A prophet's mantle

In my last post, I referred to a sacred experience I had in the priesthood session of general conference on Saturday evening: "The Holy Spirit quietly but powerfully bore witness to my soul that Thomas S. Monson was indeed the Lord's anointed prophet, seer, and revelator for the season in which we now live. I am grateful for that revealed knowledge. Now my heart knows what my head already accepted."

I appreciated, therefore, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland's comment the next day as he began his masterful talk in the closing session on Sunday afternoon: "Of the many privileges we have had in this historic conference, including participation in a solemn assembly in which we were able to stand and sustain you [President Monson] as prophet, seer, and revelator, I cannot help but feel that the most important privilege we have all had has been to witness personally the settling of the sacred, prophetic mantle upon your shoulders, almost as it were by the very hands of angels themselves. Those in attendance at last night’s general priesthood meeting and all who were present in the worldwide broadcast of this morning’s session have been eyewitness to this event. For all the participants, I express our gratitude for such a moment. I say that with love to President Monson and especially love to our Father in Heaven for the wonderful opportunity it has been to be “eyewitnesses of his majesty” (2 Peter 1:16), as the Apostle Peter once said."

The notion of a previous prophet's mantle falling upon a new prophet stems from Old Testament times. After Elijah was dramatically taken up into heaven in a chariot of fire (see 2 Kings 2:9-12), his mantle fell from him, and Elisha took it and performed his first prophetic miracle (see 2 Kings 2:13-14). The sacred text then records: "And when the sons of the prophets . . . saw him, they said, The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha" (2 Kings 2:15).

And so it has happened once again in our time. The mantle of the prophet so ably worn by Gordon B. Hinckley (1910-2008) during the past thirteen years has now fallen on Thomas S. Monson, and the Lord's Holy Spirit rests upon him.

A prophet of God

Thomas Spencer Monson became the 16th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints two months ago on Sunday, February 3, 2008. His appointment came a week following the death of President Gordon B. Hinckley, who had presided over the Church since 1995.


Yesterday morning in a solemn assembly at the beginning of the Church's annual general conference, President Monson was officially sustained as President of the Church.

Last night in the priesthood session of general conference, near the end of President Monson's talk to the assembled brethren, the Holy Spirit quietly but powerfully bore witness to my soul that Thomas S. Monson was indeed the Lord's anointed prophet, seer, and revelator for the season in which we now live. I am grateful for that revealed knowledge. Now my heart knows what my head already accepted.

"My friend, my Savior, my Lord, my God"

One of the heroes of my young adult life, as I was beginning a family and a career, was Spencer W. Kimball, who served as the twelfth President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1973 to 1985. As a humble servant of the Lord Jesus Christ, as a sweetly bold prophet of the living God, he fired my mind and heart and soul with faith and love and a resolute desire to keep the commandments of God and to bless and lift the lives of those about me.

This evening I came across this stirring witness he once bore of the Savior he knew and loved so well:

We place [Jesus Christ] on a pedestal as no other group I know of. To us he is not only the Son of God, he is also a God and we are subject to him. . . .

No matter how much we say of him, it is still too little.

He is not only the Carpenter, the Nazarene, the Galilean, but Jesus Christ, the God of this earth, the Son of God, but most importantly, our Savior, our Redeemer. . . .

I add my own testimony. I know that Jesus Christ is the Son of the living God and that he was crucified for the sins of the world.

He is my friend, my Savior, my Lord, my God.

I add my own witness, given me by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the Only Begotten of the Father, my Savior, my Redeemer, the Light and Life of the world. His divine work is alive and well in this sick old world that needs His gospel and His love so very much. And, borrowing President Kimball's simple, straightforward words, I also declare, "He is my friend, my Savior, my Lord, my God."