"What does the scripture mean, which saith that God placed acherubim and a flaming sword on the east of the garden of bEden, lest our first parents should enter and partake of the fruit of the tree of life, and live forever? And thus we see that there was no possible chance that they should live forever.
"Now Alma said unto him: This is the thing which I was about to explain. Now we see that Adam did afall by the partaking of the forbidden bfruit, according to the word of God; and thus we see, that by his fall, all mankind became a clost and fallen people.
"And now behold, I say unto you that if it had been possible for Adam to have apartaken 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: bIf thou eat thou shalt surely die.
"And we see that adeath 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 bman in which he might repent; therefore this life became a cprobationary state; a time to dprepare 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.
"Now, if it had not been for the plan of redemption, which was laid from the foundation of the world, there could have been no aresurrection of the dead; but there was a plan of bredemption laid, which shall bring to pass the resurrection of the dead, of which has been spoken.
"And now behold, if it were possible that our first parents could have gone forth and partaken of the atree of life they would have been forever miserable, having no preparatory state; and thus the bplan of redemption would have been frustrated, and the word of God would have been void, taking none effect.
"But behold, it was not so; but it was aappointed unto men that they must die; and after death, they must come to bjudgment, even that same judgment of which we have spoken, which is the end.
"And after God had appointed that these things should come unto man, behold, then he saw that it was expedient that man should know concerning the things whereof he had appointed unto them;
'"And they began from that time forth to call on his name; therefore God aconversed with men, and made known unto them the bplan of redemption, which had been prepared from the cfoundation of the world; and this he made known unto them according to their faith and repentance and their dholy works.
"Wherefore, he gave acommandments unto men, they having first transgressed the bfirstcknowing good from evil, placing themselves in a state to dact, or being placed in a state to act according to their wills and pleasures, whether to do evil or to do good— commandments as to things which were temporal, and becoming as gods,
"Therefore God gave unto them commandments, after having made aknown unto them the plan of redemption, that they should not do evil, the penalty thereof being a second bdeath, which was an everlasting cdeath as to things pertaining unto righteousness; for on such the plan of redemption could have no power, for the works of djustice could not be destroyed, according to the supreme egoodness of God.
"But God did call on men, in the name of his Son, (this being the aplan of redemption which was laid) saying: If ye will brepent, and harden not your hearts, then will I have mercy upon you, through mine Only Begotten Son;
"Therefore, whosoever repenteth, and hardeneth not his heart, he shall have claim on amercy through mine Only Begotten Son, unto a bremission of his sins; and these shall enter into my crest.
"And whosoever will harden his heart and will do ainiquity, behold, I swear in my wrath that he shall not enter into my rest.
"And now, my brethren, behold I say unto you, that if ye will harden your hearts ye shall not enter into the rest of the Lord; therefore your iniquity aprovoketh him that he sendeth down his bwrath upon you as in the cfirstddestruction of your souls; therefore, according to his word, unto the last death, as well as the first. provocation, yea, according to his word in the last provocation as well as the first, to the everlasting.
"And now, my brethren, seeing we know these things, and they are true, let us repent, and harden not our hearts, that we aprovoke not the Lord our God to pull down his wrath upon us in these his second commandments which he has given unto us; but let us enter into the brest of God, which is prepared according to his word."
(Alma 12:21-37)
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