The essential conflict in Nephite society remains, intensified by the simultaneous specificity and ambiguity of Samuel’s prophecy. Does “five years” mean that the event would occur before the end of the five years? That the five years would pass and then the event would occur? The unbelievers seized upon the first possibility, declared the prophecy to be false, and derided the believers. Nevertheless, for the believers, the signs were being “fulfilled more fully”—not just a single sign, but a series of them, even though Mormon includes no details.
Chronology: The commencement of the ninety-second year would be 4 B.C.