Editor’s note: After a lifetime of dedicated service, President Russell M. Nelson died on Sept. 27, 2025, at age 101. This article is part of a series exploring different facets of President Nelson’s exemplary, faith-filled life.
Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints sustain the President of the Church as the prophet, seer and revelator and the only individual on earth who receives revelation to guide the entire Church. His primary responsibility is to bear witness of Jesus Christ.
“Like the prophets of old, prophets today testify of Jesus Christ and teach His gospel,” states the Church’s Gospel Topics and Questions page on prophets. “They make known God’s will and true character. They speak boldly and clearly, denouncing sin and warning of its consequences. At times, they may be inspired to prophesy of future events for our benefit. …
“Our greatest safety lies in strictly following the word of the Lord given through His prophets, particularly the current President of the Church.”
Below is a look at President Nelson’s final five conference talks:
- April 2025: “Confidence in the Presence of God”
- October 2024: “The Lord Jesus Christ Will Come Again”
- April 2024: “Rejoice in the Gift of Priesthood Keys”
- October 2023: “Think Celestial!”
- April 2023: “The Answer Is Always Jesus Christ”
Find more of President Nelson’s general conference talks in the Church’s online Gospel Library.
‘Grow in your confidence before the Lord’
No one is immune from life’s challenges and all will experience illness, disappointment, temptation and loss, President Nelson told members and friends of the Church gathered worldwide for April 2025 general conference.
“These challenges can knock our self-confidence,” he said. “However, disciples of Jesus Christ have access to a different kind of confidence.”
In his talk titled “Confidence in the Presence of God,” President Nelson explained that this kind of confidence is born of the Spirit and comes when making and keeping covenants with God. It is confidence to approach God — right now.
Charity and virtue open the way to having confidence before God (see Doctrine and Covenants 121:45). Followers of Jesus Christ should lead the way as peacemakers, President Nelson said, echoing his message from April 2023 general conference. Regular worship in the house of the Lord increases capacity for both charity and virtue, he added.
“I invite you to take intentional steps to grow in your confidence before the Lord,” President Nelson said. “Then, as we go to our Heavenly Father, with increasing confidence, we will be filled with more joy, and your faith in Jesus Christ will increase. We will begin to experience spiritual power that exceeds our greatest hopes.”
Prepare for the Savior’s Second Coming
Now is the time for Latter-day Saints to prepare for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ and make discipleship their highest priority, President Nelson declared during October 2024 general conference.
“My dear brothers and sisters, in a coming day, Jesus Christ will return to the earth as the millennial Messiah,” he said in his talk “The Lord Jesus Christ Will Come Again.”
“So today, I call upon you to rededicate your lives to Jesus Christ. I call upon you to help gather scattered Israel and to prepare the world for the Second Coming of the Lord. I call upon you to talk of Christ, testify of Christ, have faith in Christ and rejoice in Christ.”
President Nelson taught that regular worship in the temple will help individuals make discipleship their highest priority. He also urged all to devote time each week for the rest of their lives to increase understanding of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.
“The best is yet to come, my dear brothers and sisters, because the Savior is coming again,” President Nelson said. “The best is yet to come because the Lord is hastening His work. The best is yet to come as we fully turn our hearts and our lives to Jesus Christ.”
Rejoice in priesthood keys
Priesthood keys — which distinguish The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from any other organization on earth — “make it possible for every covenant-keeping man and woman to enjoy incredible personal spiritual privileges,” President Nelson said at the conclusion of April 2024 general conference.
In his talk “Rejoice in the Gift of Priesthood Keys,” President Nelson asked Church members across the globe to consider how their lives would be different if priesthood keys had not been restored to the earth.
He encouraged all to study the dedicatory prayer of the Kirtland Temple in Doctrine and Covenants 109, which contains a promise about what can happen to those who serve and worship in the house of the Lord.
Time in the temple will help individuals “think celestial” and enhance the way they see themselves and how they fit into God’s plan, President Nelson said. “Understanding the spiritual privileges made possible in the temple is vital to each of us today. …
“My dear brothers and sisters, here is my promise: Nothing will help you more to hold fast to the iron rod than worshipping in the temple as regularly as your circumstances permit. … The temple is the gateway to the greatest blessings God has in store for each of us.”
‘Think celestial’
One of the most crucial lessons President Nelson said he has learned in nearly a century of living is this: “Heavenly Father’s plan for us is fabulous, that what we do in this life really matters, and that the Savior’s Atonement is what makes our Father’s plan possible.”
President Nelson’s talk “Think Celestial!” during October 2023 general conference focused on beginning with the end in mind and making the celestial kingdom one’s eternal goal.
“Mortality is a master class in learning to choose the things of greatest eternal import,” President Nelson explained. “Far too many people live as though this life is all there is. However, your choices today will determine three things: where you will live throughout all eternity, the kind of body with which you will be resurrected and those with whom you will live forever. So, think celestial.”
When individuals are confronted with a dilemma or tested by temptation, when life or loved ones let them down, when someone dies prematurely or lingers with a devastating illness, “think celestial,” President Nelson said.
“As you think celestial, you will view trials and opposition in a new light. When someone you love attacks truth, think celestial, and don’t question your testimony. … There is no end to the adversary’s deceptions. Please be prepared.”
Jesus Christ is the answer
At the close of April 2023 general conference — the same conference in which he gave a landmark address on being peacemakers — President Nelson testified of the Savior Jesus Christ.
“Because of Jesus Christ, we can repent and be forgiven of our sins. Because of Him, each of us will be resurrected,” President Nelson said in his talk “The Answer Is Always Jesus Christ.”
President Nelson quoted from the Book of Mormon, where the Savior invites the Nephites to return to Him, to repent and be converted so He could heal them (see 3 Nephi 9).
“Jesus Christ extends that same invitation to you today,” President Nelson said. “I plead with you to come unto Him so that He can heal you. He will heal you from sin as you repent. He will heal you from sadness and fear. He will heal you from the wounds of this world.
“Whatever questions or problems you have, the answer is always found in the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Learn more about His Atonement, His love, His mercy, His doctrine and His restored gospel of healing and progression. Turn to Him. Follow Him.”
