Council of Fifty Intended to Bring a Political Transformation
Latter-day Saints believe that one reason the gospel was restored was to prepare the earth for the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. Just as the Church was to bring about religious changes in the world, the Council of Fifty was intended to bring a political transformation. It was therefore designed to serve as something of a preparatory legislature in the Kingdom of God. Joseph Smith ordained the council to be the governing body of the world, with himself as chairman, Prophet, Priest, and King over the Council and the world (subject to Jesus Christ, who is “King of kings.” Clayton, Journal, 22 June 1844; Events of June 1844, in Council of Fifty Report , “Record.”
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was established in 1830 to begin the restoration the the Lord Jesus Christ’s church on this earth. The foundation was laid. We now understand that Joseph Smith tried to bring that Kingdom forward.
Did the church fail with the Kirtland Safety Society, the United Order, the Establishment of the Temple in Independence, and with the Council of Fifty? NO! In my opinion the restoration of the gospel continues as we prepare for the second coming of the Lord to the Earth. We did not fail, but we are progressing and learning. There is much to do if we are to be ready for the Lord to come again.
Is our World in a War today?
Today I believe we have possibly been infiltrated by foreign countries as our United States Constitution may be hanging by a thread. I believe that is the case with most of the world. There is a Deep State or Gadianton control over this world. Satan is working overtime, but I truly believe the Lord and His people will win this contest.
Today’s WWWIII as I call it, is not a typical war of kinetics, but a war of intelligence. It is a war over control of the banks, our education, social media, and our freedom of rights. The Deep State wants to destroy us just as the Gadianton’s wanted to, and succeeded at, destroying the Jaredites and the Nephites. Will we withstand these evil Deep State players? Yes!
I have been praying for what I call a “Second Harvest” for a few years now. I have been praying the Lord will bring down the evil of controlled governments, and allow good leaders to return to all countries of the world. This would allow us to spread the Book of Mormon to all places we have yet to go, including Iraq, Israel, Saudi Arabia, and China. I believe it is very possible for this to happen in preparation of the great second coming of the Lord. Are we prepared? Are we praying and helping the good people of this world to save our various constitutions?
How can we Help Save our Constitution? Opinion of Rian Nelson
I have been following a US Supreme Court case Brunson v. Alma S. Adams; et al., vs. 388 Members of Congress) It has made it to the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS), Docket #22-380, where 9 Justices in conference will vote Jan 6, 2023 (only 4 needed) to move to a hearing.
After the 2020 election on Jan 6, 2020, in an official document to the US Congress, Senator Ted Cruz said, “Congress should immediately appoint an Electoral Commission, with full investigatory and fact-finding authority, to conduct an emergency 10-day audit of the election returns in the disputed states. Once completed, individual states would evaluate the Commission’s findings and could convene a special legislative session to certify a change in their vote, if needed.”
The Congress took a vote on January 6, 2020 whether or not to reject the electors from disputed states as not ‘regularly given’ and ‘lawfully certified’ (the statutory requisite), unless and until that emergency 10-day audit is completed. The vote was 388 to certify the election of 2020 and 100 voted to have a 10-day audit. The 100 who wanted a 10-day audit simply wanted to look at information from our DNI John Radcliff who said there may be foreign interference with the elections. Congress ignored these 100 congressmen and didn’t allow an audit. Did these 388 congressmen violate the oath of office by not at least having a hearing? If they did, they could be removed from office on civil charges.
I suggest as a citizen of the United States you look at this case and any others that may support our Constitution. This is not a partisan issue but an opportunity to search your conscious. Information Here:
Understanding the Council of Fifty
Less than four months before his death in 1844, Joseph Smith convened a council to discuss proposed Latter-day Saint settlements in areas that were then outside the United States, such as in California and Texas. The council deliberated not only about how Church leaders would govern these settlements but about how to establish a political kingdom or government in preparation for the millennial reign of Jesus Christ. Joseph Smith and his associates saw this council as the beginning of such a kingdom. The council was composed of about 50 members who typically referred to it as the “Kingdom of God” or the “Council of Fifty.”
Joseph Smith intended the council to function separately from the Church. While the Church was responsible for spiritual concerns and the eternal salvation of God’s children, the Council of Fifty was a political or civic organization formed to “govern men in civil matters.” Many of Joseph’s closest associates participated in the council, including members of the First Presidency, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and Nauvoo High Council. Joseph also admitted three non-Mormons to the council.
The Latter-day Saints’ desire to lay the foundation for a new civil government was partly in response to the persecution they had experienced in Missouri. Joseph Smith and other Church leaders became convinced that the local, state, and national governments were either unwilling to defend or incapable of protecting the Church’s rights as a religious minority. One important purpose of the council was to adopt measures that would protect the “religious rights and worship” of the Latter-day Saints and others. The council’s minutes contain powerful teachings from Joseph Smith about religious liberty. He spoke of “the importance of thrusting from us every spirit of bigotry and intolerance towards a man’s religious sentiments.”
Editor’s Note: This is what is happening today in our cities and communities. As Latter-day Saints we have experienced bigotry for years and now other religions and good people are feeling similar. It is becoming harder and harder for our own State, City, County or Township to protect our religious rights and our right to freedom
During the spring of 1844, the council met frequently to draft a constitution, promote Joseph Smith’s 1844 campaign for president of the United States, and identify potential sites for gathering in the American West. After Joseph Smith’s death, the council reconvened in 1845 and early 1846 under the direction of Brigham Young to make decisions about governing Nauvoo, to build diplomatic relations with American Indians, and to prepare for the Latter-day Saint exodus to the West.
In Utah the council met sporadically between the late 1840s and the 1860s. John Taylor reorganized the council in 1880, but meetings ceased before the end of that decade.
Church Resources
R. Eric Smith and Matthew J. Grow, “Council of Fifty in Nauvoo, Illinois,” Perspectives on Church History, history.lds.org.
Matthew J. Grow, Ronald K. Esplin, Mark Ashurst-McGee, Gerrit J. Dirkmaat, and Jeffrey D. Mahas, eds., Administrative Records: Council of Fifty, Minutes, March 1844–January 1846. Vol. 1 of the Administrative Records series of The Joseph Smith Papers, edited by Ronald K. Esplin, Matthew J. Grow, and Matthew C. Godfrey (Salt Lake City: Church Historian’s Press, 2016).
The Joseph Smith Papers project contain the Nauvoo Council of Fifty minutes.
What is perhaps the most powerful teaching in the entire Nauvoo Council of Fifty record? Joseph Smith’s statement on religious liberty from the meeting on 11 April, 1844. Those minutes are below, with highlighted areas drawing attention to the most salient parts (as chosen by the author of this article).
COUNCIL OF FIFTY, MINUTES, 11 APRIL 1844
He then went on to say that for the benefit of mankind and succeeding generations, he wished it to be recorded that there are men admitted members of this honorable council who are not members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, neither profess any creed or religious sentiment whatever, to show that in the organization of this kingdom men are not consulted as to their religious opinions or notions in any shape or form whatever, and that we act upon the broad and liberal principle that all men have equal rights and ought to be respected, and that every man has a privilege in this organization of choosing for himself voluntarily his God, and what he pleases for his religion, inasmuch as there is no danger but that every man will embrace the greatest light.
God cannot save or damn a man only on the principle that every man acts, chooses, and worships for himself; hence the importance of thrusting from us every spirit of bigotry and intolerance towards a man’s religious sentiments, that spirit which has drenched the earth with blood. When a man feels the least temptation to such intolerance he ought to spurn it from him.
It becomes our duty on account of this intolerance and corruption—the inalienable right of man being to think as he pleases, worship as he pleases, etc., being the first law of everything that is sacred—to guard every ground all the days of our lives. I will appeal to every man in this council, beginning at the youngest, that when he arrives to the years of hoary age he will have to say that the principles of intolerance and bigotry never had a place in this kingdom, nor in my breast, and that he is even then ready to die rather than yield to such things. Nothing can reclaim the human mind from its ignorance, bigotry, superstition, etc., but those grand and sublime principles of equal rights and universal freedom to all men. We must not despise a man on account of infirmity. We ought to love a man more for his infirmity. Nothing is more congenial to my feelings and principles than the principles of universal freedom and has been from the beginning. . . .
Let us from henceforth drive from us every species of intolerance. When a man is free from it he is capable of being a critic. When I have used every means in my power to exalt a man’s mind, and have taught him righteous principles to no effect, he is still inclined to his darkness, yet the same principles of liberty and charity would ever be manifested by me as though he embraced it. Hence in all governments or political transactions a man’s religious opinions should never be called in question. A man should be judged by the law independent of religious prejudice; hence we want in our constitution those laws which would require all its officers to administer justice without any regard to his religious opinions, or thrust him from his office.
There are only two or three things lacking in the Constitution of the United States. If they had said all men born equal, and not only that but they shall have their rights, they shall be free, or the armies of the government should be compelled to enforce those principles of liberty.
(Council of Fifty, “Record,” 11 Apr. 1844, vol. 1, pp. [116]–[121], Church History Library, in Joseph Smith Papers, Administrative Records, Council of Fifty, Minutes, March 1844–January 1846, 97–101)4
Author DYEJO 2 October 2018
Council of 50: Summary from the Joseph Smith Papers
An organization intended to establish the political kingdom of God on the earth.1 An 1842 editorial in the church newspaper stated that the “design of Jehovah” was to “take the reigns of government into his own hand.”2 On 10 and 11 March 1844, JS and several prominent elders met to discuss letters proposing a new gathering center for Latter-day Saint settlement in the Republic of Texas.3 On 11 March, they formally organized as a council, as William Clayton recounted, to “establish a Theocracy” somewhere in western North America.4 A 14 March 1844 revelation stated that the name of the council should be “The Kingdom of God and his Laws, with the keys and power thereof, and judgment in the hands of his servants. Ahman Christ.”5 The members, however, generally referred to it as the “Kingdom of God” or the “Council of the Kingdom,” or more simply as the “Kingdom” or the “Council.”6 Seniority and voting order in the council were based on age, though JS presided over it as the standing chairman.7 On 11 April 1844, the council voted to receive JS as “our Prophet, Priest & King.”8 When the council reached fifty members, including three men who were not Latter-day Saints, JS declared “the council was full.”9 Though the council sometimes had more or fewer than fifty members, it became known as the “Council of Fifty.”10 JS taught that there was “a distinction between the church of God and the kingdom of God” and that the laws of the kingdom were “not designed to effect our salvation hereafter.”11 Rather, the council’s purpose was to protect the Saints “in their religious rights and worship.”12 On 25 April 1844, a JS revelation stated that the council itself was the constitution of the kingdom of God and that its members were God’s “spokesmen” in civil matters.13 In March and April 1844, the council discussed principles of proper government, petitioned the U.S. government on behalf of the Saints, sought information on potential gathering places in the West, and planned missionary work among American Indians.14 In May 1844, most of the members left Nauvoo to campaign for JS as U.S. president.15 After JS’s death, the Council of Fifty reassembled on 4 February 1845 and voted to sustain Brigham Young as standing chairman and JS’s successor.16 Under Young’s leadership, the council helped supervise the exodus of the Saints from Nauvoo and establish civil government in Utah.17 It met infrequently thereafter until its final meetings in the 1880s.18
Lost Teachings of the Prophets: Recently Uncovered Teachings of Joseph Smith and Others from the Council of Fifty Record
“I have sworn by the eternal gods that I will never vote for another Democrat again; and I intend to swear my children, putting their hands under the thigh, as Abraham swore Isaac, that they will never vote a Democratic ticket in all their generations. It is the meanest lowest party in all creation…the lowest, most tyrannical beings in the world. They opposed me in Missouri, and were going to shoot me for treason, and I had never committed any treason whatever.”(The Pittsburgh Weekly Gazette, September 15, 1843) Another Source:
Have the two prophets already come and will they come again?
New DVD- Unlocking The Mystery of the Two Prophets-by The Joseph Smith Foundation
Did you know that the Revelation 11 prophecy aligns with events in the life of the Prophet Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum? Is it possible the two prophets have already come and will come again? Who are the two prophets in Revelation 11? The two messengers who lie dead in the great city? An assassination by enemies, a forbidden burial by persecutors, and bodies lying in the street for three and a half days are only a few of the clues found in scripture revealing their identity. The two prophets have generally been shrouded in mystery . . . until now. Did Joseph and Hyrum Smith perform a specific ministry within the period of three and one half years that triggered the fulfillment of thousands of years of ancient Biblical prophecy? Why was Joseph Smith crowned King of Israel in Nauvoo? Why did John reference the ark in Heaven when describing the mission of the Two Prophets? Is the ark of the covenant a similitude or foreshadowing of the Latter-days? Did you know that there are two joint heads for this last and final dispensation? How were Joseph & Hyrum Smith “clothed in sackcloth” in Nauvoo?
Proclamation to the Saints Scattered Abroad
A Proclamation of the First Presidency of the Church to the Saints Scattered Abroad (January 15, 1841, Nauvoo, Illinois) [This document, signed by Joseph Smith, Sidney Rigdon, and Hyrum Smith, reviews the progress of the Church in spite of hardships and persecution, and speaks at length on the prospects of the settlement of Nauvoo, as the following excerpts illustrate. ]
Beloved Brethren: -The relationship which we sustain to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, renders it necessary that we should make known from time to time, the circumstances, situation, and prospects of the Church, and give such instructions as may be necessary for the well being of the Saints, and for the promotion of those objects calculated to further their present and everlasting happiness.
We have to congratulate the Saints on the progress of the great work of the “last days,” for not only has it spread through the length and breadth of this vast continent, but on the continent of Europe, and on the islands of the sea, it is spreading in a manner entirely unprecedented in the annals of time. This appears the more pleasing when we consider, that but a short time has elapsed since we were unmercifully driven from the state of Missouri, after suffering cruelties and persecutions in various and horrid forms….
It would be impossible to enumerate all those who, in our time of deep distress, nobly came forward to our relief, and, like the good Samaritan, poured oil into our wounds, and contributed liberally to our necessities, and the citizens of Quincy en masse, and the people of Illinois, generally, seemed to emulate each other in this labor of love….
We would likewise make mention of the legislators of this state, who, without respect to parties, without reluctance, freely, openly, boldly, and nobly, have come forth to our assistance, owned us as citizens and friends, and took us by the hand, and extended to us all the blessings of civil, political, and religious liberty, by granting us, under date of December 16, 1840, one of the most liberal charters, with the most plenary powers ever conferred by a legislative assembly on free citizens, “The City of Nauvoo,” the “Nauvoo Legion,” and the “University of the City of Nauvoo.”…
The name of our city (Nauvoo) is of Hebrew origin, and signifies a beautiful situation, or place, carrying with it, also, the idea of rest; and is truly descriptive of the most delightful location. It is situated on the east back of the Mississippi river, at the head of the Des Moines rapids, in Hancock county, bounded on the east by an extensive prairie of surpassing beauty, and on the north, west, and south, by the Mississippi….
Having been instrumental, in the hands of our heavenly Father, in laying a foundation for the gathering of Zion, we would say, let all those who appreciate the blessings of the Gospel, and realize the importance of obeying the commandments of heaven, who have been blessed with the possession of this world’s goods, first prepare for the general gathering; let them dispose of their effects as fast as circumstances will possibly admit, without making too great sacrifices, and remove to our city and county; establish and build up manufactures in the city, purchase and cultivate farms in the county. This will secure our permanent inheritance, and prepare the way for the gathering of the poor. This is agreeable to the order of heaven, and the only principle on which the gathering can be effected. Let the rich, then, and all who can assist in establishing this place, make every preparation to come on without delay, and strengthen our hands, and assist in promoting the happiness of the Saints….
The Temple of the Lord is in process of erection here, where the Saints will come to worship the God of their fathers, according to the order of His house and the power of the Holy Priesthood, and will be so constructed as to enable all the functions of the Priesthood to be duly exercised, and where instructions from the Most High will be received, and from this place go forth to distant lands. Let us then concentrate all our powers, under the provisions of our Magna Charta granted by the Illinois legislature, at the “City of Nauvoo” and surrounding country, and strive to emulate the action of the ancient covenant fathers and Patriarchs, in those things which are of such vast importance to this and every succeeding generation….
The greatest temporal and spiritual blessings which always flow from faithfulness and concerted effort, never attended individual exertion or enterprise. The history of all past ages abundantly attests this fact. In addition to all temporal blessings, there is no other way for the Saints to be saved in these last days [than by the gathering], as the concurrent testimony of all the holy Prophets clearly proves, for it is written-“They shall come from the east, and be gathered from the west; the north shall give up, and the south shall keep not back.” “The sons of God shall be gathered from far, and His daughters from the ends of the earth.”
Lesson from President Nelson: from the Institute Study Manual
Lesson 22: The Gathering of Scattered Israel
Key Doctrine, Principles, and Concepts
- “[The] doctrine of the gathering is one of the important teachings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. … We not only teach this doctrine, but we participate in it. We do so as we help to gather the elect of the Lord on both sides of the veil” (“The Gathering of Scattered Israel,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2006, 80).
It is also the concurrent testimony of all the Prophets, that this gathering together of all the Saints, must take place before the Lord comes to “take vengeance upon the ungodly,” and to be glorified and admired by all those who obey the Gospel.” The fiftieth Psalm, from the first to the fifth verse inclusive, describes the glory and majesty of that event. The mighty God, and even the Lord hath spoken, and called the earth from the rising of the sun unto the going down thereof. Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God hath shined. Our God shall come and shall not keep silence; a fire shall devour before Him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about Him. He shall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth (that He may judge the people). Gather my Saints together unto me; those that have made covenant with me by sacrifice.
We might offer many other quotations from the Scriptures, but believing them to be familiar to the Saints, we forbear.
We would wish the Saints to understand that, when they come here, they must not expect perfection, or that all will be harmony, peace, and love; if they indulge these ideas, they will undoubtedly be deceived, for here there are persons, not only from different states, but from different nations, who, although they feel a great attachment to the cause of truth, have their prejudices of education, and, consequently, it requires some time before these things can be overcome…. Therefore, let those who come up to this place be determined to keep the commandments of God, and not be discouraged by those things we have enumerated, and then they will be prospered-the intelligence of heaven will be communicated to them, and they will eventually, see eye to eye, and rejoice in the full fruition of that glory which is reserved for the righteous.
In order to erect the Temple of the Lord, great exertions will be required on the part of the Saints, so that they may build a house which shall be accepted by the Almighty, in which His power and glory shall be manifested. Therefore let those who can freely make a sacrifice of their time, their talents, and their property, for the prosperity of the kingdom, and for the love they have to the cause of truth, bid adieu to their homes and pleasant places of abode, and unite with us in the great work of the last days, and share in the tribulation, that they may ultimately share in the glory and triumph.
We wish it likewise to be distinctly understood, that we claim no privilege but what we feel cheerfully disposed to share with our fellow citizens of every denomination, and every sentiment of religion; and therefore say, that so far from being restricted to our own faith, let all those who desire to locate themselves in this place, or the vicinity, come, and we will hail them as citizens and friends, and shall feel it not only a duty, but a privilege, to reciprocate the kindness we have received from the benevolent and kind-hearted citizens of the state of Illinois. “
Joseph Smith,
Sidney Rigdon,
Hyrum Smith,
Presidents of the Church [HC 4:267-73].
1,260 Days until June 27, 1844
Jan 1, 1892 [Apostle Abraham H. Cannon Journal]
(At a Stake Conference at Brigham City) President Snow reported that on one occasion Joseph Smith was once asked who he was: “The Prophet smiled kindly upon his interlocutor and replied, “Noah came before the flood; I have come before the fire.” 3 – Abraham H. Cannon Journal Excerpts, http://www.amazon.com/Apostles-Record-Journals-Abraham-1889-1896/dp/B000MFD1K4
3 and one half days after the proclamation above, Hyrum was ordained a Prophet, Seer, and Revelator Jan 19, 1841
“And from this time forth I appoint unto him that he may be a prophet, and a seer, and a revelator unto my church, as well as my servant Joseph; That he may act in concert also with my servant Joseph; and that he shall receive counsel from my servant Joseph, who shall show unto him the keys whereby he may ask and receive, and be crowned with the same blessing, and glory, and honor, and priesthood, and gifts of the priesthood, that once were put upon him that was my servant Oliver Cowdery; That my servant Hyrum may bear record of the things which I shall show unto him, that his name may be had in honorable remembrance from generation to generation, forever and ever.”
D&C 124:94-96
President Joseph Fielding Smith (1876–1972) described how the law of witnesses (see 2 Corinthians 13:1) was fulfilled by Oliver Cowdery being present every time priesthood keys were restored: “The Lord called Oliver Cowdery as the second witness to stand at the head of this dispensation assisting the Prophet in holding the keys. The records inform us that every time the Prophet received authority and the keys of the priesthood from the heavens, Oliver Cowdery shared in the conferring of those powers with the Prophet. Had Oliver Cowdery remained faithful and had he survived the Prophet under those conditions, he would have succeeded as President of the Church by virtue of this divine calling ” (Doctrines of Salvation, comp. Bruce R. McConkie, 3 vols. [1954–56], 1:213; emphasis added). On January 19, 1841, because Oliver did not remain faithful, “the Lord commanded Joseph Smith to ordain Hyrum Smith and confer upon him all the keys, authority, and privileges placed upon the head of Oliver Cowdery, and make him the ‘Second President’ of the Church” (Doctrines of Salvation, 1:220).
The Council never rose to the stature Joseph intended
Members (which included individuals that were not members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) were sent on expeditions west to explore emigration routes for the Saints, lobbied the American government, and were involved in Joseph Smith’s presidential campaign. But only three months after it was established, Joseph was killed, and his death was the beginning of the Council’s end. Brigham Young used it as the Saints moved west and settled in the Great Basin, and it met annually during John Taylor’s administration, but since that time the Council has not played an active role among the Latter-day Saints.
The Council of Fifty was designed to serve as something of a preparatory legislature in the Kingdom of God
Latter-day Saints believe that one reason the gospel was restored was to prepare the earth for the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. Just as the Church was to bring about religious changes in the world, the Council of Fifty was intended to bring a political transformation. It was therefore designed to serve as something of a preparatory legislature in the Kingdom of God. Joseph Smith ordained the council to be the governing body of the world, with himself as chairman, Prophet, Priest, and King over the Council and the world (subject to Jesus Christ, who is “King of kings”[1]).
The Council of Fifty, while established in preparation for a future Millennial government under Jesus Christ (who is the King of Kings) was to be governed on earth during this preparatory period by the highest presiding ecclesiastical authority, which at the time was the Prophet Joseph Smith. Joseph had previously been anointed a King and Priest in the Kingdom of God by religious rites associated with the fullness of the temple endowment, and was placed as a presiding authority over this body in his most exalted position within the kingdom of God (as a King and a Priest).
Joseph was anointed as the presiding authority over an organization that was to prepare for the future reign of Jesus Christ during the Millennium
The fact that Joseph’s prior anointing was referenced in his position as presiding authority over this body creates the confusion that he had been anointed King of the Earth. He was in fact only anointed as the presiding authority over an organization that was to prepare for the future reign of Jesus Christ during the Millennium. The fact that Joseph had submitted his name for consideration as President of the United States during this same period adds fodder for critics seeking to malign the character of the Prophet.
Council of Fifty Summary http://www.josephsmithpapers.org/topic/council-of-fifty?highlight=council%20of%20fifty
An organization intended to establish the political kingdom of God on the earth.1
An 1842 editorial in the church newspaper stated that the “design of Jehovah” was to “take the reigns of government into his own hand.”2
On 10 and 11 March 1844, JS and several prominent elders met to discuss letters proposing a new gathering center for Mormon settlement in the Republic of Texas.3
On 11 March, they formally organized as a council, as William Clayton recounted, to “establish a Theocracy” somewhere in western North America.4
A 14 March 1844 revelation stated that the name of the council should be “The Kingdom of God and his Laws, with the keys and power thereof, and judgment in the hands of his servants. Ahman Christ.”5
The members, however, generally referred to it as the “Kingdom of God” or the “Council of the Kingdom,” or more simply as the “Kingdom” or the “Council.”6
Seniority and voting order in the council were based on age, though JS presided over it as the standing chairman.7
On 11 April 1844, the council voted to receive JS as “our Prophet, Priest & King.”8
When the council reached fifty members, including three men who were not Latter-day Saints, JS declared “the council was full.”9
Though the council sometimes had more or fewer than fifty members, it became known as the “Council of Fifty.”10
JS taught that there was “a distinction between the church of God and the kingdom of God” and that the laws of the kingdom were “not designed to effect our salvation hereafter.”11
Rather, the council’s purpose was to protect the Saints “in their religious rights and worship.”12
On 25 April 1844, a JS revelation stated that the council itself was the constitution of the kingdom of God and that its members were God’s “spokesmen” in civil matters.13
In March and April 1844, the council discussed principles of proper government, petitioned the U.S. government on behalf of the Saints, sought information on potential gathering places in the West, and planned missionary work among American Indians.14
In May 1844, most of the members left Nauvoo to campaign for JS as U.S. president.15
After JS’s death, the Council of Fifty reassembled on 4 February 1845 and voted to sustain Brigham Young as standing chairman and JS’s successor.16
Under Young’s leadership, the council helped supervise the exodus of the Saints from Nauvoo and establish civil government in Utah.17
It met infrequently thereafter until its final meetings in the 1880s.18
Council of Fifty Voted JS to be Received as Prophet, Priest & King
11 April 1844 Council of Fifty voted to receive JS as “Prophet, Priest & King,” Nauvoo, Illinois.1 http://www.josephsmithpapers.org/event/council-of-fifty-voted-js-to-be-received-as-prophet-priest-king?highlight=council%20of%20fifty
Council of Fifty Minutes Buried
23 June 1844 In Nauvoo, Illinois, JS instructed William Clayton to conceal minutes of Council of Fifty by sending them away, burying them, or burning them; Clayton buried them in his garden.1
William Clayton Began Copying Council of Fifty Records
18 August 1844 William Clayton began copying records of Council of Fifty into small leather-bound volume by this date, Nauvoo, Illinois.1
3 July 1844 William Clayton dug up records of Council of Fifty and found they had been damaged by water, Nauvoo, Illinois.1
Discussion of Finding New Home in West for Saints, 1 March 1845
In Nauvoo, Illinois, Council of Fifty discussed sending delegation west with Lewis Dana to find new home for Saints among American Indians.
21 March 1844 Council of Fifty Assigned Others to Draft Petition to Congress
In Nauvoo, Illinois, Council of Fifty assigned Willard Richards, Hyrum Smith, and William W. Phelps to draft petition to Congress requesting authority for JS to raise large company of volunteers to protect American settlers and interests in Republic of Texas, Oregon, and other areas in West. Council also assigned James Emmett to visit American Indians in Wisconsin Territory.1
http://files.lib.byu.edu/mormonmigration/articles/RefugeesMeetTheMormonsAndIndiansInIowa.pdf
List of Members, Council of Fifty, probably between 25 April and 3 May 1844
Source Note Document Transcript
1 Joseph Smith Chairman
19 John M Bernhisel
37 Alexander Badlam [Sr.]
2 Samuel Bent
20 John D. Parker
38 Chas. C. Rich
3 John Smith
21 Hyrum Smith
39 George J. Adams
4 Alpheus Cutler
22 Lucian [Lucien]Woodworth
40 Orson Pratt
5 Uriah Brown
23 Brigham Young
41 Wm. Smith
6 Reynolds Cahoon
24 Heber C. Kimball
42 Merinus G. Eaton
7 Ezra Thayer
25 Orson Spencer
43 Alman Babbut [Almon Babbitt]
8 W[illiam] W. Phelps
26 James Emmett
44 Amasa Lyman
9 Amos Feilding [Fielding]
27 Philip B. Lewis
45 Joseph W. Coolidge
10 Wm. Marks
28 Elias Smith
46 Orrin P[orter] Rockwell
11 Sidney Rigdon
29 Orson Hyde
47 Jedidiah [Jedediah] M. Grant
12 John P. Green[e]
30 Samuel James
48 George A. Smith
13 George Miller
31 Wilford Woodruff
49 Erastus Snow
14 N[ewel] K. Whitney
32 P[arley] P. Pratt
50 Lorenzo D. Wasson
15 Peter Haws
33 Edward Bonney
51 Benjn. F. Johnson
16 Joseph Fielding
34 David D. Yearsley
52 Lyman Wight
17 Cornelius P. Lott
35 David S. Hollister
53 Wm Clayton Clerk
18 Levi Richards
36 John Taylor
54 W[illard] Richards
Recorder [p. [1]]
“On the morning of March 1, thirty-eight-year-old Lewis Dana became the first American Indian to join the Council of Fifty. After Joseph’s death, council meetings had stopped, but once the Nauvoo charter was repealed and the Saints realized their days in Nauvoo were numbered, the Twelve had called the council together to help govern the city and plan its evacuation. A member of the Oneida nation, Lewis had been baptized with his family in 1840. He had served several missions, including one to the Indian territory west of the United States, and had ventured as far away as the Rocky Mountains. Knowing Lewis had friends and relatives among Indian nations to the west, Brigham invited him to join the council and share what he knew about the people and lands there”. “In the name of the Lord,” Lewis told the council, “I am willing to do all I can.” Saints, Endowed with Power Chapter 46
Discussion of Finding New Home in West for Saints
1 March 1845 In Nauvoo, Illinois, Council of Fifty discussed sending delegation west with Lewis Dana to find new home for Saints among American Indians.1 Lewis Dana. Oneida Tribe
Daniel Spencer and Charles Shumway’s Return to Nauvoo
1 September 1845
Daniel Spencer and Charles Shumway returned to Nauvoo, Illinois, from mission to Indian Territory after conferring with Lewis Dana.1
Group Departed for Exploratory Mission to Indian Territory
23–24 April 1845
Phineas Young, Lewis Dana, Jonathan Dunham, Charles Shumway, and Solomon Tindall leave Nauvoo, Illinois, for exploratory mission to Indian Territory.1
Missionaries’ Arrival at Indian Territory
31 May 1845
Western missionaries arrived at Fort Gibson, Indian Territory, and learned that council of Indian leaders in the Creek reservation they had intended to attend had been held 13–16 May. Charles Shumway and Phineas Young decided to return to Nauvoo, Illinois; Jonathan Dunham, Lewis Dana, and Solomon Tindall remained in Indian Territory.1
HC 7:379 Saturday, March 1, 1845.–I met with the “General Council’ 4 (link is external) at the Seventies Hall. We decided to send nine brethren westward, to search out a location for the saints; many eloquent speeches were made on the present position of affairs: had a good meeting, which continued all day.
Tuesday, 4.–Continued sickly. General Council met at Seventies Hall; Elder Kimball presided; the subject of the western mission was discussed.
Steady the Ark of God
D&C 85:8. What Does It Mean to “Steady the Ark of God”?
This phrase refers to an incident during the reign of King David in ancient Israel. The Philistines had captured the ark of the covenant in battle but returned it when they were struck by plagues (see 1 Samuel 4–6). David and the people later brought the ark to Jerusalem in an ox cart, driven by Uzzah and Ahio. “And when they came to Nachon’s threshingfloor, Uzzah put forth his hand to the ark of God, and took hold of it; for the oxen shook it. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah; and God smote him there for his error, and there he died by the ark of God” (2 Samuel 6:6–7; see vv. 1–11). The ark was the symbol of God’s presence, His glory and majesty. When first given to Israel, the ark was placed in the Holy of Holies in the tabernacle, and not even the priest was allowed to approach it. Only the high priest, a type of Christ, could approach it, and then only after going through an elaborate ritual of personal cleansing and propitiation for his sins. The scriptures teach that no unclean thing can dwell in God’s presence (see Moses 6:57). His presence is like a consuming fire (see Hebrews 12:29). Those who bear the vessels of the Lord must be clean (see D&C 133:5).
However well-meaning Uzzah’s intentions, he approached casually what could only be approached under the strictest conditions. He had no faith in God’s power. He assumed that the ark was in danger, forgetting that it was the physical symbol of the God who has all power. We cannot presume to save God and His kingdom through our own efforts.
“Uzziah’s offence consisted in the fact that he had touched the ark with profane feelings, although with good intentions, namely to prevent its rolling over and falling from the cart. Touching the ark, the throne of the divine glory and visible pledge of the invisible presence of the Lord, was a violation of the majesty of the holy God. ‘Uzzah was therefore a type of all who with good intentions, humanly speaking, yet with unsanctified minds, interfere in the affairs of the kingdom of God, from the notion that they are in danger, and with the hope of saving them’ (O.V. Gerlach).” (Keil and Delitzsch, Commentary, bk. 2: Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 and 2 Samuel, “Second Book of Samuel,” p. 333.)
In modern revelation the Lord referred to this incident to teach the principle that the Lord does not need the help of men to defend his kingdom (see D&C 85:8). Yet even today there are those who fear the ark is tottering and presume to steady its course. There are those who are sure that women are not being treated fairly in the Church, those who would extend some unauthorized blessing, or those who would change the established doctrines of the Church. These are ark-steadiers. The best intentions do not justify such interference with the Lord’s plan. President David O. McKay said:
“It is a little dangerous for us to go out of our own sphere and try unauthoritatively to direct the efforts of a brother. You remember the case of Uzzah who stretched forth his hand to steady the ark. (See I Chron. 13:7–10.) He seemed justified, when the oxen stumbled, in putting forth his hand to steady that symbol of the covenant. We today think his punishment was very severe. Be that as it may, the incident conveys a lesson of life. Let us look around us and see how quickly men who attempt unauthoritatively to steady the ark die spiritually. Their souls become embittered, their minds distorted, their judgments faulty, and their spirits depressed. Such is the pitiable condition of men who, neglecting their own responsibilities, spend their time in finding fault with others.” (McKay, Gospel Ideals, p. 258.)
President John Taylor observed:
“We have more or less of the principles of insubordination among us. But there is a principle associated with the kingdom of God that recognizes God in all things, and that recognizes the priesthood in all things, and those who do not do it had better repent or they will come to a stand very quickly; I tell you that in the name of the Lord. Do not think you are wise and that you can manage and manipulate the priesthood, for you cannot do it. God must manage, regulate, dictate, and stand at the head, and every man in his place. The ark of God does not need steadying, especially by incompetent men without revelation and without knowledge of the kingdom of God and its laws. It is a great work that we are engaged in, and it is for us to prepare ourselves for the labor before us, and to acknowledge God, his authority, his law and his priesthood in all things.” (Taylor, Gospel Kingdom, p. 166.)
The Book of Mormon is a record of the forefathers of our western tribes of Indians; having been found through the ministration of an holy angel, and translated into our own language by the gift and power of God, after having been hid up in the earth for the last fourteen hundred years, containing the word of God which was delivered unto them. By it we learn that our western tribes of Indians are descendants from that Joseph which was sold into Egypt, and that the land of America is a promised land unto them, and unto it all the tribes of Israel will come, with as many of the Gentiles as shall comply with the requisitions of the new covenant. But the tribe of Judah will return to old Jerusalem. The city of Zion spoken of by David, in the one hundred and second Psalm, will be built upon the land of America, “And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads” (Isaiah 35:10); and then they will be delivered from the overflowing scourge that shall pass through the land. But Judah shall obtain deliverance at Jerusalem. See Joel 2:32; Isaiah 26:20-21; Jeremiah 31:12, Psalm 1:5; Ezekiel 34:11-13. These are testimonies that the Good Shepherd will put forth His own sheep, and lead them out from all nations where they have been scattered in a cloudy and dark day, to Zion, and to Jerusalem; besides many more testimonies which might be brought.
And now I am prepared to say by the authority of Jesus Christ, that not many years shall pass away before the United States shall present such a scene of bloodshed as has not a parallel in the history of our nation; pestilence, hail, famine, and earthquake will sweep the wicked of this generation from off the face of the land, to open and prepare the way for the return of the lost tribes of Israel from the north country. The people of the Lord, those who have complied with the requirements of the new covenant, have already commenced gathering together to Zion, which is in the state of Missouri; therefore I declare unto you the warning which the Lord has commanded to declare unto this generation, remembering that the eyes of my Maker are upon me, and that to him I am accountable for every word I say, wishing nothing worse to my fellow-men than their eternal salvation; therefore, “Fear God, and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment is come.” Repent ye, repent ye, and embrace the everlasting covenant, and flee to Zion, before the overflowing scourge overtake you, for there are those now living upon the earth whose eyes shall not be closed in death until they see all these things, which I have spoken, fulfilled. Remember these things; call upon the Lord while He is near, and seek Him while He may be found, is the exhortation of your unworthy servant.
HC 1:[Page 316]
[Signed] Joseph Smith, Jun.
