11 And now Abinadi was the first that suffered death by fire because of his belief in God; now this is what he meant, that many should suffer death by fire, according as he had suffered.
12 And he said unto the priests of Noah that their seed should cause many to be put to death, in the like manner as he was, and that they should be scattered abroad and slain, even as a sheep having no shepherd is driven and slain by wild beasts; and now behold, these words were verified, for they were driven by the Lamanites, and they were hunted, and they were smitten.
13 And it came to pass that when the Lamanites saw that they could not overpower the Nephites they returned again to their own land; and many of them came over to dwell in the land of Ishmael and the land of Nephi, and did join themselves to the people of God, who were the people of Anti-Nephi-Lehi.
14 And they did also bury their weapons of war, according as their brethren had, and they began to be a righteous people; and they did walk in the ways of the Lord, and did observe to keep his commandments and his statutes.
Alma 25:11-14 (Emphasis mine)
Going back to the words of Abinadi we are reminded that he said the priests of Noah we cause the death of many through fire. They would be scattered and hunted. We see this coming to pass.
The Lamanites ended their wars because they could not win. It turns out that many joined the Anti-Nephi-Lehites and buried their weapons and became a righteous people. Even though the people of Anti-Nephi-Lehi suffered, even unto death, their sacrifice was not in vain. Not only did the return to God, their faith and actions were responsible for increasing the number of people joining the Anti-Nephi-Lehites.
“If the Nephites are not all good, the Lamanites are by no means all bad. For many years it was only because Nephite dissenters stirred them up that the Lamanites came to war against the Nephites. It was hardened Lamanite troopers who had sworn vengeance upon the Nephites (Alma 25:1) who, upon returning from a campaign, of their own free will went over in large numbers ‘and did join themselves to the people of God, who were the people of Anti-Nephi-Lehi’ (Alma 25:13). It was fierce tribesmen with a long record of savagery and bloodshed who suddenly decided to bury their weapons and became the most righteous people in the New World (Alma 24:19). It was also the Lamanite veterans of a long war who later went over in droves to join them, becoming overnight model Nephite citizens (Alma 62:17, 29).” [1] (Emphasis mine)
15 Yea, and they did keep the law of Moses; for it was expedient that they should keep the law of Moses as yet, for it was not all fulfilled. But notwithstanding the law of Moses, they did look forward to the coming of Christ, considering that the law of Moses was a type of his coming, and believing that they must keep those outward performances until the time that he should be revealed unto them.
16 Now they did not suppose that salvation came by the law of Moses; but the law of Moses did serve to strengthen their faith in Christ; and thus they did retain a hope through faith, unto eternal salvation, relying upon the spirit of prophecy, which spake of those things to come.
17 And now behold, Ammon, and Aaron, and Omner, and Himni, and their brethren did rejoice exceedingly, for the success which they had had among the Lamanites, seeing that the Lord had granted unto them according to their prayers, and that he had also verified his word unto them in every particular.
Alma 25:15-17 (Emphasis mine)
The people of Anti-Nephi-Lehi were Christian. Their faith was in Christ. Their hope was in Christ. They knew that, only through the atonement of Christ would they be saved.
Even so, they also understood that the Law of Moses had not been fulfilled. They still had to follow that law. They knew that, by following the Law of Moses, they found a way to strengthen their faith. (Even those who have a deep and profound faith knew that it was essential to have the faith strengthened whenever possible.)
Mormon than shares the joy of the sons of Mosiah and their brethren. They desired to preach the gospel among the Lamanites. They prayed for success. And, they were seeing that their prayers had been answered and that the Lord had confirmed his words to them.
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