The joy that comes from an infusion of the Holy Spirit is a taste of the eternal nature of the fullness of joy. (See commentary accompanying 2 Nephi 2:25.) Alma spells out that joy in seeing Yahweh on his throne and his longing to be there. This yearning also testifies that his heart had been completely cleansed. Had there been any of the carnal man left, he would have shrunk from Yahweh’s presence.
Reference: Alma alludes to Lehi’s vision (1 Ne. 1: 8–13). He would have had access to both the small and large plates, and the vision was recorded on both. Lehi wrote a full account (1 Ne. 1:16), but Nephi’s (the version we have) is not the full version. Still, this detail tells us that Alma had read extensively in his records and that he expects his readers to know about Lehi’s dream. I conclude that Mormon had included it in his abridgment of the book of Lehi.