D&C 33

Of His modern-day Church, the Lord said -

"...I say unto you, that this church have I established and called forth out of the wilderness."  (Doctrine and Covenants Section 33:5)

We know that the primitive Church was organized by the Savior is his with -

"...apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ..."  (New Testament  Ephesians 4:11 - 13)

For this Church to be "called out of the wilderness", it must have been then driven into the wilderness.  To be driven into the wilderness, the doctrine must have been corrupted, that is -

"...my vineyard has become corrupted every whit; and there is none which doeth good save it be a few; and they err in many instances because of priestcrafts, all having corrupt minds."  (Doctrine and Covenants  Section 33:4)

The Savior taught that this would be so in the parable of the wheat and tares for  -

"...after they have fallen asleep the great persecutor of the church, the apostate, the whore, even Babylon, that maketh all nations to drink of her cup, in whose hearts the enemy, even Satan, sitteth to reign—behold he soweth the tares; wherefore, the tares choke the wheat and drive the church into the wilderness."  (Doctrine and Covenants  Section 86:3)

It is the tares or corrupted doctrines sown by Satan that must have driven the Church into the wilderness.  John the revelator saw that this would happen as foretells that -

"...when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman (the Church) which brought forth the man child (the priesthood).
14 And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent."  (New Testament  Revelation 12:13 - 14)

But John prophesied that the woman or the Church would someday come forth out of the wilderness for -

"...the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.
17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ."  (New Testament  Revelation 12:16 - 17)

And with the organization of the Church - with the Church coming forth out of the wilderness, the Lord declared -

"...even so will I gather mine elect from the four quarters of the earth, even as many as will believe in me, and hearken unto my voice."  (Doctrine and Covenants  Section 33:6)