Book of Mormon Commentary - Alma 14

by Don R. Hender

Scriptural Text [& Editorial]	Commentary & Explanation	Footnotes ~ References ~ JST
CHAPTER 14 Alma and Amulek are imprisoned and smitten—The believers and their scriptures are burned by fire—These martyrs are received by the Lord in glory—The prison walls are rent and fall—Alma and Amulek are delivered and their persecutors are slain. [About 82—81 B.C.]	Alma and Amulek are imprisoned and smitten—The believers in Christ and their scriptures are burned by fire fulfilling the prophecy of Abinadi—These martyrs are received by the Lord in glory that the wicked might be condemned in their ripeness—The prison walls are rent and fall—Alma and Amulek are delivered and their persecutors are slain. [About 81 B.C.]
1 AND it came to pass after he had made an end of speaking unto the people many of them did believe on his words, and began to repent, and to search the ^ascriptures. 2 But the more part of them were desirous that they might destroy Alma and Amulek; for they were angry with Alma, because of the ^aplainness of his words unto Zeezrom; and they also said that Amulek had ^blied unto them, and had reviled against their law and also against their lawyers and judges. 3 And they were also angry with Alma and Amulek; and because they had ^atestified so plainly against their wickedness, they sought to ^bput them away privily.		1^a 2 Kings 22:11 (8-13); Acts 17:2 (2-3, 11); Alma 13:20; 2^a Alma 12:7 (3-7) ^b Alma 10:28 (24-32) 3^a Prov. 26:26; Alma 37:21 ^b Acts 23:12 (12-15)
4 But it came to pass that they did not; but they took them and bound them with strong cords, and took them before the chief judge of the land. 5 And the people went forth and witnessed against them—testifying that they had reviled against the law, and their lawyers and judges of the land, and also of all the people that were in the land; and also testified that there was but one God, and that he should send his Son among the people, but he should ^anot save them; and many such things did the people testify against Alma and Amulek. Now this was done before the chief judge of the land.		5^a Alma 11:35 (33-37)
6 And it came to pass that Zeezrom was astonished at the words which had been spoken; and he also knew concerning the ^ablindness of the minds, which he had caused among the people by his ^blying words; and his soul began to be ^charrowed up under a ^dconsciousness of his own guilt; yea, he began to be encircled about by the pains of hell. 7 And it came to pass that he began to cry unto the people, saying: Behold, I am ^aguilty, and these men are spotless before God. And he began to plead for them from that time forth; but they reviled him, saying: Art thou also possessed with the devil? And they spit upon him, and ^bcast him out from among them, and also all those who believed in the words which had been spoken by Alma and Amulek; and they cast them out, and sent men to cast stones at them.		6^a TG Spiritual Blindness ^b Alma 10:31 (25-31) ^c Alma 15:5 ^d TG Conscience 7^a Alma 10:31; Alma 11:21-36; Alma 15:3 ^b Alma 15:1
8 And they brought their wives and children together, and whosoever believed or had been taught to believe in the word of God they caused that they should be ^acast into the fire^a, and they also brought forth their records which contained the holy scriptures, and cast them into the fire also, that they might be ^bburned and destroyed by fire. 9 And it came to pass that they took Alma and Amulek, and carried them forth to the place of ^amartyrdom, that they might witness the destruction of those who were consumed by fire^a.	8^a whosoever believed or had been taught to believe in the word of God they caused that they should be cast into the fire Now, no where else in the Book of Mormon does one people cast their own believing members into the fire because of their belief in Christ in this manner which was like unto what was done unto Abinadi and also so prophesied by Abinadi that such would happen, that the wicked unbelievers would so burn by fire the righteous believers of their own people. And thus we must see that these are they of whom Abinadi did prophesy saying, " ... even as ye have done unto me, so shall it come to pass that thy seed shall cause that many shall suffer the pains that I do suffer, even the pains of death by fire; and this because they believe in the salvation of the Lord their God." (Mosiah 17:15) Thus we must conclude that those wicked judges, lawyers and ruling people of Ammonihah who were after the order of Nehor, or that is to say after the order of the wicked priests of King Noah, were in deed the seed of the wicked king Noah, his priests and his people who did put to death Abinadi in the same like manner and for the same like reason of their faith upon Christ. As to how this people came to live in the land and region of Ammonihah, one might consider that this is a new colonization of that land through which King Limhi's 43 explorers did mistakenly wander through in search of Zarahemla, Ammonihah also being in a valley and most likely upon the western bank of a river. Thus also the Lamanites may eventually think they were destroying Zarahemla when they did destory Ammonihah, making and taking the same mistaken course as did Limhi's 43 in their search for Zarahemla. 9^a that they might witness the destruction of those who were consumed by fire And it was both Alma and Amulek who were brought by the wicked to witness their wicked act of murder, that thereby Alma and Amulek as well as the people who died would stand as witness against them before the judgement bar of God, and that it might be recorded according to the fulfillment of the prophecies of Abinadi. Now there is one more additional irony to be so played out here. Those Lamanites, who come to destroy the wicked of Ammonihah, which we may determine are the wicked followers of the order of Nehor or that order after the order of the wicked priests of Noah of whom one Amulon was their leader and the Ammonihahites were descended from those priests and the people of King Noah; now those Lamanites are under the leadership of those who were the wicked priests of Noah. That is, the order to destroy the city of Ammonihah is being carried out by the very 'father's' of the people of Ammonihah, the leadership of the wicked priests of Noah against their own wicked sons who have come to live in the new colony city and land of Ammonihah to practice after the order of their unholy fathers in the name of the Nehors.	8^a Alma 15:2 ^b Jer. 36:23 (21-28) 9^a TG Martyrdom
He Doth Suffer the Innocent to Condemn the Wicked Now in the course of this second estate's temporal probation, men are free to exercise their agency unto good or unto evil. And thus often the circumstance is that in this imperfect estate the righteous do suffer at the hand of the wicked. Yet this circumstance of a righteous person so suffering at the hand of the wicked has often raised the question to mind of God's justice is so allowing such an offense to take place. But it could be no other way during this probationary state and man's right to so exercise his agency. Not that the wicked man's sins are to go unpunished either by God or even by society, but that the free agency to so act must be allowed. Thus it was unto Abinadi and also to those of whom Abinadi did prophesy and Alma and Amulek did witness. And God does use this circumstance to fully condemn the wicked in the day of their fulness unto destruction either in this world and also so to be judged in the world to come. In the case of the wicked of Ammonihah, they will in short order be completely destroyed by the hand of the Lamanites, whom the Lord did use to so combat such wickedness among the Nephites even unto their utter destruction and according to the righteous justice and judgment of God.
10 And when Amulek saw the pains of the women and children who were consuming in the fire, he also was pained; and he said unto Alma: How can we witness this awful scene? Therefore let us stretch forth our hands, and exercise the ^apower of God which is in us, and save them from the flames. 11 But Alma said unto him: The Spirit constraineth me that I must not stretch forth mine hand; for behold the Lord receiveth them up unto himself, in ^aglory; and he doth suffer that they may do this thing, or that the people may do this thing unto them, according to the hardness of their hearts, that the ^bjudgments which he shall exercise upon them in his wrath may be just; and the ^cblood of the ^dinnocent shall stand as a witness against them^a, yea, and cry mightily against them at the last day.	11^a he doth suffer that they may do this thing, or that the people may do this thing unto them, according to the hardness of their hearts, that the judgments which he shall exercise upon them in his wrath may be just; and the blood of the innocent shall stand as a witness against them Why does the Lord allow such suffering of the righteous to occur? The Lord sees the eternal perspective while men most often see only the immediate temporal perspective. These that were burned who are the innocent followers of Christ are in an eternal perspective taken home to God and the glories of his kingdom forever, while those who perform such wickedness upon another will so be condemned, if not also in this life, at the great bar of God's judgment, and face they will face the wrath of God and be expelled from his presence forever. Thus are God's judgments so justified. The innocent do suffer temporarily in this probationary estate that the wicked may be judged according to their wicked natures and to suffer forever. And the innocent receive their reward everlastingly for their momentary pains here below.	10^a Alma 8:31 (30-31) 11^a TG Exaltation ^b Ex. 23:7; Ps. 37:9 (8-13); Alma 60:13; D&C 103:3; TG Justice ^c TG Cruelty; TG Martrydom ^d Lam. 4:13; Mosiah 17:10
12 Now Amulek said unto Alma: Behold, perhaps they will burn us also. 13 And Alma said: Be it according to the will of the Lord. But, behold, our work is not finished; therefore they burn us not. 14 Now it came to pass that when the bodies of those who had been cast into the fire were consumed, and also the records which were cast in with them, the chief judge of the land came and stood before Alma and Amulek, as they were bound; and he smote them with his hand upon their ^acheeks, and said unto them: After what ye have seen, will ye preach again unto this people, that they shall be cast into a ^blake of fire and brimstone? 15 Behold, ye see that ye had not power to save those who had been cast into the fire; neither has God saved them because they were of thy faith. And the judge smote them again upon their cheeks, and asked: What say ye for yourselves?		14^a 1 Kings 22:24 (14-27) ^b Alma 12:17; TG Damnation
16 Now this judge was after the order and faith of ^aNehor^a, who slew Gideon. 17 And it came to pass that Alma and Amulek answered him ^anothing; and he smote them again, and delivered them to the officers to be ^bcast into prison. 18 And when they had been cast into prison three days, there came many ^alawyers, and judges, and priests, and teachers, who were of the profession of Nehor; and they came in unto the prison to see them, and they questioned them about many words; but they answered them nothing.	16^a this judge was after the order and faith of Nehor Here we obtain a complete and coherent picture that it was indeed those who were of the order of the wicked priests of king Noah who did institute the practice of priestcraft among the people and the order of Nehor which had not before existed in the nation of Zarahemla. And it is here that those descendants of those wicked men, which wicked men abandoned, them, their many plural wives and their children who grew up to be like unto their fathers and to the ends of the fulfilling of the prophecy of Abinadi. And thus we will yet see that those Nephite descenting priests of King Noah, the Amulonites, will be the source of their own wicked children's destruction when the Lamanites under the leadership of such Amulonites do come upon Ammonihah and completely destroy those of their own flesh in the destrution of that wicked city. O the wickedness and perverseness of men!	16^a Alma 1:12 (7-15); Alma 2:20; Alma 21:14 17^a Matt. 27:12-14 ^b Alma 9:33 18^a Alma 10:17; Alma 11:21 (20-37)
19 And it came to pass that the judge stood before them, and said: Why do ye not answer the words of this people? Know ye not that I have ^apower to deliver you up unto the flames? And he ^bcommanded them to speak; but they answered nothing. 20 And it came to pass that they departed and went their ways, but came again on the morrow; and the judge also smote them again on their cheeks. And many came forth also, and smote them, saying: Will ye stand again and judge this people, and condemn our law? If ye have such great power why do ye not ^adeliver yourselves? 21 And many such things did they say unto them, gnashing their teeth upon them, and spitting upon them, and saying: How shall we look when we are damned?^a 22 And many such things, yea, all manner of such things did they say unto them; and thus they did ^amock them for many days. And they did withhold food from them that they might hunger, and water that they might thirst; and they also did take from them their clothes that they were naked; and thus they were ^bbound with strong cords, and confined in ^cprison.	21^a How shall we look when we are damned? What a question of irony to be asked. For indeed by the witness of the innocent and the witness of the propehts, from Abinadi to Alma and Amulek will these wicked men be indeed condemned and then will they know how it is that they look when they indeed are damned! Their then coming earthly destruction by their own is only the beginning to their eternal suffering an pain.	19^a John 19:10 (9-10) ^b Mosiah 7:8 20^a Matt. 27:40 (39-43) 22^a TG Mocking ^b Acts 16:23-40; D&C 122:6 ^c Gen. 39:20; Mosiah 7:7
~ 10^th Month, 12^th Day, 81 B.C. ~
23 And it came to pass after they had thus suffered for many days, (and it was on the twelfth day, *in the tenth month, in the tenth year of the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi) that the chief judge over the land of ^aAmmonihah and many of their teachers and their lawyers went in unto the prison where Alma and Amulek were bound with cords. 24 And the chief judge stood before them, and smote them again, and said unto them: If ye have the ^apower of God deliver yourselves from these bands, and then we will believe that the Lord will destroy this people according to your words. 25 And it came to pass that they all went forth and smote them, saying the same words, even until the last; and when the last had spoken unto them the ^apower of God was upon Alma and Amulek, and they rose and stood upon their feet.		23 * [81 B.C.] ^a Alma 8:6; Alma 15:1 (1, 15-16) 24^a TG Sign Seekers 25^a Alma 8:31
26 And Alma cried, saying: How long shall we suffer these great ^aafflictions, O Lord? O Lord, ^bgive us strength according to our faith which is in Christ, even unto ^cdeliverance. And they broke the cords with which they were bound; and when the people saw this, they began to flee, for the fear of destruction had come upon them. 27 And it came to pass that so great was their fear that they fell to the earth, and did not obtain the outer door of the ^aprison; and the earth shook mightily, and the walls of the prison were rent in twain, so that they fell to the earth; and the chief judge, and the lawyers, and priests, and teachers, who smote upon Alma and Amulek, were slain by the fall thereof.		26^a James 5:10-11; Mosiah 17:13 (10-20); JS-H 1:22 ^b Ps. 69:14 (1-2, 14); D&C 121:3 ^c TG Deliverance 27^a Acts 12:4-6; Acts 16:26; Hel. 5:21-50; 2 Ne. 28:19-20; 4 Ne. 1:30; Ether 12:13
28 And Alma and Amulek came forth out of the prison, and they were not hurt; for the Lord had granted unto them ^apower, according to their faith which was in Christ. And they straightway came forth out of the prison; and they were ^bloosed from their ^cbands; and the prison had fallen to the earth, and every soul within the walls thereof, save it were Alma and Amulek, was slain; and they straightway came forth into the city. 29 Now the people having heard a great noise came running together by multitudes to know the cause of it; and when they saw Alma and Amulek coming forth out of the prison, and the walls thereof had fallen to the earth, they were struck with great fear, and fled from the presence of Alma and Amulek even as a goat fleeth with her young from two lions; and thus they did flee from the presence of Alma and Amulek.		28^a Alma 15:2; ^b 1 Ne. 7:17-18; Jacob 4:6; 3 Ne. 28:20 (19-22) ^c Alma 36:27


a Verse 23 [81 B.C.].

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