The Fruit of Abinadi: Alma and Amulek—The Angel, the Prophet, and the Forgotten Faith of Amulek (Episode One)

Would you listen to a celebrity if he or she asked you to make a life change?

Seeing a celebrity in person can have a soul-shaking effect—for better or worse. That person might appear larger than life or become a disappointment if they fall short of the fan’s expectations.

What if the celebrity, instead of being an athlete or entertainer, was a prophet like Daniel or Moses?

Meeting a prophet can change a person. In a time when people entertain every whim that enters their minds, does the title of prophet still carry weight?

In this, the first of three articles, we explore the life of Amulek—a man who stepped away from ordinary life to follow a prophet. His story shows that true change always comes at a cost.

Hundreds of years ago, Amulek lived in the city of Ammonihah—one of many Nephite cities recorded in The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ. The city’s government had become corrupt. Not unlike many people’s estimation of modern governments, the citizens turned a blind eye as lawyers and judges worked together to extort money from those in need of legal help.

The lawyers and judges received wages for their civic duties, so they stirred up controversy to ensure constant employment.

Modern lawyers and judges are paid similarly. Ambulance chasing and backdoor plea deals are perfectly legal in many societies. Today, court cases are often less about justice and more about the deals attorneys can negotiate. Popular opinion—shaped by juries—can override evidence, especially when that evidence is thrown out over technicalities.

Jurors are not to blame, nor is the jury system itself. But some lawyers and judges twist jurisprudence into procedural traps, turning the law against those who most need its protection.

Beyond the courts, the people of Ammonihah had grown wicked. Though they once claimed a shared belief in God, over time their culture shifted. Ammonihah became a den of iniquity—warping not just the law, but the soul of the city.

Alma—once the Chief Judge of the Nephites and now their High Priest—entered this city to rebuild faith and offer salvation. But they rejected him. His status as the former Chief Judge meant nothing. His calling as High Priest of the Church meant even less. He had laid aside political power to preach the word of God, and the people mocked his humility. They mocked the man God had sent to save them. They forced him out.

If Michael Jackson knocked on your door and asked to share a message about God, would his celebrity open your heart? Alma’s fame opened no doors in Ammonihah. His prophetic mantle went unseen by eyes clouded with pride.

Character of a Normal Man

In this environment lived Amulek, where the seeds of folly had already taken root as more and more people cast off the proverbial "shackles" of moral living.

Amulek was a man of the world—affluent, astute, and unbothered by the moral decay around him. Taking advantage of others was not seen as evil in Ammonihah; it was simply business as usual. The officials of the city openly subverted the legal system established by their last king, Mosiah, disguising their corruption as civic duty. Keeping controversy alive to stimulate the economy may have been legal, but it was a gross betrayal of justice.

Yet despite the surrounding corruption, Amulek was a good man. Not only was he good—he was respected. He had influence, connections in high places, and a reputation for success. A businessman of wealth and prestige, Amulek also had a gracious heart. He spoke plainly, lived faithfully, and valued his family. He was, in many ways, a normal man—until God called him to become something more.

In his own words, he had been taught in the “language of [his] fathers” and understood the truth but would not acknowledge it (Alma 10:5–6). His heart had grown hard, not from wicked rebellion, but from the ease of privilege, prosperity, and public esteem. He did not scoff at prophets—he simply didn’t have time for them. The Church was not foreign to him; it was just inconvenient.

His heritage placed him among the faithful, a descendant of Nephi through Lehi. But like so many in Ammonihah, Amulek had become spiritually disengaged. He buried impressions under appointments. He filed away promptings beneath profit. And still, the Lord remembered him.

Amulek’s influence in the city was substantial. He had “many kindreds and friends,” and his name carried weight in civic and religious circles. That made him the perfect candidate—not because of his righteousness, but because God could use his reputation to open doors that even Alma, the prophet, could not open alone.

Angel of Faith

An extraordinary experience occurred as Amulek went to visit a relative: he saw an angel. That is not so common.

Why was it important for him to see an angel? Like many in the city of Ammonihah, Amulek was familiar with the teachings of God. He knew of the church organized throughout the land. But like most people of his time, he disregarded it. Sacred impressions came—and he dismissed them. Life moved on.

Amulek ignored the quiet whisperings of the Lord. So, to reach him, God sent something he could not ignore.

The angel.

Seeing an angel jarred Amulek awake. It diverted his attention toward heaven and stirred a desire to know what God required of him. Sometimes, a soul becomes past feeling—so entangled in the noise of the world that only a vivid, undeniable experience can cut through the fog and bring clarity. That’s when angels are sent. Not because someone is more special than another, but because they need more shaking to remember who they are.

Amulek needed an angel.

And so, one came—to tell him to return home quickly and host a prophet of God. The former chief judge, now the mouthpiece of the Lord, was on his way. The time to act had come. The wickedness of Ammonihah was not merely increasing—it was rotting the city from within. And God would not wait much longer.

It was time for Amulek to meet a celebrity: the former Chief Judge of the Nephite nation.