Revelation to the first Elders of the church

In a revelation given in December of 1832 to the first elders of the church, God speaks of two different comforters that his apostles of old received and that he was now bestowing upon those present. The first of these comforters, the Holy Ghost, I was not surprised to learn of, but the second one caught me a little by surprise. As it reads in the revelation, “this comforter is the promise which I gave unto you of eternal life, even the glory of the Celestial Kingdom” (pg. 293). What an amazing comforter that would be! To make it to the Celestial Kingdom, a place for the holiest of all Gods children, is my central purpose in life and my motivation to keep the commandments God has given me.
Throughout the rest of this revelation, the Lord speaks of the Kingdoms of Heaven as well as the return of Christ to the earth. We learn that we will be a part of whichever kingdom we are worthy to enter based on our actions, thoughts, words, and deeds here on earth, but we must also accept the blessings that come with this kingdom, for what good does it do a man to be given a gift only to turn it down? While this seems like a basic instinct, to receive a gift, it is amazing how many times in this mortal life we reject the gifts and blessing of God, sometimes unintentionally. As we keep our thoughts in tune with the Holy Spirit, we will be more able to recognize these gifts and blessings and to open our heart to them. I learned through reading this revelation how important it is for me to be more aware and receptive to the promptings of the Spirit so that I may receive the blessing God has in store for me.
As the revelation comes to a close, the Lord leaves a series of commandments to the first elders of the church, many of which I feel I could work on. He says to “purify your hearts and clean your hands and feet before me that I may make you clean” (pg. 301). I learned of the importance of cleaning ourselves from both our own sins as well as the sins of the world before we are worthy and capable of receiving revelation from God. As I go through my day, I hope to remember Christ and strive to live worthy of the presence of His spirit.
Finally, we learn of the second coming and the reign of the Lord on the earth. As a result of reading this part of the revelation, I know that I need to start preparing now for the second coming of the Lord so that I may be part of the first group to ascend to meet Him at the sound of the first trump. The time is short, and I have much to do to prepare, but this revelation put into perspective for me the importance of readying myself to meet my Savior.