Alma 5:16 - 5:20

Alma 5:16 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?

Alma asks the people if they can imagine that at some future day that when they stand before the Lord that He will say, you have done well and your desire coupled with your efforts to live as you should will be rewarded with the opportunity to continue with the same life style.

Alma 5:17 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, Alma asks, can those who have not done so well, lie to the Lord and get away with saying they were righteous all their lives and want the same reward as the truly righteous?

Alma 5:18 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?

The reality of the judgment day is that you will have a perfect knowledge of all your sins and what you truly sought for in mortality. And if you had decided that you did not want to live the gospel, do you think you will not be suffering from a guilty conscience when you look the Lord in the eye. Your life will be before you in perfect detail and you will know yourself what is the proper assessment for your life.

Alma 5:19 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?

Alma asks does a person who was unrighteous in his life think that he can fool the Lord? What will happen is that he will feel totally out of place and the confidence that a righteous person has will not be in his look.

Alma 5:20 I say unto you, can ye think of being saved when you have yielded yourselves to become subjects to the devil?

Does anyone really think they can be saved when they had lived contrary to the commandments of God and fell to the temptations of satan?