1 Nephi 3:29

29 And it came to pass as they smote us with a rod, behold, an angel of the Lord came and stood before them, and he spake unto them, saying: Why do ye smite your younger brother with a rod? Know ye not that the Lord hath chosen him to be a ruler over you, and this because of your iniquities? Behold ye shall go up to Jerusalem again, and the Lord will deliver Laban into your hands.

Here is evidence that heavenly manifestations only strengthen our testimonies if we allow them to. There are those who are seeking a sign, such as a visit from and angel. Then they will believe, they say. Educated people often have a difficult time with religion because they have no faith in things they can’t see, and they have no physical evidence to convince them of a God. They don’t recognize that everything testifies of God. “Show me a sign,” they say, “then I will believe.” Time and again the scriptures show that the faith needs to be there first, or the sign has little or no effect. Signs don’t convert; they can only strengthen. (Of course there are always exceptions, such as Alma and Saul, but the rule is that faith must precede the miracle) Other examples might be Moses and Pharaoh, Abinadi and King Noah, several of the leading brethren of the Restoration who fell away. Well, the angel tells Laman and Lemuel straight out that Nephi has been chosen as a ruler over them. He also tells them the reason is because of their iniquities. I wonder if Laman could have gotten his birthright of leadership back if he had repented and turned his life around. This is something we’ll never know.