The Holy Order of God
READ Alma 13:1
Why “cite your minds forward” to
the time when the Father gave (past tense) these commandments?
He is referring to Christ’s mortal ministry, still 100 years in
the future.
But all things are before God’s face, so it has already happened
or perhaps more accurately “presently” happening.
Did the Lord God (Ahman, the
Father) ordain the priests and if so, what does this mean?
Yes.
It means that the priesthood authority and power they were given
can only be given by God directly to man, otherwise the economy of heaven would
have required another man to perform the ordination.
After what “holy order” are these
priests ordained by God Himself?
The Holy Order of the Son of God (see JST Genesis 14:25-36).
Not the “Melchizedek or Aaronic priesthoods” as the Church now
calls them – otherwise there would be no need for the Father to directly ordain
them.
What “things” are these ordained
priests to teach unto the people?
How to enter into the rest of the Lord or the fullness of His
glory (remember that the original Book of Mormon transcript had no punctuation,
verses or chapters – these were added later) – this is a continuation of the
last chapter.
READ Alma 13:2
Christ clearly held this
priesthood power during His mortal ministry, so how was Christ ordained?
He refused to say (see Matthew 21:23-27).
But He was not sustained by a congregation, did not have hands
laid on Him by another man, did not have a certificate of priestly authority
and was not part of the established priestly hierarchy.
All we know is that Christ showed He held priesthood authority by
His demonstration of power and the Spirit which accompanied His message, which
was not as the scribes (see Matthew 7:29), who had the mortal priestly lines of
authority.
What is the manner in which
people are ordained to this Holy Order of Priesthood and why?
They are ordained in a manner that will let people know (or
understand) how to look forward to His Son for redemption.
They are ordained in a manner that will help people recognize how
Christ will redeem them…He will bring them back through the veil into His
presence to redeem them (see Ether 3:13) and they will be ordained this same
way – the Father will bring them back through the veil to be ordained to this
Holy Order.
They are ordained in a manner that will help people recognize
Christ when He comes…those that receive this priesthood Order lack the worldly
credentials, sustaining, mortal laying on of hands, or certificate of authority
- they are from unlikely places and sources, so that people can know how to
recognize the Lord, who also came (and comes) to them this way – the son of a
poor carpenter from backwater Galilee.
They are ordained by God Himself as Christ was; they have
authority directly from God and are “not as the scribes” with their lines of
authority dating back generations but devoid of the fruits or gifts of the
Spirit.
At the time of their ordination at God’s hand they are given power
and words which testify directly of Christ and His ability to redeem others –
and to help those others to rend the veil and know the Lord for themselves and
be redeemed.
READ Alma 13:3
When were these people called to
and prepared for this Holy Order and what is implied?
From the foundation of the world – before this world was even
organized.
No person has this authority here in mortality unless it was first
obtained there – this authority reaches through the veil and across “time”.
They bring this priesthood authority with them and it only
requires the voice of God to activate it while the person is mortal (see JST
Genesis 14:26-29), which is why Joseph Smith was able to stand in the presence
of God years before John the Baptist or others came to confer other (lesser)
forms of priesthood.
Why were certain people called to
this Holy Order?
Because of the foreknowledge of God.
Based on their exceeding faith and good works, which God observed.
His foreknowledge is not based on conjecture and hope but proof
and knowledge, based on what these souls accomplished previously – God is “not
asking soft lead to do what only hard iron can do” and He has seen them act as
“iron” in other situations – in a “first place”.
When did they have opportunity to
demonstrate this faith and good works before the foundation of the world?
In a “first place” they had been “left” to choose between good and
evil.
A “first place” implies not here on this earth and not in heaven
(see the implication of the word “left”); this testing happened long ago in a
prior eternity, before the foundation of this world, on some other rung of the
ladder of progression, on some other world where they were previously proven.
“Left” implying they were
not in God’s presence, which makes sense as the level of faith in God required
of one is much greater if the God of Heaven is not standing before you in
Heaven.
These are those of whom Joseph Smith said, “sons of God who
exalted themselves to be gods before the world was made” (see TPJS 423:2).
These are the “souls” that Abraham was shown that were “noble and
great” before the foundation of this world that were chosen to “go down” and
make an earth whereon others might be proved (see Abraham 3:22-26); a “soul”
consisting of a spirit and body together.
What does it mean that these
people had been through a “preparatory redemption” already?
They have already been the beneficiaries of a redemption given to
them in that “first place” or prior eternity, before the foundation of THIS
world.
They had to be redeemed there - reclaimed from death and hell on
that prior world - so they could be saved from that world (unless they were
perfect, which they weren’t); this “preparatory redemption” enabled them to come
back for another ministry, this time on this world, the Earth.
This scripture seems to point to the idea of multiple mortal
probations; that to progress from “grace to grace” we need more than one
opportunity outside the presence of God to choose between good and evil and
gain more light – a fullness of light; and that souls can choose to lay down a
resurrected body from a redemption they previously received, preparatory to
this mortality, to both assist those who do not have the amount of light they
have accumulated through obedience to eternal law to gain more, and to increase
their own amount of light until they receive the fullness, in the same way that
Christ Himself did, as He is our example (see D&C 93:12-14). Does this opportunity to lay aside a
resurrected body of light end when one has “attained to the resurrection of the
dead” themselves, as Christ did on this earth and the Father had on a prior
world in a distant eternity?
READ Alma 13:4-6
How did others miss out on the
privilege of holding the Priesthood After the Holy Order in this life?
They rejected the Spirit of God because of the hardness of their
hearts and blindness of their minds in “the first place”.
They continue along, worlds without end to all eternity, never
rising up to lay claim on the same privilege that they were also entitled to.
What is implied by the fact that
they were on the same standing as their brethren while in that first place?
Everyone began their progress from the same starting point of
intelligence or light or righteousness.
Those who eventually attained to the Holy Order didn’t have some
inherent advantage (more intelligence or light, etc.) that the others didn’t
have at the beginning.
But they exceled and gained light based on their performance by
humbling themselves before God in faith, coming unto Him and showing forth good
works (i.e. being obedient to His commandments).
It is also possible that everyone started at the same time, in the
same “first place” but is not necessarily true.
This shows that we are not looking at mortality in these verses,
as no one is born “on the same standing” in this life - everyone is born on
different standings: spiritually, intellectually, economically, culturally etc.
What is God’s foreknowledge of
these people based on?
Their actual prior performance in a similar situation – one in
which they had the opportunity to demonstrate exceedingly great faith and chose
good in the face of evil.
God watched their behavior and has faith in them to fulfill their
callings and use the priesthood power He has given them according to His will
and not their own.
We have the opportunity today to show God exceeding faith and
brave attempts at good works – and attain more intelligence and light than we
had through being proven outside of God’s presence – so that in the next cycle
of creation, His foreknowledge of us will include the record of our experience
here, giving us the advantage in the world to come such that we might also be
called with a holy calling to minister to others who we love to help them
attain to the same blessings we have received.
Creation is cyclical – one eternal round.
Was Christ prepared by the
Father, before the foundation of the world, to be the Only Begotten Son who
would accomplish the Atonement or was He always inherently ready?
He did not have a fullness at first but progressed from grace to
grace until He had received a fullness and was prepared to attain to the
resurrection and accomplish the Atonement (see D&C 93:6-17; TPJS 391:1-2).
But He was always a “son of God” with the seeds of Godhood within
Him, if He would rise up, which He did.
What was it about the “atonement
of the Only Begotten Son, who was prepared,” that made these others qualified
to be called to the Holy Order?
They believed in and trusted His (Jehovah’s) preparation to serve
as the Only Begotten Son before the Earth was ever formed; they had faith in
Him to accomplish the assigned task and save them – they were willing to put
the glory they had already received at stake and in His hands, as they laid it
aside and came to earth to fulfill a mission to the children of men…
For if He failed in His task, they too would be lost – and would
become angels to a devil without the opportunity to be resurrected and regain
the glory they had put aside in Heaven to condescend to earth.
What is the mission or
responsibility in this world for those who are called and ordained unto the
Holy Order or High Priesthood?
To teach God’s commandments unto mankind that they might also
enter into His rest or the fullness of His glory, in the flesh.
It is to become as they are by doing what they have previously
done in another world – to enable faith in the Savior of that world.
Could they have had power here
through an ordination from another man if they had not been ordained previously
by God in that “first place”?
It does not appear to be possible – however well intended, men
have no ability to transfer priesthood authority (an association through the
veil) either from themselves to another or on behalf of God; all they can do is
extend an invitation to go to God to receive it oneself.
We can know that they had more than an earthly ordination – or in
other words that they were ordained previously to accomplish a specific mission
here which required this sort of priesthood power to do it – i.e. stand in the
presence of God or enter the “rest of the Lord” (see D&C 84:19-22) because without
the ability to stand in the presence of God themselves, they would not be able
to teach others what is required to do the same themselves (see TPJS 156:3)
because they would not know the way to God (having never ascended themselves)
and thus when those they taught tried, they would fail – the proof of the
message is whether or not it leads you back into God’s presence.
Their standing in the presence of God or “entering the rest of the
Lord” shows that they have been given this level of Priesthood power – examples
include Joseph Smith, Enoch, Melchizedek, Abraham, Elijah, Nephi, Mahonri and
others.
READ Alma 13:7
What does “from eternity to all
eternity” mean and imply?
That there are multiple eternities.
That eternities have beginnings and endings.
That there are elements that change from one eternity to the next
– our status changes, and even Christ’s changed, as we “attain” more light and
knowledge during a mortal experience.
READ Alma 13:8-9
What is the source of all
holiness and what does this imply about a “holy calling” ordained with a “holy
ordinance” through which one takes upon them a “Holy Order”?
God is the source of all holiness – “Man of Holiness” is one of
His names (see Moses 6:57).
Holy things are set apart for a sacred purpose – the opposite of
common or profane.
Connecting with God makes one holy as He can distribute His
holiness to us to make us new creatures while we cannot stain Him with our
commonness or sinfulness.
A holy calling is a calling from God; a holy ordinance is an
ordinance administered by God; and a holy order or priesthood gets its power
from association directly with God.
The “holy calling” is to be “called” a “Son of God” (see Psalm
2:7; 1 John 3:1-3), which is done by God Himself in a “holy ordinance”, and
enables one to stand in His presence and do His work with His sealing power or
“Holy Priesthood After the Order of the Son of God”.
What does it mean that this “holy
calling, ordinance and priesthood” is without beginning or end for those
involved?
It was held before coming here – it does not begin in mortality.
It will endure after leaving here – it is “forever” or continues
on after mortality.
It is without reference to mortality as it is “endless” or “God’s”.
At some point in all eternity, a person must awake, rise up and
enter the rest of the Lord or they will continue on the treadmill, like the
constellations that forever revolve around the ecliptic; when they finally do
arise, they receive this priesthood from God Himself and qualify to have it
“forever”, from eternity to eternity.
If a person is not ordained at some in eternity – that is “without
beginning or end”, what they have here on Earth is inadequate; something
conferred only in this world will be subject to time and eventually destroyed
by it – you can only handle eternal things if your authority comes from
eternity.
What is implied by the words
“thus they become”?
They become something – their glory, light and intelligence
changes in this process – their “state” changes.
The “High Priests” about whom this material has been written have
been in the process of becoming something holy from before the foundation of
this world – it is eons in the making.
They are becoming like Christ – full of grace (see D&C
93:11-20), full of equity (see Proverbs 2:9) and full of truth (see D&C
93:24).
They are learning to be God’s themselves by ministering here in
this Holy Order to mankind – they are following His example and using His power
to do His works (see TPJS 391:2).
Why does Alma say “and thus it
is, amen”?
He is ending an authorized message intended to be accompanied by
the requisite formalities to let the hearer and reader know how critical and
serious these words are.
This is a message Alma has received from God and he is sharing it
as commanded.
It is interesting that in the next verse he seems to start his own
commentary on this message.
READ Alma 13:10
What is the difference between
“faith” and “exceeding faith”?
Faith is a principle of action – you act in a certain way because
you believe you will get a certain result by doing so, even though it has not
happened yet or there are other “unseen” variables involved.
Exceeding faith is required when you face the imminent failure of
your faith – it is choosing, like Shadrach and his companions, to submit to
death if God chooses not to save them, but never losing faith in God in the
process (see Daniel 3:12-18; LoF 6).
What is implied by the fact that
these High Priests repented?
They had sins that required repentance.
They were by no means perfect in this world or during this
probation where they came to “prove others” – they experienced the bitter so
they could learn to prefer the sweet; they had felt the bitterness of hell but,
like Alma the Younger, had offered their whole souls as an offering to God for
mercy (see Alma 36); they were also being “proved”, again.
What is the relationship between
“exceeding faith” and “repentance”?
The level of repentance needed to become a High Priest after this
Holy Order requires “exceeding faith”; you must have faith that the Lord has
not given you a commandment you cannot keep – the faith to repent and go forth
in this life and obey all of the commandments that you have been given, despite
your weaknesses.
Your faith will be tested to the absolute limit in the repentance
process – you may be seeking for a long time before the Lord grants you the
promises, ministrations, and the rest you seek, to the degree that you may face
death without having received them but still stay true to your Lord’s ability
to save you, if He wills it.
What does “righteousness before
God” mean and is it different than the way we define “righteousness”?
God’s ways are not our ways – we don’t comprehend the mind of God
unless we are quickened by His Spirit to be able to do so.
Man judges righteousness through what can be observed: behavior,
dress, grooming, conformity to mores and standards.
God looks at the intent of the heart and at the inner person.
Sometimes what we call virtuous conflicts with what God calls
righteousness – killing is not virtuous but God commanded Nephi to kill Laban
and following that commandment was righteous.
What does the fact that “many”
were ordained and became High Priests to God, holding this priesthood which
enables you to stand in His presence, mean?
It means it is doable, as “many” have done it here on this earth.
Which should give us faith that if it is possible for many, it is
possible for me.
It means that there should be records of what these “many” did to
become so blessed – the actual Path or Way back to heaven from this earth.
It means that this may be more than a “nice to do” or
discretionary award for a favorite servant, but the actual desired destination,
as decreed by God (i.e. “come unto me”), of our mortal journey.
READ Alma 13:11-12
How are those that are called
after this Holy Order sanctified and what does this mean?
Their garments are washed white through the blood of the Lamb –
the blood and sins of their generation are removed from them and they are
purified by Christ (see D&C 88:75).
Christ removes from them their guilt and takes upon Himself the
responsibility to answer for whatever failings they have.
They are sanctified by the Holy Spirit – which is the vehicle
through which their “garments” being washed white.
They are now able to stand in God’s presence in the flesh because
they are without sin, they are pure and spotless – they are like Him, righteous
forever (see LoF 7:9, 15-16).
They become “strangers and sojourners” here on earth but a
resident or frequent visitor with God in another condition altogether (see
D&C 76:66-69).
What has happened to their hearts?
They have been changed.
They cannot look upon sin save it were with abhorrence (see Mosiah
5:2).
But this does not mean that they do not sin (sins arise from
foolishness, mistakes, errors of comprehension, things they don’t understand
yet, or are completely unaware of but which are contrary to Eternal Law) or
that the Lord does not continue to forgive them as they repent.
They want to please their Lord – they want to be like Him – they
want to keep His commandments and do His works because they love Him (see John
14:15-23); sin is not tempting because it is contrary to Him whom they love,
and eventually it is no longer attractive to them because they know better –
they are filled with more light and see things for what they really are in the
perspective of eternity.
And they love those who are still mired in sin – they feel
compassion and care and wish to succor them or relieve their suffering or
intercede on their behalf to save them.
Why is Alma preaching these
“mysteries of God” to wicked people who are not even members of his Church –
aren’t they too sacred to share, like pearls before swine?
Evidently not!
God wants His truths taught to all – how can they repent if they
are not taught the truth with the power of the tongues of angels?
Alma is not sharing what he is not supposed to – he is sharing
higher knowledge not sacred ordinances which would be administered by God to
man.
He is teaching true doctrine in the hope of sowing a seed of faith.
He wants the people to see that there is something different about
the word of God as compared to the philosophies of men mingled with scripture
that teach a form of godliness without any power to connect to heaven and save
(see JSH 1:19).
If we do not teach these doctrines (calling and election, Second
Comforter, the Holy Order of God), for any reason or excuse (i.e. we don’t
really believe them because so few have actually experienced them, especially
in the leadership ranks; we say they are too sacred to share but really we are
fearful of the mockery that the world will inflict on us, etc.), we have
rejected the Fullness of the Gospel (see 3 Nephi 16:10).
Alma 13:13
What is Alma implying about
himself in this verse?
That he has also entered into the Rest of the Lord and been
ordained by God to the Holy Order.
He is saying “join us”.
But he has not done it in a self-aggrandizing way.
READ Alma 13:14-20
What was required to establish
Zion in Melchizedek’s time?
A humble people willing to repent and accept teachings from a High
Priest after the Holy Order and…
At least one person who had been in the presence of God – which
meant they held the High Priesthood with its sealing power – and was able to
point the way to others by teaching them the truth, which is the Fullness of
the Gospel – and preach repentance.
What is implied about the fact
that Melchizedek’s people had “waxed strong in iniquity and abomination”?
They are generally wicked but had masked it in a religious
justification or “abomination” (false religious observances or belief system).
They were going to be even more difficult to awaken from their
state of wickedness because they think they are religious – unless they humbled
themselves.
There is still hope for us, because we are exactly the same – if
the two conditions listed above to establish Zion can be found with us!
How do the ordinances of
receiving the Holy Order reveal a pattern that will unmistakably point back to
the saving ministry of Christ and entering into His rest?
Christ was endowed with power and authority at His baptism when
the Father declared “thou are my Son, this day have I begotten thee” (see
Psalms 2:7).
Holders of the High Priesthood After the Holy Order of the Son of
God must receive that priesthood from the Father in the same way Christ did –
they become “Sons of God” through this ordination.
In order to be able to stand in the presence of God and receive
this ordination, they must first be forgiven and cleansed by Christ – He
declares them clean through His atonement to the Father, in the presence of the
individual – their calling and election being made sure through a more sure
word of prophesy (see D&C 88:75); they are also redeemed from the fall and
spiritual death when they are brought back into Christ’s presence (see Ether
3:13).
They would know and identify the Lord because part of His
ministration to them is to allow them to feel and see the proof of His
atonement and resurrection themselves (see 3 Nephi 11:14-17).
So the ordination itself IS the culmination of the Atonement (as
one is pronounced clean by Christ in God’s presence) followed by entering into
the rest of the Lord or the fullness of His glory (which requires being
pronounced clean as a prerequisite) and being sealed up to eternal life by the
Father and being made a “Son of God”.
What does it mean that of all the
people who held the Holy Order before and after Melchizedek, none were greater?
Only Enoch also established a Zion that could also be translated
and brought up to heaven to live with the Church of the Firstborn there, rather
than just being visited by them here.
Most others who held this priesthood failed to establish Zion
among the people at all – including Moses, Elijah, Joseph Smith, and Alma the
Younger who is attempting to establish Zion as we read…and with the few other
groups who established it, it did not last long including Peter, Nephi 3, and
none of those who did establish it were able to perfect it to the point of
translation into heaven.
What does it mean to wrest the
scriptures?
To manipulate them to your own ends.
To apply the twisted reasoning of the philosophies of men so that
error results.
READ Alma 13:21-22
Why does Alma “stretch forth his
hand” and speak with a “mighty voice” a message given to him by the voice of
the Lord?
He is signifying through a sacred sign that he is a true messenger
sent from God or who had received a message directly from God for them – for
all with eyes to see and ears to hear (the sign would have only been understood
by those who had been initiated into the mysteries of Godliness).
He is speaking with the tongue of angels by the Holy Ghost the
words of Christ (see 2 Nephi 32:2-3).
READ Alma 13:23-24
Why do people still err when
doctrines like this are made known in plain terms?
They have wrested the scriptures to fit their own false religious
or cultural ideas so they hear or read the words through a preconceived lens of
meaning and miss the truth which is right before their eyes!
They do not ask God in humility but prefer to perish in the dark
because of their pride in the “rightness” their own beliefs or their “chosen”
status (see 2 Nephi 32:4-7).
Why are angels declaring these
things unto many when there are mortal prophets who can and are doing the same?
The role of an angel is to declare God’s word (in direct quotes as
true messengers) to people so that they will repent and prepare themselves by
coming unto Him now, so that when He comes in His glory, they will be able to
abide the day – because they have already entered into His rest and hold
priesthood that will enable them to stand in His presence.
Their role is to prepare the hearts of man enough to receive His
word (i.e. light or truth) – to believe it and do it and be changed by it; so
that when they receive His person (He comes to them), they are already filled
with His glory and it is a good experience (the Lamb) and not a bad one (the
Lion).
If a mortal man then declares the exact same message to others
that he received from the angel or the Lord, then the mortal man has an angelic
message to give, and if he gives it with the “tongue of an angel” or by the
Holy Ghost, he is acting the role of a “ministering angel” (see D&C 130:5).
However, the fact that angels continue to minister during a time
where true prophets like Alma are also preaching implies that the angelic
visitation has an objective of its own, over and above the message that the
mortal messenger can give – it both increases faith in the reality of a living
Christ who can also appear to mortals in like manner, as well as endowing the
recipient with a “super-charged” level of light or “virtue” from the heavenly
messenger, who has access to a greater amount of light in his/her angelic state
than the untranslated mortal will have in their current physical state.
What do Alma and the Ammonites
have in common and what sets them apart?
Both sets of people here are religious – both Alma and the
Ammonites.
But one is engaged in abominations because of their false beliefs
which they believe to be true while the other is entertaining angels and Gods,
having been washed clean from sin by the blood of Christ; one is ascending
while the other is spiritually dead, albeit religiously so.
How can one be certain that their
religious principles are true?
You can only be certain that your religious principles are true if
they do what they say they are going to do: redeem your soul, which is done by
coming back into the presence of God during your mortal life (see Ether 3:13).
You can only be certain of your standing before God if He has
given you promises by His own voice, after you have sacrificed what He has
required at your hand (see LoF 6) to receive those promises.
READ Alma 13:25-26
How does Alma expect to know when
Christ is born in Jerusalem?
He expects an angel to tell him.
Alma has faith to receive angelic messengers – he expects to
receive them because he’s received them before – similar to Joseph Smith’s
experience with the Angel after his First Vision. Those who have never seen an angel have a
more difficult time mustering the faith to receive them again, because it’s not
been a part of their experience thus far.
You hear this message when people tell you that you need to have “faith
not to be healed”.
What is a “just and holy man”?
Someone whose garments have been washed clean in Christ’s blood
and they have been declared clean from the sins of their generation.
Someone who has received the Holy Order.
Someone who has been in the presence of God.
Someone who has an expectation of receiving the ministry of angels.
By definition, a person cannot hold this High Priesthood without
contact with heavenly messengers – angels, the Lord, and the Father.
READ Alma 13:27-30
What motivates a person who holds
this priesthood?
Charity, the pure love of Christ.
They are desperate to have everyone come unto Christ as they have
because they are fully awake to both the exquisite joy from such a relationship
as well as the awful situation people will find themselves in if they don’t
find the Lord in mortality.
Is it possible to be tempted
beyond what you can bear?
Yes – it is implied by the fact that you must pray so that you are
not tempted above that which you can bear – so the default is that you are
tempted that much.
What is Alma’s invitation to the
Ammonites?
Join the Holy Order After the Son of God, thereby becoming a Son
of God yourself and enter into the Rest of the Lord.
It is interesting that it’s not: “join the Church and come worship
with us.”
How does one qualify to join the
Holy Order After the Son of God?
By casting off yours sins and repenting now.
By humbling yourselves before the Lord – be open to higher truth
that is new to you even if it contradicts with your traditions or beliefs –
even those you “know” are true (see 3 Nephi 17:3).
By calling upon God, watching and praying continually – invite Him
to come to you by devoting yourself to living every principle and commandment you
have received; be watchful that you don’t miss God’s answers to you; pray to
obtain His will.
By being led by the Holy Spirit to navigate through temptation -
pray to not be tempted above that which you can bear – pray for a shield and
protection from Satan and strength for your natural weaknesses toward sin; pray
to understand the truth so that with that realization, you will lose your
desire to engage in sin because you see things as they truly are.
By becoming like Christ is – humble, meek, submissive, patient,
full of love; these things come as a result of doing the first things on the
list so that (or “thus” or “as a result of which”) you are led by the Spirit in
all things and then naturally become like Christ – these character traits will
also flow naturally from you, too, because of the Spirit or mind of God within
you.
By exercising faith in Christ – as a principle of power.
By receiving a hope - a promise from God Himself of your eternal
life.
By having the love of God always in your heart – because you are
like Him and want all others to become like Him as well.
The Aftermath of Ammonihah:
READ Alma 14:1
What would have happened if Alma
had not listened to the angel and turned back to Ammonihah?
Many people would not have had experienced the event that caused
them to awake from their blindness and repent.
READ Alma 14:2-4, 8
What would have happened if Alma
had not listened to the angel and turned back to Ammonihah?
The wives and children of those believers would not have been the
victims of a mass genocide.
READ Alma 14:9-11
What would have happened if Alma
had not listened to the angel and turned back to Ammonihah?
The victims would not have been received by the Lord in glory –
i.e. redeemed from the fall in the flesh (like Stephen, it happened as they
were dying) and entered into His rest, which is the fullness of His glory.
Sometimes we say we want to be exalted in Christ’s kingdom but we
do not realize the price required to become precisely as He is (see LoF 7:9,
15-16).
What was Alma watching that
Amulek did not see?
The Lord was there!
He was receiving them up unto Himself in glory – they were
entering into His rest!
READ Alma 14:15, 25-27
Did Alma and Amulek have the
power, through the Holy Order, to stop the genocide – if so, why on earth
didn’t they?
Yes – Christ could have commanded 12 legions of angels to help Him
in His extremities and these two could have done the same – after all, they
burst their bands and caused an earthquake which destroyed the prison and
killed their persecutors; priesthood holds an association through the veil with
the Powers of Heaven and the Holy Order has power over the elements.
They were constrained by the Spirit not to save the victims.
God, in His wisdom, knew that their salvation was assured through
this act of sacrificing their lives without denying the God that they so
recently had found.
Note: those who have this power are not allowed to freelance with
it without paying a major price – they are given the power because God has
faith in them; this was a terrible instance where their desires were not
aligned with God’s, who can see the end from the beginning but they chose not
to act in defiance of God but with faith in His love, despite the terrible
murders they (the martyrs) were being called to submit to.
READ Alma 15:1-2
If the women and children won
exaltation through the sacrifice of their lives, why were their husbands spared
the trial?
In a way their trial of faith was even worse.
Not only have they lost their children and wives to a horrific,
painful death…
But they now see Alma and Amulek walk unscathed out of a prison
which they have just caused to be destroyed…
Showing that these two, through God, surely had the power to save
their loved ones…
But didn’t…
Think of the trial of their faith: “How could these two be so
unfeeling and selfish in their use of saving power? How could God do this to their
families? To them?”
Overcoming this terrible trial of faith with a love of God might
be as difficult as being burned to death without recanting.
READ Alma 15:3-5
What is the connection between
physical illness and spiritual distress?
Since the physical body and mind is just a “tabernacle of clay”
for the spirit, there is a close connection between them and spiritual issues
can manifest themselves in physical ailments, as these verses show.
Christ talked about the close connection between them when He
asked what was easier, to forgive sin or heal (see Luke 5:23-25).
