Why didn't they understand the angel at first? Mosiah 27:12

Why didn't they understand the angel at first? Mosiah 27:12

Alma's son Alma and the sons of Mosiah were persecuting the church. They were really bad guys. They wanted to destroy the church. They were totally rebelling against God. And so...they are visited by an angel.

Lucky for them.

But at first, when they saw the angel, they didn't understand what he was saying. Why?

L. Tom Perry said this about it in a talk from 1979 called The Kingdom of God (so weird to see him so young, by the way! He was an apostle for a long time while I was growing up and even visited my home stake once. But he did not look like that):

The appearance of the angel was so shocking to Alma the Younger that he became dumb. He could not open his mouth, he became so weak he could not move his hands or his legs, and the people had to carry him and lay him before his father and rehearse before him all the things that had happened. Alma’s father rejoiced, for he knew the Lord had answered his prayers, and he caused the priests to assemble themselves together, and they fasted and prayed that Alma would again receive the use of his limbs and receive his speech. They fasted and prayed for the space of two days and two nights. After such a display of faith, Alma received his strength and stood up and began to speak to those assembled and said: “I have repented of my sins, and have been redeemed of the Lord; behold I am born of the Spirit"...Alma’s life was changed. From this time forth the scriptures record that he went forth not to destroy the Church, but now to build it up, and he became a mighty leader in this land.

Answer:
Alma the Younger needed this experience, apparently, to change him to become the person who God wanted him to be. He goes on to become one of the greatest prophets in the Book of Mormon.

A harder to answer question might be: Why is it that some people who rebel and are wicked are given such a strong spiritual kick on the head while others are not? Or what is it about certain wicked people that qualifies them for miraculous spiritual experiences, while like, medium-wicked or slightly-wicked or even mostly-righteous people may not experience them at all?

Maybe that will be in next year's edition of this weird blog-game I've concocted for studying my scriptures. I really don't know the answer. I guess it's just God's prerogative. He can do it how he likes because his ways aren't our ways, he knows better what we each individually need, etc. Still, I feel a bit...well...like the prodigal son's brother a bit, I guess. It definitely isn't the wickedness that qualifies them for these experiences, though. Like, I really don't think if I go out and start purposefully sinning that it will be likely to result in an amazing, wonderful, spiritual epiphany experience. Ha. No.

It's just that sometimes it sort of feels that way, and that feeling is so humanly irritating.