The Transfiguration of Wilford Woodruff into the Likeness of Brigham Young

During the Salt Lake Temple dedication in April 1893, some of those present witnessed what they understood as the apparent transfiguration of President Wilford Woodruff into the likeness of Brigham Young. Woodruff, the aged prophet who had been foreordained and long preserved to dedicate the temple, bore a visible resemblance to his predecessor as he stood at the pulpit to conduct the sacred services. The experience recalled the transfiguration of Brigham Young into the likeness of Joseph Smith at the 1844 conference following the martyrdom, and to the Saints who saw it, it signified divine sanction and the continuity of prophetic keys from Joseph Smith to Brigham Young to Wilford Woodruff.