“Lesson 147—Doctrine and Covenants 135: The Martyrdom of Joseph Smith the Prophet,” Doctrine and Covenants Seminary Teacher Manual (2025)
“Doctrine and Covenants 135,” Doctrine and Covenants Seminary Teacher Manual
Lesson 147: Doctrine and Covenants 135–136
Doctrine and Covenants 135
The Martyrdom of Joseph Smith the Prophet
After years of leading the Saints, the Prophet Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum were imprisoned in Carthage Jail. On June 27, 1844, a mob attacked and both men were martyred. This lesson is intended to help students strengthen their testimony of Joseph Smith as God’s Prophet of the Restoration.
Possible Learning Activities
“The Prophet and Seer of the Lord”
Consider displaying an image of Joseph Smith and inviting students to imagine they were about to speak with someone who did not know anything about him. Ask them to make a list of what they think are the four or five most important things the Lord did for us through the Prophet Joseph Smith. The following questions may help:
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How would your life be different without the blessings the Lord gave us through the Prophet Joseph Smith?
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How has your knowledge of and relationship with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ been influenced by Joseph Smith and his prophetic work?
Explain that in this lesson, students will learn about the martyrdom of Joseph Smith and what the Lord did through him. As they study, invite them to seek to better understand how the Lord has blessed them through the Prophet.
The road to Carthage Jail
To help students prepare to study Doctrine and Covenants 135, consider summarizing these paragraphs in your own words.
Joseph Smith and the Saints lived peacefully in Illinois for about three years. In 1842, they began experiencing opposition again. Dissenters within the Church and opponents outside the Church combined their efforts against the Prophet and the Saints. Some citizens of Illinois began to fear and resent the political influence of the Saints. Others grew envious of Nauvoo’s economic growth. Persecution against the Saints also resulted from misunderstandings about practices, like plural marriage, which had been falsified by some apostate members of the Church. By the summer of 1844, hostility against the Church greatly intensified.
On June 7, 1844, William Law, who had served as Second Counselor in the First Presidency, and other apostates printed the first issue of a newspaper called the Nauvoo Expositor to anger the public against the Prophet and the Church. Joseph Smith and most of the Nauvoo city council considered the newspaper a public nuisance and ordered that the Nauvoo Expositor press be destroyed. This order was consistent with the law in Joseph Smith’s day.
Some residents of the surrounding area protested the Saints and the destruction of the press. Governor Thomas Ford of Illinois counseled Joseph Smith and other Church leaders to travel to the town of Carthage and resolve the situation legally. He promised them complete protection and a fair trial if they came voluntarily. Despite these promises, the Prophet was convinced that he would be killed if he went (see Doctrine and Covenants 135:4). However, on June 24, 1844, Joseph and Hyrum Smith and a few others left Nauvoo for Carthage to try and keep the Saints safe from mob violence.
After Joseph and Hyrum spent a few days in prison, a mob attacked.
The martyrdom
Before students read the following scripture passage, consider asking them to share anything they might already know about the martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum Smith.
Doctrine and Covenants 135, originally published less than three months after the martyrdom, described what happened. Read Doctrine and Covenants 135:1–2, looking for details about the martyrdom and who witnessed it. (If you would like more details, read Doctrine and Covenants 135:4–7.)
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What did you discover?
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What might you be thinking or feeling if you had been a witness to this horrible event?
To help students imagine what happened, consider showing the video “Joseph Smith—Prophet of the Restoration” ( from time code 0:00 to 3:06) or “Joseph Smith: The Prophet of the Restoration” (from time code 55:50 to 59:51).
Joseph Smith—Prophet of the Restoration
Joseph Smith: The Prophet of the Restoration
If needed, explain that Elder John Taylor (1808–87) was one of the eyewitnesses to the martyrdom. He eventually recovered from his injuries sustained that day and went on to serve as the third President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Read Doctrine and Covenants 135:3, looking for some of the ways the Lord blessed us through the Prophet Joseph Smith.
Doctrine and Covenants 135:3 is a doctrinal mastery passage. Consider inviting students to mark doctrinal mastery passages in a distinctive way so they can locate them easily.
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What truths are meaningful to you? Why?
Invite students to list meaningful truths from verse 3 on the board and share their thoughts about them.
They may use different words, but one truth students will likely identify is Joseph Smith has done more, save Jesus Christ only, for the salvation of the world than any other person. Consider writing a truth like this on the board. It may be important to clarify that salvation is possible only through Jesus Christ, who is the Savior of all mankind. However, Jesus Christ worked through the Prophet Joseph Smith to extend the blessings of His Atonement to Heavenly Father’s children in this dispensation.
Consider inviting students to take a few moments and ponder the significance of this truth in their own lives.
Although Joseph Smith’s mortal life ended on June 27, 1844, his work, testimony, and influence have helped millions of Heavenly Father’s children come unto Jesus Christ and receive the blessings of salvation.
“His mission and his works”
To help students better recognize how Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ used Joseph Smith to help us draw closer to Them, consider inviting students to do the following three steps. Some examples are included in italics.
Invite learners to share: To learn more about inviting others to share, see the training titled “Bear testimony often and invite learners to share their feelings, experiences, and testimonies,” found in Teacher Development Skills: Teach by the Spirit. Consider practicing the skill “Create prompts that help students verbalize their feelings, experiences, and testimony.”
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Write “The Lord’s work through Joseph Smith” in the middle of a page in your study journal.
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Around this phrase, write or draw 4-5 things that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ taught or did through Joseph Smith. If possible, include a scripture reference for each way. Example: “The First Vision” (Joseph Smith—History 1:17–19).
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Include your thoughts and feelings about how each thing you listed helps you draw closer to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. Example: Through Joseph Smith I understand more about Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. I know Heavenly Father will answer my prayers and that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are two separate beings.
If students need help thinking of additional examples of what to write or draw, they could review the following topics and verses: priesthood (Doctrine and Covenants 13:1); the Book of Mormon (Doctrine and Covenants 17:5–6; 135:3); missionary work (Doctrine and Covenants 4; 110:11); sealing power (Doctrine and Covenants 110:13–16).
While students ponder and write, you could play “Praise to the Man” (Hymns, no. 27). Explain that this hymn was written by William W. Phelps after the death of the Prophet as a tribute to him.
Invite as many students as possible to share their thoughts on how the Lord has blessed them through the Prophet Joseph Smith and consider making a list on the board. As students share their thoughts and feelings on a subject, consider asking questions like “Did anyone else think about that same blessing? Would you like to add any thoughts to our discussion?” or “How would your lives be different without this blessing?” Invite students to share about multiple blessings. Consider sharing your thoughts and feelings as well.
To conclude, you might also share the following statement by President M. Russell Ballard, Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. President Ballard is the great-great-grandson of Hyrum Smith.
Shall We Not Go On in So Great a Cause?
We should always remember the price Joseph and Hyrum Smith paid, along with so many other faithful men, women, and children, to establish the Church so you and I could enjoy the many blessings and all of these revealed truths we have today. Their faithfulness should never be forgotten! (M. Russell Ballard, “Shall We Not Go On in So Great a Cause?,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2020, 11)
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If someone wanted to better understand how the Lord blessed them through the Prophet Joseph Smith, what would you recommend they do?
Memorize
You may want to help students memorize the reference and key scripture phrase of Doctrine and Covenants 135:3 and review them in future lessons. The key scripture phrase for this passage is “Joseph Smith brought forth the Book of Mormon, which he translated by the gift and power of God.” Ideas for memorization activities are in the appendix materials under “Doctrinal Mastery Review Activities.”