Alma 5: More Evidence

Alma 5 is very familiar to most LDS. “Have ye spiritually been born of God? Have ye received his image in your countenances? Have ye experienced this mighty change in your hearts? Do ye exercise faith in the redemption of him who created you? Do you look forward with an eye of faith, and view this mortal body raised in immortality, and this corruption raised in incorruption..?” Then, a few verses later, “…for there can no man be saved except his garments are washed white; yea, his garments must be purified until they are cleansed from all stain, through the blood of him of whom it has been spoken by our fathers, who should come to redeem his people from their sins…. Behold, my brethren, do ye suppose that such an one can have a place to sit down in the kingdom of God, with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob, and also all the holy prophets, whose garments are cleansed and are spotless, pure and white?”

These ideas – spiritual rebirth, receiving the image of God, resurrection, holy garments, and ancient high priests like Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob – are ancient Hebrew concepts relating to the temple. They are concepts Joseph Smith could not have known about and woven so seamlessly into the Book of Mormon if he had been the author.

For some background on the ancient nature of the concepts and how they relate to one another, I recommend watching this video: Margaret Barker – Restoring Solomon’s Temple starting at about 45:30. She offers evidence from numerous ancient texts that the Hebrews at the time of Solomon’s temple (before King Josiah made radical religious changes about 600 BC) linked these concepts together. 

The first Christians at the time of Christ had been waiting for a restoration of these temple-oriented doctrines. As happened during the time of King Josiah, after Christ’s ascension there was apostasy and these concepts were again lost (though the Lehites kept them, and they now exist in the Book of Mormon). These concepts and doctrines have again been restored and are available to us today in temples. How grateful we should be for the teachings of the temple. Generations have longed for their restoration.