Helaman 4

Chapter 4 is a good warning for the church, for the nation, and for individuals. The Nephites are longer believing in prophecy and revelation and because of pride, they have much persecution of the poor, moral decay and lawlessness. They become a weak people and the Lamanites come to war and take Zarahemla again and there is much loss of life. The Nephites begin to see how much they had weakened themselves to the point that God could no longer bless them and prosper them, making them no different than the Lamanites. A corrupt person can never stand for long, neither can corrupt nations, and the church ceases to be an influence when people as a whole are no longer religious and turn to sin. Both have to be changed from within or they degenerate and eventually are destroyed.