In this bicentennial year of his birth, we celebrate the life and achievements of the Prophet Joseph Smith. In this month of June, it is appropriate to remember his death at the age of 38, when, along with is beloved brother, Hyrum, he was felled by gunfire from mobbers at a county jail in Carthage, Ill., in violation of a pledge of safety from the governor of that state.

The events of that day, June 27, 1844, were tragic and disheartening, even from a retrospective of 161 years. But it is comforting, even exhilarating, to realize that the martyrdom of the Prophet was not the last chapter in the story and to contemplate what has occurred since.

During his short life, Joseph was frequently harassed by false legal charges but had always managed to prevail. This occasion was different. With a prophet's gift, he foretold his own death, saying, "I am going like a lamb to the slaughter; but I am calm as a summer's morning; I have a conscience void of offense towards God, and towards all men. I SHALL YET DIE INNOCENT, AND IT SHALL YET BE SAID OF ME — HE WAS MURDERED IN COLD BLOOD" (Doctrine and Covenants 135:4).

Joseph's utterances were often graced with scriptural allusions. In this case, the reference was a Messianic prophecy in Isaiah 53:7, "He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth."

Like biblical prophets and apostles, Joseph emulated the Lord Jesus Christ in sealing his testimony with his blood. On a previous occasion, while Joseph was imprisoned with companions in another jail, the Savior had revealed to him, "If thou shouldst be cast into the pit, or into the hands of murderers, and the sentence of death passed upon thee, . . . know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good. The Son of Man hath descended below them all. Art thou greater than he? . . . Thy days are known, and thy years shall not be numbered less; therefore, fear not what man can do, for God shall be with you forever and ever" (Doctrine and Covenants 122:7-9).

Earlier in that revelation, Christ had said of Joseph, "The ends of the earth shall inquire after thy name, and fools shall have thee in derision, and hell shall rage against thee; While the pure in heart, and the wise, and the noble, and the virtuous, shall seek counsel, and authority, and blessings constantly from under thy hand" (verses 1-2). That prophecy has been fulfilled many times over with striking clarity. It continues to be so today, as Joseph is either vilified or revered, by the foolish or the wise, respectively.

His enemies thought the death of Joseph would spell the end of the Church; in this aim, they were frustrated. Under the leadership and authority of the Quorum of the Twelve, the body of the Church moved west to the Rocky Mountains, where a base of operations was established, even as the kingdom of God rolled forth in the British Isles and Europe and the latter-day gathering of Israel continued. Today, consistent with Nephi's prophecy (see 1 Nephi 14:12), the Church has a global and growing presence, with priesthood, stakes and temples available and readily accessible to more of the world's populace than ever before.

Joseph himself continues to teach and minister to the inhabitants of the Spirit World. His successor, Brigham Young, taught, "His office is not taken from him, he has only gone to labor in another department of the operations of the Almighty. He is still an Apostle, still a Prophet, and is doing the work of an Apostle and Prophet" (from a discourse delivered in Salt Lake City, June 22, 1856). When the Savior returns to the earth in glory, Joseph will come forth with the righteous as a resurrected being and continue to minister under the His direction. As our beloved hymn affirms, "Millions shall know 'Brother Joseph' again" (Hymns, No. 27).

Today, the building where he was martyred is owned by the Church and operated as part of a visitors center experience at Carthage so that succeeding generations may remember. More important, the temple he planned and began to construct in Nauvoo, later to be desecrated and destroyed, has been replicated in all its former splendor. With profound reverence, President Gordon B. Hinckley planned its dedication in 2002 to coincide with the precise hour of the day and day of the year of the Prophet's martyrdom. His words on that occasion express our feelings: "May this sacred house stand as a memorial to him who lived here and was buried here, Joseph Smith, the great Prophet of this dispensation, and his brother, Hyrum, whom he loved" (Church News, June 29, 2002, p. 5).