Chapter 5
The Devil’s Kingdom on Earth
"In relation to the kingdom of God,
the devil always sets up his kingdom
at the very same time in opposition to God."
— Joseph Smith

On the surface of things, as far as conspiracies are concerned, communism has been in the forefront of people’s minds. However, there is a much deeper and more sinister design afoot than most people expect. There is a deeper plot, and in his book, The Red Carpet, Ezra Taft Benson quotes Senator Strom Thurmon of South Carolina who speaks of a deeper conspiracy:

"Our people must understand that our fears must not be reserved for so-called card carrying communists alone. There are few such any more. There are others in this country who believe in essentially the same ends as do the communists. They are socialists, who look toward an international socialist order just as the communists do, except by an evolutionary rather than a revolutionary approach. They join with communists in discouraging the inculcation of patriotism, for patriotism is a form of nationalism which impedes the establishment of world socialism." (Quoted in TRD, pp. 81-82.)

Now we have already covered the subject of communistic socialism. But it doesn’t end there. Let go into this conspiracy theory some more and see just who some of these "others in this country" and the world are. We will find that it is not just a communist scheme but that there are deeper designs in the plans.

Yet a Deeper Plot
Parts of this even deeper, conspiracy is the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) the Trilateral Commission, the Bilderbergers, the Committee of 300, and more. These groups are made up of elite individuals who feel that they are the only ones who are intelligent enough to make decisions for the people of the world. Their pride consists of: over-enlarged egos, the insatiable desire for power, and extreme wealth. Some of the members of one group might hold a seat in one or more of the other groups. (Although the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is extremely important in this study we will not be discussing it here. This, however, does not minimize the importance of this council. The reader is directed to the book, The Shadows of Power, which covers the subject in some depth.)

In June 6-9, of 1991, the Bilderbergers held their most recent meeting in Baden-Baden, Germany. Henry Kissinger, President Nixon’s national security adviser, has been on the steering committee for almost two decades. They did not circulate its agenda or a list of attendees.

Some of those that were there and participated, although this is not a complete list, were: Former Under Secretary of State George Ball, Treasury Secretary Nicholas Brady, U.S. State Department counselor and under secretary-designate for economic affairs, Robert B. Zoellinck, plus William Quandt, Jack F. Matlock, Robert B. Zoellick, Robert D. Blackwell, Michael J. Boskin, and Thomas W. Simmons, Jr., of the United States; Lawrence Freedman and Patrick Wright from the United Kingdom; Jean-Louis Cadieux from the European Common Market; Ruud F.M. Lubbers from the Netherlands; General Secretary Manfred Worner, and Henning Wegener from NATO; William Quandt of the Brookings Institution; etc.

There were representatives from various nations; such as Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States of America; and others representing international groups.

Also, lets not forget David Rockefeller and his Chase Manhattan cohorts.

When Michael J. Boskin, a senior official of the President, was asked why he was there, Mr. Boskin, after trying to dodge the question, said that his attendance "was in the nature of membership in a private club."(The Spotlight, special report, September 1991, p. B-2.)

As with most secret groups, information leaks out — so it has been with this illustrious meeting.

Among some of the things discussed was that of the "final stages of the process leading to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which will bankrupt the United States and turn its workers into slave labor, was set in motion." (Ibid.)

From The Spotlight, a very conservative newspaper, we find an article about the Bilderberg meeting. It reads in part:

"Harvard Economist Jeffery Sachs, who as an advocate of IMF (International Monetary Fund) ‘austerity shock therapy,’ has nearly destroyed the Polish economy. The other working group member, who joined with Gorbachev’s blessing, was Grigory Yavlinsky . . . who wrote the 500 Day Plan, which, by catapulting food and other consumer prices as Sach’s program has done in Poland, would mean virtual starvation for 70 million Russian pensioners. (Ibid., p. B-8.)
"What the Bilderberg group intends is a global army at the disposal of the United Nations, which is to become the world government to which all nations will be subservient by the year 2000.
"And, they promised each other, there will be ‘more incidents’ [such as the Persian Gulf war] for the UN to deal with in the years ahead. The Bilderberg group and its little brother, the Trilateral Commission, can set up ‘incidents’ on schedule, they said, but in less direct words. The words ‘within five years’ were heard repeatedly." (The Spotlight, June 24, 1991, pp. 1, 3.)

The Beginnings
There has always been a secret combination, or conspiracy, of one kind or another during the history of the world. But not until May 1, 1776, was one organized for the purpose of overthrowing the entire world. Yes, it’s true that Rome, and others of the ancient empires, wanted to control the world, but they were not necessarily secret — they were out in the open — and everyone knew it. But now we have secret plots to overthrow the world and its people.

The Prophet Joseph Smith, while preaching on Sunday, May 12, 1844, one month before he and his brother were martyred, said,

"The scripture is ready to be fulfilled when great wars, famines, pestilence, great distress, judgments, etc., are ready to be poured out on the inhabitants of the earth. . . . Woe, woe be to that man or set of men who lift up their hand against God and His witness in these last days: for they shall deceive almost the very chosen ones!
"False prophets always arise to oppose the true prophets and they will prophesy so very near the truth that they will deceive almost the very chosen ones.
"In relation to the kingdom of God, the devil always sets up his kingdom at the very same time in opposition to God." (HC, 6:364)

Now we might ask ourselves, "What is the devil’s kingdom?" The following can give us a clue.

There was a book written and published in 1798 entitled, Proofs of a Conspiracy, by John Robison, A.M., in which he unveils the "Illuminati Order," which order is considered to be the beginnings of our current-day, world wide secret combinations. From the "Introduction to the Americanist Classics Edition," of this book we find the following about John Robison:

"Professor Robison was a member of the distinguished circle of intellectuals who at that time enhanced the reputation of the University of Edinburgh. In fact, in 1783, Robison was elected general secretary of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. In short, Robison was one of the leading intellects of his time, deeply interested in every aspect of man’s attainments, both scientific and moral, in civilized society. . . .
"Robison had all of the virtues of the enlightened, rational, scientific, humane and religious spirit which characterized the founders of our own country and which represented the flower of eighteenth-century English intellect."

This reference to Professor Robison is given to show what kind of high integrity and moral fiber the man was made of that researched-out the first and most pervasive of our latter-day secret combinations — the Illuminati Order.

He mentions Dr. Adam Weishaupt. Dr. Weishaupt was a professor of canon law, and a professor of considerable renown, at the University of Ingolstadt. Weishaupt was also a former Jesuit priest — which priestly order was "annulled and extinguished" by Pope Clement XIV in 1773 for meddling in the affairs of the state and being the enemies of government. [Author’s Note: The Jesuit order was reinstated in 1814 by Pope Pius VII. Of this action John Adams wrote to Thomas Jefferson and said, "I do not like the re-appearance of the Jesuits. If ever there was a body of men who merited eternal damnation on earth...it is this Society..." Jefferson’s reply was: "Like you, I disapprove of the restoration of the Jesuits, for it means a step backwards from light into darkness." (Quoted in The Unseen Hand, p. 79, from Rene Fulop-Miller, The Power and Secret of the Jesuits, p. 390.)] From the "Introduction to the Americanist Classics Editions," of the book just cited, we read about this man:

"Weishaupt was not a military man bent on conquering the world via large armies; nor was he a crude gangster who could organize and lead a band of thieves. Weishaupt was an intellectual, a professor of law at a noted university with the arrogant self-conceit of the mentally superior who feel that they should be running the world and everyone in it. And so he devised an ingenious vehicle for world conquest — a secret Order — which would prove immensely attractive to other mentally superior beings of a similar frame of mind. He called it the Illuminati Order and grafted it, at selected points, onto Freemasonry — like a fungus."

John Robison says that; "Weishaupt had long been scheming the establishment of an Association or Order, which, in time, should govern the world. . . . The Lodge Theodore," of the Freemasons, "was perhaps less guarded in its proceedings, for it became remarkable for the very bold sentiments in politics and religion. . . . Of the zealous members of the Lodge Theodore the most conspicuous was Dr. Adam Weishaupt."(Proofs of a Conspiracy, pp. 58-58.) Robison then goes on to say, "It was then discovered that this and several associated Lodges were the nursery of preparation-school for another Order of Masons, who called themselves the ILLUMINATED, and that the express aim of this Order was to abolish Christianity, and overturn all civil government." (Ibid., p. 60.)

Robison was a former Mason himself. He found that Weishaupt used the Masonic lodges of Europe to provide the brethren with "full protection from the authorities by maintaining their rule of secrecy," and that "this impunity had gradually encouraged men of licentious principles to become more bold, and to teach doctrines subversive of all our notions of morality." However, Robison knew that "Freemasonry had existed long before Weishaupt had come on the scene," and that it was "clear that the Illuminati Order was quite distinct and separate from Freemasonry." (The Masonic order in the earlier years of America did not have the same subversive influences that infected their brother’s order in Europe; but it didn’t take long before it did.) As the account continues it speaks of the purpose of the Order:

"To be more explicit, the Illuminati Order was built around the novel idea that the end — the happiness of the human race — justified the means!
"It was through this process of selection and careful inculcation that Weishaupt, in a mere decade, was able to gather into his Order the cleverest and most diabolical minds in Europe. The true purpose of the Order was to rule the world. To achieve this it was necessary for the Order to destroy all religions, overthrow all governments, and abolish private property. In order to accomplish this it would be necessary to convince enough people that religion, governments, and private property were the real obstacles to human happiness."

This is precisely what the communists have advocated since the Communist Manifesto, 1848. And on May 1, each year, Soviet Russia still celebrates the date as "May Day," or the date of the Russian Revolution of 1905. Nevertheless, the Illuminati Order was established on May 1, 1776.

Let’s get back to the matter at hand. One of the requirements for membership in the Order was that the members of the Order had to take an oath. The oath reads in part: "I bind myself to perpetual silence and unshaken loyalty and submission to the Order, in the persons of my Superiors; here making a faithful and complete surrender of my private judgments, my own will, and every narrow-minded employment of my power and influence."

Now this sounds something like what we learned about the Gadianton robbers of the Book of Mormon having to take an oath doesn’t it? There was even more secrecy than the oath. There was a progression of hierarchy to the Order’s structure. In current vernacular it might be said that information was on a "need-to-know" basis:

"Members of the secret Order pledged blind obedience to their superiors and only knew about the organization what their immediate superiors would tell them. . . . Members were required to spy on one another and submit reports and autobiographies which could compromise them should they decide to leave the Order.
"The ultimate despotic purpose of the Illuminati Order was kept secret. Only by degrees . . . could the initiated learn of the true mysteries and purposes of the Order. And each step of the way was very carefully plotted and planned by Weishaupt and his colleagues, so that the squeamish and gullible never rose higher than the lowest degrees, while the bold, ruthless and cynical, those ready and willing to dispense with religion, morality, patriotism and any other hindrances, rose to the top." (Proofs of a Conspiracy, "Introduction to the Americanist Classics Edition.")

Let us visualize a pyramid with a broad base, with various levels until the narrow top, and finally the peak is reach. The peak, being the devil himself — worshipped by the occultist and heads of these grand and secret combinations. Each level below, on a "need-to-know" basis, serving the wishes of their master on the level above them — the people on these lower levels not knowing what, if anything, is above the upper level they answer to. To make it a little more clear, let’s number the levels of the pyramid, starting at the bottom as — let’s say 10, and the top being 1 Those on level 8 may not even know that there is a level 6. They may believe their allegiance stops with the level just above them — level 7.

Some Antichrists
As a note of interest, Karl Marx was a product of this Illuminati Order. Marx was not an "atheist" as some suppose. He was, however, an "antichrist." Earlier, Karl Marx had professed a belief in Christianity. One of his first written works, while still in high school, was called The Union of the Faithful with Christ. In it he said,

"Through love of Christ we turn our hearts at the same time toward our brethren who are inwardly bound to us and for whom He gave Himself in sacrifice.
"Union with Christ could give an inner elevation, comfort in sorrow, calm trust, and a heart susceptible to human love, to everything noble and great, not for the sake of ambition and glory, but only for the sake of Christ." (Marx and Satan, p. 11, from Karl Marx, Die Vereinigung der Glaubigen mit Christo (The Union of the Faithful with Christ), (Werke) (Works) (MEW), supplement, I, p. 600.)

Not long after Marx received his certificate of graduation from high school he began to emerge as something contrary to his previous beliefs. He seemed to have a vindictiveness against the God he once extolled. In a later poem he wrote: "I wish to avenge myself against the One who rules above." In another poem he said, "Then I will be able to walk triumphantly, Like a god, through the ruins of their kingdom. Every word of mine is fire and action. My breast is equal to that of the Creator." (Ibid., p. 12-13, from Deutsche Tagespost, West Germany, December 31, 1982.)

Somewhere along the line, Marx developed a hatred for everything Christian, and a love for evil. He started dabbling in the black masses and the occults, of which we will not venture discussing. Nonetheless, Marx became an ardent supporter of that which was antichrist.

Does the foregoing sound like a man who does not believe that God exists? No it does not! This is a man that does believe that God exists!

Lucifer and his angels are not atheist — they were created by God. As we discussed in a previous chapter, God endowed Lucifer with power and authority — which power and authority he misused. Satan and his followers know without a doubt that God does exist. The devil recognized Jesus and tried to tempt Him. The devils that Jesus cast out of a man knew who Jesus was. The devil — Lucifer, or Satan — cannot possibly be an atheist. Nevertheless, he can be an antichrist — that which fights against the Christ and the works of Christ. And so we not only have Karl Marx but Adam Weishaupt (a former Jesuit priest), and a host of others, who are not atheists but are antichrists.

There have been, down through the ages, various occults for the worship of Satan. In these latter-days, this practice is flourishing like never before. Not only among our average people do we find this custom but also among the elite of the world. Richard Wurmbrand, in his book Marx and Satan, dealing with this subject, wrote:

"So from time immemorial men have believed in the existence of the Devil. Sin and wickedness are the hallmark of his kingdom, disintegration and destruction its inevitable result. The great concentrations of evil design in times past as well as in modern communism [socialism] and nazism would have been impossible without a guiding force, the Devil himself. He has been the mastermind, the secret agent, supplying the unifying energy in his grand scheme to control mankind." (Ibid., p. 14.)

So we have here what looks like the beginning of our modern-day secret combinations, or great conspiracies. Their evil designs and purposes laid out before us — with Lucifer himself being at the head of it.

The Book of Mormon was not just warning us of just another secret combination or just another conspiracy, of which there have been many through history, but of much more sinister and deeply entrenched orders of darkness than ever before know in history. President J. Reuben Clark, an expert on secret combinations tells us:

"In the last half of the seventeen hundreds, beginning in the 1750's, two systems of revolutionary thought emerged. One system deals with our social, economic, and governmental order, the material things and aspects of life. This system is two-fold, embracing Socialism and Communism. . . . The other system . . . deals with our religious beliefs, through what we call ‘higher criticism,’ and its twin, ‘rationalism.’ . . . These revolutionary systems have gained such influence as now to constitute a threat against our whole existing order, material and spiritual. Each of these two systems has gone forward under its own power, yet with such a full complementary relationship and activity, the one to the other, as can be accounted for only by assuming they are directed by one superior malevolent [malicious] intelligence.
"It may be said here that the great apostles of the material systems have often been men of high ideals and of lofty purpose, but their inspiration has come from the wrong source, and so they have reached wrong conclusions and have advocated wrong principles and methods." (PPNS, p. 223, from CN-6/16/45.)

Sinisterism Continues
Let’s explore more of this conspiracy concept and see if there is more too it — for there is.

In his highly researched book, The Unseen Hand, by A. Ralph Epperson, he quotes the late Benjamin Disraeli, British Prime Minister, 1874-1880, who confirmed the assertion of these secret societies when he said,

"There is in Italy a power which we seldom mention in this House (the House of Parliament).
"I mean the secret societies. . . .
"It is useless to deny, because it is impossible to conceal, that a great part of Europe . . . to say nothing of other countries...is covered with a network of these secret societies...What are their objects?
"They do not want constitutional government. . . . They want to change the tenure of the land, to drive out the present owners of the soil and to put an end to ecclesiastical establishments." (The Unseen Hand, pp. 76-77, from a quoted in Nesta H. Webster’s, Secret Societies and Subversive Movements (Christian Book Club of America), p. IV., p. IV.)

Dr. John Coleman has done extensive research into the conspiracy. He has been able, over many years, to discover an even deeper controlling element — "super-organization" — in this international secret combination. He writes in his Conspiracy Who’s Who: The Committee of 300, that: "There most certainly is an organization controlling the conspiracy to commit the U.S. to a One-World Government, and it is called "The Committee of 300," or as the members like to call themselves, "The Olympians," fancying that they have power equal to the mythical gods of Greek mythology." (Conspiracy Who’s Who: The Committee of 300, p. 1.)

During his research into this group (which possesses an attitude much like Lucifer in the pre-earth life) he discovered their "truly amazing social-psychiatry-opinion-making capabilities and resources." He went on to say,

"What unfolded was an astounding array of interlocked oligarchical corporations, banks, insurance companies, the news media and politicians, all controlled by a single entity which also deployed them and saw to it that their key men always ended up in control positions around the world.
"Be sure that we understand what I am writing about here. This is an entity that reaches far beyond ANY government, indeed it is true to say that it makes and breaks governments at will, and that includes the government of the United States of America.
"Let us dispose of the ‘it cannot happen in America’ tunnel-vision syndrome; it can, it has and it is still happening. For decades we in the U.S. have been controlled in every facet of our daily lives to think this way and actually believe that our opinions are own, when in fact they have been manufactured for us." (Ibid.)

Dr. Coleman mentions such names as Von Thurn, Taxis, Elie Rothschild, Jocelyn Hambro, the Luzzati and Bonacossi families representing the Jewish Venetian oligarchy, and the Lambert family of Belgium. Some of these names may not mean much to some of us at this time, but that’s okay. We do not need to know everyone. We need only to know what is happening.

Coleman writes on page eight of his work: "Just to give you an idea of how vast this wealth is, the Von Thurn and Taxis fortune makes David Rockefeller a man of modest means by comparison."

It takes money, BIG MONEY, to finance such far-reaching schemes and to wage a war or revolution. During the American revolution this nation had to borrow money to help support it. Where did the money come from which aided the Russian Revolution? It actually came from the International Bankers — specifically speaking, from the Federal Reserve. There is a chapter in this book which will deal with this aspect of the conspiracy so we will not take time to do so here, except only to mention the fact.

When you own all of the money in the world, or at least most of the money, what more do you need? What was Lucifer’s desire? Power and control over the will of man, not money. So his disciples here on earth are still implementing his plan — not for money — but for power — power that can control the news media which can help keep the people ignorant of what is going on in the world.

With vast amounts of wealth (wealth incomprehensible), the news media can be bought. There was a radio station in Texas that discussed aspects of the conspiracy. Rockefeller’s bank moved in — bought it out — and now it is a Spanish-Speaking station playing Mexican music. It is happening here in America!

The Book of Mormon calls these conspiracy, "The Great and Abominable Church." (1 Ne., Ch. 13 and 14.) John in Revelation calls it "The Great Whore that sitteth upon many waters." (Rev., Ch.17.) The prophets saw our day and recognized not a local or single nation trying to wage war with another but an all-encompassing, world-wide effort of evil and darkness.

The conspiracy is so all-pervasive and so all encompassing that it would boggle the average mind to be confronted with its power and magnitude.

The Side Show
Most people in the past have thought communism to be the evil culprit of subversion and conspiracy. However, it has turned out that communism is only a puppet in the hand of the great secret combination. Through the clever manipulation of the news media, the evil minds behind the socialistic conspiracy for one-world-domination has shown communism to be the bad guy — and in truth, they are truly evil. Nevertheless, they have been used as pawns, a front for the more villainous efforts of the dark minds that seek to overthrow the entire world.

To draw an analogy, this whole thing may be much like a magician. While entertaining us with his clever speech, and fast and skillful manipulation of his right hand, his left hand is pulling together some sort of trick.

Another analogy may be like that of a ventriloquist with a dummy on his lap. He too is a master of deception. He beguiles us with the charm of his animated friend which draws attention away from the fact that he may be moving his lips. Remember when the President said, "Read my lips, no new taxes!" What did we get? More taxes! And when he said that he did not want war in the Middle East, what did he do? He committed more troops!

So now, we have been the dummies sitting in the audience for many decades watching and listening to the clever deceptions of our political entertainers. We have been watching the wrong hands while they pull off some subtle deception — behind OUR BACKS.

We have become so enthralled with this entertainment that when we are even told to "Read my lips," we still do not hear what is being said or notice what is being done. We are beguiled by the charm of it all.

Let us carry this a little further. Picture a person with a bunch of marionettes in his hand. These stringed puppets can be called: America, Great Britain, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Russia, Central and South America, Africa, the Middle East, the Far East, etc. As the operator pulls the strings the politicians in the various nations move accordingly. At the top of this manipulation is not the communist conspiracy. That also is another puppet in the arsenal of deceptive and evil entertainment.

The great secret combinations of this world are headed by very clever, intelligent, deceptive, sinister, and extremely wealthy people. People who have the financial resources to play any game they please — and they make the rules. Their wealth is of such magnitude that the average person cannot even comprehend its awesomeness.

With money you can buy almost anything or anybody in this world. Yes, there have been those leaders of various countries, and at various times, that would not cooperate. But they have been deposed or assassinated by a hired gun. Such threats have been, and are being, used throughout the world today and the great secret combination is spreading its tentacles like a giant octopus into every facet of our lives — into every nation in the world.

Constitutional Challenge
Ezra Taft Benson has said, "There is no freedom under full socialism. Our fight is freedom vs. creeping socialism." (AEHDT, p. 255.) And in general conference during October, 1979, he spoke these words: "Today, we are in a battle for the bodies and souls of men. It is a battle between two opposing systems: freedom and slavery, Christ and anti-Christ. . . . God must ever have a free people to prosper His work and bring about zion." (CR, October 1979, p. 44.)

Of course many other general authorities spoke of these secret combinations. Let’s refer to George Q. Cannon. When he spoke the following words these socialistic combination had already started their work. He was the first counselor in the First Presidency under President Wilford Woodruff when he said,

"Among the many signs of the times concerning which the prophets have spoken, there are none scarcely that are of a more threatening character than the combinations of various kinds which are being formed in the land. These combinations are ominous of evil. If they go on increasing as they have done for some years past, the consequences to our nation will be of a most serious, if not to say dreadful, character.
"In Europe, a condition or feeling has arisen, among socialists, nihilists, anarchists, and people of this type, that is exceedingly threatening to the government under which people of this description live. They are agitating, and plotting, and spreading dissatisfaction among all classes. They have sufficient ground for complaint to make their appeals to their fellows very convincing. . . . [Author’s Note: Nihilists — The denial of the existence of any basis for knowledge or truth; the general rejection of customary beliefs in morality, religion; the doctrine that all social, political, and economic institutions must be completely destroyed in order to make way for new institutions; any violent revolutionary movement involving some use of terrorism – (Webster)].
"Thousands of these dissatisfied people from various countries of Europe have flocked to the United States. Russia, Germany and Austria have contributed large numbers, and they have come filled with these ideas concerning the rights of man. Many have also come from other lands . . . they become agitators of a dangerous character even in this country, where there are no monarchs or nobles. The leaven of discontent has gradually spread until combinations of a most formidable character have been formed in this country. . . .
"This is a fearful picture, and we may know what the result will be, by reading the predictions of the prophets concerning the last days. Not only will these combinations of labor and capital spread, but combinations also of a political character, looking to the overthrow of governments and to the introduction of anarchy. . . ." (Juvenile Instructor, 1890, 25:536-37.)

President John Taylor spoke and warned us about these conspiracies and shared his concerns about the Constitution. In 1881, he wrote:

"It is really astonishing to see what efforts are being made to accomplish the overthrow of rule and government in Russia, Austria, Germany, Spain, England, Italy, France, Turkey, etc. These things are beginning to spread among and permeate the nations of the earth. Do we expect them? Yes. These secret combinations were spoken of by Joseph Smith, years and years ago. I have heard him time and time again tell about them, and he stated that when these things began to take place the liberties of this nation would begin to be bartered away. We see many signs of weakness which we lament, and we would to God that our rulers would be men of righteousness, and that those who aspire to position would be guided by honorable feelings — to maintain inviolate the Constitution and operate in the interest, happiness, well-being, and protection of the whole community. But we see signs of weakness and vacillation. We see a policy being introduced to listen to the clamor of mobs and of unprincipled men who know not of what they speak, nor whereof they affirm, and when men begin to tear away with impunity one plank after another from our Constitution, by and by we shall find that we are struggling with the wreck and ruin of the system which the forefathers of this nation sought to establish in the interests of humanity." (Juvenile Instructor, 1881, 22:143.)

As mentioned above, the Illuminati Order was founded by Adam Weishaupt in 1776. That happens to be the year that our nation declared independence from England. Isn’t it interesting that the organization that can be considered the father of our modern socialistic-slave societies in the world, the Illuminati Order, was founded the same year the Declaration of Independence was written, and this nation struck out to be a free people. From two different general conferences we read the following from President Benson:

"Now the Lord knew that before the gospel could flourish there must first be an atmosphere of freedom. This is why he first established the Constitution of this land through gentiles whom he raised up before he restored the gospel." (CR, April 1965, p. 123.)
"Our Father in Heaven planned the coming forth of the Founding Fathers and their form of government as the necessary great prologue leading to the restoration of the gospel . . . America, the land of liberty, was to be the Lord’s latter-day base of operations for His restored church." (The Ensign, November 1987, p. 4.)

Remember what the Prophet Joseph Smith said, "In relation to the kingdom of God, the devil always sets up his kingdom at the very same time in opposition to God." Satan is out to destroy the work of God. This nation was to be established so that the Church would have a free environment in which to grow. Without that atmosphere of freedom, the Church might not have lasted very long. As the Prophet continued:

"Only in this foreordained land, under its God-inspired Constitution and the resulting environment of freedom, was it possible to have established the restored Church. It is our responsibility to see that this freedom is perpetuated so that the Church may more easily flourish in the future.
"Unfortunately, we as a nation have apostatized in various degrees from different Constitutional principles as proclaimed by the inspired founders." (The Ensign, November 1987, p. 6.)

Can we see now why it is so important to uphold the Constitution and the principles upon which it stands? God has ordained it to be our standard of liberty. If we do not get off of our "comfortable complacency," as President Benson called it once, we may lose all that we have been given and for which our forefathers have died. And who do you think will have to stand in the great judgment and account for their apathy in this matter?

We Must Understand
It may be fitting to quote, once again, the statement made by our Prophet, President Ezra Taft Benson, in the general conference of October, 1988. Perhaps if we read it in the light of what we have just learned, it might have a little more meaning for us. This will not be the last time that this statement will be used in this book. Because of the implication of its message, it will be used again. This has been his last verbal address given to the saints (at the writing of this book), and it was given during the Sunday afternoon session of that conference. At that time he inspiringly said,

"I testify that wickedness is rapidly expanding in every segment of our society. It is more highly organized, more cleverly disguised, and more powerfully promoted than ever before. Secret combinations lusting for power, gain, and glory are flourishing. A secret combination that seeks to overthrow the freedom of all lands, nations, and countries is increasing its evil influence and control over American and the entire world." (CR, October 1988, p. 103; The Ensign, November 1988, p. 87.)

Now we have covered a lot of territory in this chapter. And if all of this seems to fantastic and hard to believe — even a little scary — then that’s understandable. There are those who still might argue that this is just too involved and all-encompassing to be real — this is just someone’s make-believe. Well, we might ask, "If someone is capable of thinking up this hoax, then isn’t someone capable of thinking it up and then try to implement it? The devil has been allowed to use more of his powers in the last days, than he has been using before. In a reprint from the Millennial Star, called "The Coming Crisis — How to Meet It," it speaks of unusual powers that Lucifer will be given, and how people will marvel that the great governors and brave monarchs of ancient Babylon could have been such firm believers in magicians, and the like, in their day. Then it goes on to say,

"He [Satan] has made some manifestations of his power in different periods of the world, but never before has there been such an array of numbers on his side, never before such a consolidation of armies and rulers, never before has there been such an imposing and overwhelming exhibition of miracles as Satan will shortly make manifest . . . And he, the son of perdition it is, that will be allowed a much longer chain than heretofore. And such will be the greatness of his power, that it will seem to many that he is entirely loose. He will be so far unshackled and unchained that his power will deceive all nations, even the world. And the elect will barely escape the power of his sorceries, enchantments, and miracles! And even God himself, the true God, will contribute to put means and instruments in his way and at hand for his use, so that he can have a full trial of his strength and cunning, with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish.
"But marvel not, for when the greater power of the like class of persons, under the direction of Satan, shall be brought to bear in your own day, the delusion will be so much stronger that Princes, Presidents, Governors, and chief Captains, will be constrained to bow to it. Their credulity will be taxed beyond the power of resistance. The workers of these mysterious and supernatural arts will bring to their aid both natural and supernatural causes that will challenge and defy disputation . . . facts and truth will constitute such a measure of the ingredients of these mysterious and wonderful arts as to give them an irresistible strength of conviction to those who are unenlightened by the spirit of God. And so far as facts and truths are mingled, it must also be acknowledged that God, the true and living Sovereign of heaven and earth, will contribute to product the delusion. He has said that ‘HE WILL SEND THEM STRONG DELUSIONS THAT THEY MIGHT BELIEVE A LIE.’" ("The Coming Crisis — How to Meet It," reprinted from The Millennial Star, April 30, 1853, Vol. 15, pp. 273-276, 289-292.)

Now if all of this seems too fantastic and hard to fathom, then go back and read the first four chapters and re-read this one again. We should not reject it because it has not been part of our normal belief system. We must get implanted in our mind and receive our own spiritual testimony of the actuality of what Satan’s plans are and how he uses egocentric people to implement his schemes of mental, physical, and spiritual domination.

We must understand the relationship of free agency, the Constitution of the United States, and secret combinations and conspiracies. We must comprehend it! We must see what is happening to our liberties. It tells us in Proverbs that: "Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he." (Prov. 29:18.) Our temporal salvation, as well as our spiritual, may depend on being able to grasp the importance of the situation. Re-read these chapters if we must. But WE MUST UNDERSTAND what is happening!

Let’s move on now to the Constitution. As we do so, we will be examining it in the light of what has happened to its principles and how it is "hanging by a thread." As we keep in mind the things learned in these first five chapters, we will more fully understand what is happening to our sacred document and what is behind its gradual disintegration.