Alma 45

The people of Nephi were overjoyed. Once again the Lord had saved them from their enemies. They gave thanks to God, fasted, prayed, and worshiped him with deep, overflowing joy.

Alma Questions His Son

In the nineteenth year of the judges' rule, Alma came to his son Helaman. 'Do you believe what I told you about these sacred records we’ve been keeping?' 'Yes, I believe,' Helaman said. 'And do you believe in Jesus Christ, who is coming?' 'Yes, I believe everything you’ve taught me.' 'Will you keep my commandments?' 'Yes. I will keep them with all my heart.' 'You are blessed,' Alma told him. 'The Lord will make you thrive in this land.'

A Dark Prophecy

'But I have something to prophesy to you. What I’m about to say, you must keep secret. Don’t reveal it until the prophecy comes true. Write down these words.' 'Here’s what I see: Four hundred years after Jesus Christ appears to this people, the Nephites will collapse into unbelief. The Spirit shows me this.' 'Then they’ll face wars, plagues, famines, and bloodshed—until the Nephite people are completely wiped out.' 'This will happen because they’ll sink into unbelief and turn to darkness, immorality, and every kind of evil. They’ll have been given so much light and knowledge—and they’ll sin against it. I’m telling you, within four generations of that day, this terrible destruction will come.' 'When that great day arrives, those who are now Nephites—or their descendants—will no longer be counted as Nephites.' 'Whoever survives that awful day will join the Lamanites and become like them. Only a few will remain—the disciples of the Lord. And the Lamanites will hunt them down until even they are gone. This prophecy will come to pass because of wickedness.'

Blessings and a Farewell

After Alma finished saying this to Helaman, he blessed him and his other sons. He also blessed the land itself, for the sake of those who were righteous.

He said, 'This is what the Lord God declares: This land will be cursed for every nation, tribe, language, and people who do evil when their wickedness is ripe. Just as I’ve said, so it will be. This is the curse and the blessing of God on the land—the Lord cannot tolerate sin, not even a little.'

Then Alma blessed the church—all those who would stand firm in faith from that time forward.

Alma Disappears

After this, Alma left the land of Zarahemla, heading as if toward the land of Melek. He was never seen or heard from again. No one knows what happened to him or where he was buried. We know he was a righteous man. A story spread through the church that he had been taken up by the Spirit, or buried by the hand of the Lord—like Moses. Scripture says the Lord took Moses to himself. We believe he also took Alma into the Spirit, to be with him. That’s why we know nothing about his death or burial.

Helaman Takes Charge

At the start of the nineteenth year of the judges, Helaman went out among the people to teach them God’s word.

The constant wars with the Lamanites and the little conflicts and disturbances among the people made it necessary to preach the word of God again. The church needed structure and order restored.

So Helaman and his brothers worked to rebuild the church throughout the land—in every city the Nephites held. They appointed priests and teachers for all the congregations.

Pride Takes Root

But soon after Helaman and his brothers appointed these leaders, conflict broke out. Some people refused to listen to Helaman and his brothers. They became arrogant, puffed up with pride because of their great wealth. They saw themselves as rich and important, and refused to listen or walk humbly before God.