The test becomes dire. The believers wait, and the unbelievers taunt. At this point we must remember that the unbelievers are in the majority, and in control of the political organization. It is for this reason that they have the power to set the day and the penalty.
The penalty would appear harsh, and indeed it was. However, in the context of the ancient world, it may not have been as incomprehensible as it might appear today. In the particular Mesoamerican world in which we are placing the Book of Mormon, death from war or sacrifice was hardly unusual. In this case, the internal conflicts have reached a clear division, and the attempt of the majority to remove the minority by force and massacre is sadly all too well attested in many parts of the world in man’s long and sad history. That the unbelievers might want to kill the believers is sadly human. That they were able to enforce the edict is a witness to their complete control of the political operations of the Nephite government.