13 Behold, how many
thousands of our brethren has he loosed from the pains of hell; and they are
brought to sing redeeming love, and this because of the power of his word which
is in us, therefore have we not great reason to rejoice?
14 Yea, we have reason
to praise him forever, for he is the Most High God, and has loosed our brethren
from the chains of hell.
15 Yea, they were
encircled about with everlasting darkness and destruction; but behold, he has
brought them into his everlasting light, yea, into everlasting salvation; and
they are encircled about with the matchless bounty of his love; yea, and we
have been instruments in his hands of doing this great and marvelous work.
16 Therefore, let us
glory, yea, we will glory in the Lord; yea, we will rejoice, for our joy is
full; yea, we will praise our God forever. Behold, who can glory too much in
the Lord? Yea, who can say too much of his great power, and of his mercy, and
of his long-suffering towards the children of men? Behold, I say unto you, I cannot
say the smallest part which I feel.
17 Who could have
supposed that our God would have been so merciful as to have snatched us from
our awful, sinful, and polluted state?
18 Behold, we went
forth even in wrath, with mighty threatenings to destroy his church.
19 Oh then, why did he
not consign us to an awful destruction, yea, why did he not let the sword of
his justice fall upon us, and doom us to eternal despair?
20 Oh, my soul, almost
as it were, fleeth at the thought. Behold, he did not exercise his justice upon
us, but in his great mercy hath brought us over that everlasting gulf of death
and misery, even to the salvation of our souls.
21 And now behold, my
brethren, what natural man is there that knoweth these things? I say unto you,
there is none that knoweth these things, save it be the penitent.
22 Yea, he that
repenteth and exerciseth faith, and bringeth forth good works, and prayeth
continually without ceasing—unto such it is given to know the mysteries of God;
yea, unto such it shall be given to reveal things which never have been
revealed; yea, and it shall be given unto such to bring thousands of souls to
repentance, even as it has been given unto us to bring these our brethren to
repentance. (Alma 26:13-36)
Ammon continues.
Thousands of their brethren have been saved from the pains
of hell. They sing the song of redeeming love. Here, he was referring to Alma2’s
words. “And now behold, I say unto you, my brethren, if ye have experienced a
change of heart, and if ye have felt to sing the song of redeeming love, I
would ask, can ye feel so now” (Alma 5:26).
They sing the song because of the power of the Lord’s word.
Is this not enough reason to rejoice?
The Lord has loosened them from the chains of hell. Alma2
explained what is mean by the chains of hell. “And they that will harden 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” (Alma 12:11).
They were surrounded by darkness and destruction, but the
Lord brought them to His everlasting light and salvation. They are surrounded
by His love and Ammon and his brethren were instruments in the hand of the Lord
to do this work.
They should glory if they glory in the Lord.
“I have therefore whereof I may glory through Jesus Christ
in those things which pertain to God” (Romans 15:17).
“But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto
us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:
“That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him
glory in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 1:30-31).
“But he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord” (2 Corinthians
10:17).
“Wherefore, let no man glory in man, but rather let him
glory in God, who shall subdue all enemies under his feet” (D&C 76:61).
Their joy is full and they will rejoice and praise God forever.
Ammon explained they cannot glory too much in the Lord.
They can speak of His mercy and long-suffering towards the
children of men.
“Thy mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens; and thy faithfulness
reacheth unto the clouds.
“Thy righteousness is like the great mountains; thy
judgments are a great deep: O Lord, thou preservest man and beast” (Psalm
36:5-6).
Ammon reflects on how they were saved from their “awful,
sinful, and polluted state” (Alma 26:17). Mormon told us Alma2 “was
going about to destroy the church of God, for he did go about secretly with the
sons of Mosiah seeking to destroy the church, and to lead astray the people of
the Lord, contrary to the commandments of God, or even the king” (Mosiah 27:10).
Ammon asks why the Lord did not condemn them to destruction.
Why did the Lord “not let the sword of his justice fall upon us, and doom us to
eternal despair” (Alma 26:19).
However, He did not exercise His justice. Instead, he
extended great mercy which brought them over the everlasting gulf of death and
misery.
“O that ye would awake; awake from a deep sleep, yea, even
from the sleep of hell, and shake off the awful chains by which ye are bound,
which are the chains which bind the children of men, that they are carried away
captive down to the eternal gulf of misery and woe” (2 Nephi 1:13).
“Yea, we see that whosoever will may lay hold upon the word
of God, which is quick and powerful, which shall divide asunder all the cunning
and the snares and the wiles of the devil, and lead the man of Christ in a
strait and narrow course across that everlasting gulf of misery which is
prepared to engulf the wicked” (Helaman 3:29).
21 And now behold, my brethren, what natural man is there
that knoweth these things? I say unto you, there is none that knoweth these
things, save it be the penitent.
Which natural man would know these things? There are none. “For
the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and
will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy
Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the
atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek,
humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord
seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father” (Mosiah
3:19).
Alma2 told his son Helaman, “if I had not been
born of God I should not have known these things; but God has, by the mouth of
his holy angel, made these things known unto me, not of any worthiness of
myself” (Alma 36:5).
“For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit
of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the
Spirit of God” (1 Corinthians 2:11).”[1]
“Behold, great and marvelous are the works of the Lord. How
unsearchable are the depths of the mysteries of him; and it is impossible that
man should find out all his ways. And no man knoweth of his ways save it be
revealed unto him; wherefore, brethren, despise not the revelations of God” (Jacob
4:8).
Whomever repents, exercises faith, brings forth good works, and
prays continually will learn the mysteries of God. “Unto you it is given to
know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that
seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand” (Luke 8:10).
He will reveal things which have never been revealed. “And
there are many among us who have many revelations, for they are not all
stiffnecked. And as many as are not stiffnecked and have faith, have communion
with the Holy Spirit, which maketh manifest unto the children of men, according
to their faith” (Jarom 1:4).
“And in the seventy and ninth year there began to be much
strife. But it came to pass that Nephi2 and Lehi2, and
many of their brethren who knew concerning the true points of doctrine, having
many revelations daily, therefore they did preach unto the people, insomuch
that they did put an end to their strife in that same year” (Helaman 11:23).
“The power and authority of the higher, or Melchizedek Priesthood,
is to hold the keys of all the spiritual blessings of the church—
“To have the privilege of receiving the mysteries of the
kingdom of heaven, to have the heavens opened unto them, to commune with the
general assembly and church of the Firstborn, and to enjoy the communion and
presence of God the Father, and Jesus the mediator of the new covenant” (D&C
107:18-19).
Those who receive this will be able “to bring thousands of
souls to repentance, even as it has been given unto us to bring these our
brethren to repentance” (Alma 26:22).
“Humility is the precious, fertile soil of righteous
character. It germinates the seeds of personal growth. When cultivated through
the exercise of faith, pruned by repentance, and fortified by obedience and
good works, such seeds produce the cherished fruit of spirituality. Divine
inspiration and power then result. Inspiration is to know the will of the Lord.”[2]
[1] “For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the
spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, except
has the Spirit of God” (JST 1 Corinthians 2:11).
[2] The
Plan for Happiness and Exaltation, Elder Richard G. Scott, October 1981
General Conference.
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