Footnotes
The apocalyptic content of the letter raises the possibility that it may also have been intended to prepare the Colesville branch for the forthcoming exodus of church members from New York to Ohio, declaring as it did that the “time is soon at hand that we shall have to flee whithersoever the Lord will, for safety.” The inclusion of Cowdery’s letter, with its encouraging commentary on the work in Kirtland, may have helped prepare members in Colesville to respond positively to the call to leave New York and remove to that distant location. However, no other evidence indicates that JS was contemplating a move to Ohio prior to the 30 December revelation. (See Revelation, 30 Dec. 1830 [D&C 37:2–3].)
A revelation four weeks later, on 30 December 1830, directed members to leave their New York homes and “assemble together” in Ohio. (Revelation, 30 Dec. 1830 [D&C 37:3].)
See Isaiah 29:21; and Book of Mormon, 1830 ed., 112 [2 Nephi 27:32].
See, for example, Deuteronomy 32:5; Philippians 2:15; and Revelation, 4 Nov. 1830 [D&C 34:6].