8:9, 11
Can Satan take control of our hearts if we don’t allow him? Of course the answer is no. In verse 9, we read that “Satan had gotten great hold upon the hearts of the people of the city of Ammonihah; therefore they would not hearken unto the words of Alma.” How did Satan get such great hold? The answer is in verse 11. “Nevertheless, THEY hardened THEIR hearts…”
Satan has no power to harden hearts. We must do that voluntarily. He takes an inch when we give him an inch.
8:9-10, 13-14
It’s interesting in verse 10 that after the people of Ammonihah “would not hearken unto the words of Alma,” that he still put in earnest effort. “Nevertheless Alma labored much in the spirit, wrestling with God in mighty prayer, that he would pour out his Spirit upon the people who were in the city; that he would also grant that he might baptize them unto repentance.” He did this in spite of being rejected by these people.
They weren’t kind about it. They eventually “withstood all his words, and reviled him, and spit upon him, and caused that he should be cast out of their city.” He left at this point but I’m sure their mistreatment began almost immediately when he opened his mouth to preach.
My point is that these were a rude and wicked people. Yet, Alma “labored much in the spirit, wrestling with God in mighty prayer.” Why was he doing that? Alma knew that the Lord could soften hearts. He knew that God could “pour out his Spirit upon the people.” It may have appeared impossible that they would ever change. But, Alma was doing it anyway. Alma was convinced of the power of prayer and the change that could come if God poured out his Spirit.
We should be like Alma when it comes to the rebellious people in our lives. Whether it’s our friends or children or siblings, we should wrestle in mighty prayer with God that he might pour out his Spirit and soften their hearts. Let’s not give up hope.
Alma’s empathy is on display in that he was “weighed down with sorrow, wading through much tribulation and anguish of soul, because of the wickedness of the people who were in the city of Ammonihah.” He truly cared about them as children of God even after he was bitterly mistreated by them. We can all become more like Alma in this way too.
8:15
While he was feeling terrible, an angel appeared to him. It was the same angel that appeared to him that caused such a great change in his life. The angel said, “Blessed art thou, Alma; therefore, lift up thy head and rejoice, for thou hast great cause to rejoice; for thou hast been faithful in keeping the commandments of God from the time which thou receivedst thy first message from him. Behold, I am he that delivered it unto you.“ Even though there was a whole city who had rejected the gospel, Alma still had reason to rejoice over his own repentance.
I can’t help but think of the scripture In the D&C: “And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father!” We should understand that the one soul is often ourselves. The Lord cares deeply about every soul. Every soul who is saved can become an infinite number of God’s descendants. Think about that. How valuable is one soul to him!?
8:17
Satan has used the same playbook forever. He now works indirectly with men to “destroy the agency of man.” In this case, the men of Ammonihah were working in Satan’s behalf. “For behold, they do study at this time that they may destroy the liberty of thy people, (for thus saith the Lord) which is contrary to the statutes, and judgments, and commandments which he has given unto his people.”
Satan’s plan has always been to destroy our agency/liberty. He wants to control us and receive the glory. He lost in his premortal bid to be the great controller. He hasn’t given up on his goal.
How does he destroy liberty? He:
Places dictators who rule wickedly.
Binds us with addictions.
Convinces us to fixate on the pleasures of this world.
Lulls us into inactivity by whispering us that all is well.
Distracts us with the pressures of this world.
Grinds us down with the natural friction mortality.
Satan isn’t directly doing this but is doing it through his mortal followers. It takes effort to destroy liberty. Men must “study” to be successful at it. Men are still studying to destroy our liberty. They are playing a long game and are twisting righteous principles into wicked controls. For example, “love is love” can lead, partly, to the breakdown of the traditional family. How will Satan control us more if the principles of the Family Proclamation are destroyed? How will our liberty be limited? Satan is working years and decades ahead.
8:18
When I’m mistreated, I often break contact with the people who have mistreated me. I hold grudges. Part of me wants there to be justice through a bit of their suffering. It’s a weakness. Alma didn’t have that weakness. “Now it came to pass that after Alma had received his message from the angel of the Lord he returned speedily to the land of Ammonihah.” He didn’t hesitate or procrastinate. He didn’t rebel and wish evil upon them. He was obedient and followed the direction of the angel - regardless of how he was mistreated. He didn’t feel any animosity towards them - but it wouldn’t have mattered if he did. He was an obedient man who was willing to do the hard thing because it was right.
8:30-31
Alma and Amulek preached with power. Where did that power come from? “And Alma went forth, and also Amulek, among the people, to declare the words of God unto them; and they were filled with the Holy Ghost. And they had power given unto them…” Part of why they were filled with the Holy Ghost was simply because they were speaking “the words of God.” Their power didn’t come from within. The pressure wasn’t on them to be powerful. They simply needed to be obedient and speak the words of God. It was their worthiness and the act of teaching through scripture that made them powerful.
It is the same with us. If we are seeking to give a powerful talk in church, we shouldn’t worry about how clever our delivery is. We should base our teaching on the scriptures. I’m afraid I sometimes hear entire talks at church where the scriptures aren’t referenced. This is a problem. If we want the Spirit to have a greater effect on the listeners, we should speak the word of God - not the words of Eric.
8:31
Alma and Amulek understood that the Lord expected them to do everything that they could on their own. They were given actual power. That power could have been used proactively to impress the people of Ammonihah. They could have called down fire from heaven as a way to convince and convert. Yet, their power was only reserved for when they were cast into prison. “And they had power given unto them, insomuch that they could not be confined in dungeons; neither was it possible that any man could slay them; nevertheless they did not exercise their power until they were bound in bands and cast into prison. Now, this was done that the Lord might show forth his power in them.” The power they received was reserved for saving them when they couldn’t release themselves. God was perfectly willing to do what they couldn’t do so that the work could go forward.
I think this principle has always been there. God does nothing for us that we can’t do ourselves. It is only after we have done what we can that he’ll step in with his power. The benefit of these miracles wasn’t to elevate Alma and Amulek. The purpose was that “the Lord might show forth his power in them.”
It reminds me of the reason Jesus gives for healing the blind man in front of the temple. “And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.” Sometimes, a miracle is a good way to show the people the power of God.
9:2, 6
When Alma was preaching repentance to a people who likely already knew they were sinning, their response was to figure out a way to be able to reasonably disregard what he was saying. Initially, their argument was that they shouldn’t believe the testimony of one man. They said, “Who art thou? Suppose ye that we shall believe the testimony of one man, although he should preach unto us that the earth should pass away?” They attempted to move the conversation to the fact that there was a single witness.
More than that, they used their mortal logic to judge or predict the acts of God. “And they said: Who is God, that sendeth no more authority than one man among this people, to declare unto them the truth of such great and marvelous things?” In their flawed and weak thinking, they reasoned that God wouldn’t do such a thing so he must be a false prophet.
How much is this happening today among those who decide to leave the church? I hear these phrases often:
“Jesus would never…”
“My God is not a God that would…”
“What God could possibly…”
“A God that says that isn’t a God I will follow.”
“God’s true prophet could not possibly…”
“Why would God ever…”
“God doesn’t expect…”
These are all arrogant, narcissistic statements by people who are elevating themselves to the point that they think they can understand the mysteries of God with their measly brains. None of us can speak for God. We must remember that God’s ways are not our ways. We can’t begin to understand his perspective and purposes. For example, remember the man who was struck dead because he was attempting to keep the arc upright as it was tipping. What God would end the life of someone who was attempting to protect the arc? It doesn’t make any sense to us but it does to God and we shouldn’t suppose that we can possibly understand his mind.
9:13, 15
There are real consequences that happen when we are cut off from the presence of God and his Spirit. Alma attempted to remind them of this. “Behold, do ye not remember the words which he spake unto Lehi, saying that: Inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments, ye shall prosper in the land? And again it is said that: Inasmuch as ye will not keep my commandments ye shall be cut off from the presence of the Lord.” Our righteousness is not disconnected from our prosperity in this life. Generally, the righteous will experience more happiness, blessings, joy, success, progression than those who disregard the principles of righteousness and obedience.
Sometimes, we think that the rewards for righteousness is reserved for the next life. Alma is teaching that this isn’t the case. Certainly, righteousness will drastically affect our position at the day of judgment - but it also affects our position in mortality. “Nevertheless I say unto you, that it shall be more tolerable for them in the day of judgment than for you, if ye remain in your sins, yea, and even more tolerable for them in this life than for you, except ye repent.” Alma is making the distinction that our righteousness affects our current life.
9:19
Let’s remember that God’s work and glory is the immortality and eternal life of men. This mortal life is set up to help us progress us to be like God. We needed to experience opposites - sadness and joy, sickness and health. To experience this, we had to experience a fallen world. But, the point is our progression.
However, there comes a time where the mortal experience is not benefiting God’s children in any way and he needs to do a reset. I think this is what happened at the flood. Humanity had digressed to a point that mortality wasn’t going to help anyone progress.
I think this is part of what Alma was teaching them as he explained why they would be destroyed. “For he will not suffer you that ye shall live in your iniquities, to destroy his people. I say unto you, Nay; he would rather suffer that the Lamanites might destroy all his people who are called the people of Nephi, if it were possible that they could fall into sins and transgressions, after having had so much light and so much knowledge given unto them of the Lord their God.” He would rather destroy a people rather than allow an entire population to sink into sins and transgression after having so much knowledge given to them.
If we know right and wrong and we choose wrong, we’re forming a character that will be hard to change in eternity. If we are used to knowing what’s right and choosing wrong, that pattern will continue into eternity. Open rebellion will lead to open rebellion. This is not a good scenario for God’s purposes. He’d rather clear the board than allow open rebellion to happen too long.
9:23
Being blessed in every way makes us more accountable. How were the Nephites blessed? The list is long:
“Having been visited by the Spirit of God;”
“having conversed with angels,”
“and having been spoken unto by the voice of the Lord;”
“and having the spirit of prophecy, and the spirit of revelation,”
“and also many gifts, the gift of speaking with tongues, and the gift of preaching, and the gift of the Holy Ghost, and the gift of translation;”
“Yea, and after having been delivered of God out of the land of Jerusalem, by the hand of the Lord;”
“having been saved from famine, and from sickness, and all manner of diseases of every kind; and they having waxed strong in battle, that they might not be destroyed”
“having been brought out of bondage time after time,”
“and having been kept and preserved until now;”
“and they have been prospered until they are rich in all manner of things”
That’s a long list of blessings given by God. This amount of blessings initiates a higher level of accountability. Where opportunities through blessings are given, more is expected. Those who haven’t received those same blessings are not as accountable. Alma says this plainly. “And now behold I say unto you, that if this people, who have received so many blessings from the hand of the Lord, should transgress contrary to the light and knowledge which they do have, I say unto you that if this be the case, that if they should fall into transgression, it would be far more tolerable for the Lamanites than for them.”
The question for you, dear reader, how much have you been blessed with?
Were you born into the covenant?
Are you aware of the entire gospel of Jesus Christ?
Have you participated in sacred ordinances?
Have you had the opportunity to to make covenants that have acted as guideposts throughout your life?
Are you able to learn eternal principles about the plan of salvation regularly in the temple?
Have you experienced blessings that come from holding the priesthood?
Do you have the Gift of the Holy Ghost?
Have you experienced miracles?
Do you have opportunities to serve others through various church callings?
Are you currently reading inspired scriptures that most of the world doesn’t have?
Do you listen to God’s prophets, seers and revelatory every six months?
Is your understanding of the purpose of life more clear and accurate than most humans?
Do you have opportunities to serve your ancestors in the temple?
Is your understanding of the gathering of Israel thorough enough that you’re motivated to do your part?
Have you had the opportunity to serve the Lord full time in the mission field?
Our list of blessings is longer than the Nephites’. What does that mean for our accountability? You and I should not “fall into transgression.” It will be less tolerable for us than for 99.9999% of the population that has ever lived on this planet if we blow off the blessings we’ve enjoyed. We should regularly consider the many advantages and blessings we’ve been given as gifts as we attempt to motivate ourselves to be fully committed to the gospel.
In short, we should continually remember the many blessings we’ve received.
10:5-6
If you read that previous list and felt a little overwhelmed with how much we’ve been blessed and maybe felt a little guilty about not acting in a way that matches how much we’ve received, you’re not alone. I feel the same way. I think Amulek felt that way. “Nevertheless, after all this, I never have known much of the ways of the Lord, and his mysteries and marvelous power. I said I never had known much of these things; but behold, I mistake, for I have seen much of his mysteries and his marvelous power; yea, even in the preservation of the lives of this people.” Amulek perhaps saw “his mysteries and his marvelous power” but didn’t truly consider what a blessing it was to know what he knew. He may not have felt that he really accepted and internalized what he knew and saw and the blessing it truly was for him spiritually. Just like us.
“Nevertheless, I did harden my heart, for I was called many times and I would not hear; therefore I knew concerning these things, yet I would not know; therefore I went on rebelling against God, in the wickedness of my heart, even until the fourth day of this seventh month, which is in the tenth year of the reign of the judges.” Sometimes, we know but we don’t know. In other words, our knowledge doesn’t change our heart and behavior. We are intellectually converted but are still unconverted spiritually. We are aware and even appreciate this gospel but we aren’t truly born again as disciples of Christ.
Amulek makes it clear when he was truly born again. He states the exact day and month of his conversion. With Amulek, his true conversion began with an angelic visit. We’re likely not going to get that visit. But we still have the responsibility to truly convert and change our heart and lose any desire to do wickedly - to become valiant in our testimony of Christ.
10:13-16
People who like to do what they want can be slippery when attempting to convince them that they are acting wickedly. It appears that they begin to see the truth. “And now, when Amulek had spoken these words the people began to be astonished, seeing there was more than one witness who testified of the things whereof they were accused, and also of the things which were to come, according to the spirit of prophecy which was in them.” When this newcomer was joined by a local who had a good reputation, that must have been more convincing. Their fallback argument of not believing Alma’s words because he was a single witness was broken up by a second, credible witness. Maybe Alma and Amulek were speaking the truth.
There were those among this people who had more to lose if Alma and Amulek were successful in their mission. “Nevertheless, there were some among them who thought to question them, that by their cunning devices they might catch them in their words, that they might find witness against them, that they might deliver them to their judges that they might be judged according to the law, and that they might be slain or cast into prison, according to the crime which they could make appear or witness against them.” Their strategy now was to poke holes in their arguments or get them to contradict themselves.
“Now it was those men who sought to destroy them, who were lawyers, who were hired or appointed by the people to administer the law at their times of trials, or at the trials of the crimes of the people before the judges. Now these lawyers were learned in all the arts and cunning of the people; and this was to enable them that they might be skilful in their profession. And it came to pass that they began to question Amulek, that thereby they might make him cross his words, or contradict the words which he should speak.”
Again, this reminds me of those who have left the church. There is a group who will “review” each General Conference. Their entire goal is to examine every sentence and find statements that appear to contradict past statements. Or, they attempt to discover statements that will be controversial or possibly offensive to some. They will twist what is said or take it out of context or misinterpret so they can drive a wedge between these leaders and the members of the church - just like these lawyers and judges are doing.
10:18-19
If there were a couple of verses that describe what is happening in the world now, these verses are pretty accurate. “Ye are laying plans to pervert the ways of the righteous, and to bring down the wrath of God upon your heads, even to the utter destruction of this people. Yea, well did Mosiah say, who was our last king, when he was about to deliver up the kingdom, having no one to confer it upon, causing that this people should be governed by their own voices—yea, well did he say that if the time should come that the voice of this people should choose iniquity, that is, if the time should come that this people should fall into transgression, they would be ripe for destruction.” Are we at the point that the majority of people in this country choose iniquity?
I don’t think so yet but we’re inching closer. Maybe that’s wrong, we’re not inching, we’re striding towards that cliff.
10:24-26
I haven’t had a lot of debates with those who were attempting to pervert the ways of righteousness. I have had many conversations with those who have been misled or deceived or misinformed or, for one reason or another, have stopped believing in the gospel.
Without the Spirit, they just can’t seem to grasp what is being said. They can twist any historical event so that the most cynical version is illustrated. Further, you can say something pretty straightforward and their “mind filter” will turn it into something else.
This appears to have happened with Alma and Amulek. They were preaching repentance. They were criticizing the lawyers and judges. The people heard this valid concern and twisted it into something else. “And now it came to pass that the people were more angry with Amulek, and they cried out, saying: This man doth revile against our laws which are just, and our wise lawyers whom we have selected.” So, Alma and Amulek criticize the lawyers and the people expand that to be criticism about the law itself.
Amulek questions what they’re doing. “Why will ye yield yourselves unto him that he may have power over you, to blind your eyes, that ye will not understand the words which are spoken, according to their truth?” Our preferences and priorities and agendas blind us. We all have to work hard to not allow our personal biases to color everything. I think this is part of why the Spirit is so essential. We need that exterior source of truth-confirmation.
Amulek clarifies: “For behold, have I testified against your law? Ye do not understand; ye say that I have spoken against your law; but I have not, but I have spoken in favor of your law, to your condemnation.” Did the clarification help? Not really. “And now it came to pass that when Amulek had spoken these words the people cried out against him, saying: Now we know that this man is a child of the devil, for he hath lied unto us; for he hath spoken against our law. And now he says that he has not spoken against it. And again, he has reviled against our lawyers, and our judges.” They are conflating his criticism of their lawyers and judges with the law itself. I’m not even sure they did it intentionally. Their biases were controlling their perceptions to the point that they WERE NOT REASONABLE HUMANS.
This happens regularly in our world. It’s happening right now in your town - even in your own ward. If someone is questioning the “truth claims” of the church, you’re not going to be able to out-debate them. You’re not going to be able to formulate a clever enough argument that will suddenly convince them. Debate, in most cases, is futile - but especially when it comes to debating gospel principles. Why is that? I’m not sure. I think it has to do with something with Satan having a hold on people’s hearts and whispering so loud that people literally cannot hear the truth.
11:24
Zeezrom was making a good living at being “expert in the devices of the devil.” Amulek calls him out on his deception. “Believest thou that there is no God? I say unto you, Nay, thou knowest that there is a God, but thou lovest that lucre more than him.” There are anti-church folks who are making a healthy living with their YouTube and podcast channels. They even run “fundraisers.” Their efforts have become a pretty healthy income stream.
I sometimes imagine that what keeps them committed to their work is that it is their primary income. Even if they began to question their work, they’re financially committed. Zeezrom likely had these same feelings. But, unfortunately, he “lovest that lucre more than him.”
11:41
Christ will redeem all those who “believe on his name.” It isn’t just the perfect - thankfully. The imperfect will be redeemed as long as they have faith in Jesus Christ and are willing to repent. However, “the wicked remain as though there had been no redemption made.” So, what is the difference between the imperfect and the wicked?
The imperfect, striving people can eventually become perfect through the atonement of Jesus Christ. The wicked are those who have halted their progression and have stopped exercising faith in Christ. As I’ve said before, Jesus will NOT redeem those who don’t want to be redeemed. We all have agency. We all must choose. We have the ability to choose NOT to be redeemed. For them, it will be “as though there had been no redemption made.”
11:43; 12:1
I used to be pretty intimidated by this scripture. Now, it seems like I understand it better. “The spirit and the body shall be reunited again in its perfect form; both limb and joint shall be restored to its proper frame, even as we now are at this time; and we shall be brought to stand before God, knowing even as we know now, and have a bright recollection of all our guilt.” I have imagined that I would be standing there reliving all of the bad things that I have done. I’m not sure it’ll be like that.
Notice the word is “guilt” and not “shame.” There’s a difference. We will be able to understand clearly all of the areas that we can improve. We will be able to see our imperfections clearly. But, because we have faith in the infinite redeeming power of Jesus Christ, it will not be an especially unpleasant experience. It’s just that we will have a clear picture.
For me to help new photographers improve, I must review their pictures and give them specific notes about how they can improve. Without those notes, they are not in a position to “repent” and be better. Understanding their photographic “guilt” is the first step in their development. It’ll be that way for us. Many of us think we currently have a clear idea of all the ways that we can improve. I think it’s safe to say that we are unaware of our weaknesses. We’ll know then but that knowledge will not be connected to shame. It will be enlightening and increase our dependence and love for the Savior.
This happened for Zeezrom. He started to see that he was wrong. Zeezrom “began to tremble under a consciousness of his guilt.” This drastic realization was hard for Zeezrom to bear. It was uncomfortable for him but it was the best thing for him. As it will be for us.
12:4-5
Satan is a subtle creature. Even as we read about his direct contact with Adam and Eve and even Jesus, we see how crafty and subtle he is. “And thou seest that we know that thy plan was a very subtle plan, as to the subtlety of the devil, for to lie and to deceive this people that thou mightest set them against us, to revile us and to cast us out— Now this was a plan of thine adversary, and he hath exercised his power in thee.”
Satan’s plans to entice and influence wouldn’t work if his effort was obvious. We would simply recognize his work and say, “that stupid Devil.” His whisperings, if too radical, would be immediately rejected.
But, through subtlety, he can gain completely control eventually. He can use us to accomplish his goals. Interestingly, his only power in this world is through manipulating us through subtlety.
12:9-11
“And now Alma began to expound these things unto him, saying: It is given unto many to know the mysteries of God; nevertheless they are laid under a strict command that they shall not impart only according to the portion of his word which he doth grant unto the children of men, according to the heed and diligence which they give unto him.” If we realize a deep doctrine, a mystery of God, we should be thoughtful about who and how we talk about it.
We need to build up strength to handle some doctrine. It is why Jesus spoke in parables. He knew that the spiritually unprepared wouldn’t understand and would not be held as accountable. It is the same for us. We should follow the Spirit in deciding what mysteries to share with whom.
As I’ve said, if we attempt to teach someone the mysteries of God and their heart is not softened, we’re wasting our time. At worst, we’re pushing someone further away from the gospel. “And therefore, he that will harden his heart, the same receiveth the lesser portion of the word; and he that will not harden his heart, to him is given the greater portion of the word, until it is given unto him to know the mysteries of God until he know them in full. 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.” It’s hard to see this process play out in someone you know.
12:13-14
If we harden our heart to a certain point, it isn’t good. “Then if our hearts have been hardened, yea, if we have hardened our hearts against the word, insomuch that it has not been found in us, then will our state be awful, for then we shall be condemned. For our words will condemn us, yea, all our works will condemn us; we shall not be found spotless; and our thoughts will also condemn us; and in this awful state we shall not dare to look up to our God; and we would fain be glad if we could command the rocks and the mountains to fall upon us to hide us from his presence.” This verse isn’t talking about imperfect people working to improve and exercising faith in Christ.
This verse is talking about those who have hardened their heart so much that no portion of God’s word has been “found in them.” This is a long process of rejecting God’s words and promptings from the Spirit.
12:16, 18
“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.” When we die a temporal death, we cannot walk and talk and move. We cannot physically do anything.
If we die spiritually, we are not in a position to do anything spiritually. We are inert. We lack the ability to act. We cannot or will not progress. We will not repent. We will not strive. We will not exercise faith. This is a choice that we make. God doesn’t make anyone spiritually die. We must do that to ourselves through our agency.
“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.” Those who are spiritually dead will not be redeemed. Not as a punishment but as their choice. Will something ever change in their future - I don’t think so. There is no further “life event” that will save them. “They cannot die, seeing there is no more corruption.” So, they will live forever determined to be separated from God. It’s not good.
12:22, 24
When Adam and Eve partook of the fruit, we became a fallen people. “…ALL mankind became a lost and fallen people.” If someone you know doesn’t feel like they are included in that group, they’ve got problems. We are all doomed it appeared. If God reappeared in the Garden of Eden with an immediate judgment, it wouldn’t have ended well for Adam and Eve.
Thankfully, there was time for them to repent. “…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.” We all have that time. We all have an opportunity for us to prepare to meet God. We must take advantage of this probationary state.
12:28-30
Thankfully, God didn’t just expect us to all figure out what the purpose of life was. “And after God had appointed that these things should come unto man, behold, then he saw that it was expedient that man should know concerning the things whereof he had appointed unto them;” How did he do that? “Therefore he sent angels to converse with them, who caused men to behold of his glory.” God has sent messengers to ensure that the world could know of the plan of salvation.
“And they began from that time forth to call on his name; therefore God conversed with men, and made known unto them the plan of redemption, which had been prepared from the foundation of the world; and this he made known unto them according to their faith and repentance and their holy works.”
I would say that the majority of the world doesn’t have the opportunity to know about the plan of redemption. It’s interesting to me that this is this way. I would think that it would be better if more people knew about the true gospel. But, my ways are not God’s ways and he knows what he’s doing. I do know that it will be fair and that God will give everyone an opportunity to learn about the gospel and live by it and repent and exercise faith in Jesus Christ.
12:31
When the fall happened, it placed our first parents in a position to act - just like the God’s could act. “Wherefore, he gave commandments unto men, they having first transgressed the first commandments as to things which were temporal, and becoming as gods, knowing good from evil, placing themselves in a state to act, or being placed in a state to act according to their wills and pleasures, whether to do evil or to do good.” It is through our ability to act that gives us the experience and wisdom to become more like God. Without this ability to choose for ourselves, we could never progress to become like Heavenly Father.
12:33-34
The key to fulfilling the purpose of the plan of redemption is repentance. “But God did call on men, in the name of his Son, (this being the plan of redemption which was laid) saying: If ye will repent, and harden not your hearts, then will I have mercy upon you, through mine Only Begotten Son; Therefore, whosoever repenteth, and hardeneth not his heart, he shall have claim on mercy through mine Only Begotten Son, unto a remission of his sins; and these shall enter into my rest.”
It is our ability and willingness to repent that gives us the power to progress. This statement is obviously correct. If I want to progress as a tennis player, I must be willing to “repent” and work out the weaknesses that I have in my game. If I want to progress to be an master pianist, I must be willing to “repent” and fix where I’m weak. There is no progression without repentance.
As long as we are willing to repent and exercise faith in Jesus Christ, God will continue again and again and again to have mercy on you through His Only Begotten Son.
12:36-37
There is a word in these two verses that is interesting. The word is provoke. “And now, my brethren, behold I say unto you, that if ye will harden your hearts ye shall not enter into the rest of the Lord; therefore your iniquity provoketh him that he sendeth down his wrath upon you as in the first provocation, yea, according to his word in the last provocation as well as the first, to the everlasting destruction of your souls; therefore, according to his word, unto the last death, as well as the first. And now, my brethren, seeing we know these things, and they are true, let us repent, and harden not our hearts, that we provoke not the Lord our God to pull down his wrath upon us in these his second commandments which he has given unto us; but let us enter into the rest of God, which is prepared according to his word.”
Provoke is generally not a great word. A definition is to “stimulate or give rise to a reaction or emotion (typically a strong or unwelcome one) in someone.” Our bad behavior will provoke God to possibly send “down his wrath.”
I think this is talking about consequences. Our iniquity brings consequences. Always. They may happen in this mortal life but we will certainly face consequences in the next life. The first provocation was Adam and Eve eating the fruit. The second provocation will be the “everlasting destruction of your souls.”
What’s the answer to not provoking God to send down his wrath? Simply to repent. If we will just repent, we will avoid the second provocation and just “enter into the rest of God.” That sounds like a plan.
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