His prayers were soon answered. One day, while Alma the Younger and his friends we out wreaking their usual havoc, something happened that was to change their lives forever. I would also change the lives of many Nephites and, ultimately, even the Lamanites!
The Book of Mormon describes what happened: As they were going about rebelling against God, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto them; and he descended as it were in a cloud; and he spake as it were with a voice of thunder, which caused the earth to shake upon which they stood; And so great was their astonishment, that they fell to the earth, and understood not the words which he spake unto them. Nevertheless he cried again, saying: Alma, arise and stand forth, for why persecutest thou the church of God? For the Lord hath said: This is my church, and I will establish it; and nothing shall overthrow it, save it is the transgression of my people. (Mosiah 27: 11-13)
Behold, the Lord hath heard the prayers of his people, and also the prayers of his servant, Alma, who is thy father; for he has prayed with much faith concerning thee that thou mightest be brought to the knowledge of the truth; therefore, for this purpose have I come to convince thee of the power and authority of God, that the prayers of his servants might be answered according to their faith. (Mosiah 27: 14)
And now behold, can ye dispute the power of God? For behold, doth not my voice shake the earth? And can ye not also behold me before you? And I am sent from God . . . And now I say unto thee, Alma, go thy way, and seek to destroy the church no more, that their prayers may be answered, and this even if thou wilt of thyself be cast off. (Mosiah 27: 15-16)
God was not going to let one rebellious and arrogant young man destroy his church! He gave Alma the same word of repentance as his father had, but what a different impact! To have an angel chastise him, one whose voice was as roaring thunder and whose brightness hurt their eyes, sent Alma into comatose-inducing shock! As the Book of Mormon describes it:
[The] angel departed.
Alma and those that were with him fell again to the earth, for great was their astonishment; for with their own eyes they had beheld an angel of the Lord; and his voice was as thunder, which shook the earth; and they knew that there was nothing save the power of God that could shake the earth and cause it to tremble as though it would part asunder.
[T]he astonishment of Alma was so great that he became dumb, that he could not open his mouth; yea, and he became weak, even that he could not move his hands; therefore he was taken by those that were with him, and carried helpless, even until he was laid before his father. And they rehearsed unto his father all that had happened unto them; and his father rejoiced, for he knew that it was the power of God. (Mosiah 27: 17-20)
Alma the Elder rejoiced in his son's disability? Yes, because it indicated that God had intervened in a dramatic way in his son's life. He gathered family, priests, and members of the church to pray for his son that he might regain his strength. They began to fast and pray to that effect.
Today, the theophany Alma experienced might be called an NDE or Near Death Experience. That it was directed more at Alma than the other boys was evident throughout. Alma was to remain in his comatose state for 3 days.
Something similar happened to the Jewish Pharisee, Saul, on his way to Damascus to persecute the church. He, too, was stricken for 3 days following his theophany.
God knew Saul and Alma better than they themselves did. He knew them to be some of the greatest missionaries for Messiah/Christ in the history of the world. He chose to use his big-gun shock treatment to wake them out of their delusional hatred of Messiah/Christ and His Church.
I've never understood why some Christians who fully accept Saul's theophanic warning fail to accept Alma's.
Text copyright August 2013, Gebara Education
Pictures from www.lds.com
except
Saul from www.christianity201.wordpress.com
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