“Alma intends to draw parallels between this people and his father’s church by the Waters of Mormon. First, those Nephites were in bondage to the Lamanites. … Second, Yahweh’s power delivered Alma’s father’s people from Lamanite bondage. Alma wanted to emphasize the power of faith and [God’s] power to deliver, logically suggesting that [God’s] power will also resolve their current situation. Third, Alma’s father’s converts came to Zarahemla and established ‘the church of God,’ of which his listeners are members. This statement forcefully brings history into the present. Symbolically, the current church will have the same option as that earlier church, and it, too, may be delivered by [God’s] word” (Gardner, Second Witness, 4:91).