Revelatory Slumberings | Can Dreams Be Revelation from God? (LDS)

Send us Fan MailCan God really speak to us through dreams — and how do you know if a dream is revelation? Anchored in Job 33: "In a dream, in a vision of the night... he openeth the ears of men, and sealeth their instruction," this episode walks through five reasons the Lord communicates through dreams, drawn from scripture and modern prophets: warning (Lehi commanded in a dream to flee Jerusalem), instruction, prophecy (Daniel — with the caution from Doctrine and Covenants 63:64 that sacred things must be spoken with care and within our own stewardship), encouragement (President James E. Faust: "As we get older, the pull from our parents and grandparents on the other side of the veil becomes stronger. It is a sweet experience when they visit us in our dreams"), and the gathering of Israel — including President Henry B. Eyring's own account of dreaming of a name from his mother's line. Elder Richard G. Scott's counsel on recognizing revelatory dreams: record them immediately or they fade, and true ones carry a sacred feeling. The episode closes with Tia's own November 2021 dream of Joanne Miller — a woman who said "I'm dead," was found on FamilySearch days later with a recognizable photograph, and whose family's temple work followed — plus the follow-up revelation that turned one name, Nathaniel, into three generations of Baxters.Q: Can dreams be revelation from God, according to LDS teaching? A: Yes — President Harold B. Lee taught, "there is one more way by which revelations may come, and that is by dreams," noting that all through the scriptures the Lord has directed His people this way, though not every dream is revelation. Job 33 describes God opening the ears of men "in a dream, in a vision of the night... in slumberings upon the bed."Revelatory Slumberings — Can Dreams Be Revelation from God?Q: How can I tell if a dream is from God or just an ordinary dream? A: Elder Richard G. Scott taught that inspired communication in the night "is generally accompanied by a sacred feeling for the entire experience," often arrives in the transition between sleep and waking, and should be recorded immediately — "otherwise it fades rapidly." The episode adds Elder Scott's insight that the Lord often teaches through someone we love and respect, which is one reason departed family members appear in revelatory dreams.Q: Why do deceased loved ones appear in our dreams? A: President James E. Faust taught that "there is a strong familial pull as the influence of beloved ancestors continues with us from the other side of the veil... It is a sweet experience when they visit us in our dreams." In the context of family history work, such dreams can also carry names and information — as in President Henry B. Eyring's account of dreaming of a name from a line in his mother's ancestry. www.thinningoftheveil.com- https://www.thinningoftheveil.com/YouTube Channel- https://www.youtube.com/@UCAA9WnYhYvCp1ffCe-AGUQQ YouTube Revelatory Slumberings Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rhmfQy00yU&t=1sBook- "Patterns of Revelation"- https://www.amazon.com/Patterns-Revelation-Spiritual-Foundations-Hearing-ebook/dp/B0BWGLZ8VJob 33:14–16, 1 Nephi 1:16, 1 Nephi 2:1-3, 1 Nephi:8,Daniel 7: 1,13, D&C 63:64, Matthew 1:19-20  Teachings of the Prophet Harold B Lee, Chapter 6, “To Hear the Voice of the Lord”Parley P. Pratt, Key to the Science of Theology (Liverpool: F.D. Richards, 1855), 120. See chapter 13 for Parley P. Pratt’s essay on dreams as an avenue of revelation.L. Tom Perry, “We Believe All that God Has Revealed”, Oct. 2003: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2003/10/we-believe-all-that-god-has-revealed?lang=eng Ryan, Jenkins, “Quiet Slumber: Revelation through Dreams”, BYU Religious Study Center: https://rsc.byu.edu/vol-12-no-1-2011/quiet-slumber-revelation-through-dreams#_note-3James E Faust, “Dear Are the Sheep that Have Wandered”, April 2003: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2003/04/dear-are-the-sheep-that-have-wandered?lang=engHenry B. Eyring, “Hearts Bound Together”, April 2005: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2005/04/hearts-bound-together?lang=eng Katie Morrell, “Anthony’s Dream”, Friend Magazine,  March 2020Richard G. Scott, “How To Obtain Revelation”, April 2012: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2012/04/how-to-obtain-revelation-and-inspiration-for-your-personal-life?lang=engDavid A. Bednar, “The Spirit of Revelation”, April 2011: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2011/04/the-spirit-of-revelation?lang=engDavid A Bednar, “Tender Mercies of the Lord”, Apr. 2005: Support the show