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]

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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.

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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.

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