# Alma 12

*Simple English*

### Alma Speaks to Zeezrom

Alma saw that Amulek’s words had stopped Zeezrom from talking. Amulek had caught Zeezrom in his lies and tricks. Zeezrom started to shake because he felt guilty. So Alma began to speak to him. He backed up what Amulek said. He also explained more from the Scriptures. Many people heard what Alma said to Zeezrom. A big crowd was there. This is what Alma said:

Zeezrom, you got caught in your lies and tricks. You didn’t just lie to people. You lied to God. He knows all your thoughts. You can see that the Spirit has shown us your thoughts. You see that we know your plan was sneaky, like the Devil’s tricks. You wanted to lie and trick these people. You wanted them to turn against us and push us out. This was the Devil’s plan. He used his power over you. What I say to you, I say to everyone here. This was a trap set by the Devil to catch these people. He wants to control you. He wants to wrap his chains around you. He wants to chain you down forever, using the power he has to trap people.

When Alma said this, Zeezrom shook even more. He became more and more sure of God’s power. He became sure that Alma and Amulek knew about him. He was sure they knew his thoughts and what he planned to do. God had given them power to know these things by the Spirit.

### Zeezrom Asks About the Resurrection

Zeezrom began to ask them many questions. He wanted to know more about God’s kingdom. He said to Alma: What does Amulek mean about coming back from the dead? Does everyone rise from the dead? Do both good and bad people come back? Will they stand before God to be judged by what they did?

### God Gives Truth to Those Who Listen

Alma began to explain these things to him. He said: Many people get to know God’s secrets. But they must only share what God allows them to share. God gives people truth based on how much attention they give to him. People who close their hearts get less of God’s word. People who don’t close their hearts get more of his word. They can keep learning God’s secrets until they know them fully. But people who close their hearts get less and less of God’s word. Finally they know nothing about his secrets. Then the Devil traps them. He leads them wherever he wants. He leads them to be destroyed. This is what we mean by the chains of hell. Amulek spoke clearly about death. He said we will be raised from this dying life to a life that never ends. We will be brought before God to be judged by what we did.

If we close our hearts and refuse God’s word, then our situation will be terrible. We will be found guilty. Our words will show we are guilty. All our actions will show we are guilty. We will not be clean. Our thoughts will also show we are guilty. In this terrible situation, we won’t be able to look at God. We will wish rocks and mountains would fall on us to hide us from him. But that can’t happen. We must come out and stand before him. We will see his glory and power. We will have to admit forever that all his decisions are right. He is right in everything he does. He shows mercy to people. He has all power to save everyone who believes in his name and who does what is needed to turn away from wrong.

### The Second Death

Then comes a second death. This is a spiritual death. Anyone who dies still doing wrong things will also die a spiritual death. They will die as to anything good. Then their pain will be like a lake of fire that never goes out. Then they will be chained down forever to be destroyed. Satan will control them. He has made them do what he wants. I tell you, it will be as if Jesus never saved them. God’s justice won’t let them be saved. They can’t die because their bodies won’t break down anymore.

When Alma finished speaking these words, the people were very surprised.

### Antionah Asks About Eternal Life

One of their leaders named Antionah came forward. He said to Alma: What do you mean when you say people will rise from the dead? How can they change from dying bodies to bodies that never die? How can the soul never die? What does the Scripture mean when it says God placed angels and a flaming sword east of the garden of Eden? It was to keep Adam and Eve from going in and eating from the tree of life. It would have made them live forever. So we see they had no chance to live forever.

### Adam’s Fall and God’s Plan

Alma said to him: This is what I was about to explain. We see that Adam did eat the fruit God told him not to eat. This is what God’s word says. Because Adam did this, all people became lost. If Adam could have eaten from the tree of life after that, no one would die. That would make God’s word wrong. It would make God a liar. He said: If you eat it, you will die. We see that death comes to everyone. This is the death of the body that Amulek talked about. But God gave people time to turn away from wrong. This life became a time to get ready to meet God. It’s a time to get ready for what comes after we rise from the dead. If there was no plan to save people, no one could rise from the dead. But God made a plan to save people. This plan will bring everyone back from the dead. If Adam and Eve could have gone forward and eaten from the tree of life, they would have been sad forever. They would have had no time to get ready. The plan to save people would have been ruined. God’s word would have meant nothing. But that’s not what happened. Everyone must die. After they die, they must be judged. This is the judgment we have talked about. This is the end.

### God Sends Angels to Teach People

After God decided these things would happen to people, he saw they needed to know about his plan. So he sent angels to talk with people. This helped people see his glory.

From that time, people began to pray to him. God talked with people. He told them about his plan to save them. This plan had been ready since the world was made. He told them about it based on their faith and whether they turned from wrong and did good things. God gave people commands. They had first broken his command about things in this world. They became like Gods, knowing good and evil. They could choose to do evil or do good. So God gave them commands after he told them about his plan to save them. He told them not to do evil. The punishment for doing evil is a second death. This is a death that lasts forever as to anything good. The plan to save people can’t work for those who keep doing evil. God’s justice must be done, because God is completely good.

### God Calls People to Turn Away from Wrong

But God called to people in the name of his Son. This is the plan to save people. He said: If you turn away from wrong and don’t close your hearts, I will show you mercy through my only Son. So whoever turns away from wrong and doesn’t close their heart can receive mercy through my only Son. Their sins will be forgiven. These people will enter my rest. But whoever closes their heart and does wrong will not enter my rest. I promise this with strong anger. Brothers and sisters, if you close your hearts, you will not enter the Lord’s rest. Your wrong actions make him angry. He will send his anger down on you just like before. This will lead to your souls being destroyed forever, like the first time. This means the last death, just like the first. Brothers and sisters, we know these things are true. So let’s turn away from wrong. Let’s not close our hearts. We don’t want to make the Lord our God angry with us. Let’s not make him punish us for breaking his commands. Instead, let’s enter into God’s rest. He has it ready for us, just like he said.

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*Source: [The Book of Mormon](https://bookofmormon.com/simple/alma/12)*
