Alma 8-12

Alma 8-12


I.
Our Changing World and How to Cope: Stress Busters, Bear Necessities, Hukuna Matada
II.
Alma 8:
1-6
Alma has success in Melek

“He [Joseph Smith] said it tried some of the pious folks to see him play ball with the boys.
He then related a story of a certain prophet who was sitting under the shade of a tree
amusing himself in some way, when a hunter came along with his bow and arrow, and
reproved him. The prophet asked him if he kept his bow strung up all the time. The
hunter answered that he did not. The prophet asked why, and he said it would loose its
elasticity if he did. The prophet said it was just so with his mind, he did not want it strung
up all the time” (Joseph Smith, Joseph Smith: The Man and the Seer, Hyrum Andrus, p.
16).

“Wrestling with God? Does God resist you? Do you have to resist him? No, you
have to put yourself into position, in the right state of mind. Remember, in our daily walks
of life as we go around doing things, we're far removed…You have to get yourself in
form, like a wrestler having to look around for a hold or get a grip, as Jacob did when he
wrestled with the Lord. You have to size yourself up, take your stance, circle the ring, and
try to find out how you're going to deal with this particular problem. You're not wrestling
with the Lord; you're wrestling with yourself. Remember, Enos is the one who really
wrestled. And he told us what he meant when he was wrestling; he was wrestling with
himself, his own inadequacies. How can I possibly face the Lord in my condition, is what
he says.

“…It takes great mental effort to confront the Lord in all seriousness. We do it at
various shallow levels, by routine. We have a prayer here because we feel we should. If
we're going to make it really serious, we have to work on it harder…and very few people
are willing to do it, but it really pays off because you know exactly what you want and
where you stand.” (Hugh Nibley, Teachings of the Book of Mormon, lecture 47, pp. 3012).


7-18
Alma struggles to teach the wicked in Ammonihah

“[Ammonihah]. A western city of the Nephites situated in the same region as the cities of
Melek, Noah, and Aaron. It was inhabited almost exclusively by the followers of Nehor,
and was notorious for the wickedness of its citizens” {see Psalms 4:2) (Reynolds and
Sjodahl, p. 146).

10-11
An unanswered prayer “Why does Garth Brooks sing “I thank God for
unanswered prayers?”


“If all the sick for whom we pray were healed, if all the righteous were protected and the
wicked destroyed, the whole program of the father would be annulled and the basic
principle of the gospel, free agency, would be ended. No man would have to live by faith.
If joy and peace were instantaneously given to the doer of good, there could be no evil all
would do good but not because of the righteousness of doing good. There would be
no test of strength, no development of character, no growth of powers, no free agency,
only satanic controls. Should all prayers be immediately answered according to our
selfish desires and our limited understanding, then there would be little or no suffering,
sorrow, disappointment, or even death, and if these were not, there would also be no joy,
success, resurrection, nor eternal life and godhood” (Spencer W. Kimball, Faith
Precedes the Miracle, p. 97, emphasis added).

“I want you to know that I know that whenever one of Heavenly Father’s children kneels
and talks to him, he listens. I know this as well as I know anything in this world - that
Heavenly Father listens to every prayer from his children. I know our prayers ascend to
heaven. No matter what we may have done wrong, he listens to us” (H. Burke Peterson,
Ensign, June 1981, p. 73).

“[Sometimes] the Lord...responds...to prayer by withholding an answer when prayer is
offered. Why would he do that? He is our perfect Father. He loves us beyond our
capacity to understand. He knows what is best for us. He sees the end from the
beginning. He wants us to act to gain needed experiences: When he answers yes, it is to
give confidence. When he answers no, it is to prevent error. When he withholds an
answer, it is to have us grow through faith in Him, obedience to His commandments, and
a willingness to act on truth” (Richard G. Scott, Ensign, November 1989, p. 32).

“An angel sent from the courts of glory - the same angel who had struck down the
wayward and wandering Alma and the sons of Mosiah about two decades earlier (see
Mosiah 27, Alma 36) - had returned to offer consolation and comfort and counsel”
(Millett and McConkie, p. 59).

“ I am convinced that one of the profound themes of the Book of Mormon, one which
may not yet have been developed enough in our teaching of young people, is the role and
prevalence and central participation of angels in the everlasting gospel story. Especially
those who lived in trust before Christ came [86% of Book of Mormon, more than four-
fifths, comes out of a period before Christ’s personal appearance to the Nephites; See
Moroni 7:21-22,25]...May I suggest to you that one of the things we need to teach our
students, and one of the things which will become more important in their lives the longer
they live, is the reality of angels, their work, and their ministry. Obviously I speak here
not alone of the angel Moroni, but also of those more personal ministering angels who are
with us and around us, empowered to help us, and who do exactly that” (Jeffrey R.
Holland, BYU Religious Educators Symposium, August 1994, p.11).

13 Trials


“In my early missions, when preaching in the Southern States - Arkansas,
Tennessee, and Kentucky - I have waded swamps and rivers and have walked 70
miles or more without eating. In those days we counted it a blessing to go into a
place where there was a Latter-day Saint. I went once 150 miles to see one; and
when I got there he had apostatized, and tried to kill me. Then, after traveling 72
miles without food, I sat down to eat my meal with a Missouri mobocrat, and he
damning and cursing me all the time.” (Wilford Woodruff, Church News, 5/18/96,

p. Z1).
“You must know that Lucifer will oppose you, and be prepared for his opposition.
Do not be surprised. He wants you to fail…Have courage and go forward.
Recognize that the gospel has been preached with some pain and sorrow from the
very beginning of time. Do not expect that your experience will be otherwise.”
(James E. Faust, Church News, 5/18/96, p. Z1).

14-15 The Same Angel

The angel which first called Alma to repentance returns for a second visit. Alma
had undergone such an incredible spiritual transformation since then that he must
have been filled with joy to commune again with this angel. No longer did he suffer
the pains of a damned soul. He had been valiant in the cause of truth from that time
forth. Just when Alma was at his lowest, being weighed down with
sorrow…tribulation and anguish of soul, the Lord had sent him that angel who was
most able to offer consolation. The consolation was the most comforting message
possible—that his sacrifice had been acceptable to the Lord.

19-32 Amulek is prepared to receive Alma

After the angel appeared to Alma to send him back to Ammonihah, he returned speedily

(v. 18). Yet, Alma seems to take his time before preaching again. He deliberately spends
many days with Amulek. This wasn’t because Alma was lazy or afraid of the people. It
was important for him to teach Amulek and his family so that Amulek could accompany
him on his mission. Again, Alma shows a great understanding of the things of the Spirit.
Once he arrives in Ammonihah, he does not make the mistake of rushing out to preach
without first spending an adequate amount of time with his first convert and next
missionary companion.
“…by the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ, Amulek was transformed from
someone who resisted the word of God into a powerful preacher of righteousness. And it
took only days, not months or years. The record says that Alma stayed in Amulek’s home
for ‘many days’ (Alma 8:27). During that time Alma taught Amulek. And an angel,
perhaps the one who first commanded Amulek to receive Alma into his home, came to
him to confirm what Alma taught. Amulek stated, ‘And again, I know that the things
whereof he hath testified are true; for behold I say unto you, that as the Lord liveth, even
so has he sent his angel to make these things manifest unto me; and this he has done while


this Alma hath dwelt at my house’ (Alma 10:10).

“By obeying Christ’s authority through His servants, Amulek was blessed with the
power to lead others to eternal life in ways he could not have seen in advance. He was
given immediately the gift to teach people to feel a compelling need to have all their sins
washed away. As you listen to his voice in his first sermon, take hope that God could bless
you and me with such a mighty change.” (Henry B. Eyring, Heroes From the Book of
Mormon, p. 107-8).

“The missionary method of the Church today is almost identical with that carried on by
Jesus Christ and his apostles…these humble emissaries of the Lord were to go forth two
by two. One was to be the support of the other. They were to be witnesses before God of
their respective testimonies. Together they could better face hostile receptions and bitter
opposition. Together they could preserve their faith and their enthusiasm and withstand
temptation and wrongdoing. It was God’s plan of proselyting, and it was very effective.”
(Alma Sonne, Conference Report, Apr. 1962, p. 35)

Alma 9:

1-34
Alma warns the people of Ammonihah
1-2 Repent or perish
13-23 Repent - don’t go contrary

One of the most fundamental principles of the justice of God is that He will judge
us according to the amount of light, truth, and knowledge which we were privileged to
receive in mortality. This is the primary difference between the Lamanites and the
Nephites. The Lamanites were ignorant of God because of the transgressions of their
fathers. Therefore, their fathers are partially to blame for their wickedness. Lehi told
Laman’s posterity, if ye are cursed, behold, I leave my blessing upon you, that the cursing
may be taken from you and be answered upon the heads of your parents (2 Ne 4:5). For
the atonement satisfieth the demands of his justice upon all those who have not the law
given to them (2 Ne 9:26).

On the other hand, the Nephites were rebellious after having had so much light and
so much knowledge given unto them of the Lord their God (v. 19). Their punishments are
thereby more severe. For of him unto whom much is given much is required; and he who
sins against the greater light shall receive the greater condemnation (DC 82:3).

Similarly, endowed members of the church today should understand that there is
no going back. After having been given such great knowledge of the goodness and
mysteries of God, they are responsible for keeping their covenants. The word of the Lord
as given to the Missouri saints applies equally well to them, beware from henceforth, and
refrain from sin, lest sore judgments fall upon your heads (DC 82:2).

“…one who fails to live up to his covenants tries to hide first by looking for
loopholes in the language of the endowment. Brigham Young has commented on the
futility and hypocrisy of this procedure; there is no way, he observes, by which one can
possibly misunderstand or wrest the language of the covenants, no matter how determined
one is to do it. We can rationalize with great zeal—and that is the next step—but never


escape from our defensive position.” (Donald W. Parry, Temples of the Ancient World, p.
610).

“Those who are not able and determined to keep the commandments are better off outside
the Church, ‘For of him unto whom much is given much is required; and he who sins
against the greater light shall receive the greater condemnation.’ (D. & C. 82:3.)” (Bruce

R. McConkie, Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, vol. 1, p. 504).
“Those who do not profess to know anything of the Lord are far better off than we are,
unless we live our religion, for we who know the Master's will and do it not will be beaten
with few stripes. This is perfectly reasonable. We cannot chastise a child for doing that
which is contrary to our wills, if he knows no better; but when our children are taught
better and know what is required of them, if they then rebel, of course, they expect to be
chastised, and it is perfectly right that they should be.” (Brigham Young, Journal of
Discourses, vol. 16, p. 111).

The promises extended to the Lamanites are great. Many of these promises are given
because of the righteousness and prayers of preceding prophets. The first prophet of all is
Joseph of Egypt who was given the promise that his seed would be preserved (Alma
46:24). Lehi blessed the posterity of Laman that they would likewise be preserved (2 Ne
4:7). Nephi, Jacob, and Enos all prayed for the welfare of their brethren. The promises
given are as follows:
God will not suffer the Gentiles to utterly destroy them (1 Ne 13:30, 2 Ne 4:7).

1.
The cursing would be taken from their heads and placed upon their parents (2 Ne 4:6).
2.
The Lord will be merciful to them (2 Ne 4:7).
3.
The Book of Mormon and other books will be brought to them (1 Ne 13:39, Enos 1:13).
4.
They will receive the fullness of the gospel (1 Ne 15:13)
5.
They will know of their forefathers and that they are of the house of Israel (1 Ne 15:14).
6.
As a branch of Israel, they will be grafted into the true olive tree (1 Ne 15:16, 2 Ne 21:117.
12).
As part of the house of Israel, in their seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed (1
8.
Ne 15:18). Indeed, all the blessings given to the house of Israel apply to them.
They shall blossom as the rose (DC 49:24).
9.
“…all who have seeing eyes and understanding hearts may rest assured that the

fulfillment of the promises to the Lamanites is at hand. Most of the foregoing prophecies

have already been fulfilled, and others are now in course of fulfillment. The apostasy and

fourth generation destruction, the degeneration of the remnant, the coming of the gentiles,

their establishment by the power of God as a free people in this land, their harassment of

the remnant, the preservation of the promised record, and its coming forth by way of the

gentiles are now all documented history.

“For more than a hundred years the record of their fathers, the Book of Mormon,


has been going to the Lamanites by way of the gentiles. And it is now being carried to
them with increased tempo…

“So you see, my brethren and sisters, the Lord is pouring out his spirit upon the

Lamanites. They are accepting the record of their fathers and are coming to a knowledge

of the ‘things’ referred to by Jesus…they are now accepting the gospel. And they will

continue to accept it in ever-increasing numbers. As they receive and live it they are

certain to regain their favored status in the house of Israel and participate in the

redemption of Zion and the building of the New Jerusalem here in America. Jacob, even

now, flourishes in the wilderness, and shortly the ‘Lamanites shall blossom as the rose,’

heralding ‘the great day of the Lord,’ which God grant may not be long delayed, I humbly

pray.” (Marion G. Romney, Conference Report, Apr. 1963, p. 77).

19-23 Wicked Society

If there is any people in the history of the world who have had as much light and
knowledge as did the Nephites, then it must be the members of the Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints. Since the Book of Mormon was designed for our day
and Nephi has taught us that we should liken the scriptures to ourselves, we should
read these five verses as if the Lord was speaking directly to us.

“The Book of Mormon goes to great lengths to describe just what a wicked
society looks like and how it operates, with enough examples to type it beyond
question; and with clinical precision it describes the hysteria that leads to its end. It
also tells us how to recognize a righteous society, usually presenting the two types
to us in close proximity. With these two images firmly in mind we are told why this
presentation is being given, for whose benefit, and why it is so singularly
important. The authors do not ask us to make comparisons and see ourselves in
the picture, because that would be futile: the wickeder the people are the more
they balk at facing their real image and the more skillful they become in evading,
altering, faking, and justifying. So the book does not tell us to make the
comparison—it does it for us, frankly and brutally.” (Hugh Nibley, The Prophetic
Book of Mormon, p. 508).

26 Prayer

“Proper prayers are made to the Father, in the name of the Son, by the power of
the Holy Ghost. The Father answers prayers, but he does it through the Son, into
whose hands he has committed all things." (Promised Messiah, p. 557, as taken
from McConkie and Millet, Doctrinal Commentary on the Book of Mormon, vol.
3, p. 66).

1.

31-34
Not time for prison yet

Alma 10:

1-11
Amulek delivers a confirming witness
1-4 Amulek’s temporal introduction
5-11 Amulek’s spiritual introduction


“(speaking of Amulek) A model citizen, hardworking, rich, well-born, immensely
respectable: ‘And behold, I am also a man of no small reputation among all those who
know me’ (Alma 10:4). But to get rich this man could not neglect his business; he was
contracted to Mammon instead of God: ‘Nevertheless, after all this, I never have known
much of the ways of the Lord,’ even though he had the best opportunity to know them,
‘for I have seen much of his mysteries and his marvelous power. . . . Nevertheless, I did
harden my heart, for I was called many times and I would not hear. . . . I knew concerning
these things, yet I would not know; therefore I went on rebelling against God, in the
wickedness of my heart’ (Alma 10:5-6). That went on until an angel stopped him (Alma
10:7). Being thus admonished, Amulek forsook ‘all his gold, and silver, and his precious
things which were in the land of Ammonihah, for the word of God’ (Alma 15:16). It had
to be one or the other. But all was not lost, you might say, he still had his old friends and
admirers and loved ones. Please let us not underestimate the power of money. Having lost
his fortune, he was promptly ‘rejected by those who were once his friends and also by his
father and his kindred’ (Alma 15:16).” (Hugh Nibley, The Prophetic Book of Mormon, p.
562).

1.
6 Called many times, but I would not here: Bishop John Wells story.
“The voice of the Lord calls to us regularly. It is not wickedness or carnality alone
which keep us from feeling and hearing the word; it is preoccupation. We need not be
guilty of gross sin to be unready for the impressions of the Spirit; we need only have our
minds and hearts focused upon other things, to be so involved in the thick of thin things
that we are not taking the time to ponder or meditate upon matters of substance.
Excessive labor in secondary causes leads to a lessening of spiritual opportunities.
President Ezra Taft Benson told the following story, which highlights the need for being
attentive and open to heavenly guidance:

‘Bishop John Wells, a former member of the Presiding Bishopric, was a great
detail man and was responsible for many Church reports. President David O. McKay and
President Harold B.Lee used to relate an experience from his life that is instructive to all
of us.

‘A son of Bishop and Sister Wells was killed in a railroad accident in Emigration
Canyon, east of Salt Lake City. He was run over by a freight car. Sister Wells could not be
consoled. She received no comfort during the funeral and continued her mourning after
her son was laid to rest. Bishop Wells feared for her health, as she was in a state of deep
anguish.


‘One day, soon after the funeral, Sister Wells was lying on her bed in a state of
mourning. The son appeared to her and said, 'Mother, do not mourn, do not cry. I am all
right.' He then related to her how the accident took place. Apparently there had been some
question-even suspicion-about the accident, because the young man was an experienced
railroad man. But he told his mother that it was clearly an accident.

‘He told her that as soon as he realized that he was in another sphere, he had tried
to reach his father but could not. His father was so busy with the details of his office and
work that he could not respond to the promptings. Therefore, the son had come to his
mother. He then said, ‘Tell Father that all is well with me, and I want you not to mourn
anymore.’

President McKay used this experience to teach that we must always be responsive
to the whisperings of the Spirit. These promptings come most often when we are not
under the pressure of appointments and when we are not caught up in the worries of day-
to-day life. (Come unto Christ, p. 18.)” (McConkie and Millet, Doctrinal Commentary on
the Book of Mormon, vol. 3, pp. 68-69).

12-32
Ammonihah lawyers seek to ensnare Amulek
12 The power of two witnesses
13-17 Lawyers are no match for the Spirit

“Alma 10 is the legalistic chapter. It’s on legalism and lawyers. It packs a real
wallop and shows immense insight. This was [translated] in 1829 before Joseph Smith had
had any of his experience with lawyers. He was hauled into court and went through the
routine 42 times. They were always bringing him to court. Americans were just as
legalistic [then] as they are today. But remember that this was written before he had any of
that experience at all. He knew nothing about lawyers or anything else; he had just lived
on the farm all his life. This chapter is really something, and we're on verse 13 now. They
began to question Amulek using ‘cunning devices [that] they might catch them in their
words, that they might find witness against them, that they might deliver them to their
judges that they might be judged according to the law, and that they might be slain or cast
into prison, according to the crime [they would make it all legal] which they could make
appear or witness against them.’

“That’s the whole business of lawyers-to make your side appear whatever it is.
And that's the art of rhetoric, as Plato said, and that's why he damned it. The Greeks were
shocked by this new art, the art of the lawyer, which…made the worse appear the better
reason. That's the skill of rhetoric. You can take either side and make it win. Whether it
was good or bad had nothing to do with it; you won the case. That’s what you are
supposed to do. To make the worse appear the better reason shocked everybody. That's
what we have here.” (Hugh Nibley, Teachings of the Book of Mormon, Lecture 48, p.
311).

22-23
Spared by the prayers of the righteous

“There are many upright and faithful who live all the commandments and whose lives and
prayers keep the world from destruction” (Spencer W. Kimball, Ensign, June 1971, p. 16).


“The more righteous and upright, pure and undefiled, the Latter-day Saints become, the
less power Satan will have over them..” (Joseph F. Smith, CR, October 1911, p. 11).

“The Lord has made it plain to us that if we are not a prayerful people, if we fail to
remember the king of this land, Jesus Christ, we can lose all of these blessings. We should
hearken to the words of Amulek when he said to his people: (quotes Alma 10:22-23.)

“And so it seems to me that what we need in this fair land of ours is a shining example of
prayerfulness and the Latter-day Saints are the people who are chosen to exemplify to the
world the power of prayer. Every Latter-day Saint home should be a house of God, where
the altar of prayer is ever in use and where the proper example is set to our children in
supplicating God for divine guidance in all of our endeavors.” (J. Ruben Clark,
Conference Report, Apr. 1949, p. 159).

25 Become blind XR 1 Nephi 12:17

Mini Lesson: The Power of One: Errol Bennett

‘Such men are dangerous enough on their own, but when their position becomes official
(either in education or government) they have a powerful lever for achieving their aims by
force.” (An Approach to the Book of Mormon, p. 327)

Chapter 11:

1-19 Nephite Judges paid according to their labor

The only apparent reason for us to know their monetary system is to give us a frame of
reference for how large the bribe is that Zeezrom offers to Amulek (v. 22). A brief
explanation will put this amount (six onties) into perspective. The gold coins were based
on the senine, and the silver coins were based on the senum.

GOLD COINS SILVER COINS
Senine=judges daily wage (v. 3) Senum=judges daily wage (v. 3)
Seon=2 senines Amnor=2 senums
Shum=4 senines Ezrom=4 senums
Limnah=7 senines Onti= 7senums

Therefore, Zeezrom’s bribe of 6 onties is equal to 42 days of pay for a judge or 42
measures of barley (v. 7).

“This was the system established by King Mosiah…They had a system which ran in sevens
instead of fives and tens; or sixes and twelves, as the English [system] does; or the decimal
system as we use it. It ran in sevens, and Richard Smith pointed out it was the best


possible system that could be devised. It used the least coins for any necessary transaction.
If you want to figure out a system that will use a minimum amount of coins and save you a
lot of trouble, this is the system.” (Hugh Nibley, Teachings of the Book of Mormon,
Lecture 48, p. 316).

“The account of the dialogue between Zeezrom and Alma and Amulek in the eleventh
chapter of the book of Alma provides additional insight into Zeezrom’s worldly self-
assurance. He has an audience to play to, and he intends, with his practiced sophistry and
cunning, to make a game of his denigration of the two missionaries. After all, the audience
is completely prejudiced in his favor, and he relishes the opportunity to add to his
reputation among his peers. His questions to Alma and Amulek reflect his courtroom
skills. They are designed for entrapment.” (Dean L. Larsen, Heroes From the Book of
Mormon, p. 113-4).

“The further a difficulty spreads, brethren, the more bitterly entrenched does it
become, and the greater is the cost in time and in money and in feelings--sometimes even
in the disaffection of our families, which is an experience that has been repeated altogether
too many times. In the words of Paul--in the words of John Taylor--settle your difficulties
among yourselves, if you have them. Don't worry about the lawyers. They have plenty to
do without becoming embroiled in differences among brethren, and the court dockets are
crowded. Settle your differences among yourselves. I hope we haven't any Zeezroms in
the Church, of whose kind it was said:

‘. . . because they received their wages according to their employ, therefore, they
did stir up the people. . . that they might have more employ, that they might get
money according to the suits which were brought before them.’ (Alma 11:20)
“If we have any such I hope they are not making a living at their profession.”

(Richard L. Evans, Conference Report, Oct. 1943, p. 37).

20-39 Amulek teaches the Fatherhood and Sonship of Christ

20-22 Zeezrom was wicked, naughty, nasty, and dirt

“Zeezrom’s offer to pay the missionaries six onties of silver if they will deny that there is a
Supreme Being exposes his conviction that everyone is as corruptible as himself. It is a
revealing demonstration of the debauched condition into which the people have fallen.
Zeezrom obviously expects no disapproval from his fellow lawyers or the people for his
proffered bribe. It is a practice to which they are accustomed.” (Dean L. Larsen, Heroes
From the Book of Mormon, p. 114).

23-36 A conversation of Eternal Consequence (6 Onti’s of Silver: verse 13).
25 You wouldn’t have given me 6 onti’s anyway!
37-46 The Resurrection

40 Salvation or Eternal Life only available through Christ


“This is an important principle which must be viewed properly in order to avoid confusion.
There are persons who teach that Christ suffered only for those who will repent. This is
false. It is incorrect The Lord suffered for every soul, ‘yea, the pains of every living
creature, both men, women, and children, who belong to the family of Adam’ (2 Nephi
9:21; see also D&C 18:11; D&C 19:16). His suffering and atonement are efficacious,
however, only for those who repent and come unto him. Thus to refuse to repent is to
mock his pain and shun his sufferings. It is, in the words of Paul, to do ‘despite unto the
spirit of grace’ (Hebrews 10:29).” (McConkie and Millet, Doctrinal Commentary on the
Book of Mormon, vol. 3, p. 77).

41-46 Jesus Christ breaks the bands of death

“I am confident that when we come back with our bodies again, there will be no aches or
pains. There will be no wrinkles or deformities. I am sure that if we can imagine
ourselves at our very best, physically, mentally, spiritually, that is the way we will come
back - perhaps not as a child or youth, perhaps in sweet and glorious maturity, but not in
age or infirmity or distress or pain or aches” (Spencer W. Kimball, Teachings of Spencer

W. Kimball, p. 45).
“(speaking of the resurrection) Deformity will be removed; defects will be eliminated, and
men and women shall [return] again to the perfection of their spirits, to the perfection that
God designed in the beginning. It is his purpose that men and women, his children, born to
become heirs of God, and joint heirs with Jesus Christ shall be made perfect, physically as
well as spiritually through obedience to the law by which he has provided the means that
perfection shall come to all his children.” (Joseph Fielding Smith, Answers to Gospel
Questions, vol. 4, p. 187)

“A little sound thinking will reveal to us that it would be inconsistent for our bodies to be
raised with all kinds of imperfections. Some men have been burned at the stake for the
sake of truth. Some have been beheaded, and others have had their bodies torn asunder;
for example, John the Baptist was beheaded and received his resurrection at the time of
the resurrection of our Redeemer. It is impossible for us to think of him coming forth from
the dead holding his head in his hands; our reason says he was physically complete in the
resurrection, He appeared to the Prophet Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery with a perfect
resurrected body.” (Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, vol. 2, p. 289).

“Many living witnesses can testify to the literal fulfillment of these scriptural assurances of
the resurrection. Many, including some in my own extended family, have seen a departed
loved one in vision or personal appearance and have witnessed their restoration in ‘proper
and perfect frame’ in the prime of life. Whether these were manifestations of persons
already resurrected or of righteous spirits awaiting an assured resurrection, the reality and
nature of the resurrection of mortals is evident. What a comfort to know that all who have
been disadvantaged in life from birth defects, from mortal injuries, from disease, or from
the natural deterioration of old age will be resurrected in ‘proper and perfect frame.’”
(Dallin H. Oaks, Ensign, May 2000, p. 15).


In the resurrection, we will not suffer the limitations of memory which we have in
mortality. Our personal computers will be able to find files much better than they do now.
There is scientific and anecdotal evidence that the brain stores everything which happens
to us in our lives. Our inability to recall certain events does not mean the information is
not there.

Neurosurgical experiments, done on awake patients, have shown that electrical
stimulation to different portions of the brain can stimulate the recall of events in the
subject’s life that had long since been forgotten. The experiments bring the memories back
with the same vividness as if the events took place yesterday. Placing the electrical
stimulation on different portions of the human cerebral cortex will produce the recall of
different events, suggesting that all events in one’s life are recorded somewhere in the
brain.

We commonly hear of people who believed they were about to die say, “my life
flashed before my eyes.” How could these memories flash into one’s consciousness if they
were not already stored in the brain? If this is the case, and the scripture suggests it is so,
we would be wise to repent of those things which we do not want to remember at that
day. Then we will be as the righteous who shall have a perfect knowledge of their
enjoyment, and their righteousness (2 Ne 9:14).

“God has made each man a register within himself, and each man can read his own
register, so far as he enjoys his perfect faculties. This can be easily comprehended.

“…Let your memories run back, and you can remember the time when you did a
good action, you can remember the time when you did a bad action; the thing is printed
there, and you can bring it out and gaze upon it whenever you please.

“…Man sleeps the sleep of death, but the spirit lives where the record of his deeds
is kept--that does not die--man cannot kill it; there is no decay associated with it, and it
still retains in all its vividness the remembrance of that which transpired before the
separation by death of the body and the ever-living spirit. Man sleeps for a time in the
grave, and by-and-by he rises again from the dead and goes to judgment; and then the
secret thoughts of all men are revealed before Him with whom we have to do; we cannot
hide them; it would be in vain for a man to say then, I did not do so-and-so; the command
would be, Unravel and read the record which he has made of himself, and let it testify in
relation to these things, and all could gaze upon it. If a man has acted fraudulently against
his neighbor--has committed murder, or adultery, or any thing else, and wants to cover it
up, that record will stare him in the face, he tells the story himself, and bears witness
against himself. It is written that Jesus will judge not after the sight of the eye, or after the
hearing of the ear, but with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity
the meek of the earth. It is not because somebody has seen things, or heard anything by
which a man will be judged and condemned, but it is because that record that is written by
the man himself in the tablets of his own mind--that record that cannot lie--will in that day
be unfolded before God and angels, and those who shall sit as judges.” (John Taylor,
Journal of Discourses, pp. 77-9).

“In this life there are many things that people, whether righteous or wicked, forget. Our
memories are so weak that many things done in years passed are obliterated; but when


they come forth in the morning of the resurrection, the wicked as well as the righteous,
their memories will be restored, so that every act of their lives, whether good or evil, will
be perfectly remembered, and the wicked will have a perfect knowledge of all their guilt.
Will not this be sufficient to create an unquenchable fire in their breasts, and with this
recollection, to behold the face of the Lord? Will not this cause them to shrink from his
presence? I think it will.” (Orson Pratt, Journal of Discourses, vol. 16, p. 331).

“Resurrection is much more than merely reuniting a spirit to a body held captive by the
grave. We know from the Book of Mormon that the resurrection is a restoration that
brings back ‘carnal for carnal’ and ‘good for that which is good (Alma 41:13).” (Dallin H.
Oaks, Ensign, May 2000, p. 15).

“Joseph Smith declared that the mother who laid down her little child, being
deprived of the privilege, the joy, and the satisfaction of bringing it up to manhood or
womanhood in this world, would after the resurrection, have all the joy, satisfaction and
pleasure, and even more than it would have been possible to have had in mortality, in
seeing her child grow to the full measure of the stature of its spirit. If this be true, and I
believe it, what a consolation it is ... It matters not whether these tabernacles mature in
this world, or have to wait and mature in the world to come, according to the word of the
Prophet Joseph Smith, the body will develop, either in time or in eternity, to the full
stature of the spirit, and when the mother is deprived of the pleasure and joy of rearing her
babe to manhood or womanhood in this life, through the hand of death, that privilege will
be renewed to her hereafter, and she will enjoy it to a fuller fruition than it would be
possible for her to do here. When she does it there, it will be with certain knowledge that
the results will be without failure; whereas here, the results are unknown until after we
have passed the test.

“Children will come forth from the grave as children, be raised to maturity by
worthy parents, and be entitled to receive all of the ordinances of salvation that eventuate
in the everlasting continuation of the family unit.” (Robert Millet, Joseph Fielding
McConkie, The Life Beyond, pp. 118-9).

“Joseph Smith taught the doctrine that the infant child that was laid away in death would
come up in the resurrection as a child; and, pointing to the mother of a lifeless child, he
said to her: ‘You will have the joy, the pleasure, and satisfaction of nurturing this child,
after its resurrection, until it reaches the full stature of its spirit.’ There is restitution, there
is growth, there is development, after the resurrection from death. I love this truth. It
speaks volumes of happiness, of joy and gratitude to my soul. Thank the Lord he has
revealed these principles to us.” (Joseph F. Smith, Gospel Doctrine, p. 455).

“After the resurrection from the dead our bodies will be spiritual bodies, but they will be
bodies that are tangible, bodies that have been purified, but they will nevertheless be
bodies of flesh and bones. They will not be blood bodies. They will no longer be
quickened by blood but quickened by the spirit which is eternal, and they shall become
immortal and shall never die.” (Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, vol. 2, p.
285).


Mini Lesson: Go Towards the Light

Alma 12:

1-8
Alma denounces Zeezrom’s Nefarious Plan
1-3 Zee’s repents for lying XR Acts 5:3-4

“Being in charge of the Endowment House, while the Temple was in the process of
construction, Heber C. Kimball met with a group who were planning to enter the temple
for ordinance work. He felt impressed that some were not worthy to go into the temple,
and he suggested first that if any present were not worthy, they might retire. No one
responding, he said that there were some present who should not proceed through the
temple because of unworthiness and he wished they would leave so the company could
proceed. It was quiet as death and no one moved nor responded. A third time he spoke,
saying that there were two people present who were in adultery, and if they did not leave
he would call out their names. Two people walked out and the company continued on
through the temple.” (Miracle of Forgiveness, p. 112 as taken from Latter-day
Commentary on the Book of Mormon compiled by K. Douglas Bassett, p. 263).

4-6 Satan’s influence
7-8 Zee’s knew that Alma and Amulek could perceive his thoughts


“It is at this point that a remarkable change begins to take place in the demeanor of
Zeezrom. He becomes the earnest inquirer-the learner. The change is the more remarkable
because it occurs in the presence and full view of the people to whom he has been
appealing with his inquisition. ‘And Zeezrom began to inquire of them diligently, that he
might know more concerning the kingdom of God’ (Alma 12:8).” (Dean L. Larsen,
Heroes From the Book of Mormon, p. 115).

9-11
The mysteries of God unfolded to those who seek

“But doesn’t God reveal things to people who are not priesthood leaders? Isn't it possible
for exceptional individuals to learn by direct revelation mysteries that are unknown to
others? Yes, this is possible, but always with one hugely important condition that is stated
in Alma 12:9: ‘It is given unto many to know the mysteries of God; nevertheless they are
laid under a strict command that they shall not impart only according to the portion of his
word which he doth grant unto the children of men, according to the heed and diligence
which they give unto him’ (emphasis added). In other words, many of the faithful may
receive revelations from God—even revelation regarding the mysteries. But they are
commanded at the same time to keep their mouths shut! They can share with others what
God has already revealed to the Church in the scriptures and through his prophets, but the
rest is private, and keeping it private is a sacred obligation. In effect the Lord tells those
who are blessed with additional insights, ‘If I wanted everyone to know, I would instruct
the prophet to teach it to the Church. But this is for you alone, so keep it to yourself.’
Therefore, anyone in the Church (or out of it, for that matter) who shares a private


revelation out of stewardship does so in violation of God's ‘strict command.’” (Stephen E.
Robinson, Following Christ, pp. 102-3).

“I do not tell all I know. If I did, the Lord could not trust me.” (Marion G. Romney,
Lucile C. Tate, Boyd K. Packer: A Watchman on the Tower, pp. 178)

“…as students there are some questions that we could not in propriety ask. “One
question of this type I am asked occasionally, usually by someone who is curious, is,
‘Have you seen Him?’ That is a question that I have never asked of another. I have not
asked that question of my Brethren in the Council of the Twelve, thinking that it would be
so sacred and so personal that one would have to have some special inspiration—indeed,
some authorization—even to ask it. Though I have not asked that question of others, I
have heard them answer it—but not when they were asked. I have heard one of my
Brethren declare, ‘I know, from experiences too sacred to relate, that Jesus is the Christ.’
I have heard another testify, ‘I know that God lives, I know that the Lord lives, and more
than that, I know the Lord.’ I repeat: they have answered this question not when they
were asked, but under the prompting of the Spirit, on sacred occasions, when ‘the Spirit
beareth record.’ (D&C 1:39.)

“There are some things just too sacred to discuss: not secret, but sacred; not to be
discussed, but to be harbored and protected and regarded with the deepest of reverence.

“There are many difficult questions, including some that we will not be able to
answer, and many things are to be taken on faith. As a teacher, therefore, do not let
difficult questions create difficult problems for you or for those you teach.” (Teach Ye
Diligently, pp. 86-7).

“For my own part I can think of nothing that could be a greater offense against the majesty
of God than for a man with his limited intellectual power presuming to pass judgment
upon and rejecting the things of God, because forsooth, these things do not conform to his
opinion of what the things of God should be like; or because the way in which they are
revealed does not conform to the manner in which he thinks God should impart his truths.
Such pride always has and always will separate men from receiving knowledge by divine
communication. As Alma taught, ‘he that will harden his heart, the same receiveth the
lesser portion of the word’ (Alma 12:10).” (B.H. Roberts, as cited in Dallin H. Oaks, Pure
in Heart, p. 93).

12-18 Man will be judged by his words, works, and thoughts

Mini Lesson: Randall Wright: Our Words Will Condemn Us!

“‘Come on,’ he had said, ‘swearing isn’t that terrible of a sin. Haven’t you ever heard of

J. Golden Kimball? He was a General Authority and even swore in general conference?’
How could she respond to that? A General Authority swears in conference (and the
continuing J. Golden stories that bring chuckles to the Saints) almost appears to validate
that profanity, ‘as long as it’s not too bad,’ is no big deal. I thought about how I could
help my student be able to respond adequately to this prevailing attitude. Then it dawned

on me that it doesn’t matter if J. Golden Kimball swore, or any other General Authority,
or our favorite Bishop, or even a BYU religion professor. It is not them that we seek to
emulate. It is the Savior whom we pattern our lives, and he has commanded us ‘for the
works which ye have seen me do that shall ye do also’ (3 Nephi 27:21)” (Brent L. Top,
Lord, I Would Follow Thee, p. 60).

“In the hospital one day I was wheeled out of the operating room by an attendant who
stumbled, and there issued from his angry lips vicious cursing with a combination of the
names of the Savior. Even half-conscious, I recoiled and implored: ‘Please! Please! That
is my Lord whose names you revile.’ There was a deathly silence, then a subdued voice
whispered, ‘I am sorry’” (Spencer W. Kimball, The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, p.
198).

“We don’t have to press upon you college intellects, do we, the generally accepted
and accurate assessment that ‘The idle mind is the devil’s workshop,’ or that ‘As [a man]
thinketh in his heart, so is he’? (Proverbs 27:3.)

“How many times have we heard it, over and over again? ‘Guard your thoughts;
keep your mind in the right place.’

“And yet it occurred to me that, with all of the urging I had been given on this
subject, never had anyone told me how. Never did I receive any specific instruction on
how to do what I had been urged to do-control my thoughts. So I, too, wondered, Does
this control of one's thoughts have to be an individual discovery for every soul? Or can
self-control of thoughts be taught? Are there things one can do, exercises that one can
perform, or procedures that one can learn to help him? I have often lamented not having
learned or been taught in my early college years more mastery of thoughts.

“It is to this subject, self-control of thoughts, that we turn.

“…The mind is like a stage. Except when we are asleep, the curtain is always up.
Always there is some act being performed on that stage. It may be a laughing comedy or
an aggrieved and tragic drama. It may be interesting or dull. It may be clear or it may be
confused. It may be strenuous or perhaps relaxing. But always, except when we are
asleep, always there is some act playing on that stage of the mind.

“Have you noticed that, without any real intent on your part and almost in the
midst of any performance, a shady little thought may creep in from the wings and
endeavor to attract your attention? These delinquent little thoughts, these unsavory
characters, will try to upstage everybody. If you permit them to go on, all other thoughts,
of any virtue, will leave the stage. You will be left, because you consented to it, to the
influence of unworthy thoughts.

“If you pay attention to them, if you yield to them, they will enact for you on this
stage of the mind, anything to the limit of your toleration. It may be vulgar, immoral,
depraved, ugly. Their theme may be of bitterness, jealousy, excessive grief, even hatred.
When they have the stage, if you let them, they will devise the cleverest persuasions to
hold your attention. They can make it interesting, all right, even apparently innocent-for
they are but thoughts.

“What do you do at a time like this, when the stage of your mind is commandeered
by these imps of unclean thinking?….Let me suggest that you choose from among the


sacred music of the Church one favorite hymn. I have reason for suggesting that it be a
Latter-day Saint hymn, one with lyrics that are uplifting and the music reverent. Select one
that, when it is properly rendered, makes you feel something akin to inspiration.

“Now, go over it in your mind very thoughtfully a few times. Memorize the words
and the music. Even though you have had no musical training, even though you do not
play an instrument, and even though your voice may leave something to be desired, you
can think through a hymn. I suspect you already have a favorite. I have stressed how
important it is to know that you can only think of one thing at a time. Use this hymn as
your emergency channel. Use this as the place for your thoughts to go. Anytime you find
that these shady actors have slipped in from the sideline of your thinking onto the stage of
your mind, think through this hymn. ‘Put the record on,’ as it were, and then you will
begin to know something about controlling your thoughts. ‘Music is one of the most
forceful instruments for governing the mind and spirit of man.’ (William F. Gladstone.) It
will change the whole mood on the stage of your mind. Because it is clean and uplifting
and reverent, the baser thoughts will leave.

“While virtue, by choice, will not endure the presence of filth, that which is
debased and unclean cannot endure the light.
“Virtue will not associate with filth, while evil cannot tolerate the presence of
good.

“…One final declaration: No good thought is ever lost. No turn of the mind,
however brief or transitory or illusive, if it is good, is ever wasted. No thought of
sympathy, nor of forgiveness, no reflection on generosity or of courage or of purity, no
meditation on humility or gratitude or reverence, is ever lost. The frequency with which
they are experienced is the measure of you. The more constant they become, the more you
are worth, or, in scriptural terms, the more you are worthy. Every clean thought becomes
you. Every clean thought becomes you.” (Boyd K. Packer, That All May Be Edified, pp.
32-40).

“If it is true that our bad unspoken thoughts are recorded against us, will it not be just as
true that all our good thoughts unspoken, the kindness, tenderness, sympathy, pity, love,
beauty, and charity that enter the breast and cause the heart to throb with silent good, find
remembrance in the presence of God, also? Yes, I firmly believe that all of our good
impulses and thoughts will find remembrance with the Lord just as much as will the evil
that we have thought, said, or done; and certainly Since God is our loving Father, he will
remember the good with a greater degree of satisfaction and joy than he will the evil.”
(Milton R. Hunter, Conference Report, Oct. 1946, p. 42).

“…just as rivers are colored by the substances picked up as they flow along, so the
streams of our thoughts are colored by the material through which they are channeled” (J.
Thomas Fyans, Conference Report, Apr. 1975, p. 130).

15 God is merciful
16-18 Second Death


19-27 A probationary state provided for man


24
Now is the time, today is the day

“We are being tested every minute of the day by the choices we make, by the reactions we
have, by the things we say, by the things we think about. It's like the ancient Christian
doctrine of the two ways, the way to the right and the way to left, whichever they are.
You must make the choice, and you may have made the wrong choice every day of your
life up until now, but as long as you are here it is still not too late. You can still make the
right choice-every minute you can make the right choice. It's never too late to make the
right one…We have a time to repent; ‘therefore this life became a probationary state.’
Well, it can't be anything else; it's a time to prepare to meet God. That’s why we need the
gospel here.” (Hugh Nibley, Teachings of the Book of Mormon, Lecture 48, p. 327)

“‘Our second estate is indeed a probationary state. The choices we are called upon
to make every day of our lives call forth the exercise of our agency. That we fail so
frequently to think and do that which is right is not evidence against the practicality of
righteous living. We do not falter and stumble in the path of righteousness simply because
we do nothing else, but because too often we lose the vision of our relationship with God.
The incessant din and cackling ado of this turbulent life drown out the message which
asserts that, as man is, God once was, and that as God is, man may become.

“‘If we will not dance to the music of materialism and hedonism but will remain

attuned to the voice of godly reason, we will be led to the green pastures of respite and

the still waters of spiritual refreshment. All the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune

this world can hurl against us are as nothing when compared to the rewards for

steadfastness and faithfulness. It would behoove us all to fix our sights more consistently

upon the things which are everlasting and eternal. This world is not our home.’

“‘Those lines are from the valedictory address at the Utah state prison graduation
exercise I mentioned at the outset. The speaker was about fifty years of age and has been
behind bars for more than half of those years. He knows whereof he speaks.” (Jeffrey R.
Holland, However Long and Hard the Road, p. 63)

26 Miserable forever
27 All will die


28-37
Obedience to the commandments brings men into the rest of the Lord
29 More angels
31 Act, then act upon

“A truth about which I want to speak comes from Alma: ‘Therefore God gave
unto them commandments, after having made known unto them the plan of redemption.’

“The sequence in the teaching process from this verse is that our Heavenly Father
first taught Adam and Eve the plan of redemption; then he gave them commandments. All
commandments have their eternal importance in the context of the great plan of happiness
(see Alma 42:8; 34:9).

“I know that this truth is a key to conversion, retention, and activation. If we can
help people first understand the plan, they will find a deeper and more permanent


motivation to keep the commandments.

“Another way of saying what Alma taught came from an experience on of the

General Authorities shared. He related how he spoke with a sister he knows who years

earlier went through a divorce. She approached him to thank him for the counsel he gave

her during her darkest hours. She reminded him what he had told her; ‘Now sister, don’t

lose your eternal perspective. Always keep an eternal perspective.’ She said that truth

became her pillar of strength.

“When we understand the great plan of happiness, we are gaining an eternal

perspective, and the commandments, ordinances, covenants, and the experiences, trials,

and tribulations can be seen in their true and eternal light.” (Elder Jay E. Jensen, May 2000

Ensign, p. 27).

33-36
Entering God’s rest through repentance

III.
Go Towards the Light: Teaching the Doctrine to Our Children, the Plan of
Salvation