all, both
old and young, both bond and free; yea, I say unto you the aged, and
also the middle aged, and the rising generation; yea, to cry unto them
that they must repent and be bborn again. Yes! YES! Doesn't matter your age...we all need to seek this if we haven't received it.
50 Yea,
thus saith the Spirit: Repent, all ye ends of the earth, for the
kingdom of heaven is soon at hand; how many times has he said this? It's 83BC so Christ is coming soon! yea, the Son of God cometh in his aglory, in his might, majesty, power, and dominion. Yea, my beloved brethren, I say unto you, that the Spirit saith: Behold the glory of the bKing of all the earth; and also the King of heaven shall very soon shine forth among all the children of men. Sounds like His first coming...
51 And
also the Spirit saith unto me, yea, crieth unto me with a mighty voice, in contrast to the “still small voice”... saying: Go forth and say unto this people—Repent, for except ye repent
ye can in nowise inherit the akingdom of bheaven. There's no Atonement for you unless you repent and believe in Christ.
52 And again I say unto you, the Spirit saith: I love how often he qualifies his words with "the Spirit said" so we know he's not speaking of himself. At the beginning he started often with "I" say unto you. Behold, the aax is laid at the root of the tree; therefore every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit shall be bhewn
down and cast into the fire, yea, a fire which cannot be consumed, even
an unquenchable fire. Behold, and remember, the Holy One hath spoken
it. I think this expression teaches us that we need to cut off our iniquity at the root. The root is what nourishes the whole tree and the branches and thus the fruit. If you don’t cut out the tree at the root, you will have bad fruit, no matter how much care you try to give to the branches or the leaves or the fruit. It is the root that determines the fruit and health of the tree. When an ax is laid at the root of the tree, the whole tree is removed and the tree bears no fruit and has no further posterity. God divides the wicked from the righteous at the root. This is why our foundation (root) must be on Christ and anything else will cause us to be hewn down in the end.
53 And now my beloved brethren, I say unto you, can ye withstand these sayings; yea, can ye lay aside these things, and atrample the Holy One under your feet; yea, can ye be bpuffed up in the pride of your hearts; yea, will ye still persist in the wearing of ccostly apparel and setting your hearts upon the vain things of the world, upon your driches? This is very specific chastisment! Laying these words aside is the same as trampling CHRIST under your feet. Yikes!
54 Yea,
will ye persist in supposing that ye are better one than another; yea,
will ye persist in the persecution of your brethren, who humble
themselves and do walk after the holy order of God, wherewith they have
been brought into this church, having been asanctified by the Holy Spirit, and they do bring forth works which are meet for repentance— what are the "works" meet for repentance?
55 Yea, and will you persist in turning your backs upon the apoor, and the needy, and in withholding your substance from them? This is one of the "works" to retain a remission of your sins.
56 And
finally, all ye that will persist in your wickedness, I say unto you
that these are they who shall be hewn down and cast into the fire except
they speedily repent.
57 And now I say unto you, all you that are desirous to follow the voice of the agood shepherd, come ye out from the wicked, and be ye bseparate, and touch not their unclean things; and behold, their names shall be cblotted out,
that the names of the wicked shall not be numbered among the names of
the righteous, that the word of God may be fulfilled, which saith: The
names of the wicked shall not be mingled with the names of my people; Hmmm...the hearkens to the "mark" God put on the Lamanites so they wouldn't mingle with the Nephites because of their unbelief.
58 For the names of the righteous shall be written in the abook of life,
and unto them will I grant an inheritance at my right hand. And now, my
brethren, what have ye to say against this? I say unto you, if ye speak
against it, it matters not, for the word of God must be fulfilled. I love this. He doesn't care if they don't like what he's saying. It "matters not". What God has spoken He has spoken!
59 For
what shepherd is there among you having many sheep doth not watch over
them, that the wolves enter not and devour his flock? And behold, if a
wolf enter his aflock doth he not drive him out? Yea, and at the last, if he can, he will destroy him. It's hard to see our "shepherds" stand by and watch the wolves enter our wards and not drive them out...Am I guilty of doing that in my own family?
60 And
now I say unto you that the good shepherd doth call after you; and if
you will hearken unto his voice he will bring you into his fold,
and ye are his sheep; and he commandeth you that ye suffer no ravenous
wolf to enter among you, that ye may not be destroyed. He’s asking them to make a choice. If they choose to persist in their wicked ways, he’s telling them they’ll be divided out (excommunicated) in order to keep the church pure. This is hard, because no one is perfect. But it’s not about perfection, but desire. If you are righteous, you repent when you fall. If you are wicked, you don’t. The righteous don’t defend their actions when they fall. The wicked do. We have to “suffer no ravenous wolf enter among us”...that means when false doctrines to be taught; that false doctrine is a “ravenous wolf” and should be corrected (with love for the person, but firmness about the “wolf” teaching) This can also be read to mean that it doesn't matter if your mortal shepherds are failing...the Good Shepherd is calling after you. Hearken to HIS voice and He will bring you into HIS fold and you will be HIS sheep. You, alone, can decide to "let no ravenous wolf enter among you so that you are not destroyed. One of the "ravenous wolves" that have entered among us is the sin of LGBTQIA+...We have not taught these people that what they are believing and embracing is a sin and that they need to repent and that through Christ, the demons that afflict them can be cast out and through Christ they can be cleansed and healed. We just tell them to "not act on it" and "bear the cross".
61 And now I, Alma, do command you in the language of ahim who hath commanded me, that ye observe to do the words which I have spoken unto you.
62 I
speak by way of command unto you that belong to the church; and unto
those who do not belong to the church I speak by way of invitation,
saying: Come and be baptized unto repentance, that ye also may be
partakers of the fruit of the atree of life. Which is to be Born Again!
