A Prophet quoting a Prophet

Here is one of my favorite quotes from President Ezra Taft Benson.  (He actually said a similar thing in a couple of different talks.)

"For nearly six thousand years, God has held you in reserve to make your appearance in the final days before the second coming of the Lord....That is where you come in, for you are the generation that must be prepared to meet your God."

(Ezra Taft Benson, CES Devotional, Feb 1987)

"For nearly six thousand years, God has held you in reserve to make your appearance in the final days before the Second Coming of the Lord. Every previous gospel dispensation has drifted into apostasy, but ours will not. True, there will be some individuals who will fall away; but the kingdom of God will remain intact to welcome the return of its head--even Jesus Christ. While our generation will be comparable in wickedness to the days of Noah, when the Lord cleansed the earth by flood, there is a major difference this time. It is that God has saved for the final inning some of his strongest children, who will help bear off the Kingdom triumphantly. And that is where you come in, for you are the generation that must be prepared to meet your God. 
All through the ages the prophets have looked down through the corridors of time to our day. Billions of the deceased and those yet to be born have their eyes on us. Make no mistake about it--you are a marked generation. There has never been more expected of the faithful in such a short period of time as there is of us. Never before on the face of this earth have the forces of evil and the forces of good been as well organized. Now is the great day of the devil's power, with the greatest mass murderers of all time living among us. But now is also the great day of the Lord's power, with the greatest number ever of priesthood holders on the earth. And the showdown is fast approaching.  

Ezra Taft Benson, In His Steps, Brigham Young University on 4 March 1979.

Since many LDS members don't seem to give BYU talks as much credence as they give to talks given in General Conference, isn't it interesting that last Conference, our prophet today, President Thomas S. Monson, chose to repeat that quote from President Benson.

Quote: "Lest we at any time feel inadequate for the tasks ahead for us, brethren, may I share with you a statement made in 1987 by then-Church President Ezra Taft Benson as he addressed a large group of members in California. Said President Benson: “In all ages, prophets have looked down through the corridors of time to our day. Billions of the deceased and those yet to be born have their eyes on us. Make no mistake about it—you are a marked generation. … “For nearly six thousand years, God has held you in reserve to make your appearance in the final days before the second coming of the Lord. Some individuals will fall away, but the kingdom of God will remain intact to welcome the return of its Head—even Jesus Christ. “While this generation will be comparable in wickedness to the days of Noah, when the Lord cleansed the earth by flood, there is a major difference this time: [it is that] God has saved for the final inning some of His strongest … children, who will help bear off the kingdom triumphantly.”4 Footnote 4: Ezra Taft Benson, “In His Steps” (Church Educational System fireside, Feb. 8, 1987); see also “In His Steps,” in 1979 Devotional Speeches of the Year: BYU Devotional and Fireside Addresses (1980), 59. Thomas S. Monson, "Dare to Stand Alone", Nov. 2011 Ensign http://www.lds.org/ensign/2011/11/da...alone?lang=eng Then if you cross-reference that with Pres. Eyring saying to pay special attention when one prophet quotes another prophet, this quote is pretty important to ponder right now. Quote: In our own time we have been warned with counsel on where to find safety from sin and from sorrow. One of the keys to recognizing those warnings is that they are repeated. For instance, more than once in general conferences, you have heard our prophet say that he would quote a preceding prophet and would therefore be a second witness and sometimes even a third. 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. Henry B. Eyring, “Safety in Counsel,” Ensign, Jun 2008, pp. 4–9.

I can hardly wait to hear what the prophets, apostles, and auxiliary leaders say in General Conference this weekend!!!  I love General Conference!