Let’s be clear on two points.
- Saint Peter founded the church under Christ and baptized many souls in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost.
- Alma founded the church under Abinadi and baptized many in the waters of Mormon after escaping persecution.
Alma the elder seems to echo the futuristic words of St. Paul who got his que from St. Peter who sought both physical and spiritual freedom through God.
Alma wrote:Stand fast in this liberty wherewith ye have been made free, and that ye trust no man to be a king over you.
Saint Paul wrote:Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage
Alma the elder was a Book of Mormon Saint Peter who was a bedrock upon which the church was founded with Christ being the cornerstone:
Mosiah 23:16,17 wrote:And now, Alma was their high priest, he being the founder of their church. And it came to pass that none received authority to preach or to teach except it were by him from God.
Alma was like Saint Peter, but now, believe it or not, we are informed that there are “seven churches” in Zarahemla! What are the odds that *seven churches* would imitate the New Testament seven churches in Asia as recorded in the Book of Revelation? Joseph Smith was using symbolism to make his Alma appear biblical and he tossed in the number 7 for good measure!
Mosiah 25:21,23 wrote: Therefore they did assemble themselves together in different bodies, being called churches; every church having their priests and their teachers, and every priest preaching the word according as it was delivered to him by the mouth of Alma. And now there were seven churches in the land of Zarahemla. And it came to pass that whosoever were desirous to take upon them the name of Christ, or of God, they did join the churches of God
Jesus said: “Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church”
Never mind the rock of Peter when you have the rock of Alma!
Mosiah 26:15,17 wrote:Blessed art thou, Alma, and blessed are they who were baptized in the waters of Mormon. Thou art blessed because of thy exceeding faith in the words alone of my servant Abinadi. And blessed art thou because thou hast established a church among this people; and they shall be established, and they shall be my people.
Hence, Alma was likened to Peter. That was exactly what Joseph Smith had in mind.