Part 5 - Allegories in the Book of Alma

Alma 17-27: Final gathering of remnant and Zion

Alma 17-26:

• Final Gathering of Remnant(s) (Jacob 5:51-75)
• Four sons of Mosiah preaching to four lost remnants
• Alma 17 - King Lamoni speechless - "Kings shall shut their mouths" (Isaiah 52:15)
• Alma 23 - preach in a place that had been forbidden but restrictions were lifted
• Alma 24 -gathered people are tested to see if they'll stay true to the Covenant
• Alma 24:15 Oh, how merciful is our God! And now behold, since it has been as much as we could do to get our stains taken away from us, and our swords are made bright, let us hide them away that they may be kept bright, as a testimony to our God at the last day, or at the day that we shall be brought to stand before him to be judged, that we have not stained our swords in the blood of our brethren since he imparted his word unto us and has made us clean thereby.
• Alma 25 - post-gathering wars, more flee to join gathered remnant
• Alma 26 - post-gathering harvest and rejoicing (Jacob 5:74-75)
• Alma 26:7 - harvest
•  "...they are in the hands of the Lord of the harvest"
• Alma 26:15 - marvelous work
• "we have been instruments in his hands of doing this great and marvelous work."
• Alma 26:36 - branch taken from tree of Israel and visited in a strange land
• "blessed is the name of my God, who has been mindful of this people, who are a branch of the tree of Israel, and has been lost from its body in a strange land;"
• Jacob 5:74-75
• 74 And thus they labored, with all diligence, according to the commandments of the Lord of the vineyard, even until the bad had been cast away out of the vineyard, and the Lord had preserved unto himself that the trees had become again the natural fruit; and they became like unto one body; and the fruits were equal; and the Lord of the vineyard had preserved unto himself the natural fruit, which was most precious unto him from the beginning.
• 75 And it came to pass that when the Lord of the vineyard saw that his fruit was good, and that his vineyard was no more corrupt, he called up his servants, and said unto them: Behold, for this last time have we nourished my vineyard; and thou beholdest that I have done according to my will; and I have preserved the natural fruit, that it is good, even like as it was in the beginning. And blessed art thou; for because ye have been diligent in laboring with me in my vineyard, and have kept my commandments, and have brought unto me again the natural fruit, that my vineyard is no more corrupted, and the bad is cast away, behold ye shall have joy with me because of the fruit of my vineyard.

Alma 27:

• Final restoration of remnant to Zion  (Jacob 5:67-68)
• Alma 27:14
• And they gathered together all their people, yea, all the people of the Lord, and did gather together all their flocks and herds, and departed out of the land, and came into the wilderness which divided the land of Nephi from the land of Zarahemla, and came over near the borders of the land.
• Characteristics of this Zion people
• Alma 27:27-30
• 27 And they were among the people of Nephi, and also numbered among the people who were of the church of God. And they were also distinguished for their zeal towards God, and also towards men; for they were perfectly honest and upright in all things; and they were firm in the faith of Christ, even unto the end.
• 28 And they did look upon shedding the blood of their brethren with the greatest abhorrence; and they never could be prevailed upon to take up arms against their brethren; and they never did look upon death with any degree of terror, for their hope and views of Christ and the resurrection; therefore, death was swallowed up to them by the victory of Christ over it.
• 29 Therefore, they would suffer death in the most aggravating and distressing manner which could be inflicted by their brethren, before they would take the sword or cimeter to smite them.
• 30 And thus they were a zealous and beloved people, a highly favored people of the Lord.