We do not know how old Amos was when he began to keep the record, but he must have lived to be well over a hundred years of age. Nephi, Amos’ father, had kept the record from A.D. 34 through A.D. 110, a period of almost seventy-seven years. He too must have lived for a century or more. The Nephites in this time period were blessed with long life, a growth in stature or physical increase (see Luke 2:52).
Although the first sign of the Nephite decline began with a small part of the people revolting and taking the name of Lamanites, it was still basically a Zion society.