REXBURG, Idaho — Twelve days ago, Church President Dallin H. Oaks spoke at Brigham Young University of “the very real” prophetic mantle he has felt since the death of President Russell M. Nelson.
During a devotional address to BYU–Idaho students on Sunday, Feb. 22, Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles — who has served with President Oaks for more than three decades — added his personal witness of that mantle. “I testify that the Lord is blessing [President Oaks], inspiring him and revealing His will to him. He is the Prophet of God,” Elder Andersen declared.
More than 12,000 students gathered in the BYU–I Center on a chilly midwinter evening for the devotional with Elder Andersen. He was accompanied in Rexburg by his wife, Sister Kathy Andersen.
To begin his remarks, Elder Andersen told listeners, “I have felt strongly during the past week that the message I had prepared to give to you tonight should be put aside and that the important words that the Prophet spoke should be our primary focus.”
He promised: “Listening to President Oaks can lift our souls, but taking deliberate steps to follow his counsel can change our lives. I pray that ... our spiritual understanding of what he shared with us will be enlarged and your feeling of urgency in following the counsel of our Prophet will be strengthened.”
The law of witnesses
On April 1, 2018, President Nelson addressed members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for the first time in general conference as the newly sustained Prophet.
He issued a solemn warning: “In coming days, it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting and constant influence of the Holy Ghost” (“Revelation for the Church, Revelation for Our Lives,” April 2018 general conference).
In his address at BYU on Feb. 10, President Oaks also emphasized that same warning.
Said Elder Andersen, “Today, these powerful words stand as two bookends: April 1, 2018, and Feb. 10, 2026, now having been spoken by two beloved Prophets of God.”
Since it was initially given, President Nelson’s warning has been repeated 13 times in general conference, including five times by members of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve, Elder Andersen observed. It has also been shared 19 times during BYU–Idaho devotionals.
President Henry B. Eyring, first counselor in the First Presidency, taught in 1997: “One of the ways we may know that the warning is from the Lord is that the law of witnesses, authorized witnesses, has been invoked. When the words of prophets seem repetitive, that should rivet our attention and fill our hearts with gratitude to live in such a blessed time.”
Elder Andersen asked listeners, “So, what do you do to rivet your attention, to assure that you survive spiritually by having the constant influence of the Holy Ghost?”
In response, he encouraged them to look carefully at their daily activities and ask: “Am I praying? Am I thoughtfully partaking of the sacrament? What am I putting into my mind? Am I associating with others who seek the constant influence of the Holy Ghost? What could be my distractions, my obstacles or my deceptions?”
Pray for inspiration and courage to make any needed changes, he said.
Parable of the ten virgins
Modern society brings both immense opportunities for learning as well as a flood of commotion and confusion, Elder Andersen observed.
In President Oaks’ talk, he warned: “Take care not to become distracted. Remember His parable of the ten virgins. We want to be among the five humble ones who were admitted to the presence of the Lord.”
In recent years, three members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles — Elder David A. Bednar, Elder Ronald A. Rasband and Elder Dale G. Renlund — have utilized the parable of the ten virgins in their conference addresses. With President Eyring’s law of authorized witnesses in mind, Elder Andersen said, “I have found myself riveting my attention on this parable.”
How can individuals ensure they are among “the five humble” virgins admitted to the wedding feast, as described in the parable? Elder Andersen asked.
President Oaks shared four impressions to draw closer to the Savior:
- First, strengthen faith in Him.
- Second, increase humility.
- Third, seek help from others.
- Fourth, be patient.
Marriage and family
In his address Feb. 10, President Oaks warned that those who express “little desire to be married or to have children” are “[jeopardizing] their spiritual growth.”
In speaking at BYU–Idaho two years ago, Elder Andersen counseled: “If we have the opportunity, we are to travel through our adult mortality with an eternal companion. … We should not avoid or delay this most important step in our progression."
BYU–Idaho President Alvin F. Meredith III has also organized regular campus date nights and spoken of the blessing of marriage and children.
With the law of authorized witnesses yet again in place, “how do you rivet your attention on this counsel?” Elder Andersen asked. “You constantly meet and get to know new people. And to both the men and the women — reach out, take chances and cultivate relationships, especially with those who are continually growing their already strong faith in Jesus Christ.”
Elder Andersen closed by expressing his love for and witness of Jesus Christ and the words of the Prophet.
“My dear friends, I love you,” he told listeners. “You could not be living in a better place to ‘draw closer to our Savior’ and to prepare for your mortal and eternal life.”
The Savior lives, and His restored gospel is upon the earth, Elder Andersen testified: “God has a Prophet upon the earth. I testify that we have heard his voice, and it is as the Lord Himself has spoken to us.“
