Mormon will now be quoting Alma from chapter 36 through 42.
In chapters 36 and 37, Alma speaks to his oldest son, Helaman. Then in chapter 38, Alma will address his middle son, Shiblon.
Alma 36 Alma will say “Yea”19 times in this chapter.
Alma 36:1 So, speaking to Helaman, Alma says, *“My son, give ear to my words; for I swear unto you, that inasmuch as ye shall keep the commandments of God ye shall prosper in the land.” There is that prosperity gospel again, which will be mentioned in each of our three chapters, today. The words “the commandments of God” are in 1 Corinthians 7:19.
Alma 36:2-4 Alma wishes that his son believes what he is teaching him right from the beginning, without having to go through the painful ordeal that he did.
Alma 36:2 It is as if whoever was writing the Book of Mormon had a King James Bible right in front of him. The phrase “that ye should do as I have done” is from John 13:15 and, “the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob” is taken from Matthew 22:32.
Alma 36:3 The words “and learn of me; for I” are in Matthew 11:29.
Alma 36:4 The words “And I would not that ye” are in 1 Corinthians 10:20 and, “the carnal mind” in Romans 8:7 and, “but of God” in Romans 13:1.
Alma 36:5 Alma is now going to recount his own conversion experience. “Now, behold, I say unto you, if I had not been born of God I should not have known these things; but God has, by the mouth of his holy angel, made these things known unto me, not of any worthiness of myself;” The phrase “born of God” is from 1 John 3:9.
Alma 36:6 “For I went about with the sons of Mosiah, seeking to destroy the church of God: but behold, God sent his holy angel to stop us by the way.” This was recorded in Mosiah 27.
Alma 36:7 The words “as it were the voice of” are in Revelation 19:6.
Alma 36:7-8 The fear of the Lord came upon them and they fell to the earth. But the angel told them to stand up.
Alma 36:9 The angel told Alma he had the agency to destroy himself if he wanted to, but that he had to stop trying to destroy the church.
Alma 36:10 “And it came to pass that I fell to the earth; and it was for the space of three days and three nights that I could not open my mouth, neither had I the use of my limbs.” Here it says he could not move for “three days and three nights” but in Mosiah 27:23 it says, “two days and two nights”. Which is it? Alma needs to get his story straight. The phrase “the space of three” is in Acts 19:8.
Alma 36:11 “And the angel spake more things unto me, which were heard by my brethren, but I did not hear them; for when I heard the words – If thou wilt be destroyed of thyself, seek no more to destroy the church of God – I was struck with such great fear and amazement lest perhaps I should be destroyed, that I fell to the earth, and I did hear no more.”
Alma 36:12 “But I was racked with eternal torment, for my soul was harrowed up
to the greatest degree and racked with all my sins.” You
might wonder what he means by “eternal torment?” We know he wasn’t eternally
tormented because as we will discover, Alma was miraculously rescued and born
again. A revelation recorded in 1830 in
the Doctrine
and Covenants explains what eternal torment or punishment
means. Section 19:10-12 “For, behold, the mystery
of godliness, how great is it! For, behold, I am endless, and the punishment
which is given from my hand is endless punishment, for Endless is my name.
Wherefore – Eternal punishment is God’s punishment. Endless punishment is God’s punishment.” So, in Alma’s case the eternal torment did not
last for eternity, it was torment that came from an Eternal God. Thus, “eternal torment.”
Alma 36:13 “Yea, I did remember all my sins and iniquities, for which I was
tormented with the pains of hell: yea, I saw that I had rebelled against my
God, and that I had not kept his holy commandments.” The phrase “sins and iniquities” is in Hebrews 10:17 and, “tormented
with” in Revelation 14:10.
Alma 36:14 “Yea, and I had murdered many of his children, or rather led them
away unto destruction; yea, and in fine so great had been my iniquities, that
the very thought of coming into the presence of my God did rack my soul with
inexpressible horror.” He was quick to clarify that he was not a
murderer, just a destroyer of God’s children.
Sounds better – I guess. In other
words, he contributed to the spiritual death of others.
Alma 36:15 Alma seems
to wish that he could simply cease to exist so that he would not have to face
himself or God. “Oh,
thought I, that I could be banished and become extinct both soul and body, that
I might not be brought to stand in the presence of my God, to be judged of my
deeds.” It teaches here
that the soul is the spirit of humans.
However, the spirit and body combining to constitute the soul was a
later change or development in Mormon theology.
Alma 36:16 “And now, for three days and for three nights was I racked, even
with the pains of a damned soul.”
Alma 36:17 “And it came to pass that as I was thus racked with torment, while
I was harrowed up by the memory of my many sins, behold, I remembered also to
have heard my father prophesy unto the people concerning the coming of one
Jesus Christ, a Son of God, to atone for the sins of the world.” The words “of one Jesus” are in Acts 25:19.
The title of “Christ” is from the Greek word
“Khristos”, which is the translation of the Hebrew word “Messias” which means
“anointed one.” The word “Christ” never
appears in the Hebrew Old Testament, and we only see “Messias” used twice in
the Greek New Testament. “Messias” is
only mentioned twice in the entire Old Testament (Daniel 9:25-26). Yet, it is used 26 times in the Book of
Mormon during the Old Testament era.
The Greek term “Christ” is never used in the Old Testament. Yet, it is used 186 times in the Book of
Mormon during the Old Testament era. In this
verse Alma
36:17 the
name AND title “Jesus Christ” are used together nearly 100 years before He is
born. No one knew the Son of God born to
Mary – including Mary, herself – was going to be called “Jesus” until
the angel announced it to her (see Luke 2:21).
Alma 36:18 “Now, as my mind caught hold upon this thought, I cried within my
heart: O Jesus, thou Son of God, have mercy on me, who am in the gall of
bitterness, and am encircled about by the everlasting chains of death.” The phrase “have mercy on me” is in Matthew 15:22 and, “in the gall of bitterness, and” is from Acts 8:23.
Alma 36:19 “And now, behold when I thought this, I could remember my pains no
more; yea, I was harrowed up by the memory of my sins no more.” Obviously, Alma remembers his past sins. But the pain of the past is gone.
Alma 36:20 “An oh, what joy, and what marvelous light I did behold; yea, my
soul was filled with joy as exceedingly as was my pain!” Joy replaced the pain. The words “marvelous light” are in 1 Peter 2:9 and, “filled with joy” are in 2
Timothy 1:4.
Alma 36:21 “Yea, I say unto you, my son, that there could be nothing so
exquisite and so bitter as were my pains.
Yea, and again I say unto you, my son, that on the other hand, there can
be nothing so exquisite and sweet as was my joy.” It
was a complete contrast in feelings.
Alma 36:22 “Yea, methought I saw, even as our father Lehi saw, God sitting
upon his throne, surrounded with numberless concourses of angels, in the
attitude of singing and praising their God; yea, and my soul did long to be
there.” Alma is partially
quoting 1
Nephi 8.
Alma 36:23 “But behold, my limbs did receive their strength again, and I stood
upon my feet, and did manifest unto the people that I had been born of God.” He is a new creature – born again.
Alma 36:24 “Yea, and from that time even until now, I have labored without
ceasing, that I might bring souls unto repentance; that I might bring them to
taste of the exceeding joy of which I did taste; that they might also be born
of God, and be filled with the Holy Ghost.”
Those three days
and nights were more than enough to convince Alma. He worked tirelessly for the church for the
rest of his life. In this verse and
other place in the Book of Mormon, reference is made to the “Holy Ghost.”
But, the term “ghost” did not come into
use until hundreds of years after the Book of Mormon was supposed to have been
inscribed on ancient plates. That the
writer borrowed this from the King James Bible is indisputable. The phrase “without ceasing” is in 2 Timothy 1:3 and, “filled with the Holy Ghost” is taken from Acts 2:4.
Alma 36:25-27 “Yea, and now behold, O my son, the Lord doth give me
exceedingly great joy in the fruit of my labors; For because of the word which
he has imparted unto me, behold, many have been born of God, and have tasted as
I have tasted, and have seen eye to eye as I have seen; therefore they do know
of these things of which I have spoken, as I do know; and the knowledge which I
have is of God.
And
I have been supported under trials and troubles of every kind, yea, and all
manner of afflictions; yea, God has delivered me from prison, and from bonds,
and from death; yea, and I do put my trust in him, and he will still deliver
me.”
Alma 36:28 Alma
testifies that he knows God will raise him up at the last day, to dwell with
Him in glory. The words “swallowed up the” are in Revelation
12:16.
Alma 36:30 “But behold, my son, this is not all; for ye ought to know as I do
know, that inasmuch as ye shall keep the commandments of God ye shall prosper
in the land; and ye ought to know also, that inasmuch as ye will not keep the
commandments of God ye shall be cut off from his presence. Now this is according to his word.”
Alma 37 The word “Behold” is written 15 times and, “Yea”18 times in
this chapter. Yea Behold this montage.
Alma 37:1 “And now, my son Helaman, I command you that ye take the records
which have been entrusted with me;” The phrase “I command you that ye” is in John 15:17.
Alma 37:2 “And I also command you that ye keep a record of this people,
according as I have done, upon the plates of Nephi, and keep all these things
sacred which I have kept, even as I have kept them; for it is for a wise
purpose that they are kept.” These are the large plates of Nephi. The words “even as I have kept” are
in John 15:10. This conferral of record keeping would be an
act that might be taken as signaling Alma’s impending death, as such is often
the context for the transfer of the sacred records in the Book of Mormon.
Alma 37:3 “And these plates of brass, which contain these engravings, which
have the records of the holy scriptures upon them, which have the genealogy of
our forefathers, even from the beginning –“
These were the brass plates of Laban, who Nephi murdered
to obtain (see
1 Nephi 4:6-18). They
supposedly, were the Old Testament books up to and including Jeremiah.
Alma 37:4 We learn
that the contents of the brass plates will someday go forth to all nations. “Behold, it has been prophesied by our fathers, that they
should be kept and handed down from one generation to another, and be kept and
preserved by the hand of the Lord until they should go forth unto every nation,
kindred, tongue, and people, that they shall know of the mysteries contained
thereon.” These plates
were brass. So, they were not quite as
cool as the golden plates that Joseph Smith found. Still, they were very, important. The phrase “every nation,
kindred, tongue, and people” is similar, to Revelation 14:6.
Alma 37:5 “And now behold, if they are kept they must retain their
brightness; yea, and they will retain their brightness; yea, and also shall all
the plates which do contain that which is holy writ.” It is Helaman’s job to keep
the brass plates bright and shiny.
Alma 37:6 Alma insists that this was not a silly detail. God was very particular, and sometimes God
would confuse the wise with very, small details. So, keep them plates polished and shiny! “Now ye may suppose that this is foolishness in me;
but behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things
brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise.” The words “confound the wise” are in 1 Corinthians 1:27.
Alma 37:7 “And the Lord God doth work by means to bring about his great and
eternal purposes; and by very small means the Lord doth confound the wise and
bringeth about the salvation of many souls.” Okay, I get that.
But how does keeping the brass plates bright and shiny confound the wise
and save souls? Just asking. Perhaps, it
maintains their readability.
Alma 37:8 Next, Alma reminds Helaman of the value of these records. “And now, it has hitherto
been wisdom in God that these things should be preserved; for behold, they have
enlarged the memory of this people, yea, and convinced many of the error of
their ways, and brought them to the knowledge of their God unto the salvation
of their souls.” The words “of their souls” are in 1 Peter 4:19.
Alma 37:9-10 It was these records that helped Ammon and
his brethren to bring thousands of Lamanites to repentance.
Alma 37:9 The words “yea, I say unto you” are in Matthew 11:9 and, “in Jesus Christ” are in Galatians 2:16.
Alma 37:11-12 Alma
says the preservation of these plates are for a wise purpose and God knows what
He is doing with them.
Alma 37:12 The words “may suffice” are
in 1 Peter 4:3 and,
“known unto God” are in Philippians 4:6.
Alma 37:13-15 After
telling Helaman how to take care of the plates, Alma repeatedly tells him the
importance of keeping not only God’s commandments, but also Alma’s commandments. And, if he does that, he will not be cut off
from God’s presence but will prosper in the land. If Helaman neglects his responsibility, these
sacred items will be taken from him and he will be delivered up to Satan.
Alma 37:15 The phrase “the spirit of
prophecy” is in Revelation 19:10.
Alma 37:16 But, if
Helaman keeps the commandments of God, no power on earth or hell can take those
sacred things from him.
Alma 37:17-18 Alma
bears witness that God fulfills all His promises.
Alma 37:18 In the 1830
edition page 327 it read “For he promised unto them
that he would reserve these things” which was changed in later
editions to read “For he promised unto them that he
would preserve these things.” So,
from “reserve” to “preserve.”
Alma 37:19 He gives a
specific example. “And now behold one purpose hath he
fulfilled, even to the restoration of many thousands of the Lamanites to the
knowledge of the truth; and he hath shown forth his power in them, and he will
also still show forth his power in them unto future generations; there they
shall be preserved.” The phrase “to the knowledge of
the truth” is in 2 Timothy 3:7.
Alma 37:21 Alma will now talk about the record of the Jaredites (see Mosiah 8:8-9) which
will be called the book of Ether in the Book of Mormon. “And now, I will speak
unto you concerning those twenty-four plates, that ye keep them, that the
mysteries and the works of darkness, and their secret works, or the secret
works of those people who have been destroyed, may be made manifest unto this
people; yea, all their murders, and robbings, and all their wickedness and
abominations, may be made manifest unto this people; yea, and that ye preserve
these interpreters.” The “interpreters” are the “Urim and Thummim” which
Mosiah II had (see Mosiah 8:13). The 1830 edition page 328 read “and that ye preserve these
directors.” It was changed in the 1964 edition to
read as it does now “and that ye preserve these interpreters.” Remember,
a “director” was
a ball used as a compass. The words “the works of darkness” are in Romans 13:12 and, “may
be made manifest” are in
1 Corinthians 11:19.
Alma 37:22 Speaking of
the Jaredites, “For behold, the Lord saw that his
people began to work in darkness, yea, work secret murders and abominations;
therefore the Lord said, if they did not repent they should be destroyed from
off the face of the earth.”
Alma 37:23 *“And the Lord said: I will prepare unto my servant Gazelem, a
stone, which shall shine forth in darkness unto light, that I may discover unto
my people who serve me, that I may discover unto them the works of their
brethren, yea, their secret works, their works of darkness, and their
wickedness and abominations.” We
are not sure what the name “Gazelem” means but it seems to refer to a “seer” who was
able to translate by means of the Urim and Thummim (see Mosiah 8:13). In earlier editions of the Doctrine and Covenants 82:11, Joseph
Smith was referred to as “Gazelam” which is a slightly different spelling. Alma predicted that in the last days the Lord
would raise up his servant who, through the aid of a special “stone,” would
expose the political designs of the secret society then threatening the
nation’s survival. Thus, is predicted
that Joseph Smith Jr. with his seer stone would be the remedy for the ills of
America. He would be the great
prophet-king.
In the front of the Book of Mormon is The Testimony of
Joseph Smith which says, *“Also, that there were two stones in silver bows, and these
stones, fastened to a breastplate, constituted what is called the Urim and
Thummin – deposited with the plates; and the possession and use of these stones
were what constituted ‘seers’ in ancient or former times; and that God had
prepared them for the purpose of translating the book.” In the Gospel Topics Essays: The
Book of Mormon Translation the church establishes as fact, that Joseph used
a seer stone to translate the Book of Mormon.
Joseph found this chocolate colored stone in the ground years before he
retrieved the gold plates and Urim and Thummin.
He had used this specific stone to search for treasure. As a matter of fact, he only used the Urim
and Thummin to translate the first 116 pages called the book of Lehi. Makes you wonder why the need for the gold
plates and the Urim and Thummin in the first place, when Smith ended up using
his treasure seeking peep stone in a hat, instead. Pictures were used by the LDS Church on their
official website and in various publications for decades, which misled members
into concluding that Joseph translated the Book of Mormon while actually looking
at the characters engraved upon the gold plates. Only recently is the Church depicting
Joseph’s face in the hat in their pictures of the translation process.
For a detailed description of how that worked, David
Whitmer, one of the Three Witnesses in An Address to All Believers in
Christ, 1887, p.12 describes the meticulous method by which the gold plates
were translated: “I will now give you a description of the manner in which the Book
of Mormon was translated. Joseph Smith
would put the seer stone into a hat, and put his face in the hat, drawing it
closely around his face to exclude the light; and in the darkness the spiritual
light would shine. A piece of something
resembling parchment would appear, and on that appeared the writing. One character at a time would appear, and
under it was the interpretation in English.”
Why did God have these Book of Mormon characters go
through the effort of writing on plates and preserving them for centuries – if
they were not going to be used by Joseph Smith in the translation of the Book
of Mormon?
Alma 37:24 “And now, my son, these interpreters were prepared that the word of
God might be fulfilled, which he spake, saying:” The “interpreters” were
used for interpreting languages. The phrase “might be fulfilled, which he spake” is in John
12:38.
Alma 37:25 “I will bring forth out of darkness unto light all their secret
works and their abominations; and except they repent I will destroy them from
off the face of the earth; and I will bring to light all their secrets and
abominations, unto every nation that shall hereafter possess the land.” The words “except they repent” are in Revelation 2:22 and, “will bring to light” are in 1
Corinthians 4:5.
Alma 37:26 Speaking
again of the Jaredites, “And now, my son, we see that they
did not repent; therefore they have been destroyed, and thus far the word of
God has been fulfilled; yea, their secret abominations have been brought out of
darkness and made known unto us.” An example of this is found in Ether
chapter 8.
Alma 37:27 Next, Alma
commands Helaman not to reveal the actual oaths, covenants, signs, and specific
details of the agreements among themselves as they became entangled in secret
combinations. “And
now, my son, I command you that ye retain all their oaths, and their covenants,
and their agreements; yea, and all their signs and their wonders ye keep from
this people, that they know them not, lest peradventure they should fall into
darkness also and be destroyed.” The
words “I
command you that ye” are in John 15:17. In 2 Nephi 26:22 we read about “secret
combinations” and “combinations of the devil.”
Helaman 6:22 mentions
BOM people having their “secret signs” and “secret
words.” All of these were attributed to the devil in the Book of
Mormon. Yet, these are not be confused
with secret things – they call sacred – in LDS temple endowments.
Alma 37:28 “For behold, there is a curse upon all this land, that destruction
shall come upon all those workers of darkness, according to the power of God,
when they are fully ripe; therefore I desire that this people might not be
destroyed.” “Fully ripe” means
when there is no hope left of reclaiming them because of their wickedness. The phrase “according to the power
of God” is from 2 Timothy 1:8 and, “are
fully ripe” from Revelation 14:18.
Alma 37:29 Alma wanted
Helaman to keep quiet about these secret oaths and covenants of the Jaredites,
because he was concerned the people might be attracted to the lifestyle if they
found out about them. “Therefore ye shall keep these
secret plans of their oaths and their covenants from this people, and only
their wickedness and their murders and their abominations shall ye make known
unto them; and ye shall teach them to abhor such wickedness and abominations
and murders; and ye shall also teach them that these people were destroyed on
account of their wickedness and abominations and their murders.”
Alma 37:30 “For behold, they murdered all the prophets of the Lord who came
among them to declare unto them concerning their iniquities; and the blood of
those whom they murdered did cry unto the Lord their God for vengeance upon
those who were their murderers; and thus the judgments of God did come upon
these workers of darkness and secret combinations.” We start to see early signs of
the anti-masonic nature in the Book of Mormon.
Alma’s warning to his son Helaman about the danger of “secret combinations” is
indicative of what was happening in the early 1800’s with Joseph Smith’s
family.
Alma 37:31-32 Alma continues to warn Helaman not to
reveal those secret plans to the people and teach them to hate sin.
Alma 37:32 The words “against sin” are in Hebrews 12:4.
Alma 37:33-34 He instructs Helaman to preach repentance,
faith on the Lord Jesus Christ, humility, withstanding temptation, and never to
be tired of good works.
Alma 37:33 The phrase “meek and lowly in heart” is from Matthew
11:29.
Alma 37:35 Next, are a couple of famous verses in the Book of
Mormon, “O,
remember, my son, and learn wisdom in thy youth; yea, learn in thy youth to
keep the commandments of God.”
Alma 37:37 “Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee
for good; yea, when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he
may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou risest in the morning let thy
heart be full of thanks unto God; and if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted
up at the last day.” The
phrase “if ye do these things, ye” is from 2 Peter 1:10.
Alma 37:38 Then Alma
gives Helaman the magic ball with many names. “And now,
my son, I have somewhat to say concerning the thing which our fathers call a
ball, or director – or our fathers called it Liahona, which is, being
interpreted, a compass; and the Lord prepared it.” This verse is dated 73 BC. and the “compass”
as an instrument was not
invented until about AD 1100.
We read back in 1 Nephi 16:10 that one morning, Nephi woke
up and found that outside his tent was *“upon the ground a round ball of curious
workmanship; and it was of fine brass.
And within the ball were two spindles; and the one pointed the way
whither we should go into the wilderness.” We
learn here in Alma 37:38 that it is called a “director” or “Liahona” or “compass.”
Alma 37:39 “And behold, there cannot any man work after the manner of so
curious a workmanship. And behold, it
was prepared to show unto our fathers the course which they should travel in
the wilderness.” This
was the gadget that God made Himself and gave Nephi for navigation purposes.
Alma 37:40 *“And it did work for them according to their faith in God;
therefore, if they had faith to believe that God could cause that those
spindles should point the way they should go, behold it was done; therefore
they had this miracle, and also many other miracles wrought by the power of
God, day by day.” The
words “faith in God” are in Mark 11:22 and, “this
miracle” in Acts 4:22.
Alma 37:41 “Nevertheless, because those miracles were worked by small means it
did show unto them marvelous works. They
were slothful, and forgot to exercise their faith and diligence and then those
marvelous works ceased, and they did not progress in their journey.” The words “those miracles” are in Revelation 13:14.
Alma 37:42-43 Alma reminds Helaman that this has spiritual application in one’s life.
Alma 37:43 The
phrase “even so it is” is in Galatians 4:29 and,
“which are spiritual” is in Galatians 6:1.
Alma 37:44 “For behold, it is as easy to give heed to the word of Christ,
which will point to you a straight course to eternal bliss, as it was for our
fathers to give heed to this compass, which would point unto them a straight
course to the promised land.” The phrase “the word of Christ” is from Colossians 3:16 and, “a straight course to” is in Acts 16:11.
Alma 37:45 Alma points
out the symbolism. “And now I say, is there not a type
in this things? For just as surely as this director did bring our fathers, by
following its course, to the promised land, shall the words of Christ, if we
follow their course, carry us beyond this vale of sorrow into a far better land
of promise.” Meaning heaven. In
the 1830 edition page 330 it read “For just as suredly”
which was changed in later editions to “surely.” The words “land of promise” are
in Hebrews
11:9.
Alma 37:47 Alma ends
his counsel and commandments to his son, Helaman. “And
now, my son, see that ye take care of these things, yea, see that ye look to
God and live. Go unto this people and
declare the word, and be sober. My son,
farewell.” Meaning, take
seriously my instruction. The words “Go unto this people and” are in Acts 28:26 and, “and be sober” are in 1
Thessalonians 5:6.
Alma 38 Alma will
now give brief counsel to his middle son, Shiblon. You will notice that Shiblon will not be
entrusted with any of the sacred relics and records.
Alma 38:1 “MY son, give ear to my words, for I say unto you, even as I said
unto Helaman, that inasmuch as ye shall keep the commandments of God ye shall
prosper in the land; and inasmuch as ye will not keep the commandments of God,
ye shall be cut off from his presence.” There is always that
correlation between keeping the commandments and prospering in the land. The phrase “the commandments of God”
is from 1 Corinthians
7:19. In the 1830 edition page 330 it read “ye shall be cast off
from his presence.” In later
editions, “cast
off” was changed to “cut off.”
Alma 38:2-4 As a parent, Alma expresses great joy in
Shiblon because of his faithfulness in keeping the commandments. And because of his diligence and
longsuffering among the Zoramites, who treated him harshly.
Alma 38:2 The words “have great joy” are in Philemon 1:7.
Alma 38:3 The words “and thy patience and” are in Revelation
2:2.
Alma 38:4 The phrase “for the word’s sake” is from Mark 4:17.
Alma 38:5 “And now my son, Shiblon, I would that ye should remember, that as
much as ye shall put your trust in God even so much ye shall be delivered out
of your trials, and your troubles, and your afflictions, and ye shall be lifted
up at the last day.”
Alma 38:6 “Now, my son, I would not that ye should think that I know these
things of myself, but it is the Spirit of God which is in me which maketh these
things known unto me; for if I had not been born of God I should not have known
these things.” The
words “I would not that ye should” are in 1 Corinthians 10:1 and, “born
of God” are in 1 John 3:9.
Alma 38:7-8 Alma
briefly shares with Shiblon his conversion story (see
also, Mosiah 27 and Alma 36).
How he met with an angel face-to-face.
And how he was in anguish for two or three days and three nights, until
he cried out for mercy.
Alma 38:9 “And now, my son, I have told you this that ye may learn wisdom,
that ye may learn of me that there is no other way or means whereby man can be
saved, only in and through Christ.
Behold, he is the life and the light of the world. Behold, he is the word of truth and
righteousness.” The
phrase “the light of the world” is from John 9:5.
Alma 38:10 The phrase “temperate in all things” is from 1 Corinthians
9:25.
Alma 38:11 “See that ye are not lifted up unto pride; yea, see that ye do not
boast in your own wisdom, nor of your much strength.”
Alma 38:12 He tells Shilbon to be bold, but not overbearing, to
bridal his passions, and do not be lazy. The words “may be
filled with” are in Alma 38:12.
Alma 38:13-14 Pray because you mean it, not just to be seen
praying. Acknowledge your unworthiness
too.
Alma 38:15 “And may the Lord bless your soul, and receive you at the last day
into his kingdom, to sit down in peace.
Now go, my son, and teach the word unto this people. Be sober.
My son, farewell.”
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