49 Now Alma said unto him: This will I give unto thee for a
sign, that thou shalt be struck dumb, according to my words; and I say, that in
the name of God, ye shall be struck dumb, that ye shall no more have utterance.
50 Now when Alma had said these words, Korihor was struck
dumb, that he could not have utterance, according to the words of Alma.
51 And now when the chief judge saw this, he put forth his
hand and wrote unto Korihor, saying: Art thou convinced of the power of God? In
whom did ye desire that Alma should show forth his sign? Would ye that he
should afflict others, to show unto thee a sign? Behold, he has showed unto you
a sign; and now will ye dispute more?
52 And Korihor put forth his hand and wrote, saying: I know
that I am dumb, for I cannot speak; and I know that nothing save it were the
power of God could bring this upon me; yea, and I always knew that there was a
God.
53 But behold, the devil hath deceived me; for he appeared
unto me in the form of an angel, and said unto me: Go and reclaim this people,
for they have all gone astray after an unknown God. And he said unto me: There
is no God; yea, and he taught me that which I should say. And I have taught his
words; and I taught them because they were pleasing unto the carnal mind; and I
taught them, even until I had much success, insomuch that I verily believed
that they were true; and for this cause I withstood the truth, even until I
have brought this great curse upon me.
54 Now when he had said this, he besought that Alma should
pray unto God, that the curse might be taken from him.
55 But Alma said unto him: If this curse should be taken
from thee thou wouldst again lead away the hearts of this people; therefore, it
shall be unto thee even as the Lord will.
56 And it came to pass that the curse was not taken off of
Korihor; but he was cast out, and went about from house to house begging for
his food.
57 Now the knowledge of what had happened unto Korihor was
immediately published throughout all the land; yea, the proclamation was sent
forth by the chief judge to all the people in the land, declaring unto those
who had believed in the words of Korihor that they must speedily repent, lest
the same judgments would come unto them.
58 And it came to pass that they were all convinced of the
wickedness of Korihor; therefore they were all converted again unto the Lord;
and this put an end to the iniquity after the manner of Korihor. And Korihor
did go about from house to house, begging food for his support.
59 And it came to pass that as he went forth among the
people, yea, among a people who had separated themselves from the Nephites and
called themselves Zoramites, being led by a man whose name was Zoram—and as he
went forth amongst them, behold, he was run upon and trodden down, even until
he was dead.
60 And thus we see the end of him who perverteth the ways of
the Lord; and thus we see that the devil will not support his children at the
last day, but doth speedily drag them down to hell.
(Alma 30:49-60)
Korihor demanded Alma give him a sign that God exists. We
see a classic example of be careful what you wish for. You might get it.
Alma agreed to give him his sign. Calling upon the name of
God, Alma told him he would be struck dumb and would no longer be able to
speak.
No sooner had Alma said these things, Korihor was struck
dumb.
Seeing he had been struck dumb, the chief judge wrote Korihor.
“Art thou convinced of the power of God? In whom did ye desire that Alma should
show forth his sign? Would ye that he should afflict others, to show unto thee
a sign? Behold, he has showed unto you a sign; and now will ye dispute more”
(Alma 30:51).
Korihor responded in writing. He agreed he was dumb. He
confessed nothing but the power of God could have done this. He then tells the
chief judge he always knew there was a God.
The devil deceived him. Sherem made the same claim to Jacob.
“And he spake plainly unto them, that he had been deceived by the power of the
devil. And he spake of hell, and of eternity, and of eternal punishment” (Jacob
7:18).
He appeared to him in the form of an angel. “And no marvel;
for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light” (2 Corinthians
11:14). He told him to reclaim the people. They are following an unknown God.
He also told him there is no God and taught him what to say.
“The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God
is not in all his thoughts” (Psalm 10:4).
It seems strange he would accept the claim there is no God,
taught to him by an “angel.” Where did he think the “angel” came from?
He taught the people the things the “angel” told him to
teach them. He appealed to their carnal mind. “For to be carnally minded is
death” (Romans 8:6).
“But remember that he that persists in his own carnal
nature, and goes on in the ways of sin and rebellion against God, remaineth in
his fallen state and the devil hath all power over him. Therefore he is as
though there was no redemption made, being an enemy to God; and also is the
devil an enemy to God” (Mosiah 16:5).
“For although a man may have many revelations, and have power
to do many mighty works, yet if he boasts in his own strength, and sets at
naught the counsels of God, and follows after the dictates of his own will and
carnal desires, he must fall and incur the vengeance of a just God upon him”
(D&C 3:4).
until I had much success, insomuch that I verily believed
that they were true; and for this cause I withstood the truth, even until I
have brought this great curse upon me.
He claimed the more successful he was with the people, he
even began to believe his own words. He confessed he brought this curse upon
himself.
“Prophets through the ages have always come under attack by
the finger of scorn. Why? According to the scriptures, it is because ‘the
guilty taketh the truth to be hard, for it cutteth them to the very center’ (1
Nephi 16:2), or as President Harold B. Lee observed, ‘The hit bird flutters!’
Their scornful reaction is, in reality, guilt trying to reassure itself, just
as with Korihor, who finally admitted, ‘I always knew that there was a God’
(Alma 30:52). Korihor was so convincing in his deception that he came to
believe his own lie (see Alma 30:53).”[1]
Having written this “confession,” he asked Alma to pray and
ask God the curse be lifted. Alma knew better. He told him should the curse be lifted,
he would continue to attempt to lead the people away from gospel truth. The
curse would not be lifted. He was cast out and ended up begging for his food.
The story of Korihor’s fate spread throughout the land. The
chief judge sent a proclamation among the people telling those who believed Korihor,
they just repent or face the same judgements.
The people rejected Korihor’s teachings and returned to the
true gospel. This ended the sin caused by Korihor.
Korihor travelled throughout the land. He ended up among the
Zoramites, a Nephite separatist group. Eventually, “he was run upon and trodden
down, even until he was dead” (Alma 30:59).
“When Korihor by his vicious and subversive teachings sinned
grievously against God, Alma left it entirely up to God to punish him, and it
was not the Nephites but the wicked and intolerant Zoramites who put him to
death by mob action (Alma 30:59).”[2]
“For they love darkness rather than light, and their deeds
are evil, and they receive their wages of whom they list to obey” (D&C 29:45).
“Therefore, if a man bringeth forth good works he hearkeneth
unto the voice of the good shepherd, and he doth follow him; but whosoever
bringeth forth evil works, the same becometh a child of the devil, for he
hearkeneth unto his voice, and doth follow him.
“And whosoever doeth this must receive his wages of him;
therefore, for his wages he receiveth death, as to things pertaining unto
righteousness, being dead unto all good works” (Alma 5:41-42).
Mormon concludes, “[a]nd thus we see the end of him who
perverteth the ways of the Lord; and thus we see that the devil will not
support his children at the last day, but doth speedily drag them down to hell”
(Alma 30:60).
“Notably, at the last day the adversary ‘will not support’
those who followed him anyway (see Alma 30:60). He cannot. Jesus will triumph
majestically, and the adversary’s clever constructs, ‘pleasing to the carnal
mind,’ will also collapse, and ‘the fall thereof will be exceedingly great’
(see Alma 30:53; 1 Ne. 11:36). Even now, one can see in the lives of those
prodigals who come to themselves the devil’s doctrines dripping in early
meltdown (see Luke 15:17). Many, having experienced the utter emptiness of the
lower ways, are ‘in a preparation to hear the word’ and now await being
informed of the rescuing revelations and translations (see Alma 32:6).”[3]
[2] Chapter
12: Good People and Bad People, Since Cumorah, Hugh Nibley, Maxwell Institute
website.
[3] How
Choice a Seer, Elder Neal A. Maxwell, 2003 General Conference.
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