Revelation given through Joseph Smith the Prophet, at Kirtland, Ohio, 6 August 1833 (see History of the Church, 1:403–6). This revelation came in consequence of the persecution upon the Saints in Missouri. It was natural that the Saints in Missouri, having suffered physically and also having lost property, would feel an inclination toward retaliation and revenge. Therefore, the Lord gave this revelation. Although some news of the problems in Missouri had no doubt reached the Prophet in Kirtland (nine hundred miles away), the seriousness of the situation could have been known to him at this date only by revelation.
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