Alma began preaching the word of God to the people, starting in the land of Zarahemla, then traveling throughout the whole land. These are the words he spoke to the people in the church established in the city of Zarahemla, recorded in his own account:
The Story of Your Ancestors
I, Alma, was ordained by my father Alma to be a high priest over the church of God. He had the power and authority from God to do this. Let me tell you how it all began—he founded the church in the land near Nephi, in the land called Mormon, and he baptized his brothers in the waters of Mormon. They were delivered from the hands of king Noah’s people by God’s mercy and power. After that, they were captured by the Lamanites in the wilderness. They were held as slaves. But again, the Lord freed them from bondage by the power of his word. We were brought into this land, and here we began to establish God’s church throughout this land as well.
Now let me ask you, my brothers and sisters in this church: Do you remember what your ancestors went through in captivity? Do you remember God’s mercy and patience with them? Do you remember that he rescued their souls from hell? He changed their hearts. He woke them from a deep sleep, and they awoke to God. They had been in total darkness, but their souls were lit up by the light of the eternal word. They’d been wrapped up in death’s grip and bound by hell’s chains, with everlasting destruction waiting for them. Let me ask you, my brothers and sisters—were they destroyed? No, they weren’t. And let me ask again: Were death’s chains broken? Were the bonds of hell loosened? Yes, they were loosened. Their souls expanded, and they sang of redeeming love. I’m telling you, they were saved.
Now let me ask you this: On what condition were they saved? What reason did they have to hope for salvation? What freed them from death’s grip and hell’s chains? I can tell you: My father Alma believed the words delivered by Abinadi. Wasn’t Abinadi a holy prophet? Didn’t he speak God’s word? And didn’t my father believe him? Because of his faith, a mighty change took place in his heart. I’m telling you, this is all true. He preached the word to your ancestors, and a mighty change happened in their hearts too. They humbled themselves and put their trust in the true and living God. They stayed faithful to the end. That’s why they were saved.
Questions for Your Soul
Now let me ask you, my brothers and sisters in the church: Have you been spiritually born of God? Have you received his image in your faces? Have you experienced this mighty change in your hearts? Do you have faith in the redemption of the one who created you? Do you look forward with faith and see this mortal body raised to immortality, this decaying body raised to incorruption, standing before God to be judged according to the deeds done in mortality? Can you imagine hearing the Lord’s voice on that day, saying to you: “Come to me, you who are blessed, because your works have been righteous on the earth”? Or do you imagine you can lie to the Lord on that day and claim, “Lord, our works have been righteous on the earth,” and expect him to save you? Or can you picture yourself standing before God’s judgment seat with your soul filled with guilt and remorse, remembering every wrong thing you’ve done—a perfect memory of all your wickedness, remembering how you defied God’s commands? Can you look up to God on that day with a pure heart and clean hands? Can you look up with God’s image engraved on your face? Can you think you’ll be saved when you’ve made yourselves servants of the devil? On that day you’ll know you can’t be saved. No one can be saved unless their clothing is washed white—their garments must be purified and cleansed from every stain through the blood of the one our ancestors spoke of, who would come to redeem his people from their sins.
Let me ask you: How will any of you feel if you stand before God with your garments stained with blood and all kinds of filth? What will these stains testify against you? Won’t they testify that you’re murderers and guilty of all kinds of evil? Do you really think someone like that can sit down in God’s kingdom with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and all the holy prophets whose garments are clean, spotless, pure, and white? No—unless you call our Creator a liar from the beginning or suppose he’s a liar from the start. You can’t suppose that such a person has a place in the kingdom of heaven. They’ll be cast out, for they belong to the devil’s kingdom.
Can You Feel It Now?
Now let me ask: If you’ve experienced a change of heart, if you’ve felt like singing the song of redeeming love—can you feel that way now? Have you walked blamelessly before God? If you were called to die right now, could you say to yourself that you’ve been humble enough? That your garments have been cleansed and made white through the blood of Christ, who will come to redeem his people from their sins? Are you free from pride? If you’re not, you’re not ready to meet God. You must prepare quickly, because the kingdom of heaven is coming soon, and someone like that doesn’t have eternal life. Is there anyone among you who isn’t free from envy? Such a person isn’t prepared. I want them to prepare quickly, because the hour is close at hand and they don’t know when the time will come. Such a person won’t be found guiltless.
And again I ask: Is there anyone among you who mocks his brother or persecutes him? Woe to such a person! They’re not prepared, and the time has come when they must repent or they can’t be saved. Woe to all you who do evil—repent, repent! The Lord God has spoken.
The Invitation
He sends an invitation to everyone. His arms of mercy are stretched out toward you, and he says: “Repent, and I will receive you.” He says: “Come to me and eat the fruit of the tree of life. You can eat and drink the bread and waters of life freely. Come to me and do righteous works, and you won’t be cut down and thrown into the fire.” The time has come when whoever doesn’t produce good fruit, whoever doesn’t do righteous works, will have reason to cry and mourn.
The Good Shepherd’s Call
You who do evil! You who are caught up in the empty things of the world! You claim to know the ways of righteousness, but you’ve wandered off like sheep without a shepherd—even though a shepherd has called after you and is still calling, but you won’t listen to his voice. The good shepherd is calling you. He calls you by his own name, which is the name of Christ. If you won’t listen to the good shepherd’s voice, to the name by which you’re called, then you aren’t the good shepherd’s sheep. If you aren’t the good shepherd’s sheep, whose flock are you in? The devil is your shepherd, and you’re part of his flock. Who can deny this? Anyone who denies this is a liar and a child of the devil.
Whatever is good comes from God, and whatever is evil comes from the devil. So if someone does good works, they’re listening to the good shepherd’s voice and following him. But whoever does evil works becomes a child of the devil, because they’re listening to his voice and following him. Whoever does this will receive his wages. For his wages, he gets death—death to righteousness, dead to all good works.
Alma’s Testimony
My brothers and sisters, listen to me. I’m speaking with all the energy of my soul. I’ve spoken plainly so you can’t misunderstand. I’ve spoken according to God’s commands. I’m called to speak this way according to God’s holy order in Christ Jesus. I’m commanded to stand and testify to you about the things our ancestors spoke concerning what’s to come.
And that’s not all. Do you think I don’t know these things for myself? I testify to you that I do know the things I’ve spoken about are true. How do you suppose I know they’re true? They’ve been made known to me by the Holy Spirit of God. I’ve fasted and prayed many days so I could know these things for myself. Now I do know for myself that they’re true, because the Lord God has made them clear to me by his Holy Spirit. This is the spirit of revelation that’s in me. And moreover, just as it’s been revealed to me that the words our ancestors spoke are true, so also according to the spirit of prophecy that’s in me, which also comes by the manifestation of God’s Spirit— I tell you that I know for myself that whatever I say to you about what’s to come is true. I know that Jesus Christ will come—the Son of the Father’s only begotten, full of grace, mercy, and truth. He’s the one who comes to take away the sins of the world—the sins of everyone who steadfastly believes in his name.
This is the order I’m called to: to preach to my beloved brothers and sisters, to everyone who lives in the land. I’m to preach to everyone—old and young, slave and free. I’m to cry out to the elderly, the middle-aged, and the rising generation that they must repent and be born again. This is what the Spirit says: “Repent, all you ends of the earth, for the kingdom of heaven is coming soon. The Son of God is coming in his glory, in his might, majesty, power, and dominion.” My beloved brothers and sisters, the Spirit says: “Look at the glory of the King of all the earth! The King of heaven will very soon shine among all the children of men.” The Spirit also says to me—cries out to me with a mighty voice—“Go and tell this people: Repent! Unless you repent, you can’t inherit the kingdom of heaven.” And again, the Spirit says: “The ax is laid at the root of the tree. Every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire—a fire that can’t be put out, an unquenchable fire. Remember, the Holy One has spoken.”
A Warning to the Proud
My beloved brothers and sisters, can you resist these words? Can you push these things aside and trample the Holy One under your feet? Can you be puffed up with pride? Will you keep wearing expensive clothes and setting your hearts on the empty things of the world, on your riches? Will you keep thinking you’re better than others? Will you keep persecuting your brothers and sisters who humble themselves and walk in the holy order of God—those who’ve been brought into this church, sanctified by the Holy Spirit, and who produce works worthy of repentance? Will you keep turning your backs on the poor and needy, withholding your resources from them? Finally, all of you who persist in your wickedness—these are the ones who will be cut down and thrown into the fire unless they quickly repent.
Come Out and Be Separate
To all of you who want to follow the good shepherd’s voice: Come out from the wicked and be separate. Don’t touch their unclean things. Their names will be blotted out so the names of the wicked won’t be numbered among the righteous, so God’s word will be fulfilled: “The names of the wicked won’t be mixed with the names of my people.” The names of the righteous will be written in the book of life, and I’ll grant them an inheritance at my right hand. My brothers and sisters, what do you have to say against this? Even if you speak against it, it doesn’t matter—God’s word must be fulfilled.
What shepherd among you who has many sheep doesn’t watch over them to keep wolves from entering and devouring his flock? If a wolf gets into his flock, doesn’t he drive it out? And in the end, if he can, he’ll destroy it. The good shepherd is calling after you. If you listen to his voice, he’ll bring you into his fold, and you’ll be his sheep. He commands you not to allow any ravenous wolf among you, so you won’t be destroyed.
I, Alma, command you in the language of the one who commanded me: Do what I’ve told you. I’m speaking as a command to those who belong to the church. To those who don’t belong to the church, I’m speaking as an invitation: Come and be baptized as an act of repentance, so you can also share in the fruit of the tree of life.