That the Plan of Redemption Should Be Made Known Unto This People
Coming to Christ through Personal Revelation, the Scriptures, Prophets, and Other Holy Men
Early in his ministry, Alma the younger visited the wicked people in the city of Ammonihah, a people whom ‘Satan had gotten a great hold upon [their] hearts.’ Although he spoke in power and authority, they ‘reviled him, and spit upon him, and caused that he should be cast out of the city’ (Alma 8:9,13). Amulek stood by him, recently converted to the church through the preaching of Alma, testifying to the people of their wickedness and urging them toward righteousness. After, Alma spoke of the commandments of God, repentance, the atonement of Christ.
In response to their words, the lawyers of Ammonihah, who were ‘learned in all the arts and cunning of the people...began to question Amulek that they might make him cross his words’ (Alma 10:15-16) Foremost in the questioning was a man named Zeezrom, ‘he being one of the most expert among them’ (Alma 10:32). Zeezrom offered Amulek a great sum of money to deny the words they had spoken about the plan of redemption. Zeezrom also attempted to catch them in their words, unable to trick them into affirming that mankind was saved in and not from their sins. However, Alma and Amulek, the latter only recently a convert to the gospel of Christ, withstood all his words, testifying boldly of the truths of the gospel.
As a testimony to the power of their words, after they had withstood the words of Zeezrom, Zeezrom suddenly ‘began to inquire of them diligently’ that he might know concerning these things (Alma 12:8). His heart was beginning to soften, and he was beginning to be filled with the light of the gospel. In response to his questions concerning their authority, Alma taught them of the holy priesthood of God and their calling as witnesses of Christ. He taught them of the importance of prophets, who teach the words of God to the people, that all may come to God having a correct understanding of the truths of the gospel (see Alma 13).
So hardened were they in their hearts that the other lawyers and judges of the people rejected their words. Alma and Amulek were bound with strong cords, were reviled by the people, and were cast into prison. After, these wicked lawyers gathered all of those who believed the words of Alma and Amulek together to be burned for their beliefs. In anguish, Alma and Amulek were brought to watch as these great people gave their lives for their faith. Zeezrom, seeing the suffering of these people, ‘was astonished at the words which had been spoken; and he also knew concerning the blindness of the minds, which he had caused among the people by his lying words; and his soul began to be harrowed up under consciousness of his own guilt; yea, he began to be encircled about by the pains of hell. And it came to pass that he began to cry unto the people, saying: Behold, I am guilty, and these men are spotless before God. And he began to plead for them from that time forth; but they reviled him, saying: Art thou also possessed with the devil? And they spit upon him, and cast him out from among them, and also all those who believed in the words which had been spoken by Alma and Amulek; and they cast them out, and sent men to cast stones at them’ (Alma 14:6-7).
Alma and Amulek were then cast into prison once more, suffering hunger and thirst, being spit upon and beaten by the judges of the people. In great power and faith, Alma cried to the Lord for deliverance from the wickedness of the people, and the Lord delivered them out of their hands (see Alma 14). Meanwhile, Zeezrom, thinking that these men of God had lost their lives because of the words which he had spoken, ‘lay sick...with a burning fever, which was caused by the great tribulations of his mind on account of his wickedness, for he supposed that Alma and Amulek were no more; and he supposed that they had been slain because of his iniquity. And this great sin, and his many other sins, did harrow up his mind until it did become exceedingly sore, having no deliverance; therefore he began to be scorched with a burning heat.’
‘Now, when he heard that Alma and Amulek were in the land...his heart began to take courage; and he sent a message immediately unto them, desiring them to come unto him. And it came to pass that they went immediately, obeying the message which he had sent unto them; and they went in unto the house unto Zeezrom; and they found him upon his bed, sick, being very low with a burning fever; and his mind also was exceedingly sore because of his iniquities; and when he saw them he stretched forth his hand, and besought them that they would heal him. And it came to pass that Alma said unto him, taking him by the hand: Believest thou in the power of Christ unto salvation? And he answered and said: Yea, I believe all the words that thou hast taught. And Alma said: If thou believest in the redemption of Christ thou canst be healed. And he said: Yea, I believe according to thy words. And then Alma cried unto the Lord, saying: O Lord our God, have mercy on this man, and heal him according to his faith which is in Christ. And when Alma had said these words, Zeezrom leaped upon his feet, and began to walk’ (Alma 15:3-11). For years after, this great man, Zeezrom, joined with Alma and Amulek, preaching the word of God (see Alma 15:11 and 31:32). His conversion from his wicked and corrupt state was catalyzed by these two men, who each chose to defend their Lord in spite of immense opposition which they faced.
By Every Word Which Proceeded Out of the Mouth of God
The purpose of part one of this book was to gain a greater understanding of the purpose of the atonement, understanding the why of the atonement. Part two is dedicated to the how of the atonement. As children of our Heavenly Father, we have potential to become as He is, becoming like Him by coming to Him and being cleansed by the atoning sacrifice of his son. The remaining chapters of this book will discuss how this is brought to pass by the atonement in our lives. Chapter seven is focused on coming to Christ through the first principles of the gospel, chapter eight teaches us the power and strength we can gain through the atonement when we come to Him, and chapter nine explains the becoming as He is after this life. This chapter and the next chapter focus on how God begins the process of applying the atonement in our lives. They teach the means through which the Father has and currently does enable His children to learn of the atonement so they can how to come to him.
In the premortal realm, God first established the plan of redemption, through which mankind could return to their Father in Heaven and ultimately become like Him. After, He 'saw that it was expedient that man should know concerning the things whereof He had appointed unto them.' After our first parents had fallen, our Father in Heaven wanted us to come to His son, so He established the means whereby we could learn of Him, come to Him, apply the atonement in our lives, and over time become as He is. 'Therefore He sent angels to converse with them, who caused men to behold of His glory. And they began from that time forth to call on His His name; therefore God conversed with men, and made known unto them the plan of redemption, which had been prepared from the foundation of the world (Alma 12:28-30).'
God not only taught His first children of the gospel, He provided means through which all mankind should come to Him: 'is not a soul at this time as precious unto God as a soul will be at the time of His coming?' (Alma 39:19) Throughout time, God has used the quiet impressions of personal revelation, the powerful words of His prophets and other righteous men, and types and signs, through which mankind could learn of His atonement and come to Him in this life. 'Wherefore, by the ministering of angels, and by every word which proceeded forth out of the mouth of God, men began to exercise faith in Christ, and thus by faith, they did lay hold upon every good thing' (Moroni 7:25).
This is the Spirit of Revelation Which is In Me
In chapter two, there was a brief reference to the first method through which God encourages us to come to Him. It is the 'spirit of Christ' or the 'light of Christ,,' which 'is given to every man, that he may know good from evil' (Moroni 7:15). This gift could be termed as our conscience and provides for us a measuring stick against which we can measure our actions. Through this gift, we can understand that 'every thing which inviteth to do good, and to persuade to believe in Christ, is sent forth by the power and gift of Christ; wherefore ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of God' (Moroni 7:16). In this way no matter where one is born, in whatever circumstance they may be, all men have a personal guide through which they can know what they should do to come to God.
The next gift, the gift of the Holy Ghost, is given to members of the Church of Christ after entering the waters of baptism. Though this gift will be discussed in greater detail in chapter 6, for now we can understand that we can receive light from the Holy Ghost in personal revelation to guide us in the paths where we should go. As spoken by Alma concerning his knowledge of the truths of the gospel, 'I say unto you they are made known unto me by the Holy Spirit of God...for the Lord God hath made them manifest unto me by his Holy Spirit; and this is the spirit of revelation which is in me (Alma 5:46).’
The final personal gift spoken of many times in the Book of Mormon is rarely considered but acts as a powerful means through which we can come to Christ. 'For behold, God knowing all things, being from everlasting to everlasting, behold, He sent angels to minister unto the children of men, to make manifest concerning the coming of Christ; and in Christ there should come every good thing...Wherefore, by the ministering of angels, and by every word which proceeded forth out of the mouth of God, men began to exercise faith in Christ; and thus by faith, they did lay hold upon every good thing (Moroni 7:22).
Each one of us in entitled to the ministering of angels, or in other words the personal direction sent from God literally through guardian angels. To whom is this gift offered? 'And now, he imparteth his word by angels unto men, yea, not only men but women also. Now this is not all; little children do have words given unto them many times, which confound the wise and the learned' (Alma 32:23). In other words, all mankind are have potential to receive personal ministry from these angelic messengers, 'for behold, [these angels] are subject unto Him, to minister according to the word of His command, showing themselves unto them of strong faith and a firm mind in every form of godliness. And the office of their ministry is to call men unto repentance, and to fulfil and to do the work of the covenants of the Father, which He hath made unto the children of men (Moroni 7:30-31). What power we can, and likely have, gained from these ministers sent from God, guiding us in our personal lives in the paths that we should take to come to God!
Were it Not for These Plates
A short period of time following when Lehi and his family left Jerusalem, The Lord commanded the sons of Lehi to take the several day trek back to Jerusalem. Why would He require such a task of them?the answer is that their family needed the writings of the prophets, as recorded on the Brass Plates, to take with them as they journeyed to the promised land. Why would the Lord require this of them, in spite of the fact that they had the spirit of revelation, and a prophet of God with them? The answer is provided several hundred years later, by King Benjamin, who led his people in righteousness through the words of this record: 'And he also taught them concerning the records which were engraven on the plates of brass, saying: My sons, I would that ye should remember that were it not for these plates, which contain these records and these commandments, we must have suffered in ignorance, even at this present time, not knowing the mysteries of God. For it were not possible that our father, Lehi, could have remembered all these things, to have taught them to his children, except it were for the help of these plates;...that thereby they could teach them to their children, and so fulfilling the commandments of God, even down to this present time. I say unto you, my sons, were it not for these things, which have been kept and preserved by the hand of God, that we might read and understand of his mysteries, and have his commandments always before our eyes, that even our fathers would have dwindled in unbelief' (Mosiah 1:3-5)
In contrast, consider another group who came out of Jerusalem to the promised land at basically the same time as Lehi. This people, the people of Zarahemla, had also traveled from Jerusalem during the reign of King Zedekiah, though they left during the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem some 14 years later. They departed under the direction of Mulek, one of the sons of zedekiah, but they did not take any records with them. As the years past, 'had had many wars and serious contentions, and had fallen by the sword from time to time; and their language had become corrupted...and they denied the being of their Creator' (Omni 1:17). In comparison, the people of Nephi ‘were led by many preachings and prophesyings. And they were admonished continually by the word of God; and they were led by the power of his arm’ (Omni 1:17). Eventually, the descendants of Mulek were found by the descendants of Lehi, and were taught the gospel. By not bringing with them the record of the gospel, the resulting contrast in this people’s faith and understanding of their God to the people of Nephi is profound. How truly essential it is to obtain the the words of God, through His prophets, as recorded in the holy scriptures.
The Chosen Vessels of the Lord
The Book of Mormon stands as evidence that God has given His words to His people across the world, in addition to those prophets whose records we have in the holy bible. Through the course of this book, the testimonies of more than 25 men are recorded concerning the verity of the gospel of Christ. Additionally, the Book of Mormon stands as a witness of the truth of the bible, with prophecies and teachings from Isaiah, Moses, and Malachi as well as references to the works of Jeremiah, Abraham, and Melchizedek, garnishing its pages. Even more incredible, the prophets of the Book of Mormon had the foresight to write a few of the words of Zenos, Zenock, and Neum, and making reference to another prophet named Ezias. These prophets' records were found in the brass plates but have been lost to mankind since they were written, yet we have portions of them in the leaves of this book. The Book of Mormon truly represents that God has spoken to prophets throughout the ages to all of His people.
In chapter 1, it was established that these great men, spokesmen of The Lord, were chosen because of their great faith and works in the premortal realm. These men were called of God as ‘the chosen vessels of the Lord, that the may bear testimony of Him’ (Moroni 7:32). ‘Now they were ordained after this manner--being called with a holy calling, and ordained with a holy ordinance, and taking upon them the high priesthood of the holy order’ (Alma 13:9). These men are called of God, and not of man, receiving authority from our Father, for the calling to preach the word of God can only come from heaven. These prophets are called to do one thing: ‘to preach unto...every one that dwelleth in the land; yea to preach unto all, both old and young, both bond and free; yea, I say unto you the aged, and also the middle aged, and the rising generation’ (Alma 5:49). This enables those whom they teach to ‘know in what manner to look forward to His Son for redemption’ (Alma 13:2).
After being called to the Holy Order of God, the prophets received counsel from the Father, ‘by his own mouth’ regarding the gospel of Christ (see Moroni 7:23). In this way, 'the Lord God prepareth the way that the residue of men may have faith in Christ' (Moroni 7:32). In this capacity, 'The prophets have written...concerning this Christ' (Jacob 4:4-5) Indeed, 'all the prophets who have prophesied ever since the world began--have they not spoken more or less concerning [the Messiah]' (Mosiah 13:33). For the prophets of the people of Nephi, they wrote these prophecies 'that [their brethren and their children] may know that [they] knew of Christ, and [they] had a hope of his glory many hundred years before his coming; and not only [they themselves] had a hope of his glory, but also all the holy prophets which were before us. Behold, they believed in Christ and worshipped the Father in His name’ (Jacob 4:4-5). By listening to the words of these great men, mankind has the privilege to ‘know in what manner to look forward to His Son for redemption’ (Alma 13:2). Truly, how blessed we are to have the words of prophets in the Bible, the Book of Mormon, and in modern revelation, that we might be enabled to come to Christ, having a correct knowledge of His character. Should we not study the inspired words of these great men!
All That He Seeth Fit that They Should Have
Through His holy prophets, the Lord provides His word to the people of His church. This enables those believers of Christ to come to Him. The question becomes, however, what about the rest of mankind? Is not every soul precious in the sight of God? The justice of God requires that they, too, should have a chance to come to Him, but how can they, seeing that many of the people through the ages of the world have never heard the name of Christ?
King Benjamin, in his great address, stated that ‘the Lord God hath sent His holy prophets among all the children of men, to declare these things to every kindred, nation, and tongue’ (Mosiah 3:13). How can this be, seeing that through the history of the world, the vast majority of the world has never been Christian. The answer is that these prophets of God were not Christian, but great men who provided a moral foundation for their people. In this way, men such as Confucius, Buddha, Muhammad, and dozens of other great men have founded religions over the ages to inspire men and women to do good, and to come closer to God. For ‘the Lord doth grant unto all nations, of their own nation and tongue, to teach His word; yea, in wisdom, all that He seeth fit that they should have; therefore we see that the Lord doth counsel in wisdom, according to that which is just and true’ (Alma 29:8). In God’s great wisdom, He has justly given all mankind a religious foundation through the teachings of His prophets, establishing all religions with a moral code, enabling all to come to Him.
In addition, as with members of the Church of Christ, angels declare the word of Christ to many in the land. This, coupled with the Spirit of Christ, which is given to all mankind, enables men to come to God and lay hold of every good thing. In way, God is ‘preparing the hearts of the children of men to receive his word at the time of his coming in his glory’ (Alma 13:24). Those who have received this word, through the non-Christian prophets, through angels, and through the influence of the Light of Christ will be enabled to accept His word when He comes once more.
Through these means--personal revelation, prophetic counsel, the words of scripture, and through other inspired men--God is ever inviting us to come and learn of Him. The opportunities to learn of and apply the atonement in our lives are abundant. Should we not cleave hold on every good thing,’ laying hold of every way through which God brings us to Him (see Moroni 7:28)! Truly, God is a just God, and also a merciful God, providing to all mankind the means whereby they can come to Him.