Alma(2) and the Sons of Mosiah (Mosiah 27:8-37)

There's so much in the Book of Mormon, that it's hard to decide about what I should write.  As I was looking through it, the conversion story of Alma(2) and the sons of Mosiah caught my attention.  It's a great story.  Then, I started looking through Alma and noticed that these five men accomplished much and were great teachers.  They brought many to the gospel and taught great gospel principles.  I decided that I'd like to spend the next few posts talking about these five spiritual giants.

Let's start with their story.  Why is their story important to us today?  Hugh Nibley wrote:

"The experience of Alma [the Younger] and his friends is our experience. We must all decide how seriously we are going to take this side or the other side ... He was at the top of his form, on the top of a wave. He was the darling of the city; everybody was following him around. The [four] most important young men, the sons of the king, were with him, and he was the son of the high priest. They were going around raising hell ... all of a sudden (whether in a narrow street or outside, I don't know) he was stopped cold ... an angel stopped him dead in his tracks ... The angel caught him 'dead to rights' here and rebuked him ... The only thing he did is just stand there and go blank with a foolish look on his face. He was frozen stiff and couldn't do anything—he was paralyzed ... Is he going to explain to the angel and try to talk himself out of it, or something like that? You don't do that to an angel. 

"... Why do these rascals get to see an angel, and none of the rest of us do? This is very important. There are lots of people who have lived righteously all their lives, and none of them are going to see an angel. But you will notice throughout the Book of Mormon and elsewhere that angels only appear in times of great crisis to reverse the course of history. They turn it around. Whether it was the Angel Moroni to Joseph Smith, or the Angel Gabriel to Zachariah, it [the appearance] started things going in a reverse direction. It reaches a point where everything has to be changed, and this has great results." (Emphasis mine)
Lecture 41 - Mosiah 27-29 - Alma's Conversion, Hugh W. Nibley, Maxwell Institute, accessed August 14, 2011. 

Let's read Mormon's account.

8  Now the sons of Mosiah were numbered among the unbelievers; and also one of the sons of Alma was numbered among them, he being called Alma, after his father; nevertheless, he became a very wicked and an idolatrous man.  And he was a man of many words, and did speak much flattery to the people; therefore he led many of the people to do after the manner of his iniquities.
9  And he became a great hinderment to the prosperity of the church of God; stealing away the hearts of the people; causing much dissension among the people; giving a chance for the enemy of God to exercise his power over them.

Mosiah 27:8-9 (Emphasis mine) 

 

In the October 1998 session of General Conference, Elder Robert D. Hales said:

"Alma had been rebellious, even so much that he and the sons of Mosiah went about 'seeking to destroy the church of God' (Alma 36:6). Imagine the pain and heartache of Alma’s parents and more importantly of Heavenly Father and Jesus, who finally sent an angel to tell him, 'If thou wilt of thyself be destroyed, seek no more to destroy the church of God' (Alma 36:9). It was painful enough that Alma should choose disobedience, but he was also causing others to rebel against the word of God. (Emphasis mine) 

This was about to change.

10  And now it came to pass that while he 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 stray the people of the Lord, contrary to the commandments of God, or even the king—
11  And as I said unto you, as they were going about rebelling against God, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto them; and he descended as it were in a cloud; and he spake as it were with a voice of thunder, which caused the earth to shake upon which they stood;
12  And so great was their astonishment, that they fell to the earth, and understood not the words which he spake unto them.
13  Nevertheless he cried again, saying: Alma, arise and stand forth, for why persecutest thou the church of God?  For the Lord hath said: This is my church, and I will establish it; and nothing shall overthrow it, save it is the transgression of my people.
14  And again, the angel said: Behold, the Lord hath heard the prayers of his people, and also the prayers of his servant, Alma, who is thy father; for he has prayed with much faith concerning thee that thou mightest be brought to the knowledge of the truth; therefore, for this purpose have I come to convince thee of the power and authority of God, that the prayers of his servants might be answered according to their faith.
15  And now behold, can ye dispute the power of God?  For behold, doth not my voice shake the earth?  And can ye not also behold me before you?  And I am sent from God.
16  Now I say unto thee: Go, and remember the captivity of thy fathers in the land of HelamNephi; and remember how great things he has done for them; for they were in bondage, and he has delivered them.  And now I say unto thee, Alma, go thy way, and seek to destroy the church no more, that their prayers may be answered, and this even if thou wilt of thyself be cast off.
17  And now it came to pass that these were the last words which the angel spake unto Alma, and he departed.

Mosiah 27:10-17 (Emphasis mine)

In answer to prayers from both Alma(1) and the people, an angel came as an answer to their prayers; the angel makes sure that Alma(2) and the sons of Mosiah understood this.  The message that was given to them was repent or they would be cast off.  The angel wasted little time delivering his message and then he departed.

18  And now Alma and those that were with him fell again to the earth, for great was their astonishment; for with their own eyes they had beheld an angel of the Lord; and his voice was as thunder, which shook the earth; and they knew that there was nothing save the power of God that could shake the earth and cause it to tremble as though it would part asunder.
19  And now the astonishment of Alma was so great that he became dumb, that he could not open his mouth; yea, and he became weak, even that he could not move his hands; therefore he was taken by those that were with him, and carried helpless, even until he was laid before his father.
20  And they rehearsed unto his father all that had happened unto them; and his father rejoiced, for he knew that it was the power of God.

Mosiah 27:18-20 (Emphasis mine)

 

All were shocked by the experience; Alma(2) was struck dumb and paralyzed.  He had to be carried home to his family.  I would imagine that sons of Mosiah expected that concern would be shown for Alma(2) after being struck down by the angel.  Instead, they saw Alma(1) rejoice because he knew his prayers were answered.

 

21  And he caused that a multitude should be gathered together that they might witness what the Lord had done for his son, and also for those that were with him.
22  And he caused that the priests should assemble themselves together; and they began to fast, and to pray to the Lord their God that he would open the mouth of Alma, that he might speak, and also that his limbs might receive their strength—that the eyes of the people might be opened to see and know of the goodness and glory of God.
23  And it came to pass after they had fasted and prayed for the space of two days and two nights, the limbs of Alma received their strength, and he stood up and began to speak unto them, bidding them to be of good comfort:

Mosiah 27:21-23 (Emphasis mine)

Alma(1) called the people together so they could see what had happened to his son and the sons of Mosiah.  Then, there was two days of fasting and prayer that Alma(2) would be restored and the people would see the goodness of God.  The prayers were answered.

 

Alma(2) stood up and spoke to the people.

 

24  For, said he, I have repented of my sins, and have been redeemed of the Lord; behold I am born of the Spirit.
25  And the Lord said unto me: Marvel not that all mankind, yea, men and women, all nations, kindreds, tongues and people, must be born again; yea, born of God, changed from their carnal and fallen state, to a state of righteousness, being redeemed of God, becoming his sons and daughters;
26  And thus they become new creatures; and unless they do this, they can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God.
27  I say unto you, unless this be the case, they must be cast off; and this I know, because I was like to be cast off.
28  Nevertheless, after wading through much tribulation, repenting nigh unto death, the Lord in mercy hath seen fit to snatch me out of an everlasting burning, and I am born of God.
29  My soul hath been redeemed from the gall of bitterness and bonds of iniquity.  I was in the darkest abyss; but now I behold the marvelous light of God.  My soul was cracked with eternal torment; but I am snatched, and my soul is pained no more.
30  I rejected my Redeemer, and denied that which had been spoken of by our fathers; but now that they may foresee that he will come, and that he remembereth every creature of his creating, he will make himself manifest unto all.
31  Yea, every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess before him.  Yea, even at the last day, when all men shall stand to be judged of him, then shall they confess that he is God; then shall they confess, who live without God in the world, that the judgment of an everlasting punishment is just upon them; and they shall quake, and tremble, and shrink beneath the glance of his all–searching eye.

Mosiah 27:24-31 (Emphasis mine)

 

During the two days, it's obvious Alma(2) heard much.  His heart was changed and he repented of his sins.  His first act was to preach to the people and proclaim Christ.

32  And now it came to pass that Alma began from this time forward to teach the people, and those who were with Alma at the time the angel appeared unto them, traveling round about through all the land, publishing to all the people the things which they had heard and seen, and preaching the word of God in much tribulation, being greatly persecuted by those who were unbelievers, being smitten by many of them.
33  But notwithstanding all this, they did impart much consolation to the church, confirming their faith, and exhorting them with long-suffering and much travail to keep the commandments of God.
34  And four of them were the sons of Mosiah; and their names were Ammon, and Aaron, and Omner, and Himni; these were the names of the sons of Mosiah.
35  And they traveled throughout all the land of Zarahemla, and among all the people who were under the reign of king Mosiah, zealously striving to repair all the injuries which they had done to the church, confessing all their sins, and publishing all the things which they had seen, and explaining the prophecies and the scriptures to all who desired to hear them.

Mosiah 27:32-35 (Emphasis mine)

What a change!  From tearing down the church, Alma(2) and the sons of Mosiah went out and preached the gospel.  They confessed their sins and taught truth instead of wickedness.

Mormon concludes the chapter with this:

36  And thus they were instruments in the hands of God in bringing many to the knowledge of the truth, yea, to the knowledge of their Redeemer.
37  And how blessed are they!  For they did publish peace; they did publish good tidings of good; and they did declare unto the people that the Lord reigneth.

Mosiah 27:36-37 (Emphasis mine)

Mormon then tells us that the four sons of Mosiah went to their father and "... desired of him that he would grant unto them that they might, with these whom they had selected, go up to the land of Nephi that they might preach the things which they had heard, and that they might impart the word of God to their brethren, the Lamanites—" (Mosiah 28:1). 

We can infer that Mosiah was less then enthusiastic about this request because they had to plead with him a number of times (see 28:5).  Mosiah went to the Lord and he was promised that his sons would be spared if they went into the lands of the Lamanites (see 28:7).  With this promise, Mosiah gave his permission.

This was a very significant decision, not only spiritually but politically.  We learn that there was no one to become king.  None of his sons would accept the kingdom (see 28:10).  Mosiah would establish a government controlled by judges to replace the king (see 29:25).  

While the sons of Mosiah and their group were preaching to the Lamanites, Alma(2) was chosen the first chief judge by the people.  He was also the high priest of the church, taking over from his father.

These men made a miraculous change through a miraculous experience.  The sons of Mosiah wanted to serve the Lord rather than be the king.  They chose to preach the gospel to the sworn enemies of the Nephites - the Lamanites.  They were willing to risk all in service of the Lord. 

Alma(2) also served, in a dual  role.  He became the first elected Chief Judge, serving the people in a political position.  He also continued to serve the people as the leader of the church.  

I really like this description of these five - "And thus did the Spirit of the Lord work upon them, for they were the very vilest of sinners" (28:4).  From the vilest of sinners to being remembered as some of the greatest servants of the Lord.  What a change!

 

We will see just how great they became by studying their experiences and their words.

Mosiah 18:1-6

 Chapter 18

Alma preaches in private—He sets forth the covenant of baptism and baptizes at the waters of Mormon—He organizes the Church of Christ and ordains priests—They support themselves and teach the people—Alma and his people flee from King Noah into the wilderness. About 147–145 B.C.

1  AND now, it came to pass that Alma, who had fled from the servants of king Noah, repented of his sins and iniquities, and went about privately among the people, and began to teach the words of Abinadi—
2  Yea, concerning that which was to come, and also concerning the resurrection of the dead, and the redemption of the people, which was to be brought to pass through the power, and sufferings, and death of Christ, and his resurrection and ascension into heaven.
3  And as many as would hear his word he did teach.  And he taught them privately, that it might not come to the knowledge of the king.  And many did believe his words.

Mosiah 18:1-3 (Emphasis mine)

Abinadi has died.  He taught the word of the Lord to the people, ignoring the consequences.  Mormon records that Abinadi failed at bringing the people to repentance and following the proper gospel.  There is only one recorded convert - Alma(1), the former priest of King Noah; but, oh what a convert he was.  As we will learn, through Alma(1)'s faithfulness, many people are brought to the truth.  The seed was planted and grew.  Alma would continue to plant seeds and they would grow; his converts would continue planting seeds and they would grow; and so.  

Who was Alma(1)?  What do we know of him?  L. Gary Lambert wrote about Alma.

"Alma(1) (c. 174—92 B.C.) was the first of two Almas in the Book of Mormon. He was a descendant of Nephi(1), son of Lehi, and was the young priest in the court of king Noah who attempted a peaceful release of the prophet Abinadi. For that action, Alma incurred royal vengeance, banishment, and threats upon his life. He had been impressed by Abinadi's accusations of immorality and abuses within the government and society and by his testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ (Mosiah 17:2). Subsequently forced underground, Alma wrote out Abinadi's teachings, then shared them with others, attracting sufficient adherents—450—to organize a society of believers, or a church." (Emphasis mine)

Alma(1), L. Gary Lambert, Maxwell Institute, accessed July 20, 2011.

Hugh Nibley wrote about what he taught (see verse 2). 

"Now what happened? Alma fled from the servants of King Noah, repented of his sins and iniquities, and then went about privately among the people and began to teach ... And this is what he taught—the absolute basics of the gospel. These are the big questions, these are the essentials. Without them you have no gospel; with them, you have everything. The first is resurrection of the dead. Is there any more [after this life] (sic)? That's a terrible question, you see. Is this all there is? The answer is no, as we saw the last time. There's much more, and it's the resurrection of the dead. The second is that you're not only resurrected to make life possible but to make it endurable and enjoyable. I don't want to live forever, if I've got to suffer forever. No that's not it, but to make life desirable for eternal life—to make it possible and then to make it desirable. And that's the same thing. Redemption of the people. That is atonement, bringing them back to the presence of God, and that happens through power. Things are done through power. It's a physical, real thing that happens. The suffering and death of Christ and his resurrection and ascension—now that's the atonement. What he's preaching here is resurrection, redemption, atonement, buying back again, bringing together again where you were. Notice all these words that begin with re. That means again. A re-surrection means 'a rising up again.' That means you were in the flesh before. Of course we're here now, and then we will rise up again. But then after, it is the redemption. You are bought back again. You came down here, you suffered the Fall, you committed all these sins, etc. Then you're freed. Emptio is 'to buy something,' and redemption is 'to buy somebody back again who was with you before.' See, you were in the presence of the Lord before; now he's buying you back into his service again after you've been out of it for a while. You've been serving the devil. That's what he [Alma] (sic) preached." (Emphasis mine)

Lecture 36: Mosiah 16-18, Hugh W. Nibley, Maxwell Institute, accessed July 20, 2011. 

As he secretly taught the words of Abinadi, his church began to grow. 

4  And it came to pass that as many as did believe him did go forth to a place which was called Mormon, having received its name from the king, being in the borders of the land having been infested, by times or at seasons, by wild beasts.
5  Now, there was in Mormon a fountain of pure water, and Alma resorted thither, there being near the water a thicket of small trees, where he did hide himself in the daytime from the searches of the king.
6  And it came to pass that as many as believed him went thither to hear his words.

Mosiah 18:4-6 (Emphasis mine)

Alma hid at a place that will be known as the Waters of Mormon.  It is hear the his followers come to hear his preaching. 

Hugh Nibley

"Alma's hideout at the waters of Mormon was in open country, as we have seen: 'a fountain of pure water, . . . a thicket of small trees, where he did hide himself in the daytime, and where he baptized 'in the forest that was near the waters' (Mosiah 18:5, 30). Streams in arid countries, as we all know, are usually bordered by extensive 'thickets of small trees,' like willows or mesquite, that provide excellent concealment." (Emphasis mine)

The Nature of Book of Mormon Society, Hugh W. Nibley, Maxwell Institute, accessed July 20, 2011.

Gordon Thomasson discussed the etymology of the word Mormon.

"Names can have multiple meanings and functions. The Greek "pre-historic" word Mormo (which is to say it is a loan word into Greek, probably from some other Mediterranean culture) refers to the sound made by wild animals, a growl or a murmur, and is an example of onomatopoeia. If the place name Mormon has the same root as Mormo, it is quite appropriately used, based upon this etymology, to refer to the wilderness area where Alma's young Church began, a place characterized by the text as being 'infested, by times, or at seasons, by wild beasts' (Mosiah 18:4). The word Mormon almost immediately took on other associations, however, linked with the covenants entered into by the members of the new Church. It may also have good Egyptian meanings, including associations with wild animals and even with the concept of 'more good.' "(Emphasis mine)

What's in a Name? Book of Mormon Language, Names, and [Metonymic] Naming, Gordon C. Thomasson, Maxwell Institute, accessed July 20, 2011.

Mosiah 17:1-4

Chapter 17

Alma believes and writes the words of Abinadi—Abinadi suffers death by fire—He prophesies disease and death by fire upon his murderers. About 148 B.C.

1  AND now it came to pass that when Abinadi had finished these sayings, that the king commanded that the priests should take him and cause that he should be put to death. 

Mosiah 17:1 (Emphasis mine)

After Abinadi finished his words, the King was not very happy.  In fact, he was very upset for many reasons.  He decided that Abinadi must die. He had called the King wicked and evil.  He said that he and his priests had led the people to live unrighteous lives.

Hugh Nibley writes:

"He really pours it on here. After Abinadi gave his sermon, what was the reaction? 'The king commanded that the priests should take him and cause that he should be put to death.' And it's very obvious why. After the sermon in chapters 15 and 16, what else was there left for the king to do? The contrast between what I am doing and what I could be doing is simply intolerable—I can't face it. I must get rid of the one, or get rid of the other. You can't share them ... He [King Noah] heard the story, and he knew it was true, but it was intolerable. He couldn't face it. The only thing to do was get the man out of sight and out of mind. So take him away and put him to death" (Emphasis mine)

Lecture 36: Mosiah 16-18, Hugh W. Nibley, Maxwell Institute, Accessed July 12, 2011

One teaching of Abinadi also angered King and priests.  Hugh Nibley writes:

" 'And now Abinadi said unto them: I would that ye should understand [this is something you have to understand] that God himself shall come down among the children of men, and shall redeem his people." That is a hard one to take; that's why they would always start stoning the prophets, etc. That's why they said he was worthy of death. Remember, this is the only crime they could charge against him: he said that God himself would come down among them. This was very disturbing." (Emphasis mine)

Lecture 35: Mosiah 15-16, Hugh W. Nibley, Maxwell Institute, Accessed July 14, 2011. 

Abinadi may well have known that death was his fate.  John Tvedtnes wrote:

"When Abinadi testified before King Noah and his priests, they 'attempted to lay their hands on him' (Mosiah 13:2), but he warned them, 'Touch me not, for God shall smite you if ye lay your hands upon me, for I have not delivered the message which the Lord sent me to deliver' (Mosiah 13:3). Knowing that 'the Spirit of the Lord was upon him,' 'the people of king Noah durst not lay their hands on him' (Mosiah 13:5), and Abinadi went on to tell them about the coming of the Messiah. 'I finish my message,' he declared, 'and then it matters not whither I go, if it so be that I am saved' (Mosiah 13:9). Only after he had delivered the words of the Lord were they able to slay him (Mosiah 17:1)." (Emphasis mine)

His Stewardship Was Fulfilled, John A. Tvedtnes, Maxwell Institute, Accessed July 12, 2011.

2  But there was one among them whose name was Alma, he also being a descendant of Nephi.  And he was a young man, and he believed the words which Abinadi had spoken, for he knew concerning the iniquity which Abinadi had testified against them; therefore he began to plead with the king that he would not be angry with Abinadi, but suffer that he might depart in peace.
3  But the king was more wroth, and caused that Alma should be cast out from among them, and sent his servants after him that they might slay him.
4  But he fled from before them and hid himself that they found him not.  And he being concealed for many days did write all the words which Abinadi had spoken.

Mosiah 17:2-4 (Emphasis mine)

Abinadi was not a failure.  His preaching touched one priest, a young man named Alma(1).  Alma realized the truth of Abinadi's words and plead to the King that he would spare his life and let him go.  All Alma(1) managed to do was make the  King more angry, cast him out, and sent his servants to kill him.

Alma(1) escaped and hid from them.  During the time he was in hiding, he wrote down the words of Abinadi.  If it weren't for Alma(1), we would not have the words of Abinadi. 

Who was Alma(1)?  L. Gary Lambert tells us:

"Alma(1) (c. 174—92 B.C.) was the first of two Almas in the Book of Mormon. He was a descendant of Nephi(1), son of Lehi, and was the young priest in the court of king Noah who attempted a peaceful release of the prophet Abinadi. For that action, Alma incurred royal vengeance, banishment, and threats upon his life. He had been impressed by Abinadi's accusations of immorality and abuses within the government and society and by his testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ (Mosiah 17:2). Subsequently forced underground, Alma wrote out Abinadi's teachings, then shared them with others, attracting sufficient adherents—450—to organize a society of believers, or a church." (Emphasis mine)

Alma(1), L. Gary Lambert, Maxwell Institute, Accessed July 12, 2011.

Hugh Nibley

"  'But there was one among them whose name was Alma,' and there's a very important thing about Alma. You'll notice his situation and what kind of fellow he was. What was Alma's situation? It goes out of the way to tell us why he was in this situation. He was a direct descendant of Nephi. That meant he had the priesthood, but he wasn't among those—the old guard—that had been kicked out by Noah at an earlier time. Remember, Noah cleaned out Zeniff's priests that he had appointed. And as we read back here in Mosiah 11:5, he got rid of them. 'For he put down all the priests that had been consecrated by his father [so Alma hadn't been consecrated by Zeniff], and he consecrated new ones in their stead.' And Alma was apparently one of those new ones. Why? Well, in the first place he was young. It says that he was a young man. He hadn't been in that old group at all. In the second place, he was in the highest aristocracy. Remember, the first Nephi had been the king, so he was the nearest thing you would get to royal blood. He couldn't avoid the job. He would naturally be appointed by the king and also have the king's ear because he was in high respect, of course. And he was also honest, and he knew [Abinadi] was telling the truth. He knew too much, as a matter of fact. That's why the king had to get rid of him now. ... Of course, he interceded for Abinadi. He had the ear of the king and he said, well, what about it? Let's let him go. The least we can do is let him go in peace. The king wouldn't have that, and so now he wanted to get rid of Alma himself. To agree to this [Alma's exhortation] would be an admission of his guilt. He couldn't afford to do that, so he had to get rid of Alma, too. He was a troublemaker [for the king], and he knew too much, as we learn in verse 2.

"Then what happened? He 'sent his servants after him that they might slay him' so that nobody would know about it. See, that's the way he did things, not in the open. This Noah was quite a character, and yet he turns out to be a rather sympathetic character, and that's surprising, isn't it? 'But he [Alma] fled from before them [Alma was up to that—he knew what was going to happen, so he got out of the way in time; he was no fool to stay around] and hid himself that they found him not. And he being concealed for many days did write all the words which Abinadi had spoken.' Remember, those were scripture. Abinadi was heavy with scripture. He taunted the priests of Noah for teaching the scripture and not knowing it, not understanding it, and not following it." (Emphasis mine)

Lecture 36: Mosiah 16-18, Hugh W. Nibley, Maxwell Institute, Accessed July 12, 2011

Alma 42 - Background

This is probably my favorite chapter of scripture in the Book of Mormon.  I feel that it is one of the best (if not the best) set of scriptures explaining the importance of Christ's atonement.  It is my intention to discuss this chapter in the next few posts.  Today, I want to give some background.

Alma(2) and his sons were preaching to the Zoramites.  Alma(2)'s son, Corianton, caused many problems for their work.  His actions damaged their work.  Alma(2) wrote that  "... thou [Corianton] didst go on unto boasting in thy strength and thy wisdom. And this is not all, my son.  Thou didst do that which was grievous unto me; for thou didst forsake the ministry, and did go over into the land of Siron among the borders of the Lamanites, after the harlot Isabel.  Yea, she did steal away the hearts of many; but this was no excuse for thee, my son. (Alma 39:2-4)

As you read Alma 39-42, you realize that Corianton realizes that he has done wrong, and is now concerned about the justice of God.  Alma(2)'s words address his concerns.

It's interesting that Alma(2) had a rebellious son, considering his past.  

Alma(2) (also known as Alma, the younger) was the son of Alma(1).  Shortly after Alma(1) and his followers arrived in the city of Zarahemela, King Mosiah gave Alma(1) the "authority over the church."  (Mosiah 26:8)  While Alma(1) was building the church, his son, Alma(2) and the four sons of Mosiah were "numbered among the unbelievers." (Mosiah 27:8)  Alma(2) was considered "a man of many words, and did speak much flattery to the people; therefore he led many of the people to do after the manner of his iniquities. And he became a great hinderment to the prosperity of the church of God; stealing away the hearts of the people; causing much dissension among the people; giving a chance for the enemy of God to exercise his power over them."  (Mosiah 27:8-10)  Alma(2), along with the sons of Mosiah went about secretly "[destroying] the church of God ... and to lead astray the people of the Lord ..." (Mosiah 27:10)  Mormon would later describe the five as "... the very vilest of sinners ..." (Mosiah 28:4) 

One day, while they were going about destroying the church, and angel of the Lord appeared to them.  The angel spoke to Alma(2), proclaiming...

"Alma, arise and stand forth, for why persecutest thou the church of God?  For the Lord hath said: This is my church, and I will establish it; and nothing shall overthrow it, save it is the transgression of my people ... Behold, the Lord hath heard the prayers of his people, and also the prayers of his servant, Alma, who is thy father; for he has prayed with much faith concerning thee that thou mightest be brought to the knowledge of the truth; therefore, for this purpose have I come to convince thee of the power and authority of God, that the prayers of his servants might be answered according to their faith.  And now behold, can ye dispute the power of God?  For behold, doth not my voice shake the earth?  And can ye not also behold me before you?  And I am sent from God.Now I say unto thee: Go, and 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.  And now I say unto thee, Alma, go thy way, and seek to destroy the church no more, that their prayers may be answered, and this even if thou wilt of thyself be cast off." (Mosiah 27:13-16)

It is then recorded that "... Alma and those that were with him fell again to the earth, for great was their astonishment; for with their own eyes they had beheld an angel of the Lord .. And now the astonishment of Alma was so great that he became dumb, that he could not open his mouth; yea, and he became weak, even that he could not move his hands; therefore he was taken by those that were with him, and carried helpless, even until he was laid before his father."  (Mosiah 18-29)

Alma(1) rejoiced when he saw what happened to his son.  "And he caused that a multitude should be gathered together that they might witness what the Lord had done for his son, and also for those that were with him.  And he caused that the priests should assemble themselves together; and they began to fast, and to pray to the Lord their God that he would open the mouth of Alma, that he might speak, and also that his limbs might receive their strength—that the eyes of the people might be opened to see and know of the goodness and glory of God.  And it came to pass after they had fasted and prayed for the space of two days and two nights, the limbs of Alma received their strength, and he stood up ..." (Mosiah 27:21-23)

Alma(2) expressed his joy because he had "... repented of my sins, and have been redeemed of the Lord; behold I am born of the Spirit."  (Mosiah 27:24)  He continued to praise the Lord and renounce his sinful past; he began preaching to the people.  (For the full account of his words, see Mosiah 27:24-31.) 

Alma and the sons of Mosiah would go on to be some of the greatest missionaries in the Book of Mormon. The records of their ministry make some of the most faith promoting readings in the Book of Mormon.  (See Alma 6-26.  These are amazing stories of faith and service to the Lord.)

With this background, I'll being discussing the content of Alma 42 in the next post.