👔 The Next Prophet and the Real Question: Who’s Truly Called by Him?

There’s a quiet hum under everything in LDS life — a kind of background assumption most members never question.
It sounds like this:

👉 “When the prophet dies, the Lord automatically calls the next one by seniority. It’s revelation. Always has been.”

But is it?

Or is it just a habit that’s worn a prophet’s robe so long we can’t tell the difference anymore?

🏀 My Court-Side Memories with President Oaks

I’ve known Dallin H. Oaks for a long time — not personally close, but close enough to get elbowed by him under the rim.

Back when he was president of BYU, a few of us used to play pickup basketball with him on Wednesday afternoons.
He was a fierce defender — disciplined, sharp, and tough as nails. I respected that.

Later I learned my dad actually grew up in Provo around the same time. He told me once that his sister used to walk to school with “little Dallon,” and she’d tease, “Oh, that boy will never amount to anything.”
Dad would laugh every time he told that story. Funny how heaven writes its own endings.

I’ve always liked President Oaks — he’s intelligent, principled, and sincere. But even good men can inherit a system that slowly drifts from revelation into repetition.

📞 The Call from Salt Lake — and the Call from Heaven

Last fall, something interesting happened: President Oaks’ secretary called Chief Cloudpiler, one of the translators of the Nemenhah Records.
She said President Oaks wanted to meet with him — to talk about the ancient sacred records that parallel and continue the story of the Book of Mormon.

The meeting never happened. But maybe, just maybe, that phone call was a whisper of the Lord moving behind the scenes — inviting His servants to broaden the circle of witnesses.

Or maybe it was nothing more than a polite curiosity that never went anywhere.
Either way, the invitation was on the table.

And that’s where the real question comes in:
Will the next prophet open his heart — not just to other records, but to the voice of the Lord that still speaks outside the walls of correlation?

🧓 Succession by Custom, Not Revelation

The Church calls it “apostolic interregnum.”
That’s the fancy name for the gap between prophets — the pause between funerals and the next “sustaining.”
But the whole process isn’t found in scripture once. Not in the Bible. Not in the Book of Mormon. Not in the Doctrine and Covenants.

Joseph F. Smith himself said it under oath during the Reed–Smoot hearings:
👉 It’s not revelation. It’s custom.

The senior apostle system was never given by God — it just evolved.
What began as missionary quorums (equal in power, D&C 107) slowly became a hierarchy, until one man stood at the top and everyone else stood in line.

It’s not wicked men that did it — just sincere men relying on tradition.

But Jesus warned us about that:

“In vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.” — Matthew 15:9

💬 A Question I Once Asked My Stake President

I once asked my stake president something simple:
“Am I actually supposed to change my will and donate everything to the Church — like it says in the temple endowment?”

He didn’t know what to say.
And that silence said a lot.

We’ve built up so much structure that the heart of consecration — to give all to the Lord — has been turned into paperwork and policy.
The Savior asked for our hearts, not our signatures.

“They have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant.” — Isaiah 24:5

⚖️ When Custom Becomes Commandment

Every time a prophet passes, the same thing happens: seniority moves, keys are declared “passed,” and the people are told “revelation has spoken.”

But where was the revelation?
Where was the voice?
Where was the Lord’s confirmation that this specific man was chosen?

The danger isn’t in having order — order is good.
The danger is when order becomes autopilot.

“Cursed is he that putteth his trust in man, or maketh flesh his arm.” — 2 Nephi 4:34

🕊️ A Voice Louder than Seniority

I believe President Oaks will soon be the next president of the LDS Church.
He’s a capable man. A good man. Maybe even a great one.
But the real question isn’t who’s next — it’s who’s called by Him.

“Whoso buildeth upon my rock, and heareth my words and doeth them, the gates of hell shall not prevail against them.” — Helaman 5:12

The Lord’s house was never meant to run on custom alone.
It was meant to be guided by the living voice of Christ — the same voice that spoke to Nephi, to Samuel, to Moroni, and to the humble of heart in every generation.

The Nemenhah Records put it this way:

“If they seek not the Haymehnay to confirm in them all things, what use have they of much intelligence of how things really are?” — Tsi Muhayl 8:51–52

❤️ My Prayer for President Oaks — and for All of Us

When his day comes, I pray President Oaks will remember the boy from Provo,
the defender on the basketball court,
and the disciple who once wanted to meet a man translating sacred records.

I pray he’ll remember that revelation doesn’t come by seniority,
but by humility.

And I pray the rest of us will remember that too —
because Zion won’t be built by titles,
but by those who hear His voice and do what He says.

“When a man is old and looketh for strength, his strength is no more in him; therefore, let not the aged bear every burden alone, but let every man and woman receive of the Haymehnay that they may be led aright.” — Tsi Muhayl 8:53

🧭 Final Thought

We’re not waiting for a new president.
We’re waiting for a new outpouring.

A living connection — heart to heart, spirit to spirit — between the Shepherd and His sheep.
That’s the real succession plan heaven cares about.

Because in the end, the question isn’t:
Who sits in the red chair?
It’s Who sits on the throne of your heart?

Don’t follow the robe.
Follow the Voice.

🐑🕊️

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