President Joseph Smith deliverd an interesting discourse at the Temple to a large congregation. Among other things he treated upon the kingdom of God & the baptism of John. He remarked some say the kingdom of God was not set up on earth untill the day of pentecost & that John did not preach the Baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. But I say in the name of the Lord that the kingdom of God was set upon earth from the days of Adam to the present time whenever there has been a righteous man on earth unto whom God revealed his word & gave power & authority to administer in his name:
And whare theire is a Priest of God, A minister who has power & Authority from God to administer in the ordinances of the Gospel & officiate in the Priesthood of God, theire is the kingdom of God & in consequence of rejecting the gospel of Jesus Christ & the Prophets whom God hath sent, the judgments of God hath rested upon people, cities & nations in various ages of the world, which was the case with the cities of Sodom & gomoroah who were destroyed for rejecting the Prophets. ...
In these remarks I have no allusion to the kingdoms of the earth. We will keep the Laws of the Land. We do not speak against them....
The plea of many in this day is that we have no right to receive revelations. ... But say you what will become of the world or the various professors of religion who do not believe in revelation & the oracles of God as continued to his Church in all ages of the world when he has a people on earth? I Tell you in the name of Jesus Christ they will be damned & when you get into the eternal world you will find it to be so. They cannot escape the damnation of hell.
As touching the gospel & Baptism that John preached I would say that John came preaching the gospel for the remission of Sins. He had his authority from God & the oricles of God were with him & the kingdom of [God] for a season seemed to be with John alone. The Lord promised Zecheriah that he should have a son, which was a desendant of Aaron & the Lord promised that the priesthood should continue with Aaron & his seed throughout their generations.
... The people need not wait for the days of Pentecost to find the kingdom of God for John had it with him ...
The endowment was to prepare the desiples for their mission into the world. Whenever men can find out the will of God & find an Administrator legally authorized from God there is the kingdom of God. But whare these are not, the kingdom of God is not. All the ordinances Systems, & Administrations on the earth is of no use to the Children of men unless they are ordained & authorized of God for nothing will save a man but a leger Administrator for none others will be acknowledge either by God or Angels.
I know what I say. I understand my mishion & business. God Almighty is my shield & what Can man do if God is my friend? I shall not be sacrafised untill my time comes. Then I shall be offered freely. All flesh is as grass & a governor is no better than other men. When he dies he is but a bag of dung.
[He would later organize the Council of Fifty which was also titled the "Kingdom of God."]
[Wilford Woodruff's Journal: 1833-1898 Typescript, Volumes 1-9, Edited by Scott G. Kenney, Signature Books 1993, http://amzn.to/newmormonstudies]
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