The Weight of a 'Remarkable Season': Discernment in the Latter Days

Brothers and sisters, when the Spirit speaks to us through the words of our prophets, we are blessed to hear echoes of the same eternal truths across generations. It is a profound gift to see the patterns of divine revelation unfolding, pointing always back to the central covenant: our preparation for the Second Coming of our Savior.

Recently, Elder David A. Bednar has released his book, The Rock of Our Redeemer. While the full scope of his teachings requires deep, sustained study—the kind we reserve for our dedicated scripture study sessions—the recurring motif of the 'special season' demands our immediate, scholarly attention. This is not a passing academic observation; it speaks to the very covenant keeping of our time.

We have seen this concept echoed before. Consider the powerful testimony shared by President Gordon B. Hinckley, who, when speaking with Elder Bednar, declared, “David, this is the greatest season in the history of the restored Church.” Such pronouncements, when taken at face value, can lead to a dangerous complacency—the belief that simply *being* in a great season is sufficient preparation.

The Burden of the 'Greatest Season'

The challenge, as the Spirit whispers through these talks, is not merely to *recognize* the greatness of our time, but to *live* in a manner worthy of that designation. If the season is indeed the greatest in Church history, then our actions, our covenants, and our devotion must reflect that eternal magnitude. We cannot treat the impending climax of the dispensation as something that will happen *to* us; we must treat it as something we are actively building *toward* through diligent preparation.

Elder Bednar himself reminds us that this season is also a time of miracles, a time to look to the Savior for hope, healing, and strength. This requires us to move beyond the comfortable rhythm of routine gospel study and engage in deep doctrinal excavation. We must press forward with faith, not just because the prophets say so, but because the weight of the covenants we hold demands it.

Discernment Beyond the Quote

The scholarly mind, trained in the study of the scriptures, must always press past the surface level. When President Hinckley spoke of his regret not being present for the culmination, he was pointing to a temporal peak—a climax of the dispensation. Similarly, when President Nelson speaks of building up to the Savior’s Second Coming, he is outlining the divine architecture of our final days. Our task, as disciples of the restored gospel, is to understand that the 'special season' is not a passive state; it is an active call to covenant renewal.

This requires us to be diligent in our temple attendance, our adherence to the principles taught in the Book of Mormon, and our commitment to the living Prophet. The Spirit guides us to see that the greatest season is the one where the greatest number of souls are prepared to meet the Savior. This is the work of Operation Iron Rod: building the corpus of knowledge and the infrastructure of faith so that the gospel can be spread with precision and power.

We must treat every doctrinal insight, every quote from our leaders, not as a standalone pearl of wisdom, but as a thread in the grand tapestry woven by the hand of God. To truly appreciate the season, we must live as if the curtain is about to rise on the final act.

Let us commit ourselves, therefore, to a deeper, more rigorous scripture study. Let the words of the prophets—from the Book of Mormon to the latest General Conference addresses—serve not as comfortable reading, but as the very whetstone upon which we sharpen our testimonies. The Lord requires our utmost diligence, and He deserves our most focused effort.