Alma 21

Aaron Preaches in Jerusalem

When Ammon and his brothers split up in Lamanite territory, Aaron headed toward a city the Lamanites had named Jerusalem—after their ancestors' homeland. It sat near the border of the land of Mormon. The Lamanites, along with the Amalekites and the people of Amulon, had built this great city. The Lamanites were already hardened enough on their own, but the Amalekites and Amulonites were even worse. They pushed the Lamanites to harden their hearts further and sink deeper into wickedness and evil practices.

Aaron arrived in Jerusalem and started preaching to the Amalekites. He taught in their synagogues—they had built them following the teachings of Nehor, since many of the Amalekites and Amulonites followed that order.

Confrontation in the Synagogue

While Aaron was speaking in one of their synagogues, an Amalekite stood up and challenged him: 'What are you talking about? Have you seen an angel? Why don’t angels appear to us? Aren’t we just as good as your people?' 'You also say that unless we repent, we’ll be destroyed. How do you know what’s in our hearts? How do you know we need to repent? How do you know we aren’t righteous? Look, we’ve built temples, and we gather together to worship God. We believe God will save everyone.'

Aaron said to him, 'Do you believe the Son of God will come to save mankind from their sins?' The man replied, 'We don’t believe you know anything about that. We don’t believe in these foolish traditions. We don’t believe you can predict the future, and we don’t believe your ancestors—or ours, for that matter—knew anything about what was coming.'

So Aaron began opening the scriptures to them, teaching about the coming of Christ, about the resurrection of the dead, and that there could be no salvation for anyone except through Christ’s death and suffering—through the sacrifice of his blood. As he explained these things, they grew angry and began mocking him. They refused to listen to anything he said.

Rejection and Imprisonment

When he saw they wouldn’t hear his words, he left the synagogue and went to a village called Ani-Anti. There he found Muloki preaching, along with Ammah and his brothers. They were in heated debates with many people about the message.

When they realized the people were hardening their hearts, they moved on to the land of Middoni. They preached to many there, but only a few believed their message. Aaron and some of his companions were arrested and thrown in prison. The rest fled from Middoni to the surrounding areas.

Those who were imprisoned suffered terribly, but Lamoni and Ammon rescued them. They were given food and clothing. Then they went out again to preach. This was the first time they were freed from prison, and they had been through a lot.

Led by the Spirit

They went wherever the Spirit of the Lord led them, preaching God’s word in every Amalekite synagogue and every Lamanite gathering where they could get in. The Lord began blessing them, and they brought many people to the truth. They convinced many of their sins and of the false traditions they had inherited from their ancestors.

Freedom in the Land of Ishmael

Meanwhile, Ammon and Lamoni returned from Middoni to the land of Ishmael, which was Lamoni’s territory.

King Lamoni wouldn’t let Ammon serve him anymore or be his servant. Instead, he had synagogues built throughout the land of Ishmael and called all his people together.

He celebrated with them and taught them many things. He told them that though they were his people, they were a free people—free from the oppression of his father the king, who had granted Lamoni the right to rule over Ishmael and all the surrounding lands. He also told them they had the freedom to worship the Lord their God however they wanted, anywhere in the land under his rule.

Ammon preached to King Lamoni’s people, teaching them everything about righteousness. He encouraged them daily with great energy, and they listened closely to his words. They were passionate about keeping God’s commandments.