Church is guided and directed.
Even though Eyring makes strong claims that this is the Lord's Church and they are the Lord's Servants, like
"My Dear Brother and Sisters, I am grateful to be with you on this Sabbath Day in this General Conference of the Lord’s Church."
"We can for instance be warned by the Spirit to resist the temptation to do evil. For that reason alone it is easy to see why the Lord’s servants have tried to increase our desire to worship God in our Sacrament Meetings."
...Eyring states that the Lord does not direct His Church through His personal ministering to them in the flesh but through revelation that comes from the promptings of the Holy Ghost. This is Elder Eyring's testimony:
"I bear you my testimony, that God the Father lives, that the Resurrected Jesus Christ leads His Church. That President Thomas S Monson holds all the keys of the Priesthood and that revelation through the Holy Ghost guides and sustains the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I further testify to you that these wonderful men who were called and today who have been speaking to us as witnesses of the Lord Jesus Christ and as members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. I testify to you, that I know that the Spirit led President Monson to call them and that they are called of God. I so testify. And as you listen to them in their testimonies the Holy Spirit will confirm to you what I now say to you that they are called of God. I sustain them and love them, and know the Lord will love them and sustain them in their service and I do it in the name of Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen."
Let me reiterate President Eyring's exact words (that he read from the teleprompter:
- Revelation through the Holy Ghost guides and sustains the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
- I testify to you, that I know that the Spirit led President Monson to call them (the apostles).
Instead: I think most members are led to believe that the Lord Himself ministers to His servants to guide the Church (not just through the Holy Ghost). Also, I think most members believe that the new apostles were called by the Lord himself and appeared to them personally to be His "special witnesses of the Lord Jesus Christ. The truth is that President Monson was just being led by the Spirit to call them.
It is my opinion, based on the testimony of President Eyring, that the current Lord's servants have not seen the resurrected Christ in the flesh (unlike the prophet Joseph Smith and other true prophets in the scriptures.) While the current living apostles were compared to Nephi and other prophets who actually have seen the Lord in the flesh, I don't think they feel it is important as long as they are directed by the Spirit. President Eyring in his talk said the following:
"The Lord taught His apostle Thomas who wanted physical evidence of the Saviors resurrection by touching His wounds. He taught that revelation is safer. Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, Because though has seen me, thou has believed, Blessed are they who have not seen, and yet who believed. The truths that mark the way back to God are verified by the Holy Ghost. We cannot go to the grove and see the Father and Son speak to the young Joseph Smith. No physical evidence nor any logical argument can establish that Elijah came as promised to confer the priesthood keys now held and exercised by a living prophet, Thomas S. Monson."
If someone outside their hierarchy claims to have seen the Lord and preaches repentance, expounds scripture and testifies of the reality of Jesus Christ because he has been personally ministered to and seen Him.. the Church hierarchy thinks they are false prophets.. In the mind of the Church Hierarchy, if they personally have not seen the Lord, there is no way anyone else could.
