Alma 16

Alma 16

The vengeance of God comes upon the wicked people of Ammonihah, who had tortured Alma and Amulek in jail, kicked out the men believers, and burned the women and children believers. The Lamanites launched a surprise attack against the Nephites—after years of peace and calm—and the first Nephite city they attacked was Ammonihah! The Nephites were able to gather together an army to drive the Lamanites away… but not until the entire city of Ammonihah had already been destroyed.

9 And thus ended the eleventh year of the judges, the Lamanites having been driven out of the land, and the people of Ammonihah were destroyed; yea, every living soul of the Ammonihahites was destroyed, and also their great city, which they said God could not destroy, because of its greatness.

I don’t know if God actually seeks vengeance on the wicked. In cases as extreme as burning women and children, I think He just might. But I also believe that in most cases He just removes His protective power from the wicked, and allows them to destroy each other (in this case, the wicked Lamanites chose to wipe out the wicked Ammonihahites). The Lord has great protective power for those who follow Him, and those who reject or mock that protective power can be humbled very quickly.

But peace is restored to the land, and the church grows in numbers and in strength. The priests of the church teach primarily about the coming of Jesus Christ (the date is about 80 B.C. right now). These passages give you a little foreshadowing that Jesus Christ will visit the Nephites on the American continent after he finishes his mortal ministry in the Middle East. This was prophesied to the Nephites many years before it ever happened. (Stay tuned and we will read all about it in the book of 3^rd Nephi.)

18 Now those priests who did go forth among the people did preach against all lyings, and deceivings, and envyings, and strifes, and malice, and revilings, and stealing, robbing, plundering, murdering, committing adultery, and all manner of lasciviousness, crying that these things ought not so to be—

 19 Holding forth things which must shortly come; yea, holding forth the coming of the Son of God, his sufferings and death, and also the resurrection of the dead.

 20 And many of the people did inquire concerning the place where the Son of God should come; and they were taught that he would appear unto them after his resurrection; and this the people did hear with great joy and gladness.