Helaman 5:42-52

⁴² And it came to pass that they all did begin to cry unto the voice of him who had shaken the earth; yea, they did cry even until the cloud of darkness was dispersed. ⁴³ And it came to pass that when they cast their eyes about, and saw that the cloud of darkness was dispersed from overshadowing them, behold, they saw that they were encircled about, yea every soul, by a pillar of fire. ⁴⁴ And Nephi and Lehi were in the midst of them; yea, they were encircled about; yea, they were as if in the midst of a flaming fire, yet it did harm them not, neither did it take hold upon the walls of the prison; and they were filled with that joy which is unspeakable and full of glory.

Helaman 5:42 – 44 (Emphasis mine)

The Lamanites did as they were told; they began crying unto the Lord.  They continued, “even until the cloud of darkness was dispersed” (v. 42). 

When the cloud dispersed, they saw that they were surrounded by a pillar of fire, with Nephi₂ and Lehi₄ in their midst.  Standing in the midst of this fire, “they were filled with that joy which is unspeakable and full of glory” (v. 43).

Corbin Volluz describes the situation and what happened.

“The Lamanites redeemed through the preaching of Nephi and Lehi, sons of Helaman, were initially overshadowed by a cloud of darkness and rendered immobile. They called to Aminadab, an inactive Nephite, as to what they should do. Even the inactive Aminadab was able to give them the correct answer … In response, the Lamanites did ‘cry unto the voice of him who had shaken the earth; yea, they did cry even until the cloud of darkness was dispersed’ (emphasis in original) (Helaman 5:42). As a result, ‘the change’ was wrought upon these Lamanites and they were redeemed (Ether 12:14).

Thus we see the Book of Mormon describes the act of ‘calling upon the Lord,’ or ‘crying unto the Lord’ as an essential prerequisite to being redeemed. But this ‘calling upon the Lord’ must be of a certain type and quality. The request may not be insincere or the by-product of idle curiosity. In order to be effective, the cry must be the natural culmination and consummation of three qualities: humility, faith, and repentance.”[1]  (Emphasis mine)

⁴⁵ And behold, the Holy Spirit of God did come down from heaven, and did enter into their hearts, and they were filled as if with fire, and they could speak forth marvelous words. ⁴⁶ And it came to pass that there came a voice unto them, yea, a pleasant voice, as if it were a whisper, saying:

⁴⁷ Peace, peace be unto you, because of your faith in my Well Beloved, who was from the foundation of the world.

⁴⁸ And now, when they heard this they cast up their eyes as if to behold from whence the voice came; and behold, they saw the heavens open; and angels came down out of heaven and ministered unto them. ⁴⁹ And there were about three hundred souls who saw and heard these things; and they were bidden to go forth and marvel not, neither should they doubt.

Helaman 5:45 – 49 (Emphasis mine)

The Holy Spirit entered their hearts and “they were filled as if with fire” (v. 45).  They then heard the still small voice, testifying to them this occurred “because of your faith in my Well Beloved” (v. 47).  Faith was the key to this experience.  Moroni2 would tell us that “it was the faith of Nephi and Lehi that wrought the change upon the Lamanites, that they were baptized with fire and with the Holy Ghost” (Ether 12:14).

When they looked towards heaven, they saw angels come down and they began to minister to them.  The three hundred “who saw and heard these things” were told to “go forth and marvel not, neither should they doubt” (v. 49).

Richard Rust discusses the role fire plays in this experience.

“Fire plays an unexpected role in the experience of the brothers Nephi and Lehi in prison. When they are about to be put to death, these prophets are encircled about by fire—which instead of destroying them leads to their release from prison. Likewise, their Lamanite captors, who had been imprisoned within the walls of their hatred and error, are set free when they repent and are encircled by a pillar of fire. Then all are ‘filled as if with fire’ (Helaman 5:45) by the Holy Ghost. Although the Lamanites at first are immobilized by a cloud of darkness (typifying their spiritual condition), their eventual faith brings light out of darkness. Shaken by the tremors under the prison, the Lamanites are pierced to the soul by ‘a still voice of perfect mildness’ and later hear ‘a pleasant voice’ whisper peace unto them (Helaman 5:30, 46).”[2] (Emphasis mine)

⁵⁰ And it came to pass that they did go forth, and did minister unto the people, declaring throughout all the regions round about all the things which they had heard and seen, insomuch that the more part of the Lamanites were convinced of them, because of the greatness of the evidences which they had received. ⁵¹ And as many as were convinced did lay down their weapons of war, and also their hatred and the tradition of their fathers. ⁵² And it came to pass that they did yield up unto the Nephites the lands of their possession.

Helaman 5:50 – 52 (Emphasis mine)

Those who were converted went out and preached to the people, telling them what had happened and the things they had heard.  Many were converted, laying “down their weapons of war, and also their hatred and the tradition of their fathers” (v. 51). Giving up the traditions of their fathers was an important part of the conversion process.  “Salvation therefore consists, at least partially, in overcoming false traditions (Alma 9:17; Helaman 5:51; 15:7-8; D&C 74:6-7), and, accordingly, it is part of the goal of those who preach the true gospel to lead people to see the incorrectness of the traditions they have previously been taught (Alma 17:9; 24:7).”^[3]

Another result was that the converted Lamanites “did yield up unto the Nephites the lands of their possession” (v. 52).

Richard Bushman explains the success of Lehi₄ and Nephi₂.

“[The missionary labors of the sons of Mosiah] set the pattern for later conversions by Nephi and Lehi, the sons of Helaman. The converts from this later proselyting effort also ‘did lay down their weapons of war, and also their hatred and the tradition of their fathers’ (Helaman 5:51). With the false tradition out of the way, once more peace came to the two nations, commerce opened between them, and they enjoyed greater prosperity than at any time in their history to that point. This second missionary episode strengthens the implication that conversion to the gospel and repudiation of false traditions was the only workable basis for permanent peace.”^[4]

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[1] Cry Redemption: The Plan of Redemption as Taught in the Book of Mormon, Corbin T. Volluz, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed July 2, 2012.

[2] "Not Cast Off Forever" – Imagery, Richard Dilworth Rust, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed July 2, 2012.

[3] Editor's Introduction: Traditions of the Fathers, Daniel C. Peterson, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, July 2, 2012.

[4] The Lamanite View of Book of Mormon History, Richard L. Bushman, Provo, Utah: Maxwell Institute, accessed July 2, 2012.