D&C 135-138 Succession & Splinter Groups I Come Follow Church History I Lynne Hilton Wilson episode artwork

EPISODE · Jun 18, 2026 · 57 MIN

D&C 135-138 Succession & Splinter Groups I Come Follow Church History I Lynne Hilton Wilson

from Scripture Central: LDS Come Follow Me & Church History · host SC

https://scripturecentral.org/archive/books/book-chapter/d-and-c-135-136-succession-and-splinter-groups 0:56 Introduction - Hard questions & timeline of the succession crisis 5:10 The question of succession 10:55 Sydney Rigdon’s history 15:00 Brigham vs Sydney 18:03 Joseph’s prophetic mantle passes to Brigham 22:45 Brigham chosen as prophet 25:43 Emma’s challenges after Joseph’s death 31:00 Lucy Mack Smith 34:34 Lewis Crum Bidamon 37:50 William Smith 39:47 Apostles vs splinter groups 44:38 D&C 138 - Joseph F Smith’s vision In this episode of Come Follow Church History, host Lynne Hilton Wilson is joined by BYU professor and historian Janiece Johnson for a captivating deep dive into one of the most pivotal—and often misunderstood—moments in Latter-day Saint history: the 1844 succession crisis. In the immediate aftermath of the martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum Smith, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints faced an uncertain and deeply emotional crossroads. Without its founding prophet, who would lead the Saints? Lynne and Janiece unpack the confusion, tension, and spiritual searching that followed, exploring the claims of various contenders—including Sidney Rigdon, who argued for guardianship of the Church—as well as other voices who stepped forward during this turbulent period. Together they trace how fear, grief, and competing visions for the future created a moment of genuine crisis for the Saints. With expert insight, Janiece Johnson provides rich historical context, helping viewers understand the different claims to take leadership of the Church—and how the eventual path forward reshaped the trajectory of the Restoration. If you’re interested in Latter-day Saint history, the legacy of Joseph Smith, or the development of Church leadership, this episode offers a thoughtful and faith-focused look at a defining moment in 1844. Also enjoy a brief segment on Joseph F. Smith's vision of the dead in the spirit world from section 138. Tune in for a conversation filled with depth, clarity, and remarkable historical detail. Please leave a comment below with your thoughts and insights regarding this video and please consider subscribing to this channel and visiting our website for more content like this: https://scripturecentral.org/ *Donate to Scripture Central: https://form-renderer-app.donorperfect.io/give/scripture-central/donations *Sign up for our email list: https://forms.aweber.com/form/87/2078810487.htm *Download our free scripture study tool, the ScripturePlus app: https://www.scriptureplus.org/ ____________________________________________ *The opinions expressed may represent the views of the individual creators or guests alone, and do not necessarily represent official positions of Scripture Central or of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. *This channel may make use of copyrighted material, the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. This constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. *This Channel may also make use of artwork, voices, video, and effects that are generated by AI (Artificial Intelligence). We do our best to disclose when necessary our use of AI, but know that we make regular usage of AI materials in our content. We do not use AI to deceive or mislead. #ScriptureCentral #ComeFollowMe #ChurchOfJesusChristOfLatterdaySaints Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

https://scripturecentral.org/archive/books/book-chapter/d-and-c-135-136-succession-and-splinter-groups 0:56 Introduction - Hard questions & timeline of the succession crisis 5:10 The question of succession 10:55 Sydney Rigdon’s history 15:00 Brigham vs Sydney 18:03 Joseph’s prophetic mantle passes to Brigham 22:45 Brigham chosen as prophet 25:43 Emma’s challenges after Joseph’s death 31:00 Lucy Mack Smith 34:34 Lewis Crum Bidamon 37:50 William Smith 39:47 Apostles vs splinter groups 44:38 D&C 138 - Joseph F Smith’s vision In this episode of Come Follow Church History, host Lynne Hilton Wilson is joined by BYU professor and historian Janiece Johnson for a captivating deep dive into one of the most pivotal—and often misunderstood—moments in Latter-day Saint history: the 1844 succession crisis. In the immediate aftermath of the martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum Smith, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints faced an uncertain and deeply emotional crossroads. Without its founding prophet, who would lead the Saints? Lynne and Janiece unpack the confusion, tension, and spiritual searching that followed, exploring the claims of various contenders—including Sidney Rigdon, who argued for guardianship of the Church—as well as other voices who stepped forward during this turbulent period. Together they trace how fear, grief, and competing visions for the future created a moment of genuine crisis for the Saints. With expert insight, Janiece Johnson provides rich historical context, helping viewers understand the different claims to take leadership of the Church—and how the eventual path forward reshaped the trajectory of the Restoration. If you’re interested in Latter-day Saint history, the legacy of Joseph Smith, or the development of Church leadership, this episode offers a thoughtful and faith-focused look at a defining moment in 1844. Also enjoy a brief segment on Joseph F. Smith's vision of the dead in the spirit world from section 138. Tune in for a conversation filled with depth, clarity, and remarkable historical detail. Please leave a comment below with your thoughts and insights regarding this video and please consider subscribing to this channel and visiting our website for more content like this: https://scripturecentral.org/ *Donate to Scripture Central: https://form-renderer-app.donorperfect.io/give/scripture-central/donations *Sign up for our email list: https://forms.aweber.com/form/87/2078810487.htm *Download our free scripture study tool, the ScripturePlus app: https://www.scriptureplus.org/ ____________________________________________ *The opinions expressed may represent the views of the individual creators or guests alone, and do not necessarily represent official positions of Scripture Central or of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. *This channel may make use of copyrighted material, the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. This constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. *This Channel may also make use of artwork, voices, video, and effects that are generated by AI (Artificial Intelligence). We do our best to disclose when necessary our use of AI, but know that we make regular usage of AI materials in our content. We do not use AI to deceive or mislead. #ScriptureCentral #ComeFollowMe #ChurchOfJesusChristOfLatterdaySaints Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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D&C 135-138 Succession & Splinter Groups I Come Follow Church History I Lynne Hilton Wilson

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https://scripturecentral.org/archive/books/book-chapter/d-and-c-135-136-succession-and-splinter-groups 0:56 Introduction - Hard questions & timeline of the succession crisis 5:10 The question of succession 10:55 Sydney Rigdon’s history 15:00...

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