This is the Charge
given in
1835 to Apostles by Oliver Cowdery:
You
have
been indebted to other men, in the first instance, for evidence; on
that
you have acted; but it is
necessary that
you receive a testimony from heaven for
yourselves; so that you can bear testimony to the truth of the
Book of
Mormon, and that you have
seen the
face of God. That is more than the testimony of an angel.
When the
proper time arrives, you shall be able to bear this testimony to the
world. When you bear testimony
that you have seen
God, this testimony God will never suffer to fall, but will bear
you out;
although many will not give heed, yet others will. You will therefore
see the
necessity of getting this testimony from heaven.
Never cease striving until
you
have seen God face to face.
Strengthen your faith; cast off you
doubts, your sins,
and all your unbelief; and nothing can prevent you from coming to God.
Your ordination is not full
and complete
till God has laid His hand upon you. We require as much to
qualify us
as did those who have gone before us; God is the same. If the Savior
in former
days laid His hands upon His disciples, why not in latter days? (DHC
vol. 2, p.
195-196)
Some of the apostles testified that they had seen Christ. These include George Q. Cannon (1827-1901), John Henry Smith (1848-1911), George F. Richards (1861-1950), Melvin J. Ballard (1873-1939).
But starting with Heber J. Grant we have apostles that didn’t even want to see the Savior. They stopped given the charge to apostles during the presidency of Joseph F. Smith.
Heber J. Grant
(1856-1945)
“I have never prayed to see the
Savior,
I know of men – Apostles – who have seen the Savior more than once. I
have
prayed to the Lord for the inspiration of His Spirit to guide me, and
I have
told him that I have seen so many men fall because of some great
manifestation
to them, they felt their importance, their greatness.” (Oct 4, 1942)
In a
letter Grant stated, “I know of no instance where the Lord has
appeared to an
individual since His appearance to the Prophet Joseph Smith.” (To Mrs.
Claud
Peery, 13 Apr 1926)
Joseph Fielding Smith
(1876-1972)
“I
know
that he lives, and I look
forward
to that day when I shall see his face.” (Ensign Dec. 1971)
The Focus shifted
to the
suggestion that a spiritual
witness was
better than actually seeing the Savior.
James E. Faust
(1920-2007)
“I testify
concerning
His divinity and His being. I know this with a certainty that exceeds
the
knowledge that comes through our visual senses, for it is given to us
by the
Spirit to know with greater
certainty
than by our physical senses.” (I Know He Lives, p. 158)
David B. Haight
(1906-2004)
On
May
4, 1989 at a meeting in the temple, “I
didn’t see God or the Savior but I had the feeling of being in
the presence
of Holy Personages. (ibid p. 144)
Marion G. Romney
(1897-1988)
I
do
not propose to give a startling account of an
open
vision, I have not seen one. Neither have I heard an audible voice.
(ibid p. 127)
Harold B. Lee
(1899-1973)
I
bear you that sacred testimony, that I know with a witness that is more powerful than sight. (ibid p. 107)
Russell M. Nelson
tells us
how he knows when something is the will of the Lord – It isn’t by hearing the Lord’s voice!
The
calling
of 15 men to the holy apostleship provides great protection for us as
members of the Church. Why? Because decisions of these leaders must be
unanimous.(D&C 107:27) Can you imagine
how the Spirit
needs to move upon 15 men to bring about unanimity? These 15 men have
varied
educational and professional backgrounds, with differing opinions
about many
things. Trust me! These 15 men—prophets,
seers,
and revelators—know
what the will of the Lord is when unanimity is reached! (Oct 2014
Conference,
“Sustaining the Prophet”)
Dallin H. Oaks told
the youth
of Bellevue Washington in Jan. 2016:
I don’t think we’ll get it like Paul did on the road to, where the angel appeared to him, or like Alma the Younger had that startling experience. The Lord gives a few of those kinds of experiences and they are recorded in the scriptures to catch our attention and teach us the answer. But I’ve never had any kind of experience like that, and I don’t know any of the First Presidency or the Quorum of the 12 who have had that kind of experience.