Alma 7

My dear brothers and sisters, since I’ve been allowed to visit you, I want to speak to you personally. This is the first time I’ve addressed you directly, as I’ve been tied up with judicial duties and couldn’t get away to see you. I wouldn’t even be here now if someone else hadn’t taken over the judgment seat for me. The Lord has graciously allowed me to come to you. I came hoping to find that you had humbled yourselves before God and continued seeking His grace—that you were living righteously and not struggling like our brothers and sisters in Zarahemla. Thank God, He has let me know that they have gotten back on the right path, which brings me tremendous joy. I trust that I’ll have similar joy with you. But I don’t want my happiness to come at the cost of the pain and sorrow I experienced watching the Zarahemla believers struggle—that joy came only after much heartache. I trust you’re not as faithless as they were. I hope you haven’t become proud, haven’t set your hearts on wealth and worldly things, and don’t worship false gods. Instead, I hope you worship the true God and look forward with faith to having your sins forgiven. Many things are coming, but one thing matters more than all the rest: the Redeemer is alive and will soon come among His people. I’m not saying He’ll come here while He’s living as a mortal—the Spirit hasn’t told me that. I don’t know about that, but I do know that God has power to do whatever He says He’ll do. The Spirit has told me to cry out to you: 'Repent and prepare the way for the Lord! Walk in His straight paths, because the kingdom of heaven is near and the Son of God is coming to earth.' He will be born to Mary in Jerusalem, the land of our ancestors. She is a virgin, a precious chosen woman who will be overshadowed by the Holy Spirit’s power, conceive, and give birth to the Son of God. He will experience pain, suffering, and every kind of temptation so that the prophecy will be fulfilled that says He will take on the pains and sicknesses of His people. He will experience death to break the chains of death that bind His people. He will take on their weaknesses so His heart will be filled with mercy, and through His mortal experience, He’ll know how to help His people in their struggles. The Spirit knows everything, yet the Son of God will suffer in the flesh to take on His people’s sins and erase their wrongdoings through His power to save. This is my testimony. You must repent and be born again. The Spirit says if you’re not born again, you can’t inherit God’s kingdom. So come and be baptized in repentance to wash away your sins, and have faith in the Lamb of God who takes away the world’s sins and has power to save and cleanse from all evil. Come without fear and put aside every sin that traps you and leads to destruction. Come and show God you’re willing to repent and make a covenant to keep His commandments. Demonstrate this today by being baptized. Whoever does this and continues keeping God’s commandments will remember my words—I promise them eternal life, as testified by the Holy Spirit within me. My dear brothers and sisters, do you believe these things? I know you do because the Spirit within me shows me your faith. Your strong faith in what I’ve taught brings me great joy. From the beginning, I hoped you wouldn’t be in the same troubled state as your brothers and sisters elsewhere, and I’m happy to find my hopes fulfilled. I can see you’re walking in righteousness, on the path that leads to God’s kingdom. You’re making His paths straight. You’ve learned through His word that He doesn’t walk crooked paths, never changes what He’s said, and never wavers from right to left or from right to wrong. His course is eternal and unchanging. He doesn’t live in unholy temples, and nothing filthy or unclean can enter God’s kingdom. So I tell you, the time will come—on the last day—when whoever is filthy will remain in their filthiness. I’ve said these things to awaken your sense of duty to God, so you’ll walk blamelessly before Him and follow the holy order you’ve been called to. Be humble, submissive, and gentle. Be easy to approach, patient, and long-suffering. Be moderate in all things and diligent in keeping God’s commandments. Ask for what you need, both spiritually and temporally, and always thank God for what you receive. Have faith, hope, and charity, and you’ll always be rich in good works. May the Lord bless you and keep you pure, so you can ultimately sit with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the holy prophets who have lived since the world began—all of you spotless in the kingdom of heaven, never to leave again. I’ve spoken these words as the Spirit has directed me, and my soul rejoices because of how carefully you’ve listened to my message. May God’s peace rest on you, your homes, your land, your livestock, and all your possessions—your wives and children—according to your faith and good works, from now and forever. I have spoken. Amen.