The mantle of a prophet

Thomas S. Monson had been my brother Jerry's mission president in eastern Canada. After Jerry returned home in 1960, I recall his saying we needed to keep an eye on President Monson, that someday he would be called as a General Authority.

Undoubtedly a lot of returned missionaries are that impressed with their mission presidents, but just a couple years later Brother Monson was called as an apostle. That occurred at the October 1963 general conference when I was fourteen years old. He filled the vacancy created by the death of President Henry D. Moyle. I don't specifically remember President Moyle, but Elder Monson was the first person I consciously remember being called into the Twelve.

Through the years I have had occasional interactions with Elder Monson because of my work in the Missionary Department, especially after he became a counselor in the First Presidency. With his incredible memory, I was always intrigued that he never seemed to connect me with an Elder Cleverly who had served in his mission in Canada.

On Sunday, February 3, 2008, Thomas S. Monson became the sixteenth President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. His appointment came a week following the death of President Gordon B. Hinckley. Two months later, on Saturday morning, April 5, in a solemn assembly at the beginning of the Church's annual general conference, President Monson was officially sustained as President of the Church.

That same evening in the priesthood session, 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 ahead. I was grateful for that revealed knowledge. Now my heart knew 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 happened once again in our time. The mantle of the prophet so ably worn by Gordon B. Hinckley (1910–2008) during the previous thirteen years had now fallen on Thomas S. Monson, and the Lord's Holy Spirit rested upon him.