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CHAPTER 15
Alma and Amulek go to Sidom and establish a church—Alma heals
Zeezrom, who joins the Church— |
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1 And it came to pass that Alma and Amulek were commanded to
depart out of that city; and they
departeda, and came out even into
the land of Sidom; and behold, there they found all the people who had
departed out of the land of aAmmonihah, who had been
bcast out and stoned, because they believed in the words of
Alma.
2 And they related unto them all that had happened unto their awives and children, and also concerning themselves, and of their bpower of deliverance.
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1a Alma and Amulek were commanded to depart out of that city; and they departed Now the Lord does allow men to perform according to their angency. And though the people feared Alma and Amulek, the people still did refuse to believe them and did commanded them to depart from them, thus showing forth their total rebellion against God. And thus Alma and Amulek left them unto their coming destruction. |
1a
Alma 14:23;
Alma 16:2 (2-3, 9, 11) b Alma 14:7 2a Alma 14:8-14 b Alma 14:28 (26-29) 3a Alma 14:7 (6-7)
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3 And also Zeezrom lay sick at Sidom, with a burning fever, which was
caused by the great tribulations of his mind on account of his
awickedness, for he supposed that Alma and Amulek were no
more; and he supposed that they had been slain because of his iniquity. And
this great sin, and his many other sins, did harrow up his mind until it did
become exceedingly sore, having no deliverance; therefore he began to be
scorched with a burning heat.
4 Now, when he heard that Alma and Amulek were in the land of Sidom, his heart began to take courage; and he sent a message immediately unto them, desiring them to come unto him. 5 And it came to pass that they went immediately, obeying the message which he had sent unto them; and they went in unto the house unto Zeezrom; and they found him upon his bed, sick, being very low with a burning fever; and his mind also was aexceedingly sore because of his iniquities; and when he saw them he stretched forth his hand, and besought them that they would heal him.
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3a
Alma 14:7 (6-7) 5a Alma 14:6
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6 And it came to pass that Alma said unto him, taking him by the
hand: aBelievest thou in the power of Christ unto
salvation?
7 And he answered and said: Yea, I believe all the words that thou hast taught. 8 And Alma said: If thou believest in the redemption of Christ thou canst be ahealed. 9 And he said: Yea, I believe according to thy words.
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6a
Mark 9:23 8a TG Administration to the Sick; TG Healing
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10 And then Alma cried unto the Lord, saying: O Lord our God, have
amercy on this man, and bheal him
according to his faith which is in Christ.
11 And when Alma had said these words, aZeezrom leaped upon his feet, and began to walk; and this was done to the great astonishment of all the people; and the knowledge of this went forth throughout all the land of Sidom. 12 And Alma baptized Zeezrom unto the Lord; and he began from that time forth to preach unto the people.
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10a
TG
Mercy b Mark 2:11 (1-12) 11a Acts 3:8 (1-11)
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13 And Alma established a church in the land of Sidom, and
consecrated apriests and bteachers in the
land, to baptize unto the Lord whosoever were desirous to be baptized.
14 And it came to pass that they were many; for they did flock in from all the region round about Sidom, and were baptizeda.
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14a they did flock in from all the region round about Sidom, and were baptized Now we are left to suppose that Sidom was in the region lands of Ammonihah and had been subject to the rule of the judges and that apostate church which had so held the land bound in wickedness. Thus a great harvest was wrought out of that land which Alma had once turned his back on because of the wickedness and rejection of the chief city of that province. But the Lord had people in that land that though they were held bound in wickedness cause by Ammonihah, which would respond to the call of repentance and unto the word of the Lord. And thus must we consider the many of the world who have never had the opportunity unto even hearing the word of God. And we must understand the need for the work for the dead, that all these may have the opportunity to accept the word of God though they be dead, that they may be judged and receive according to all those who in the flesh had had such opportunity to hear the word of God while yet in this life. And great will be that harvest as many of them will also respond to the voice of the word of God unto repentance, coming unto God in that spirit world where the gospel is preached unto all men and their work of the required ordinances being done here for them vicariously by the living. |
13a
Alma 4:20 (7, 16, 18, 20);
Alma 16:18 b TG Teacher
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15 But as to the people that were in the land of Ammonihah, they yet
remained a hard-hearted and a stiffnecked people; and they repented not of
their sins, aascribing all the power of Alma and Amulek to
the devil; for they were of the profession of
bNehora, and did not
believe in the repentance of their sins.
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15a for they were of the profession of Nehor Though it is Nehor who is given credit as the primary who founded the practice of priestcraft among the people of the nation of Zarahemla, one must also consider the close association of the people of the land of Ammonihah and the seed of the wicked priests of King Noah. Abinadi so prophesied that there seed would put many to death by fire who did believe in Christ. This the people of Ammonihah did do. Only they fulfill this particular prophecy of Abinadi and non else. True other are burned by fire like unto Abinadi, but not for their faith and belief in Christ. Thus it needs be considered the while Nehor may be the 'father' of priestcraft in Zarahemla, the the people of the city of Ammonihah was the breeding grounds which germinated the seed planted in Lehi-Nephi by wicked King Noah and his wicked priest, that priestcraft practiced there, to grow to its wicked maturity to be harvest in the destruction of the whole of the city of Ammonihah. |
15a
Matt. 12:24-27 b Alma 1:15 (2-15)
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16 And it came to pass that Alma and Amulek, Amulek having
aforsaken all his gold, and silver, and his precious
things, which were in the land of Ammonihah, for the word of God, he being
brejected by those who were once his friends and also by
his father and his kindred;
17 Therefore, after Alma having established the church at Sidom, seeing a great acheck, yea, seeing that the people were checked as to the pride of their hearts, and began to bhumble themselves before God, and began to assemble themselves together at their csanctuaries to dworship God before the ealtara, fwatching and praying continually, that they might be delivered from Satan, and from gdeath, and from destruction— 18 Now as I said, Alma having seen all these things, therefore he took Amulek and came over to the land of Zarahemla, and took him to his aown house, and did administer unto him in his tribulations, and bstrengthened him in the Lord.
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17a at their sanctuaries to worship God before the altar The Book of Mormon does not give the detail as to the order of the buildings of the church. We know that there is a temple in Zarahemlas and there is one in Bountiful, those two major lands of the nation of Zarahemla. Thus we may look to ascertain whether is was the custom of the Nephites to build a temple in every provincial land. Certainly a temple after the order of Solomon does have an altar in its outer court, but it would seem that the Nephites also either have temples through out the land or that there is some other arrangment where by each city and or land has a 'altar'. If the cities of central America, that land of the golden years of the Nephite nation, are any indication, it would seem that it was that temples of the people were in every major city of the land. |
16a
Luke 14:33;
Alma 10:4 b TG Prophets, Rejection of 17a Alma 16:21 b Ezra 10:1-5 c Ps. 150:1; Alma 16:13 d TG Worship e Ex. 27:1-8 d TG Watchfulness d TG Death, Spiritual, First 18a Alma 27:20 b Zech. 10:12 (11-12)
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19 And thus ended the tenth year of the reign of the judges over
the people of Nephi.
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