Mosiah 27:7-12

⁸ Now the sons of Mosiah were numbered among the unbelievers; and also one of the sons of Alma was numbered among them, he being called Alma, after his father; nevertheless, he became a very wicked and an idolatrous man.  And he was a man of many words, and did speak much flattery to the people; therefore he led many of the people to do after the manner of his iniquities. ⁹ And he became a great hinderment to the prosperity of the church of God; stealing away the hearts of the people; causing much dissension among the people; giving a chance for the enemy of God to exercise his power over them.

Mosiah 27:8-9 (Emphasis mine)

Among those who opposed the church were five prominent individuals – the sons of the King and a son of the high priest. Alma(1) and the sons of Mosiah were going around and doing all they could to destroy the church.  Mormon tells us that Alma(2) was an excellent speaker.  He knew how to move an audience and get them to do what he wants. 

John L. Sorenson discusses this “alternate” religious movement.

“A possible religious influence from the ‘Mulekites’ appears as a distinct organizational element in the mixture constituting Nephite religion. Shortly after the start of the reign of the judges, toward the end of the second century B.C., a group of young adults in the land of Zarahemla refused to ‘believe the tradition of their fathers. They did not believe what had been said concerning the resurrection of the dead, neither did they believe concerning the coming of Christ’ (Mosiah 26:1—2). They would not join the church recently introduced by Alma₁ but ‘were a separate people as to their faith, and remained so ever after’ (Mosiah 26:4). ‘A separate people as to their faith’ clearly indicates the presence of a cult if not a church. The expression ever after may have been a comment from Mormon, more than four centuries later. Soon afterward, adherents to this cult became more numerous than their rivals in the church (see Mosiah 26:5). Among them were Alma(2) and several sons of King Mosiah. Of Alma(2) we are told that ‘he became a very wicked and an idolatrous man’ (Mosiah 27:8). The source of this idolatrous cult is suggested by the fact that Alma(2) named two of his sons, who were born before his conversion (judging by their probable ages and the chronology of their father's career) with Jaredite names—Corianton and Shiblon. It is a reasonable presumption that those names for his sons were derived and conferred when Alma(2) maintained an avid connection with the idolatrous cult of his younger days.” [1] (Emphasis mine)

Dissent is spreading through the land of Zarahemla.  Lynn Wardle describes how dissent is viewed in the Book of Mormon.

“Despite the variety of forms of dissent, some mild and seemingly innocuous, dissent is never described or linked with anything good or positive in the Book of Mormon. Every reference to dissent portrays it as a problem, an evil condition, and a harbinger of even greater problems and evils. For example, Alma(2) was ‘a great hinderment to the prosperity of the church of God’ because he ‘[caused] much dissension among the people’ (Mosiah 27:9) …” [2] (Emphasis mine)

¹⁰ And now it came to pass that while he was going about to destroy the church of God, for he did go about secretly with the sons of Mosiah seeking to destroy the church, and to lead astray the people of the Lord, contrary to the commandments of God, or even the king—¹¹ And as I said unto you, as they were going about rebelling against God, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto them; and he descended as it were in a cloud; and he spake as it were with a voice of thunder, which caused the earth to shake upon which they stood; ¹² And so great was their astonishment, that they fell to the earth, and understood not the words which he spake unto them.

Mosiah 27:10-12 (Emphasis mine)

Things were about to change for these dissidents.  Their fathers had been praying for them and a change of heart.  In verse 11, the prayer is answered.  An angel appears to them and spoke “as it were with a voice of thunder” which caused the earth to shake.  They couldn’t understand the words of the angel.  They fell to the earth.

Hugh Nibley observes:

“There never were more noble and powerful teachers of righteousness than Alma the Elder and Mosiah, and yet their sons were perfect rotters, and deliberately went about undermining all their work; it took an angel to convert them, but almost overnight the arch-delinquents became model missionaries (Mosiah 27:11—13, 32—36).” [3] (Emphasis mine)

A person falling to the earth from a message from an angel or some powerful message from God is not an unusual occurrence in the Book of Mormon.  Mark Alan Wright explains:

“The first recorded instance in the Book of Mormon where someone falls to the earth as if dead in connection with a prophetic commission is that of Alma the Younger. As he was going about with the sons of Mosiah to destroy the church, an angel came down to "stop [them] by the way" (Alma 36:6; compare Mosiah 27:10). Significantly, when the angel first spoke to them as with a voice of thunder, they ‘understood not the words which he spake unto them’ (Mosiah 27:12). The angel ‘cried again,’ and this time his words were plainly understood (Mosiah 27:13; compare 3 Nephi 11:3–).” [4] (Emphasis mine)

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[1] Religious Groups and Movements among the Nephites, 200–1 B.C., John L. Sorenson
Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, February 2, 2012.

[2] Dissent: Perspectives from the Book of Mormon, Lynn D. Wardle, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, February 2, 2012.

[3] Good People and Bad People, Hugh Nibley, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed February 2, 2012.

[4] "According to Their Language, unto Their Understanding": The Cultural Context of Hierophanies and Theophanies in Latter-day Saint Canon, Mark Alan Wright, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed February 2, 2012.