The People Challenge Alma
God commanded me to take Amulek and return to preach again to the people of Ammonihah. As soon as I began preaching, they started arguing with me:
“Who are you? Do you really think we’re going to believe the testimony of one man, even if he tells us the world is going to end?” They didn’t understand what they were saying—they had no idea the earth would actually pass away one day. They said, “And we definitely won’t believe you if you prophesy that this great city could be destroyed in a single day.” They didn’t know God could do such incredible things. They were hard-hearted and stubborn. They asked, “What kind of God sends just one man to tell a whole city such wild claims?” They moved forward to grab me—but they didn’t. I stood there boldly and testified to them:
Alma Rebukes the People
“You wicked and twisted generation! How could you forget the traditions your ancestors handed down? How quickly you’ve forgotten God’s commandments. Don’t you remember that our father Lehi was led out of Jerusalem by God’s hand? Don’t you remember that God led them all through the wilderness? Have you already forgotten how many times he rescued our ancestors from their enemies and kept them from being wiped out—even from being killed by their own relatives? If it weren’t for his unmatched power, his mercy, and his patience with us, we would have been destroyed from the face of the earth long ago—maybe even condemned to endless misery and suffering.”
“Listen: God commands you to repent. If you don’t repent, you will never inherit the kingdom of God. But that’s not all—if you don’t repent, he will completely destroy you from the face of the earth. He will come in his anger, and his fierce anger won’t be turned away. Don’t you remember what he told Lehi? ‘As long as you keep my commandments, you will thrive in this land.’ And he also said, ‘If you don’t keep my commandments, you will be cut off from the Lord’s presence.’ Remember this: because the Lamanites haven’t kept God’s commandments, they’ve been cut off from his presence. We’ve seen the Lord’s word come true. The Lamanites have been cut off from his presence ever since they first rebelled in this land.”
“But I’m telling you: on judgment day, it will be more bearable for them than for you if you stay in your sins. Even in this life, it will be more bearable for them than for you—unless you repent. The Lord has made many promises to the Lamanites. It’s the false traditions of their ancestors that keep them in ignorance. So the Lord will be merciful to them and let them continue in the land. One day they will come to believe in his word and see the lies in their ancestors’ traditions. Many of them will be saved, because the Lord is merciful to everyone who calls on his name.”
A Warning of Destruction
“But if you keep choosing wickedness, your time in this land will be cut short. The Lamanites will be sent against you. If you don’t repent, they’ll come when you least expect it, and you’ll be completely destroyed. This is how the Lord’s fierce anger works. He won’t let you live in your evil ways and destroy his people. Let me be clear: he would rather let the Lamanites wipe out all of Nephi’s people than watch you fall into sin after receiving so much light and knowledge from the Lord your God.”
“Think about it: you’ve been God’s most favored people. You’ve been blessed above every other nation, tribe, language, or people. Everything has been revealed to you according to your desires, faith, and prayers—the past, the present, and the future. You’ve been visited by the Spirit of God. You’ve talked with angels. You’ve heard the Lord’s own voice. You’ve had the spirit of prophecy, the spirit of revelation, and so many gifts: speaking in tongues, preaching, the Holy Spirit, and translation. God brought you out of Jerusalem. He’s saved you from starvation, sickness, and every kind of disease. He’s made you strong in battle so you wouldn’t be destroyed. He’s freed you from slavery again and again. He’s protected and preserved you until now. He’s blessed you until you’re rich in every way.”
“So listen: if these people who have received so many blessings from the Lord deliberately sin against the light and knowledge they have—if they fall into rebellion—it will be far more bearable for the Lamanites than for them. The Lord’s promises extend to the Lamanites—but not to you if you rebel. Hasn’t the Lord clearly promised and firmly declared that if you rebel against him, you will be utterly destroyed from the face of the earth?”
The Angel’s Message
“To save you from destruction, the Lord has sent his angel to visit many of his people, telling them they must go out and cry loudly to you: ‘Repent! The kingdom of Heaven is near!’ In just a few days, the Son of God will come in his glory—the glory of the Father’s only Son, full of grace, fairness, and truth, full of patience, mercy, and long-suffering. He hears his people’s cries quickly and answers their prayers. He’s coming to save those who are baptized in repentance, through faith in his name. So prepare the way for the Lord. The time is coming when everyone will be rewarded for their works, based on what they’ve been. If they’ve been righteous, they’ll receive salvation for their souls through Jesus Christ’s power and deliverance. If they’ve been evil, they’ll receive damnation for their souls through the Devil’s power and captivity.”
That was the angel’s message, crying out to the people.
“Now, my dear brothers and sisters—and you are my family, you should be loved—you need to do something that shows true repentance. Your hearts have become terribly hardened against God’s word. You’re a lost and fallen people.”
The People’s Rage
After I said these things, the people were furious with me for calling them hard-hearted and stubborn. They were also angry because I’d called them lost and fallen. Their anger was so hot they tried to grab me and throw me in prison. Then Amulek stepped forward and started preaching to them as well. Not all of Amulek’s words are written here, but some of them are recorded in this book.