The War in Heaven in Helaman 2

As I read the account of Helaman’s near assassination recorded in Helaman 2, I wondered if this story might be a symbol of what happened in the premortal existence. We know that there was a war there before man came to the earth: “And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him” (Revelation 12:7-9). Satan and his band fought against Michael and the followers of the Savior, and ultimately Satan was cast out. The Lord described what happened in another scripture with these words: “Wherefore, because that Satan rebelled against me, and sought to destroy the agency of man, which I, the Lord God, had given him, and also, that I should give unto him mine own power; by the power of mine Only Begotten, I caused that he should be cast down; And he became Satan, yea, even the devil, the father of all lies, to deceive and to blind men, and to lead them captive at his will, even as many as would not hearken unto my voice. And now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which I, the Lord God, had made” (Moses 4:3-5). Satan was full of lies and subtility, leading away many after him and seeking to destroy the agency of man. But he failed there, and continues his attacks on the children of men here on earth.

                Looking at this story in the Book of Mormon, I see Helaman as a representation of the agency of man. We read, “And it came to pass that Helaman, who was the son of Helaman, was appointed to fill the judgment-seat, by the voice of the people” (v2). He was selected by the people to lead, which he did in righteousness. Gadianton, representing the devil, desired to destroy him (overturning the agency of the people) so that he could usurp the power. He sent a follower, Kishkumen, who was defeated by a servant of Helaman. That servant could represent Michael, who was Adam, and who fought against the dragon to preserve the agency of man and the plan of the Father. We know that Adam was the one who gained knowledge due to his experience with Satan in the Garden of Eden (albeit that this came later in the real story). In the account in Helaman, this servant gained knowledge from his earlier experience with Gadianton: “One of the servants of Helaman, having been out by night, and having obtained, through disguise, a knowledge of those plans which had been laid by this band to destroy Helaman” (v6). This servant was then able to defeat the band of Gadianton, or at least prevent them from usurping power at the judgment seat, just as Adam was able to defeat the dragon in the premortal world. After this, Gadianton’s band were cast out, or at least they fled into the wilderness: “But behold, when Gadianton had found that Kishkumen did not return he feared lest that he should be destroyed; therefore he caused that his band should follow him. And they took their flight out of the land, by a secret way, into the wilderness” (v11). In a similar manner, after Satan lost the war against Adam in heaven, he was “cast out into the earth.” From that point he would seek to lead the children of men astray and spiritually destroy them, just as Gadianton and his band sought to destroy the people of Nephi after that.

                Helaman would later say this, perhaps thinking about the time he was almost killed on the judgment seat: “And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall” (Helaman 5:12). He knew that it was only through the Redeemer that ultimately Satan could be overcome. Though not explicitly stated in the story, surely Helaman would have asserted that it was the Son of God who protected him, preserving the agency of the people and causing Gadianton and his followers to be repulsed. We know that those, including Adam, who fought against Satan did so through the power of Jesus Christ: “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony” (Revelation 12:11). So, most importantly, this story from the Book of Mormon highlights to us that we must build our foundation on the rock of our Redeemer, just as Helaman and Adam did, in order to overcome the adversary.