Alma 33

When Alma had finished speaking his listeners asked many questions. Should they believe in one God? How could they obtain the fruit he had spoken of? How should they plant the seed, or word, in their hearts?

“You say you cannot worship your God because you’ve been denied entry into your synagogues,” said Alma. “If you think this is true, you’ve made a great mistake. The scriptures say nothing of this.”

“Do you remember what the old prophet Zenos said about prayer and worship?” Alma asked. “He said, ‘Oh God, you are merciful for having heard my prayer even when I was in the wilderness. You were merciful when I prayed about my enemies, and you turned them toward me. You heard me when I prayed in the field, in my house, and in my closet. You are merciful to your children when they cry out to you to be heard, and you hear them. You have heard me when I cried to you from amidst great crowds. You heard me when I was cast out and despised by my enemies on whom you brought swift anger and destruction. You heard me because of my suffering and sincerity. Because of Jesus Christ you have been merciful. Because of Jesus Christ you have turned your judgments away from me. When I suffer I cry to you because you are my joy.’

“Do you believe in these old scriptures?” Alma asked his audience. “If you do, you must believe what Zenos said when he declared, ‘Because of Jesus Christ you have turned your judgments away from me.’ Have you read the scriptures? If so, how can you disbelieve in Jesus Christ?”

“Zenock also spoke of these things,” Alma continued. “He said, ‘Oh God, you are angry with these people because they will not understand the mercies granted to them by your son Jesus Christ.’ So you see a second old prophet has also testified about Jesus Christ, and because the people wouldn’t listen they stoned him to death.

“But these are not the only ones who have spoken about Jesus Christ. Moses spoke of him when he brought his people through the wilderness. Those who believed and saw were healed and lived. Those too stubborn to look perished because they didn’t believe. If you could be healed by merely looking wouldn’t you do so? Or would you rather be lazy, not look, and perish? If so, anguish will be your reward.

“Look around and begin to believe that Jesus Christ will come to redeem his people, suffer and die to atone for their sins, rise again from the dead, and resurrect all men to stand before him in judgment according to their actions during their lives. I implore you to plant this word in your hearts, and to nourish it with your faith as it grows. If you do, it will become a tree within you to bring everlasting life. May God grant that your burdens are light through the joy of Jesus Christ. You can do all of this if you work at it.” [74 BC]