The Lord can draw close to the Saints through the manifestations of the Spirit which bears testimony of Him or the Lord can open up the veil personally and show his own glorified resurrected body to any faithful saints in his own time and way according to his own time and will. As promised in D&C 88:68. The question is what do the Saints do after he has manifested himself to them if he grants them this blessing.. Now those who don't have a correct and full understanding of God's Nature incorrectly believe that the prophet of the Church is now teaching the saints that Jesus manifests himself to them only as a spirit if they enter into the temple then they see him with spiritual eyes and those who believe Jesus only shows himself through only our spiritual eyes ignore all the doctrine of the Church that teaches that Jesus Christ is also risen up in the flesh with a tangible resurrected glorified body of flesh and bones and when he returns back he will be seen in the flesh by everyone in the clouds.. Every single prophet of the church has taught that Jesus Christ is risen up in the flesh and that you can see him with not only your spiritual eyes but also with your physical eyes if he parts open the veil to show himself if its his will to do so....

John describes this walk down the covenant path as a progression from darkness to light or exaltation needing to receive the outward ordinances before you can learn and understand the inward ordnances. John said " I baptize with water: but there standeth one among you (Christ, but specifically Christ as the covenant with Israel), whom ye know not (because Christ's ordinances are not known to the world); ... who, coming after me [baptism of fire, baptism of the Holy Ghost], is preferred before me [baptism of water], whose shoe’s latchet I am not worthy to unloose [John held the Aaronic priesthood that does not administer the higher ordinances, which is why John said he had need to be baptized of Christ] or whose place I am not able to fill [John's baptism is without the temple, Christ baptism is done within the temple]; for he shall baptize, not only with water, but with fire and with the Holy Ghost." Baptism then is the gate by which we enter and are confirmed members of the Church but it like the sacrament is an outward or Aaronic priesthood ordinance and like John, points the way towards Christ and towards the higher things of the Spirit. A "Ward" of the Church itself is administered by a Bishop under the keys of the Aaronic priesthood to those who have received the first ordinance of baptism or baptism of water. However, the church prepares and points people to the ordinances that come after the baptism of water which are administered by the higher priesthood, those higher ordinances however, are not elaborated on in "church", we are taught about them but pointed to the temple to learn of them through the Spirit. John again taught that there is one that comes after me, preferred before me, this is not only referring to Christ but also to His higher or inward ordinances, the baptism of fire and Holy Ghost or the baptism of the Spirit, these we receive in the temple which are the ordinances that teach us of exaltation and seeing the face of God, they are taught as we climb up the mountain of the Lord's house. The knowledge and understanding of these ordinances however, the Lord has provided us a specific method to learn them, a school located in a specifically built higher house of learning, the temple. He also gave us a specific mentor and instructor, The Holy Ghost and Spirit who is much more capable of teaching us everything we must know and do in order to enter into exaltation and prepare us in all things to see His face.

After understanding John, the covenant path is testified to by Christ in 2 Nephi 31:12 where He says: "follow me, and do the things which ye have seen me do." Remembering John's account we can start there to follow Christ as He lives by example His covenant path and keeps and does the laws and ordinances He has asked us to follow Him in doing. Christ was first baptized by water, which is the first ordinance we too must do. 2 Nephi 31 explains this perfectly. By receiving the ordinance of baptism of water we are witnessing to God that we will keep His commandments and do His will. This Christ showed us how to do by example in the things He did throughout His ministry, doing the works His Father gave him to do. Christ throughout His mortal ministry was preparing to do all things He was asked to do which culminated in His sacrifice, death and resurrection. These redemptive ordinances He performed began at the last supper where JST John 13:10 explains that the washing performed by Christ, "Jesus did this that the law might be fulfilled" the same things He told John when He was baptized by water. In temple symbolism, this ordinance of washing was done at the door of the tabernacle of the old covenant (inside the gate, within the court but outside the door to the Holy place), comparable to where the initiatory is done in our temples of the new covenant. Christ as the High Priest is the one to wash and purify others who are called and anointed priests. For this reason, I believe the laver and the washing done within the tabernacle is the next ordinance after the baptism of water that Christ is showing us is needed to fulfill all righteousness.

This is too verbose, but Christ's experience going on from this point continues to show us the ordinances of the temple. Christ takes His disciples to the mount of olives, to Gethsemane likely close to the same place where under the law of moses, the red heifers are sacrificed. This is a unique sacrifice required by the law as it is the sacrifice that is required to provide the ash to make everything else pure. It's the sacrifice that the jews in Israel today are trying to prepare and do so they can build their temple. Without this sacrifice nothing can be done under the law as the ashes from this offering are mixed with water to purify all individuals that perform all other temple ordinances. One thing this offering is specifically required for is the purification of any who have come in contact with death or a dead body. I think it's very symbolic, as all through Christ's atonement come in contact with His body symbolized by baptism (death) and also by the sacrament (body and blood) for life and new birth, and purification from sin. A Heifer by the way is a female cow before it has given birth. Christ in the garden, leaves His disciples, and weighed down asks for this cup to pass from Him. Nevertheless, He covenants with the Father to obey Him and do His will, showing that after all our witnessing of our desire to keep His commandments, when the time comes, we are willing to actually do His will and keep the commandment. Christ as the Father and Great High Priest brought himself a sacrifice for sin to that place where the sins of all were conferred and transferred to Him. We then see the importance of His garments covered in red from His suffering and how our garments are a shield and protection from sin and made white through His atonement. Christ after making low the mountain of sin, suffered himself willingly to be taken, tried, scourged and crucified, in the valley of death, consecrating everything even His very life for all that they through His death might be exalted. Every mountain shall be made low and every valley exalted because of Christ's keeping and fulfilling the ordinances of sacrifice and consecration. A covering or baptism of fire. At the very moment of His death, the veil of the temple was rent in twain exposing the mercy seat and opening the heavens creating a path from earth back to the presence of God. Allowing all to communicate with God and receive of the light and Spirit Christ promised would be sent after He left His disciples. The light or Spirit that was hidden up in the Holy place of the temple could now be exposed for all to have. The showbread and wine that was also hidden in the Holy place of the temple was now brought out and Christ instituted a new covenant with His disciples of partaking of the bread and wine in remembrance of His body and blood. Christ liberated the captives in the Spirit world and then the Spirit quickened Him (or baptized Him) and He received a new and everlasting resurrected celestial body fulfilling His prophecy that if they destroyed this temple or in other words, destroyed this old covenant, in three days He would raise it up again, a new and everlasting covenant where no longer is there a veil of cherubim and a flaming sword to block the way to the tree of life, but now Christ, the fruit of that tree stands between us and God asking us to follow Him into the presence of "my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God." Christ covered the second death or our separation from God providing a baptism of the Holy Ghost and fire, as John said. Christ is the temple. He is the new and everlasting covenant. We should see the temple throughout scripture because the scriptures show us Christ. As Nephi said "Wherefore, do the things which I have told you I have seen that your Lord and your Redeemer should do; for, for this cause have they been shown unto me, that ye might know the gate by which ye should enter. For the gate by which ye should enter is repentance and baptism by water; and then cometh a remission of your sins by fire and by the Holy Ghost."