Alma's Final Words

Alma’s last message in the Book of Mormon was given to his son Helaman and contains an interesting prophecy.  He told his son, “Behold, I perceive that this very people, the Nephites, according to the spirit of revelation which is in me, in four hundred years from the time that Jesus Christ shall manifest himself unto them, shall dwindle in unbelief. Yea, and then shall they see wars and pestilences, yea, famines and bloodshed, even until the people of Nephi shall become extinct” (Alma 45:10-11).  I’ve been wondering why Alma told his son this—surely it was a bit depressing for him to learn that his whole people, which would include his own posterity, would become so wicked that they would be completely destroyed.  It was certainly hard news to bear for Nephi when he saw it in vision.  He wrote, “And it came to pass that I was overcome because of my afflictions, for I considered that mine afflictions were great above all, because of the destruction of my people, for I had beheld their fall” (1 Nephi 15:5).  It was a great blow to him to know what would eventually befall his people; so why did Alma choose this as his last message to Helaman before being taken up to heaven?

               I believe there are some clues in what Alma said to Helaman that may help us understand why he thought this message was important.  In describing the destruction that would come upon them, he also gave the reason why: “This because they shall dwindle in unbelief and fall into the works of darkness, and lasciviousness, and all manner of iniquities; yea, I say unto you, that because they shall sin against so great light and knowledge” (Alma 45:12).  The destruction would come not because it was prophesied but because the people would lose their faith and do great wickedness.  He emphasized this principle again in very final words, “Thus saith the Lord God—Cursed shall be the land, yea, this land, unto every nation, kindred, tongue, and people, unto destruction, which do wickedly, when they are fully ripe; and as I have said so shall it be; for this is the cursing and the blessing of God upon the land, for the Lord cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance” (Alma 45:16).  Perhaps the real takeaway for Helaman was not so much that many would be destroyed 400 years from that time, but rather the principle that righteousness was the key to obtaining blessings and protection from the Lord in the land.  It was not strength as the world defines it that would procure them protection from the Lord, but rather in righteous living.  This was surely a message that Helaman would need as he faced the great difficulties of war. 

            Helaman showed that he indeed understood that righteousness and faith were more important than physical strength to preserve the people and obtain protection.  We see this in the way he dealt with the people of Ammon who wanted to go back on their promise not to fight.  If they had done this the Nephite army could have been much larger and they would have more physical strength, but keeping covenants and obtaining blessings from the Lord was more important to Helaman: “As they were about to take their weapons of war, they were overpowered by the persuasions of Helaman and his brethren, for they were about to break the oath which they had made. And Helaman feared lest by so doing they should lose their souls; therefore all those who had entered into this covenant were compelled to behold their brethren wade through their afflictions” (Alma 53:14-15).  Helaman led the young boys in battle Instead of having the greater physical strength of their fathers, but he focused on their spiritual power: “They were men who were true at all times in whatsoever thing they were entrusted. Yea, they were men of truth and soberness, for they had been taught to keep the commandments of God and to walk uprightly before him” (Alma 53:20-21).  These inexperienced soldiers proved that they knew how to obtain the blessings of the Lord when they were miraculously all preserved in battle—they had faith.  Helaman wrote the cause of their preservation: “And we do justly ascribe it to the miraculous power of God, because of their exceeding faith in that which they had been taught to believe—that there was a just God, and whosoever did not doubt, that they should be preserved by his marvelous power” (Alma 57:26).  The great blessing and cursing of the land, as Alma taught in his final words to Helaman, was that wickedness brought destruction and righteousness brought preservation by the Lord’s hands.  Helaman believed this and was an eye witness to this truth in the great war between the Nephites and Lamanites.  His father’s teaching must have helped him focus on obtaining strength from the Lord through righteousness and faith.