Alma 12

THE BOOK OF ALMA

THE soN OF ALMA

CHAPTER 12

Alma contends with Zeezrom—The mysteries of God can be given only to the faithful—Men are judged by their thoughts, beliefs, words, and works—The wicked shall suffer a spiritual death—This mortal life is a probationary state—The plan of redemption brings to pass the resurrection and, through faith, a remission of sins—The repentant have a claim on mercy through the Only Begotten son. [About 82 B.C.]

1 NOW Alma, seeing that the words of Amulek had silenced Zeezrom, for he beheld that Amulek had caught him in his lying and deceiving to destroy him, and seeing that he began to tremble under a consciousness of his guilt, he opened his mouth and began to speak unto him, and to establish the words of Amulek, [ To bear a second witness that the words spoken of by Amulek were true. ] and to explain things beyond, or to unfold the scriptures beyond that which Amulek had done.

2 Now the words that Alma spake unto Zeezrom were heard by the people round about; for the multitude was great, and he spake on this wise:

3 Now Zeezrom, seeing that thou hast been taken in thy lying and craftiness, for thou hast not lied unto men only but thou hast lied unto God; for behold, he knows all thy thoughts, and thou seest that thy thoughts are made known unto us by his Spirit; [ Amulek has displayed this during the question and answer segment in Alma 11. So Zeezrom knows exactly what Alma is talking about. ]

4 And thou seest that we know that thy plan was a very subtle plan, as to the subtlety of the devil, [ So he equates the plan of Zeezrom to how Satan works, suggesting the source of Zeezroms plans. ] for to lie and to deceive this people that thou mightest set them against us, to revile us and to cast us out— [ Which would be what Satan would want. He does not want the people to start to listen to the prophets of God with any detail. Because as we listen to the prophet and follow his council we begin to move away from Satan and his teachings as we can see them as false. ]

5 Now this was a plan of thine adversary, and he hath exercised his power in thee. [ Or Satan has been using you to do some of his dirty work. ] Now I would that ye should remember that what I say unto thee I say unto all.

6 And behold I say unto you all that this was a snare [ Any thing by which one is entangled and brought into trouble. ] of the adversary, which he has laid to catch this people, that he might bring you into subjection unto him, that he might encircle you about with his chains, [ Those bound by the power Satan see vs11. ] that he might chain you down to everlasting destruction, according to the power of his captivity. [ What is the power of his captivity and how does it work? Once you have sinned then Satan begins to suggest that you cannot be forgiven, that you are doomed, that no one will every want you as you have sinned so badly. This is a death trap almost. One which requires a great deal of courage to repent, to humble yourself, to go to the Bishop if necessary and confess your sins. It is not easy and so it often does not happen, which leaves one then captive to the devil. ]

7 Now when Alma had spoken these words, Zeezrom began to tremble more exceedingly, for he was convinced more and more of the power of God; and he was also convinced that Alma and Amulek had a knowledge of him, for he was convinced that they knew the thoughts and intents of his heart; [ So how hard will that make it for Zeezrom to contend with them going forward if they know what he is thinking? They can always be one or two steps ahead. Zeezrom sees that he does not stand a chance. So his only hope is to figure out how they are doing this maybe, and in order to understand that he might need to really listen to them, not listen to them just to argue a point. ] for power was given unto them that they might know of these things according to the spirit of prophecy.

8 And Zeezrom began to inquire of them diligently, that he might know more concerning the kingdom of God. And he [ Zeezrom. ] said unto Alma: What does this mean which Amulek hath spoken concerning the resurrection of the dead, that all shall rise from the dead, both the just and the unjust, and are brought to stand before God to be judged according to their works? [ Both the righteous and wicked will be brought to stand before God and render an accountability. See verse 15 & 24. ]

9 And now Alma began to expound these things unto him, saying: It is given unto many to know the mysteries of God; [ The mysteries of God are the things that God knowns and not everyone else does. The restriction is that the mysteries are between you and God, and you are not to tell anyone else about them. The meat is found in the scriptures as you begin studying the scriptures, and the milk is what is readily available to everyone – such as the manuals. The problem arises when people start to think that the Milk contains all we need to know and learn. Having never been outside the dairy aisle, they are openly suspicious of non-dairy products. In other words, if Meat is introduced into a class discussion, and they have not heard it before (never having been out of the dairy aisle), they have a hard time hearing it or accepting it. So Alma and Amulek are speaking to a hostile crowd of Nephite dissenters. These are people that used to know the truth but they abandon it, and now Alam and Amulek are trying to expound certain doctrines to the people and the people kind of say. "no, way; there is no way that you could know that." But Alma suggests that there are many who know the mysteries of God, I am not the only one. However there is a price that one must pay to learn the mysteries of God. They were diligent in their study of the scriptures and the Lord taught them these things. What are the mysteries of God of which he is speaking here? It is really the plan of salvation as the specific reference here to the resurrection of the dead as he implied in the previous verse to which Zeezrom does not comprehend. ] nevertheless they are laid under a strict command that they shall not impart only according to the portion of his word which he doth grant unto the children of men,[ "the portion of his word" or knowledge Alma 32. The Lord was said to always speak in parables, he did not give to those who did not want or were not ready. So the command from God is amd has always been to give line upon line to those as they are ready, and we become ready by giving heed and diligence to the word that we have received (as a church and as an individual). Joseph Smith made a comment in the history of the church which is "The reason we do not have the secrets of God revealed to us is because we do not keep them but reveal them to the world. I can keep a secret until doomsday." Many prophets knew way more than they were allowed to write: Nephi, Moroni, Daniel, Isaiah... One of the primary reasons such things are hidden is that they require spiritual maturity and strength to properly conceptualize and internalize them, a level of understanding must already have been acquired. It is like a chick hatching from the shell. The baby chick must expend it's energy to crack its shell on its own. If the shell is cracked and peeled by another to help the chick see the wonder of its awaiting world, the chick often dies as a victim of from it's own weakness. To lay the kingdom’s mysteries out before those who are not diligently seeking them is the equivalent of cracking and peeling open the shell for a baby chick. It is a service that does more harm than good. The prophets do not peel the shells of the eggs that we have for us, they encourage us, but there are some things that we must do on our own - hence conference is not a tim efor the leaders to peel our eggs. ] according to the heed and diligence [ Heed and diligence. What do those words mean? To heed means hearing and paying close attention. The words are “according to the heed.” In other words, one can heed a little bit or a lot. One can heed certain things, while wrongly overlooking to heed other things. The people of Ammonihah were not heedful at all. They were very dismissive, very proud, not teachable, and not willing to listen. In 1 Nephi 16:28, Nephi said that the Liahona “worked according to the faith and diligence and heed which thou didst give unto them.” In that scripture, faith, diligence, and heed applied only to the use of the Liahona, whereas Alma now took that sacred operation which the prophets used to make that instrument work and applied it to people’s spiritual lives. We are continually taught to heed the scriptures, particularly the Book of Mormon. One should not just read it through, but also really read it and understand. sometimes that takes somebody to teach us and others to discuss it with. It is assumed that obedience will be part of that learning process. The words heed, hearken, and obey are linguistically very closely related. We should evaluate how well we are heeding today in comparison with how well we heeded in previous years. ] which they [ Those people who want to know the mysteries, receive the ordinances. ] give unto him. [ Or if are diligent in living those truths in which you already have, you continue to search for greater truth in understanding them on a constant basis. Notice whom the burden is on here. It is up to us to exercise our agency to learn, to seek, to ask and to live. In order to get more. ]

10 And therefore, he that will harden his heart, [ To those who do not think that they know it all. To those who do not want to live as they were commanded, to those who do not submit their will to God. Did not the Jews in ancient times think that they understood the scriptures? Yes they did. Then we must ask ourselves how did they miss the birth, life and resurrection of Jesus Christ? Will we be like them? ] the same [ Those with hard hearts. ] receiveth the lesser portion of the word; [ Or they don't get the same reward aas those who are diligent and heed what they gave been given. ] and he that will not harden his heart, to him is given the greater portion of the word, until [ Suggesting that this is a process here. It does not happen all at once bit a little here and a little there. ] it is given unto him to know the mysteries of God [ What are the mysteries of God that Alma is talking about? Are they heavy and obscure doctrine? Or are we talking about things that are more fundamental to our salvation? Most likely it is the latter. For example; the Jews really did not understand their scriptures even though they proposed that they did. If they would have understood their scriptures completely then they would not have missed the presence of the Savior, the Messiah on the earth the first time. That is very very important in light of the fact that we are close to the time when he will return again. ] until he know them in full. [ So the end result is that there is not one thing that they cannot know if the are diligent and heed the word. Not one thing! ]

[ Compare with 1 Enoch 16:1 "You were (once) in heaven, but not all the mysteries (of heaven) are open to you, and you (only) know the rejected mysteries. Those onesd you have broadcast to the women in the hardness of your hearts" ] 11 And they that will harden their hearts, [ Those who choose to not listen to the spirit, those that are so hard that they do not feel the spirit. Neither are they diligent to what they know they should be doing, they do not heed the word. He told us in verse 8 what he expected of us. People who harden their hearts against the truth when it is presented (pride), believing they already know it all (the definition of ignorance), are described by Alma as being in the “chains of hell.” So who is causing the problem? Is it that God does not want to give to them or is it that they do not want to hear? As always God is trying to fulfill his mission to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man, but he can only do that based on our agency to participate. ] to them is [1] given the lesser portion of the word until they know nothing concerning his mysteries; [ Or sacred revelations - Ordinances. The temple is a place where many of the sacred revelations, especially the foreordained plan of God, how we will progress, and why we are here, are all made manifest. Amos 3, it is written, “God will do nothing save he reveal his mysteries unto his servants the prophets.” The word mystery in that context refers to the prophetic experience of being brought up into the Council, amidst the hosts of Heaven, where the will of God and the judgments of God are manifest. Or commonly known to us as the "Plan" of salvation, redemption... The word plan is used seven times here in the 12th chapter of Alma. The plan is really the greatest mystery for most of mankind. Why am I here, where am I going after this life is over. The word mystery in this context suggests plan. It is interesting that the word mystery is also used in the first verse of the Book Of Mormon. ] ; and then they are [2] taken captive by the devil, and [3] led by his will down to destruction. Now this is what is meant by the chains [ Those bound by the power Satan - 1) those that are given a lesser portion of knowledge of his mysteries, 2) kept within bounds : CONFINED; held under control of another but having the appearance of independence; a situation that makes free choice or departure difficult 3) the state or fact of being destroyed : RUINED; the action or process of destroying something; a destroying agency. How does Satan bind us with his chains? As a Bishop I have come to recognize a very consistent pattern - it starts like this: someone makes a mistake; one that they can repent of; they may need to go see the bishop but don't. The first strand of chain was placed on them by themselves when they committed the sin. However; satan puts the second strand on really quickly with something like - that was just a little sin - you are ok you do not need to see the Bishop for that! It does not take long and he puts on another strand of chain further weighting the person down as satan convinces them that they are no good; then that they cannot ever get forgiven; then that nobody would ever want them after what they have done; each time putting on more chain; each time limiting what they can do - until they are weighed down and cannot move. Then Satan piles on a little more with the idea that they should now give up hope; they should despair; they should be depressed....then without hope they sink even deeper. ] of hell. [ This is what happens when men do not seek for light and truth—they are led down to destruction. Through ignorance and the weaknesses of the flesh, Satan obtains the power to lead us captive. This is because they do not have access to the ordinances of God - or it is through the ordinances that we are saved, and it is through the lack of receiving the ordinances that men are bound to hell. ]

12 And Amulek hath spoken plainly concerning death, and being raised from this mortality to a state of immortality, [ This is grace - we, all men are resurrected, No matter what you may or may not have done. ] and being brought before the bar of God, to be judged according to our works. [ All will come before this judgement bar of God. The judgement will be rendered based on the next verse. ]

13 Then if our hearts have been hardened, [ This is a character attribute that we will have. Either a hard heart(one that makes law unto itself), or softe hearted(one who will submit his will and change his character to be like Gods). ] yea, if we have hardened our hearts against the word, [ If WE have chosen to disregard the scriptures, the commandments. While this is not capitalized here and it is not a title, we also know from John 1:1 that the word is Jesus Christ. So we can imply that if your heart does not believe in Jesus Christ then Jesus will not have the power to save us. ] , insomuch that it [ The word, the commandments and what the scriptures teach us. ] has not been found in us, [ Our willingness to adapt our character to conform to the word. ] then will our state be awful, [ Because we are unclean and not allowed to be in the presence of God. ] for then we shall be condemned. [ Because you cannot believe IN a God that you refuse to believe enough to follow. ]

[ Compare with 1 Enoch 27:1; "those who speak with their mouth unbecoming words against the Lord and utter hard words concerning his glory. Here shall they be gathered together, and here shall be their judgment in the last days" 41:1; 46:7 ] 14 For our words will condemn us, [ How do our words comden us? Using Zeezrom as an example - his words were given to lead people away from God, flattery, blasphemy, evil speaking, priestcraft... His words were not the truth. ] yea, all our works will condemn us; [ How do our works condemn us? If our works are evil we will be condemned - but even further what will our condemnation be if we simple wasted out time on earth? If we did not fulfill our mission on earth - as far as the earth is concerned our life was utterly wasted. What if we do not open our mouths to teach those who do not have the gospel will that condemn us?]we shall not be found spotless; and our thoughts will also condemn us; [ Our word, our works and our thought are essentially our character. How do our thoughts condemn us? Are we really held accountable for every bad thought or is it just those that we allow to harbor in our minds? ] and in this awful state we shall not dare to look up to our God; [ Remember at this point Alma is saying that we are standing before God; but will not be able to look at him if we have not repented. If we look at Alma 11:43 we are taught that we will remember everything pre-mortal and mortal this everyone will have a understanding of who God is; the purpose of the judgement, the plan... ] and we would fain be glad if we could command the rocks and the mountains to fall upon us to hide us from his presence. [ Because we will see who we are compared to who God is. (Mormon 9:4-5) ]

[ Compare with 1 Enoch 27:1; 63:8; "That our Lord is true in all His works, and in His judgements and His justice, And His judgements have no respect of persons." ] 15 But this cannot be; [ We cannot hide under the rocks as mentioned in the previous verse. ] we must come forth [ We do not have a choice here. We will come before him. Notice what follows next. ] and stand before him in his glory, and in his power, and in his might, majesty, and dominion, [ We have to stand before perfection. God cannot turn down his glory and power so we will be brought right snap dab in front of God. There is nothing to protect us, knowing our own nakedness is, and such that if you are not already humble man you are going to get a full dose of it. ] and acknowledge to our everlasting shame that all his judgments are just; that he is just in all his works, and that he is merciful unto the children of men, and that he has all power to save every man that believeth on his name and bringeth forth fruit meet for repentance. [ Which is character change. ]

16 And now behold, I say unto you then cometh a death, even a second death, which is a spiritual death; [ See helaman 14:16-18. ] then is a time that whosoever dieth in his sins, as to a temporal death, shall also die a spiritual death; [ Which is brought about by rejecting God and his commandments. We are the ones who caused this. How? We did not develop a character like Gods, and now the ETERNAL LAW is applied - No unclean thing can dwell in the presence of God. (verse 18)] yea, he shall die as to things pertaining unto righteousness. [ Or we loose our knowledge and understanding of righteous things. ]

17 Then is the time when their torments shall be as a lake of fire and brimstone, whose flame ascendeth up forever and ever; and then is the time that they shall be chained down to an everlasting destruction, according to the power and captivity of Satan, he having subjected them according to his will.

18 Then, I say unto you, they shall be as though there had been no redemption made; [ Why? Because there is no redemption of sin for those who do not repent - it doesn't get much plainer than that, even though you are a good person, if you have and are not applying the atonement in your life you will ultimately take the heat. God will not save us in our sins, but from them. If our character is not aligned with Gods then there is nothing that he can do. ] for they cannot be redeemed [ They are still living in their sins, not changing their character. ] according to God’s justice; [ Which is that no unclean thing can live in the presence or kingdom of God. ] and they cannot die, seeing there is no more corruption.

19 Now it came to pass that when Alma had made an end of speaking these words, the people began to be more astonished;

20 But there was one Antionah, who was a chief ruler among them, came forth and said unto him: What is this that thou hast said, that man should rise from the dead and be changed from this mortal to an immortal state, that the soul can never die?

21 What does the scripture mean, which saith that God placed cherubim and a flaming sword on the east of the garden of Eden, [ Or at the more righteous part. something to understand about the 4 cardinal directions in prophetic language. Like numbers, it represents quality, not direction. Facing East is always the "correct" way to face. It is covenant-keeping. Example: the Garden was placed Eastward in Eden. Christ will come from the East when He comes again. The sun/son rises in the East. Because you face East, that is what is in your future. Thus, what is in the West is in your past. It is your history, your anchor. It is the words and the prophets. When you face East, the North is on your left hand. This is not a good place to be from. This is covenant-breaking. Israel was taken captive into the North countries, or the covenant-breaking countries of the world. And it is out of them that Israel must return. North is also the only direction in which, if you face it, you will never see the sun/son. The south shares the same word in Hebrew as "parched", probably because the world's largest desert lay to the south of Israel. Though it is sparsely populated, the peoples are cared for by the Lord. It is a land of "milk and honey". It is Egypt, a place of refuge. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, even the Child Jesus sought refuge in the south in Egypt. But they did not stay there. It is the only direction which, if you face it, you will always see the sun/son, and view its highest point in the sky. ] 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. [ Trying to distort the scripture for their own purpose - trying to falsely prove using their interpretation of the scriptures that man will die and that is it. This is the last question asked by any of the lawyers of Ammonihah, from this point on Alma preaches to them - it is not a discussion. I would assume that by the power of the message he was filled with the spirit as it is very doctrinal in nature. Alma will begin the message back in the Garden of Eden, and bring his authority in the priesthood forward from that point with the underlying question to the lawyers were do you get your authority? I can trace mine back to God - how about you? ]

22 Now Alma said unto him: This is the thing which I was about to explain. [ Remember they were trying to trip up Alma here. How were they trying to do that? They are saying that Amulek just said that we are going to live forever, but you said that God placed cherubim and a flaming sword at the entrance of the garden so that they cannot live forever; so which is it here Alma? And Alma says well if you give me a minute I will tell you want I was going to say that will answer you question better. ] Now we see that Adam [ Adam who was our first parent. ] did fall by the partaking of the forbidden fruit, according to the word of God; and thus we see, that by his fall, all mankind became a lost and fallen people. [ President Joseph Fielding Smith said that there was a chemical change that took place at this time with Adam and Eve. ]

23 And now behold, I say unto you that if it had been possible for Adam to have partaken of the fruit of the tree of life at that time, [ Suggesting immediately after he partook of the forbidden fruit. At that time, at a time before he had the chance to apply the atonement, and to repent. At that time would also suggest to me that Adam will have the chance to partake of the tree of life at a later time however. ] there would have been no death, [ So we see that this was really part B of Satan's plan. Part A partake of the fruit, Part B live forever in their sin. Because it was the tree of life that would mean that they would live forever. God made sure that they could not partake of this fruit after they had exercised their agency in taking of the forbidden fruit. Because in that moment Adam would have been cast out from eating the forbidden fruit, and he would never die. So there would be no need for a resurrection, and even more importantly the plan would not have been able to be completed. That is that the Savior who was born part God and part mortal, would live a perfect life, then give his life up to atone for the sins of man, and then take his life back up to open the doors for the resurrection of all man as well. ] and the word would have been void, [ The gospel, the plan of salvation, the atonement...none would have been able to be applied. But because God stepped in with the cherubim and a flaming sword now we have a chance to repent of our sins and have a chance to live forever. ] making God a liar, for he said: If thou eat thou shalt surely die.< [ So if Adam would have been able to partake of the tree of life right after be partook of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, the tree that carried the sentence of mortality, death. Then if he partook right away he would have lived forever in his sin. Hence God would have been made to appear as a liar. See Alma 42:5. ]

24 And we see that death comes upon mankind, yea, the death which has been spoken of by Amulek, which is the temporal death; [ This death comes as a result of the fall of Adam. ] nevertheless there was a space granted unto man in which he might repent; [ What is the purpose then of our probationary perion on earth? Man was not punished with death at the moment that he committed sin, he was provided with a probation - a period in which to exercise his agency, to overcome and submit to the will of God. . So in life we get a chance to make a mistake and then have time to correct it, to repent before we die. ] therefore this life became a probationary state; a time to prepare 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.

25 Now, if it had not been for the plan of redemption, [ If there was not a plan put in place and agreed upon by Adam, using his agency, before the transgression of Adam. ] which was laid from the foundation of the world, there could have been no resurrection of the dead; [ We had already agreed that we would sign up for our Fathers plan; which meant that we trusted that the Savior could fulfill his mission. Yes there was some trust involved here. ] but there was a plan of redemption laid, which shall bring to pass the resurrection of the dead, of which has been spoken.

26 And now behold, if it were possible that our first parents could have gone forth and partaken of the tree of life [ Immediately is the point being made here. ] they would have been forever miserable, [ This is about the fall. ] having no preparatory state; [ No time for them to prepare to make the changes that they would need to make before they meet God. ] and thus the plan of redemption would have been frustrated, [ So what was Satans plan to frustrate the plan of God? To get Adam and Eve to partake of the Tree of Life right after they partook of the Tree of knowledge of Good and Evil. But Satan knows not the mind of God, and God steps in immediately to prevent such from happening. ] and the word of God would have been void, taking none effect.

27 But behold, it was not so; [ It did not happen that way - Adam and Eve did not partake of the Tree of knowledge and then right after partake of the tree of life - I suppose that the Lord took good measure to insure that did not happen. ] but it was appointed unto men that they must die; [ Joseph Smith said:"It was not appointed to men to partake of the fruit, but it was appointed unto men to die". How would it all have happened? We do not know; so there must have been another way. ] and after death, they must come to judgment, even that same judgment of which we have spoken, which is the end.

28 And after God had appointed that these things should come unto man, [ That man was going to die. So after man had fallen, after death was in the world. ] behold, then he [ God. ] saw that it was expedient that man should know concerning the things whereof he had appointed unto them; [ After the fall, it was the time to. It was not of any importance before the fall, before the fall they needed no redemption from anything. After the fall it was important that they were taught about the gospel. Then God sought out to teach us these things. What things? The things that we would need to know to apply the atonement and return to him. ]

29 [ So what does God do? ] Therefore he sent angels to converse with them, who caused men to behold of his glory. [ Adam had been seeking further light and knowledge, in my opinion he was asking what he needed to do or if there was a way for him to get back into the presence of God- he would have missed that relationship - RIGHT? So for some three generations he had been praying and sacrificing, being obedient to what he was asked to do before God sent the angels. First, he sent angels to teach us. In Jewish tradition they are called the three sent ones. Peter, James and John in Temple. D&C 29:42. The three that come to Abraham in the wilderness, In the Mandean literature specifically the Book of Adam it points out that "God sent the three pillars of the church to teach Adam the gospel" and the three pillars of the church are specially defined to as Peter James and John. There is a reason that it is Peter James and John and we see this in section 27:5-12 of the Doctrine And Covenants. ]

30 And they began from that time forth to call on his name; [ Adam & Eve are taught that they need to pray to him. So it is for us. ] therefore God conversed with men, and made known unto them the plan of redemption, [ Them - Adam and Eve who did not understand the plan until the angels came and taught them. And what is it that he makes known? The plan of redemption/salvation. And what is the significance of the plan? If we understand the plan then there is purpose and hope in eternal life. ] which had been prepared from the foundation of the world; and this he made known unto them according to their faith and repentance and their holy works. [ Searching for light & truth and character change. ]

31 Wherefore, he [ God. ] gave commandments unto men, [ So God taught them the gospel but that was not until 3 generations after the fall, and at that time he gave them commandments. Why does the Lord give us commandments? he gave us the commandments to teach us how to act, the requirements so to speak. If we are to become like him then we need to learn to make decisions like he would The commandments show us how he would make the decisions. ] they having first transgressed the first commandments [ Notice it says transgressed here, not sinned. Which were? To not partake of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. ] as to things which were temporal, [ They partook of the fruit which made things temporal(mortal). God does not give laws that are temporal. (D&C 29:34) This law that was given to Adam then had eternal consequences, that of mortal death. ] and becoming as Gods, knowing good from evil, [ The direct result of partaking of the tree of knowledge Moses 4:11. Why did God command Adam not to partake of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of Good and evil in the first place? Because knowing good from evil will eventually separate men from God, it is just a fact that over time man will sin, as man sins he cannot remain in Gods presence - this is an eternal law. This verse is talking about a time when they know good from evil (or right from wrong), which they don't know while in the garden because they haven’t yet been taught the Gospel. Their knowledge of good and evil does not come until after they get the Gospel, which happens over in Moses 5! Because without evil we would not become carnal. But as quick as there is a choice and over time we so often become carnal. God knew that would happen and so he just forewarned Adam. What does knowing good from evil mean then? Knowing good from evil means we cannot help but sin. In our mortal state and level of development, having to choose between good and evil and right and wrong guarantees we will make the wrong choices, as we make wrong choices there will be consequences. The disposition of man is to satisfy his own will, his own desires, appetites, and passions. Life is battle of wills—our will or God's will. Pride satisfies our own will, and humility is turning to God's will. That's the battle that we have to fight. That is what we have to change. That alone separates us from God. We gained desires, appetites and passions which are not all bad but often tend to be so. Once we have knowledge, when we can recognize that there is a difference then we are in a position to have consequences. For example: we do not tell a newborn if you touch the stove you will get burnt, because they do not comprehend. We tell a child as he/she is old enough to understand to make decisions. ] placing themselves in a state to act, [ This seems to describe the necessary component of agency. Agency cannot function in the absence of knowledge and the agency of salvation must be in the presence of both good and evil; hence the necessary requirement of opposition. One cannot choose good if there is no evil. We have to choose good in the presence of evil, thus this power to choose will either damn us or it will exalt us! Good has to be chosen in the presence of evil. They were now in a state to act according to their own wills, whether to do good or to do evil. In between the power of knowledge and the power of action is the power of agency: Knowledge ↔ Agency ↔ Action. ] or being placed in a state to act according to their wills and pleasures, — [ Now that you know the difference between good and evil you can use your agency and choose, and it is thru those choices that you can become as the Gods. Agency comes from knowledge and understanding - where Adam and Even were in the state of naive innocence in the Garden - since they knew neither good or bad they were not responsible and therefore were not able to comprehend the law of opposition and choice. This did not happen until they partook of the fruit when they began to see thing differently. ]

32 Therefore God gave unto them commandments, [ The commandment to do no evil; Notice that God gives the commandments after he has made know the plan of salvation. ] after having made known unto them the plan of redemption, [ So the gospel commandments comes after they have been taught the plan of salvation, and after they have made a covenant with God to be obedient. Remember that enough time has passed since leaving the garden that at least three generations are now living. (D&C 29:42) Who gave the commandments? When did he give them? After God gives them the plan so that they can understand the why. How important is it that we understand the plan or salvation? Well it is like this if we don't understand that plan of salvation then we don't or will not understand why we are doing what we are doing. It will not make any sense. But if we do understand the plan then it will all make sense. ] that they should not do evil, [ This commandment was not possible until after they partook of the Tree of Knowledge this commandment to not do evil is not given until they know the difference between good and evil. ] the penalty thereof being a second death, which was an everlasting death as to things pertaining unto righteousness; for on such the plan of redemption could have no power, for the works of justice could not be destroyed, according to the supreme goodness of God.

33 But God did call on men, [ God's plea to us. There are two ways to look at this statement. 1) God plead with all men to repent 2) He called upon those that were foreordained to fulfill their missions. See Alma 13 the responsibilities of those who were called and ordained to save the son's and daughters of God. They are God's hands and are part of the plan - it will not get accomplished without their respective work. ] in the name of his son, (this being the plan of redemption which was laid) saying: If ye will repent, and harden not your hearts, then will I have mercy upon you, through mine Only Begotten son; [ Or then can the atonement be applied in your behalf; which the son has sacrificed for. Mercy is the time required for the individual to develop the kind of character God has, it is what makes God -God. So mercy will act over time in order for you to satisfy the demands of justice, or a time when you have developed the character that makes God God, if you have exercised faith unto repentance, which is the change of your character. ]

34 Therefore, whosoever repenteth, and hardeneth not his heart, he shall have claim on mercy through mine Only Begotten son, unto a remission of his sins; and these shall enter into my rest. [ Defined as "gaining the fulness of his Glory" D&C 84:24 - The Celestial kingdom in the next life and the peace associated with that assurance in this life. ]

35 And whosoever will harden his heart and will do iniquity, behold, I swear in my wrath that he shall not enter into my rest. [ Those with hard hearts, those who will not submit to his will, those who will not receive the ordinances thru covenant will not gain the fulness of his glory. Why? Well because they do not believe, they have their agency to believ and do as they want. If their belief is that there is no God, then in a way there is no Gof that can save them. If they believe that God cannot save them well in a way God cannot save them. If they believe and do not receive the ordinances then the blessing of those ordinances cannot be applied to them. ]

36 And now, my brethren, behold I say unto you, that if ye will harden your hearts [ Why can those with a hard heart not enter his presence? Well in the first place they will not acknowledge the Savior as having over come death, they will not accept the Savior as their master and as such the atonement cannot apply to them because they will fail to use it, and so they are done unless they have lived a sinless life - which they have not. ] ye shall not enter into the rest of the Lord; [ Defined as "gaining the fulness of his Glory" D&C 84:24 ] therefore your iniquity provoketh him that he sendeth down his wrath upon you as in the first provocation, [ What is the reference to the first provocation? The answer is in D&C 84:18-24 Which was when ancient Israel, under Moses refused to receive the further light and knowledge that God wanted to give them. That light which included the fullness of the priesthood. (see Exodus 19:10–11) ] yea, according to his word in the last provocation as well as the first, to the everlasting destruction of your souls; therefore, according to his word, unto the last death, as well as the first.

37 And now, my brethren, seeing we know these things, and they are true, let us repent, and harden not our hearts, that we provoke not the Lord our God to pull down his wrath upon us in these his second commandments which he has given unto us; [ What was the first set of commandments given to man (Adam and Eve specifically)?The first set of commandments were to not partake of the fruit and to multiply vs23,31, What was the second set of commandments? second set of commandments were to "not do evil" see vs 32 ] but let us enter into the rest of God, which is prepared according to his word.