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By Wally and Frances Gray
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Note: The Lord says in the Doctrine and Covenants what revelation is:

". . . behold, I will tell you in your mind and in your heart, by the Holy Ghost, which shall come upon you and which shall dwell in your heart. Now, behold, this is the spirit of revelation;. . .(D&C 8:1-3)

The Bible Dictionary says, "Divine revelation is one of the grandest concepts and principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ, for without it, man could not know of the things of God. . . . Continuous revelation from God to his saints . . . makes possible daily guidance along true paths and leads the faithful soul to complete and eternal salvation in the celestial kingdom. . . . Without revelation, all would be guesswork, darkness, and confusion." (Bible Dictionary, "Revelation," p. 762.

Who May Receive Revelation
Spiritual Preparation
The Need for Revelation
On Joseph Receiving Revelation
Recognizing Revelation
Reading/Pondering the Scriptures Opens the Way

Joseph Smith: "God hath not revealed anything to Joseph, but what He will make known unto the Twelve and even the least Saint may know all things as fast as he is able to bear them." (Teachings, p. 149)

Bruce R. McConkie: "Accordingly, those who are saints indeed, those who have been born again, those who are so living as to be in tune with the Spirit—they are they who receive revelation, personal revelation, revelation which is in the mind and will of God to them as individuals. They know there are apostles and prophets directing the kingdom who receive revelation for the Church and the world. But they as individuals receive personal revelation in their own affairs.

"And there are no restrictions placed upon them; there are no limitations as to what they may see and know and comprehend. No eternal truths will be withheld, if they obey the laws entitling them to receive such truths." (Improvement Era, Dec. 1969, p. 85)

Spiritual Preparation

Dallin H. Oaks: "The way to revelation is righteousness." (The Lord’s Way, 1991, p. 34.) "We cannot have the companionship of the Holy Ghost—the medium of individual revelation—if we are in transgression or if we are angry or if we are in rebellion against God’s chosen authorities." (Ensign, Mar. 1997, p. 9)

David Whitmer: He [David] recalled that one morning when Joseph Smith was getting ready to resume translating the Book of Mormon, "something went wrong about the house and he was put out about it. Something that Emma, his wife, had done. Oliver and I went upstairs and Joseph came up soon after to continue the translation but he could not do anything. He could not translate a single syllable. He went downstairs, out into the orchard, and made supplication to the Lord; was gone about an hour—came back to the house, and asked Emma’s forgiveness and then came upstairs where we were and then the translation went on all right. He could no nothing save he was humble and faithful" (quoted in B.H. Roberts, A Comprehensive History of the Church, 1:131.)

Boyd K. Packer: "No message appears in scripture more times, in more ways than ‘Ask, and ye shall receive’." (Ensign, Nov. 1991, p. 21)

Joseph Smith: "And now, brethren, after your tribulations, if you do these things, and exercise fervent prayer and faith in the sight of God always, He shall give unto you knowledge by His Holy Spirit, yea by the unspeakable gift of the Holy Ghost. . ." (Teachings, p. 138.)

Spencer W. Kimball: "Do you offer a few trite words and worn-out phrases, or do you talk intimately to the Lord? Do you pray occasionally when you should be praying regularly, often, constantly? . . .  When you pray, do you just speak, or do you also listen? . . . Do you give thanks or merely ask for favors?" (New Era, Mar. 1978, p. 17)

Boyd K. Packer: "Sometimes you may struggle with a problem and not get an answer. What could be wrong? It may be that you are not doing anything wrong. It may be that you have not done the right things long enough. Remember, you cannot force spiritual things. Sometimes we are confused simply because we won't take no for an answer.

"Put difficult questions in the back of your minds and go about your lives. Ponder and pray quietly and persistently about them.

"The answer may not come as a lightning bolt. It may come as a little inspiration here and a little there, 'line upon line, precept upon precept' (D&C 98:12.)

"Some answers will come from reading the scriptures, some from hearing speakers. And, occasionally, when it is important, some will come by very direct and powerful inspiration. The promptings will be clear and unmistakable." (Ensign, Nov. 1979, p. 21.)

The Need for Revelation

Boyd K. Packer: "No one of us can survive in the world of today, much less in what it soon will become, without personal inspiration." (Ensign, Nov. 1991, p.23)

Neal A. Maxwell: "Divine guidance is so crucial. . . . that we need to go out of our way to put ourselves  in a situation in which such special help can be given. President David O. McKay spoke of how the morning hours, before we are cluttered with the cares of the day, are especially conducive to inspiration. Others have felt that solitude and reading the scriptures can create an atmosphere conducive to the Spirit and can be developed. After all, to read the words of Chrst already before us is a good thing to do before asking for more." (Wherefore, ye Must Press Forward, p. 121.)

Orson Pratt: "No great noise or physical manifestation was made; Joseph was as calm as the morning sun. But he noticed a change in his countenance that he had never noticed before, when a revelation was given to him. Joseph’s face was exceedingly white, and seemed to shine. The speaker had been present many times when he was translating the New Testament, and wondered why he did not use the Urim and Thummim, as in translating the Book or Mormon. While this thought passed through the speaker’s mind, Joseph, as if he read his thoughts, looked up and explained that the Lord gave him the Urim and Thummim when he was inexperienced in the Spirit of inspiration. But now he had advanced so far that he understood the operations of that Spirit, and did not need the assistance of that instrument." (Millennial Star, Aug. 11, 1874, pp. 498-499.)

Parley P. Pratt: "After we had joined in prayer in his translating room, he dictated in our presence the following revelation [Section 50.] (Each sentence was uttered slowly and very distinctly, and with a pause between each, sufficiently long for it to be recorded, by an ordinary writer, in long hand.

"This was the manner in which all his written revelations were dictated and written. There was never any hesitation, reviewing, or reading back, in order to keep the run of the subject; neither did any of these communications undergo revisions, interlinings, or corrections. As he dictated them so they stood, so far as I have witnessed; and I was present to witness the dictation of several communications of several pages each." (Autobiography of Parley P. Pratt, Fourth Ed., p. 62)

Brigham Young: "Those who were acquainted with him knew when the Spirit of Revelation was upon him, for his countenance wore an expression peculiar to himself while under that influence. He preached by the Spirit of Revelation, and taught in Council by it, and those who were acquainted with him could discover it at once, for at such times there was a peculiar clearness and transparency in his face." (Journal of Discourses 9:89.)

Recognizing Revelation

Dallin H. Oaks: "Visions do happen. Voices are heard from beyond the veil. I know this.. But these experiences are exceptional.  . . . Most of the revelation that comes to leaders and members of the Church comes by the still, small voice or by a feeling rather than by a vision or a voice that speaks specific words we can hear. I testify to the reality of that kind of revelation, which I have come to know as a familiar, even daily, experience to guide me in the work of the Lord." (Ensign, Mar. 1997, p. 14.)

Boyd K. Packer: "These delicate, refined spiritual communications are not seen with our eyes nor heard with our ears. And even though it is described as a voice, it is a voice that one feels more than one hears. (That All May be Edified, p. 335.)

Dallin H. Oaks: "Some [people] have looked exclusively for the great manifestations that are recorded in the scriptures and have failed to recognize the still, small voice that is given to them. . . . We need to know that the Lord rarely speaks loudly. His messages almost always come in a whisper. . . ."Not understanding these principles of revelation, some people postpone acknowledging their testimony until they have experienced a miraculous event. They fail to realize that with most people . . . gaining a testimony is not an event but a process." (Ensign, mar. 1997, pp. 11-12, 14)

Joseph Smith: "A person may profit by noticing the first intimation of the spirit of revelation; for instance when you feel pure intelligence into you, it may give you sudden strokes of ideas, so that by noticing it, you may find it fulfilled the same day or soon; (i.e.) those things that were presented unto your minds by the Spirit of God, will come to pass" (Teachings, p. 151.)

Boyd K. Packer: "This burning in the bosom is not purely a physical sensation. It is more like a warm light shining within your being." (Ensign, Nov. 1994, p. 60.)

Dallin H. Oaks: "What does a 'burning in the bosom' mean? Does it need to be a feeling of caloric heat, like the burning produced by combustion? If that is the meaning, I have never had a burning in the bosom. Surely, the word 'burning' in this scripture signifies a feeling of comfort and serenity. (Ensign, Mar. 1997, p. 13.)

Richard G. Scott: "When we seek inspiration to help make decisions, the Lord gives gentle promptings. These require us to think, to exercise faith, to work, to struggle at times, and to act. Seldom does the whole answer to a decisively important matter or complex problem come all at once. More often, it comes a piece at a time, without the end in sight." (Ensign, Nov. 1989, p. 32.)

Dallin H. Oaks: "The Lord will speak to us through the Spirit in his own time and in his own way. Many people do not understand this principle. They believe that when they are ready and when it suits their convenience, they can call upon the Lord and He will immediately respond, even in the precise waya they have prescribed. Revelation does not come that way. . . ."

"The principle stated in [D&C 88:68] applies to every communication from our Heavenly Father: 'It shall be in his own time, and in his own way, and according to His own will.' We cannot force spiritual things." (Ensign, Mar. 1997, pp. 10-11.)

Boyd K. Packer: "It [revelation] is awakened with prayer and cultivated 'by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel.' It can be smothered through transgression and neglect" ( Ensign, May 2000, p. 9)

Boyd K. Packer: "The voice of the Spirit is a still, small voice--a voice that is felt rather than heard. It is a spiritual voice that comes into the mind as a thought into your heart" (Ensign, May 2000, p. 9).

Reading/Pondering the Scriptures Opens the Way

Bruce R. McConkie: "I sometimes think that one of the best-kept secrets of the kingdom is that the scriptures open the door to the receipt of revelation. However talented men may be in administrative matters; however eloquent they may be in expressing their views; however learned they may be in the worldly things--they will be denied the sweet whisperings of the Spirit that might have been theirs unless they pay the price of studying, pondering, and praying about the scriptures" (Ensign, May 1986, p. 81).

Dallin H. Oaks: "Scripture reading may . . . lead to current revelation on whatever [subject] the Lord wishes to communicate to the reader at that time. We do not overstate the point when we say that the scriptures can be a Urim and Thummim to assist each of us to receive personal revelation.

"Because we believe that scripture reading can help us receive revelation, we are encouraged to read the scriptures again and again. By this means, we obtain access to what our Heavenly Father would have us know and do in our personal lives today. That is one reason Latter-day Saints believe in daily scripture study." (Ensign, Jan. 1995, p. 8)

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