Fifth, we might ponder upon another possibility. It may be that this is the first occasion in history-it seems to be the first, according to our present scriptural records-when Jehovah manifested himself as Jesus Christ, the Son. Before this time he had made himself known by speaking to such persons as Adam (Moses 6). Enoch (Moses 6-7), and Noah (Moses 8) in the language and person of the Father, by divine investiture of authority. In other words, this may be the first occasion wherein Jehovah introduced himself as Jesus the Son of God rather than speaking about himself in the third person, as he had done many times before.
“Never Have I Showed Myself Unto Man”
This is a difficult statement. It is hard to fathom. It is particularly difficult to reconcile with what we know regarding God’s dealings with the ancient prophets. We know that all revelation since the fall of Adam has been by and through Jehovah, who is Jesus Christ, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of the fathers. Whenever Elohim our Heavenly Father did manifest himself it was to introduce and bear record of the Son (see Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation 1:27; Man: His Origin and Destiny, pp. 304, 312; Answers to Gospel Questions 3:58).
Thus it is that the Lord Jehovah-often speaking in the name of and on behalf of the Eternal Father (see Commentary 2:227-29)-appeared to and conversed with Adam, Seth, Enoch, Noah, and surely others of whom we have no specific record. Why, then, would Jehovah say:
“Never have I showed myself unto man”?
We are unaware of a final and conclusive answer anywhere in our literature, but we offer the following possibilities, principles which are not necessarily mutually exclusive and, for all we know, may all serve as correct answers to the question at hand.