CHAPTER 7
Alma preaches to the Gideonites--He tells them that Jesus will be born in Jerusalem in the not far distant future. (83 BCE)
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1 Behold my beloved brethren, seeing that I have
been permitted to come unto you, therefore I attempt to
address you in my language; yea, by my own mouth, seeing that it is the first time that I have spoken unto you by the
words of my mouth, I having been wholly confined to the judgment-seat, having had much business that I could not
come unto you.
2 And even I could not have come now at this time were it not that the judgment-seat hath been given to
another, to reign in my stead; and the Lord in much mercy hath granted that I should come unto you.
3 And behold, I have come having great hopes and much desire that I should find that ye had humbled
yourselves before God, and that ye had continued in the supplicating of his grace, that I should find that ye were
blameless before him, that I should find that ye were not in the awful dilemma that our brethren were in at
Zarahemla.
4 But blessed be the name of God, that he hath given me to know, yea, hath given unto me
the exceedingly great joy of knowing that they are established again in the way of his
righteousness.
5 And I trust, according to the Spirit of God which is in me, that I shall also have joy over you;
nevertheless I do not desire that my joy over you should come by the cause of so much afflictions and sorrow which
I have had for the brethren at Zarahemla, for behold, my joy cometh over them after wading through much affliction and
sorrow.
Alma preaches in the city of Gideon in his own language with his own mouth, since it's the first time
that he's spoken to them with the words of his own mouth.
Here are some of the things that he said (with his own mouth):
6 But behold, I trust that ye are not in a state of so much unbelief as were your brethren; I trust that
ye are not lifted up in the pride of your hearts; yea, I trust that ye have not set your hearts upon riches and the vain
things of the world; yea, I trust that you do not worship idols, but that ye do worship the true and living God,
and that ye look forward for the remission of your sins, with an everlasting faith, which is to come.
I trust that you aren't in a state of much unbelief.
7 For behold, I say unto you there be many things to come; and behold, there is one thing which is of more
importance than they all -- for behold, the time is not far distant that the Redeemer liveth and cometh among his
people.
8 behold, I do not say that he will come among us at the time of his dwelling in his mortal tabernacle;
for behold, the Spirit hath not said unto me that this should be the case. Now as to this thing I do not know; but this
much I do know, that the Lord God hath power to do all things which are according to his word.
9 But behold, the Spirit hath said this much unto me, saying: Cry unto this people,
saying -- Repent ye,
and prepare the way of the Lord, and walk in his paths, which are straight; for behold, the kingdom of
heaven is at hand, and the Son of God cometh upon the face of the earth.
The Redeemer will be coming in the not too distant future..
10 And behold, he shall be born of Mary, at Jerusalem which is the
land of our forefathers, she being a
virgin, a precious and chosen vessel, who shall be overshadowed and conceive by the power of the Holy Ghost, and bring
forth a son, yea, even the Son of God.
11 And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that
the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.
12 And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he
will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may
know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities.
13 Now the Spirit knoweth all things; nevertheless the Son of God suffereth according to the flesh
that he might take upon him the sins of his people, that he might blot out their transgressions according to the
power of his deliverance; and now behold, this is the testimony which is in me.
The Son of God will be born in Jerusalem. [1]
His mother will be a virgin named Mary, who will be overshadowed by the Holy Ghost.
14 Now I say unto you that ye must repent, and be born again; for the Spirit saith
if ye are not born again ye cannot inherit the kingdom of heaven; therefore come and be baptized unto repentance, that ye may be washed
from your sins, that ye may have faith on the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sins of the world, who is mighty to
save and to cleanse from all unrighteousness.
15 Yea, I say unto you come and fear not, and lay aside every sin,
which easily doth beset you, which
doth bind you down to destruction, yea, come and go forth, and show unto your God that ye are willing to repent of
your sins and enter into a covenant with him to keep his commandments, and witness it unto him this day by going into
the waters of baptism.
16 And whosoever doeth this, and keepeth the commandments of God from thenceforth, the same will remember
that I say unto him, yea, he will remember that I have said unto him, he shall have eternal life, according to the
testimony of the Holy Spirit, which testifieth in me.
17 And now my beloved brethren, do you believe these things? Behold, I say unto you, yea, I know
that ye believe them; and the way that I know that ye believe them is by the manifestation of the Spirit which is
in me. And now because your faith is strong concerning that, yea, concerning the things which I have spoken, great
is my joy.
You must be born again to inherit the kingdom of heaven.
18 For as I said unto you from the beginning, that I had much
desire that ye were not in the state of
dilemma like your brethren, even so I have found that my desires have been gratified.
19 For I perceive that ye are in the paths of righteousness; I perceive that ye are in the path which
leads to the kingdom of God; yea, I perceive that ye are making his paths straight.
I don't want you to be in the state of dilemma.
20 I perceive that it has been made known unto you, by the testimony of his word, that
he cannot walk in crooked paths; neither doth he vary from that which he hath said; neither hath he a shadow of turning from the
right to the left, or from that which is right to that which is wrong; therefore,
his course is one eternal round.
He can't walk on crooked paths.
He walks on an eternal circle.
21 And he doth not dwell in unholy temples; neither can filthiness or anything which is unclean be
received into the kingdom of God; therefore I say unto you the time shall come, yea, and it shall be at the last
day, that he who is filthy shall remain in his filthiness.
22 And now my beloved brethren, I have said these things unto you that I might awaken you to a sense
of your duty to God, that ye may walk blameless before him, that ye may walk after the holy order of God, after which
ye have been received.
23 And now I would that ye should be humble, and be submissive
and gentle; easy to be entreated; full of patience and long-suffering; being temperate in all things; being diligent in keeping
the commandments of God at all times; asking for whatsoever things ye stand in need, both spiritual and temporal;
always returning thanks unto God for whatsoever things ye do receive.
24 And see that ye have faith, hope, and charity, and then
ye will always abound in good works.
25 And may the Lord bless you, and keep your garments spotless, that ye may at last
be brought to sit
down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and the holy prophets who have been ever since the world began, having your
garments spotless even as their garments are spotless, in the kingdom of heaven to go no more out.
26 And now my beloved brethren, I have spoken these words unto you according to the Spirit which
testifieth in me; and my soul doth exceedingly rejoice, because of the
exceeding diligence
and heed which ye have given unto my word.
He who is filthy will remain in his filthiness.
27 And now, may the peace of God rest upon you, and upon your houses and lands, and upon your flocks
and herds, and all that you possess, your women and your children, according to your faith and good works, from this
time forth and forever. And thus I have spoken. Amen.
And thus I have spoken. Amen.
Exceedingly: 7:4, 26(2)
Behold: 7:1, 3, 5, 6, 7(3),
8(2), 9(2), 10, 13, 17
Yea: 7:1, 4, 6(2), 10, 15(2),
17(2), 19, 21
(7:9) Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
-- Matthew 3:2
(7:14a) Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. -- John 3:3
(7:14b) Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. -- John 1:29
(7:14c) To cleanse us from all unrighteousness -- 1 John 1:9
(7:15) Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us.
-- Hebrews 12:1
(7:20) With whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. -- James 1:17
(7:21) He which is filthy, let him be filthy still. -- Revelation 22:11
(7:24a) And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three. -- 1 Corinthians 13:13
(7:24b) That ye ... always ... may abound to every good work. -- 2 Corinthians 9:8
(7:25) Sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.
-- Matthew 8:11
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The Annotated Book of Mormon
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Alma 7
7:1-
