Alma 35-36

Alma 35

The preaching of the Word of God causes quite the stir in Zarahemla because it did “destroy the craft” of many of the rulers, priests, and teachers in the land. They gang up on the believers and kick them out of the city, but the believers find a new home with the people of Alma in Jershon. This makes the rulers of Zarahemla mad, and they join up with the Lamanites to start making preparations for war against the believers.

In the meantime, Alma is depressed and disturbed “that the hearts of the people began to wax hard, and that they began to be offended because of the strictness of the word (vs. 15)” so he gathers his own sons together to have a father/son heart-to-heart. The chapters to come are full of rich doctrines of the gospel which he shares with them in his fatherly counsel.

Alma 36

Alma has a heart-to-heart with his oldest son, Helaman. We get to read a beautiful re-telling of Alma’s miraculous conversion story. If you recall, when Alma was younger (actually we refer to him as “Alma the Younger”), he was rebellious and hateful against the church. Along with his buddies, the sons of Mosiah, he spent his time trying to pull down the church even though his own father (Alma Sr.) was the high priest of the church. But in answer to Alma Sr.’s prayers, God sent an angel to stir these boys up, and to their credit they immediately changed their ways and became powerful missionaries and forces for good.

We got to read this story in Mosiah 27, but here in Alma 36 we get to hear Alma’s side of the story, including what he went through during the 3 days he was unconscious to the outside world. 

Alma’s experience is a beautiful lesson about the power and reality of repentance through Jesus Christ. Alma had been a really bad dude… and he knew it. He explains how deeply terrified he was, because he knew how bad he had been:

14… so great had been my iniquities, that the very thought of coming into the presence of my God did rack my soul with inexpressible horror.

15 Oh, thought I, that I could be banished and become extinct both soul and body, that I might not be brought to stand in the presence of my God, to be judged of my deeds.

But because Alma had a good dad who never gave up on him, and had always taught him where he could turn for help, he remembered Jesus Christ in this time of desperate fear:

17… 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.

18 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.

19 And 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.

20 And oh, what joy, and what marvelous light I did behold; yea, my soul was filled with joy as exceeding as was my pain!

22 Yea, methought I saw, even as our father Lehi saw, God sitting upon his throne, surrounded with numberless concourses of angels, in the attitude of singing and praising their God; yea, and my soul did long to be there.

I marvel at the contrast—at first he wishes he could be “banished and become extinct both soul and body, that I might not be brought to stand in the presence of my God,” and then as he begins to turn to Jesus Christ he does a 180 and his “soul did long to be there” with God and his angels!

What a powerful and drastic change. I know that Jesus Christ can bring about drastic change inside any of us—in whatever specific way we need to change. This story has the danger of giving the impression that Jesus Christ changes us instantly and easily (it is a very abbreviated account), and I think the majority of the time the repentance/change process is slower, more subtle, and takes a lot of work on our part, but the end result is absolutely achievable for everyone in every circumstance. That is what Jesus Christ is all about—YOU are what He is all about and He will never give up on you.

3 … 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.

Alma 33-34

Alma 33

14 Now behold, my brethren, I would ask if ye have read the scriptures? If ye have, how can ye disbelieve on the Son of God?

Alma teaches the Zoramites that the prophets and scriptures all testify of the Son of God and the need for a Savior. He draws upon the writings of 3 ancient prophets as examples. One of them is familiar to most people—Moses. He references the time the children of Israel were plagued and bitten by fiery flying serpents (Numbers 21:5-9). God told Moses the antidote was to make a serpent of brass and put it up on a pole, and anyone who believed enough to look at it would be healed. Those who looked were healed, those who didn’t, died.

 

This was a “type,” or symbol, of Jesus Christ who would come, who would be raised up on a cross and would heal all those who believed in Him.

19 Behold, he was spoken of by Moses; yea, and behold a type was raised up in the wilderness, that whosoever would look upon it might live. And many did look and live.

21 O my brethren, if ye could be healed by merely casting about your eyes that ye might be healed, would ye not behold quickly, or would ye rather harden your hearts in unbelief, and be slothful, that ye would not cast about your eyes, that ye might perish?

 22 …then cast about your eyes and begin to believe in the Son of God, that he will come to redeem his people, and that he shall suffer and die to atone for their sins; and that he shall rise again from the dead, which shall bring to pass the resurrection, that all men shall stand before him, to be judged at the last and judgment day, according to their works.

We don’t have the writings of Moses that explain the symbolism behind this miracle, but Alma did. In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we “believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly” (see Article of Faith 8). We believe the word of God was delivered completely and perfectly to the prophets, but over the years some truths have been lost through translation, and some parts of holy writings have been removed completely. The other 2 ancient prophets referred to by Alma would fall in that category—Zenos and Zenock—because we don’t have their writings anywhere in the bible. All we have are a few references/quotes here from Alma:

3 Do ye remember to have read what Zenos, the prophet of old, has said concerning prayer or worship?

 4 For he said: Thou art merciful, O God, for thou hast heard my prayer, even when I was in the wilderness; yea, thou wast merciful when I prayed concerning those who were mine enemies, and thou didst turn them to me.

15 For it is not written that Zenos alone spake of these things, but Zenock also spake of these things—

 16 For behold, he said: Thou art angry, O Lord, with this people, because they will not understand thy mercies which thou hast bestowed upon them because of thy Son.

 17 And now, my brethren, ye see that a second prophet of old has testified of the Son of God, and because the people would not understand his words they stoned him to death.

Alma 34

 8 I will testify unto you of myself that these things are true. Behold, I say unto you, that I do know that Christ shall come among the children of men, to take upon him the transgressions of his people, and that he shall atone for the sins of the world...

Amulek teaches and testifies of the most important subject in the books: the Atonement of Jesus Christ. The atonement is the word that refers to the all-encompassing sacrifice performed by the Son of God on behalf of mankind, which includes both suffering for sins so that we may repent and be forgiven, and dying on the cross and being resurrected so that all mankind may be resurrected. This chapter focuses on the first part, being able to be forgiven of our sins. 

The Dictionary defines atone accordingly:

1. to make amends or reparation, as for an offense or a crime, or for an offender

2. to make up for errors or deficiencies

The atonement is deep and complex, and there are aspects I may never be able to explain. But I know and have experienced enough to be able to say it is real. Jesus Christ made it possible for me to have second chances, a clean slate, and new beginnings. And this gift is made available to everyone who will have faith in Jesus Christ and do their part.

These are some of the basics about the atonement that Amulek teaches us in Alma 34:

Q: Who will Christ’s atonement save?

A: Those who have faith enough to repent

15 And thus he shall bring salvation to all those who shall believe on his name…and bringeth about means unto men that they may have faith unto repentance.

 16 And thus mercy can satisfy the demands of justice, and encircles them in the arms of safety, while he that exercises no faith unto repentance is exposed to the whole law of the demands of justice; therefore only unto him that has faith unto repentance is brought about the great and eternal plan of redemption.

Q: Who would perish without the atonement?

A: Everyone

9 For it is expedient that an atonement should be made; for according to the great plan of the Eternal God there must be an atonement made, or else all mankind must unavoidably perish; yea, all are hardened; yea, all are fallen and are lost, and must perish except it be through the atonement which it is expedient should be made.

Q: When do I need to take advantage of the atonement of Jesus Christ?

A: Now!

 31 Yea, I would that ye would come forth and harden not your hearts any longer; for behold, now is the time and the day of your salvation; and therefore, if ye will repent and harden not your hearts, immediately shall the great plan of redemption be brought about unto you.

 32 For behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors.

 33 …therefore, I beseech of you that ye do not procrastinate the day of your repentance until the end; for after this day of life, which is given us to prepare for eternity, behold, if we do not improve our time while in this life, then cometh the night of darkness wherein there can be no labor performed.

 34 Ye cannot say, when ye are brought to that awful crisis, that I will repent, that I will return to my God. Nay, ye cannot say this; for that same spirit which doth possess your bodies at the time that ye go out of this life, that same spirit will have power to possess your body in that eternal world.

Learning about Christ and accepting Christ isn’t just a nice hobby option in this life. We are here on “testing grounds” to become more like Him. In the next life, we will have the same desires and attitudes as we did before we died, so it is imperative that we work NOW to become the people we want to be and should be, because nothing automatically changes in the next phase of existence. I know that the atonement of Jesus Christ lends us the power and strength we need in order to under-go the deep and lasting changes we seek within ourselves. I have experienced that changing power many times in my life, and I will need to continue to use it.