Mosiah 26:25-39

The Lord continues to answer Alma(1)’s prayer.

²⁵ And it shall come to pass that when the second trump shall sound then shall they that never knew me come forth and shall stand before me. ²⁶ And then shall they know that I am the Lord their God, that I am their Redeemer; but they would not be redeemed. ²⁷ And then I will confess unto them that I never knew them; and they shall depart into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels. ²⁸ Therefore I say unto you, that he that will not hear my voice, the same shall ye not receive into my church, for him I will not receive at the last day.

Mosiah 26:25-28 (Emphasis mine)

Here the Lord lays out what will happen to those who reject.  They day will come where all will stand before Him, even those who “never knew me.”  Then they will know who He is.  He is the Redeemer, offering redemption to all, but they will not receive redemption.

These people will inherit the telestial glory.  In the vision Joseph Smith and Sydney Rigdon received about the salvation of man, they saw “… the glory of the telestial, which glory … These are they who received not the gospel of Christ, neither the testimony of Jesus … These are they who are thrust down to hell. These are they who shall not be redeemed from the devil until the last resurrection, until the Lord, even Christ the Lamb, shall have finished his work” (D&C 76:81-82; 84-85). 

In the Preface to the Doctrine & Covenants, the Lord proclaimed to the wicked that “… the day cometh that they who will not hear the voice of the Lord, neither the voice of his servants, neither give heed to the words of the prophets and apostles, shall be cut off from among the people;” (D&C 1:14). 

Nephi learned the same principle in his great revelation.  “Wherefore, if they should die in their wickedness they must be cast off… wherefore, they must be brought to stand before God, to be judged of their works; and if their works have been filthiness … and if they be filthy it must needs be that they cannot dwell in the kingdom of God; if so, the kingdom of God must be filthy also … wherefore there must needs be a place of filthiness prepared for that which is filthy.  And there is a place prepared, yea, even that awful hell of which I have spoken, and the devil is the preparator of it … Wherefore, the wicked are rejected from the righteous, and also from that tree of life, whose fruit is most precious and most desirable above all other fruits; yea, and it is the greatest of all the gifts of God …” (1 Nephi 15:33-36).

Jennifer Clark Love reminds us that the Lord offers redemption to the entire world.

“The prophets of the Book of Mormon teach that redemption is offered to all; however, only those who enter into covenants and are adopted by the Lord, receiving his name, create a family relationship with the Lord where he is able to act as their go'el  [1] and deliver them from the bondage of sin.” [2] (Emphasis mine)

²⁹ Therefore I say unto you, Go; and whosoever transgresseth against me, him shall ye judge according to the sins which he has committed; and if he confess his sins before thee and me, and repenteth in the sincerity of his heart, him shall ye forgive, and I will forgive him also. ³⁰ Yea, and as often as my people repent will I forgive them their trespasses against me. ³¹ And ye shall also forgive one another your trespasses; for verily I say unto you, he that forgiveth not his neighbor's trespasses when he says that he repents, the same hath brought himself under condemnation.

³² Now I say unto you, Go; and whosoever will not repent of his sins the same shall not be numbered among my people; and this shall be observed from this time forward.

Mosiah 26:29–32 (Emphasis mine)

After laying the foundation and principles of redemption, the Lord gives Alma(1) his law.  Anyone who has sinned against the Lord is to be brought before Alma(1) to be judged.  If the person confesses their sins and sincerely repents, they are to be forgiven.  This is the same concept taught by Peter when he called on the people to “[r]epent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord” (Acts 13:19).  If this person sincerely repents, the Lord will forgive then as “often as my people repent.”

That’s not all.  The righteous member has a responsibility as well.  They are told by the Lord that they are required to forgive their neighbor’s trespasses.  If they don’t, they will bring themselves “under condemnation.”

Christ taught this to the Nephites when He appeared on this continent.  “For, if ye forgive men their trespasses your heavenly Father will also forgive you; But if ye forgive not men their trespasses neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (3 Nephi 13:14-15).  The Lord revealed to Joseph that we must “… forgive one another; for he that forgiveth not his brother his trespasses standeth condemned before the Lord; for there remaineth in him the greater sin.  I, the Lord, will forgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is required to forgive all men” (D&C 64:9-10).

The principle of forgiving and being forgiven is essential to our salvation.  The only way you can be forgiven is to forgive others.  If you fail to forgive, you will not be forgiven.

³³ And it came to pass when Alma had heard these words he wrote them down that he might have them, and that he might judge the people of that church according to the commandments of God. ³⁴ And it came to pass that Alma went and judged those that had been taken in iniquity, according to the word of the Lord. ³⁵ And whosoever repented of their sins and did confess them, them he did number among the people of the church; ³⁶ And those that would not confess their sins and repent of their iniquity, the same were not numbered among the people of the church, and their names were blotted out.

Mosiah 26:33-36 (Emphasis mine)

Alma(1) recorded the words of the Lord so they were there when he judged the dissidents.  He then began the process.  The dissidents were offered two choices.  Confess their sin and repent or be cut off from the church.  Those that confessed and repented were forgiven and continued to be numbered among the church.  Those that refused had their names blotted out and were excommunicated from the church.

Confession is an essential part of repentance.  Noel Reynolds explains:

“While the necessity of confession as part of repentance was not emphasized by all the Book of Mormon prophets, it was clearly in place. Again, it is Alma the Elder who develops the idea at length. Alma teaches the members of the church to forgive all who confessed their sins (see Mosiah 26:29). Confession of sins and repentance of iniquity were necessary requirements for gaining and retaining membership in the church (see Mosiah 26:35-36).” [3] (Emphasis mine)

³⁷ And it came to pass that Alma did regulate all the affairs of the church; and they began again to have peace and to prosper exceedingly in the affairs of the church, walking circumspectly before God, receiving many, and baptizing many. ³⁸ And now all these things did Alma and his fellow laborers do who were over the church, walking in all diligence, teaching the word of God in all things, suffering all manner of afflictions, being persecuted by all those who did not belong to the church of God. ³⁹ And they did admonish their brethren; and they were also admonished, every one by the word of God, according to his sins, or to the sins which he had committed, being commanded of God to pray without ceasing, and to give thanks in all things.

Mosiah 26:37-39 (Emphasis mine)

As the church dealt with the dissidents, peace and prosperity grew for the church.  Members were living their religion; new baptisms were occurring. 

Even so, Alma(1) and other leaders did continue to preach and admonish members to remain committed to the word of God.  They did this in spite of persecution by those who did not belong to the church. 

They were commanded of God to pray continually.  This reiterated the word of the Lord given to Nephi(1).  He wrote “… if ye would hearken unto the Spirit which teacheth a man to pray ye would know that ye must pray; for the evil spirit teacheth not a man to pray, but teacheth him that he must not pray. But behold, I say unto you that ye must pray always, and not faint; that ye must not perform any thing unto the Lord save in the first place ye shall pray unto the Father in the name of Christ, that he will consecrate thy performance unto thee, that thy performance may be for the welfare of thy soul.” (2 Nephi 32:8-9).

As Alma(1) “regulate[d] the affairs of the church,” he had to deal with the notion of excommunication.

“ ‘And it came to pass that Alma did regulate all the affairs of the church’ (Mosiah 26:37). This idea of excommunication was obviously wholly new to Alma, who had grown up under the old ideology where one's birth ‘numbered’ one among the people of the Lord—the Nephites—in such a way that one could not be ‘blotted out,’ and where one's primary social identity was national or genealogical rather than, as we might express it, ‘intentional’ or ‘voluntary.’ “ [4] (Emphasis mine)

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[1] The person who carries this responsibility is known as the go'el, the present participle of ga'al. The go'el was a person's closest relative who was "responsible for standing up for him and maintaining his rights," a responsibility based on feelings of tribal unity. Basic duties of the go'el were: (1) to buy back sold property; (2) to buy back a man who had sold himself to a foreigner as a slave; (3) to avenge blood and kill a relative's murderer; (4) to receive atonement money; and, figuratively, (5) to be a helper in a lawsuit.

[2] The Lord Will Redeem His People: Adoptive Covenant and Redemption in the Old Testament and Book of Mormon. Jennifer Clark Lane, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed January 29, 2012. 

[3] The True Points of My Doctrine, Noel B. Reynolds, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed January 29, 2012.

[4] Authority in the Book of Mosiah, Daniel C. Peterson, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed January 29, 2012.

2 Nephi 28:15-20

¹⁵ O the wise, and the learned, and the rich, that are puffed up in the pride of their hearts, and all those who preach false doctrines, and all those who commit whoredoms, and pervert the right way of the Lord, wo, wo, wo be unto them, saith the Lord God Almighty, for they shall be thrust down to hell!

¹⁶ Wo unto them that turn aside the just for a thing of naught and revile against that which is good, and say that it is of no worth!  For the day shall come that the Lord God will speedily visit the inhabitants of the earth; and in that day that they are fully ripe in iniquity they shall perish. ¹⁷ But behold, if the inhabitants of the earth shall repent of their wickedness and abominations they shall not be destroyed, saith the Lord of Hosts. ¹⁸ But behold, that great and abominable church, the whore of all the earth, must tumble to the earth, and great must be the fall thereof.

2 Nephi 28:15-18 (Emphasis mine)

21 That make a man an offender for a word, and lay a snare for him that reproveth in the gate, and turn aside the just for a thing of nought.

Isaiah 29:21 (Emphasis mine)

What will be the consequence for those who pervert the gospel, teach false doctrine, and are puffed up with the pride of their hearts?  The Lord makes this clear.  They will be thrust down to hell. 

Nephi(1)’s choice of words is powerful.  He could have said they would go to hell; they would suffer in hell; he could have used many other words.  Instead, he chose a very powerful word – thrust.  Thrust is a word demonstrating power and force.  The Lord is very clear about what will happen to these people.  Thrust makes it clear.

The Lord tells us that those who are “fully ripe in iniquity” will die.  They will pay for their sins.  Then we learn that those who repent will not be destroyed.  They will be protected in the awful day when the wicked suffer the consequences of their iniquity.

Richard Draper observes:

“Obedience brings blessings: ‘Behold, this is a choice land, and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall be free from bondage, and from captivity, and from all other nations under heaven, if they will but serve the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ’ (Ether 2:12). But disobedience brings cursings: ‘Yea, and cursed be the land forever and ever unto those workers of darkness and secret combinations, even unto destruction, except they repent before they are fully ripe’ (Alma 37:31).

“When iniquity ripens fully the cursings come. But what constitutes being ripe in iniquity? The Book of Mormon gives specific conditions: (1) when ‘the voice of this people should choose iniquity’ (Alma 10:19); (2) when the people ‘turn aside the just for a thing of naught and revile against that which is good, and say that it is of no worth’ (2 Nephi 28:16); (3) when they reject ‘every word of God’ (1 Nephi 17:35); and (4) ‘when [they] shall cast out the righteous from among [them], then shall [they] be ripe for destruction’ (Helaman 13:14).” [1] (Emphasis mine)

After the wicked are destroyed, and the righteous saved, the great and abominable church will tumble to the Earth, and “great must be the fall thereof.”

What is the great and abominable church of which Nephi(1) speaks?  David Wright gives us an excellent definition.

“The phrase ‘great and abominable church,’ which appears in an apocalyptic vision received by the Book of Mormon prophet Nephi₁in the sixth century B.C. (1 Ne. 13:6), refers to the church of the devil and is understood by Latter-day Saints to be equivalent to the "great whore that sitteth upon many waters" described in Revelation 17:1 . This "whore of all the earth" is identified by Nephi's brother Jacob as all those who are against God and who fight against Zion, in all periods of time (2 Ne. 10:16).” [2] (Emphasis mine)

¹⁹ For the kingdom of the devil must shake, and they which belong to it must needs be stirred up unto repentance, or the devil will grasp them with his everlasting chains, and they be stirred up to anger, and perish; ²⁰ For behold, at that day shall he rage in the hearts of the children of men, and stir them up to anger against that which is good.

2 Nephi 28:19-20 (Emphasis mine)

Before they wicked perish, the Lord will give them a chance to repent.  Before this day, they will have opportunities to avoid being grasped by the chains of the devil.  If they refuse to repent, they will have rage in their hearts and be angered by that which is good.

Hugh Nibley comments:

“They live that way. ‘Wo unto them that turn aside the just for a thing of naught [ah, the technicalities of the law] and revile against that which is good, and say that it is of no worth! For the day shall come that the Lord God will speedily visit the inhabitants of the earth; and in that day that they are fully ripe in iniquity they shall perish.’ He's giving us a lot of rope; you notice that. When they are fully ripe, they will take care of themselves. That's atē again—when you reach the point of no return, when you are fully ripe. ‘But behold, that great and abominable church, the whore of all the earth, must tumble to the earth, and great must be the fall thereof.’ Then we go back to 2 Nephi 10:16 where he says that all those who fight against Zion are the ‘great and abominable.’ … Verse 20: ‘For behold, at that day shall he [Satan] rage in the hearts of the children of men, and stir them up to anger against that which is good.’ All you have to do is name a few buzz words, and people get absolutely furious.” [3] (Emphasis mine)

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[1] Hubris and Ate: A Latter-day Warning from the Book of Mormon, Richard D. Draper, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed January 7, 2012.

[2] Great and Abominable Church, Dennis A. Wright, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed January 7, 2012.

[3] Lecture 21: 2 Nephi 25-28, Hugh W. Nibley, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed January 7, 2012.

Alma 34:28-33

28  And now behold, my beloved brethren, I say unto you, do not suppose that this is all; for after ye have done all these things, if ye turn away the needy, and the naked, and visit not the sick and afflicted, and impart of your substance, if ye have, to those who stand in need—I say unto you, if ye do not any of these things, behold, your prayer is vain, and availeth you nothing, and ye are as hypocrites who do deny the faith.

29  Therefore, if ye do not remember to be charitable, ye are as dross, which the refiners do cast out, (it being of no worth) and is trodden under foot of men.

Alma 34:28-29 (Emphasis mine)

Amulek had preached the principles of salvation.  Now he adds one more important concept.

They could do everything they had been taught, but it would do them no good if they turned away the needy, the naked.  If they didn’t visit the sick and give of their possessions to those in need, what you have done will do you no good.  They would be as the hypocrites who deny the faith.  They are expected to be charitable and take care of those less fortunate than they are.

The people who are hearing this are primarily poor.  Yet, even as poor as they are, they are expected to take care of those who are in need.  They cannot use their personal situation as an excuse for ignoring the needs of their neighbors.

26 If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain.

27  Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

James 1:26-27 (Emphasis mine)

Hugh Nibley comments:

“When you have done all these things, this is very important. Remember, he is talking to the selfish Zoramites. "For after ye have done all these things, if ye turn away the needy, and the naked, and visit not the sick and afflicted, and impart of your substance, if ye have, to those who stand in need—I say unto you, if ye do not any of these things, behold, your prayer is vain . . . [all these spiritual exercises aren't going to get you anywhere without charity]. Therefore, if ye do not remember to be charitable, ye are as dross [you are as nothing], which the refiners do cast out." So don't harden your hearts any longer. They had been doing that.” [1] (Emphasis mine)

Sherrie Mills Johnson adds:

“It is interesting that Amulek instructed the oppressed poor to care for the needy. This seems to be a warning that they should not begin a new community (as was done before) that would merely change who the elite were. Rather, they were to always care for anyone in need, thus counteracting effects of a stratified society that marginalized segments of the population. Amulek then explained, ‘If ye do not remember to be charitable, ye are as dross, which the refiners do cast out, (it being of no worth) and is trodden under foot of men’ (Alma 34:29).” [2] (Emphasis mine)

30  And now, my brethren, I would that, after ye have received so many witnesses, seeing that the holy scriptures testify of these things, ye come forth and bring fruit unto repentance.

31  Yea, I would that ye would come forth and harden not your hearts any longer; for behold, now is the time and the day of your salvation; and therefore, if ye will repent and harden not your hearts, immediately shall the great plan of redemption be brought about unto you.

32  For behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors.

33  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 34:30-33 (Emphasis mine)

After having received all these witnesses it is time for them to repent, to not harden their hearts any longer.

Amulek tells them that it is time for their salvation.  This life is the time to prepare to meet God; now is the day to complete their labors.  He implores them not to delay repenting until the end.  Then, it’s too late.  They will be cut off.  On the other hand, if they repent today, the plan of redemption will be there for their benefit. 

11  And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.

12  The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.

Romans 13:11-12 (Emphasis mine)

Sherrie Mills Johnson explains:

“Amulek admonished the people to ‘come forth and harden not your hearts any longer’ (Alma 34:31). This reiterates the major theme of the missionary message—that despite offenses, persecution, and adversity, what matters most in life is not a person's station or situation but how a person reacts to it. The vital thing is to repent because ‘this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God’ (Alma 34:32). According to Amulek, the Zoramite poor could not afford to wait until they were free or wealthy or part of the elite to do what is good; rather, they needed to soften their hearts, obey the commandments regardless of their circumstance in life, and concentrate on the things of God now.” [3] (Emphasis mine)

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[1] Lecture 55: Alma 32-35, Hugh W. Nibley, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed December 8, 2011.

[2] The Zoramite Separation: A Sociological Perspective, Sherrie Mills Johnson, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed December 8, 2011.

[3] Ibid.

Alma 32:8-14

Alma(2) begins preaching to the poor Zoramites.

8  I behold that ye are lowly in heart; and if so, blessed are ye.

9  Behold thy brother hath said, What shall we do?—for we are cast out of our synagogues, that we cannot worship our God.

10  Behold I say unto you, do ye suppose that ye cannot worship God save it be in your synagogues only?

11  And moreover, I would ask, do ye suppose that ye must not worship God only once in a week?

Alma 32:8-11 (Emphasis mine)

Alma(2) began by stating he felt that they were lowly in heart; if he’s correct, they are blessed. 

Then, he begins to address the question – “What shall we do?”

He asks two important questions.  First, do they believe that they must be in a synagogue to worship God?  Second, do they believe they should only worship God on day a week? 

3  Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4  Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.

5  Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

Matthew 5:3-5 (Emphasis mine)

Richard Rust looks at Alma(2)’s approach.

“Alma's text is the people themselves: ‘I behold that ye are lowly in heart. . . . It is well that ye are cast out of your synagogues, that ye may be humble, and that ye may learn wisdom’ (Alma 32:8, 12). The logical structure of his argument is cause and effect: (1) Their coarse apparel caused the poor Zoramites to be cast out of the synagogues they had helped build. (2) That expulsion leads to their being outside at the hill Onidah, feeling that they have no place to worship. (3) Because the poor Zoramites are thus humbled, they are prepared to hear the word. (4) Hearing the word can lead them to salvation. Alma puts it this way: ‘And now, because ye are compelled to be humble blessed are ye; for a man sometimes, if he is compelled to be humble, seeketh repentance; and now surely, whosoever repenteth shall find mercy; and he that findeth mercy and endureth to the end the same shall be saved’ (Alma 32:13).” [1] (Emphasis mine)

12  I say unto you, it is well that ye are cast out of your synagogues, that ye may be humble, and that ye may learn wisdom; for it is necessary that ye should learn wisdom; for it is because that ye are cast out, that ye are despised of your brethren because of your exceeding poverty, that ye are brought to a lowliness of heart; for ye are necessarily brought to be humble.

13  And now, because ye are compelled to be humble blessed are ye; for a man sometimes, if he is compelled to be humble, seeketh repentance; and now surely, whosoever repenteth shall find mercy; and he that findeth mercy and endureth to the end the same shall be saved.

14  And now, as I said unto you, that because ye were compelled to be humble ye were blessed, do ye not suppose that they are more blessed who truly humble themselves because of the word?

Alma 32:12-14 (Emphasis mine)

I would imagine the people were somewhat surprise when Alma(2) says that it’s a good thing that you were cast out of the synagogues and despised of your brethren.  He explains that, because of these experiences, they are humble and ready to learn wisdom, which is necessary for them.  Now that they are humble, they will seek repentance and find mercy.  If they endure to the end, they shall be saved.

13  ¶ Better is a poor and a wise child than an old and foolish king, who will no more be admonished.

Ecclesiastes 4:13 (Emphasis mine)

8  Better is a little with righteousness than great revenues without right.

Proverbs 16:8 (Emphasis mine)

11  The rich man is wise in his own conceit; but the poor that hath understanding searcheth him out.

Proverbs 28:11 (Emphasis mine)

Hugh Nibley observes:

“Of course, they couldn't go in because they didn't observe dress standards. Remember, they were cast out because of the coarseness of their apparel. The dress standards were very strict … These Zoramites were people with their own traditions, and they were remarkable people—you must give them that … Well, what's wrong with these people? … It was all on this vulgar display and how much they could pile up, this invidious comparison. This was what was wrong, and this is what sickened Alma … He said, you should be glad you are cast out of the synagogues; I have a surprise for you. You don't have to go to the sacred centers in order to worship. You are compelled to be humble, and that's good. If you're compelled to be humble you seek repentance.“ [2] (Emphasis mine)

Daniel Peterson writes:

“Accordingly, no price is too high to pay, if it will bring us to attain wisdom. ‘I say unto you,’ Alma the Younger remarked to the poor among the Zoramites in the context of a discussion centering on a seed and on the tree of life that could be nourished out of it, ‘it is well that ye are cast out of your synagogues, that ye may be humble, and that ye may learn wisdom’ (Alma 32:12). Confident in the quality of what she has to offer, Wisdom … invites others to partake…” [3] (Emphasis mine)

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[1] "Know the Covenants of the Lord" – Sermons, Richard Dilworth Rust, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed November 28, 2011.

[2] Lecture 55: Alma 32-35, Hugh W. Nibley, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed November 28, 2011.

[3] Nephi and His Asherah, Daniel C. Peterson, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed November 28, 2011.

Alma 12:16-24

16  And now behold, I say unto you then cometh a death, even a second death, which is a spiritual death; then is a time that whosoever dieth in his sins, as to a temporal death, shall also die a spiritual death; yea, he shall die as to things pertaining unto righteousness.

17  Then is the time when their torments shall be as a lake of fire and brimstone, whose flame ascendeth up forever and ever; and then is the time that they shall be chained down to an everlasting destruction, according to the power and captivity of Satan, he having subjected them according to his will.

18  Then, I say unto you, they shall be as though there had been no redemption made; for they cannot be redeemed according to God's justice; and they cannot die, seeing there is no more corruption.

Alma 12:16-18 (Emphasis mine)

Alma(2) now tells them about a second death.  The first death is a physical death.  The second death is a spiritual death.  Those who die in their sins suffer this death.  They die to things pertaining to righteousness. 

They will suffer great torment and eternal destruction.  They will become captives of the devil.  For them, it will be as though there was no redemption.  They will be lost forever.

4  And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.

5  But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.

Luke 12:4-5 (Emphasis mine)

51  Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death.

John 8:51 (Emphasis mine)

20  And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image.  These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.

Revelation 19:20 (Emphasis mine)

19  Now it came to pass that when Alma had made an end of speaking these words, the people began to be more astonished;

20  But there was one Antionah, who was a chief ruler among them, came forth and said unto him: What is this that thou hast said, that man should rise from the dead and be changed from this mortal to an immortal state that the soul can never die?

21  What does the scripture mean, which saith that God placed cherubim and a flaming sword on the east of the garden of Eden, lest our first parents should enter and partake of the fruit of the tree of life, and live forever?  And thus we see that there was no possible chance that they should live forever.

Alma 12:19-21 (Emphasis mine)

The people were astonished by Alma(2)’s words; however, a chief ruler challenged Alma(2).  Adam and Eve were prevented from partaking of the tree life.  How can they live forever?  There is no way possible they could, and the same applies to us.

Hugh Nibley observes:

“[Antionah’s] indignant. He's had all he can take here, and he says, what is this stuff you are talking about here, ‘that the soul can never die?’ Then he tells [Alma] about the cherubim and the flaming sword that guarded the tree of life. Adam was not supposed to touch the tree of life, lest he partake of it and live forever in his sins. So, [Antionah] said we can die—we are not supposed to eat of the tree of life; we are forbidden to touch it at all, so that settles that. ". . . lest our first parents should enter and partake of the fruit of the tree of life, and live forever? [no] And thus we see that there was no possible chance that we should live forever." The tree was set up there, but we couldn't eat from it. If we had eaten from it, then we would live forever. But he said, no, there's to be no tree. He thought that was a good argument. Alma said, ah, that's all right for now. ‘All mankind became a lost and fallen people. They did; that's true. They couldn't go on living that way; that's the whole point…” [1] (Emphasis mine)

22  Now Alma said unto him: This is the thing which I was about to explain.  Now we see that Adam did fall by the partaking of the forbidden fruit, according to the word of God; and thus we see, that by his fall, all mankind became a lost and fallen people.

23  And now behold, I say unto you that if it had been possible for Adam to have partaken of the fruit of the tree of life at that time, there would have been no death, and the word would have been void, making God a liar, for he said: If thou eat thou shalt surely die.

24  And we see that death comes upon mankind, yea, the death which has been spoken of by Amulek, which is the temporal death; nevertheless there was a space granted unto man in which he might repent; therefore this life became a probationary state; a time to prepare to meet God; a time to prepare for that endless state which has been spoken of by us, which is after the resurrection of the dead.

Alma 12:22-24 (Emphasis mine)

Alma(2) responds.  If you wouldn’t have interrupted me, you would have answered the question.  Adam fell because he partook of the forbidden fruit, and we all became a fallen people.  If Adam would have been able to partake of the fruit of the tree  of life, he would have made God a liar.  Remember, God told Adam and Eve that in the day eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge, they would surely die. 

All men die; this is the temporal death of which Amulek spoke.  But, our lives became a probationary period, a time to prepare to meet God.  This would occur after the resurrection of the dead.

 Thomas Valletta further explains:

“Alma's inspired response implied that he recognized Antionah's mixed motives in posing his questions. Alma asserted that the real contradiction would have arisen if Adam and Eve had been able to partake of the fruit of the tree of life immediately after their fall. Then ‘there would have been no death, and the word would have been void, making God a liar, for he said: If thou eat thou shalt surely die’ (Alma 12:23). Alma then explained that temporal ‘death comes upon mankind,’ but that ‘a space [is] granted unto man in which he might repent; therefore,’ declared Alma,’this life became a probationary state; a time to prepare to meet God; a time to prepare for that endless state which has been spoken of by us, which is after the resurrection of the dead’ (Alma 12:24).” [2] (Emphasis mine)

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[1] Lecture 48: Alma 10-12, Hugh W. Nibley, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed October 28, 2011.

[2] Conflicting Orders: Alma and Amulek in Ammonihah, Thomas R. Valletta, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed October 28, 2011.