I have thought about this for the past several days. I have never heard of the council of fifty, nor a separate political group that was attempting to establish a "kingdom of God".
However, I have studied the Old and New Testament. I have studied First Century Christianity and Judaism. I have studied history. And, the one thing I have kept coming back to is the question - What is the Kingdom of God? From what I have read on the website you have up, the Kingdom of God is a governing body of citizens of various religious affiliations and beliefs. A political kingdom to offer refuge from other failed governments. It is from this basis that, from your claims and statements, the kingdom of God is of a political nature that men ought to implement at some point.
I disagree with this. Simply because Scripture has already defined what the Kingdom of God is. And that definition is not a governing body of fifty men in a council. It is not a political form of government.
To understand this, we go to the preaching of John the Baptist.
In those days, came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. {Matthew 3:1-2, KJV LDS Edition}
Jesus Christ himself began his ministry - according to Matthew 4:17 - with the same statement John the Baptist made: From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of Heaven is at hand.
In the Lord's Prayer, Matthew 6:10, Christ says this: Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. {see also Luke 11:2} What is even more interesting is what Christ is recorded to have said the following:
But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added tunto you. (Matthew 6:33, KJV LDS Edition}
When we read in the New Testament, Christ refers to the Kingdom of Heaven and/or Kingdom of God as being imminent.
Now, if we step back a little bit. The First Century Jews believed that the promised messiah would be a deliverer like that of Moses who came in and delivered the children of Israel from an oppressive nation. Their understanding of redemption would be a man who would come in and throw off the chains of the Roman Empire and bring Israel back into their land and restore the Davidic Kingdom their forefathers had once enjoyed. They were seeking after a political kingdom of God. Yet, Christ was not their messiah because he did not come to overthrow the chains of the Roman Empire, but he came to overthrow the chains of sin and death that hold people in bondage.
Thus, the Kingdom of God, according to Scripture and history, is not a political form of government but the Gospel itself. Those who are citizens are those who have a testimony of the truthfulness of this gospel. The Kingdom of God is already here on earth, just as much as it is in Heaven.
Thus, why I disagree with this, why I find this all so troubling. The Kingdom of God is not political but it is His Gospel truths, His gospel Principles, it is the Plan of Salvation for mankind and those who hold to the truthfulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ are already citizens of this great kingdom.
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