The kingdom of God is an order of government established by divineauthority. It is the only legal government that can exist in any partof the universe. All other governments are illegal and unauthorized.God, having made all beings and worlds, has the supreme right to governthem by his own laws, and by officers of his own appointment. Anypeople attempting to govern themselves by laws of their own making, andby officers of their own appointment, are in direct rebellion againstthe kingdom of God. The antediluvians were overthrown by a flood,because they rejected the government of the Almighty, and institutedtheir own governments in its stead. Noah and his family were the onlyloyal and obedient subjects to the legal power: they alone were saved.The universal desolation and utter abolishment of all the unauthorizedman-made governments of the old world, should have been an everlastingwarning to all future generations to avoid the same rebellion, and toestablish no governments on the earth of human origin. But, alas! theposterity of Noah soon revolted from the only legal, rightful power,and set up for themselves forms of governments of their own inventions.The rebellion soon became so general, that all the inhabitants of theearth, except Melchizedek, Abraham, Lot, and a very few others, engagedthemselves in it, supporting and upholding kings and other officers intheir usurped authority, and suffering themselves to be governed byhuman laws, instead of revealed laws from God. From that time until thepresent, empires, kingdoms, principalities, republics, and numerousother corrupt, illegal, unauthorized powers, have multiplied themselvesin the four quarters of the globe. At various times, during the lastfour thousand years, God has asserted his rights, and endeavoured toestablish his own authority, his own laws, and his own government amongthe children of men. But so great was the opposition manifested bythose illegal, rebellious powers, that his government while on earthwas exceedingly limited in numbers. The vast majority of mankind madewar against it—overcame, killed, and destroyed its officers and loyalsubjects, until not a vestige of it was left remaining on the earth.For seventeen hundred years the nations upon the eastern hemispherehave been entirely destitute of the "kingdom of God"—entirelydestitute of a true and legal government—entirely destitute ofofficers legally authorized to rule and govern. All the emperors,kings, princes, presidents, lords, nobles, and rulers, during that longnight of darkness, have acted without authority. Not one of them wascalled or anointed a king or a prince by the God of heaven—not one ofthem received his office or appointment by him—not one of them hasreceived revelations or laws from him—not one of them has received anycommunication whatsoever from the rightful sovereign, the Great King.Their authority is all assumed—it originated in man. Their laws arenot from the Great Lawgiver, but the productions of their own falsegovernments. Their very foundations were laid in rebellion, and thewhole superstructure, from first to last, is a heterogeneous mass ofdiscordant elements, in direct opposition to the kingdom of God, whichis the only true government which should be recognized on earth or inheaven.
The kingdom of God is a theocracy. And as it is the only form ofgovernment which will redeem and save mankind, it is necessary thatevery soul should be rightly and thoroughly instructed in regard to itsnature and general characteristics. The beauty, glory, power, wisdom,and order