Joseph Smith's Final Days - John Turner Pt. 40 | Ep. 2143

From Mormon Stories Podcast by Dr. John Dehlin

May 1, 2026 · 2h 18m

About this episode

The episode discusses the final months of Joseph Smith's life, exploring legal pressures, political tensions, and his complex role as a leader.

Welcome to Part 40 of our Joseph Smith Podcast series with Dr. John Turner! Today we are covering the final chapter of Dr. John Turner’s new book, Joseph Smith; The Rise and Fall of an American Prophet. The chapter is titled “Bleeding Hearts.” In this episode we unpack the turbulent final months of Joseph Smith’s life in 1844. We explore escalating legal pressures, political tensions in Nauvoo, and the controversial events surrounding the Nauvoo Expositor, press freedom, and Smith’s increasingly complex role as prophet, mayor, and military leader. We also examine the accusations of polygamy and misconduct circulating at the time, the internal fractures within the Latter-day Saint movement, and how Joseph Smith responded through sermons, leadership decision, and public defense. As tensions rise, we follow the path from legal entanglements and political conflict in Illinois to Smith’s final days, his decision to flee, and the events leading to his death at Carthage Jail. The episode closes with reflections on the aftermath of his killing and its lasting impact on the movement he founded. This is a deep historical discussion drawing on Dr. Turner’s scholarship and primary source…

People in this episode

Host: Dr. John Dehlin

Guest: John Turner

Topics covered

Joseph Smith
final days
Nauvoo
political tensions
religious history
polygamy
leadership

Keywords

Joseph Smith
Nauvoo Expositor
political conflict
polygamy
Carthage Jail
religious history
John Turner

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Nauvoo Expositor

Books & works: Joseph Smith; The Rise and Fall of an American Prophet

Places: Nauvoo, Illinois, Carthage Jail