KnoWhy #119 - Why Did Alma Teach His Opponents about the Temple? (Alma 12:30)

In response to a question posed by a chief ruler of the Nehorites in Ammonihah, Alma taught “the plan of redemption, which had been prepared from the foundation of the world.” These sacred teachings included topics concerning Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, the Fall, temporal and spiritual death, the probationary state of humankind, the Resurrection, and Final Judgment. Although easy to miss, these themes do in fact suggest that Alma was familiar with the temple rites of the Melchizedek Priesthood. Just as Alma’s discourse at Ammonihah points the faithful today towards the house of the Lord, his words gave his opponents in that apostate city an unmistakable opportunity to understand and to repent.