This  Challenge  Proves The Book of Mormon Is Divine!

Welcome to Day 29 of our 60-Day Challenge! But before we tackle today’s question, let’s take a moment to reflect on the question from Day 28 - Could Joseph Smith—a 22-year-old farm boy with little education—have written the Book of Mormon? And if he did write the Book of Mormon, where and how did he accumulate so much wisdom in under 22 years of life?

His own wife said he struggled to write a coherent letter. Yet, in just 63 days, he dictated a 531-page book that has been studied, scrutinized, and analyzed by historians, scholars, and theologians worldwide.

So, let’s break this down. Could one man have produced this record on his own? Or is there something far greater at play?

The Challenge: Duplicating The Book of Mormon

Skeptics often argue that Joseph Smith wrote The Book of Mormon himself—that it was merely a work of fiction or borrowed ideas from his time.

But let’s put that theory to the test.

If The Book of Mormon was merely a product of Joseph Smith’s imagination, then surely someone else could reproduce something similar, right?

So here’s the challenge. If you believe Joseph wrote The Book of Mormon without divine intervention, then you must produce a book that meets the following 26 criteria:

The 26-Point Challenge

1. Write a detailed history of an ancient civilization that covers 2,600 years (from 2200 BC to 400 AD).

2. Do it at the age of 23, with no more than three years of formal schooling, and no access to scholarly research on the subject.

3. Make sure your book is at least 522 pages long (about 300,000 words).

4. Write it in just 63 days without rewriting, revising, or making major edits.

5. Include at least 280 unique names, ensuring they are historically and linguistically accurate.

6. Your book must describe two distinct civilizations, including their political, economic, social, and religious structures.

7. Ensure your history includes dozens of major battles, migrations, and cultural shifts, while remaining consistent and logical throughout.

8. Include over 54 chapters on war, 21 chapters of history, 55 chapters of visions and prophecies, and 71 chapters on doctrine.

9. Reference hundreds of ancient cities, lands, and geographical features—some of which should only be confirmed by archaeology centuries later.

10. Create multiple writing styles and narrative voices, as if written by different authors, across several generations.

11. Include a complex religious system with detailed doctrine that aligns with the teachings of Jesus Christ.

12. Write entire sermons and parables, ensuring that they match the tone and teachings of the Bible.

13. Predict future events with incredible accuracy—so much so that historians would later confirm their fulfillment.

14. Introduce Hebrew poetic structures, such as chiasmus, that were not even recognized in Joseph Smith’s time.

15. Claim your book is scripture from God, not just an interesting story or fictional work.

16. Your book must be entirely inconsistent with many popular 19th-century beliefs—but later be proven accurate by science and history.

17. Translate your book without using any existing texts as a reference, relying only on divine inspiration.

18. Call down an angel from heaven to appear to three respected witnesses, who will publicly testify they saw the book's source material.

19. Have these three witnesses (and eight additional witnesses) stand by their testimony for their entire lives—even under extreme persecution.

20. Publish your book and distribute it worldwide, declaring it to be another witness of Jesus Christ.

21. Gain the belief and conversion of millions of people over the next 200 years, despite significant opposition.

22. Inspire over 70,000 missionaries to leave their homes, pay their own way, and devote two years of their lives to sharing your book—without financial compensation.

23. See your book be translated into more than 100 languages and published in nearly every nation on earth.

24. Ensure that thousands of scholars, archaeologists, and historians continue to study and debate your book for centuries.

25. Fulfill numerous biblical prophecies, including those from Isaiah, Ezekiel, and Revelation.

26. Finally, be willing to die for your testimony, declaring with your last breath that your book is the word of God.

What’s the Verdict?

If The Book of Mormon was a work of fiction, then why has no one been able to duplicate it?

The complexity, doctrine, and structure of The Book of Mormon are beyond what any single uneducated person—especially a young farm boy—could produce on their own.

So, was Joseph Smith just a literary genius?
Or was he truly a prophet of God, called to restore Christ’s church?

The only way to know for sure is to put the Book of Mormon to the test.

How Can You Know If It’s True?

The answer is simple—ask God yourself.

The Book of Mormon contains a promise:

"And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost."
– Moroni 10:4

If you’ve never read The Book of Mormon, I invite you to read it. If you’ve never prayed about it, I invite you to pray.

Because the truth isn’t something we find just by logic and analysis—it’s something we receive through spiritual confirmation.

Next Up: Question 29

Jesus Christ said in John 10:16:

"And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd."

So here’s the question:

Who are these "other sheep" Christ was referring to?

(Hint: It’s not the Gentiles.)

Do some research, and we’ll explore the answer in the next lesson!

Transcription:

  Hi, my name is Joe Cirillo with Gospel First and thanks once again for your decision to follow me on this exciting journey to find Christ Restored Church in our day. But before I give you question 29, did you get the answers to question 28? Joseph Smith could neither write nor dictate a coherent and well worded letter according to his wife and many others.

Could he have written the Book of Mormon? And if he did write the Book of Mormon, where and how did he accumulate so much wisdom in under 22 years of life? Well, the question of whether Joseph Smith could have written the Book of Mormon on his own has been debated by scholars, religious figures, and skeptics for nearly two centuries.

The Book of Mormon was formulated through the effort and talents of a common man by the name of Joseph Smith, Jr. What is produced by one man can always be duplicated by another man. Or can it? So, I want to offer you this challenge that the Book of Mormon makes to the world, and it's that of duplication.

Because the book complies with every one of the following conditions, and in order for you to produce a similar record, you must comply with all 26 same conditions. So here's the challenge. Can you accept it? Number one, you need to write a history of ancient Tibet, covering a period from 2200 BC to 400 AD.

Why ancient Tibet? Because you know no more about Tibet than Joseph Smith or anyone else knew about ancient America. You're 23 years of age. You've had no more than three years of formal schooling and have spent your life in backwoods farming communities. Your history must be written on the basis of what you know now.

There was no library that held information for Joseph Smith, Jr. Well, you must use none. There is to be no research of any kind. Your book must be 522 pages in length and contain over 300, 000 words. You must write your book in 63 days, no more. Other than a few grammatical corrections, you must have no changes in the text.

The first edition, as you dictate it to your secretary, must stand forever. Now this record is to contain the history of two distinct separate nations, along with the histories of different contemporary nations or groups of people. You must also describe their religious, economic, political, social cultures, and institutions.

Cover every phase of their society, including the names of their coins. You need to change their style of writing many times. Many ancient authors contributed to the Book of Mormon, each with his own style. Weave into your history the religion of Jesus Christ and the pattern of Christian living. Then you must claim that your narrative is not fiction with moral value, but true and sacred history.

You must include in your book 54 chapters dealing with wars, 21 historical chapters, 55 chapters on visions and prophecies. And remember, when you begin to write visions and prophecies, you must have your record agree meticulously with the Bible. You must write 71 chapters on doctrine and exhortation.

Here, too, you must check every statement with the scriptures, or yours will be proven a fraud. You must write 21 chapters on the ministry of Jesus Christ. And everything he said and did and every testimony you write in your book about him must agree absolutely with the New Testament. Many of the facts, claims, ideas, and statements given as absolute true in your writings must be entirely inconsistent with the prevailing beliefs of the world.

Some of these worldly beliefs must prove to be the direct opposite of your claims. Then you will have to use proper figures, speech, similes, metaphors, narrations, expositions, description, oratory, epic, lyric, and parables. Included in your narration will be authentic means as to whether or not those ancient people used fire, description of their clothing.

crops, mourning customs, uh, and types of government. You must invent about 280 new names that will stand up under scrutiny through the years as to their proper application and derivation. You must invite the ablest scholars and experts to examine the text. And you must strive diligently to see that your book gets into the hands of these eager to prove it, uh, as a forgery.

And who are most competent to expose every flaw in it. Through investigation, scientific and historical evidence, and archaeological discovery for the next 200 years, must verify its claims. and prove detail after detail to be true. For many of the details that you put into your history are still buried beneath the soil of Tibet.

You publish it to every nation, kindertung, and people, declaring it to be the Word of God and another witness of the Lord Jesus Christ. Your record is to fulfill many Bible prophecies, even in the exact manner in which it shall come forth, to whom delivered its purposes, its accomplishments. Call down an angel from heaven in the middle of the day and have him bear testimony to three honest magnified citizens of your community that record is the word of God.

These witnesses must bear the angel's testimony to the world. Not for profit or gain, but under great sacrifice and, uh, and severe persecution, even to their deathbeds. You must put the testimony to the test by becoming enemies to these men. Thousands of great men, intellectual giants, national and international personalities.

And scholars, for 200 years, must accept your history and its teachings, even to the point of laying down their lives, rather than to deny their testimony of it. You must include within the record this promise. And when you shall receive these things, I would exhort you that you would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, if these things are not And if you shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, He will make manifest the truth of it unto you by the power of the Holy Ghost.

Millions must bear record to the world for the next 200 years, that they know that the record to be true. Because they put the promise to the test and found it to be true. The truth of it was manifested to them by the power of the Holy Ghost. Over 70, 000 competent salesmen must be sold on your book that they gladly give up two years of their lives to take it to all parts of the world, to over 76 nations for distribution.

They not only pay their own wage during these years, but return bearing testimony that the time spent will remain as one of the highlights of their lives. They receive nothing in return for their efforts but the joy of having shared your book with others. You must gain no wealth from your work, but many times lose all that you have.

And finally, after 20 years of this, give your own life in a very savage and brutal manner concerning your history book. Start right now and produce this record which covers 2600 years of history. Doing it while being driven from your home several times and receiving constant threats upon your life. Now please have your book completed and talk a friend into mortgaging his farm to raise money to have it printed.

Oh, and did I mention that it has all to be done or completed in 63 days? There is only one answer. The Book of Mormon is a divine record. I invite you to examine it, read it, study it, and pray about it. Then decide for yourself. So here's question 29. Who are these other sheep that are not of this fold, referred to by Christ in John chapter 10 verse 16?

I'll give you a little hint. It's not the Gentiles. So I'd love to hear your thoughts.