Sign 39 – Korean War

Year:1952

Scriptures:

Alma 35:13

3 And the people of Ammon departed out of the land of Jershon, and came over into the land of Melek, and gave place in the land of Jershon for the armies of the Nephites, that they might contend with the armies of the Lamanites and the armies of the Zoramites; and thus commenced a war betwixt the Lamanites and the Nephites, in the eighteenth year of the reign of the judges; and an account shall be given of their wars hereafter.

Alma 43:3-4

3 And now I return to an account of the wars between the Nephites and the Lamanites, in the eighteenth year of the reign of the judges.

4 For behold, it came to pass that the Zoramites became Lamanites; therefore, in the commencement of the eighteenth year the people of the Nephites saw that the Lamanites were coming upon them; therefore they made preparations for war; yea, they gathered together their armies in the land of Jershon.

A great war begins between the Nephites and the Lamanites in the eighteenth year of the reign of the judges which would be 74 BC (1952). The Lamanites came into the land of the Nephites to fight the war. They also brought with them another army from the Zoramites.

Alma 43:29-30

29 And now… it was their intention [the Lamanites] to destroy their brethren, or to subject them and bring them into bondage that they might establish a kingdom unto themselves over all the land;

30 And… it was the only desire of the Nephites to preserve their lands, and their liberty, and their church…

The Lamanites wanted to destroy the Nephites and put them in bondage while the Nephites were fighting to preserve their lands, liberty and church.

Alma 44:16-17, 19-21, 23

16 Now it came to pass that Zerahemnah was exceedingly wroth, and he did stir up the remainder of his soldiers to anger, to contend more powerfully against the Nephites.

17 And now Moroni was angry, because of the stubbornness of the Lamanites; therefore he commanded his people that they should fall upon them and slay them. And it came to pass that they began to slay them; yea, and the Lamanites did contend with their swords and their might.

19 Now Zerahemnah, when he saw that they were all about to be destroyed, cried mightily unto Moroni, promising that he would covenant and also his people with them, if they would spare the remainder of their lives, that they never would come to war again against them.

20 And it came to pass that Moroni caused that the work of death should cease again among the people. And he took the weapons of war from the Lamanites; and after they had entered into a covenant with him of peace they were suffered to depart into the wilderness.

21 Now the number of their dead was not numbered because of the greatness of the number; yea, the number of their dead was exceedingly great, both on the Nephites and on the Lamanites.

23 And the armies of the Nephites, or of Moroni, returned and came to their houses and their lands.

A great battle took place between the Nephites and the Lamanites which killed many people on both sides. However, when the Lamanites saw that they were going to lose the war they signed a peace treaty. Then the Lamanites and the Nephites returned to their home lands.

This battle in the Book of Mormon is a pattern of the Korean War which took place between 1950 and 1953. North Korea, a communist state invaded South Korea which had become a working democracy. North Korea was supported by their ally Communist China and South Korea was supported by the United States. After three years of fighting a peace treaty was signed and both sides and their allies returned to their own lands.