The Restoration Challenges

The Story of Joseph Smith Jr.

By: Russell Y Anderson

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

In the shadowed halls of early Mormonism, a prophet fights not just mobs and exiles, but betrayal from those closest to him. From the shattered windows of Kirtland's failed bank to the blood-soaked floor of Carthage Jail, Joseph Smith builds Zion amid relentless persecution—only to face apostates like Warren Parrish, Thomas Marsh, and George Hinkle who turn faith into fury.
As Nauvoo rises from swamps to splendor, darker threats emerge. Emma Smith and the Relief Society wage war against secret polygamy peddled by apostles like Brigham Young, John Taylor, and Willard Richards. Joseph denounces it publicly and vows excommunication—until the Nauvoo Expositor exposes the conspiracy, trapping him in a legal noose.
Reluctantly surrendering in Carthage, Joseph senses the end: internal gunfire, fabricated narratives, and a martyr's fall orchestrated by "loyal" witnesses. Forensic truths—bullet holes from inside the room, impossible wound trajectories—shatter the official story.
This gripping historical reckoning reveals the pattern of corruption that doomed dispensations past: external enemies enabled by wolves in sheep's clothing. Joseph's final cry wasn't surrender, but a prophet's warning against the higher laws that would redefine his legacy.
Uncover the betrayals that stole a restoration—and ask: Who really killed the prophet?