Alma 12:11 - 12:15

Alma 12:11 And they that will harden their hearts, to them is given the lesser portion of the word until they know nothing concerning his mysteries; and then they are taken captive by the devil, and led by his will down to destruction. Now this is what is meant by the chains of hell.

The basic process of finding one’s self confined to hell is this: you refuse to listen to instruction from God. Then what you do know begins to slip from your mind and memory. After a while, you have forgotten just about everything about the gospel or any of its precepts. Since there is only God or satan to lead you, satan takes over and you are his to do as he pleases. And when that happens to a person, they are locked in to satan’s grasp and getting away is next to impossible.

Alma 12:12 And Amulek hath spoken plainly concerning death, and being raised from this mortality to a state of immortality, and being brought before the bar of God, to be judged according to our works.

Amulek has talked about the judgment day when we all will stand before God to be appraised of our actions while out of God’s direct influence. We will at some future data be resurrected and then judged on how well we kept God’s commandments.

Alma 12:13 Then if our hearts have been hardened, yea, if we have hardened our hearts against the word, insomuch that it has not been found in us, then will our state be awful, for then we shall be condemned.

And if we have decided that the gospel is not for us and the Lord cannot find where it has been an influencing factor in our lives, we will be assigned to the state which we sought for. That will not be pleasant for those who have this happen to them.

I don’t think it will be that they will be down trodden because of their reward, only they will know they could have had better, but chose not too. I will be the “could have had ….” Syndrome. We have all had that felling at some point in our lives; I could have had whatever, but we sought for something of lesser value because we did not want to put out the additional effort and we feel bad at the point when this realization hits us. This is especially true at the later stages of life.

Alma 12:14 For our words will condemn us, yea, all our works will condemn us; we shall not be found spotless; and our thoughts will also condemn us; and in this awful state we shall not dare to look up to our God; 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.

At the judgment day, we will be judged on our words we have spoken and thoughts we have had. These things will all come out and either commend us or elevate us. We will either feel comfortable in God’s presence or wished a mountain would fall on us to hid us from him.

I am sure that the life panorama that folks have reported in near death experiences will happen here. We will not be able to hid anything from Him. It will be there for not only Him to see, but others as well. Not a very pleasant prospect for our family and friends to see.

Alma 12:15 But this cannot be; we must come forth and stand before him in his glory, and in his power, and in his might, majesty, and dominion, 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.

But being able to hide ourselves from God at the judgment day will not be the case. We will see Him in His full glory and goodness. We will see that He had all the tools we needed to be perfect and enjoy the eternities which he desperately wanted to give us. We will see that the plan of happiness was perfect in its structure and its execution. We will see that He was only interested in our progression and happiness. We will see that we really did not have to do that much to enjoy the fruits of the gospel.