Alma 13

“I want you to think ahead to when God gives these commandments to his people,” Alma continued. “God ordained priests based on the holy order of Jesus Christ to teach these things to his people, so that they would look forward to his Son for redemption.

“This is how God’s priests came to be ordained. They were called and prepared from the beginning of the world, based on God’s foreknowledge of their great faith and good works. Then, they were left to choose between good and evil. Their choice of good then became a demonstration of their holy calling and their preparation to be priests. Their purpose for being called and ordained into the high priesthood and holy order of God is to teach his commandments to his people, so that they might also enter into heaven. This high priesthood is an order that has always been here, since the beginning of time, and will always be here, through eternity. Ordained high priests therefore become high priests forever in the order of Jesus Christ.”

“After being ordained and sanctified, high priests are cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ,” Alma continued. “After being cleansed, they cannot look upon sin without revulsion. Now, I ask that you should humble yourselves before God and offer up your repentance so that you may enter God’s place of rest.

“I ask that you humble yourselves, as the people did in the days of Melchizedek. Melchizedek was a high priest from the order of which I’ve spoken, to whom Abraham paid tithes in the amount of one tenth of all that he owned. The people who followed these ordinances did so in order that they could look forward to Jesus Christ, a remission of their sins, and the opportunity to enter the resting place of God. During Melchizedek’s time as king of Salem, the people were filled with all manner of sinfulness and abomination.

“Melchizedek exercised great faith and was ordained as high priest in the holy order of God. When he preached repentance to his people, they repented, and Melchizedek established peace in the land during his time. And so he became known as the prince of peace. There were many high priests before him and many afterwards, but none of them was greater. The scriptures are before you. If you refuse their message, it will be the cause of your own destruction.

“Now is the time to repent, because the day of salvation approaches. The angels of God are declaring this good news to all nations across the face of the earth. They have also come to us and made it known in no uncertain terms that we are highly favored people in this distant land. They ask us to prepare our hearts to receive the word of Jesus Christ in his coming glory. We can only wait to hear the good news from the angels, because I don’t know how soon he will arrive. It might be any day. Whether he comes sooner or later, I still rejoice in it. When he does come, good and holy men will hear of it from the mouths of angels because that is the prophecy which will be fulfilled.

“From my innermost heart, I wish that you would listen to my words. My anxiety is so great that I am in pain. Do not procrastinate. Cast off your sins. Humble yourselves before God, call on his holy name, pray continually, and do not be tempted beyond your ability to resist. Allow yourselves to be led by the Holy Spirit to become humble, meek, submissive, patient, filled with love, and long suffering. Have faith in God that you will receive eternal life and the love of God in your hearts, so that you will be lifted up on judgment day and enter God’s place of rest. May God grant you repentance so that you are spared his anger and consignment to the second death of hell.” [82 BC]