The War in Heaven Changing Battlegrounds
Or How to Tell When You Are Under Attack
by Jeffrey A. Bushman April 2014
As a young
man and as a teacher, I loved the war chapters in the Book of Mormon. There were others that didn’t seem to care
for them. I started to think that the
main reason they were included in the book was to get young men to read the
scriptures. Later, I realized that the
Lord had a reason for everything he had written, and it was to benefit His children
in their efforts to complete their mission on the earth and safely return to
Him. As I learned imagery I started to
realize that one great benefit of the war chapters was to teach that all war is
inspired by Satan, for when people are at war they commit many more sins than
at other times in their life, and if Satan can help them die with their
murderous disposition they are in his power.
So I am
going to use these chapters to show you Satan’s tactics and the methods he uses
on people to get them to follow him. I
will also show you how the Lord prepares His people for the onslaught that will
always come from Satan, giving them power to withstand him and his followers.
Satan was
cast out after the war in heaven, but is continuing his battle here on the
earth, trying to destroy the righteous and add members to his army by enticing
them to sin.
I will use
the leaders of the Lamanites to show the tactics, feelings and motives of
Satan. Then I will use men like Moroni,
Lehi and Helaman to show the same things about the Lord. For example, we learn in Alma 48:17 this
about Moroni that also would apply to Christ.
Yea, verily, verily I say unto you, if all men had been, and were, and ever would be,
As
I work through chapters Alma 43-58 I will use a red font to show how the wicked
leaders are symbolic of Satan and use a black font to shown how
the righteous leaders are symbolic of
Christ.
Hopefully
this will give us a way to tell who inspires the leaders in our day.
Chapter 43
V5-8 Zerahemnah appointed chief captains, all who
at one time were members of the church and then became apostates who hated the
church. They were chosen to preserve the
hatred the Lamanites had for the Nephites that he might bring them into
subjection to accomplish his designs. By
stiring them up to anger it allowed Zerahemnah to gain power over his own
people and use them for his purposes.
V9-13 The Nephites design was to support lands and
family from being destroyed and to have the ability to have the freedom to
serve God according to their desires.
They knew that the Lamanites would not just leave them alone but would
seek to destroy any who believed in God.
The Nephites also wanted to keep the people who the 4 sons of Mosiah had
converted, who had been Lamanites, from being destroyed, knowing they would not
take up the sword to protect themselves.
They loved their fellow men.
V19 Moroni (Christ) had prepared his people
with armor and thick clothing to protect them against the wicked.
V20-22,
23 This was new to the Lamanites, their
leaders were not thinking of protecting their men, but they feared they would
not be able to overcome this group of Nephites because of their armor so they
took off in the wilderness looking for weaker spots to exploit.
V23-54 Moroni understood what the
wicked would do and sent messengers to Alma to ask the Lord where to go to
protect their people. Moroni also sent
spies to follow the Lamanites so he would have knowledge on how best to save
his people, and asked other Nephites wherever he went to help defend their
people. Moroni inspires his people
because they are fighting for a better cause, sanctioned by God, to defend
themselves from their enemies. They are
inspired to cry with one voice for the help of the Lord and they overcome their
enemies. Moroni stops the shedding of
blood of the Lamanites when he sees an opportunity to get them to covenant to
come no more against them to battle.
Chapter
44
V 1-7 Once he has Zerahemnah in his power he gives
him a chance to save his life and the life of his men, but tells him what he
will do if Zerahemnah won’t take an oath to not come again against the
Nephites. He is honest and does exactly
what he says he will do in all circumstances.
Zerahemnah
throws down weapons but won’t make an oath and tries to kill Moroni. He stirs up his remaining men to greater
anger after some of his men had thrown down their weapons and let depart. He finally gives up when he sees that Moroni
has kept his word and will destroy them if they don’t make a covenant.
Chapter
46
V4-7
Amalickiah wants to be a Nephite King and have power over the people. Uses flattery promising positions of power to
others if they will help him. He dissents
from the church.
V10 He is
a man of cunning devices and a man of many flattering words, to lead people to
do wickedly, he seeks to destroy the church of God and their foundation of
liberty which was given to them by God.
V12-28 Moroni raises the title of Liberty, prays
mightily to God for the blessing of liberty to rest on the people as long as
there were Christians in the land. He goes
through the land inspiring the hearts of the people to come and make a covenant
like he has to preserve the liberty of the land. He gets others who put on their armor and
raise the title of liberty. He also
teaches them about the blessings to the seed of Joseph and wants them to claim
them. He goes through all the land and
the people flock to his standard and covenant to stand against Amalickiah.
V29 Amalickiah takes those who are for him, seeing
they are starting to doubt his cause, he gets them to go into the land of Nephi
where the Lamanites live.
V30-36 Moroni knows they will stir up the Lamanites
to anger and come against them later, so he sends out his army and heads them
in the wilderness and brings back most of the army of Amalickiah but Amalickiah
escapes into the wilderness. Moroni
brings the rest of the dissenters back home and gives them a chance to uphold
the liberty of the land or be punished for treason. He established great peace and happiness in
the land. This comes because the people
are becoming one with each other.
Chapter
47
V1,4 He stirs up Lamanites to anger, is very
subtle to do evil.
V8 He uses
deception, murder to gain power.
V16,
24-28 He is disobedient, murders king of
Lamanites.
V35-36 He deceive own people, usurps the kingdom of
Lamanites.
Chapter
48
V1 He speaks against the church and Nephites
and appoints others to spread his hate.
V3-5 He blinds minds, stirs up anger, wants power
over the Nephites also.
48:7-13 Moroni is preparing the people’s minds to be
faithful, fortifies their weakest places
to be very strong. He offers a defense
the Nephites have not had before, fortified cities. He is always a step ahead of their enemies. He did joy in liberty of his people. He did not like bloodshed, he was firm in the
faith and willing to give his blood for his people.
V23 He hated to be the means of sending so many
of their enemies out of this life unprepared to meet their God. He loves people.
Chapter
49
V6-7, 10,
17, 26 he prepared his men with shields
and armor like the Nephites had the last time they met. Amalickiah would have made his men attack even
knowing many would die because he did not care for the blood of his
people. His leaders made foolish oaths,
Amalickiah was exceedingly angry with his people for failing to overpower the
Nephites. He cursed God, and swore stupid
oaths.
V2-9, 20-24 Moroni fortifies
cities to protect his people. Knowing
their enemies will come with armor this time.
He is always one step ahead.
Chapter
50
This whole chapter talks about
Moroni’s unwearingness in well doing to save his people and how he puts a stop
to contention caused by Morianton.
Chapter
51
V17-20 Moroni settles contention in own land in
order to be able to withstand the Lamanites by putting down the King men who
were seeking to destroy their freedom.
Because of disunity the Nephites lose several cities to the Lamanities.
V9, 25-28
Amalickiah’s stirring up the hearts of the Lamanites to anger against the
Nephites. He’s very diligent in
preparing his people for battle, and personally leads their attack where they
take control of many cities. He was very cunning and killed many Nephites.
Chapter
52
V19, 34-38 Moroni counsels with
his leaders and they become one in their strategy, they’re able to overpower the Lamanite army,
stop shedding blood when they see they have them in their power, and give them
opportunity to surrender.
V13 Ammoron seeks to divide the Nephite forces
and harass the Nephites
Chapter
53
V2 Moroni is beloved by his people
Chapter
54
V16-17,
20-21 He knowingly lies and uses the
death of his brother to justify killing Nephites. His goal is to gain power over others. He’s willing to wage an eternal war and then
denys the testimony he had as a member of the church.
Chapter
55
V17-19, 31 Moroni could have
killed the Lamanite army while they were in a drunken state but surrounds them
and gives them the chance to surrender.
He did not delight in a wicked persons death, but loved to save his
people. They remembered the Lord their
God and could not be taken in the Lamanites traps.
V29-34
Using all sorts of traps to destroy the Nephites, Ammoron was always seeking to bring new forces
into the battle.
Chapter
56
Helaman now is mentioned with his
2060 stripling soldiers.
V8, He used persuasion to get people of Ammon to
not break covenants they had made to the Lord. V36 He didn’t want to fight
their enemies in their places of resort but they wished to draw them out into
the open. V47-49, 56 Stripling soldiers
loved liberty over life, had faith in the Lord and fought with the power of
God, and not one of them was killed.
Chapter
57
V24-26 These stripling warriors
fought with perfect faith, but all received many wounds in this battle. 200 had fainted with the loss of blood. Helaman immediately had them taken from among
the dead the treated their wounds hence none died. If he hadn’t done this they would have died.
Conclusion
As we live in a complicated world
it would be wise for us to see how people seeking leadership positions act, do
they respond like righteous or wicked men?
We will need the spirit to help us discern their motives for the wicked
use secret oaths, combinations and in public act in a manner to deceive the
people into believing they are righteous.
Anger is a key that will help you tell motives, do they want to control
others or bless their lives. The 200
stripling warriors who were wounded are like many in the church who may be
overcome by Satan and all they may need to secure eternal life is to have
someone who cares, who binds up their wounds so they don’t die
spiritually. The war in heaven is still
going on and Satan wants you to be his next causality, and control you with his
power. When the Nephites (Church today)
were one or totally united with no contention, they enjoyed the power of the
Lord that made them unbeatable. They
seem to have no casualties, this happened only when there was internal
contention and conflict brought on by pride.
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