The Lord raised up Joseph Smith. .
. . Joseph Smith was moved upon by the Holy Ghost, and he was administered
unto, in answer to his prayers by the Father and the Son; and the Father said
to him, "This is my beloved Son, hear ye Him." He listened strictly
to the words of Jesus Christ, and continued to do so until he, like the Savior,
was put to death, though he was not crucified, because it was not the custom of
the day. I may say that it seemed strange to me at that time why the Prophet
and his brother Hyrum were permitted to be taken out of our midst. But Joseph
Smith, by commandment of God and by the power and revelations of heaven, was
ordained and laid the foundation of this great dispensation and fulness of
times. He was brought into the world and ordained to organize this Church of
Christ for the last time upon this earth, to prepare it for the coming of the
Son of Man. (Arthur Winter, “Remarks Made by
President Wilford Woodruff, of Cache Stake Conference, held at Logan, Sunday
Afternoon, November 1st, 1891,” in Deseret Weekly 43, no. 21 [November
14, 1891]: 658)
