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Has John the Beloved, who was permitted to remain in mortality until the Lord come, ever been seen by anyone?

Dear Gramps, John the Beloved asked to stay on the earth so he could build the kingdom of God. What evidence is there that he has done this? I don't recall hearing about any "sightings" of him or his work. Karen, from Seeley Lake, Montana

Dear Karen,

Indeed there have been "sightings" of John the Beloved, who was permitted by the Lord to remain in mortality as a translated being in order to bring souls unto Christ until the Lord come. But those sightings have been few indeed. One highly documented sighting was when Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery were ordained to the Melchizedek Priesthood by Peter, James and John. They saw him then, and the marvelous manifestations of that priesthood from that time forward represent incontrovertible evidence of the transfer of priesthood power.

One of the reasons that there have not been more "sightings" of John the Beloved is because he was commissioned by the Savior to go to the lost tribes of Israel and prepare them for their return to the lands of their inheritance and to the Restored Church. Reference to such facts may be found in the article by Hoyt W. Brewster, quoted below—

"One of the basic beliefs of Latter-day Saints is the "restoration of the Ten Tribes" (Articles of Faith 1:10) temporally to their homeland in Palestine and other places and spiritually to the gospel of Jesus Christ (3 Ne. 21:27-28; Mill M, 324). In 1831 the Prophet Joseph Smith declared that the Apostle John was then with the lost tribes preparing them for their return (HC 1:176, footnote). The scriptures tell us they will return from the north countries (Jer. 3:18; 16:14-15; 23:7-8; 31:8-9; Ether 13:11; D&C 133:26-34)".(Hoyt W. Brewster, Jr., Doctrine and Covenants Encyclopedia , p.589)

Gramps