Another possibility suggests itself. Webster’s Dictionary of 1828 indicates that the word anti means “like” or “mirror image of.” In that case anti-Christ would mean not just opposed to Christ but also deceptively similar to Christ, and perhaps the name Anti-Nephi-Lehies would symbolize their desire to be as Nephi and Lehi of old, that is, that they might remember the goodness and faithfulness of their first Nephite prophet leaders (see Helaman 5:6).
“Repentance Could Not Come Unto Men Except There Were a Punishment”
With a plainness unmatched elsewhere in scripture, Alma explains why there is no true repentance without punishment. His instruction is most relevant for our day, in which inconstant theology and cheap grace abound in the media ministries. It is generally forgotten that discipline and discipleship are branches of the same tree, and that both involve bringing a person to a condition of order and obedience.
Wise parents quickly learn that discipline is a manifestation of love, and yet many of the same parents would suppose that heavenly parents would not do likewise. Alma’s chain of thought is quite simple: if there are laws, there must be punishments for the violation of the laws; and thus, if God has given laws, there must in like manner be punishments affixed. Repentance is the process by which we make retribution for the violation of God’s laws.