Alma 27:10-24

10  But the king said unto him: Inquire of the Lord, and if he saith unto us go, we will go; otherwise we will perish in the land.

11  And it came to pass that Ammon went and inquired of the Lord, and the Lord said unto him:

12  Get this people out of this land, that they perish not; for Satan has great hold on the hearts of the Amalekites, who do stir up the Lamanites to anger against their brethren to slay them; therefore get thee out of this land; and blessed are this people in this generation, for I will preserve them.

13  And now it came to pass that Ammon went and told the king all the words which the Lord had said unto him.

14  And they gathered together all their people, yea, all the people of the Lord, and did gather together all their flocks and herds, and departed out of the land, and came into the wilderness which divided the land of Nephi from the land of Zarahemla, and came over near the borders of the land.

Alma 27:10-14 (Emphasis mine)

After being told they would not become slaves, the king told Ammon to inquire of the Lord.  Whatever he says, we will do. 

In answer to Ammon’s prayers, he was told to get the people out of the land.  The Amalekites are stirring up Lamanites to kill them.  If they go, the Lord said He would preserve them.

With that promise, they left their land and arrived near the borders of the land of Zarahemla.

The Anti-Nephi-Lehies once again showed remarkable faith.  They knew there was a chance they would die at the hands of the Nephites because of the violence done to them by these people.  Still, they went forward, trusting in the Lord.

15  And it came to pass that Ammon said unto them: Behold, I and my brethren will go forth into the land of Zarahemla, and ye shall remain here until we return; and we will try the hearts of our brethren, whether they will that ye shall come into their land.

16  And it came to pass that as Ammon was going forth into the land, that he and his brethren met Alma, over in the place of which has been spoken; and behold, this was a joyful meeting.

17  Now the joy of Ammon was so great even that he was full; yea, he was swallowed up in the joy of his God, even to the exhausting of his strength; and he fell again to the earth.

18  Now was not this exceeding joy?  Behold, this is joy which none receiveth save it be the truly penitent and humble seeker of happiness.

19  Now the joy of Alma in meeting his brethren was truly great, and also the joy of Aaron, of Omner, and Himni; but behold their joy was not that to exceed their strength.

20  And now it came to pass that Alma conducted his brethren back to the land of Zarahemla; even to his own house.  And they went and told the chief judge all the things that had happened unto them in the land of Nephi, among their brethren, the Lamanites.

 Alma 27:15-20 (Emphasis mine)

Ammon and his brethren had the Anti-Nephi-Lehies wait while they went into the city to plead their case.  It was here that they met Alma(2).  That event was recorded in Chapter 26.

After Alma(2) heard their story, he took them to his home in Zarahemla.  They meet with the chief judge and related the things that had happened over the last 14 years. 

21  And it came to pass that the chief judge sent a proclamation throughout all the land, desiring the voice of the people concerning the admitting their brethren, who were the people of Anti-Nephi-Lehi.

22  And it came to pass that the voice of the people came, saying: Behold, we will give up the land of Jershon, which is on the east by the sea, which joins the land Bountiful, which is on the south of the land Bountiful; and this land Jershon is the land which we will give unto our brethren for an inheritance.

23  And behold, we will set our armies between the land Jershon and the land Nephi, that we may protect our brethren in the land Jershon; and this we do for our brethren, on account of their fear to take up arms against their brethren lest they should commit sin; and this their great fear came because of their sore repentance which they had, on account of their many murders and their awful wickedness.

24  And now behold, this will we do unto our brethren, that they may inherit the land Jershon; and we will guard them from their enemies with our armies, on condition that they will give us a portion of their substance to assist us that we may maintain our armies.

Alma 27:21-24 (Emphasis mine)

The chief judge called the people together and told them what happened.  It appears there was little opposition to giving the Ammonites land.  The voice of the people was immediately heard. 

They gave them the land of Jershon as the land of their inheritance.  They also respected them and their promise not to bear arms again.  There was one condition.  They would have to pay to help maintain the army.

John Welch explained that allowing them not to serve in the army was quite unusual.

“The only Book of Mormon group given an exemption from military service was the famous people of Ammon. In repenting of their previous shedding of blood, they had sworn an oath that they would never again take up arms (see Alma 24:11-13). After they arrived in Zarahemla, they were granted an extraordinary exemption from active military duty if they would help to sustain the Nephite armies with provisions (see Alma 27:23-24). Surprisingly, the grant of this exceptional privilege was consistent with ancient Israelite law.” [1] (Emphasis mine)

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[1] Exemption from Military Duty, John W. Welch, Maxwell Institute, accessed October 6, 2011.

Alma 17:1-9

I would like to move away from Alma(2) for a time and study the record of Alma(2) talking about the experiences of the sons of Mosiah(2).

An account of the sons of Mosiah, who rejected their rights to the kingdom for the word of God, and went up to the land of Nephi to preach to the Lamanites; their sufferings and deliverance—according to the record of Alma.

Comprising chapters 17 to 26 inclusive.

Here we learn that the record Mormon is abridging is a record made by Alma(2). 

Chapter 17

The sons of Mosiah have the spirit of prophecy and of revelation—They go their several ways to declare the word to the Lamanites—Ammon goes to the land of Ishmael and becomes the servant of King Lamoni—Ammon saves the king's flocks and slays his enemies at the waters of Sebus. Verses 1–3, about 77 B.C.; verse 4, about 91–77 B.C.; and verses 5-39, about 91 B.C.

1  AND now it came to pass that as Alma was journeying from the land of Gideon southward, away to the land of Manti, behold, to his astonishment, he met with the sons of Mosiah journeying towards the land of Zarahemla.

2  Now these sons of Mosiah were with Alma at the time the angel first appeared unto him; therefore Alma did rejoice exceedingly to see his brethren; and what added more to his joy, they were still his brethren in the Lord; yea, and they had waxed strong in the knowledge of the truth; for they were men of a sound understanding and they had searched the scriptures diligently, that they might know the word of God.

3  But this is not all; they had given themselves to much prayer, and fasting; therefore they had the spirit of prophecy, and the spirit of revelation, and when they taught, they taught with power and authority of God.

4  And they had been teaching the word of God for the space of fourteen years [from 91 B.C. to 77 B.C.] among the Lamanites, having had much success in bringing many to the knowledge of the truth; yea, by the power of their words many were brought before the altar of God, to call on his name and confess their sins before him.

 Alma 17:1-4 (Emphasis mine)

Alma(2) had left Gideon after preaching there, and to his surprise, he saw his old friends, the sons of Mosiah.  The joy the four men experience had to be something special.  But what was even more joyful was that the sons of Mosiah were “still his brethren in the Lord.”  These five men were still faithful to the Lord all these years later.

Alma(2)’s record tells us they were very faithful.  They fasted and prayed; they had the spirit of revelation and had the power and authority of God.

Their fourteen-year mission had strengthened them.  Their successes had brought many to the Lord. 

Writing about their mission, John Tvetdnes explained its importance.

“The mission of the sons of Mosiah among the Lamanites has generally been seen as one of the greatest missionary efforts in the Book of Mormon. This is undoubtedly true. One cannot diminish the importance of the spiritual conversion of many thousands of Lamanites to the gospel and of the miracles and faith that accompanied that conversion.

“There is, however, another aspect to the mission that is generally overlooked. It is that the Nephite princes were seeking a means whereby their nation could be relieved of the burden of war with their Lamanite neighbors. Mosiah's sons

“… returned to their father, the king, and desired of him that he would grant unto them ... that they might impart the word of God to their brethren, the Lamanites — that perhaps they might bring them to the knowledge of the Lord their God, and convince them of the iniquity of their fathers; that perhaps they might cure them of their hatred towards the Nephites, that they might also be brought to rejoice in the Lord their God, that they might become friendly to one another, and that there should be no more contentions in all the land. (Mosiah 28:1-2.)”  (Emphasis mine)

The Sons of Mosiah: Emissaries of Peace, John A. Tvedtnes, Maxwell Institute, accessed August 31, 2011

The desire to bring peace between the Nephites and Lamanites was important consideration.  The wars cost much, in money, casualties, time, resources, etc.  Bringing peace would benefit both sides.

John Tvedtnes also wrote of Alma(2)’s joy at seeing his brethren.

“So emotionally charged were Alma's memories of the angel's first visit that he reflected on it when, after a fourteen-year hiatus, he was reunited with the sons of Mosiah, who had been with him during the angel's original visit. These men had just returned safely from a lengthy mission to the land of Nephi, during which time they had succeeded in converting thousands of Lamanites.”  (Emphasis mine)

The Voice of an Angel, John A. Tvedtnes, Maxwell Institute, accessed August 31, 2011

5  Now these are the circumstances which attended them in their journeyings, for they had many afflictions; they did suffer much, both in body and in mind, such as hunger, thirst and fatigue, and also much labor in the spirit.

6  Now these were their journeyings: Having taken leave of their father, Mosiah, in the first year of the judges; having refused the kingdom which their father was desirous to confer upon them, and also this was the minds of the people;

7  Nevertheless they departed out of the land of Zarahemla, and took their swords, and their spears, and their bows, and their arrows, and their slings; and this they did that they might provide food for themselves while in the wilderness.

8  And thus they departed into the wilderness with their numbers which they had selected, to go up to the land of Nephi, to preach the word of God unto the Lamanites.

9  And it came to pass that they journeyed many days in the wilderness, and they fasted much and prayed much that the Lord would grant unto them a portion of his Spirit to go with them, and abide with them, that they might be an instrument in the hands of God to bring, if it were possible, their brethren, the Lamanites, to the knowledge of the truth, to the knowledge of the baseness of the traditions of their fathers, which were not correct.

Alma 17:5-9 (Emphasis mine)

The record takes us back fourteen years to the departure of the sons of Mosiah and their group.  While they journeyed in the wilderness, they fasted and prayed that they might have success preaching to the Lamanites. 

Richard Rust wrote about the mission of the sons of Mosiah.  As they begin their mission, his words are very appropriate.

“The missionary endeavor of the sons of Mosiah, found in a single chapter in the 1830 edition of the Book of Mormon (Alma 17 through 20 in the current edition), is one of the most interesting stories in the Book of Mormon. By looking at this narrative as a single story, one discovers that its center is the kingdom of God in contrast with the kingdom of man, the power of God in contrast with that of man … This acceptance of God's power and denial of earthly glory is emphasized in the first paragraph of the 1830 edition. The sons of Mosiah, we are told, ‘taught with power and authority, even as with the power and authority of God ... having refused the kingdom which their father was desirous to confer upon them’ (cf. Alma 17:3, 6)”

“Leaving behind a presumably comfortable life in Zarahemla, the sons of Mosiah depart into the wilderness to go among ‘a wild and a hardened and a ferocious people’ (Alma 17:14).

Recurrence in Book of Mormon Narratives, Richard Dilworth Rust, Maxwell Institute, accessed August 31, 2011

Tomorrow’s entry will take our devoted group into the lands of the Lamanites.

Alma 40:6-14

6  Now there must needs be a space betwixt the time of death and the time of the resurrection.
7  And now I would inquire what becometh of the souls of men from this time of death to the time appointed for the resurrection?
8  Now whether there is more than one time appointed for men to rise it mattereth not; for all do not die at once, and this mattereth not; all is as one day with God, and time only is measured unto men.
9  Therefore, there is a time appointed unto men that they shall rise from the dead; and there is a space between the time of death and the resurrection.  And now, concerning this space of time, what becometh of the souls of men is the thing which I have inquired diligently of the Lord to know; and this is the thing of which I do know.
10  And when the time cometh when all shall rise, then shall they know that God knoweth all the times which are appointed unto man.

Alma 40:6-10 (Emphasis mine)

Alma(2) briefly reviews the time of the resurrection stating that "when the time cometh when all shall rise, then shall they know that God knoweth all the times which are appointed unto man." (V10). 

Then he raises a new issue  -  "...what becometh of the souls of men from this time of death to the time appointed for the resurrection?" (V7)  He tells us that "... there is a space between the time of death and the resurrection..." (V9)  He has inquired of the Lord, and he has received an answer.

11  Now, concerning the state of the soul between death and the resurrection—Behold, it has been made known unto me by an angel, that the spirits of all men, as soon as they are departed from this mortal body, yea, the spirits of all men, whether they be good or evil, are taken home to the God that gave them life.
12  And then shall it come to pass, that the spirits of those who are righteous are received into a state of happiness, which is called paradise, a state of rest, a state of peace, where they shall rest from all their troubles and from all care, and sorrow.
13  And then shall it come to pass, that the spirits of the wicked, yea, who are evil—for behold, they have no part nor portion of the Spirit of the Lord; for behold, they chose evil works rather than good; therefore the spirit of the devil did enter into them, and take possession of their house—and these shall be cast out into outer darkness; there shall be weeping, and wailing, and gnashing of teeth, and this because of their own iniquity, being led captive by the will of the devil.
14  Now this is the state of the souls of the wicked, yea, in darkness, and a state of awful, fearful looking for the fiery indignation of the wrath of God upon them; thus they remain in this estate, as well as the righteous in paradise, until the time of their resurrection.

Alma 40:11-14 (Emphasis mine)

Alma(2) tells Corianton that an angel of the Lord appeared to him and answered his prayers.  We learn:

• All will be taken back to God. (V11)  Whether the person was wicked or righteous doesn't matter.  

 7  Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it. 

Ecclesiastes 12:7 (Emphasis mine)

• The state of the righteous. The righteous will enter paradise.  This will be a time of rest and peace.  All our worldly cares will no longer trouble us. (V12) 

11  Therefore the redeemed of the LORD shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their head: they shall obtain gladness and joy; and sorrow and mourning shall flee away.

Isaiah 51:11 (Emphasis mine)

• Alma(2) tells Corianton about the fate of the wicked.  The key phrase in this set of scriptures is "...they chose evil works rather than good;" (V13)  What happens to them happens because of the choices they made.   I have a sign in my classroom that says "Choices have consequences."  The consequences the wicked face after death are of their own making.  They will be able to blame no one but themselves.  There will be "weeping, and wailing, and gnashing of teeth..."  Why?  The angel told Alma(2) this happens "because of their own iniquity..."  (V13)  They will be left in a state of darkness where they will remain as the righteous remain in paradise until the time of their resurrection.  (V14)  All of these things will come upon them because they chose poorly.

 1  STAND fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

Galatians 5:1 (Emphasis mine)

25  In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;
26  And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.

2 Timothy 2:25-26 (Emphasis mine)

Our loving and merciful God wants us to return to him someday.  He has given us His word by which we should live.  We are faced with temptations.  If we put our faith and trust in Him, we will return to His presence.

He also lets us know the consequences of the choices we make. 

The choices are ours.  Through Alma(2) we learn of the consequences of those choices.

2 Nephi 9:18

2 Nephi 9:18

"But, behold, the righteous, the saints of the Holy One of Israel, they who have believed in the Holy One of Israel, they who have endured the crosses of the world, and despised the shame of it, they shall inherit the kingdom of God, which was prepared for them from the foundation of the world, and their joy shall be full forever."

This scripture caught my attention a couple of years ago.  The setting is part of a sermon given to the Nephites by Nephi's brother Jacob. 

I like this scripture because it points out what the disciples of Christ will endure for their faith and belief.  The line that really caught my attention was "...they who have endured the crosses of the world..."  It will not be easy to be a disciple of Christ.  You will be "despised" for your beliefs.  You will face constant challenges in your life (note the plural "crosses").  Discipleship will be full of demands and challenges. 

But, there are two great promises if you stay as a faithful follower...

1. "...they shall inherit the kingdom of God..."
2. "...their joy shall be full forever."

Wow!  Those are powerful and great promises that await the disciples of Christ.  While it will be tough for a time, the day will come when Christ will welcome you into the Kingdom of God.  A great promise in return for true faith and commitment to Christ.

I love this scripture.