Alma’s discussion of the word restoration highlights the consequences of our actions. Nehor spread the doctrine that God had created all men, and He would restore them to the state of purity that they had started. To the Nehorites, the word restoration meant that God would return us all to the Garden of Eden, or some paradise. Nehor thus believed that all people would be saved, and therefore sin is not an issue. Alma clarified that the full restoration, which has been spoken by the mouths of the prophets (v. 22) comes after the judgment (v. 21): “And then shall the righteous shine forth in the kingdom of God. But behold, an awful death cometh upon the wicked; for they die as to things pertaining to things of righteousness” (Alma 40:25–26). The correct understanding of the meaning of the word restoration is then the main topic in Alma 41.
Book of Mormon Central, “Why and How Did Alma Explain the Meaning of the Word ‘Restoration’? (Alma 41:1),” KnoWhy 149 (July 22, 2016).