Question

Dear Gramps,

In the Book of Mormon, from the book of Ether, chapter 3, verse 15, the Savior as a spirit personage tells the brother of Jared that “never have I showed myself unto man whom I have created, for never has man believed in me as thou hast.” Yet thousands of years earlier, in the Pearl of Great Price, in the book of Moses, chapter 7, verse 4, Enoch says, “And I saw the Lord; and he talked with me, even as a man talketh one with another, face to face” And so I am confused a little. Christ told the brother of Jared that no one had seen him before, yet obviously he had stood before Enoch face to face much earlier and talked with him too. What is the correct way to view this seeming discrepancy?

Rob

Answer

Dear Rob,

The only thing that I can think of in answer to your interesting question is that when the Lord appeared to Moses, He appeared in His power and glory and came to deliver a message. In the case of the Brother of Jared, He did not appear to Jared, but because of the great faith that Jared had he saw the Lord without the Lord specifically manifesting himself to him. Moroni says,

And because of the knowledge of this man he could not be kept from beholding within the veil; and he saw the finger of Jesus (Ether 3:19).

Gramps