The good news is that the dreadful circumstance of being a sinner in a state without atonement do not have to happen. There is a God, and this God mercifully claims those who repent as his own. The penitent have the ability to repent because of the atonement. The atonement also overcomes death through the resurrection, allowing people to return to God’s presence. There they are judged according to their actions. While Alma does not say so here, this is where the doctrine of restoration is applied—individuals receive good for good, evil for evil. (See commentary accompanying Alma 40:22.)