At the time Moron and his son Coriantor were in captivity, prophets again came among the people warning that “God would execute judgment against them to their utter destruction,” and would bring another people to inherit the land of promise. In the Book of Mormon and subsequent history, we see the fulfillment of that warning. The Jaredite nation was destroyed and the succeeding group of people, the Nephites, were also eventually destroyed as a nation because of their unrighteousness.
By telling the stories of both Nephite and Jaredite societies and their destructions, the Book of Mormon drives home its powerful warning for modern readers. As Steven C. Walker observed, “It is because what happened to the Jaredites happens to the Nephites,” that “more presciently, we sense its potential for ourselves.” The Book of Mormon is a divinely appointed warning for the modern days, twice illustrating the downfall that awaits societies that succumb to wickedness and corruption.
It is worth noting that even though the great empires and nations of the earth tend to disintegrate, and the Book of Mormon demonstrates the fall of two major civilizations, the book also presents a successful solution. Only when the people hear the word of the Lord, repent, and adhere to the principles taught by Jesus Christ, as found in 3 Nephi and elsewhere in scripture, can the tide of social decay and destruction be staved off.
Book of Mormon Central, “Why Does the Book of Mormon Include the Rise and Fall of Two Nations? (Ether 11:20-21),” KnoWhy 245 (December 5, 2016).
Book of Mormon Central, “Why Did the Peace Last So Long in 4 Nephi? (4 Nephi 1:16),” KnoWhy 225 (November 7, 2016).
Steven C. Walker, “Last Words” in The Reader’s Book of Mormon, 7 vols., ed. Robert A. Rees and Eugene England (Salt Lake City, UT: Signature Books, 2008), vii–xxii.