Foolish and Vain Imaginings

I just finished reading Helaman 16 in the Book of Mormon.  In it, Samuel the Lamanite has just finished prophesying about the signs that will mark the birth and the death of Jesus Christ on the other side of the world.  Those who didn't believe tried to shoot arrows at him, but could not hit him.  Instead of  being convinced by the power of God however, they claimed that Samuel was being protected by the devil.  Furthermore, in verses 13-14 it says that many signs and wonders began to manifest themselves to the people, yet still the unbelievers were unconvinced.
The chapter then proceeds to list some of the unbelievers' arguments against the prophesies of Christ, all of which are illogical and/or unfounded, yet which closely resemble arguments that face true believers in our day.



In verse:
15 -- they "began to depend upon their own strength and upon their own wisdom."  Instead of exercising faith, studying the scriptures, and praying to God, these unbelievers relied upon their own knowledge.  Only those who exercised faith as described in Alma 32 saw the signs and wonders for what they really were.
16 -- they claimed, "Some things they may have guessed right, among so many;" the prophesies that were coming true were all just coincidence, lucky guesses, etc.  How inconsistent it is for someone to demand a sign, and then once they receive it, claim that it was just luck.
19 -- they ask, "why will he not show himself in this land as well as in the land of Jerusalem?"  But that's not even the point.  They started inventing so-called arguments against the coming of Christ that did nothing but distract from main point:  that He is the Son of God and that He would come to redeem the world.  Where He would appear or why He would not visit them during His mortal ministry had nothing to do with what the prophets had been teaching.
20 -- they accuse believers of trying to get them to "believe in some great and marvelous thing which should come to pass, but not among [them], but in a land which is far distant."  They conveniently forgot about the prophesies that after His death and Resurrection He would come to manifest Himself to them (see Alma 16:20).
21 -- they try to make the believers look like the bad guys, saying "they will, by the cunning and the mysterious arts of the evil one, work some great mystery which we cannot understand, which will keep us down to be servants to their words."  These accusations are just as unfounded as those made by Korihor, who claimed that religious leaders preach in order to keep the believers in bondage and to glut themselves off their labor, but Alma proved to Korihor that the Church did not preach to gain wealth, nor do its leaders preach for payment.  Therefore, "what doth it profit us to labor in the church save it were to declare the truth, that we may have rejoicings in the joy of our brethren?" (Alma 30:34).

Thus we see that people are not converted by signs.  As stated in D&C 63:7, "he that seeketh signs shall see signs, but not unto salvation."  In other words, those who demand a sign or proof that things of a religious nature are true will see them.  But they will not be converted by them.  Signs come only after the trial of faith, and they are only recognized by those who have exercised faith.