Alma’s Words to Antionah and the People

The Fall of Man

Alma 12:22

Alma explains that humanity has become a lost and fallen people because of Adam’s partaking of the forbidden fruit.

Now Alma said unto him:

This is the thing which I was about to explain, now we see that Adam did fall by the partaking of the forbidden fruit, according to the word of God; and thus we see, that by his fall, all mankind became a lost and fallen people.

Alma 12:23

If Adam had partaken of the fruit of the tree of life after the fall, he would have become immortal; this would invalidate the word of God.

And now behold, I say unto you that if it had been possible for Adam to have partaken of the fruit of the tree of life at that time, there would have been no death, and the word would have been void, making God a liar, for he said:

“If thou eat thou shalt surely die.”

Alma 12:23

Mankind became mortal, with time allotted to repent.

And we see that death comes upon mankind, yea, the death which has been spoken of by Amulek, which is the temporal death; nevertheless there was a space granted unto man in which he might repent.

Alma 12:24

This life is a probationary state to prepare us to meet God, and to prepare for eternal life.

Therefore this life became a probationary state; a time to prepare to meet God; a time to prepare for that endless state which has been spoken of by us, which is after the resurrection of the dead.