This untenable situation in which humankind inescapably faced both a temporal and spiritual death was tolerable only as long as it was not permanent. There had to be a way to resolve the problems and turn earth life into a positive experience. Alma shows that Antionah has misread the scriptures. In contrast, Alma has first shown that humankind’s condition after the fall was untenable. Next he shows that the flaming sword was part of the solution to the problem. Had Adam and Eve been able to eat of the fruit, they would have lived forever in a fallen, mortal body, thus defeating (“destroying”) Yahweh’s plan so that it could have had no effect on us.