Alma Calls the People to Repentance

Alma began to testify in Zarahemla and throughout all the land. These are his words, from his own record, to the people in the church at Zarahemla:

“I, Alma, have been consecrated by my father, Alma, to be a high priest over God’s church. My father was given power and authority from God to baptize his brothers and sisters and establish a church in the land of Mormon. My father and his people were delivered out of the hands of King Noah’s people by God’s mercy and power. After being delivered, they were brought into bondage again by the Lamanites. But by the power of His word, the Lord delivered them a second time. He brought them into this land, where His church has been established.

“Now I ask you, the members of this church, have you completely forgotten your fathers’ captivity? Have you completely forgotten the Lord’s mercy and long-suffering toward them? Most of all, have you completely forgotten that He delivered their souls from hell?

“You see, He changed their hearts. He woke them from a deep sleep, and they awoke to Him. They were surrounded by darkness and the chains of hell, and an everlasting destruction awaited their souls. Then the Lord lit up their souls by the light of His everlasting word. I ask you, my brothers and sisters, were they destroyed? No, they were spared! Were they freed from bondage, and were their souls saved? Yes, for when they were freed their souls grew, and they sang redeeming love, and I tell you that they have been saved! And how were they saved—loosened from the bands of death and the chains of hell? It all happened because my father believed Abinadi, a holy prophet, who spoke the words of God. And because of my father’s faith, there was a mighty change made in his heart. Then my father preached God’s word to your fathers, and such a mighty change was made in their hearts, that they humbled themselves and put their trust in the true, living God. And because they were faithful to the end, they were saved.

“Now I ask you, have you been spiritually born of God? Have you received His image in your countenances? Have you experienced this mighty change in your hearts? Do you exercise faith in the redemption of your Creator? Do you look forward with faith, seeing your mortal body raised to immortality, to stand before God to be judged according to the deeds done in the body? Will you hear the Lord say to you, ‘Come to me, you that are blessed, for your works were righteous on earth.’ Or would you think to lie to the Lord, saying, ‘Lord, my works have been righteous on earth’—and imagine that He would believe you? Or will your soul be filled with guilt and remorse for your wickedness as you perfectly remember defying God’s commandments? Now which do you think will be your case when you are brought before the judgment of God? Will you be able to look up to God that day with a pure heart and clean hands, having His image engraved in your soul? Can you think of being saved when you have given yourself up to become a slave to the devil? On that day you will know that you cannot be saved, for no one can be saved unless his robes have been washed white, purified and cleansed from all stain through the blood of Him whom our fathers spoke of, who will come to redeem His people from their sins.

“How will any of you feel, standing before the bar of God, with your robes stained with blood and all types of filthiness? And what will these stains testify against you? That you are murderers and are guilty of all types of wickedness!

“Brothers and sisters, do you think that anyone like this will have a place to sit down in God’s kingdom with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the holy prophets whose robes are clean, spotless, pure, and white? No! Unless you think our Creator is a liar from the beginning, you cannot think this, for those with stained robes will be sent out, for they are the children of the devil’s kingdom. In the past, if you have ever experienced a change of heart and have wanted to sing the song of redeeming love, how do you feel now? Have you kept yourselves blameless before God? Could you say to yourselves, if you were to die right now, that you have been humble enough, and that your robes have been cleansed and made white through the blood of Christ, who will come to redeem His people from their sins? Are you stripped of pride? If not, you are not prepared to meet God. You must prepare quickly, for the kingdom of heaven is soon at hand, and those who are proud will not have eternal life. Are any of you envious? Such a person is not prepared, for he will not be found guiltless. I warn you to prepare quickly, for the Lord will soon come, though we do not know exactly when. Do any of you make fun of your brother, speak ill of him, or treat him badly? Cursed are such, for they are not prepared, and the time is near when they must repent or they will not be saved! Yes, cursed are all you workers of sin. Repent, for the Lord God has spoken it! He sends an invitation to all people. His arms of mercy are extended toward them, and He says, ‘Repent and I will receive you.’ He says, ‘Come to me and you will taste the fruit of the tree of life. You will eat and drink freely of the bread and water of life. Come to me with your righteous works and you will not be cut down and thrown into the fire.’

“The time is close when those who bring forth bad fruit will have reason to wail and mourn. Oh you workers of iniquity, puffed up by your pride in the vain things of the world. You, who have professed to have known the ways of righteousness, but have gone astray like sheep without a shepherd, even though the shepherd has called after you. He is still calling after you, but you will not listen to His voice! The Good Shepherd is calling you in His own name, which is Christ. If you will not listen and respond to the name, ‘Children of Christ,’ then you are not His sheep.

And if you are not His sheep, then whose are you? Who can deny that you are the devil’s? Whoever does deny this is a liar—a child of the devil.

“For good comes from God and evil comes from the devil. If a man does good works, then he listens to the Good Shepherd’s voice and follows Him. But whoever does evil works becomes the devil’s child by listening to his voice and following him. All who do this must receive the devil’s wages—spiritual death—a death to the things of righteousness, for they are dead to all good works.

“My brothers and sisters, I want you to understand me, for I speak with all the energy of my soul. God has commanded me to speak to you plainly so that you cannot misunderstand. I am called to speak in this way according to the holy order of God, which is in Jesus Christ. I am commanded to stand and testify to you about the things our forefathers said would happen. Do you think that I do not have my own testimony of these things? I testify that I know what I have said is true! And why do you think I am so sure of my knowledge? It is because I have fasted and prayed many days to know these things for myself. I know that they are true, for the Lord God has shown them to me by His Holy Spirit, and this is the spirit of revelation in me.

“Furthermore, it has been revealed to me, according to the spirit of prophecy in me, that the words of our forefathers are true. The spirit of prophecy is also a manifestation of the Spirit of God. I know for myself that what I say to you about the future is true. I know that Jesus Christ will come. He is the Son, the Only Begotten of the Father, who is full of grace, mercy, and truth. He will come to take away the sins of everyone who firmly believes in Him. This is the order after which I am called—to preach to you and to everyone in the land—to the old, young, bond and free, crying to them that they must repent and be born again.

“The Spirit says, ‘Repent, everyone from the ends of the earth, for the kingdom of heaven is coming soon. The Son of God will come in His glory, might, majesty, power, and dominion. The glory of t he King of heaven and earth will very soon shine among all people.’ The Spirit also speaks to me with a mighty voice, saying, ‘Go forth and say to this people: Repent, for unless you repent, you cannot inherit the kingdom of heaven. The axe is laid at the foot of the tree, and every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire—a fire that cannot be put out. Remember, the Holy One has spoken this.’

“Brothers and sisters, can you ignore these things and trample the Holy One under your feet? Can you build yourselves up in the pride of your hearts? Will you continue to wear expensive clothing and set your hearts upon your riches—the vain things of the world?

“Will you continue to think that you are better than others? Will you continue to criticize your brothers and sisters who humble themselves and walk after the holy order of God? By this holy order they have been brought into this church and have been sanctified by the Holy Spirit, and their works prove their repentance. Will you continue to turn your backs on the poor and the needy and not share your blessings with them?

“And finally, I say to those of you who will continue in your wickedness, you will be cut down and thrown into the fire unless you quickly repent. To those who want to follow the Good Shepherd’s voice, I say, come out from among the wicked. Separate yourselves from them and do not touch their uncleanness, for their names will be blotted out and will not be found among the names of the righteous. Then God’s word will be fulfilled, which says, ‘The names of the wicked will not be mingled with the names of my people, which will be written in the book of life. And I will give my people an inheritance at my right hand.’

“And now, my brothers and sisters, what can you say against this? If you do speak against this, it does not matter, for God’s word will be fulfilled. Is there a shepherd who does not watch over his sheep in order to keep wolves from eating his flock? If a wolf comes into his flock, does he drive it out? Yes, and if possible, he will kill it. Now the Good Shepherd calls you, and if you will listen to His voice, He will bring you into His fold, and you will be one of His sheep. He commands you not to let a hungry wolf come in and destroy you.

“Now I, Alma, command you, as God has commanded me, to do good works according to what I have said. I command you who belong to the church. And to those who do not, I invite you to come and be baptized unto repentance, that you may also taste the fruit of the tree of life.”