A deep dive into Helaman 5, part 2 of 2

In part 1, I made note of numerous examples of internal consistency found in just the first 13 verses of Helaman 5.  The remainder of the chapter also includes references to other chapters as well as an incident which is later referred to twice.

Verses 14-52 -- The missionary experiences of Nephi-2 and Lehi-2

In these verses we learn about the missionary experiences of Nephi and Lehi.

In verse 14-16, they begin preaching in the city of Bountiful and then head south through Mulek and Gid until they come to Zarahemla.  This reflects the internally consistent geography of the the Nephite lands -- Bountiful is north of Zarahemla, which is first mentioned in detail in Alma 22:29-33.

Note that the land of Zarahemla is now held by the Lamanites, a detail we learn about in Helaman 4:5.

In verse 17, Nephi and Lehi confound Nephite dissenters who "had gone over from the Nephites", which we learned about back in Alma 63.

In verses 20-21, the brothers head to the Land of Nephi and end up being cast into the same prison that "Ammon and his brethren" were held by the "servants of Limhi".  This refers back to an incident we read about in Mosiah 7:6-8.

Then something remarkable happens.  A group of men come to the prison to slay their captives, and a miraculous event takes place that very clearly foreshadows the visit of the Resurrected Christ to the Nephites.  Here are some parallels:

Helaman 5	3 Nephi 8-17
27 words, the earth shook exceedingly, and the walls of the prison did shake as if they were about to tumble to the earth;	8:6 ...and there was terrible thunder, insomuch that it did shake the whole earth as if it was about to divide asunder.
28 And it came to pass that they were overshadowed with a cloud of darkness, and an awful solemn fear came upon them.	8:20 And it came to pass that there was thick darkness upon all the face of the land, insomuch that the inhabitants thereof who had not fallen could feel the vapor of darkness;
29 And it came to pass that there came a voice as if it were above the cloud of darkness,	9:1 And it came to pass that there was a voice heard among all the inhabitants of the earth, upon all the face of this land,
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… 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.	17:24 And as they looked to behold they cast their eyes towards heaven, and they saw the heavens open, and they saw angels descending out of heaven as it were in the midst of fire; and they came down and encircled those little ones about, and they were encircled about with fire; and the angels did minister unto them.
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.	9:20 ...And whoso cometh unto me with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, him will I baptize with fire and with the Holy Ghost, even as the Lamanites, because of their faith in me at the time of their conversion, were baptized with fire and with the Holy Ghost, and they knew it not.
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.	17:25 And the multitude did see and hear and bear record; and they know that their record is true for they all of them did see and hear, every man for himself; and they were in number about two thousand and five hundred souls; and they did consist of men, women, and children.

It seems very clear to me that the prison experience is foreshadowing the destruction, vapor of darkness, and visitation detailed in 3 Nephi.

It is also worth noting that in a completely unrelated part of the Book of Mormon, reference is made to the missionary work of Nephi and Lehi. Moroni delivers a masterful sermon on faith, found in Ether 12, in which he references back to the experiences of Nephi-2 and Lehi-2 among the Lamanites:

14 Behold, 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.

 Compare this with Helaman 5:

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.
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.

In addition to this, there is a subtle little detail worth mentioning, tucked away in this story. Aminadab (which is a biblical name meaning "my kinsmen are noble"), is a Nephite dissenter living among the Lamanites. In the midst of the mist of darkness, he offers an explanation to the men in the prison as to what Nephi and Lehi are doing, then tells the men what they ought to do:

41 And Aminadab said unto them: You must repent, and cry unto the voice, even until ye shall have faith in Christ, who was taught unto you by Alma, and Amulek, and Zeezrom; and when ye shall do this, the cloud of darkness shall be removed from overshadowing you.

In typical Nephite fashion, Aminadab offers the three names of men who have taught the people about Christ.  One of them is Zeezrom, the lawyer who contends with Amulek in Ammonihah back in Alma 11. (Did you happen to recall that Amulek is descended from a man named Aminadi? See Alma 10:2.) Do you recall what became of Zeezrom after this experience?  I've read the Book of Mormon many times, and I could recall off the top of my head that he left Ammonihah and came down with a fever (see Alma 15:3). Then Alma baptizes him. In all the times I read the Book of Mormon, I missed this subtle detail, though (until I went looking for it) -- Zeezrom became a missionary. From Alma 15:

12 And Alma baptized Zeezrom unto the Lord; and he began from that time forth to preach unto the people.

Here is another mention of Zeezrom as a missionary, from Alma 31:

5 And now, as the preaching of the word had a great tendency to lead the people to do that which was just—yea, it had had more powerful effect upon the minds of the people than the sword, or anything else, which had happened unto them—therefore Alma thought it was expedient that they should try the virtue of the word of God.
6 Therefore he took Ammon, and Aaron, and Omner; and Himni he did leave in the church in Zarahemla; but the former three he took with him, and also Amulek and Zeezrom, who were at Melek; and he also took two of his sons.

Isn't that wonderful?  The same two men contending with each other in Alma 11 are now missionary companions among the Zoramites!

One final note, in Alma 37, Alma-2 reminds his son Helaman that the records helped Ammon bring thousands of the Lamanites to a knowledge of their redeemer.  Then he adds this:

10 And who knoweth but what they will be the means of bringing many thousands of them, yea, and also many thousands of our stiffnecked brethren, the Nephites, who are now hardening their hearts in sin and iniquities, to the knowledge of their Redeemer?

This, of course is exactly what happens in Helaman 5 (see verses 17-19).

Summary and Conclusion

What can be made of all of these connections between verses in Helaman 5 and so many other chapters in the Book of Mormon?  I think it is significant evidence that Joseph Smith could not have held all of this information in his head at one time, without notes of some kind.

Let's summarize what we found in this chapter alone:

Hel. 5:	Connects with	Relevant details	# of chapters apart
1	Helaman 6	Cezoram, the chief judge,  is murdered.	1
2	Mosiah 29:25-27	“Voice of the people”	68
4	Helaman 3	Nephi and Lehi are brothers	2
4	Alma 4	Giving up the judgment seat to preach the word	64
6	1 Nephi 2	Nephi and Lehi	78
6-8	2 Nephi 33:4	“Remember/Good/ eternal life”	131
9	Mosiah 3:17	Quotes King Benjamin	94
10	Alma 11:36-40	Quotes Amulek	57
12	2 Nephi 28:28	“Rock of our redeemer”	126
12	2 Nephi 1	“Gulf of misery and endless wo”	98
13	Alma 37:27	“Things which are not written”	31
14-16	Alma 22:29-33	Geography of Bountiful	46
16	Helaman 4:5	Lamanites occupy Zarahemla	1
17	Alma 63	Nephite dissenters among Lamanites	5
20-21	Mosiah 7:6-8	Ammon’s prison	90
27-49	3 Nephi 8-17	Foreshadowing Christ’s visit	18
44	Ether 12:14	Lamanites baptized with fire	63
41	Alma 15:12; 31:6	Zeezrom preaches	53, 37
17-19	Alma 37:10	Alma-2 predicts future missionary success	31