14-Year Cycles - Part 5 - First fourteen years of the reign of judges

This one doesn't fit the pattern perfectly, but there were a few things that stood out to me.

There were some wars in the 5th year and there were some civil problems throughout the cycle but otherwise it was mostly peaceful.  Then in the 7th year they gained 3,500 converts.  Then in the 8th year (first year of second cycle) the people began to be wicked.  It also stood out to me that Mormon mentions the fourteenth year twice - in Alma 16:12 and then again in Alma 16:21.  Also, the missionary efforts of the sons of Mosiah took fourteen years.  I'm not sure if it was also split up into two 7-year cycles but I still think there might be a correlation.

1

• Mosiah 29:44-46:  44 And thus commenced the reign of the judges throughout all the land of Zarahemla, among all the people who were called the Nephites; and Alma was the first and chief judge. 45 And now it came to pass that his father died, being eighty and two years old, having lived to fulfil the commandments of God.  46 And it came to pass that Mosiah died also, in the thirty and third year of his reign, being sixty and three years old; making in the whole, five hundred and nine years from the time Lehi left Jerusalem.

2

• Alma 1:23 – “Now this was in the second year of the reign of Alma, and it was a cause of much affliction to the church; yea, it was the cause of much trial with the church.”

3
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5

• Alma 1:33 - And it came to pass that by thus exercising the law upon them, every man suffering according to that which he had done, they became more still, and durst not commit any wickedness if it were known; therefore, there was much peace among the people of Nephi until the fifth year of the reign of the judges.
• Alma 2:1 – “And it came to pass in the commencement of the fifth year of their reign there began to be a contention among the people; for a certain man, being called Amlici, he being a very cunning man, yea, a wise man as to the wisdom of the world, he being after the order of the man that slew Gideon by the sword, who was executed according to the law”
• Alma 3:25 – “Now all these things were done, yea, all these wars and contentions were commenced and ended in the fifth year of the reign of the judges.”

6

• Alma 4:1 – “Now it came to pass in the sixth year of the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi, there were no contentions nor wars in the land of Zarahemla;”

7

• Alma 4:5 – “And it came to pass in the seventh year of the reign of the judges there were about three thousand five hundred souls that united themselves to the church of God and were baptized. And thus ended the seventh year of the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi; and there was continual peace in all that time.”

8

• Alma 4:6 – “And it came to pass in the eighth year of the reign of the judges, that the people of the church began to wax proud, because of their exceeding riches, and their fine silks, and their fine-twined linen, and because of their many flocks and herds, and their gold and their silver, and all manner of precious things, which they had obtained by their industry; and in all these things were they lifted up in the pride of their eyes, for they began to wear very costly apparel.”

9

• Alma 4:11 – “And it came to pass in the commencement of the ninth year, Alma saw the wickedness of the church, and he saw also that the example of the church began to lead those who were unbelievers on from one piece of iniquity to another, thus bringing on the destruction of the people.”   NOTE – also in this year Alma gives up his role as Chief Judge and appoints Nephihah to take his place)

10

• Alma 8:3 - “And it came to pass in the commencement of the tenth year of the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi, that Alma departed from thence and took his journey over into the land of Melek, on the west of the river Sidon, on the west by the borders of the wilderness.”
• Alma 14:23 “And it came to pass after they had thus suffered for many days, (and it was on the twelfth day, in the tenth month, *in the tenth year of the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi) that the chief judge over the land of Ammonihah and many of their teachers and their lawyers went in unto the prison where Alma and Amulek were bound with cords.”
• Alma 15:19  “And thus ended the tenth year of the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi.”

11

• Alma 16:1 “And it came to pass in the *eleventh year of the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi, on the fifth day of the second month, there having been much peace in the land of Zarahemla, there having been no wars nor contentions for a certain number of years, even until the fifth day of the second month in the eleventh year, there was a cry of war heard throughout the land.”

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14

• Alma 16:12  “And the Lamanites did not come again to war against the Nephites *until the fourteenth year of the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi. And thus for three years did the people of Nephi have continual peace in all the land.” 
• Alma 16: 21 And now after the church had been established throughout all the land—having got the victory over the devil, and the word of God being preached in its purity in all the land, and the Lord pouring out his blessings upon the people—thus ended the fourteenth year of the reign of the judges over the people of Nephi.”
• Alma 17:4  “And they had been teaching the word of God *for the space of fourteen years among the Lamanites, having had much success in bringing many to the knowledge of the truth; yea, by the power of their words many were brought before the altar of God, to call on his name and confess their sins before him.”