Moroni 10:26

And wo unto them who shall do these things away and die, for they die in their sins, and they cannot be saved in the kingdom of God; and I speak it according to the words of Christ; and I lie not.

If Joseph Smith made up these words as a fraud, he is the boldest liar in history. He is either a liar or a prophet. He does not quibble on the middle ground. It is so simple to take him at his word and put him to the test. Ask God. Surely the Lord would not let such a liar take his name in vain and not make the fraud known to any honest seeker. An evil man could not write such a book and a good man would not try -- unless it were true.

Moroni 10:4-5

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. And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.

If Joseph Smith was a fraud, this promise of a testimony from God would be the most audacious, outlandish, bold-faced lie ever perpetrated on the public. Joseph was either a lunatic or a prophet. He lays it all on the line. He invites us not to take his word for it nor to rely on the words of any other human. He says we should go to God and put it in his hands. Joseph was confident of the outcome. Millions have put this promise to the test and have found it to be true.

Mormon 8:16

And blessed be he that shall bring this thing to light; for it shall be brought out of darkness unto light, according to the word of God; yea, it shall be brought out of the earth, and it shall shine forth out of darkness, and come unto the knowledge of the people; and it shall be done by the power of God.

The Book of Mormon came seemingly from nowhere. No one in the world had any inkling that a book written by ancient prophets lay buried in a hillside in New York. The entire Christian world was convinced that the Bible was the whole and only word of God, and nothing would ever be added. It was a foregone conclusion that God had finished his work among mankind and we were on our own to do the best we could with what we had. Then along comes a teenager in an obscure village with little education and no church affiliation, who claims that God has spoken to him, and within a few years he produces a book to back up his claim. Truly the Book of Mormon came out of obscurity and out of darkness.

Second Nephi 33:15

For what I seal on earth, shall be brought against you at the judgment bar; for thus hath the Lord commanded me, and I must obey. Amen.

Joseph Smith did not say that he had written a good book with good ideas, which he is willing to debate and discuss. He said God would judge the world by this book. No other book before or after has ever made such a claim except the Bible. His testimony, expressed in the words of Nephi, stands unassailed and unrefuted. We either buy it or we don't. We are either in or out. There is no middle ground on which we can stand, and no fence on which we can sit. I choose Christ, the Book of Mormon, Nephi and Joseph. Let God at the judgment bar tell me I'm wrong. I will be in good company.