When Joseph Smith received the revelations now found in Doctrine and Covenants 85–93, the restored Church was still in its infancy. Between late 1832 and mid-1833, Joseph dictated some of the most expansive and visionary revelations yet. These sections introduced new doctrine, commandments for building temples, principles for health and holiness, and instructions for Church organization. These revelations also came with new expectations, both personal and collective, for what Zion was meant to be.

A House of Learning: Temple Revealed and Temple Plans

Among the revelations that flowed in early 1833, the Saints were given a new commandment: “Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing; and establish a house ... a house of God.” This temple would be unlike anything the early Saints had ever built. It would be more than a simple house of worship; it would be a center of divine instruction, a sanctuary, and a place to be endowed with power from on high.

Seeking heavenly guidance, Joseph Smith and his counselors Sidney Rigdon and Frederick G. Williams gathered in prayer. What happened next was extraordinary. As Frederick later recalled, the three men experienced a vision: “The building appeared within viewing distance ... we went upon our knees, called on the Lord ... and the building seemed to come right over us.” They saw the temple’s roof, steeple, windows, and spacious interior rooms.

Inspired by this vision, Frederick G. Williams drafted the first floor plans for the Kirtland Temple. The design included two large assembly halls—one on each floor—to host meetings and instruction. Though the exterior would be visually similar to typical New England churches, the interior was designed for the unique functions of the Restoration: sacrament meetings, the School of the Prophets, and sacred ordinances.

Around the same time, Joseph and his counselors also drafted a plan for an entire city—Zion itself. Their blueprint mapped out a one-square-mile grid with wide streets, deep residential lots, and shared spaces for schools, Church leadership, and care for the poor. It was designed to house 15,000 Saints, with room to expand as Zion grew.

In June 1833, they sent these temple and city plans to Independence, Missouri, along with a letter expressing their commitment to build the House of the Lord and establish Zion.

Run and not be Weary: The Whitney Store and A Word of Wisdom

Revelation didn’t just come in visions of temples and cities. Sometimes, it arrived in humbler places. When Joseph and Emma Smith first arrived in Kirtland in January 1831, their very first stop was the Newel K. Whitney Store. Joseph had never met Newel before, but introduced himself by saying, “You’ve prayed me here; now what do you want of me?” That small white building, just 1,500 square feet on a quarter-acre lot, would quickly become one of the most important spiritual and administrative centers of the early Church.

“Built in 1826 on a quiet corner in Kirtland, the Whitney Store was no mere general store. It operated as the local post office, an early headquarters for Church leadership, and eventually as the bishop’s storehouse. Upstairs, the southeast room became a place where Joseph dictated revelations, translated scripture, and instructed missionaries. In the northeast room, he established the School of the Prophets.

It was in that upstairs room that Joseph confronted a surprising problem. As Brigham Young later recalled, the elders would gather “in a cloud of tobacco smoke,” chewing, spitting, and talking about the kingdom of God in the thick air of morning meetings. Emma, responsible for cleaning the floors, was disgusted. Her complaints moved Joseph to seek the Lord’s guidance.

In response, Joseph received a revelation now known as the Word of Wisdom. It advised the Saints to avoid strong drinks, tobacco, and “hot drinks” (later interpreted as tea and coffee), and emphasized wholesome herbs, grains, and meat in moderation. It was, at first, “a word of wisdom” rather than a binding commandment. But it marked a shift in how the Saints understood the connection between physical health and spiritual readiness.

That They May Be One: The Washing of Feet and Orson Hyde

When the School of the Prophets was organized in January 1833, the Lord introduced a sacred ordinance to prepare the elders for spiritual instruction: the washing of feet. Modeled after Christ’s example in the New Testament, this ritual symbolized humility, unity, and spiritual cleanliness. Joseph Smith personally washed the hands, faces, and feet of the elders, including his own father, as a sign that they were ready to be “clean from the blood of this generation.”

Among the school’s earliest participants was Orson Hyde. A convert baptized by Sidney Rigdon in 1831, Hyde quickly became a trusted teacher. Though not formally educated, he taught grammar, arithmetic, and gospel instruction in the Whitney Store’s upstairs room. Just two years later, he would be called as an apostle.

Zion was never meant to be improvised. In the span of just a few months, the Lord revealed blueprints—spiritual, physical, and communal—that would guide the early Saints in building His kingdom on earth. These revelations in Doctrine and Covenants 85–93 laid out plans not just for temples and cities, but for healthier bodies, holier relationships, and humbler hearts. The temple vision, the Word of Wisdom, the School of the Prophets all pointed to a single purpose: preparing a people to dwell in the presence of God.

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Bonus Trivia

*Answers in footnotes

1. Who is believed to have drawn the initial floor plans for the Kirtland Temple?[1]

A. Joseph Smith B. Sidney Rigdon C. Frederick G. Williams D. Hyrum Smith

2. What organization was created in the room above the Whitney store and regularly met there?[2]

A. The School of the Prophets B. The Relief Society C. The Council of Fifty D. The High Council

3. What was the purpose of the washing of feet in the School of the Prophets?[3]

A. To keep the floors clean B. To prepare for a race C. To show humility and brotherhood D. To cool off in the summer

4. In addition to the plans for the Kirtland Temple, what other designs did Joseph work on?[4]

A. Plans for the City of Kirtland B. Plans for the City of Zion C. Plans for Joseph’s home D. Plans for Far West