Prophecies Fulfilled and Prayers Answered

Book of Mormon Notes - Wednesday, September 13, 2023, Alma 25

Remember when Alma and Amulek prophesied that the great city of Ammonihah would be destroyed if the people did not repent? The people did not repent and the city was destroyed in a single day by the Lamanites who were angry because they were slaying other Lamanites instead of Nephites. Remember when Abinadi prophesied that the seed of Amulon would be hunted, scattered, and smitten? Well, that too came to pass. Mormon very carefully describes the precise fulfillment of prophesy whenever he notices it.

Some of the Lamanites, after experiencing so much loss and so many afflictions, began to repent and turn to the Lord, and the Amulonites martyred them. This martyrdom stirred up more anger among the Lamanites, this time against the Amulonites. Mormon’s summary and abridgment of these events reminds us that he had not forgotten about Abinadi. Mormon even quotes Abinadi again to show that his prophecies were fulfilled. Furthermore, Mormon clarifies Abinadi’s meaning after the prophecy had been fulfilled. From his vantage-point in the future, looking back on these events, Mormon could more easily see how prophecy had been fulfilled. Abinadi’s words were verified.

Other Lamanites who realized that they could not overpower the Nephites migrated to the land of Ishmael, joined with the people of God (the people of Anti-Nephi-Lehi), and were converted unto the Lord. In the midst of Mormon’s abridgments and summaries of events, I wonder how he will continue his pattern of inserting more direct quotations… Until the next direct quotation, we see that Mormon explains once again why and how the Lord’s people kept the law of Moses. Unlike many of the ancient Israelites, many of the seed of Lehi kept the law of Moses in the proper way, remembering the purpose of the law, namely to build faith in Jesus Christ. King Noah and his people had forgotten the purpose of the law of Moses, but Nephi and his people, and later the Anti-Nephi-Lehites, remembered that the law of Moses was a type of the coming of Jesus Christ.

In this portion of his abridgment, it seems that Mormon was moving back and forth between the plates that contained a record of Abinadi and his prophesies to King Noah and his priests and the record of Alma and the missionary labors of the sons of Mosiah. I imagine that Mormon had all of the plates organized and arranged in such a way that he could find exactly what he needed when he needed it. Whatever the case, I know that Mormon was inspired and directed by the Spirit of the Lord to inscribe the things that he inscribed. He wrote by the Spirit of Prophecy and therefore gathered many other things that had been written by the same Spirit of Prophecy and also fulfilled.

How does Mormon summarize the results of the missionary labors of the sons of Mosiah?

And now behold, Ammon, and Aaron, and Omner, and Himni, and their brethren did rejoice exceedingly, for the success which they had had among the Lamanites, seeing that the Lord had granted unto them according to their ^aprayers, and that he had also verified his word unto them in every particular.

Thus Mormon notices when the Lord answers prayers. What were the prayers of the sons of Mosiah? If we review these prayers we can see, along with Mormon, how the Lord answered them, granted their petitions, and verified His word unto them in every particular. Of course, we too have the advantage of hindsight, or the ability to consider these things in retrospect. But perhaps when we ponder these things in retrospect we can better see how the Lord verifies His word to us in every particular:

Nevertheless they departed out of the land of Zarahemla, and took their swords, and their spears, and their bows, and their arrows, and their slings; and this they did that they might provide food for themselves while in the wilderness.

And thus they departed into the wilderness with their numbers which they had selected, to go up to the land of Nephi, to preach the word of God unto the Lamanites.

And it came to pass that they journeyed many days in the wilderness, and they fasted much and prayed much that the Lord would grant unto them a portion of his Spirit to go with them, and abide with them, that they might be an instrument in the hands of God to bring, if it were possible, their brethren, the Lamanites, to the knowledge of the truth, to the knowledge of the baseness of the traditions of their fathers, which were not correct.

And it came to pass that the Lord did visit them with his Spirit, and said unto them: Be comforted. And they were comforted.

And the Lord said unto them also: Go forth among the Lamanites, thy brethren, and establish my word; yet ye shall be patient in long-suffering and afflictions, that ye may show forth good examples unto them in me, and I will make an instrument of thee in my hands unto the salvation of many souls. (Alma 17:7-11)

As we will see in the next chapter, Ammon also remembered these prayers and gratefully, and joyfully acknowledged how the Lord had answered them.