Alma, in citing his people’s minds forward (v. 1) is reminding them of things that began in the pre-mortal life. His asking the people to remember tells us that he is about to teach what had been taught to them before. The doctrine here is that men were ordained to the priesthood, or designated to be ordained in the pre-mortal life. Moses taught a similar doctrine which would have been on the plates of brass.
7 Remember the days of old, consider the years of many generations: ask thy father, and he will shew thee; thy elders, and they will tell thee.
8 When the most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel.
9 For the Lord’s portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance. [Deuteronomy 32:7–9]
Just as the selection of those who were to be the children of Israel was determined in the pre-mortal life, so were those who were to hold the priesthood.
The “holy order” of his Son (v. 6) will be commented upon under verse 7. These foreordained men were to center their teaching around the redemption that would be made possible by the Son of God (v. 2).
“The manner after which they were ordained” (v. 3) explains why these men were selected to hold the priesthood and to teach of the Son and his redemption. From the foundation of the world refers to the council in heaven as shown to father Abraham.
22 Now the Lord had shown unto me, Abraham, the intelligences that were organized before the world was; and among all these there were many of the noble and great ones;
23 And God saw these souls that they were good, and he stood in the midst of them, and he said: These I will make my rulers; for he stood among those that were spirits, and he saw that they were good; and he said unto me: Abraham, thou art one of them; thou wast chosen before thou wast born. [Abraham 3:22–23]
Moses referred to it as the time when “[God] separated the sons of Adam (Deuteronomy 32:7–9; quoted above). Those noble and great ones were foreordained based first on the foreknowledge of God, and secondly on their “exceeding faith and good works” (Alma 13:3). “In the first place” is another phrase for “in the beginning” (Genesis 1:1), or the pre-mortal life. Agency is an eternal principle and was alive and well in the pre-mortal world. Those who chose good and exercised exceedingly great faith were foreordained to hold the priesthood in mortality. Their time to come to earth was also determined in order for God to bring about the redemption of his children (Alma 13:3). The Apostle Paul confirmed this doctrine. “And [God] hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation” (Acts 17:26). The Prophet Joseph further substantiated this doctrine. “Every man who has a calling to minister to the inhabitants of the world was ordained to that very purpose in the Grand Council of heaven before this world was. I suppose I was ordained to this very office in that Grand Council” (TPJS, 365).
It was God’s plan for all to hold the priesthood; but, because of the principle of agency, others of God’s children rejected the Spirit of God, hardened their hearts, and closed their eyes. Otherwise, “they might have had as great privilege as their brethren” (Alma 13:4). In his mercy, God periodically gave the people the opportunity to receive the priesthood while in mortality. In this dispensation, the Lord revealed to the Prophet Joseph Smith that one reason the gospel was restored was “that every man might speak in the name of God” (D&C 1:20). The same was undoubtedly true in other dispensations. The agency of man is still honored, and only those who are faithful and do good works are given the priesthood in mortality. It is obvious from observing the Lord’s work of the latter-day restoration that many people who are given the opportunity to receive the priesthood reject it again. Furthermore, some who were foreordained to receive the priesthood reject the opportunity, as shown by the number of unordained male members of the Church. Also some who hold the priesthood but exercise unrighteous dominion will lose their authority.
36 That the rights of the priesthood are inseparably connected with the powers of heaven, and that the powers of heaven cannot be controlled nor handled only upon the principles of righteousness.
37 That they may be conferred upon us, it is true; but when we undertake to cover our sins, or to gratify our pride, our vain ambition, or to exercise control or dominion or compulsion upon the souls of the children of men, in any degree of unrighteousness, behold, the heavens withdraw themselves; the Spirit of the Lord is grieved; and when it is withdrawn, Amen to the priesthood or the authority of that man.
38 Behold, ere he is aware, he is left unto himself, to kick against the pricks, to persecute the saints, and to fight against God.
39 We have learned by sad experience that it is the nature and disposition of almost all men, as soon as they get a little authority, as they suppose, they will immediately begin to exercise unrighteous dominion.
40 Hence many are called, but few are chosen. [D&C 121:36–40]
In the end, all will have to acknowledge that every man had the opportunity to hold the priesthood, or in Alma’s words “in the first place they were on the same standing as their brethren” (Alma 13:5). Through the priesthood, its keys and ordinances, priesthood holders are placed on earth to bring those who will hearken into the rest of the Lord (Alma 13:6), which rest is the fullness of his glory” (D&C 84:24).