Salt Lake Temple Stories: Lorenzo Snow Seeing Christ in the Salt Lake Temple

Lorenzo Snow was the president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, when the Prophet Wilford Woodruff's health was declining. Lorenzo was anxious about taking on the responsibility of being the Prophet. Lorenzo pled with the Lord to lengthen the life of Wilford Woodruff. Hoping to get an answer to his prayer Lorenzo went to the Salt Lake Temple and this is what happened in the words recorded by LeRoi:

“President Snow put on his holy temple robes, repaired again to the same sacred altar,. . .and poured out his heart unto the Lord. He reminded the Lord how he pled for President Woodruff’s life to be spared that President Woodruff’s days would be lengthened beyond his own, that he might never be called to bear the heavy burdens and responsibilities of the Church. ‘Nevertheless’ he said, ‘Thy will be done.’ I have not sought this responsibility, but if it be Thy will, I now present myself before thee for Thy guidance and instruction. I ask that Thou show me what Thou wouldst have me do!"

After finishing his prayer, he expected a reply, some special manifestation from the Lord. So he waited. . . And waited. . And waited. There was no reply, no voice, no visitation, no manifestation. He left the altar and the room in great disappointment. Passing through the Celestial room and out into the large corridor, a glorious manifestation was give President Snow which I related, in the words of his granddaughter, Allie Young Pond:

“One evening while I was visiting Grandpa Snow in his room in the Salt Lake Temple, I remained until the door keepers had gone and the night watchmen had not yet come in, so Grandpa said he would take me to the main front entrance and let me out that way. He got a bunch of keys from his dresser. After we left his room and while we were still in the large corridor leading into the Celestial room, I was walking several steps ahead of Grandpa when he stopped and said ‘Wait a minute, Allie, I want to tell you something. It was right here that the Lord Jesus Christ appeared to me at the time of the death of President Woodruff. He instructed me to go right ahead and reorganize the First Presidency of the Church, at once, and not wait, as had been done after the death of the previous presidents and that I was to succeed President Woodruff.’

‘Then Grandpa came a step nearer and held out his left hand and said: ‘He stood right here, about three feet above the floor. It looked as though he stood on a plate of solid gold.’

Grandpa told me what a glorious personage the Savior is and described his hands, feet, countenance and beautiful white robes, all of which were of such a glory of whiteness and brightness that he could hardly gaze upon him.

Then, he came another step nearer and put his right hand on my head and said: ‘Now Granddaughter, I want you to remember that this is the testimony of your grandfather, that he told you with his own lips that he actually saw the Savior, here in the temple, and talked with him face to face.’ “

This miraculous manifestation of the Lord to Lorenzo Snow is accounted in this Church movie, called "Ministry of Lorenzo Snow: A Vision of the Lord."