Joseph Smith's 'Last Charge' to the Twelve — He Rolled the Kingdom of God onto Their Shoulders (March 1844)

In late March 1844, Joseph Smith held a series of meetings with the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in which he formally transferred to them the keys, authority, and responsibility to lead the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints after his death. This event, later called the "last charge," was one of the most significant moments of the Restoration — the moment when Joseph, knowing his mortal ministry was nearing its end, ensured the continuity of prophetic leadership.

Wilford Woodruff, who was present, recorded the event in his journal. Joseph gathered the Twelve and spoke with solemn urgency about his approaching death and the future of the Church. He told them:

"I have lived until I have seen the salvation of God... I am tired. The burdens rest upon me... I now roll this kingdom onto your shoulders. You have got to bear it off."

Joseph then proceeded to confer upon the Twelve all the keys of the priesthood that had been restored through him — the same keys that had been given by heavenly messengers (John the Baptist, Peter, James, and John, Moses, Elias, and Elijah). He told them that no man could take those keys from them except by their own transgression, and that they now held the full authority to lead the Church and carry forward the work of the Lord.

Joseph specifically prophesied to the Twelve: "Some of you will live to go and preach to the nations of the earth... you will bear off this kingdom... the Twelve will be able to carry the Church." He told them that the burden he had carried alone would now be theirs, and that they must not fail in their charge.

This "last charge" was not merely a farewell — it was a formal, priesthood-authorized transfer of governing authority. Joseph was ensuring that, when he was taken, the Church would not be left without prophetic leadership. The keys he rolled onto the Twelve were the keys of the dispensation, the same keys that would empower Brigham Young and the Twelve to lead the Saints west, to build temples, and to carry the gospel to the nations of the earth.

The fulfillment of this charge was dramatic and immediate: on June 27, 1844, Joseph and Hyrum Smith were martyred at Carthage Jail. In the crisis that followed, the Twelve Apostles — under the leadership of Brigham Young — stepped forward and assumed the leadership of the Church, exactly as Joseph had charged them. The famous "transfiguration" of Brigham Young (August 8, 1844), in which many Saints reported seeing and hearing Joseph Smith in Brigham Young, was understood as divine confirmation that the keys had indeed been transferred and that the Twelve were authorized to lead.

The "last charge" of March 1844 is a remarkable example of prophetic foresight and divine preparation: months before his death, Joseph, under the Spirit, prepared the Church for his departure and ensured that the keys of the kingdom would continue unbroken. The Church did not collapse; it continued and grew, led by the Twelve who had received Joseph's charge — a testament to the divine wisdom that governed the final months of the Prophet's ministry.

Fuller account of this event (in the witness’s own words):

I have had sealed upon my head every key, every power, every principle of the life and salvation that has ever been restored to any man in any age of the world, and I have sealed them upon your heads. I have lived until I have seen the salvation of God, and I am now ready to depart. I am tired. The burdens rest upon me. I have rolled this kingdom onto your shoulders. You have got to bear it off. I have had to do it until now, but now I am going to rest. You have got to round up your shoulders and bear it off, and if you do not do it, the curse of God will rest upon you.

Benjamin F. Johnson, who was present at the council meeting, provided an additional firsthand account of the Prophet's intensity during this transfer of authority. He recalled that Joseph Smith reviewed his life of sacrifice with great feeling before declaring, 'In the name of the Lord, I now shake from my shoulders the responsibility of bearing off the kingdom of God to all the world, and here and now I place that responsibility, with all the keys, powers and privileges pertaining thereto, upon the shoulders of you, the Twelve Apostles, in connection with this council; and if you will accept this, to do it, God shall bless you mightily and shall open your way; and if you do it not, you will be damned. I am henceforth free from the blood of this generation and of all men.'