Jacob is careful not to take credit for the sign of Sherem being smitten. He acknowledges that it is the Lord which is smiting him and that this should be for a sign that the Lord has power and also, that Christ shall come. And thy will, O Lord, be done, and not mine. It must have been by the power of the Spirit that Jacob knew that the Lord would smite Sherem. There have been many instances in which the Lord has stayed his hand when wicked men blaspheme against God. For instance, at one point in his ministry the Savior was rejected by the Samaritans, the disciples thought vengeance was in order, And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did? But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of. For the son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them (Lu 9:54-56). Also, Amulek and Alma were forced to witness righteous women and children being cast into a fire. Amulek asked whether the power of God should be used to preserve these saints. Alma's response was, The Spirit constraineth me that I must not stretch forth mine hand; for behold the Lord receiveth them up unto himself, in glory; and he doth suffer that they may do this thing, or that the people may do this thing unto them, according to the hardness of their hearts, that the judgments which he shall exercise upon them in his wrath may be just (Alma 14:10-11). Thus we see that the striking of Sherem and Korihor (Alma 30:49-56) are exceptions to the rule. The prophets, Jacob and Alma, had to closely follow the Spirit in using the powers of heaven to smite these anti-Christs.