Episode 36: Alma talks to his sons

Alma 35-42

The Zoramite converts are expelled

35 ^1-3 After Amulek finished preaching, his audience went home. When the rest of the Zoramites heard about his speech, they were angry, since it destroyed their "craft."

^4-6 The Zoramites gathered together and (somehow) secretly found out who believed in Alma and Amulek's words and who didn't. Those who believed were cast out of the land, and they went into the land of Jershon. ⁷ Alma received all the cast-out Zoramites.

^9-10 The leader of the Zoramites threatened Alma’s people and stirred up the Lamanites against them. ¹³ So there was a war between the Nephites and the Zoramite/Lamanite army in 74 BCE. (An account of this war will be given later.)

¹⁴ Ammon, Alma, Alma's two sons, and the rest of their group went back to Zarahemla. ¹⁵ When they arrived they found that the hearts of the people had waxed hard. ¹⁶ So Alma gathered everyone together to hear his speech.

Alma's message to Helaman

36 ¹ Here are some of the things Alma said to his son, Helaman:

⁵ God told me all these things by the mouth of his angel. ⁷ The angel’s voice was like thunder and shook the whole earth. ¹⁰ When the angel spoke, I fell down and for three days I couldn’t hear, speak, or move. ¹³ This was to punish me for murdering (or leading away to destruction) so many of God’s children. ¹⁸ Then I cried out, ‘Oh Jesus, Son of God, have mercy on me!’ and immediately my pain went away. ^22-23 Then I saw God (or thought I did) sitting on his throne with all of his angels, and I could move again. I stood up and told everyone I was born again. ^24-26 I’ve spent all my time since then preaching so that everyone can taste what I’ve tasted.”

37 ^1-5 “Here are the brass plates of Nephi, which contain the holy scriptures, the history of the Nephites, and the genealogies of our forefathers from the very beginning. Continue to write on them, as I have done, and keep them bright and shiny. Whatever you write on them will be holy scripture.

²¹ Keep the twenty-four plates that describe the mysteries of the works of darkness and the secret works of those who were killed by God, so their murders, wickedness, and abominations will be known and preserved.

²³ The Lord said, “I’ll prepare my servant Gazelem a stone that shines in the darkness that will discover the secret works of darkness, wickedness, and abominations. ²⁵ And unless my people repent, I’ll kill all of them.”

²⁹ But keep all these secret plans, oaths, and covenants from the people. Only tell them about their wickedness, murders, and abominations. ³¹ The land is forever cursed because of those workers of darkness and their secret combinations. ³² Remember not to tell anyone about the secret plans. ³³ Tell them about Jesus instead.

^38-40 And now I give you the ball (or director or Liahona or compass) of curious workmanship that God himself made, and that showed our fathers which way to travel in the wilderness but only works if you really believe in it. ⁴⁴ It will point you in the right direction just like God's compass pointed our fathers to the promised land. ⁴⁷ So take good care of all these things. Be sober. Farewell.”

Alma’s talk with Shiblon

38 ^1-2 Here’s what Alma said to his son, Shiblon: Keep God's commandments. If you don't, he'll abandon you. ^8-9 Jesus Christ is the only way to get saved. ¹³ Don't pray like the Zoramites pray. ¹⁵ Be sober. Farewell.

Alma’s talk with Corianton

39 ^1-2 Here’s what Alma said to his third son, Corianton: You haven’t behaved as well as your brother, Helaman. ³ You abandoned the ministry and went after the harlot Isabel in the land of Siron. ⁵ That’s an abomination to God. It’s the worst thing you can do after shedding innocent blood or denying the Holy Ghost – which is the unforgivable sin. ⁶ Once the Holy Ghost has been placed in you, and then you deny it, you can never be forgiven. ⁹ So don't go after the lusts of your eyes.

¹⁵ Now I want to talk about the coming of Christ. ¹⁷ You might wonder how we could know that Jesus is coming so long before it happens. ¹⁸ Well, God wants us to know that we are saved by Jesus before Jesus comes to save us. ¹⁹ Besides, isn't it just as easy for God to send an angel now as it would be later to our children or at the time of his coming?

40 ^1-2 The resurrection of the dead won’t happen until Christ comes. ⁴ No one but God knows when that will be. ⁵ There might be one, two, or three times that people come back from the dead. ⁸ It doesn't matter.

^11-12 But an angel told me this much: When righteous people die, their spirits go to a place of happy rest. ¹³ When wicked people die, the spirit of the devil enters them and they are cast into the outer darkness where they weep, wail, and gnash their teeth.

¹⁵ Some people call this the first resurrection. ¹⁹ I don’t know if the souls and the bodies of dead people are reunited all at once. ²⁰ Or if their resurrection comes at Christ’s resurrection. ²¹ Or it might be after his resurrection. ²³ But, one way or the other, the souls and bodies of dead people will be joined together some time after they die.

41 ¹ Now I have somewhat to say about the restoration. ³ The soul will be restored to the body and every part of the body will be restored to itself. ¹³ The meaning of restoration is this: bring evil for evil, carnal for carnal, and devilish for devilish. ¹⁵ What goes around comes around.

42 ¹ I perceive that you’re wondering how a good God could torment people forever after they die. ² Well, I'll explain it to you. ³ Adam became like God by knowing good and evil. And he would have lived forever if he had eaten from the tree of life. So God sent a cherub with a flaming sword to prevent him from doing that. ⁹ But the fall caused humans to have a spiritual death. ¹⁶ You can't repent unless there's a punishment. ¹⁷ And you can’t repent if you haven’t sinned? And how can your sin if there is no law? And how can there be a law unless there is a punishment? ²⁵ If mercy robbed justice, God wouldn't be God anymore. ²⁶ So God brings salvation and redemption, and also destruction and misery. ²⁸ If someone does evil, then God will do evil to them. ²⁹ So don't be troubled anymore by these things or deny the justice of God.