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Show 38 And in the Jays of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be l e f t to other people, but i t shall break in pieces and consume a l l these kingdoms, and i t shall stand forever.23 The revelation received in 1842 outlined the organization of this political kingdom. Smith, who was looking for the advent of Christ very quickly, was attempting t o set up the p o l i t i c a l machinery for the kingdom in preparation for the day when a l l other governments would be overthrown and Christ would personally take the reigns of power. Joseph realized, however, this revelation was p o l i t i c a l dynamite, and he chose to suppress it for nearly two years. It was not u n t i l March 11, 1844 that he began the actual organization of the kingdom which he intended to be the nucleus of a world government. A group of f i f ty close followers of the prophet were initiated into a council, thus forming the legislature of the kingdom or Council of Fifty. Two months l a t e r , Joseph announced to a congregation of the Church: "I calculate t o be one of the instruments of setting up the kingdom of Daniel by the word of the Lord, and I intend to lay a foundation that will revolutionize the whole world."25 The Church's stand on the p o l i t i c a l kingdom of God and the organization of the Council of Fifty put t he church in an embarrassing position. The church, i t appeared t o i t s enemies, was advocating the overthrow of the United States. I t s millennial rhetoric of imminent destruction for the nation coupled with i t s quasi-political organization kindled fear and suspicion in the minds of the Saints' neighbors. Actually, the church considered the constitution of the United States t o be a divinely inspired document, and church members were overwhelmingly loyal t o i t . Even during times of extreme persecution, Joseph Smith maintained the sanctity of the constitution while severely/ |
