Revelation given to Joseph Smith the Prophet, at Kirtland, Ohio, 16 December 1833 (see History of the Church, 1:458–64). At this time the Saints who had gathered in Missouri were suffering great persecution. Mobs had driven them from their homes in Jackson County; and some of the Saints had tried to establish themselves in Van Buren County, but persecution followed them. The main body of the Saints was at that time in Clay County, Missouri. Threats of death against individuals of the Church were many. The people had lost household furniture, clothing, livestock, and other personal property; and many of their crops had been destroyed.