Revelation of His Secret

Orson Pratt:
The day is at hand, the morning has broken, the sun of the Gospel has arisen in the eastern horizon, and is beginning to shine with a degree of splendour. The time is near—how near, no man knoweth: the day and the hour when the Son of Man shall come is a secret. In a revelation given to this Church, it is said that no man shall know until he comes; therefore we cannot expect to know the day nor the hour; but we know it is near at hand, and what a consolation it is. There may be men that will know within a year—that will have revelation to say within one or two years when the Lord shall appear. I do not know that there is anything against this.

(Journal of Discourses, 26 vols. [London: Latter-day Saints' Book Depot, 1854-1886], 8: 49.)


Joseph Smith:
Christ says, "No man knoweth the day or the hour when the Son of Man cometh." . . . Did Christ speak this as a general principle throughout all generations? Oh no; he spoke in the present tense. No man that was then living upon the footstool of God knew the day or the hour. But he did not say that there was no man throughout all generations that should know the day or the hour. No, for this would be in flat contradiction with other scripture, for the prophet says that God will do nothing but what he will reveal unto his servants the prophets [ Amos 3:7]. Consequently, if it is not made known to the prophets it will not come to pass.

Kent P. Jackson, comp. and ed., Joseph Smith's Commentary on the Bible [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1994], 112.)

President Hinckley

I view it as a great privilege that I've had the chance to live during the administration of Gordon B. Hinckley. As the tributes have been filling the airwaves in recent days I've thought a lot about the past twelve years and what has happened in the Church and in my life. I owe a lot to President Hinckley. He was the prophet during some of my most formative years. He became the prophet the year I graduated from high school. His signature graces my mission call and it was partially through his instrumentality that I was able to spend a semester in Israel studying at one of the most remarkable buildings in Jerusalem. Most importantly, he presided over the Church when I was promised, along with my wife, all the blessings of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Someone once suggested to President Hinckley that he ought to slow down, enjoy life, take it easy. His reply was this:

"I would enjoy sitting in a rocker, swallowing prescriptions, and listening to soft music, and contemplating the universe, but that offers no challenge and makes no contribution,"

And what a great contribution he did make. I hope someday I might be able to look back on my life and say that I have, in some small measure, followed the example of President Hinckley and made the lives of those around me a little bit better.

Prophet, Seer and Revelator

Today I was reading in 1 Chr. 29:29 which reads:

"Now the acts of David the king, first and last, behold, they are written in the book of Samuel the seer, and in the book of Nathan the prophet, and in the book of Gad the seer"

In this verse the word "seer" is used twice but in the original they were actually separate words. In reference to Samuel the original Hebrew word was "ro-eh". In reference to Gad the word was "Chozeh". The word "Chozeh" could also be translated as "gazer", meaning someone who gazed into mystical stones in order to reveal hidden things.
see Sidney B. Sperry, Spirit of the Old Testament p.120

The First Presidency, and Quorum of the Twelve all hold the title as prophets, seers and revelators. Perhaps the title "seer" could refer to the utilization of a Urim and Thummim.

Joseph Smith possessed at least two Urim and Thummim, one of which was the small, brown seer stone. The other one, which he received with the Gold Plates, consisted of two transparent stones set in a bow which were attached to the breastplate (Interestingly, during Old Testament times the Urim and Thummim was kept in a pouch behind the breastplate of the high priest [see Ex. 28:30].). see Comprehensive History of the Church (CHC) 1:128-29

The fate of the Urim and Thummim received with the plates is uncertain. However, we do know that as of the late 19th century (many decades after the death of Joseph Smith) the Church still had possession of the seer stone. Wilford Woodruff consecrated it on the alter of the Manti Temple at its dedication in 1888. see CHC 6:230

Therefore, it seems likely that the Apostles of the Church possess at least one Urim and Thummim and currently use it in their roles as seers.