21 And now it came to
pass that when Alma had said these words unto them, he stretched forth his hand
unto them and cried with a mighty voice, saying: Now is the time to repent, for
the day of salvation draweth nigh;
22 Yea, and the voice
of the Lord, by the mouth of angels, doth declare it unto all nations; yea,
doth declare it, that they may have glad tidings of great joy; yea, and he doth
sound these glad tidings among all his people, yea, even to them that are
scattered abroad upon the face of the earth; wherefore they have come unto us.
23 And they are made
known unto us in plain terms, that we may understand, that we cannot err; and
this because of our being wanderers in a strange land; therefore, we are thus
highly favored, for we have these glad tidings declared unto us in all parts of
our vineyard.
24 For behold, angels
are declaring it unto many at this time in our land; and this is for the
purpose of preparing the hearts of the children of men to receive his word at
the time of his coming in his glory. (Alma 13:21-24)
Alma continues.
He told them now was the time for them to repent.
“Behold, I say, is there one among you who is not stripped
of envy? I say unto you that such an one is not prepared; and I would that he
should prepare quickly, for the hour is close at hand, and he knoweth not when
the time shall come; for such an one is not found guiltless.
“And again I say unto you, is there one among you that doth
make a mock of his brother, or that heapeth upon him persecutions?
“Wo unto such an one, for he is not prepared, and the time
is at hand that he must repent or he cannot be saved” (Alma 5:29-31).
“And now, as I said unto you before, as ye have had so many
witnesses, 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” (Alma
34:33).
The day of salvation is near.
The voice of the Lord is declared to us through the mouth of
His angels. This word is declared to all nations. This is done so they will “may
have glad tidings of great joy” (Alma 13:22).
These tidings are declared to all His people, even to all
who are scattered over the face of the earth.
The tidings are made known using plain terms so they will
understand the Lord’s words.
“But behold, I proceed with mine own prophecy, according to
my plainness; in the which I know that no man can err; nevertheless, in the
days that the prophecies of Isaiah shall be fulfilled men shall know of a
surety, at the times when they shall come to pass” (2 Nephi 25:7).
“For my soul delighteth in plainness; for after this manner
doth the Lord God work among the children of men. For the Lord God giveth light
unto the understanding; for he speaketh unto men according to their language,
unto their understanding” (2 Nephi 31:3).
They are wanderers in a strange land. “And it came to pass
that I, Jacob, began to be old; and the record of this people being kept on the
other plates of Nephi, wherefore, I conclude this record, declaring that I have
written according to the best of my knowledge, by saying that the time passed
away with us, and also our lives passed away like as it were unto us a dream,
we being a lonesome and a solemn people, wanderers, cast out from Jerusalem,
born in tribulation, in a wilderness, and hated of our brethren, which caused
wars and contentions; wherefore, we did mourn out our days” (Jacob 7:26).
“[T]he Nephites appear to have seen their repeated exodus
experiences as archetypal expressions of their individual and collective
spiritual journeys. They were, as Alma2 said more than five
centuries after their arrival in the Americas, ‘wanderers in a strange land.’”[1]
They are highly favored of the Lord. Because they are these
glad tidings are declared to all parts of the Nephites.
Angels are still declaring God’s word in the land at this
time. “And again, I know that the things whereof he hath testified are true;
for behold I say unto you, that as the Lord liveth, even so has he sent his
angel to make these things manifest unto me; and this he has done while this
Alma hath dwelt at my house” (Alma 10:10).
Speaking to Corianton, Alma told him, “Is it not as easy at
this time for the Lord to send his angel to declare these glad tidings unto us
as unto our children, or as after the time of his coming” (Alma 39:19).
He is preparing the hearts of man to receive His words when
He comes in glory.
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