Captain Moroni told Zarahemnah that they did not want to kill them and would not if Zarahemnah and his men would take up their weapons and leave. He said if they chose not to listen, they would be killed.
Zarahemnah would not commit to convert but said he would give up his swords and walk away.
Moroni said that if he didn't do so peacefully, and never return, the Nephites would kill the Lamanites. Zarahemnah got mad, tried to attack Moroni, and one of Moroni's men scalped Zarahemnah.
The Lamanites saw their leaders scalp on a sword, some got scared, laid down their weapons, and departed in to the Wilderness.
The Lamanites that didn't lay down their swords went up against the Nephites in battle.
The Nephites killed them. Zarahemnah said that if they would stop killing the Lamanites, they would lay down their swords and not fight them anymore. They wanted peace. The fighting ended and the bodies of the deceased were tossed into the river.
In Alma Chapter 45, Alma asks his son Helaman if he believed the things Alma taught him and if Alma believed in Jesus Christ and that he would come? He asked Helaman if he would keep his commandments. Helaman said yes, yes, and yes!
Alma prophesied to Helaman about the wickedness and end of the Nephites, that they would become extinct. He told Helaman that all that will be left are the Lamanites. Alma left Helaman to travel towards Melek and was never seen or heard from again. As to where he went or his death no one knows.
Helaman and his brothers re-established the churches at some point and appointed priests and teachers, but the Nephites began to not obey or listen to them. They got wealthy and didn't want to listen to the word of God or walk with God.
In Alma Chapter 46, Amalickiah wanted to be King and conspired against Helaman to kill him. Amalickiah told the Nephites lies and flattered them with promises that if they made him their king, he would do great things for them and give them power and position. Some of the Nephites left the church and followed this man. Even though they were brought to safety by the Lord, they forgot him once they were in a good place and left him. I KNOW I have done this in my life and have fully repented. It pains me to think of it.
When Moroni found out about Amalichiah and what he was doing to lead the church of God astray, he was very upset. He ripped his clothing, tied it to a pole and wrote, "In memory of our God, Our Religion, and our freedom, our peace, our wives, and our children". He called it "The Title of Liberty". When Moroni did this and spoke to his people about being followers of Christ, praying that their religion was preserved, and that they and their homes be protected as they are making covenants with God, they all started to covenant with their God.
Alma 46:23-24 are very heartfelt verses about being of the ancestry of Joseph that was sold in Egypt by his brothers, and how his coat was torn, too. Please read it; it made me feel tender. Moroni said they would perish if they did not continue to have faith in Christ. The Nephites who fell away from the Church and followed Amalachia became knows as Amalachiahites. Moroni planted the Standard of Liberty among the Nephites, told the Amachiahites that if they didn't repent and support freedom they would be put to death, and most of them supported freedom at that point to preserve their lives, and few were put to death.
The church maintained order and peace, many people passed of old age and even those who passed of illness all rejoiced because they knew they had their lives firmly believing in Christ.
Likening these Chapters Unto Me
#1 I was reminded that in my own life I had times of falling away from Christ and the faith. I also have seen how repentance and right living has transformed me in to a new creation. I have seen it, felt it, and others have, too!
#2 I read a few times where the people who were threatened with harm, captured, or even death if they didn't support freedom and peace would "change their mind" and support those things to preserve their own lives. I want to always be someone who chooses to make covenants with the Lord and follow him without threat of destruction first. I want to be a follower of Christ with my whole soul without a motive.
#3 Full repentance is a beautiful thing and the biggest theme in The Book of Mormon. It is so important not just to repent when I do something wrong and to do so quickly, but also understand why, that it's a gift, that it prevents further pain and suffering to do so now instead of waiting until the end of life or even the next life.
#4 God loves us. He wants us to be free to worship, have our families, and be able to make and keep Sacred Covenants with Him.
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