Revelation

No, not the "Book of" - the last book of the New Testament (as compiled). What I'm talking about here is revelation in general, and more specifically revelation in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Revelation is, put simply, communication from God to man. This is most commonly achieved through the Holy Ghost. Here is an excellent piece on the subject - worth the read.

There are different types of revelation, ranging from personal revelation to revelation given to the entire Church. In each case, the revelation is specific to the sphere of influence of the receiver. For example, each person is entitled to receive revelation that applies to his or her self, a parent may receive revelation that applies to the family, a bishop receives revelation for the ward, a stake president for the stake, and the president (prophet) of the Church is the only one entitled to receive revelation that applies to the whole Church (all 13.5 million members).

All things are in their proper place and order.

It always troubled me, prior to learning of the LDS Church, that all the other churches believed that God stopped talking to man 2,000 years ago, and hadn't been heard from since. It didn't sit right with me that our Father would just leave us to fare on our own with no further contact. That didn't feel right to me - no loving father would do that.

True, there was a long period of darkness, known as the Dark Ages (or in the Church as
the Great Apostasy) during which there was very limited communication from God. But that's a lengthy subject for another post.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the only church on the earth that believes in ongoing revelation - that God still communicates regularly with man, and guides His Church by revelation. It is, after all, His Church, not man's.

I know that these things are true because I have experienced them for myself. That is, I have received personal revelation - many times, in fact. And I can attest to the reality of revelation given to my bishops in the past. And I definitely know that the revelation given our prophet is true and right for the Church.

I know this because I have felt the powerful confirmation of the Spirit, letting me know it's true, as sure as I know anything is true.

I am very thankful to be a member of the Church, with ongoing revelation, because I know that in these times, we need sound guidance more than ever.