[MrNirom]

Here is what I have dug up:

Joseph created a governing body which he called "The Council of Fifty" similar to King Arthur's, just before his death, but was killed before he could harmonize it. After his death, the Church could see little use or purpose in this Council and dropped it.

Joseph set up the Church in 1830 and later the Council of Fifty or the actual governing kingdom in 1843? Did the Lord not promise the saints that if they were faithful, "they shall never cease to prevail until the kingdoms of the world (the beast) are subdued under my feet." (D&C 103:7) When else in history had the beast received such a deadly blow?

Few realize that the Church was merely a forerunner of the Kingdom and not the Kingdom itself. Long after the Church was organized Joseph often spoke of setting up the Kingdom spoken of by Daniel as a thing of the future. Few realize that the Church is merely an auxiliary of the Kingdom and a mere temporary organization as indicated by the scriptures: "For it is because of your dead works that I have caused this last covenant and this Church to be built up unto me, even as in days of old." (D&C 22:3) Has anyone ever stopped to think of what he would have established if our works were not dead??? It would have been the kingdom.

What is the kingdom? Daniel uses the Hebrew word Malkuw which literally means "dominion". In other words, when the Kingdom is set up, the saints will be given an actual dominion on the earth. The dominion will have a very small start, but will eventually fill the earth. Joseph Smith tried to establish this dominion with a faithful few near the end of his life by organizing the Council of Fifty. Many in the Church are not familiar with this organization, yet it did exist and its existence is fully documented by recognized LDS scholars and since there are numerous good books on the subject, I will not belabor the point by trying to substantiate that it existed.

Joseph Smith had to keep the organization of the Council of Fifty secret because he knew that the knowledge of it would excite the worst fears of his persecutors. Everyone attending was to keep the knowledge to himself, and the minutes to the meetings were even burned. At this point darkness raged more than ever and managed to obtain the life of the prophet before he was able to establish an actual dominion. However, Brigham Young tried to continue this organization and attempted to organize the state of "Deseret" as a dominion, but was unsuccessful. Thus the Kingdom yet awaits to be born.

To those who doubt this we need ask: Where do we now have dominion? We do not even have dominion over our own city of Salt Lake, but the day is prophesied, "And judgment was given to the Saints of the most high and the time came that the Saints possessed the kingdom." (Dan 7:22)