Come, Follow Me Doctrine and Covenants
Doctrine and Covenants 135–136

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The afternoon of June 27, 1844, found Joseph and Hyrum Smith in jail once again, accompanied by John Taylor and Willard Richards. They believed they were innocent of any crime, but they submitted to arrest, hoping to keep the Saints in Nauvoo safe. This wasn’t the first time that enemies of the Church had put the Prophet Joseph in prison, but this time he seemed to know that he would not return alive. He and his friends tried to comfort each other by reading from the Book of Mormon and singing hymns. Then gunshots were heard, and within a few minutes the mortal lives of Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum had come to an end.

And yet it was not the end of the divine cause they had embraced. And it was not the end of the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ. There was more work to do and more revelation that would guide the Church forward. The end of the Prophet’s life was not the end of the work of God.

D&C 135: Announcement of the martyrdom of Joseph Smith the Prophet and his brother, Hyrum Smith the Patriarch, at Carthage, Illinois, June 27, 1844. This document was included at the end of the 1844 edition of the Doctrine and Covenants, which was nearly ready for publication when Joseph and Hyrum Smith were murdered.

D&C 136: The word and will of the Lord, given through President Brigham Young at Winter Quarters, the camp of Israel, Omaha Nation, on the west bank of the Missouri River, near Council Bluffs, Iowa.

As you study Doctrine and Covenants 135–36, the Lord may prompt you with insights to help you apply what you read. When that happens, write down what He teaches you.

D&C 135: Announcement of the martyrdom of Joseph Smith the Prophet and his brother, Hyrum Smith the Patriarch, at Carthage, Illinois, June 27, 1844. This document was included at the end of the 1844 edition of the Doctrine and Covenants, which was nearly ready for publication when Joseph and Hyrum Smith were murdered.

D&C 136: The word and will of the Lord, given through President Brigham Young at Winter Quarters, the camp of Israel, Omaha Nation, on the west bank of the Missouri River, near Council Bluffs, Iowa.

Resources on ChurchofJesusChrist.org

•   Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families (lesson materials at ChurchofJesusChrist.org)
•   Come, Follow Me—For Sunday School (lesson materials at ChurchofJesusChrist.org)
•   Come, Follow Me—For Aaronic Priesthood Quorums and Young Women Classes (lesson materials at ChurchofJesusChrist.org)
•   Come, Follow Me—For Primary (lesson materials at ChurchofJesusChrist.org)
•   “Praise to the Man,” Hymns, no. 27.

• Section 135, A Tribute to the Martyrs, Doctrine and Covenants Institute Student Manual (2002), pp 348–50
• Section 136, Organization of the Camp of Zion, Doctrine and Covenants Institute Student Manual (2002), pp 350–53
• Chapter 54: Doctrine and Covenants 134–36, Doctrine and Covenants Institute Student Manual (2017)
•   Joseph Smith—Prophet of the Restoration, Doctrine and Covenants Teaching Videos
• Remembering the Martyrdom, Revelations in Context
•   Tried in All Things, Doctrine and Covenants Teaching Videos, Elder Neal A. Maxwell
• “This Shall Be Our Covenant”, Revelations in Context

Resources on Interpreter Foundation

•   Come, Follow Me Study and Teaching Helps — Lesson 48: D&C 135–136, Jonn Claybaugh
•     Audio Roundtable: Come, Follow Me Doctrine and Covenants Lesson 48 (D&C 135–136)

Resources on Other Sites

•   Come, Follow Me Week 48 – Doctrine and Covenants 135-136, FAIR
•   Section 135, Harper, Steven C. – D&C Contexts (Book of Mormon Central Archive)
•   Section 136, Harper, Steven C. – D&C Contexts (Book of Mormon Central Archive)
•   Why Was Hyrum Faithful to His Witness of the Book of Mormon?, Book of Mormon Central KnoWhy #613
•   Come Follow Me with Casey Paul Griffiths (Doctrine and Covenants 135-136, November 22-28), Book of Mormon Central
•   PART 1 (Section 135) Come Follow Me Insights (Doctrine and Covenants 135-136, Nov 22-28), Book of Mormon Central
•   PART 2 (Section 136) Come Follow Me Insights (Doctrine and Covenants 135-136, Nov 22-28), Book of Mormon Central
•   Come Follow Me with Taylor Halverson (Doctrine and Covenants 135-136, November 22-28), Book of Mormon Central
•   Come Follow Me with John Hilton III (Doctrine and Covenants 135-136, November 22-28), Book of Mormon Central
•   Come Follow Me: Act in Doctrine (Doctrine and Covenants 135-136, Nov 22-28), Book of Mormon Central
•   Why was Joseph Smith Murdered?, Book of Mormon Central KnoWhy #624
•   Doctrine & Covenants 135, Doctrine & Covenants Central
•   Doctrine & Covenants 136, Doctrine & Covenants Central
•   Hard Questions in Church History with Lynne Hilton Wilson: Week 48a (D&C 135-136, Nov 29-Dec 5), Doctrine & Covenants Central
•   Why was Joseph Smith Murdered?, Doctrine & Covenants Central
•   A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief – Official Music Video – Benjamin Tyler Griffin, Doctrine & Covenants Central
•   The Unfolding Restoration Lesson 23: The Martyrdom of Joseph Smith, Doctrine & Covenants Central
•   Hard Questions in Church History with Lynne Hilton Wilson: Week 48b-49 (D&C 135-136, Nov 22-28), Doctrine & Covenants Central
•   Come Follow Me Doctrine and Covenants 135 (Nov.22-28) Don’t Miss This (136 Martin’s Cove next week), Don’t Miss This
•   Come Follow Me – Doctrine and Covenants 135-136: “Endings and Beginnings” (Joseph Smith’s Martyrdom), Unshaken
•   Come, Follow Me Podcast #48: The Martyrdom of the Prophet Joseph and the Patriarch Hyrum, Sections 135-136, Meridian Magazine
•   November 22–28, 2021 Come, Follow Me Songs, Music for Latter-day Life
•   Doctrine and Covenants 135 to 136 – He “Has Sealed His Mission and His Works with His Own Blood”, BYU Studies