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This episode is part 32 in a series going through the story of the Book of Mormon. This episode covers chapters 59-63 of the book of Alma. Captain Moroni wrote to Pahoran, judge of Zarahemla to accuse him of neglecting his duties. Pahoran wrote back to explain that he's been backed into a corner and the king-men faction took over the government. The new king of Zarahemla made a deal with the king of the Lamanites to let them take over everything outside Zarahemla. Moroni came to Pahoran's aid and helped him settle the civil problem. He could then get proper supplies and soldiers for the Nephite armies to reclaim captured cities. Eventually, the Nephites had a period of peace again. Some of the heroes retired and passed away. Helaman's son Helaman, Jr. ultimately received the brass plates. Some Nephites from Zarahemla moved north and started a shipping industry, and we don't know yet where those ships went. Further research: Book of Mormon in video Joseph Smith: The Prophet of the Restoration The Book of Mormon online: Alma [chapters 59, 60, 61, 62, 63] Have questions for Truthspresso? Contact us!

This episode is part 31 in a series going through the story of the Book of Mormon. This episode covers chapters 52-58 of the book of Alma. When the Lamanites realized their king Amalickiah was dead, they retreated to Mulek. They appointed Ammoron, Amalickiah's brother, to be the new king. Two thousand Ammonites took an oath to fight for liberty and made Helaman their captain. Moroni and Ammoron tried to negotiate by letters, but they only make each other angry. Captain Moroni is determined to retake fortified Nephite cities that the Lamanites captured. The Nephites managed to retake several cities through various military strategies. When Helaman badly needed reinforcements and supplies from Zarahemla, he got very little. During these excursions was all not well in Zarahemla? Further research: Book of Mormon in video Joseph Smith: The Prophet of the Restoration The Book of Mormon online: Alma [chapters 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58] Have questions for Truthspresso? Contact us!

Happy Resurrection Day! For this year's Easter episode I will compare the Jesus of the Bible to the Isa (Jesus) of the Quran. Surah 4:157-158 says that Jesus wasn't crucified or killed but everyone thought that happened somehow. Rather, Allah raised Jesus to heaven. Jesus in Islam will eventually return for some end-times events. After reigning as a king, he will die of natural causes. The risen Jesus of the Bible is infinitely better than the raised Isa of the Quran. Sources cited: Surah An-Nisa Ayat 157 (4:157 Quran) With Tafsir, MyIslam.org. Have questions for Truthspresso? Contact us!

This episode is part 30 in a series going through the story of the Book of Mormon. This episode covers chapters 47-51 of the book of Alma. A Nephite rebel named Amalickiah with a lust for power tries but fails to become king of Zarahemla. He then joined the Lamanites and worked his way through fraud to become the king of the Lamanites. He then led war campaigns to attack Nephite cities. Captain Moroni skillfully fortified cities, deterring Lamanite attacks and providing a few years of peace and prosperity. Eventually, Amalickiah led a large army and successfully took over some Nephite cities. However, one night, a Nephite captain executed a stealth mission on Amalickiah while the armies slept. References cited: Robert Boylan, "Notes on Greek names in the Book of Mormon," Scriptural Mormonism, October 17, 2014. Further research: Book of Mormon in video Joseph Smith: The Prophet of the Restoration The Book of Mormon online: Alma [chapters 47, 48, 49, 50, 51] Have questions for Truthspresso? Contact us!

This is a Sunday School lesson I planned for this Sunday. Our life group class at church is studying the epistle to the Hebrews. Hebrews 6:1-3 continues from the criticism in chapter 5 that some of the readers were perpetually immature. The writer admonishes to become mature by not laying foundational principles of the doctrine of Christ over and over again. These six doctrines are really three pairs. They all are something that the old covenant taught that the new covenant adapts, expands, or fulfills the type. We value your feedback! Have questions for Truthspresso? Contact us!

This episode is part 2 of 2 addressing a video from Dan McClellan called "Was 1 Enoch considered inspired scripture?" Dan McClellan claims to be a Latter-day Saint, although his views don't reflect those of typical Mormons. He has impressive credentials and he uses them to make Tiktok and YouTube videos that promote a deconstructionist view of Scripture under the guise of "Data > dogma." He also promotes leftist political ideas that are uniformly Marxist and identity politics. This episode reviews a bit then looks at McClellan's arguments for why 1 Enoch is behind the New Testament doctrines of demons and hell. We look at possible explanations for Jude 1:14-15 quoting 1 Enoch 1:9. Then, we examine McClellan's claim that Jesus' statement "I saw Satan as lightning fall from heaven" was likely a reference to the "animal apocalypse" vision in 1 Enoch chapters 86-90. We then see examples in the New Testament where eschatology comes from Daniel rather than 1 Enoch. Sources Cited: Dan McClellan, "Was 1 Enoch considered inspired scripture?" Dan McClellan, YHWH’s Divine Images: A Cognitive Approach, (SBL Press, Atlanta, 2022). Flavius Josephus, Against Apion (Translated by William Whiston) First Enoch (Christian Classics Ethereal Library) Targum Jonathan on Isaiah 66:24, Sefaria.org. Judith 16 (NSRVUE), BibleGateway.org. "Aratus, Phaenomena," theoi.com. "Cleanthes’ Hymn to Zeus," hellenion.org. We value your feedback! Have questions for Truthspresso? Contact us!

This episode is part 1 of 2 addressing a video from Dan McClellan called "Was 1 Enoch considered inspired scripture?" Dan McClellan claims to be a Latter-day Saint, although his views don't reflect those of typical Mormons. He has impressive credentials and he uses them to make Tiktok and YouTube videos that promote a deconstructionist view of Scripture under the guise of "Data > dogma." He also promotes leftist political ideas that are uniformly Marxist and identity politics. This episode looks at McClellan's argument that the canon was not certain in the first century A.D. and that Josephus didn't clarify which books were in the 22 books he regarded as Scripture. He argues that 1 Enoch may have been considered Scripture during this time before that idea faded out later because of how many copies of it were found in the Dead Sea Scrolls at Qumran. We see what the Essenes believed in the Qumran community and why they may have liked 1 Enoch. We also test Josephus' threefold division of the Tanakh to see if 1 Enoch could fit. Sources Cited: Dan McClellan, "Was 1 Enoch considered inspired scripture?" Dan McClellan, YHWH’s Divine Images: A Cognitive Approach, (SBL Press, Atlanta, 2022). Ether's Elephant, "Dan McClellan being Woke for 8 Minutes" Dan McClellan, "Does the Social Justice of the Bible Differ from the Social Justice of Today?" Eva Mroczek, "How Many Books are in the Bible? Qualitative Numbers, or Math for Biblical Scholars," (University of California, Davis, July 2016). "The Scroll of the War of the Sons of Light against the Sons of Darkness I-II – The Thirty-Five Years War" Flavius Josephus, Against Apion (Translated by William Whiston) 2 Esdras 14 (RSV), Bible Society UK. First Enoch (Christian Classics Ethereal Library) We value your feedback! Have questions for Truthspresso? Contact us!

This episode is part 29 in a series going through the story of the Book of Mormon. This episode covers chapters 43-46 of the book of Alma. The war mentioned in Alma chapter 35 now gets detailed. We meet a new character--Captain Moroni--who reminds me of William Wallace from Braveheart or Aragorn from Lord of the Rings. After Captain Moroni leads the Nephites to victory, the sons of Alma try to reform the church. A suave strong guy named Amalickiah starts a faction in Zarahemla to make him king and corrupt the church. Captain Moroni goes all American patriot with flags and rallying troops to protect liberty. Alma chapter 46 even includes the phrase "the blessings of liberty" that comes from the preamble to the U.S. Constitution, and "land of liberty" which sounds like a familiar song. We have a little fun with the obvious patriotic references. YouTube videos used for sound bites: Braveheart (1995) - Best scene - William Wallace's speech (HD) Famous Speeches: Aragorn at the Black Gate United States of America National Anthem (Instrumental) Home Free - My Country Tis of Thee Further research: Book of Mormon in video Joseph Smith: The Prophet of the Restoration The Book of Mormon online: Alma [chapters 43, 44, 45, 46] Have questions for Truthspresso? Contact us!

This episode is part 28 in a series going through the story of the Book of Mormon. This episode covers chapters 39-42 of the book of Alma. Alma finishes talking to his sons by addressing these chapters to his youngest son Corianton. Corianton has been a bit of a rebel compared to his brothers. Alma answers questions about the coming of Christ, the resurrection of the righteous and the wicked, the intermediate state between death and resurrection, and why all this doctrine matters. Oh, and we will see quite a bit of plagiarism from the New Testament in these chapters. Further research: Book of Mormon in video Joseph Smith: The Prophet of the Restoration The Book of Mormon online: Alma [chapters 39, 40, 41, 42] Have questions for Truthspresso? Contact us! Mentioned in this episode: Affiliate Link: Blackout Coffee Blackout Coffee is a coffee company that supports traditional American values of strong families, personal responsibility, and patriotism. Blackout Coffee delivers to active duty military and first responders. Be Awake, Not Woke with their rich and flavorful coffees, teas, and hot cocoas. Blackout Coffee

So, the World Economic Forum (WEF) met again at their luxurious resort in the alpines at Davos, Switzerland. Their theme was "A Spirit of Dialogue." In this episode we look how the WEF has changed in recent years and how Donald Trump and Javier Milei have upset their machinery. The media fawned over Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's speech bucking the United States, supporting Denmark and Greenland, forming partnerships with China and promoting a "new world order." Yet, Trump got things done while he was there. He quickly worked out a Greenland deal and led the new international "Board of Peace" for phase 2 of the Israel-Gaza peace deal. Argentine President Javier Milei warned of the collapse of the West to socialism and wokeism but he also believed the United States was leading the way out of it. Next, we the usual hypocrisies with the messages and lifestyles of the Davos elites: carbon footprint with private jetsusing "escort services" Sources Cited: "Overview," World Economic Forum, accessed January 24, 2026. Yuval Noah Harari and Irene Tracey, "An Honest Conversation on AI and Humanity | World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2026," World Economic Forum, January 20, 2026. Mark Carney, Laurence D. Fink, and Gideon Rachman, "Special Address by Mark Carney, Prime Minister of Canada | World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2026," World Economic Forum, January 21, 2026. Børge Brende, Laurence Fink, and Donald J. Trump, "Special Address by Donald J. Trump, President of the United States of America | WEF 2026," World Economic Forum, January 21, 2026. "President Trump Participates in the Board of Peace Charter Announcement," The White House, January 22, 2026. "'Globalization Has Failed:' Commerce Sec. Howard Lutnick Tells Attendees at World Economic Forum," The New York Post, January 20, 2026. Javier Milei, "Special Address by Javier Milei, President of Argentina | World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2026," World Economic Forum, January 21, 2026. "Carney calls for New World Order during his visit to China amid strained ties with US," livemint, January 16, 2026. "One private jet flight for every four Davos participants, Greenpeace report finds," Greenpeace International, January 15, 2026. Jenny Ricks, "3 Reasons to Protest the Davos World Economic Forum in January," FightInequality.org, accessed January 24, 2026. Abhinav Yadav, "'Prostitution and hush money': What happens behind the closed doors of Davos World Economic Forum," WION, January 16, 2026. We value your feedback! Have questions for Truthspresso? Contact us!

Given the hot button issue now of national immigration policy enforcement, I figured we could take a step back and see what the Bible says. How should we treat individual immigrants according to the Bible? Does the Bible demonstrate national immigration policies or border enforcement? Do immigrants have duties to the laws of the nation they're in? We value your feedback! Have questions for Truthspresso? Contact us!

This episode is part 27 in a series going through the story of the Book of Mormon. This episode covers chapters 33-38 of the book of Alma. Alma continues his sermon to the Zoramites and Amulek joins in. Alma, Amulek, and their companions move to Jershon. Many Zoramites move there too, angering the Zoramite leaders. This results in a pending war between an alliance of Zoramites and Lamanites and the Ammonites and Nephites. Alma begins to talk to his sons. He passes down the brass plates, the Urim and Thummim, and the compass ball to his son Helaman. He tells his son Shiblon to keep up the faith and avoid temptations. The next episode will be about Alma's message to his son Corianton. Further research: Book of Mormon in video Joseph Smith: The Prophet of the Restoration The Book of Mormon online: Alma [chapters 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38] Have questions for Truthspresso? Contact us!

As we embrace Christmas we have to put up once again with the Grinches who cannot let people just celebrate the season and enjoy traditions. Because everything has to be about politics--and only the progressive form--we have to hear about Jesus being a refugee and even an "undocumented immigrant." They'll tell you that the most important part of the Christmas story was when Mary and Joseph had to escape to Egypt. The young Jesus was a stranger in a foreign land. So, if you believe in an immigration policy that actually vets out foreign criminals and requires assimilation, well, you would be guilty of letting the Savior Himself die from persecution! In this episode we will see what the Bible says about the flight to Egypt and its purpose, what history shows about Egypt as a Roman province, what progressive politicians have said about their desires for cheap foreign labor, and what the Bible says about immigration policy. Sources Cited: Merriam-Webster Online s.v. "refugee" Merriam-Webster Online s.v. "immigrant" Rafael Warnock, "Marty Center Events | 2023 Nathaniel Colver Lecture with Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock," UChicago Divinity School, June 2, 2023. "Jesus was an immigrant! This is the Christmas story," New Life Decatur, December 19, 2025. "Nancy Pelosi: There’s A Workforce Shortage, So Immigrants Are Needed In Florida To “Pick The Crops,”" GOP War Room, September 30, 2022. "Democrat rep. blasted for saying US needs migrants to pick the food we eat, clean our homes #shorts," Fox Business, April 20, 2023. "Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Why Immigration Is Important to the U.S.," latinousa. "Bernie Sanders on illegal immigrants “who do you think is picking all of the crops?,”" Jim Fannon in Dominican Republic, February 8, 2020. "[3] Jasmine Crockett: U.S. Needs Illegals—‘We Done Picking Cotton’!" DMs Tech & Freedom Channel, April 7, 2025. Scriptures Referenced: Matthew 2:13-15 Zechariah 9:8 Romans 9:3-5 Exodus 22:21 Leviticus 25:14 Nehemiah 2:20; 4:11 Exodus 12:48-49 Numbers 15:29-30 We value your feedback! Have questions for Truthspresso? Contact us!

This episode is part 26 in a series going through the story of the Book of Mormon. This episode covers chapters 27-32 of the book of Alma. Ammon and his brothers bring King Lamoni and his Lamanite people now known as "Anti-Nephi-Lehi" to Zarahemla for safety. Another false prophet stirs up the people of Zarahemla with his libertine atheist rhetoric and gets cursed. Alma assembles a team to do missions work among the Zoramites who broke off from the Nephites and followed an idolatrous twist on religion. Alma preaches to poor Zoramites on the hill Onidah in a way that seems to borrow from Jesus preaching the sermon on the mount. Further research: Book of Mormon in video Joseph Smith: The Prophet of the Restoration The Book of Mormon online: Alma [chapters 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32] Have questions for Truthspresso? Contact us!

My Mormon bishop friend recently presented a lecture about how statistics show that the Book of Mormon defies naturalistic explanations. How did Joseph Smith as a "subsistence farmer" write a book with long-form structural chiasmus and different voices? Let's jump into some of these statistical claims to see if the Book of Mormon is truly a miracle and that it shows that Joseph Smith had to be translating an ancient record. Sources Cited: "The Insane Statistical Impossibility of the Book of Mormon’s Origin | Matt Vallejo" "Chiasmus," churchofjesuschristoflatterdaysaints.org. Robert Patterson, "Hebraicisms, Chiasmus and Other Internal Evidence for Ancient Authorship in Green Eggs and Ham," Dialogue Journal 33, no. 4 (Winter 2000): 163-168. Boyd F. Edwards and W. Farrell Edwards, "Does Joseph’s Letter to Emma of 4 November 1838 Show that He Knew about Chiasmus?" Dialogue Journal (paperless), August 26, 2006. ImTheMarmotKing, "I'm glad that FAIRMormon exists. The FAIRMormon apologists do an excellent job of pushing people away from Mormonism," May 3, 2017. Daniel Mynyk, "Planned Parenthood’s Founder Fought Against Abortion," The American Spectator, October 19, 2025. Matthew L. Jockers, Daniela M. Witten, and Craig S. Criddle, "Reassessing authorship of the Book of Mormon using delta and nearest shrunken centroid classification," Literary and Linguistic Computing 23 (December 2008): 465 - 491, doi 10.1093/llc/fqn040. D. I. Holmes, "A Stylometric Analysis of Mormon Scripture and Related Texts," Journal of the Royal Statistical Society. Series A (Statistics in Society) 155, no. 1 (1992): 91-120. We value your feedback! Have questions for Truthspresso? Contact us!