August 1, 2024 • 38 mins
In this episode, Alma recounts his transformative encounter with an angel nearly 18 years earlier and shares the profound impact it had on his life. He begins with a prophetic oath, urging his eldest son, Helaman, to keep God's commandments and recounting the miraculous events that led to his own conversion. Alma emphasizes the importance of faith, trust in God, and the sacredness of the Nephite records.
Alma also addresses his second son, Shiblon, acknowledging his steadfastness and the trials he faced while on a mission among the Zoramites. He shares his own conversion experience to illustrate the power of divine intervention and the necessity of relying on Jesus Christ for salvation. Alma concludes with heartfelt advice for Shiblon's future missionary work, emphasizing humility, diligence, and sincere prayer.
This episode highlights Alma's deep faith, his commitment to his sons' spiritual growth, and the enduring significance of the Nephite records in guiding future generations.
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Episode Transcript
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(00:00):
Alma 36. Nearly 18 years earlier, in 82 BC, when Alma was a rambunctious and
apostate son of the president of the church,
he and the four apostate sons of King Mosiah had been visited by an angel.
This angel came roaring out of heaven with the wrath of God in his voice.
(00:23):
It caused the earth to shake and knock the five young men to the ground.
We read all about this event in the 27th chapter of Mosiah, but now as Alma
comes to the end of his ministry,
he wants to tell about the fantastic experience in his own words so that the
eldest son Helaman can testify that he heard this account from the lips of his own father.
(00:48):
However, Alma decided to begin his testimony with a prophetic oath.
He said, My son, give ear to my words, for I swear unto you that inasmuch as
ye shall keep the commandments of God, ye shall prosper in the land.
I would that ye should do as I have done, in remembering the captivity of our
(01:09):
fathers, for they were in bondage.
And none could deliver them except it was the God of Abraham,
and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, and he surely did deliver them in their afflictions.
He then pleaded with Helaman to follow his father's example after his conversion.
(01:30):
And now, O my son Helaman, behold thou art in thy youth, and therefore I beseech
of thee that thou wilt hear my words and learn of me.
For I do know that whosoever shall put their trust in God shall be supported
in their trials, and their troubles, and their afflictions, and shall be lifted up at the last day.
(01:53):
And I would not that ye think that I know of myself, not of the temporal,
but of the spiritual, not of the carnal mind, but of God.
Alma had been profoundly taught in the principles of the gospel,
but he wants Helaman to know that he received these heavenly truths through
(02:13):
the ministry of the Spirit, and not through any talents of his own.
Now behold, I say unto you, if I had not been born of God, I should not have known these things.
But God has, by the mouth of his holy angel, made these things known unto me,
not of any worthiness of myself.
(02:35):
Now Alma prepares to confess his sins to his eldest son.
He wants Helaman to know from the witness of his own father that in his younger
life he had lived the life of a servant of Satan.
For I went about with the sons of Mosiah, seeking to destroy the church of God.
But behold, God sent his holy angel to stop us by the way.
(02:59):
And behold, he spake unto us as it were the voice of thunder.
And the whole earth did tremble beneath our feet.
And we all fell to the earth, for the fear of the Lord came upon us.
But behold, the voice said unto me, Arise.
And I arose and stood up and beheld the angel.
And he said unto me, If thou wilt of thyself be destroyed, seek no more to destroy the church of God.
(03:28):
And it came to pass that I fell to the earth, And it was for the space of three
days and three nights that I could not open my mouth, neither had I the use of my limbs.
And the angel spake more things unto me, which were heard by my brethren, but I did not hear them.
For when I heard the words, If thou wilt be destroyed of thyself,
(03:51):
seek no more to destroy the church of God, I was struck with such great fear
and amazement, lest perhaps I should be destroyed.
That I fell to the earth and I did hear no more.
Alma was taken to the spirit world and given a crash program of conversion.
In the following verses he describes what it was like.
(04:14):
But I was wracked with eternal torment, for my soul was harrowed up to the greatest
degree and wracked with all my sins.
Yea, I did remember all my sins and iniquities, for which I was tormented with the pains of hell.
Yea, I saw that I had rebelled against my God, and that I had not kept his holy commandments.
(04:41):
Yea, and I had murdered many of his children, or rather led them away unto destruction.
Yea, and in fine so great had been my iniquities that the very thought of coming
into the presence of my God did wrack my soul with inexpressible horror.
Oh, thought I that I could be banished and become extinct, both soul and body,
(05:07):
that I might not be brought to stand in the presence of my God to be judged of my deeds.
And now for three days and for three nights was I wracked even with the pains of a damned soul.
But after he had reconciled himself to the fact that he deserved utter destruction,
the Spirit of the Lord shared with him a glimmer of hope.
(05:31):
And it came to pass that as I was thus wracked with torment.
While I was harrowed up by the memory of my many sins, behold,
I remembered also to have heard my father prophesy unto the people concerning
the coming of one Jesus Christ, a Son of God,
to atone for the sins of the world.
(05:53):
Now as my mind caught hold upon this thought, I cried within my heart, O Jesus!
Thou Son of God, have mercy on me, who am in the gall of bitterness,
and am encircled about by the everlasting chains of death.
Now Alma describes the utter rapture that came over him as he accepted conversion
(06:19):
to the divinity of Jesus Christ.
Now behold, when I thought this, I could remember my pains no more.
Yea, I was harrowed up by the memory of my sins no more.
And, oh, what joy, and what marvellous light I did behold!
Yea, my soul was filled with joy as exceeding as was my pain.
(06:43):
Yea, I say unto you, my son, that there could be nothing so exquisite and so bitter as were my pains.
Yea, and again I say unto you, my son, that on the other hand there can be nothing
so exquisite and sweet as was my joy.
Yea, methought I saw, even as our father Lehi saw, God sitting upon his throne,
(07:07):
surrounded with numberless concourses of angels in the attitude of singing and praising their God.
Yea, and my soul did long to be there.
Now something happened that must have amazed Alma's father and the body of elders
that had gathered together to pray for young Alma's recovery.
(07:27):
Alma says, But behold, my limbs did receive their strength again,
and I stood upon my feet and did manifest unto the people that I had been born of God.
At this point Alma wants to testify what the mighty change had done to him to
completely change his whole attitude toward life and his feeling of obligation
(07:50):
to plunge into the ministry of God.
Yea, and from that time even until now I have labored without ceasing,
that I might bring souls unto repentance,
that I might bring them to taste of the exceeding joy of which I did taste,
that they might also be born of God and be filled with the Holy Ghost.
(08:14):
Yea, and now behold, O my son, the Lord doth give me exceeding great joy in the fruit of my labours.
For because of the word which he has imparted unto me, behold,
many have been born of God, and have tasted as I have tasted,
and have seen eye to eye as I have seen.
(08:35):
Therefore they do know of these things of which I have spoken,
as I do know, and the knowledge which I have is of God.
And I have been supported under trials and troubles of every kind,
yea, and in all manner of afflictions.
Yea, God has delivered me from prison, and from bonds, and from death.
(08:59):
Yea, and I do put my trust in Him, and He will still deliver me.
And I know that He will raise me up at the last day, to dwell with Him in glory.
Yea, and I will praise Him forever.
For He has brought our fathers out of Egypt, and He has swallowed up the Egyptians in the Red Sea,
(09:19):
and he led them by his power into
the promised land yea and he has
delivered them out of bondage and captivity from time
to time yea and he has
also brought our fathers out of the land of jerusalem and he has also by his
everlasting power delivered them out of bondage and captivity from time to time
(09:43):
even down to the present day and i have always retained in remembrance their captivity.
Yea, and ye also ought to retain in remembrance, as I have done, their captivity.
Now Alma closes his testimony where he began, with a prophetic oath and a prophetic promise.
But behold, my son, this is not all. For ye ought to know, as I do know,
(10:09):
that inasmuch as ye shall keep the commandments of God, ye shall prosper in the land.
And ye ought to know also, that inasmuch as ye will not keep the commandments
of God, ye shall be cut off from his presence.
Now this is according to his word.
Alma chapter 37. Beginning with this chapter,
(10:30):
it becomes suddenly apparent that Alma knows he has come to the end of his ministry
and must now turn over his multitude of duties of the past 18 years to his eldest son.
Alma's opening statement clearly emphasizes how strongly he feels about the
transferring of his principal duties onto the shoulders of his eldest son Helaman.
(10:55):
Helaman Alma said and now
my son Helaman I command you that ye
take the records which have been entrusted with me and
I also command you that ye keep a record of this people according
as I have done upon the plates of Nephi and
keep all these things sacred which I have kept even as I have kept them for
(11:18):
it is for a wise purpose that they are kept Alma wanted to impress upon Helaman
how significant each set of the Nephite records is to the Lord.
He starts out with the plates of brass made of copper and tin.
This was the most complete scripture which the Nephites had in their possession.
(11:38):
It was really the book of Joseph who was sold into Egypt.
Joseph had commenced writing this record back around 1700 BC,
and this record appears to have contained a more complete account count than
the Jewish Old Testament itself.
And these plates of brass, which contain these engravings, which have the records
(11:59):
of the holy scriptures upon them, which have the genealogy of our forefathers,
even from the beginning, behold,
it has been prophesied by our fathers that they should be kept and handed down
from one generation to another, and be kept and preserved by the hand of the
Lord, until they should go forth unto every nation, kindred, tongue, and people.
(12:22):
That they shall know of the mysteries contained thereon. Eventually the brass
plates are to be published so they can be read by every nation,
kindred, tongue, and people.
But that is yet in the future.
These records contain many of the historical mysteries of previous ages.
Alma says these plates have some remarkable physical qualities,
(12:46):
which will allow them to retain their brightness down through the ages without
being subject to tarnishing.
And now behold, if they are kept they must retain their brightness.
Yea, and they will retain their brightness. Yea, and also shall all the plates
which do contain that which is wholly writ.
(13:06):
Now ye may suppose that this is foolishness in me.
But behold, I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass.
And small means in many instances
doth confound the wise and the
lord god doth work by means to bring about his
great and eternal purposes and by
(13:29):
very small means the lord doth confound the wise
and bringeth about the salvation of many souls the brass plates have a great
future destiny as a missionary tool elma says they have already been the means
of converting thousands now it it has hitherto been wisdom in God that these
things should be preserved.
(13:50):
For behold, they have enlarged the memory of this people, yea,
and convinced many of the error of their ways, and brought them to the knowledge
of their God, unto the salvation of their souls.
Yea, I say unto you, were it not for these things that these records do contain,
which are on these plates, Ammon and his brethren could not have convinced so
(14:14):
many thousands of the Lamanites of the incorrect tradition of their fathers.
Yea, these records and their words brought them unto repentance.
That is, they brought them to the knowledge of the Lord their God,
and to rejoice in Jesus Christ their Redeemer.
It is remarkable that the sons of Mosiah were able to use the brass plates to
(14:37):
help thousands of Lamanites obtain a testimony of Jesus Christ and abandon the
tradition of their apostate forefathers.
Alma even hoped it might also help the Nephites awaken and recognize the dangerous
waves of apostasy which were beginning to sweep over the land.
And who knoweth but what they will be the means of bringing many thousands of them, yea,
(15:02):
and also many thousands of our stiff-necked brethren the Nephites,
who are now hardening their hearts in sin and iniquities, to the knowledge of their Redeemer?
Now these mysteries are not yet fully made known unto me, therefore I shall forbear.
And it may suffice if I only say they are preserved for a wise purpose.
(15:24):
Which purpose is known unto God.
For he doth counsel in wisdom over all his works, and his paths are straight,
and his course is one eternal round.
In verse 12, Alma speaks of God's method of following a straight path in pursuing
one eternal round of creation after another.
(15:47):
As we observe the pathway of eternal progression being followed by God in our own day,
we would never guess how many millions of times a father has pursued this same
straight pathway in order to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life
of vast hosts of his children.
(16:07):
All of us are eternally blessed that we were brought in from outer darkness
by the Father, and we are now part of this present round of creation.
Alma now admonishes Helaman in the strongest and most carefully chosen words.
O remember, remember, my son Helaman, how strict are the commandments of God.
(16:30):
And he said, If ye will keep my commandments, ye shall prosper in the land.
But if ye keep not his commandments, ye shall be cut off from his presence.
And now remember, my son.
That God has entrusted you with these things, which are sacred,
which he has kept sacred, and also which he will keep and preserve for a wise
(16:53):
purpose in him, that he may show forth his power unto future generations.
Now behold, I tell you by the spirit of prophecy,
that if ye transgress the commandments of God, behold, these things which are
sacred shall be taken away from you by the power of God, and ye shall be delivered up unto Satan,
(17:15):
that he may sift you as chaff before the wind.
Alma wants Helaman to strictly obey the commandments of God,
because that is the only way God's purposes are fulfilled.
We observe that all through Alma's admonition to Helaman there is a recurring
theme that by preserving the Nephite library of sacred records it will be the
(17:40):
means of eventually redeeming the remnants of the Lamanites.
But if ye keep the commandments of God,
and do with these things which are sacred according to that which the Lord doth
command you, for you must appeal unto the Lord for all things whatsoever ye
must do with them, behold,
(18:00):
no power of earth or hell can take them from you.
For God is powerful to the fulfilling of all his words.
For he will fulfill all his promises which he shall make unto you,
for he has fulfilled his promises which he has made unto our fathers.
For he promised unto them that he would reserve these things for a wise purpose
(18:23):
in him, that he might show forth his power unto future generations.
And now behold, one purpose hath he fulfilled, even to the restoration of many
thousands of of the Lamanites to the knowledge of the truth,
and he hath shown forth his power in them.
And he will also still show forth his power in them unto future generations.
(18:46):
Therefore they shall be preserved. Therefore I command you, my son Helaman,
that ye be diligent in fulfilling all my words, and that ye be diligent in keeping
the commandments of God as they are written.
Alma is also very much aware of the horrendous history that lies buried in the
twenty-four gold plates which set forth the rise and fall of the Jaredite empire,
(19:12):
and Alma stresses that this history cannot be revealed to the Nephites unless
they preserve the sacred interpreters, the Urim and Thummim.
And now I will speak unto you concerning those twenty-four plates,
that ye keep them, that the mysteries, and the works of darkness,
and their secret works, or the secret works of those people who have been destroyed,
(19:37):
may be made manifest unto this people,
yea, all their murders, and robbings, and their plunderings,
and all their wickedness and abominations may be made manifest unto this people,
yea, and that ye preserve these interpreters,
For behold, the Lord saw that his people began to work in darkness.
(19:58):
Yea, work secret murders and abominations.
Therefore the Lord said, If they did not repent, they should be destroyed from
off the face of the earth.
The greatest curse Satan can implant on any nation is a secret murder cult to
rob and kill and get gain.
(20:18):
The Lord says that when these secret combinations began spreading among the
Jaredites, the Lord gave to Gazelim, who is identified in the Doctrine Covenant
17 and 1 as the brother of Jared,
a sacred stone or set of interpreters through which God could reveal the identity
of those who had secretly combined
(20:40):
together to set up secret combinations based on murder and robbery.
When the Jaredites were wiped out in civil war, the Lord somehow had these sacred
stone interpreters transferred over to Mosiah in Zarahemla.
And eventually the interpreters were hidden up with the gold plates and fell
(21:02):
into the hands of Joseph Smith.
What a fantastic history.
It will be noted in verse 16 that the Lord commanded Alma to keep all of the secret oaths, signs,
and covenants of the secret combination hidden away, so this curse would not
spread among the Nephites and Lamanites the way it destroyed the Jaredites.
(21:25):
However, we discover from Helaman
chapter 6 verse 26 that the curse was spreading throughout the land,
not because the record keepers had disclosed them, but Satan himself had revealed
them all over again among his followers who wanted to set up the secret combinations again.
(21:46):
As a result, Alma warns Helaman that the same curse which destroyed the Jaredites
is now among the Lamanites and the Nephites.
And the Lord said, I will prepare unto my servant Gazalem a stone,
which shall shine forth in darkness unto light,
that I may discover unto my people who serve me, that I may discover unto them
(22:12):
the works of their brethren,
yea, their secret works, their works of darkness,
and their wickedness and abominations.
And now, my son, these interpreters were prepared that the word of God might
be fulfilled which he spake, saying,
I will bring forth out of darkness unto light all their secret works and their
(22:33):
abominations, and except they repent,
I will destroy them from off the face of the earth, and I will bring to light
all their secrets and abominations unto every nation that shall hereafter possess the land.
And now, my son, we see that they did not repent.
Therefore they have been destroyed, and thus far the word of God has been fulfilled,
(22:58):
yea, their secret abominations have been brought out of darkness and made known unto us.
And now, my son, I command you that ye retain all their oaths and their covenants
and their agreements in their secret abominations,
yea, and all their signs and and their wonders ye shall keep from this people,
that they know them not, lest, peradventure, they should fall into darkness also, and be destroyed.
(23:26):
For behold, there is a curse upon all this land, that destruction shall come
upon all those workers of darkness, according to the power of God,
when they are fully ripe.
Therefore I desire that this people might not be destroyed. Therefore ye shall
keep these secret plans of their oaths and their covenants from this people,
(23:48):
and only their wickedness and their murders and their abominations shall ye make known unto them.
And ye shall teach them to abhor such wickedness and abominations and murders.
And ye shall also teach them that these people were destroyed on account of
their wickedness and abominations and their murders.
Alma warns Helaman that Satan's secret combinations have as their first objective
(24:14):
to destroy the prophets of God and oppress the church.
For behold, they murdered all the prophets of the Lord who came among them to
declare unto them concerning their iniquities.
And the blood of those whom they murdered did cry unto the Lord their God for
vengeance upon those who were their murderers.
And thus the judgments of God did come upon these workers of darkness and secret combinations.
(24:38):
Yea, and cursed be the land forever and ever unto those workers of darkness
and secret combinations, even unto destruction, except they repent before they are fully ripe.
And now, my son, remember the words which I have spoken unto you.
Trust not those secret plans unto this people, but teach them an everlasting
(24:59):
lasting hatred against sin and iniquity.
Preach unto them repentance and faith on the Lord Jesus Christ.
Teach them to humble themselves and to be meek and lowly in heart.
Teach them to withstand every temptation of the devil with their faith on the Lord Jesus Christ.
(25:20):
Teach them to never be weary of good works, but to be meek and lowly in heart,
for such shall find rest to their souls.
Now we come to a famous scripture which Alma addresses to the youth of the church of every age.
He says, O remember, my son, and learn wisdom in thy youth.
(25:45):
Yea, learn in thy youth to keep the commandments of God.
Yea, and cry unto God for all thy support.
Yea, let all thy doings be unto the Lord, and whithersoever thou goest, let it be in the Lord.
Yea, let all thy thoughts be directed unto the Lord.
(26:07):
Yea, let the affections of thy heart be placed upon the Lord forever. ever.
Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good.
Yea, when thou liest down at
night, lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep.
And when thou risest in the morning, let thy heart be full of thanks unto God.
(26:31):
And if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day.
Alma now gives us a most interesting dissertation on the Liahona,
or the director which brought Lehi and his colony through the wilderness and
across the sea to the promised land.
This instrument was a device used by God to not only guide Lehi and his company,
(26:56):
but to communicate the will of the Lord to them from time to time.
But it only worked when they were faithful.
Alma says, And now, my son, I have somewhat to say concerning the thing which
our fathers call a ball or director,
or our fathers called it liahona, which is being interpreted a compass,
(27:18):
and the Lord prepared it.
And behold, there cannot any man work after the manner of so curious a workmanship. ship.
And behold, it was prepared to show unto our fathers the course which they should
travel in the wilderness.
And it did work for them according to their faith in God.
Therefore, if they had faith to believe that God could cause that those spindles
(27:41):
should point the way they should go, behold, it was done.
Therefore they had this miracle, and also many other miracles wrought by the power of God, day by day.
It appears that the more rebellious members of Lehi's company began taking the
miracles of daily revelations more or less for granted.
(28:04):
The conduct of the rebels had a direct impact on the operation of the Liahona.
Nevertheless, because those miracles were worked by small means,
it did show unto them marvelous works.
They were slothful, and forgot to exercise their faith and diligence.
(28:25):
And then those marvelous works ceased, and they did not progress in their journey.
Therefore they tarried in the wilderness, or did not travel a direct course,
and were afflicted with hunger and thirst because of their transgressions.
Alma wanted Helaman to look upon the words of Christ as his liahona,
(28:47):
or guide, and obey them explicitly, otherwise the people could fall into paths
of darkness and confusion.
And now, my son, I would that ye should understand that these things are not without a shadow.
For as our fathers were slothful to give heed to this compass,
now these things were temporal, they did not prosper, even so it is with things which are spiritual.
(29:14):
For behold, it is as easy to give heed to the word of Christ,
which will point to you a straight course to eternal bliss, as it was for our
fathers to give heed to this compass,
which would point unto them a straight course to the promised land.
Now Alma closes his extensive instruction to Helaman with the following plea.
(29:38):
And now I say, is there not a type in this thing?
For just as surely as this director did bring our fathers, by following its
course to the promised land,
shall the words of Christ, if we follow their course, carry us beyond this veil
of sorrow into a far better land of promise.
O my son, do not let us be slothful because of the easiness of the way,
(30:03):
for so was it with our fathers, for so was it prepared for them that if they
would look they might live.
Even so it is with us, the way is prepared, and if we will look we may live for ever.
And now, my son, see that ye take care of these sacred things,
(30:24):
yea, see that ye look to God and live.
Go unto this people, and declare the word, and be sober.
My son, farewell.
Alma 38. As Alma turned his attention to Shiblon, his second son,
he must have felt some very special tender feelings toward him.
(30:47):
During the mission to the Zoramites, Shiblon had received extremely brutal treatment.
He had been held captive, bound down in a helpless condition, and eventually stoned.
The scripture says he was saved only by the intervention of the Lord.
Alma knew what it was like to put his life on the line as a servant of God.
(31:10):
He had done it a number of times.
Now Alma opened his remarks to Shiblon much as he had to Helaman.
My son, give ear to my words,
for I say unto you, even as I said unto Helaman, that inasmuch as ye shall keep
the commandments of God, ye shall prosper in the land,
(31:31):
and inasmuch as ye will not keep the commandments of God, ye shall be cast off from his presence.
It is obvious that Alma had great hopes for Shiblon as a pillar of strength in the kingdom.
He had already been deeply impressed by his performance among the Zoramites,
and said, And now, my son, I trust that I shall have great joy in you,
(31:55):
because of your steadiness and your faithfulness unto God.
For as you have commenced in your youth to look to the Lord your God,
even so I hope that you will continue in keeping His commandments,
for blessed is he that endureth to the end.
I say unto you, my son, that I have had great joy in thee already because of
(32:19):
thy faithfulness, and thy diligence, and thy patience, and thy longsuffering
among the people of the Zoramites.
For I know that thou wast in bonds, bonds. Yea, and I also know that thou wast
stoned for the word's sake.
Thou didst bear all these things with patience, because the Lord was with thee.
(32:41):
And now thou knowest that the Lord did deliver thee.
If it were not for these two verses, we would have had no idea of the near-death
experience of Shiblon among the Zoramites.
It is nowhere mentioned in any other part of the record.
Notice that Shiblon had not only been in bonds among the Zoramites, but he had been stoned.
(33:02):
The fact that Shiblon had been rescued through divine intervention is implied
by the statement that, quote, thou knowest that the Lord did deliver thee, unquote.
Obviously a very frightening event occurred here about which we knew nothing.
And now, my son Shiblon, I would that ye should remember that as much as ye
(33:25):
shall put your trust Trust in God,
even so much ye shall be delivered out of your trials and your troubles and
your afflictions, and ye shall be lifted up at the last day.
Alma felt that whatever happened to Shiblon among the Zoramites,
it demonstrated that his son could always trust in the Lord.
(33:47):
Now Alma wanted to share with Shiblon an abbreviated version of his own encounter
with an angel of the Lord.
He wanted to bear witness that he gained his testimony of the gospel the hard way.
Now, my son, I would not that ye should think that I know these things of myself.
(34:08):
But it is the Spirit of God which is in me, which maketh these things known unto me.
For if I had not been born of God, I should not have known these things.
But behold, the Lord in his great mercy sent his angel to declare unto me that
(34:29):
I must stop the work of destruction among his people.
Yea, and I have seen an angel face to face, and he spake with me,
and his voice was as thunder, and it shook the whole earth.
Of course it is a shocking thing to suddenly stand looking at an angel who is
filled with wrath, but it is what happened to Alma during the next three days
(34:54):
and nights that terrified him.
And it came to pass that I was three days and three nights in the the most bitter
pain and anguish of soul.
And never, until I did cry out unto the Lord Jesus Christ for mercy,
did I receive a remission of my sins.
But behold, I did cry unto him, and I did find peace to my soul.
(35:20):
And now, my son, I have told you this,
that ye may learn wisdom, him, that ye may learn of me, that there is no other
way or means whereby man can be saved only in and through Christ.
Behold, he is the life and the light of the world.
(35:43):
Behold, he is the word of truth and righteousness.
And that was Alma's testimony after his crash conversion session in the spirit world.
The key to eternal life is Jesus Christ, and there is no other way or means
whereby any person can be saved.
Finally, Alma wants to give his faithful young son some basic advice concerning
(36:07):
his role as a missionary of Jesus Christ.
It is the kind of advice any loving father would like to give to a son who is
about to leave on a mission.
Now, as ye have begun to teach the word, even so I would that ye should continue to teach.
And I would that ye would be diligent and temperate in all things.
(36:31):
See that ye are not lifted up unto pride. Yea, see that ye do not boast in your
own wisdom, nor of your much strength. Use boldness, but not overbearance.
And also see that ye bridle all your passions, that ye may be filled with love.
(36:53):
See that ye refrain from idleness.
And now a word about prayer. The missionaries to the Zoramites had witnessed
a shocking and disgusting demonstration by the Zoramites how not to pray. Pray.
Do not pray as the Zoramites do, for ye have seen that they pray to be heard
(37:15):
of men, and to be praised for their wisdom.
Do not say, O God, I thank thee that we are better than our brethren,
but rather say, O Lord, forgive my unworthiness, and remember my brethren in mercy.
Yea, acknowledge your unworthiness before God at all times.
(37:39):
Finally Alma pronounced a fervent and tender blessing on his beloved son Shiblon.
And may the Lord bless your soul
and receive you at the last day into his kingdom to sit down in peace.
Now go, my son, and teach the word unto this people, be sober.
(38:00):
My son, farewell.
Alma 36. Nearly 18 years earlier, in 82 BC, when Alma was a rambunctious and
apostate son of the president of the church,
he and the four apostate sons of King Mosiah had been visited by an angel.
This angel came roaring out of heaven with the wrath of God in his voice.
(00:23):
It caused the earth to shake and knock the five young men to the ground.
We read all about this event in the 27th chapter of Mosiah, but now as Alma
comes to the end of his ministry,
he wants to tell about the fantastic experience in his own words so that the
eldest son Helaman can testify that he heard this account from the lips of his own father.
(00:48):
However, Alma decided to begin his testimony with a prophetic oath.
He said, My son, give ear to my words, for I swear unto you that inasmuch as
ye shall keep the commandments of God, ye shall prosper in the land.
I would that ye should do as I have done, in remembering the captivity of our
(01:09):
fathers, for they were in bondage.
And none could deliver them except it was the God of Abraham,
and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, and he surely did deliver them in their afflictions.
He then pleaded with Helaman to follow his father's example after his conversion.
(01:30):
And now, O my son Helaman, behold thou art in thy youth, and therefore I beseech
of thee that thou wilt hear my words and learn of me.
For I do know that whosoever shall put their trust in God shall be supported
in their trials, and their troubles, and their afflictions, and shall be lifted up at the last day.
(01:53):
And I would not that ye think that I know of myself, not of the temporal,
but of the spiritual, not of the carnal mind, but of God.
Alma had been profoundly taught in the principles of the gospel,
but he wants Helaman to know that he received these heavenly truths through
(02:13):
the ministry of the Spirit, and not through any talents of his own.
Now behold, I say unto you, if I had not been born of God, I should not have known these things.
But God has, by the mouth of his holy angel, made these things known unto me,
not of any worthiness of myself.
(02:35):
Now Alma prepares to confess his sins to his eldest son.
He wants Helaman to know from the witness of his own father that in his younger
life he had lived the life of a servant of Satan.
For I went about with the sons of Mosiah, seeking to destroy the church of God.
But behold, God sent his holy angel to stop us by the way.
(02:59):
And behold, he spake unto us as it were the voice of thunder.
And the whole earth did tremble beneath our feet.
And we all fell to the earth, for the fear of the Lord came upon us.
But behold, the voice said unto me, Arise.
And I arose and stood up and beheld the angel.
And he said unto me, If thou wilt of thyself be destroyed, seek no more to destroy the church of God.
(03:28):
And it came to pass that I fell to the earth, And it was for the space of three
days and three nights that I could not open my mouth, neither had I the use of my limbs.
And the angel spake more things unto me, which were heard by my brethren, but I did not hear them.
For when I heard the words, If thou wilt be destroyed of thyself,
(03:51):
seek no more to destroy the church of God, I was struck with such great fear
and amazement, lest perhaps I should be destroyed.
That I fell to the earth and I did hear no more.
Alma was taken to the spirit world and given a crash program of conversion.
In the following verses he describes what it was like.
(04:14):
But I was wracked with eternal torment, for my soul was harrowed up to the greatest
degree and wracked with all my sins.
Yea, I did remember all my sins and iniquities, for which I was tormented with the pains of hell.
Yea, I saw that I had rebelled against my God, and that I had not kept his holy commandments.
(04:41):
Yea, and I had murdered many of his children, or rather led them away unto destruction.
Yea, and in fine so great had been my iniquities that the very thought of coming
into the presence of my God did wrack my soul with inexpressible horror.
Oh, thought I that I could be banished and become extinct, both soul and body,
(05:07):
that I might not be brought to stand in the presence of my God to be judged of my deeds.
And now for three days and for three nights was I wracked even with the pains of a damned soul.
But after he had reconciled himself to the fact that he deserved utter destruction,
the Spirit of the Lord shared with him a glimmer of hope.
(05:31):
And it came to pass that as I was thus wracked with torment.
While I was harrowed up by the memory of my many sins, behold,
I remembered also to have heard my father prophesy unto the people concerning
the coming of one Jesus Christ, a Son of God,
to atone for the sins of the world.
(05:53):
Now as my mind caught hold upon this thought, I cried within my heart, O Jesus!
Thou Son of God, have mercy on me, who am in the gall of bitterness,
and am encircled about by the everlasting chains of death.
Now Alma describes the utter rapture that came over him as he accepted conversion
(06:19):
to the divinity of Jesus Christ.
Now behold, when I thought this, I could remember my pains no more.
Yea, I was harrowed up by the memory of my sins no more.
And, oh, what joy, and what marvellous light I did behold!
Yea, my soul was filled with joy as exceeding as was my pain.
(06:43):
Yea, I say unto you, my son, that there could be nothing so exquisite and so bitter as were my pains.
Yea, and again I say unto you, my son, that on the other hand there can be nothing
so exquisite and sweet as was my joy.
Yea, methought I saw, even as our father Lehi saw, God sitting upon his throne,
(07:07):
surrounded with numberless concourses of angels in the attitude of singing and praising their God.
Yea, and my soul did long to be there.
Now something happened that must have amazed Alma's father and the body of elders
that had gathered together to pray for young Alma's recovery.
(07:27):
Alma says, But behold, my limbs did receive their strength again,
and I stood upon my feet and did manifest unto the people that I had been born of God.
At this point Alma wants to testify what the mighty change had done to him to
completely change his whole attitude toward life and his feeling of obligation
(07:50):
to plunge into the ministry of God.
Yea, and from that time even until now I have labored without ceasing,
that I might bring souls unto repentance,
that I might bring them to taste of the exceeding joy of which I did taste,
that they might also be born of God and be filled with the Holy Ghost.
(08:14):
Yea, and now behold, O my son, the Lord doth give me exceeding great joy in the fruit of my labours.
For because of the word which he has imparted unto me, behold,
many have been born of God, and have tasted as I have tasted,
and have seen eye to eye as I have seen.
(08:35):
Therefore they do know of these things of which I have spoken,
as I do know, and the knowledge which I have is of God.
And I have been supported under trials and troubles of every kind,
yea, and in all manner of afflictions.
Yea, God has delivered me from prison, and from bonds, and from death.
(08:59):
Yea, and I do put my trust in Him, and He will still deliver me.
And I know that He will raise me up at the last day, to dwell with Him in glory.
Yea, and I will praise Him forever.
For He has brought our fathers out of Egypt, and He has swallowed up the Egyptians in the Red Sea,
(09:19):
and he led them by his power into
the promised land yea and he has
delivered them out of bondage and captivity from time
to time yea and he has
also brought our fathers out of the land of jerusalem and he has also by his
everlasting power delivered them out of bondage and captivity from time to time
(09:43):
even down to the present day and i have always retained in remembrance their captivity.
Yea, and ye also ought to retain in remembrance, as I have done, their captivity.
Now Alma closes his testimony where he began, with a prophetic oath and a prophetic promise.
But behold, my son, this is not all. For ye ought to know, as I do know,
(10:09):
that inasmuch as ye shall keep the commandments of God, ye shall prosper in the land.
And ye ought to know also, that inasmuch as ye will not keep the commandments
of God, ye shall be cut off from his presence.
Now this is according to his word.
Alma chapter 37. Beginning with this chapter,
(10:30):
it becomes suddenly apparent that Alma knows he has come to the end of his ministry
and must now turn over his multitude of duties of the past 18 years to his eldest son.
Alma's opening statement clearly emphasizes how strongly he feels about the
transferring of his principal duties onto the shoulders of his eldest son Helaman.
(10:55):
Helaman Alma said and now
my son Helaman I command you that ye
take the records which have been entrusted with me and
I also command you that ye keep a record of this people according
as I have done upon the plates of Nephi and
keep all these things sacred which I have kept even as I have kept them for
(11:18):
it is for a wise purpose that they are kept Alma wanted to impress upon Helaman
how significant each set of the Nephite records is to the Lord.
He starts out with the plates of brass made of copper and tin.
This was the most complete scripture which the Nephites had in their possession.
(11:38):
It was really the book of Joseph who was sold into Egypt.
Joseph had commenced writing this record back around 1700 BC,
and this record appears to have contained a more complete account count than
the Jewish Old Testament itself.
And these plates of brass, which contain these engravings, which have the records
(11:59):
of the holy scriptures upon them, which have the genealogy of our forefathers,
even from the beginning, behold,
it has been prophesied by our fathers that they should be kept and handed down
from one generation to another, and be kept and preserved by the hand of the
Lord, until they should go forth unto every nation, kindred, tongue, and people.
(12:22):
That they shall know of the mysteries contained thereon. Eventually the brass
plates are to be published so they can be read by every nation,
kindred, tongue, and people.
But that is yet in the future.
These records contain many of the historical mysteries of previous ages.
Alma says these plates have some remarkable physical qualities,
(12:46):
which will allow them to retain their brightness down through the ages without
being subject to tarnishing.
And now behold, if they are kept they must retain their brightness.
Yea, and they will retain their brightness. Yea, and also shall all the plates
which do contain that which is wholly writ.
(13:06):
Now ye may suppose that this is foolishness in me.
But behold, I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass.
And small means in many instances
doth confound the wise and the
lord god doth work by means to bring about his
great and eternal purposes and by
(13:29):
very small means the lord doth confound the wise
and bringeth about the salvation of many souls the brass plates have a great
future destiny as a missionary tool elma says they have already been the means
of converting thousands now it it has hitherto been wisdom in God that these
things should be preserved.
(13:50):
For behold, they have enlarged the memory of this people, yea,
and convinced many of the error of their ways, and brought them to the knowledge
of their God, unto the salvation of their souls.
Yea, I say unto you, were it not for these things that these records do contain,
which are on these plates, Ammon and his brethren could not have convinced so
(14:14):
many thousands of the Lamanites of the incorrect tradition of their fathers.
Yea, these records and their words brought them unto repentance.
That is, they brought them to the knowledge of the Lord their God,
and to rejoice in Jesus Christ their Redeemer.
It is remarkable that the sons of Mosiah were able to use the brass plates to
(14:37):
help thousands of Lamanites obtain a testimony of Jesus Christ and abandon the
tradition of their apostate forefathers.
Alma even hoped it might also help the Nephites awaken and recognize the dangerous
waves of apostasy which were beginning to sweep over the land.
And who knoweth but what they will be the means of bringing many thousands of them, yea,
(15:02):
and also many thousands of our stiff-necked brethren the Nephites,
who are now hardening their hearts in sin and iniquities, to the knowledge of their Redeemer?
Now these mysteries are not yet fully made known unto me, therefore I shall forbear.
And it may suffice if I only say they are preserved for a wise purpose.
(15:24):
Which purpose is known unto God.
For he doth counsel in wisdom over all his works, and his paths are straight,
and his course is one eternal round.
In verse 12, Alma speaks of God's method of following a straight path in pursuing
one eternal round of creation after another.
(15:47):
As we observe the pathway of eternal progression being followed by God in our own day,
we would never guess how many millions of times a father has pursued this same
straight pathway in order to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life
of vast hosts of his children.
(16:07):
All of us are eternally blessed that we were brought in from outer darkness
by the Father, and we are now part of this present round of creation.
Alma now admonishes Helaman in the strongest and most carefully chosen words.
O remember, remember, my son Helaman, how strict are the commandments of God.
(16:30):
And he said, If ye will keep my commandments, ye shall prosper in the land.
But if ye keep not his commandments, ye shall be cut off from his presence.
And now remember, my son.
That God has entrusted you with these things, which are sacred,
which he has kept sacred, and also which he will keep and preserve for a wise
(16:53):
purpose in him, that he may show forth his power unto future generations.
Now behold, I tell you by the spirit of prophecy,
that if ye transgress the commandments of God, behold, these things which are
sacred shall be taken away from you by the power of God, and ye shall be delivered up unto Satan,
(17:15):
that he may sift you as chaff before the wind.
Alma wants Helaman to strictly obey the commandments of God,
because that is the only way God's purposes are fulfilled.
We observe that all through Alma's admonition to Helaman there is a recurring
theme that by preserving the Nephite library of sacred records it will be the
(17:40):
means of eventually redeeming the remnants of the Lamanites.
But if ye keep the commandments of God,
and do with these things which are sacred according to that which the Lord doth
command you, for you must appeal unto the Lord for all things whatsoever ye
must do with them, behold,
(18:00):
no power of earth or hell can take them from you.
For God is powerful to the fulfilling of all his words.
For he will fulfill all his promises which he shall make unto you,
for he has fulfilled his promises which he has made unto our fathers.
For he promised unto them that he would reserve these things for a wise purpose
(18:23):
in him, that he might show forth his power unto future generations.
And now behold, one purpose hath he fulfilled, even to the restoration of many
thousands of of the Lamanites to the knowledge of the truth,
and he hath shown forth his power in them.
And he will also still show forth his power in them unto future generations.
(18:46):
Therefore they shall be preserved. Therefore I command you, my son Helaman,
that ye be diligent in fulfilling all my words, and that ye be diligent in keeping
the commandments of God as they are written.
Alma is also very much aware of the horrendous history that lies buried in the
twenty-four gold plates which set forth the rise and fall of the Jaredite empire,
(19:12):
and Alma stresses that this history cannot be revealed to the Nephites unless
they preserve the sacred interpreters, the Urim and Thummim.
And now I will speak unto you concerning those twenty-four plates,
that ye keep them, that the mysteries, and the works of darkness,
and their secret works, or the secret works of those people who have been destroyed,
(19:37):
may be made manifest unto this people,
yea, all their murders, and robbings, and their plunderings,
and all their wickedness and abominations may be made manifest unto this people,
yea, and that ye preserve these interpreters,
For behold, the Lord saw that his people began to work in darkness.
(19:58):
Yea, work secret murders and abominations.
Therefore the Lord said, If they did not repent, they should be destroyed from
off the face of the earth.
The greatest curse Satan can implant on any nation is a secret murder cult to
rob and kill and get gain.
(20:18):
The Lord says that when these secret combinations began spreading among the
Jaredites, the Lord gave to Gazelim, who is identified in the Doctrine Covenant
17 and 1 as the brother of Jared,
a sacred stone or set of interpreters through which God could reveal the identity
of those who had secretly combined
(20:40):
together to set up secret combinations based on murder and robbery.
When the Jaredites were wiped out in civil war, the Lord somehow had these sacred
stone interpreters transferred over to Mosiah in Zarahemla.
And eventually the interpreters were hidden up with the gold plates and fell
(21:02):
into the hands of Joseph Smith.
What a fantastic history.
It will be noted in verse 16 that the Lord commanded Alma to keep all of the secret oaths, signs,
and covenants of the secret combination hidden away, so this curse would not
spread among the Nephites and Lamanites the way it destroyed the Jaredites.
(21:25):
However, we discover from Helaman
chapter 6 verse 26 that the curse was spreading throughout the land,
not because the record keepers had disclosed them, but Satan himself had revealed
them all over again among his followers who wanted to set up the secret combinations again.
(21:46):
As a result, Alma warns Helaman that the same curse which destroyed the Jaredites
is now among the Lamanites and the Nephites.
And the Lord said, I will prepare unto my servant Gazalem a stone,
which shall shine forth in darkness unto light,
that I may discover unto my people who serve me, that I may discover unto them
(22:12):
the works of their brethren,
yea, their secret works, their works of darkness,
and their wickedness and abominations.
And now, my son, these interpreters were prepared that the word of God might
be fulfilled which he spake, saying,
I will bring forth out of darkness unto light all their secret works and their
(22:33):
abominations, and except they repent,
I will destroy them from off the face of the earth, and I will bring to light
all their secrets and abominations unto every nation that shall hereafter possess the land.
And now, my son, we see that they did not repent.
Therefore they have been destroyed, and thus far the word of God has been fulfilled,
(22:58):
yea, their secret abominations have been brought out of darkness and made known unto us.
And now, my son, I command you that ye retain all their oaths and their covenants
and their agreements in their secret abominations,
yea, and all their signs and and their wonders ye shall keep from this people,
that they know them not, lest, peradventure, they should fall into darkness also, and be destroyed.
(23:26):
For behold, there is a curse upon all this land, that destruction shall come
upon all those workers of darkness, according to the power of God,
when they are fully ripe.
Therefore I desire that this people might not be destroyed. Therefore ye shall
keep these secret plans of their oaths and their covenants from this people,
(23:48):
and only their wickedness and their murders and their abominations shall ye make known unto them.
And ye shall teach them to abhor such wickedness and abominations and murders.
And ye shall also teach them that these people were destroyed on account of
their wickedness and abominations and their murders.
Alma warns Helaman that Satan's secret combinations have as their first objective
(24:14):
to destroy the prophets of God and oppress the church.
For behold, they murdered all the prophets of the Lord who came among them to
declare unto them concerning their iniquities.
And the blood of those whom they murdered did cry unto the Lord their God for
vengeance upon those who were their murderers.
And thus the judgments of God did come upon these workers of darkness and secret combinations.
(24:38):
Yea, and cursed be the land forever and ever unto those workers of darkness
and secret combinations, even unto destruction, except they repent before they are fully ripe.
And now, my son, remember the words which I have spoken unto you.
Trust not those secret plans unto this people, but teach them an everlasting
(24:59):
lasting hatred against sin and iniquity.
Preach unto them repentance and faith on the Lord Jesus Christ.
Teach them to humble themselves and to be meek and lowly in heart.
Teach them to withstand every temptation of the devil with their faith on the Lord Jesus Christ.
(25:20):
Teach them to never be weary of good works, but to be meek and lowly in heart,
for such shall find rest to their souls.
Now we come to a famous scripture which Alma addresses to the youth of the church of every age.
He says, O remember, my son, and learn wisdom in thy youth.
(25:45):
Yea, learn in thy youth to keep the commandments of God.
Yea, and cry unto God for all thy support.
Yea, let all thy doings be unto the Lord, and whithersoever thou goest, let it be in the Lord.
Yea, let all thy thoughts be directed unto the Lord.
(26:07):
Yea, let the affections of thy heart be placed upon the Lord forever. ever.
Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good.
Yea, when thou liest down at
night, lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep.
And when thou risest in the morning, let thy heart be full of thanks unto God.
(26:31):
And if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day.
Alma now gives us a most interesting dissertation on the Liahona,
or the director which brought Lehi and his colony through the wilderness and
across the sea to the promised land.
This instrument was a device used by God to not only guide Lehi and his company,
(26:56):
but to communicate the will of the Lord to them from time to time.
But it only worked when they were faithful.
Alma says, And now, my son, I have somewhat to say concerning the thing which
our fathers call a ball or director,
or our fathers called it liahona, which is being interpreted a compass,
(27:18):
and the Lord prepared it.
And behold, there cannot any man work after the manner of so curious a workmanship. ship.
And behold, it was prepared to show unto our fathers the course which they should
travel in the wilderness.
And it did work for them according to their faith in God.
Therefore, if they had faith to believe that God could cause that those spindles
(27:41):
should point the way they should go, behold, it was done.
Therefore they had this miracle, and also many other miracles wrought by the power of God, day by day.
It appears that the more rebellious members of Lehi's company began taking the
miracles of daily revelations more or less for granted.
(28:04):
The conduct of the rebels had a direct impact on the operation of the Liahona.
Nevertheless, because those miracles were worked by small means,
it did show unto them marvelous works.
They were slothful, and forgot to exercise their faith and diligence.
(28:25):
And then those marvelous works ceased, and they did not progress in their journey.
Therefore they tarried in the wilderness, or did not travel a direct course,
and were afflicted with hunger and thirst because of their transgressions.
Alma wanted Helaman to look upon the words of Christ as his liahona,
(28:47):
or guide, and obey them explicitly, otherwise the people could fall into paths
of darkness and confusion.
And now, my son, I would that ye should understand that these things are not without a shadow.
For as our fathers were slothful to give heed to this compass,
now these things were temporal, they did not prosper, even so it is with things which are spiritual.
(29:14):
For behold, it is as easy to give heed to the word of Christ,
which will point to you a straight course to eternal bliss, as it was for our
fathers to give heed to this compass,
which would point unto them a straight course to the promised land.
Now Alma closes his extensive instruction to Helaman with the following plea.
(29:38):
And now I say, is there not a type in this thing?
For just as surely as this director did bring our fathers, by following its
course to the promised land,
shall the words of Christ, if we follow their course, carry us beyond this veil
of sorrow into a far better land of promise.
O my son, do not let us be slothful because of the easiness of the way,
(30:03):
for so was it with our fathers, for so was it prepared for them that if they
would look they might live.
Even so it is with us, the way is prepared, and if we will look we may live for ever.
And now, my son, see that ye take care of these sacred things,
(30:24):
yea, see that ye look to God and live.
Go unto this people, and declare the word, and be sober.
My son, farewell.
Alma 38. As Alma turned his attention to Shiblon, his second son,
he must have felt some very special tender feelings toward him.
(30:47):
During the mission to the Zoramites, Shiblon had received extremely brutal treatment.
He had been held captive, bound down in a helpless condition, and eventually stoned.
The scripture says he was saved only by the intervention of the Lord.
Alma knew what it was like to put his life on the line as a servant of God.
(31:10):
He had done it a number of times.
Now Alma opened his remarks to Shiblon much as he had to Helaman.
My son, give ear to my words,
for I say unto you, even as I said unto Helaman, that inasmuch as ye shall keep
the commandments of God, ye shall prosper in the land,
(31:31):
and inasmuch as ye will not keep the commandments of God, ye shall be cast off from his presence.
It is obvious that Alma had great hopes for Shiblon as a pillar of strength in the kingdom.
He had already been deeply impressed by his performance among the Zoramites,
and said, And now, my son, I trust that I shall have great joy in you,
(31:55):
because of your steadiness and your faithfulness unto God.
For as you have commenced in your youth to look to the Lord your God,
even so I hope that you will continue in keeping His commandments,
for blessed is he that endureth to the end.
I say unto you, my son, that I have had great joy in thee already because of
(32:19):
thy faithfulness, and thy diligence, and thy patience, and thy longsuffering
among the people of the Zoramites.
For I know that thou wast in bonds, bonds. Yea, and I also know that thou wast
stoned for the word's sake.
Thou didst bear all these things with patience, because the Lord was with thee.
(32:41):
And now thou knowest that the Lord did deliver thee.
If it were not for these two verses, we would have had no idea of the near-death
experience of Shiblon among the Zoramites.
It is nowhere mentioned in any other part of the record.
Notice that Shiblon had not only been in bonds among the Zoramites, but he had been stoned.
(33:02):
The fact that Shiblon had been rescued through divine intervention is implied
by the statement that, quote, thou knowest that the Lord did deliver thee, unquote.
Obviously a very frightening event occurred here about which we knew nothing.
And now, my son Shiblon, I would that ye should remember that as much as ye
(33:25):
shall put your trust Trust in God,
even so much ye shall be delivered out of your trials and your troubles and
your afflictions, and ye shall be lifted up at the last day.
Alma felt that whatever happened to Shiblon among the Zoramites,
it demonstrated that his son could always trust in the Lord.
(33:47):
Now Alma wanted to share with Shiblon an abbreviated version of his own encounter
with an angel of the Lord.
He wanted to bear witness that he gained his testimony of the gospel the hard way.
Now, my son, I would not that ye should think that I know these things of myself.
(34:08):
But it is the Spirit of God which is in me, which maketh these things known unto me.
For if I had not been born of God, I should not have known these things.
But behold, the Lord in his great mercy sent his angel to declare unto me that
(34:29):
I must stop the work of destruction among his people.
Yea, and I have seen an angel face to face, and he spake with me,
and his voice was as thunder, and it shook the whole earth.
Of course it is a shocking thing to suddenly stand looking at an angel who is
filled with wrath, but it is what happened to Alma during the next three days
(34:54):
and nights that terrified him.
And it came to pass that I was three days and three nights in the the most bitter
pain and anguish of soul.
And never, until I did cry out unto the Lord Jesus Christ for mercy,
did I receive a remission of my sins.
But behold, I did cry unto him, and I did find peace to my soul.
(35:20):
And now, my son, I have told you this,
that ye may learn wisdom, him, that ye may learn of me, that there is no other
way or means whereby man can be saved only in and through Christ.
Behold, he is the life and the light of the world.
(35:43):
Behold, he is the word of truth and righteousness.
And that was Alma's testimony after his crash conversion session in the spirit world.
The key to eternal life is Jesus Christ, and there is no other way or means
whereby any person can be saved.
Finally, Alma wants to give his faithful young son some basic advice concerning
(36:07):
his role as a missionary of Jesus Christ.
It is the kind of advice any loving father would like to give to a son who is
about to leave on a mission.
Now, as ye have begun to teach the word, even so I would that ye should continue to teach.
And I would that ye would be diligent and temperate in all things.
(36:31):
See that ye are not lifted up unto pride. Yea, see that ye do not boast in your
own wisdom, nor of your much strength. Use boldness, but not overbearance.
And also see that ye bridle all your passions, that ye may be filled with love.
(36:53):
See that ye refrain from idleness.
And now a word about prayer. The missionaries to the Zoramites had witnessed
a shocking and disgusting demonstration by the Zoramites how not to pray. Pray.
Do not pray as the Zoramites do, for ye have seen that they pray to be heard
(37:15):
of men, and to be praised for their wisdom.
Do not say, O God, I thank thee that we are better than our brethren,
but rather say, O Lord, forgive my unworthiness, and remember my brethren in mercy.
Yea, acknowledge your unworthiness before God at all times.
(37:39):
Finally Alma pronounced a fervent and tender blessing on his beloved son Shiblon.
And may the Lord bless your soul
and receive you at the last day into his kingdom to sit down in peace.
Now go, my son, and teach the word unto this people, be sober.
(38:00):
My son, farewell.
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