Revelation

Many of us would like to know when the Second Coming is going to happen. After all, it is the latter days, so we know the event is closer than it ever has been before. But when will it actually take place?

Though perhaps not as prolific or well known as Yoda, Obi-Wan Kenobi has shared many pieces of counsel that can also be applied to a gospel setting.

"I knew in three different ways that the Lord's will was for this potential relationship with Elder Russell M. Nelson."

For about 20 years Emily Robison Adams felt like she had not been getting answers from God on direct questions. So when God was silent again about whether the Book of Mormon was true, she became worried.

Astrology's popularity is on the rise. What does the Church have to say about it?

A recent convert in Spain. A Farsi-speaking sister missionary in California. An accidental but special phone call to bring them together.

In this excerpt from the All In podcast, Elder Bednar uses examples from the scriptures to discuss how the Lord is guiding each person along his or her path.

Here are some details leading up to Joseph Smith’s martyrdom that aren’t widely known.

“The Lord commands us to ‘watch, therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.’ But we’re too busy to prepare because we’re glued to a reality TV episode, a Twitch live stream, or a social media feed.”

Here is a look at some of the interesting things we have learned from "Saints, vol. 2" as we anticipate the release of the next volume.

General conference has a lot of great messages, so it can sometimes feel overwhelming. How do you know where to start in applying what you’ve learned?

Elder David A. Bednar has spoken many times about the principle of receiving personal revelation. But there’s one question he’s heard more than any other: “How do I know if it’s me or the Spirit?”

Nephi Garcia and his young family had hit rock bottom. They were living out of a motel room and had no home and no money. But what they did have was a season pass to the happiest place on earth—Disneyland.

“Every missionary called in this Church … is called by revelation from the Lord God Almighty through one of these, His servants.”

This article is part of a series called “12 Days of Christmas: A daily study guide to bring the Savior into the season.” See the full list of days in the study guide and learn more about how it’s formatted here.

Experts share their insights on how to stay open to the Spirit and prevent anxiety from getting in the way.

"The Holy Ghost is not always going to invite us to do what is easy or convenient. In fact, the Spirit will sometimes send promptings that go exactly counter to what we want to do."

When Sister Tracy Browning’s mother was investigating The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, she reached a pivotal junction in her study of the restored gospel—a desire to know if the Book of Mormon was the true word of God.

As I’ve thought about the announcement of a new temple in Ephraim and a revision to the Manti temple renovation plans, my mind keeps reflecting on a truth echoed by Church leaders at the press conference: the decision was an answer to prayer.

This excerpt originally ran on LDS Living in December 2019 and is being shared again in honor of Joseph Smith's birthday.

During October 2020 general conference, President Russell M. Nelson encouraged all to prepare spiritually and temporally for times ahead. He said:

Editor's note: "This week from the pulpit" highlights recent messages by General Authorities, General Officers and leaders of the Church.

Editor's note: Our bi-weekly Friday column, “Found in the footnotes,” explores some of the footnotes from remarks given by General Authorities and General Officers of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The room was filled with teachers from Seminaries and Institutes, and although Elder David A. Bednar was facilitating the discussion, he pointed to the importance of having the true teacher present.

The following story originally ran on LDS Living in 2016.

The following is an excerpt from Elder John H. Groberg’s book Fire of Faith, which details his experiences with his family as he served as a mission president in Tonga.

This is the third in a series of articles from Sister Wendy Watson Nelson's new book, The Heavens Are Open. Read the first part here or the second part here.

This is the second in a series of articles from Sister Wendy Watson Nelson's new book, The Heavens Are Open. Read the first part here.

This is the first in a series of articles from Sister Wendy Watson Nelson's new book, The Heavens Are Open.Check back next week for more powerful insights.

“The ability to qualify for, receive, and act upon personal revelation is the single most important skill that can be acquired in this life” (Julie B. Beck, “And upon the Handmaids in Those Days will I Pour out my Spirit,” Ensign, May 2010), but between dirty diapers and fruit snacks, it often feels like an impossible feat.

The following has been republished with permission from taylorhalverson.com.

LDS Living wants to invite you on a journey to become better seekers of truth, better receivers of personal revelation, and better answerers of difficult, soul-stretching questions.

Dreams given to members of Joseph Smith’s family helped prepare them for the challenges and trials that they would face in coming years. An anticipation of the gospel was planted in their hearts by inspired dreams which made the Restoration that much more precious to them. When young Joseph shared his visions and revelations, his family members were ready to believe and sustain him.

Daniel, Pilate's wife, Lehi—there is definitely more than one recording in the scriptures of people receiving revelation through dreams.

In the scriptures, the Savior affirms that we “shall see my face and know that I am” (Doctrine and Covenants 93:1). It should come as no surprise, then, that the Savior would appear to men and women in dreams. The children of God in all nations have His promise that He can manifest Himself to them. The Book of Mormon teaches, “He manifesteth himself unto all those who believe in him, by the power of the Holy Ghost; yea, unto every nation, kindred, tongue, and people, working mighty miracles, signs and wonders, among the children of men according to their faith” (2 Nephi 26:13). Certainly, the Lord is no respecter of persons when it comes to whom He will manifest Himself unto. . . .

Like birth, death is a necessary and essential part of the plan of salvation (see Moses 6:59–62)—which Jacob and Alma both called the “great plan of happiness” (2 Nephi 9:6; Alma 42:8). Facing death can be one of the most fearful experiences of mortality. For the righteous, though, death can be sweet and need not be feared (see Alma 27:28). Indeed, the Lord revealed to Joseph Smith that “those that die in me shall not taste of death, for it shall be sweet unto them” (Doctrine and Covenants 42:46). On the other hand, for people who die not in Christ, death can be a bitter experience (see Doctrine and Covenants 42:47), and the thought of an approaching death can create foreboding, trepidation, and fear. Dreams regarding death can serve as a powerful reminder that this life is the time for us to prepare to meet God (see Alma 12:24; 34:32). . . .

We’ve all heard stories of people claiming to have received messages from God through their dreams. Is that really possible? Does the Lord communicate with us through dreams, and if so, how does it work? On this week’s episode of All In, Ken Alford, co-author of Dreams as Revelation, dives into what we know about these nighttime revelations.

I have been concerned over the years that too often our youth (and, unfortunately, even some of our more experienced members) are prone to confuse sentimentality with spirituality, tears with testimony. Let me illustrate. One Mutual night as I came out of my bishop’s office, I noticed that the members of the Laurel class were huddled in the hall and in the midst of what seemed to be quite a fascinating discussion. They appeared to be talking about one of the young women in their class who had, during the last year, slipped out of Church activity.

"Women have remarkable influence," President M. Russell Ballard recently posted on Instagram. "You sisters have been divinely endowed with a unique kind of discernment and strength that differs in some ways from the gifts our Heavenly Father gave His sons. These differences are intentional and eternal. They don’t make you better than a man, nor do they make you inferior to him. They just make you different—wonderfully, deliberately, everlastingly so."

Nearly a decade ago, one Latter-day Saint sister endured the unthinkable for a mother—the loss of her son to suicide. After years of heartache and struggling with tremendous guilt, suffering, and "what ifs," this sister found a sweet peace in the temple.

Many years ago in my native home of Mexico, my uncle became very ill, and it was clear that he would soon pass away. Relatives gathered at his bedside, crying and mourning his passing. I was only a child at the time, but I felt very sad about my uncle.

Learn how newly called General Authority Seventy Elder Rubén V. Alliaud found the gospel as a teenager and later found his wife after receiving revelation through a dream.

The following modern stories from the lives of real people show how intimately the Lord knows us and watches over His children, even those who do not hold high position in the Church. Some of these examples are really quite remarkable. Others show that the Lord intervenes even in things some might not consider worthy of an earthly parent’s attention, let alone a Divine One’s. Yet, they truly show “that the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen” (1 Nephi 1:20).

Elder Wallace D. Montague reported that he and two other missionaries were walking down a street in Dresden when they were arrested by the police. They were taken to a nearby precinct and questioned for two hours. When they asked for permission to tell other missionaries where they were, one officer sneered and said, “You are political prisoners. You are going no place.”

Every month can feel like a whirlwind of revelation, insights, and adjustments in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints—both in our personal lives and in the worldwide Church. And that's the way we should feel as members of a Church who believe in a living God, a living Savior, and ongoing revelation.