At a conference of high priests held May 4, 1833, a committee was appointed to obtain subscriptions for the building of a house for a school, in compliance with the revelations of December 27, 1832, and March 8, 1833, where the elders might receive instructions before going out to warn the world. Hyrum Smith, Jared Carter and Reynolds Cahoon, were appointed as that committee. May 6, Joseph Smith received another revelation in which the Church was commanded to "commence a work of laying out and preparing a beginning and foundation of a stake of Zion," in Kirtland. A house was also to be built for the work of printing, translating, and "all things whatsoever the Lord should command them." The committee immediately went to work to gather means by subscriptions for this purpose. They had previously been commanded to build a house unto the Lord, to be a house of prayer and fasting, to be a temple unto His name. Commencement of the Kirtland Temple By the first of June the preparations for the building of the Kirtland Temple were under way. A circular letter was sent out by the building committee to the various branches of the Church. June 1, the Prophet received the word of the Lord, in relation to the building of the temple, in which the Saints were commanded to hasten the work, and the necessity for such a building was made known. "Ye have sinned against me a very grievous sin, in that ye have not considered the great commandment in all things, that I have given unto you concerning the building of mine house," said the Lord. Then He states the reason, in part--for the full purpose for such a house was not at that time made known--to be as follows: "For the preparation wherewith I design to prepare mine apostles to prune my vineyard for the last time, that I may bring to pass my strange act, that I may pour out my Spirit upon all flesh. . . . Yea, verily I say unto you, I give you a commandment that you should build an house, in the which I design to endow those whom I have chosen, with power from on high. For this is the promise of the Father unto you, therefore I command you to tarry, even as mine apostles at Jerusalem." From this it is discovered that there were certain endowments and blessings to be given to the elders, before they could go forth fully prepared to preach the Gospel in the world, which could only be obtained in the temple of the Lord. For this cause the Lord commanded that the temple be built at once, for the preaching of the Gospel was urgent, and the laborers were few. The Saints therefore, went to work diligently in the midst of many difficulties, both within, as well as without, the Church, to build the house of the Lord. The First Work on the Temple