#39 June 8 – June 14, Alma 8-12

June 13, 2020

#39 June 8 – June 14, Alma 8-12

An apology

            I have an apology to make to those of you who faithfully read what I write about the Book of Mormon each week. I’m sorry that I write so much. I just can’t help it. There is so much in these pages and so much that I want to share. But I have come to realize that, as in many things in life, “less is more.” So I am determined to write less hoping that more people will take time to read and that you will be inspired to learn more in your own search for understanding of this inspired book of scripture. So this blog post/email and those in the future will be measurably shorter than those in the past. I’ve set myself a word limit and will try to stay within that limit. Thanks so much for reading! I’m honored that anyone would take time to read anything I write.

Alma Chapter 8

Rejection in Ammonihah

            After his success in the land of Gideon, Alma returns home to Zarahemla for a little “R & R.” He’s got at least three sons and maybe other children there who need to see their dad. But prophets don’t rest for long. Shortly after being sustained in General Conference as the 17^th president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in April 2018, 93-year-old President Russell M. Nelson took off on an eight-country round-the-world ministering tour. He said, Whenever I'm comfortably situated in my home, I'm in the wrong place ,I need to be where the people are. (https://www.deseret.com/2018/4/12/20643531/the-lord-s-message-is-for-everyone-president-nelson-talks-about-global-tour) That’s what prophets do!

            So Alma doesn’t stay at home for long. This time he heads west from Zarahemla. Here is the link to the relational map created by BYU, if you want to follow his travels. You might find it helpful. https://bom.byu.edu/download-bom-maps-in-hd/

            Traveling west, he goes to the land of Melek and has good success there. The people came to him throughout all the borders of the land which was by the wilderness side. And they were baptized throughout all the land; (8:5)

Mormon doesn’t spend much time writing about Melek because there are more important lessons for us to learn from Alma’s visit to Ammonihah. And the work in Melek was probably similar to Alma’s efforts in Gideon, which were described in chapter 7. When he had finished his work at Melek he departed thence, and traveled three days’ journey on the north of the land of Melek; and he came to a city which was called Ammonihah. (8:6) Interesting, three days’ journey! How often in the scriptures do we read of three days (and three nights)? Three is an important, even holy number. We find it lots of times and in lots of places.

But it’s another story in Ammonihah. Satan had gotten great hold upon the hearts of the people of the city of Ammonihah; therefore they would not hearken unto the words of Alma. (8:9) Not easily discouraged, Alma labored much in the spirit, wrestling with God in mighty prayer, that he would pour out his Spirit upon the people who were in the city; that he would also grant that he might baptize them unto repentance. (8:10) This is a scripture with which everyone who has served a full-time proselyting mission for the Church can relate. We’ve all been there, to one degree or another.

The Book of Mormon video for Alma chapters 8-15 begins with Alma’s being cast out of Ammonihah, rejected and spit upon. They withstood all his words, and reviled him, and spit upon him, and caused that he should be cast out of their city, (8:13) The video is powerful! Here is the link. I hope you’ll take time to watch it for both this week’s and next week’s CFM lesson. https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/video/alma-8-15/2020-03-0500-alma-and-amulek-are-delivered-by-the-power-of-god-alma-8-15-1080p

Have you ever been spit upon? It is about the most degrading, humiliating thing that can happen to a person. It has only happened to me once and I wasn’t personally spit upon but my car was and I was in it. While driving to work one morning, a jogger was incensed that I pulled a little too far into his path at a neighborhood intersection so he looked me in the eye and spit on the hood of my car as he ran around the front of car. I was at the same time humiliated, hurt and angry. I can’t imagine what it was like for Alma (or, for that matter, for the Savior in Jerusalem) to be personally spit upon by the people of Ammonihah. This is not the last time the people of Ammonihah will spit upon Alma. We’ll talk about that next week. (Alma 14:21)

Visit from an angel

            Dejected and being weighed down with sorrow, wading through much tribulation and anguish of soul, because of the wickedness of the people who were in the city of Ammonihah (8:14), Alma journeys toward the city of Aaron. But as he goes, an angel of the Lord appeared unto him, saying: Blessed art thou, Alma; therefore, lift up thy head and rejoice, for thou hast great cause to rejoice; for thou hast been faithful in keeping the commandments of God from the time which thou receivedst thy first message from him. Behold, I am he that delivered it unto you. (8:14-15)

            Remarkable! The same angelic messenger (Abinadi?) who stopped him in his tracks more than 10 years earlier, is sent again to Alma to comfort, encourage and redirect him. What a wonderful tender mercy from the Lord! The angel tells Alma to return to Ammonihah and deliver the message to them, except they repent the Lord God will destroy them. (8:16)

            In their YouTube broadcast (and podcast) for this week (always very good!), Tyler Griffin and Taylor Halverson contrast the emotional/spiritual states of Alma between the first and second visits of this angel and the difference in the messages to Alma. Here is the YouTube link: https://youtu.be/2NNFa9pI6cc

            True to form, Alma returned speedily to the land of Ammonihah. And he entered the city by another way, yea, by the way which is on the south of the city of Ammonihah. (8:18)

Amulek and his family

            The next tender mercy for Alma is that the Lord sends Amulek to him as a friend, a brother and a missionary companion. Amulek has also seen an angel (The same messenger? We don’t know.), so when Alma says to him, Will ye give to an humble servant of God something to eat? (8:19), Amulek is ready to respond. I am a Nephite, and I know that thou art a holy prophet of God, for thou art the man whom an angel said in a vision: Thou shalt receive. Therefore, go with me into my house and I will impart unto thee of my food; and I know that thou wilt be a blessing unto me and my house. (8:20)

            Amulek takes Alma to his home, feeds him and introduces him to his family. Alma teaches them the gospel and blesses his whole household. There is a touching visual in the Book of Mormon video this week showing the family of Amulek kneeling with Alma around a table in family prayer. I have uploaded that to the Boyer Family Book of Mormon Study Class Facebook page. We’ll talk more about Amulek’s family next week. It is a tragic story! The video of Alma interacting with Amulek’s wife and children is even more poignant knowing what is coming for them.

            In their excellent Doctrinal Commentary on the Book of Mormon, Millet and McConkie make the following interesting observation:

            It is indeed a privilege to house and care for the servants of the Lord. Their presence and personal power proves an unspeakable blessing to the home in which they reside temporarily. Mormon’s account indicates that “Alma tarried many days with Amulek before he began to preach unto the people” (verse 27). One can but imagine what a remarkable experience it must have been to be tutored and prepared by Alma and by angels (see Alma 10:10). Amulek’s home, during this brief season, would have served as a most unusual missionary training center.

Alma Chapters 9 - 14

            The next six chapters, Alma 9-14, tell of the missionary efforts of Alma and Amulek in Ammonihah. Mormon provides this account according to the record of Alma, artfully shifting between quoting Alma and Amulek in the first person and giving third person narrative. These chapters are beautifully written. And the critics think Joseph Smith just made this up on the fly translating at a rate of nearly 10 pages/day. No way! These are powerful chapters filled with wonderful doctrine. There is much more here than we can discuss in this blog. The chapters are divided between this week’s and next week’s reading. I hope you’ll take time to thoughtfully read and ponder them. I’ll point out a few things that I think might be helpful, but we’ll barely scratch the surface.

Alma Chapter 9

The message of Alma

            The people of Ammonihah are converts to the gospel of Nehor, whose author is Satan himself. (See Alma 1:2-16) They do not believe in the need for a Savior and believe that everyone will be saved in the end. They also believe in priestcraft, that their priests, who tell them the things they want to hear, should be paid for preaching and wear costly apparel. They are in a state of serious apostasy. Alma and Amulek are commanded of God (9:1) to preach to them.

            Alma begins to speak first and is immediately rejected. In response, the people say some really foolish things to Alma, an ordained servant of the Lord and high priest of the Church. Saying these things to Alma is actually saying them to the Lord, whose servant he is. We will not believe thy words if thou shouldst prophesy that this great city should be destroyed in one day. (9:4) That’s like daring God to destroy their city in one day! Not a good thing to do! In fulfillment of their “dare”, their city is, in fact, destroyed in one day. (see Alma 16) It will not be a pretty sight!

After many days their dead bodies were heaped up upon the face of the earth, and they were covered with a shallow covering. And now so great was the scent thereof that the people did not go in to possess the land of Ammonihah for many years. And it was called Desolation of Nehors; for they were of the profession of Nehor, who were slain; and their lands remained desolate. (16:11) Never dare God!

In the same spirit, they ask, Who is God, that sendeth no more authority than one man among this people, to declare unto them the truth of such great and marvelous things? (9:6) They’ve got a point there. Do not the scriptures say, at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established (Deuteronomy 19:15)? But Alma is no longer a lone witness; Amulek is his companion and will bear his witness in the next chapter. Now there are two witnesses, sufficient to convict the wicked people of Ammonihah.

Alma proceeds to accuse and then exhort these apostate Nehorites. I stood with boldness to declare unto them, yea, I did boldly testify unto them, saying: Behold, O ye wicked and perverse generation, how have ye forgotten the tradition of your fathers; yea, how soon ye have forgotten the commandments of God. (9:7-8) He calls on them to remember the ways the Lord has delivered their fathers and the promises He has made.

Isn’t it interesting that, when Alma was first stopped by the angel when he was in apostasy, the angel admonished him to remember the captivity of thy fathers in the land of Helam, and in the land of Nephi; and remember how great things he has done for them; for they were in bondage, and he has delivered them (Mosiah 27:16)? Remembering seems to be good medicine for apostasy. Now guided by the Spirit, Alma’s message to the apostate people of Ammonihah is the same – remember!

The angel’s prophecy of the coming of Christ

Alma goes on to quote from an angel prophesying of the coming of Christ. We don’t have a specific account of the visit(s) of that angel, but Amulek will refer to him, as well (see Alma 10:20). It appears that an angel was one of the instructors in the “most unusual missionary training center” referred to above.

Quoting the angel, Alma says:

Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is nigh at hand;

And not many days hence the Son of God shall come in his glory; and his glory shall be the glory of the Only Begotten of the Father, full of grace, equity, and truth, full of patience, mercy, and long-suffering, quick to hear the cries of his people and to answer their prayers.

And behold, he cometh to redeem those who will be baptized unto repentance, through faith on his name.

Therefore, prepare ye the way of the Lord, (9:25-28)

This prophecy is a direct affront to the doctrine of Nehor that there will be no Christ because there is no need for a Savior. The people of Ammonihah are not pleased with Alma. They try to throw him into prison (Later, they will.), but the Lord did not suffer them that they should take me at that time. (9:33) He is the Lord’s servant on the Lord’s errand. Like Abinadi, they will not be able to take him until he has delivered his message.

Alma Chapter 10

The witness of Amulek

            Alma hands the microphone to his junior missionary companion Amulek who now addresses the people of Ammonihah. Amulek begins by introducing himself and giving some of his background, including reference to a miraculous event when the finger of God wrote on the temple wall. We have no further information on that event. It must be in the large plates of Nephi. Amulek is also the source of the fact that Lehi descended from Manasseh, the elder son of Joseph, son of Jacob (Israel). (10:3) Amulek is a pure-blood Nephite, but that won’t save him any more than being a 5^th or 6^th generation member of this Church will save you or me, if we leave the covenant path. He is also well-known among the people and successful financially. By worldly standards, Amulek is a prestigious, important man in Ammonihah.

            But he makes this honest confession, I never have known much of the ways of the Lord, and his mysteries and marvelous power. I said I never had known much of these things; but behold, I mistake, for I have seen much of his mysteries and his marvelous power; yea, even in the preservation of the lives of this people.

Nevertheless, I did harden my heart, for I was called many times and I would not hear; therefore I knew concerning these things, yet I would not know; therefore I went on rebelling against God, in the wickedness of my heart, even until the fourth day of this seventh month, which is in the tenth year of the reign of the judges.

As I was journeying to see a very near kindred, behold an angel of the Lord appeared unto me and said: Amulek, return to thine own house, for thou shalt feed a prophet of the Lord; yea, a holy man, who is a chosen man of God; for he has fasted many days because of the sins of this people, and he is an hungered, and thou shalt receive him into thy house and feed him, and he shall bless thee and thy house; and the blessing of the Lord shall rest upon thee and thy house., (10:5-7)

Notice the date this happened (with apologies to our good friends in the UK). My good friend, Troy Neerings, a faithful reader of this blog and a brother who loves the Book of Mormon, wrote in an email to me:

 Until the fourth day of this seventh month... This was the day the Angel appeared to Amulek and gave him an assignment, and the day he began to obey the Lord. Wasn’t this truly independence from sin and rebellion? A new direction for Amulek? I don’t exactly know what the Nephite months were, but 7/4 is July 4^th (Independence Day) to me!

In a follow up email, he wrote:

Yesterday I was speaking ( FaceTiming ) with Jeremy- he was transferred to West Virginia from Mexico recently because of COVID-19.

I was excited to share my insight of Alma 10:6 with him- then he told me - “Dad, we have two investigators committed to baptism for July 4, because it will become their new Independence Day. I will share this Alma 10:6 with them...”

Suddenly, I felt like the insight with Alma had a greater meaning than just interesting and fun, but a way to help and bless these faithful investigators who are discovering the restored gospel. And I felt that a loving Heavenly Father is aware of them, each one of them, and is pleased with their decision to be baptized into His church. 

Thanks, Troy!

Caught up in the “cares of the world”, Amulek, like too many of us, was not as sensitive to the promptings and impressions of the Spirit upon him as he should have been. It’s easy to relate to Amulek. Most of us will never be an Alma or a Nephi, but many of us are a lot like Amulek. We too often get caught up in the “thick of thin things.” It’s easy to do with all of the pressures of life. It’s interesting how many people are finding that an unexpected benefit of the social distancing and slower pace of life during this pandemic is that we have more time for some of the important things in life that had gotten lost in the phrenetic pace of our pre-COVID world. Lori and I often ask in our prayers that our Father in Heaven will help us learn the lessons He intends for us to learn from this pandemic and all of its ramifications.

Elder Uchtdorf, while serving in the First Presidency, spoke of Amulek in a talk to the men and young men in the Priesthood Meeting of General Conference in October 2016. He asked, How am I like Amulek? Perhaps you have, over the years, become less committed in your discipleship. Perhaps the fire of your testimony has dimmed. Perhaps you have distanced yourself from the body of Christ. Perhaps you have become disillusioned or even angry. …

Nevertheless, the Lord sees in you what He saw in Amulek—the potential of a valiant servant with an important work to do and with a testimony to share. There is service that no one else can give in quite the same way. The Lord has trusted you with His holy priesthood, which holds the divine potential to bless and lift others. Listen with your heart and follow the promptings of the Spirit. https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/2016/11/general-priesthood-session/learn-from-alma-and-amulek

We can all, brothers and sisters, learn from Amulek! He is one of my heroes! Not the Amulek who “would not hear”, but the Amulek whose heart was changed by the visit of an angel, the Amulek who becomes a powerful witness of Christ and a devoted missionary and teacher for the remainder of his life.

            Amulek’s second witness has a powerful effect on the people! The people began to be astonished, seeing there was more than one witness who testified of the things whereof they were accused, and also of the things which were to come, according to the spirit of prophecy which was in them. (10:12) There may have been some of the people who were humbled and became teachable at that time. But not the lawyers!

The lawyers attempt to trap Amulek

            In response to his witness, the lawyers began to question Amulek, that thereby they might make him cross his words, or contradict the words which he should speak. (10:16) Even though the lawyers were learned in all the arts and cunning of the people (10:15), Amulek has an advantage on them, he could know of their designs and perceive their thoughts. He says to them, O ye wicked and perverse generation, ye lawyers and hypocrites, for ye are laying the foundations of the devil; for ye are laying traps and snares to catch the holy ones of God. (10:17) Amulek proceeds to call them to repentance and warn them that if the time should come that the voice of this people should choose iniquity, that is, if the time should come that this people should fall into transgression, they would be ripe for destruction. (10:19) By the way, the same goes for us today, whether in the USA or UK. We, too, will be ripe for destruction if/when the majority of the people of the United States or of the United Kingdom choose wickedness. It appears that we are getting close to that time.

            However, the prayers of the righteous can save a people, at least temporarily. It is by the prayers of the righteous that ye are spared; now therefore, if ye will cast out the righteous from among you then will not the Lord stay his hand; but in his fierce anger he will come out against you; then ye shall be smitten by famine, and by pestilence, and by the sword; and the time is soon at hand except ye repent. (10:23) We, those who are trying to be righteous, can “stay the hand of the Lord” by our prayers, by our quiet righteous living and by our temple service (when the temples open again.) The temples will save the lands in which we live, at least, until the end. The temples are built to withstand the destruction that will occur at the end of the world and to stand through the Millennium. We need to build lives and homes that will do the same.

            Amulek goes back and forth with the people, particularly with the lawyers. He warns the people, the foundation of the destruction of this people is beginning to be laid by the unrighteousness of your lawyers and your judges. (10:27) The people don’t want to hear that. They cried out against him, saying: Now we know that this man is a child of the devil, for he hath lied unto us; for he hath spoken against our law. And now he says that he has not spoken against it. (10:28)

            Enter Zeezrom, one of the lawyers. He was the foremost to accuse Amulek and Alma, he being one of the most expert among them, having much business to do among the people. (10:31)

Chapter 11

Nephite system of weights and measures

            Mormon takes a 20-verse diversion to describe the Nephite system of weights and measures. There is a lot I could write about these verses but I’ll be brief. The Nephite system was apparently inaugurated at the time of Mosiah II to systematize the payment of the judges for their time. The most obvious reason that this parenthetical information is included here is so the modern reader will have some context for the size of the bribe that Zeezrom will offer Amulek to deny the existence of God.

As I read the verses, it looks to me like the units of greater value are on a base 7 system, i.e.

1 senine of gold = 1 measure of barley = 1 day’s work

1 seon of gold = 2 senines of gold

1 shun of gold = 2 seons of gold

1 limnah of gold = the value of them all = 1 + 2 + 4 = 7

A similar relationship exists between a senum, an amnor, an ezrom and an onti of silver. An onti is the sum of them all = 7 senums.

A system based on the number 7 is a septenary system. Seven is a holy number. It is the number of days in the week of creation and signifies completeness, wholeness and perfection.

Zeezrom’s bribe

            Zeezrom says to Amulek, Behold, here are six onties of silver, and all these will I give thee if thou wilt deny the existence of a Supreme Being. (11:22) He is offering Amulek the equivalent of 42 days labor, i.e. 7 weeks of labor (assuming a sabbath day of no labor each week). Maybe it is just a coincidence, but, just as the number 7 is a holy number, the number 6 is an evil, unholy number. It signifies imperfection, incompleteness, lack of wholeness, a counterfeit. For instance, the number 666 in Revelation 13:18 signifies the beast. Perhaps it is no accident that Zeezrom, acting for his master, who is signified by the number 666, offers Amulek 6 onties of silver to deny the existence of a Supreme Being.

            Amulek by the power of discernment, which is a gift of the Spirit, sees right through Zeezrom and calls his bluff in language that is pretty strong!

            O thou child of hell, why tempt ye me? Knowest thou that the righteous yieldeth to no such temptations?

Believest thou that there is no God? I say unto you, Nay, thou knowest that there is a God, but thou lovest that lucre more than him.

And now thou hast lied before God unto me. Thou saidst unto me—Behold these six onties, which are of great worth, I will give unto thee—when thou hadst it in thy heart to retain them from me; and it was only thy desire that I should deny the true and living God, that thou mightest have cause to destroy me. And now behold, for this great evil thou shalt have thy reward. (11:23-25)

Foiled in this trap, Zeezrom tries another nefarious tact. As a lawyer, he is an expert at catching people in their words. He goes through a series of questions to Amulek about “the true and living God” trying to get Amulek to cross himself. He thinks that he has caught Amulek when he says that God will not save people in their sins. Amulek’s inspired retort is powerful!

Behold thou hast lied, for thou sayest that I spake as though I had authority to command God because I said he shall not save his people in their sins.

And I say unto you again that he cannot save them in their sins; for I cannot deny his word, and he hath said that no unclean thing can inherit the kingdom of heaven; therefore, how can ye be saved, except ye inherit the kingdom of heaven? Therefore, ye cannot be saved in your sins. (11:37) This hits Zeezrom straight on. He is in his sins and therefore cannot be saved (unless he repents.)

Zeezrom has met his match and he knows it. His heart is softening. He asks one more question. It’s hard to tell if it was asked sincerely or if he was still trying to trip up Amulek. But just like the priest of king Noah who asked an “inspired” question of Abinadi (Mosiah 12:20-24), Zeezrom now asks an “inspired” question, Is the Son of God the very Eternal Father? (12:38) This question, whether he intended it to do so or not, gives Amulek the opportunity to bear powerful testimony of the Savior, of His redemptive mission, of His resurrection, restoration and redemption. The next verses (39-45) are some of the most eloquent and insightful in all scripture regarding the mission of the Savior. He shall come into the world to redeem his people; and he shall take upon him the transgressions of those who believe on his name; and these are they that shall have eternal life, and salvation cometh to none else. (11:40)

Where did Amulek, a reformed “less active” member get this information and powerful testimony? I presume it was from Alma, his mentor, while being taught by him. It may also have come from the angel who taught him (see Alma 10:10) and, probably most importantly, he learned these things the same way that Alma came to learn that these things are true – by study, fasting and prayer. (See Alma 5:46) That’s the way we will come to know these saving truths for ourselves. There is no shortcut. There is no other way.

Zeezrom, caught in his wicked guile, begins to tremble. Amulek, having delivered his message and borne his powerful testimony, gives the microphone back to Alma.

Alma chapter 12

Alma instructs Zeezrom

            Now Alma, seeing that the words of Amulek had silenced Zeezrom, for he beheld that Amulek had caught him in his lying and deceiving to destroy him, and seeing that he began to tremble under a consciousness of his guilt, he opened his mouth and began to speak unto him, and to establish the words of Amulek, and to explain things beyond, or to unfold the scriptures beyond that which Amulek had done. (12:1)

            Notice the verbs in this sentence. What does Alma do? He “opens his mouth”, he “speaks”, he “establishes the words”, he “explains things” and he “unfolds the scriptures.” These are the things that teachers and prophets do. Alma is a consummate example of both!

            Alma reveals to Zeezrom that he hast not lied unto men only but thou hast lied unto God; for behold, he knows all thy thoughts, and thou seest that thy thoughts are made known unto us by his Spirit; (12:3) Zeezrom, caught in his subtle plan, … a plan of thine adversary, and he hath exercised his power in thee. (12:4-5)

            Convinced that Alma and Amulek had a knowledge of him (12:7), Zeezrom begins to inquire of them diligently, that he might know more concerning the kingdom of God. (12:8) He asks about Amulek’s words about the resurrection and about judgment. Zeezrom has become teachable. His heart is softened and he is in a position to learn and be taught by these prophets and by the Spirit. Alma tells him that such truths are mysteries to those who harden their hearts, but he that will not harden his heart, to him is given the greater portion of the word, until it is given unto him to know the mysteries of God until he know them in full. (12:10)

The message is the same for us as it is to Zeezrom and to any honest seeker of truth. We must open our hearts if we want to learn the truths of eternity. Otherwise, they remain “mysteries” to us. As Elder Neal A. Maxwell said, To those who have eyes to see and ears to hear, it is clear that the Father and the Son are giving away the secrets of the universe!  “Meek and Lowly” (Brigham Young University devotional, Oct. 21, 1986).

Alma will now proceed to share some great truths with Amulek. Speaking of the judgment, he says,

If our hearts have been hardened, yea, if we have hardened our hearts against the word, insomuch that it has not been found in us, then will our state be awful, for then we shall be condemned.

For our words will condemn us, yea, all our works will condemn us; we shall not be found spotless; and our thoughts will also condemn us; and in this awful state we shall not dare to look up to our God; and we would fain be glad if we could command the rocks and the mountains to fall upon us to hide us from his presence. (12:13-14)

Alma knows what it’s like to want to have the rocks fall on him for his wickedness. Notice that he warns Zeezrom (and us) that we will not only be judged for our works and our words but also for our thoughts. That is the higher law which Christ taught in the Sermon on the Mount and in the Sermon at the Temple. As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he, (Proverbs 23:7.)

            Soon the people began to be more astonished. (12:19) The circle of those who are beginning to believe is expanding. Zeezrom is now in the circle. But the chief ruler of the people of Ammonihah, one Antionah, an apostate anti-Christ, is not convinced. Either he was inspired by the Spirit (and didn’t know it) or, more likely, he is trying to trap Alma, but he asks two inspired questions. What is this that thou hast said, that man should rise from the dead and be changed from this mortal to an immortal state, that the soul can never die? What does the scripture mean, which saith that God placed cherubim and a flaming sword on the east of the garden of Eden, lest our first parents should enter and partake of the fruit of the tree of life, and live forever? (12:20-21)

            Where is this wicked man coming from? These are temple questions! They must have had temple worship and elements of that which we learn in the temple today. He must have been once enlightened and, just like former enlightened members of our Church, when they leave the covenant path, use what was once precious to them to try and confuse or deceive others, is trying to trap Alma.

            In his notes for this week, Brother John Welch deals extensively with these questions and Alma’s response in a temple context (as much as can be said outside the temple.) I’ll let you read of yourself, if you are interested. Here is the link: https://archive.bookofmormoncentral.org/sites/default/files/archive-files/pdf/welch/2020-06-05/alma_8-12_formatted.pdf

            There are wonderful truths taught in the remainder of this chapter. I encourage you to read these verses carefully. If you have been endowed in the temple, read them in a temple context.

            Just one more point for me to make, Alma says, God gave unto them commandments, after having made known unto them the plan of redemption, (12:32) Notice the proper order of teaching – teach the truths of the plan of redemption (the gospel plan), then teach the commandments and people (including our teenage children and those learning about the gospel for the first time) will understand and more likely want to obey.

            It’s time for me to stop. I promised to make this blog entry/email shorter than previous entries and I am over the word limit I set for myself. So, I’ll stop here. There is much in these chapters, especially Alma 12 to study and from which to learn. The division between chapters 12 and 13 is an artificial division created in the pagination and chapter organization of the Book of Mormon in its printing. There is no break in the message of Alma at this point, so we’ll pick it up next week in Chapter 13, another profound chapter, where we have left off this week in Chapter 12.

            Thank you so much for reading! I hope my comments and insights have added to your understanding and appreciation for Alma and Amulek and their remarkable ministry. I hope that learning about Zeezrom has inspired you to have an open heart in your search for truth. We are so blessed to have the Book of Mormon in our time to counteract the lies and deception of the Adversary! God be thanked for this inspired book of scripture. Lord bless you all!

Richard