Alma’s Sermon to the Church in Zarahemla

Meeting God at the Day of Judgment

Alma 5:14

Have you been born of God?

And now behold, I ask of you, my brethren of the church, have ye spiritually been born of God? Have ye received his image in your countenances? Have ye experienced this mighty change in your hearts?

Alma 5:15

Do you have faith in the redemption and resurrection?

Do ye exercise faith in the redemption of him who created you? Do you look forward with an eye of faith, and view this mortal body raised in immortality, and this corruption raised in incorruption, to stand before God to be judged according to the deeds which have been done in the mortal body?

Alma 5:16–20

Are you ready to meet God at the judgment day?

I say unto you, can you imagine to yourselves that ye hear the voice of the Lord, saying unto you, in that day:

‘Come unto me ye blessed, for behold,
your works have been the works of righteousness
upon the face of the earth?’

Or do ye imagine to yourselves that ye can lie unto the Lord in that day, and say:

‘Lord, our works have been
righteous works upon the face of the earth’

And that he will save you?

Or otherwise, can ye imagine yourselves brought before the tribunal of God with your souls filled with guilt and remorse, having a remembrance of all your guilt, yea, a perfect remembrance of all your wickedness, yea, a remembrance that ye have set at defiance the commandments of God?

I say unto you, can ye look up to God at that day with a pure heart and clean hands? I say unto you, can you look up, having the image of God engraven upon your countenances? I say unto you, can ye think of being saved when you have yielded yourselves to become subjects to the devil?

Alma 5:21

Only those washed clean in the blood of Christ can answer yes.

I say unto you, ye will know at that day that ye cannot be saved; for there can no man be saved except his garments are washed white; yea, his garments must be purified until they are cleansed from all stain, through the blood of him of whom it has been spoken by our fathers, who should come to redeem his people from their sins.

Alma 5:22–23

How will you feel to stand in front of God, stained and filthy?

And now I ask of you, my brethren, how will any of you feel, if ye shall stand before the bar of God, having your garments stained with blood and all manner of filthiness? Behold, what will these things testify against you?

Behold will they not testify that ye are murderers, yea, and also that ye are guilty of all manner of wickedness?

Alma 5:24

Will you have a seat waiting for you in heaven?

Behold, my brethren, do ye suppose that such an one can have a place to sit down in the kingdom of God, with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob, and also all the holy prophets, whose garments are cleansed and are spotless, pure and white?

Alma 5:25

The answer is no.

I say unto you, Nay; except ye make our Creator a liar from the beginning, or suppose that he is a liar from the beginning, ye cannot suppose that such can have place in the kingdom of heaven; but they shall be cast out for they are the children of the kingdom of the devil.