Alma Visits the People
I, Alma, am happy I can come to you. I will speak to you in my own words. This is the first time I have spoken to you myself. I have been busy as chief judge and could not come before. I could not have come now if I had not given my job as judge to someone else. The Lord has been very kind to let me come to you.
I came here hoping you had made yourselves humble before God. I hoped you had kept asking for his help. I hoped you were good before him. I hoped you were not in terrible trouble like the people in Zarahemla. God has blessed me by letting me know that they are now doing right again. This makes me very happy.
I trust the Spirit of God in me. I hope to be happy about you too. But I don’t want my joy to come from all the troubles and sadness I had with the people at Zarahemla. My joy over them came after going through much hard times and sadness. I trust that you don’t doubt God as much as they did. I trust that you are not full of pride. I trust that you don’t care too much about money and useless things. I trust that you don’t worship idols. I trust that you worship the true and living God. I trust that you look forward with faith to having your sins forgiven.
Jesus Christ Will Come
There are many things to come. But there is one thing more important than all the rest. The time is getting close when the Savior will live and come to his people. I don’t say that he will come here while he is living in his body. The Spirit has not told me that will happen. I don’t know about that. But I do know that the Lord God has power to do everything he says he will do.
The Spirit has told me this: Cry out to these people and say, Change your hearts! Get ready for the Lord! Walk in his paths, which are straight! God’s kingdom is getting close! The Son of God is coming to the earth! He will be born of Mary at Jerusalem. That is the land where our fathers lived. She is a virgin. She is a special and chosen person. She will become pregnant by the power of the Holy Spirit. She will have a son. He will be the Son of God.
He will go through pains, troubles, and all kinds of hard tests. This will happen so the scriptures will come true. They say he will take on the pains and sicknesses of his people. He will die so he can break the chains of death that hold his people. He will take on their weaknesses so his heart will be filled with mercy. Then he will know how to help his people with their weaknesses. The Spirit knows all things. But the Son of God will suffer in his body. He will take on the sins of his people. He will erase their sins by the power he has to save. This is what I know to be true.
Be Baptized and Change Your Hearts
You must change your hearts and be born again. The Spirit says if you are not born again, you cannot go to God’s kingdom. So come and be baptized. Turn away from your sins. Then you will be washed from your sins. You will have faith in the Lamb of God. He takes away the sins of the world. He is powerful. He can save you and clean you from all wrong. Come and don’t be scared! Stop doing every sin that traps you and pulls you down. Come and show God you want to turn away from your sins. Make a promise to him to keep his commandments. Show him you mean it by being baptized. Anyone who does this and keeps God’s commandments from now on will have eternal life. This is what the Holy Spirit tells me. I say to him: Remember what I told you.
Do you believe these things? I know that you believe them. I know this because of the Spirit in me. Your faith is strong. This makes me very happy. I told you at the start that I really wanted you not to be in trouble like the people in Zarahemla. I have found that my wish has come true.
You Are Doing Right
I see that you are doing what is right. I see that you are on the path that leads to God’s kingdom. You are making his paths straight. I see that you have learned from God’s word that he cannot walk on crooked paths. He does not change from what he has said. He never turns from the right to the left. He never turns from what is right to what is wrong. He stays the same forever. He does not live in unholy places. Nothing dirty or unclean can enter God’s kingdom. The time will come at the last day. Anyone who is dirty will stay dirty.
I have said these things to wake you up to what you should do for God. You should live good lives before him. You should follow the holy ways of God. You have been welcomed into these ways.
Be Humble and Do Good
I want you to be humble. Be gentle and easy to talk to. Be patient. Control yourself in all things. Work hard to keep God’s commandments all the time. Ask for what you need—both spiritual and physical things. Always thank God for what you get. Make sure you have faith, hope, and love. Then you will always do good things. May the Lord bless you. May he keep you clean so that you can sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and the holy prophets. They have been there since the world began. May you be clean like they are clean in God’s kingdom. You will never have to leave.
I have spoken these words to you by the Spirit in me. My soul is very happy because you have listened so carefully to my words. May God’s peace be with you. May it be on your houses and land. May it be on your sheep and cattle and all that you have. May it be on your women and children. This will happen because of your faith and good works. This is now and forever. I have finished speaking. Amen.
Influences
- 7:5 — Romans 1:4 (KJV)And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:
- 7:10 — Romans 15:13 (KJV)Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.
- 7:10 — Luke 1:31 (KJV)And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus.
- 7:11 — John 15:25 (KJV)But this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law, They hated me without a cause.
- 7:12 — Acts 2:30 (KJV)Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne;
- 7:13 — 1 Timothy 4:1 (KJV)Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;
- 7:14 — Revelation 3:22 (KJV)He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
- 7:14 — John 3:3 (KJV)Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
- 7:14 — John 1:29 (KJV)The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
- 7:14 — 1 John 1:9 (KJV)If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
- 7:15 — Matthew 11:9 (KJV)But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet.
- 7:15 — Hebrews 12:1 (KJV)Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
- 7:16 — 1 Corinthians 7:19 (KJV)Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of God.
- 7:16 — Matthew 19:16 (KJV)And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?
- 7:17 — John 6:29 (KJV)Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.
- 7:17 — 1 Corinthians 12:7 (KJV)But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.
- 7:18 — John 8:25 (KJV)Then said they unto him, Who art thou? And Jesus saith unto them, Even the same that I said unto you from the beginning.
- 7:19 — Luke 8:46 (KJV)And Jesus said, Somebody hath touched me: for I perceive that virtue is gone out of me.
- 7:20 — James 1:17 (KJV)Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.
- 7:21 — Matthew 19:24 (KJV)And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
- 7:21 — Revelation 22:11 (KJV)He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.
- 7:22 — 1 Thessalonians 4:12 (KJV)That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing.
- 7:23 — 1 Corinthians 9:25 (KJV)And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.
- 7:24 — 1 Corinthians 13:13 (KJV)And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.
- 7:24 — 2 Corinthians 9:8 (KJV)And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:
- 7:24 — 1 Timothy 6:18 (KJV)That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate;
- 7:25 — Matthew 8:11 (KJV)And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.
- 7:25 — John 9:32 (KJV)Since the world began was it not heard that any man opened the eyes of one that was born blind.
- 7:27 — Colossians 3:15 (KJV)And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.
- 7:27 — Matthew 9:29 (KJV)Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you.