Alma, Death, and the Resurrection

When Alma was teaching his son Corianton, he said this: “There are many mysteries which are kept, that no one knoweth them save God himself. But I show unto you one thing which I have inquired diligently of God that I might know—that is concerning the resurrection” (Alma 40:3).  From this we learn that there is knowledge which are kept from the knowledge even of the prophets—for Alma was the prophet and leader of the Church at this time—as well as the fact that even the prophet must inquire diligently to learn truths from God.  Alma was quick to tell his son that he did not know everything about the resurrection, but he did emphasize that what he knew he had learned from serious searching: “What becometh of the souls of men is the thing which I have inquired diligently of the Lord to know; and this is the thing of which I do know” (Alma 40:9).  The principles of obtaining revelation are no different for the prophet than for the rest of us; it takes diligent searching and prayer no matter who we are to learn the mysteries of God.

               As I consider perhaps why Alma sought so earnestly to learn about the resurrection, I think it’s clear that the events of his life would have certainly led him to ponder again and again what happens to those who die.  His experiences were filled with death.  After being made the chief judge, he led the Nephites against the Amlicites and was part of an intense battle.  Those who died were so numerous that Mormon described it this way: “In one year were thousands and tens of thousands of souls sent to the eternal world, that they might reap their rewards according to their works” (Alma 3:26).  Alma was a first-hand witness to the great slaughter of both Lamanites and Nephites, he himself being wounded in one of the battles.  Later Alma went to Ammonihah as a missionary and witnessed the death of many women and children who were “cast into the fire” by the wicked rulers of the city (Alma 14:8).  How terrible of an experience that must have been.  He subsequently learned of the complete destruction of the city of Ammonihah by the Lamanites, which surely meant the death of thousands of people that he had sought to reclaim through preaching.  Around this time he also met up the with sons of Mosiah, and from them he learned of the thousands of Anti-Nephi-Lehies who had died mercilessly at the hands of their brethren.  After those converted Lamanites settled in Jershon “there was a tremendous battle; yea, even such an one as never had been known among all the people in the land from the time Lehi left Jerusalem; yea, and tens of thousands of the Lamanites were slain and scattered abroad. Yea, and also there was a tremendous slaughter among the people of Nephi.”  Alma was the spiritual leader of the people at this time and viewed the suffering of countless people who lost loved ones, hearing “the cry of widows mourning for their husbands, and also of fathers mourning for their sons, and the daughter for the brother” (Alma 28:2-3, 5).  In addition to these major events where huge numbers of people lost their lives, he also saw the individual deaths of his father, King Mosiah, Gideon, Nehor, and Korihor.  It’s no wonder then after witnessing the deaths of so many Nephites and Lamanites that he would often be led to ponder what the state of their souls would be at death.  Having seen countless righteous and wicked be “sent to the eternal world” to account for their deeds on earth, I think we can see why Alma “inquired diligently” to understand what happened at death.  He needed to be able to understand the world around him, to help comfort those who lost loved ones, and to be able to have faith in a plan of God that could allow so much suffering and death on earth.  As we witness the terrible events of the last days that seen more and more frequent, we can likewise follow his example to seek the Lord diligently to understand the world around us so that we can say with Alma when we speak of God’s plan amidst the suffering of men: “This is the thing which I do know” (Alma 40:9).