A revelation is when the divine discloses to us humans something relating to our existence.
Revelation can be received by any person the spiritual world considers
worthy; revelation is graced to us. Only the divine determines who shall
receive revelation, this act of grace is not determined by the world of
men.
"If thou shalt ask, thou shalt receive revelation upon revelation, knowledge upon knowledge, that thou mayest know the mysteries and peaceable things—that which bringeth joy, that which bringeth life eternal" (D+C 42: 61). "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened" (Matt 7:7,8).
For
some, the revelation is a vague feeling, for others a manifestation of
heavenly proportions. How we receive that revelation, how the revelation
unfolds for us, is determined by our own personal disposition and
individual ability to understand and 'handle' the message.
Joseph
Smith, for example, was chosen before birth to carry out the
Restoration. He incarnated during a specific historical time, and at a
specific location, both of which contributed to how he was brought up
and educated in the world. This earthly schooling, combined with
spiritual gifts he brought with him from the spiritual world, would see
Joseph Smith receive his revelations in a certain way. For example, in
Joseph's 'First Vision' [1] an exceedingly bright pillar of light
appeared to him as if from above, and rested upon him, and he was filled
with the Spirit of God. The Lord opened the heavens, and he saw the
Lord whom spoke to him saying "I am the Lord of Glory. I was crucified
for the world, that all those who believe on my name may have eternal
life...." [2].
We too, if we are ready, may also have
conscious experiences of the spirit. If we doubt the spirit, and become impatient
- demanding that the divine manifest itself for 'proof' then we
probably aren't ready. At the end of the day, the Lord will know, so we
need to be patient and the Heavens will open themselves in due course.
What
the divine chooses to reveal to us will also be determined by Grace,
our needs (or the needs of others), and our abilities. By abilities, I
do not just refer to the gifts of the spirit per se (see Moroni
10), but rather our spiritual faculties. It is these faculties that
allow us to exercise our spiritual gifts. For example, if our gift is
to be a brilliant athlete, then the means to be a good athlete would be
good health, a perfectly tuned body, and a resolute will - our drive and
determination. The way these faculties are prepared would be the
athletes training regime. In regard to the spiritual nature of human
beings, the training regime would be prayer, 'following the
commandments', meditation, or other forms of spiritual development. The
faculties developed would be spiritual faculties of the soul - hardly
spoken of in Christendom, but recognized by Eastern paths. In the East
these faculties - these spiritual organs of perception are called the
chakras, or 'lotus flowers' because of how they appear to spiritual
eyes.
For most of us, our soul-organs are
undeveloped - they are seeds waiting to sprout. Only we can water
(exercise) these faculties in order for them to grow so they can be
used. Despite acts of Grace spoken of above, if we truly want to
penetrate the occult mysteries [3] then we need to follow a spiritual
path which involves training the soul-organs and our moral life. I will
speak about such western (Christian) paths another time [4].
Revelation
could be concerning things which have been, which are, or which have
yet to come. The latter form of revelation is often called a prophecy.
The gift of prophecy is a gift of the spirit - the ability to receive
insight concerning the future (Moroni 10: 13; D+C 46:22). This gift,
like other gifts, is given to many according to the will of Christ
(Moroni 10:17). The First Presidency of the LDS Church in 1833 [5], for
example, was given the gift of revelation "...from time to time, as
shall be manifested by the Comforter, receive revelations to unfold the
mysteries of the kingdom" (D+C 90:14). Note the statement 'from time to
time', that is, according to the will of the Lord - the one who
'reveals' (through the Holy Spirit or Comforter). The gift of revelation is not limited to
holders of the priesthood, or even those at the very top of the priestly
hierarchy. The Lord Himself determines where the gifts shall be laid.
Although
in D+C 28 Joseph Smith is appointed to receive revelations for the
Church, their is nothing preventing anyone else from receiving revelations. We only need to keep in mind that ones personal revelation is not
doctrine, and therefore, it is not obligatory for members to be "obedient unto the
things" revealed (D+C 28:3):
"And if thou art led at any time by the Comforter to speak
or teach, or at all times by the way of commandment unto the church,
thou mayest do it. But thou shalt not write by way of commandment,
but by wisdom" (D+C 28:4,5).
In other words, if one has the gift of
revelation and wisdom (Moroni 10:9) one can use it.
OM
Notes:
[1] http://en.fairmormon.org/Primary_sources/Joseph_Smith,_Jr./First_Vision_accounts/1832
[2]
Some believe that the nine differing accounts of Joseph Smith's First
Vision is proof that the vision itself is a fraud. However, what such
people fail to appreciate is that when you have such an experience as
did Joseph Smith, how you understand that experience may be at first
somewhat limited. Over time, with further reflection and recapitulation
of the experience, combined with deepening maturity in ones spiritual
development, the Vision/experience will yield further light, and ones
own understanding of the event will deepen. Such a thing happened to
Joseph Smith. He was after all only 14-16yrs old at the time. Further
contemplation would yield greater insight, and as such, how the event
would be narrated would change too.
[3] Contrary to what
some say, the word 'occult' simply means concealed, secret. A better
translation would probably be 'esoteric'. Christendom has always had a history
of esoteric knowledge that is only granted to those 'with ears to hear,
and eyes to see'.
[4] It is important that, alongside a discipline of spiritual development, the aspirant also works on their moral development.
[5]
Whether such gifts can be handed to others like plate or an inheritance
is questionable. They are only given (by the Lord) to persons. See
for example D+C 28:2 where Joseph Smith himself is appointed to receive
revelation for the Church, until another is appointed by the Lord, not
man, although the Church must sustain him (D+C 28:7).
