Apocalyptic Anticipations: Mormon Millenarianism in the Early Years

In the earliest published account of Joseph Smith's first visions, it is reported that when Smith was first visited by an angel named Moroni, he was told that "the great preparatory work for the second coming of the Messiah, was speedily to commence; that the time was at hand for the gospel, in its fulness, to be preached in power unto all nations; that a people might be prepared with faith and righteousness, for the Millennial reign of universal peace and joy." 1 This statement highlights the essential link between what early Latter-day Saints considered the raison d'etre of Mormonism and the millennial dream. 2 That simple acknowledgment, however, gestures toward a rich and fascinating realm of thought that can only begin to be explored in the short compass of a single article.In the first place, the millennial hope is a malleable one, and people "can extrapolate a dismal or optimistic view of history, encompassing temporal disaster or progress, or both. . . .Efforts to seize the Kingdom by violence, passive