In 3 Nephi Chapter 11, we have the
account when the Father introduces His Son to the Nephites in the
land of Bountiful, Jesus Christ appears, and the people are asked to
perform a ceremony of recognition and witnessing.
“And behold, the third time they did understand the voice which
they heard; and it said unto them: Behold my Beloved Son, in whom I
am well pleased, in whom I have glorified my name—hear ye him. And
it came to pass, as they understood they cast their eyes up again
towards heaven; and behold, they saw a Man descending out of heaven;
and he was clothed in a white robe; and he came down and stood in the
midst of them; and the eyes of the whole multitude were turned upon
him, and they durst not open their mouths, even one to another, and
wist not what it meant, for they thought it was an angel that had
appeared unto them. And it came to pass that he stretched forth his
hand and spake unto the people, saying: Behold, I am Jesus Christ,
whom the prophets testified shall come into the world. And behold, I
am the light and the life of the world; and I have drunk out of that
bitter cup which the Father hath given me, and have glorified the
Father in taking upon me the sins of the world, in the which I have
suffered the will of the Father in all things from the beginning. And
it came to pass that when Jesus had spoken these words the whole
multitude fell to the earth; for they remembered that it had been
prophesied among them that Christ should show himself unto them after
his ascension into heaven. And it came to pass that the Lord spake
unto them saying: Arise and come forth unto me, that ye may thrust
your hands into my side, and also that ye may feel the prints of the
nails in my hands and in my feet, that ye may know that I am the God
of Israel, and the God of the whole earth, and have been slain for
the sins of the world. And it came to pass that the multitude went
forth, and thrust their hands into his side, and did feel the prints
of the nails in his hands and in his feet; and this they did do,
going forth one by one until they had all gone forth, and did see
with their eyes and did feel with their hands, and did know of a
surety and did bear record, that it was he, of whom it was written by
the prophets, that should come.” (3 Nephi 11:6-15)
From the Book, “The Second Comforter
– Conversing with The Lord Through the Veil” on Pages 170-171 we
read:
“He tells them to come, one by one,
to feel the wounds in his side, and hands, and feet. One by one is
how he directs. No person who is present is to have this witness
through another. All of them are to be equally qualified as Witnesses
of Him. there is nothing vicarious about this meeting. They are asked
to perform a ceremony of recognition and witnessing. They first feel
his side. To do this they must embrace the Lord, for you cannot feel
his side without embracing Him. Embracing Him is an essential part of the ceremony of
recognition. Ceremony and holiness are connected with each other.
Recognize you are reading about a ceremony, as all encounters
involved with God are in one way or another.
Having embraced the Lord and felt his
side, the witnesses are asked to take a step back and feel His hands.
Feeling the Lord's hands is also a part of the ceremonial process. At
an arm's length, holding his hands, you feel the marks of the nails.
Then, having touched the secret emblems
of the Atonement, you are permitted to kneel and feel the prints in
His feet. This part of the ceremony is the easiest for men to
observe. For kneeling at his feet is the natural position for anyone who has
witnessed for themselves the price He paid on their behalf and feels
the love within Him.
This is ceremony, and this is ritual,
but it employs such rich witnesses in the body of the Lord as to be
convincing beyond all doubt that He is the Christ, the Anointed One,
the Deliverer, and the Holy One of Israel!
Every person will be given the same
experience at some point as the scriptures record in 2 Nephi 9:41: "O
then, my beloved brethren, come unto the Lord, the Holy One. Remember
that his paths are righteous. Behold, the way for man is narrow, but
it lieth in a straight course before him, and the keeper of the gate
is the Holy One of Israel; and he employeth no servant there; and
there is none other way save it be by the gate; for he cannot be
deceived, for the Lord God is his name.” This statement by Nephi
concerns the final judgement. But it needn't be delayed. He is the
One through whom salvation comes. And He employs no servant to do
these things. This encounter can be here, now, in mortality.”
The scriptures are loaded with
testimonies of individuals who actually experience this type of
encounter with God ... while still mortal!
In the Book of Mormon, you only need to
read 5-6 verses to find the account where Lehi prayed unto the Lord and received an answer. There came a pillar of fire and he did quake and tremble. Lehi was overcome with the
spirit, carried away in a vision, saw the heavens open, and saw and heard
much.
“Thus I, Abraham, talked with the Lord, face
to face, as one man talketh with another; and he told me of the works
which his hands had made; And he said unto me: My son, my son (and
his hand was stretched out), behold I will show you all these. And he
put his hand upon mine eyes, and I saw those things which his hands
had made, which were many; and they multiplied before mine eyes, and
I could not see the end thereof.” (Abraham 3:11-12)
“And when he had said these words, behold,
the Lord showed himself unto him, and said: Because thou knowest
these things ye are redeemed from the fall; therefore ye are brought
back into my presence; therefore I show myself unto you. Behold, I am
he who was prepared from the foundation of the world to redeem my
people. Behold, I am Jesus Christ. I am the Father and the Son. In me
shall all mankind have life, and that eternally, even they who shall
believe on my name; and they shall become my sons and my daughters.”
(Ether 3:13-14)
I don't think it is wise to allow
another person to stand between you and Christ in any form or
fashion, nor to be deceived into believing that this connection,
embrace, and ceremony with Christ is merely meant for afterlife. You
needn't wait until after death to meet Christ face to face, be
redeemed by the Redeemer, and receive the testimony of Jesus,
promising you eternal life, by His own voice.
The
statement requires us to
,
by David Kupelian) All of modern commerce is based on deceiving you.
Making you think you need something when you do not. Exciting your
envy to get you to purchase something you really don’t need. So
when it comes to the truth, you will need to demonstrate some “sales
resistance” to Satan, and not be fooled into rejecting truth
although it comes from a lone voice, crying from the wilderness (as
has been so often the Lord’s pattern in the past)." 
