This is Revelation

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This is Revelation

• www.kevinhinckley.com

2
Resume Winners

• "I have a bachelorette degree in computers."
• "Graduated in the top 66 of my class."
• "I worked as a Corporate Lesion."
• "Served as assistant sore manager."
• "Married, eight children. Prefer frequent
  travel."
• "Objective To have my skills and ethics
  challenged on a daily basis."
• "My contributions on product launches were based
  on dreams that I had."
• "Experience Watered, groomed, and fed the family
  dog for years."
• "Previous experience Self-employed -- a fiasco."
  
• "Work history Bum. Abandoned belongings and led
  nomadic lifestyle."
• "I like slipping and sliding around behind the
  counter and controlling the temperature of the
  food."
• "Reason for leaving last job The owner gave new
  meaning to the word 'paranoia.' I prefer to
  elaborate privately."
• "Reason for leaving last job Bounty hunting was
  outlaw in my state."
• "Education College, August 1880 - May 1984."
• "Fortunately because of stress, worked in the
  cardiac intensive-care ward."
• And finally
• "Objectives 10-year goal Total obliteration of
  sales and federal income taxes and tax laws

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Editors Note

• The purpose of this lesson is to encourage
  students to look more closely the unique and
  individual ways the spirit works through their
  spiritual gifts.
• For instance, too many saints never experience
  the burning bosom and are lead to believe they
  do not feel the spirit or have a testimony. Or
  they listen to testimony Meeting or read the
  scriptures and come to believe they must have a
  miraculous manifestation in order to not make a
  mistake.
• For this reason, some do have the spirit revealed
  to them exactly as Oliver Cowdrey did in the
  course of translation most will not.
• Please make room for a discussion about the
  unique ways class members feel the spirit. This
  will encourage them to grow in their knowledge of
  the spiritand in their understanding of how to
  expresses itself to them.

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Elder Bruce R. McConkie

• In relating his experiences regarding the
  revelation that all worthy males were now
  eligible to receive the priesthood of God,
  Elder Bruce R. McConkie pointed out one
  significant reason that Latter-day Saints miss
  the prompting of the Spirit directed their way by
  the Lord. He stated "Latter-day Saints have a
  complex" in regard to the things of the Spirit.
• He explained that we want more than what actually
  happens. Elder McConkie observed that many
  Latter-day Saints were disappointed with the
  revelation given to President Spencer W. Kimball
  and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
• "Many of them Latter-day Saints desire to
  magnify and build upon what has occurred, and
  they delight to think of miraculous things. And
  maybe some of them would like to believe that the
  Lord himself was there, or that the Prophet
  Joseph Smith came to deliver the revelation . . .
  Well, these things did not happen.
• Byron R. Merrill, Heavens Are Open The 1992
  Sperry Symposium on the Doctrine and Covenants
  and Church History ( 1993)

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Elder 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 of 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, 11 Aug 1874, pp498-499)

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Prophet Joseph Smith

• A person may profit by noticing the
  first intimation of the spirit of revelation
  for instance, when you feel pure
  intelligence flowing into you, it may give
  you sudden strokes of ideas
• ... by learning the Spirit of God and
  understanding it, you may grow into the principle
  of revelation, until you become perfect in Christ
  Jesus.
• (Teachings of PJS)

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Great Untold Story

• DC 6- To Oliver Cowdrey
• And, behold, I grant unto you a gift, if you
  desire of me, to translate, even as my
  servant Joseph.
• DC 8
• Oliver Cowdery, verily, verily, I say unto
  you you receive a knowledge of whatsoever
  things you shall ask in faith, with an honest
  heart, believing that you shall receive a
  knowledge concerning the engravings of old
  records, which are ancient, which contain those
  parts of my scripture of which has been spoken by
  the manifestation of my Spirit.
• Yea, 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.
• Therefore this is thy gift apply unto it,

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What Happened?

• DC 9
• Behold, I say unto you, my son, that because you
  did not translate according to that which you
  desired of me, and did commence again to write
  for my servant, Joseph Smith, Jun
• and it is not expedient that you should
  translate at this present time.
• Behold, you have not understood you have
  supposed that I would give it unto you, when you
  took no thought save it was to ask me.
• But, behold, I say unto you, that you must study
  it out in your mind then you must ask me if it
  be right, and if it is right I will cause that
  your bosom shall burn within you therefore, you
  shall feel that it is right.
• But if it be not right you shall have no such
  feelings, but you shall have a stupor of thought
  that shall cause you to forget the thing which is
  wrong therefore, you cannot write that which is
  sacred save it be given you from me.

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The Great Misunderstanding

• Elder Mark E. Peterson
• DC 9 was to given to Oliver Cowdery who
  was attempting to translate the Book of
  Mormon.
• It is not applicable, generally, to the rest of
  the church.
• (England Leeds Mission, May, 1976)

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Getting answers to prayers

• The Question is NOT
• -what is a Stupor?
• -why dont I feel the The Burning Bosom?
• -Have I Studied it out enough?
• The Question Should be
• How do I receive personal revelation? What is my
  Gift?

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Elder Dallin H. Oaks

• I know from experience that some seasoned
  members of the Church do not know when they
  are receiving a witness of the Spirit. . . .
• Perhaps lifelong members of the Church don't
  recognize the testimony of the Spirit because
  they have had it so often they take it for
  granted. Perhaps they are looking for something
  startling and different. . . .
• I have heard adult members of the Church claim
  they do not have a testimony because they have
  never experienced a 'burning in the bosom.' (DC
  98.)
• If I thought this scriptural "burning" only
  referred to caloric heat, I would have to say
  that I have never had a burning in the bosom
  either. . . . In this usage, it does not seem to
  refer to heat but rather to an intensity of
  feeling.
• For me, the witness of the Holy Ghost is an
  intense feeling of serenity or well-being.
• (Teaching, Learning 'by the Spirit', LDS Church
  News, 1993, 01/02/93)

12
President Packer
The Holy Ghost
Satan

• All inspiration does
  not come from
  God.
  The evil one has the power to tap into
  those channels of revelation and send conflicting
  signals which can mislead and confuse us. There
  are promptings from evil sources which are so
  carefully counterfeited as to deceive even the
  very elect. (Ensign, November 1989, p. 14)

Always tells the natural man what he wants to
hear
Feelings of Joy and Peace
Emotions such as Excitement, fear
13
Elder John H. Groberg

• A young Tongan child, Felila, had been
  diagnosed as having hydrocephalus. Without
  help, she would die. Felila's parents, who
  were Latter-day Saints, went to the district
  president, who contacted Elder Groberg, the
  mission president in Tonga at the time. Elder
  Groberg said that the plight of this child
  united men and women, member and non- member,
  American and Tongan in seeking a way for her
  to be treated at Primary Children's Hospital
  in Utah.
• Many sacrifices were made, and all
  arrangements were settled, but at the very
  time the goal was to be realized, the little
  girl died. The faith of many was tried, including
  the faith of Elder Groberg. He said "I was left
  alone, or so it seemed. I moved slowly and
  heavily down that dusty trail. Why? Why? After
  all that work and that strong faith of so many
  and those impressions of the Spirit, why?"
• "I was overcome by the Spirit...And I heard a
  voice... It said,
• "'Come home Felila, my daughter. Come home to the
  care your loved ones have sought for you...You
  have finished your mission in life. Hearts have
  been softened souls have been stretched faith
  has been increased. Come home now, Felila.'"
• "He knew her! He knew her name. He knew all about
  her and about all those others. How perfect our
  Father's love!...In some marvelous way, which is
  beyond our mortal comprehension, he knows and
  understands all things.
• Byron R. Merrill, Heavens Are Open The 1992
  Sperry Symposium on the Doctrine and Covenants
  and Church History ( 1993)