President Nelson’s Farewell: Why Did Many Feel Like Our Prophet Was Saying Goodbye?

To the young adults in May, President Russell M. Nelson said, “I have stopped buying green bananas.”

On September 9th, 2022 President Nelson turned 98 years old.

During his talks in the October 2022 General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, President Nelson needed a little extra support from a chair.

Some noticed that I sat on a chair to deliver my message this morning. What a help that was! The other day it occurred to me that I have been alive during nearly half of the number of years since The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was organized in 1830. That is a lot of years—even though I don’t feel old. My wife Wendy insists that she still can’t get me to act my age. But I will admit that sometimes even small adjustments—such as a chair—help those of us who “age on stage.” 

In his concluding remarks in the Sunday afternoon session, President Nelson got choked up as he closed his talk saying, “I love you, may God be with you ’til we meet again.”

At that moment I was thinking to myself, “Did he just say goodbye for good?” I asked my wife if she thought he was going to die before next general conference and she said, “I didn’t want to say anything, but I felt the same thing.”

I jumped on Twitter right after the conclusion of conference and saw many messages like the one below about President Nelson’s Farewell.

why do i feel like pres nelson is saying good bye 😭

— pim (@pimvvara) October 2, 2022

Others responded to the above tweet with the following:

• Exactly what I felt too…
• I thought it was just me! It didn’t feel normal.
• My whole fam and I felt the same thing.
• Felt that way too. Mentioned that to my wife—she agreed. President Nelson sat during talks too. Perhaps he knows. . . How we love him! We do not want to say goodbye. . .
• It felt the same to me as when Bruce R McConkie gave his last testimony in conference.
• Until the Lord calls him to his rest, he is still our prophet and like King Benjamin, he might be feeling his age, but we have been taught that no righteous man, woman or child is taken before their time. Let us have faith in the eternal nature of our Father’s plan.
• I hope you’re wrong, but I felt the same way.
• I felt the same way too. I love President Nelson. I truly know he is called of the Almighty God to be the the prophet and President of His Church at this particular point in time.
• The way he said goodbye felt so strong! After it happened my roommates and I felt it.

One person mentioned it’s probably taboo to be talking about when someone will or won’t die, but I just thought it very interesting that so many felt the same thing as if it were President Nelson’s farewell. 

Hopefully President Nelson will be with us much longer, but at the same time he has lived an incredible 98 years and death is part of the merciful plan of our creator and will surely be a great reward.

Regardless of when it is his time to go, he has left a lasting legacy and impact on this church and will leave it with some incredible spiritual momentum whenever that time comes.

God be thanked for living prophets, and God be thanked for the wonderful man He raised up, our living prophet, Russell M. Nelson.