Impressions of a Prophet: Joseph Smith

Joseph Smith, having temporarily escaped over the Mississippi to Iowa, is encouraged by Emma, Hyrum, and others to return and turn himself in at Carthage. Prophecies their death and goes. Farewell to Emma and signed blessing, military escort, Hamilton Hotel, strong mob presence, Governor Ford refuses to see them, has them accompany him as he publicly reviews troops, finally speaks with Joseph and...

Well this video lacks some polish to say the least. But hopefully it gives you a taste of the amazing and sacred place, Adam-ondi-Ahman, in western Missouri. As I say in the video, it's the place Adam dwelt after he was expelled from the Garden of Eden and where he will come again prior to the Second Coming of the Savior. I personally love this place for the special spirit that I feel here. And I...

William Law and the Nauvoo Expositor publish many things meant to harm Joseph Smith and the Church, call for Nauvoo city charter to be revoked, after lengthy deliberation city council resolves to destroy press, Sheriff John P. Greene carries out order with overabundance of volunteers, Law and other proprietors later set fire to building, citizens extinguish fire, arrest warrants are issued to Jose...

In this episode Susan tells us the story of the origins of the largest female organization in the world, the Relief Society of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The original idea from some women in Nauvoo was to create a benevolent society (common in that time). Eliza R. Snow was asked to write up a constitution for it, which she did and then took to Joseph Smith to review. He respo...

Leading up to the presidential election of 1844, Joseph Smith and other church leaders counseled about who should get their vote. None of the alternatives seeming desirable, it was finally proposed that General Joseph Smith run himself. This he did, eventually finding a running mate in Sidney Rigdon. Neither of them were known to ever actively campaign. But Brigham Young, then kind of leading the...

In this episode Susan talks about a central focus of the prophet and the saints in Nauvoo - the temple. We know from a previous episode that Joseph had received revelation and instituted baptisms for the dead, and a font was built for that purpose on the site of the Nauvoo temple, sheltered by a wooden structure with a pitched roof. Around that structure the temple was built, much of the time with...

If you visit Nauvoo today (2020s), you'll see a small agrarian town. But in its heyday when it was the gathering place for the saints, it was a thriving center of religious, civic, business and cultural life, whose population briefly rivaled that of Chicago. In this episode Susan tells us some fascinating facts about life in Nauvoo at this time. Some quick facts: Nauvoo is largely the result of th...

In this episode we talk about the history of the place we now call Nauvoo, the reason so many died there when the saints first arrived, and a glorious revelation that followed regarding those who have died without baptism. What were the two names for Nauvoo before it was Nauvoo? Why did the saints buy it? Why were the saints dying in such large numbers when they arrived? What revelation did Joseph...

As the latter-day saints were running for their lives from Missouri, following the Extermination Order, east to Illinois, the town they came to was Quincy, just over the Mississippi River. What makes Quincy remarkable is the kindness of the people there, who took in more than triple their population and, in contrast to people they had lived among previously, continued to support them and seek thei...

We take a moment in our account to talk about a great friend to the saints and a remarkable man - Alexander Doniphan. While others in positions of influence were seeking to harm the saints Doniphan, a lawyer, stood up for them and stood up for justice, showing an integrity seemingly lacking in others at the time. At a moment when Joseph Smith and others were about to be killed, he defied his super...

As we discussed last time, Joseph Smith and others were taken prisoners in Far West on Oct 31 of 1838. A death sentence was passed on them, but they were effectively saved from execution by Alexander Doniphan. While their lives were spared, they were incarcerated for the next five months. Why were they taken prisoners in the first place? What happened to Far West after the prisoners were taken? Ho...

Learn about the events that led up to the infamous Extermination Order by Governor Boggs of Missouri in 1838. It reads in part, "the Mormons must be treated as enemies, and must be exterminated or driven from the State if necessary for the public peace—their outrages are beyond all description". What made Governor Boggs, and indeed many Missourians, believe they were justified in expulsing fellow...

This is a video-only episode (except the little explanation version I do separately). For the video go to: https://youtu.be/9ModX2-auQo (YouTube). If you happen to be listening on Spotify then click the little switch to go to the video version. In this episode I take you on location to Independence, Missouri! We believe this is the place the Lord designated as the center place for the gathering of...

After the saints got kicked out of Independence, Missouri, fleeing north over the river to Clay County (Missouri - mostly Liberty), and had been there a couple of years, it became apparent that the local residents there didn't want the saints among them any more than did their cousins in Jackson county, and legal and extra-legal means were used to expel them. It was even voted in a ___ meeting tha...

From the last episode we learned why around 1200 saints had moved from Kirtland, OH to Independence, MO, with more on the way. In this episode we learn about how the locals, who were largely frontiersmen and former southerners, didn't love the idea of the northerner religious saints moving in and kind of taking over (for some reason). Unfortunately the way the differences were handled on the Misso...

The Lord revealed the "center place" for the gathering of the saints in the last days, and the place of Zion, the New Jerusalem, in 1831 to Joseph Smith. The place was Independence, Missouri - a city at that time on the western boundary of the United States (west of that was all Indian territory). At that time it was occupied by white settlers, with whom the idea that the land was consecrated for...

In this episode Susan does a study on the lives of several of the men who knew the prophet Joseph, to see how their faithfulness over the years affected their blessings. (Susan has studied EVERY person who knew the prophet Joseph.) Here we talk about Heber C. Kimball, James E. Talmage (who was not contemporary with the prophet), Brigham Young, John Taylor, Orson Hyde, Thomas B. Marsh, Parley P. Pr...

In this episode we delve into the Kirtland Safety Society and how when it failed, many members of the Church left, some temporarily and some permanently, including members of the Quorum of the Twelve. The Kirtland Safety Society was basically a bank that was founded by Joseph Smith and other principal leaders of the Church. We talk about its founding, its collapse with the national banking crisis...

Revelations to Joseph Smith given in Kirtland, Ohio - Stories of how they came to be, how they were copied, who they were to, what they were about, the most and least popular, the "White Horse Prophecies", visions in the Kirtland Temple, and the Tragedy of Kirtland (Kirtland Safety Society). YouTube (Video) Spotify Apple Podcasts Amazon Music YouTube Music Website Facebook Instagram Susan Easton B...

In February of 1831, the Lord having just previously commanded the people of the church to gather to Ohio, Joseph and Emma arrive (first) in Kirtland.  Two months later Emma gives birth to twins, both of whom die within a few hours.  Shortly thereafter Joseph and Julia Murdock’s twins are born but Julia dies in childbirth, and Joseph gives the twins to Joseph and Emma, who adopt them.&nb...

April 6, 1830 "The Church of Christ" is officially organized in Fayette, New York in the home of Peter and Mary Whitmer. Just one month prior, the Book of Mormon had been published. Between then and the Church's organization believers in the Book of Mormon would meet on weekdays but go to their old churches on Sunday. Some members had been baptized before the organizational meeting on April 6. A r...

Learn the amazing story of how the Book of Mormon came forth, and some popular theories. Translation "by the gift and power of God", printing by E. B. Grandin in Palmyra, NY, its sale, various theories on how Joseph Smith produced the book, how often it speaks of Christ, His several names as stated in the Book of Mormon, what it reveals about the nature of God, what it says about how to find happi...

This episode is about Oliver Cowdery and David Whitmer, two of the Three Witnesses of the Book of Mormon (along with Martin Harris). Both men performed great service in the early days of the restored Church. Both in time separated themselves from the Church and the prophet Joseph Smith. Oliver Cowdery at the end of his life responded to efforts to seek him out and joined the Church before his deat...

Emma's birth in Harmony, PA (1804), her father Isaac Hale, family more well-to-do than Smiths, meets Joseph, they elope, she has 11 children in all, 5 of which live to maturity, accompanies Joseph to Hill Cumorah, writes for Joseph as he translates plates until Oliver Cowdery is sent, testifies of veracity of Book of Mormon, revelation is given to Emma (Doctrine and Covenants Section 25) where she...

Martin Harris' father (Nathan) has money, his occupation, Martin's youth in the Quaker church, he manages his father's business, marries cousin Lucy Harris, war of 1812, becomes "gentleman farmer", investigates many churches, finally describes himself as an "unchurched Christian", hires Joseph Smith Sr. and Hyrum, meets Joseph, gives him money for his journey to Harmony, PA to translate, Martin ta...