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Transcript

It is about 82 BC in Ammonihah, where the people deny God. They banish Alma the Younger from the city, but he is commanded by an angel to return and preach the word of God. Based on actual events as recorded in the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ.

We know that thou art Alma, the high priest over the church. We do not believe in such foolish traditions. Thou hast delivered up the judgment-seat unto Nephihah. Thou art not the chief judge over us. I have come to teach according to the holy order of God, by which I have been called. We are not of thy church. Cast him out.

Blessed art thou, Alma; therefore, lift up thy head and 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. I am sent to command thee to return to the city of Ammonihah, and preach again unto the people of the city. Say unto them, except they repent the Lord God will destroy them. For behold, they do study at this time that they may destroy the liberty of thy people.

Wilt thou give a humble servant of God something to eat?

I am Amulek. I am a Nephite, and I know that thou art a holy prophet of God. Thou art the man whom an angel said in a vision: Thou shalt receive. Come with me into my house and I will impart unto thee of my food; I know that thou wilt be a blessing unto me and my house. I give thanks to God for bringing us together. May He bless you and your house. I am Alma, and am the high priest over the church of God throughout the land. I have been called to preach the word of God among this people. Because thou hast fed me and taken me in, thou art blessed. It is an honor for us to welcome a servant of the Lord into our home. You may tarry with us for as many days as you wish.

The word of the Lord has come unto me, saying: Go; and also say unto my servant Amulek, go forth and prophesy unto these people.

I need some assistance in a dispute over some land. Where's the land? It's just outside the city. Excellent. It's within our jurisdiction. It'll be two senines.

--faith on his name.

Yea, and I will not turn my fierce anger away. Who art thou? Shall we believe the testimony of one man? Zeezrom is right. We will not believe thy words if thou shouldst prophesy that this great city should be destroyed in one day. Who is God, that sendeth no more authority than one man to declare unto us the truth of such great and marvelous things? O ye wicked and perverse generation, how soon have ye forgotten the commandments of God. Do you not remember? If this people, who have received so many blessings from the hand of the Lord, should transgress contrary to the light and knowledge which they do have, and will rebel against him, ye shall utterly be destroyed from off the face of the earth. And now, that ye may not be destroyed, we cry mightily unto this people, saying: Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is nigh at hand. 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. And now, my beloved brethren, for ye are my brethren, and ye ought to be beloved, and ye ought to bring forth works which are meet for repentance-- Cast him into prison. No. No, stop. Stop. People of Ammonihah, I am Amulek, a descendant of Nephi, who was the son of Lehi. I am a man of no small reputation among all those who know me. I was called by the Lord many times and I would not hear, but I went on rebelling against God. As I was journeying to see a very near kindred, an angel of the Lord appeared unto me and said: Amulek, return to thine own house. And I obeyed the voice of the angel, and I found the man whom the angel said to receive into my house. Behold, it was this same man who has been speaking unto you concerning the things of God. You say an angel hath made these things known unto you?

O ye wicked and perverse generation, ye lawyers and hypocrites, for ye are laying traps and snares to catch the holy ones of God. Ye are laying plans to pervert the ways of the righteous, even unto the utter destruction of this people. If it were not for the prayers of the righteous, ye would even now be visited with utter destruction. If ye will cast out the righteous from among you, then will not the Lord stay His hand; and the time is soon at hand except ye repent. This man doth revile against our laws which are just, and our wise lawyers whom we have selected. Why hath Satan got such great hold upon your hearts? Have I testified against your law? I have not. I have spoken in favor of your law, to your condemnation. The foundation of the destruction of this people is beginning to be laid by the unrighteousness of your lawyers and judges. Now we know 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 he has not spoken against it. Will ye answer me a few questions which I shall ask you? Yea, if it be according to the Spirit of the Lord, which is in me; for I shall say nothing which is contrary to the Spirit of the Lord. Behold, here are six onties of silver, and all these will I give thee if thou will deny the existence of a Supreme Being. O thou child of hell, why tempt ye me? Knowest thou that the righteous yield 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. Thou hast lied before God unto me. Thou saidst--I will give unto thee six onties--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 might have cause to destroy me. Thou sayest there is a true and living God? Yea, there is a true and living God. Is there more than one God? No. How knowest thou these things? An angel hath made them known unto me. Who is he that shall come? Is it the Son of God? Yea. Shall He save His people in their sins? He shall not, for it is impossible for Him to deny His word. See that ye remember these things; for he said there is but one God; yet he saith that the Son of God shall come, but He shall not save His people--as though he had authority to command God. Behold, thou hast lied. And I say unto thee again that He cannot save them in their sins; for I cannot deny His word.

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. The Son of God 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. Therefore the wicked remain as though there had been no redemption made, except it be the loosing of the bands of death; for behold, the day cometh that all shall rise from the dead and stand before God, and be judged according to their works.

The death of Christ shall loose the bands of death, that all should be raised from death.

The spirit and the body shall be reunited again in its perfect form; both limb and joint shall be restored to its proper frame, even as we now are at this time; and we shall be brought to stand before God, knowing even as we know now, and have a bright recollection of all our guilt. This restoration shall come to all, both old and young, both bond and free, both male and female, both the wicked and the righteous; and even there shall not so much as a hair of their heads be lost; but everything shall be restored to its perfect frame. And they shall be brought before the bar of Christ the Son, and God the Father, and the Holy Spirit, which is one Eternal God, to be judged according to their works, whether they be good or whether they be evil. This mortal body is raised to an immortal body, that is from death, even from the first death unto life, that they can die no more; their spirits uniting with their bodies, never to be divided; thus the whole becoming spiritual and immortal, that they can no more see corruption.

Zeezrom, thou hast not lied unto men only but thou hast lied unto God. He knows all thy thoughts, and they are made known unto us by His Spirit.

We know that thy plan was to deceive this people that thou might set them against us, to revile us and to cast us out. Now, what I say unto you I say unto all. This was a snare of the adversary, that he might bring you into subjection unto him, that he might encircle you with his chains to everlasting destruction.

What does this mean, that all men shall rise from the dead to stand before God to be judged according to their works? It is given unto many to know the mysteries of God, according to the heed and diligence which they give unto Him. But if they have hardened their hearts, to them is given the lesser portion of the word until they know nothing concerning His mysteries; and then they are taken captive by the devil, and led by his will down to destruction. Now this is what is meant by the chains of hell.

And 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. There was a space granted unto man in which he might repent, and this life became a probationary state; a time to prepare to meet God; a time to prepare for that endless state which has been spoken of by us, which is after the resurrection of the dead. Now, if it had not been for the plan of redemption, which was laid from the foundation of the world, there could have been no resurrection of the dead; but there was a plan of redemption laid, which shall bring to pass the resurrection, of which has been spoken.

God gave unto men commandments, after having made known unto them the plan of redemption, that they should not do evil. He has said: If ye will repent, and harden not your hearts, then will I have mercy upon you, through mine Only Begotten Son; therefore, whosoever repenteth, and hardeneth not his heart, he shall have claim upon mercy through mine Only Begotten Son, unto a remission of his sins; and these shall enter into my rest. I would that ye would humble yourselves before God, and bring forth fruit meet for repentance, that ye may also enter into that rest. Now is the time to repent, for the day of salvation draweth nigh. And I wish from the inmost part of my heart that ye would hearken unto my words, and cast off your sins, and not procrastinate the day of your repentance; but that ye would humble yourselves before the Lord, and call on His holy name, and watch and pray continually, that ye may not be tempted above that which ye can bear, and thus be led by His Holy Spirit, becoming humble, meek, submissive, patient, full of love and all longsuffering; having faith on the Lord; having a hope that ye shall receive eternal life; having the love of God always in your hearts, that ye may be lifted up at the last day and enter into His rest. You speak of repentance. What shall we do? Enough! Why should we listen to these men? Amulek has lied to us. These men have reviled against our law-- Yes. --and also against our lawyers and judges. They have reviled all the people that are in this land.

Wait! Stop! I am guilty. These men are spotless before God.

Do you believe the words of this so-called prophet?

Away with them-- No! Burn the believers. [INAUDIBLE] No! No! No!

You dare challenge my authority? I am guilty, and these men are spotless before God. These men are blasphemers. Away with them--take these men away. Take them out of my court.

[INAUDIBLE]

Cast them in.

How can we witness this awful scene? Let us stretch forth our hands, and exercise the power of God which is in us, and save them from the flames.

The Spirit constraineth me that I must not stretch forth mine hand. The Lord receiveth them up unto Himself, in glory. He doth suffer that they may do this. The judgments which He shall exercise upon them in His wrath will be just.

Perhaps they will burn us also.

Be it according to the will of the Lord. But, behold, our work is not finished; therefore they burn us not.

After what ye have seen, will ye preach again unto this people?

Ye see that ye had not power to save those who had been cast into the fire; neither has God saved them because they were of thy faith. What say ye for yourselves?

Cast them into prison.

Will ye stand again and judge this people, and condemn our law?

If ye have the power of God deliver yourselves from these bands, and then we will believe that the Lord will destroy this people according to your words.

How long shall we suffer these great afflictions, O Lord?

O Lord, give us strength according to our faith which is in Christ, even unto deliverance.

I thought you had been slain because of my iniquity. Forgive me.

Heal me. Believest thou in the power of Christ unto salvation? Yea, I believe all the words that thou hast taught. If thou believest in the redemption of Christ thou canst be healed. I--

O Lord our God, have mercy on this man, and heal him according to his faith which is in Christ.

Zeezrom, I baptize thee, having authority from the Almighty God.

Alma and Amulek Are Delivered by the Power of God | Alma 8–15

Description
Alma the Younger and Amulek preach in Ammonihah and are put into prison. God causes the prison walls to tumble to the ground and they escape.
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