Oliver Cowdery's Deathbed Testimony

Oliver Cowdery, shortly before his death in 1850, provided a final testimony to his friends regarding the truth of the Priesthood and the necessity of gathering to the Valley in Utah.

Fuller account of this event (as retold in Oliver Cowdery’s Dying Testimony - Talking Scripture):

Oliver Cowdery just before breathing his last, asked his attendants to raise him up in bed that he might talk to the family and his friends, who were present. He then told them to live according to the teachings contained in the Book of Mormon, and promised them if they would do this that they would meet him in heaven. He then said, 'Lay me down and let me fall asleep.' A few moments later he died, without a struggle.

According to the account of his half-sister, Lucy P. Young, and Phineas H. Young, who were present at his bedside in Richmond, Missouri, on March 3, 1850, Oliver Cowdery's final moments were spent bearing testimony of the gospel restored through Joseph Smith and the power of the holy priesthood. Lucy P. Young recorded that just before he passed, Oliver asked his attendants to raise him in bed to speak to those gathered. He exhorted them to live by the teachings of the Book of Mormon, promising that if they did so, they would meet him in heaven. His final words were, 'Lay me down and let me fall asleep,' after which he died without a struggle.