We sustain all the Apostles (First Presidency and Quorum of the 12) as prophets, seers, and revelators, and we believe they can and do reveal the will of the Lord to the people of earth. Just because the things that they say are not included in our books of scripture, doesn’t mean they are not speaking the will of God.
The majority of the words of Christ and the early Apostles never made it into the Bible.
For the record there is no “magic number”. We have had presidents of the church who have had more than two counselors.
As for John the Revelator, I am sure he is still an Apostle, fulfilling a unique mission for God.
Norm, I understand what you're saying...I've had Mormons say to me, "You don't understand. Even what the prophet and apostles say at a General Conference is revealing God's will."
Here's the "rub," Normandy: Surely, you've seen us cite Lds past "apostles" and "prophets" left and right...some of it in the Journal of Discourses. Some of it stated at General Conferences (many of the references of the Mormon "White Horse prophesy," for example, was mentioned in 20th century General Conferences between WWI and the early 1960s).
Numerous times when we've cited those phrases, we get Mormons left and right poo-pooing those earlier comments from their leads as not worthy of respect, let alone deemed "the will of the Lord."
We're still waiting for Mormons to stop trying to have their cake & eat it, too...It seems whenever a contemporary sustained general authority says something at a General Conference, it's the "Lord's will." But if a General Authority has a tombstone with his name on it, it's...
"Suspect"
--Not "the Lord's will"
-- "We don't believe that (anymore)"
-- etc.
There's absolutely ZILCHO consistency on the part of Lds FReepers on this.
Uh...
There is an EXTREME amount of LDS apologists that claim just the opposite: If it is NOT considered 'scripture' by headquarters; then they speak as mere men, and their words can be dismissed at will.