“HEARKEN, O ye people of my church, saith the voice of Him who dwells on high, and whose eyes are upon all men; yea, verily I say, hearken ye people from afar, and ye that are upon the islands of the sea, listen together; for verily the voice of the Lord is unto all men, and there is none to escape, and there is no eye that shall not see, neither ear that shall not hear, neither heart that shall not be penetrated; and the rebellious shall be pierced with much sorrow, for their iniquities shall be spoken upon the housetops, and their secret acts shall be revealed; and the voice of warning shall be unto all people, by the mouths of my disciples, whom I have chosen in these last days, and they shall go forth and none shall stay them, for I the Lord have commanded them. ” — Book of Commandments 1:11
In November 1831, amidst criticism from outsiders and a desire among the Saints to access Joseph Smith's revelations more easily, a council of Church leaders was convened. Joseph proposed publishing the revelations in a book to aid missionaries and provide accurate information about the Church. He wanted to make sure accurate copies of the revelations were available for Church members.3 Despite initial opposition, the council agreed to publish ten thousand copies of the revelations as the Book of Commandments.2
A new preface was revealed by the Lord through Joseph (now known as Doctrine and Covenants 1),5 emphasizing the divine origin of the revelations and their importance in proclaiming the fullness of the gospel.2 William W. Phelps established a printing office in Independence, Missouri, to print the Book of Commandments and publish a monthly newspaper for the Saints.4
