Now we come to Samuel's famous predictions of a series of miraculous events which will soon encompass the entire western hemisphere.
It is very rare that a prophet will pronounce the specific year when a prophecy is going to be fulfilled. In the last chapter Samuel was talking about the events which will happen in 400 years. Now he is talking about events which will occur in five years. Actually the Nephites have heard prophets talking about the coming of Christ for several hundred years and talk as though it were imminent. But now Samuel the Lamanite shouts down from the top of the wall that Jesus is going to be born in five years.