Alma Instructs His Son Helaman

I, Mormon, now include an account of Alma’s instructions, taken from his own record:

“Listen my son, Helaman, for I promise you that if you keep God’s commandments, you will prosper in the land. Remember our fathers’ captivity. They were in bondage and no one could deliver them except the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And He surely delivered them from their afflictions. You are still young, so I plead with you to listen to me and learn. I know that all those who put their trust in God will be supported in their trials, troubles, and afflictions, and will be lifted up at the last day. I would not want you to think that I know this by my carnal and temporal mind, for this knowledge is spiritual—from God. If I had not been born of God, I would not know these things. Through His holy angel, God made these things known to me, and not because I was worthy. For I went about with Mosiah’s sons, trying to destroy God’s church. And God sent His holy angel to stop us.

“The angel spoke to us with a voice of thunder. The earth shook beneath our feet and we fell down, fearing the Lord. Then the angel said, ‘Get up,’ and I stood up and saw him. He said to me, ‘You may destroy yourself, but stop trying to destroy God’s church!’ After the angel left, I could not speak or move for three days and nights. The angel said more things to me that I did not hear, but Mosiah’s sons heard them, for when the angel said, ‘You may destroy yourself, but stop trying to destroy God’s church,’ I was struck with such great fear of being destroyed that I fainted. I was tortured with eternal torment, for my soul could remember all my sins in the greatest detail. I remembered everything I had done and was tormented with the pains of hell. I clearly saw that I had rebelled against my God and had not kept His holy commandments. I had murdered many of his children by leading them away to destruction. My sins were so great that the very thought of coming into the presence of my God struck my soul with inexpressible horror.

“I remember wishing, ‘If only I could be banished and become extinct, both body and soul, so that I would not have to stand in the presence of my God to be judged for my deeds.’ For three days and nights I was tortured with the pains of a damned soul. During this torment, as I remembered my many sins, I also remembered my father’s prophecies to the people about the coming of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, to atone for the sins of the world. As my mind caught hold of this thought, I cried within my heart, ‘Oh Jesus, Thou Son of God, have mercy on me, for I am in the middle of great bitterness, surrounded by the everlasting chains of death.’

“As soon as I thought this, I could no longer remember my pains, for the memory of my sins no longer tortured me. And oh, what joy, and what marvelous light I saw! My soul was filled with as much joy as it had been with pain! My son, nothing could have ever been so exquisite and so bitter as my pain! And on the other hand, nothing could ever be so exquisite and so sweet as my joy was at that moment! Like our forefather, Lehi, I thought I saw God sitting upon his throne, surrounded by countless hosts of angels who were singing and praising their God, and my soul longed to be there with them. My limbs received their strength again, and I stood on my feet and witnessed to the people that I had been born of God. Ever since then, I have never stopped working to bring souls to repentance—to bring them to taste the great joy that I had tasted, that they might also be born of God and be filled with the Holy Ghost.

“Now my son, the Lord gives me great joy in the fruit of my labors. Because of the word that He has given me, many have been born of God, have tasted the joy that I have, and have been given understanding. They know the things that I have told you, and their knowledge also comes from God. I have been supported under every kind of trial, trouble and affliction. God has delivered me from prison, from bonds, and from death. I still put all my trust in Him, for He will yet deliver me. I know He will raise me up at the last day to live with Him in glory. I will praise Him forever, for He brought our forefathers out of Egypt and commanded the Red Sea to swallow up the Egyptians. He also led our forefathers by His power into the promised land, and He delivered them out of captivity many times.

“He also brought our forefathers out of Jerusalem, and He delivered them out of bondage many times by His everlasting power, even until today. I have always remembered our forefathers’ captivity, and so should you. But this is not all, my son. You should know, as I do, that if you keep God’s commandments, you will prosper in the land. Otherwise, you will be cut off from His presence according to His word.”