Appearing in glory to the Nephite multitude gathered around the temple in Bountiful, the resurrected Lord declared: "Behold, I am Jesus Christ, whom the prophets testified shall come into the world." (3 Ne. 11:10, emphasis added.)

With this statement, the Savior was undoubtedly referring to the words of the prophets who had dwelt among the Nephites and Lamanites during their 600-year history, including Samuel the Lamanite, Abinadi, Nephi and others. But the statement also had reference to Old Testament prophets, such as Isaiah and Jeremiah, whose words the Nephites would have had access to on the brass plates of Laban.

Indeed, throughout the ages, the message of all of God's holy prophets could be summarized as a declaration of the coming of Jesus Christ to redeem His people. Prophets before His mortal advent looked forward to it with powerful testimony, and prophets since have borne equally powerful witness of His coming.

That is no less certain in this, the current gospel dispensation. As Latter-day Saints have joined the rest of Christendom in observing the birth of the babe in Bethlehem, modern-day prophets have taken the occasion to bear witness of Jesus Christ "whom the prophets testified [would] come into the world."

Here are statements of several of the prophets from their Christmas testimonies:

President Gordon B. Hinckley:

"At this Christmas time we honor not only the birth of the babe of Bethlehem, but also the crucified Lord who died for each of us, and rose the third day to become 'the first fruits of them that slept.' . . . How thankful we ought to be. How grateful we must be for this gift that is greater than all other gifts." (First Presidency Christmas Devotional, Dec. 7, 1997)

President Howard W. Hunter:

"May we find our spiritual thirst quenched by the living water of the Savior. May He become our focal point at this Christmas season, and always in the future. I testify that He lives today, the babe of Bethlehem — now the risen Lord. He and His Eternal Father love and care for each of us in a sacred and personal way." (First Presidency Christmas Devotional, Dec. 4, 1994)

President Ezra Taft Benson:

"At this sacred season, I wish to add my witness to that of other prophets: The Son of God, even Jesus Christ, lives. He was born and lived in humble circumstances. He ministered among the children of men. He died in holy innocence. He arose from the grave in majesty with His resurrected body. And He will return again to the earth in great triumph and glory. He is indeed our Savior and our Redeemer, the Only Begotten of the Father. And because He lives, so shall we live eternally." (First Presidency Christmas Devotional, Dec. 4, 1988)

President Spencer W. Kimball:

"Some years ago, Sister Kimball and I were in the Holy Land with Elder and Sister Howard W. Hunter, and on Christmas Eve we . . . poured out our prayer of thanksgiving: grateful, Father, that we know so positively that thou dost live; that we know the babe born here was in reality thy Son; grateful that thy program is real, workable and exalting. We told Him we knew Him, we loved Him, we would follow Him. We repledged to His cause our lives, our all. (First Presidency Message, "Jesus of Nazareth," Ensign, December 1980, p. 3.)

President Joseph Fielding Smith:

At this very moment while I speak, carolers are singing songs of praise in memory of the babe of Bethlehem as they go from door to door in the chilly night. Fires at many hearths are aglow with cheerful flame while the traditional Christmas tree is being dressed and countless children, sent to bed, await the coming of the dawn with wondering anticipation as to what the day will bring to them in the form of gifts from loving hands. When the morrow comes some will bow their heads in humble supplication to the Father of Lights for the blessings they have received through the sufferings of His beloved Son, and will read the wondrous story with grateful praise. . . . How can anyone read this touching story of the birth of Jesus Christ without wishing to forsake his sins?" (The Restoration of All Things, p. 278.)

President David O. McKay:

"Christmas is a fitting time to renew our desires and to strengthen our determination to do all that lies within our power to make real among men the message heralded by the angels when the Savior was born. Let us glorify God by seeking the good, the true, the beautiful! Let us strive to establish peace on earth by exercising that same good will toward one another which God has shown toward us! (Millennial Star 85:802 (1923), quoted in Gospel Ideals, p. 36)

President Heber J. Grant:

"The birth of Christ our Lord was more than an incident, it was an epoch in the history of the world to which prophets had looked forward, of which poets had sung, and in which angels joined their voices with mortals in praise to God. It was the day decreed and foreordained by our Father who is in heaven when He would manifest Himself to His children, who are here upon earth, in the person of His Only Begotten Son.

"Whether or not the 25th day of December is the proper date of the birth of Christ, our Lord, matters little. We join with other Christian people in celebrating it as such and if we observe it in the true spirit of the Master, renewing the covenant which we have made that we are willing to take upon us His name, and keep the commandments which He has given, our offering will be accepted . . . . (First Presidency Christmas Greeting, Deseret Evening News, Dec. 25, 1925; quoted by President Grant at April General Conference of 1926 as being appropriate for Easter Sunday.)