Paul described the spiritual powers of mortals as being extremely limited:
"Now our knowledge is partial and incomplete, and even the gift of prophecy reveals only part of the whole picture!... Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely" (1 Cor. 13:9, 12, NLT, emphasis added).
Not all are given the gift to see the things of the spirit world. The power of physical sight—nay, of all physical senses—is less reliable than those senses of the spirit that typically lie dormant within each man and woman. Spiritual senses require a far more subtle power of perception to notice while clothed with flesh and blood. Such powers, however, can be awakened through righteousness. The scriptures state that under this awakened invisible influence the Nephites were "visited by the Spirit of God," they "conversed with angels," and they were "spoken unto by the voice of the Lord...having the spirit of prophecy, and the spirit of revelation, and also many gifts" (Alma 9:29).
Among those many gifts, the viewing of angels and spirits is listed as only one among many possible manifestations:
"Deny not the gifts of God, for they are many; and they come from the same God. And there are different ways that these gifts are administered; but it is the same God who worketh all in all; and they are given by the manifestations of the Spirit of God unto men, to profit them.... To one is given by the Spirit of God, that he may teach the word of wisdom;... to another, the beholding of angels and ministering spirits" (Moroni 10:8 – 9, 14, emphasis added).
Joseph Smith taught that personages of pure matter, including resurrected beings, are not typically visible to the mortal eye (unless they choose to be), but require a special gift to be detected or seen:
"There is no such thing as immaterial matter. All spirit is matter, but it is more fine or pure, and can only be discerned by purer eyes; we cannot see it; but when our bodies are purified we shall see that it is all matter" (D&C 131:7 – 8).
Brigham Young taught that absent the gift of having one's pure, spiritual eyes opened, the ministration of heaven through its subjects occurs in a non-physical plane of existence:
"I know that Joseph Smith was a Prophet of God, and that he had many revelations. Who can disprove this testimony? Anyone may dispute it, but there is no one in the world who can disprove it. I have had many revelations; I have seen and heard for myself, and know these things are true, and nobody on earth can disprove them. The eye, the ear, the hand, all the senses may be deceived, but the Spirit of God cannot be deceived; and when inspired with that Spirit, the whole man is filled with knowledge, he can see with a spiritual eye, and he knows that which is beyond the power of man to controvert. What I know concerning God, concerning the earth, concerning government, I have received from the heavens, not alone through my natural ability, and I give God the glory and the praise" (JOD 16:46, emphasis added).
In line with this concept, Vilate Kimball related a vision that Joseph Smith had regarding the difficulty or inability of most men—apostles not excepted—to possess the gift of seeing those spirit beings who stand before them:
"[Joseph Smith] saw the Twelve going forth, and they appeared to be in a far distant land; after some time they unexpectedly met together, apparently in great tribulation, their clothes all ragged and their knees and feet sore. They formed into a circle, and all stood with their eyes fixed on the ground. The Savior appeared and stood in their midst and wept over them, and wanted to show himself to them, but they did not discover him....
"The impression this vision left on Brother Joseph's mind was of so acute a nature, that he never could refrain from weeping while rehearsing it" (Edward W. Tullidge, "Selections From The Autobiography of Vilate Kimball" The Women of Mormondom [New York, 1877], pp. 104-115).
Truman O. Angell, the architect of the Salt Lake Temple, attended the dedication of the Kirtland Temple and related the following incident concerning a resurrected being from the spirit world who was only seen and discerned by a couple people:
"The hall was filled at an early hour in the afternoon, I being present among the rest. The dedicatory prayer was offered, Sidney Rigdon being mouth. When about midway during the prayer, there was a glorious sensation passed through the house [Kirtland Temple]; and we, having our heads bowed in prayer, felt a sensation very elevating to the soul. At the close of the prayer, F. [Frederick] G. Williams being in the upper east stand—Joseph being in the speaking stand next below—rose and testified that midway during the prayer an holy angel came and seated himself in the stand.
"When the afternoon meeting assembled, Joseph, feeling very much elated, arose the first thing and said the personage who had appeared in the morning was the Angel Peter come to accept the dedication" (Autobiography [1810-1856] in "His Journal," Our Pioneer Heritage vol. 10 [1967], pp. 195-213).
Philo Dibble recorded an instance of the prophet Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon sharing in a visionary experience with each other that no one else could behold, though the power of the experience was felt by him and the other spectators:
"The vision which is recorded in the Book of Doctrine and Covenants [D&C 76] was given at the house of 'Father Johnson,' in Hiram, Ohio, and during the time that Joseph and Sidney were in the spirit and saw the heavens open, there were other men in the room, perhaps twelve, among whom I was one during a part of the time—probably two-thirds of the time—I saw the glory and felt the power, but did not see the vision.
"The events and conversation, while they were seeing what is written (and many things were seen and related that are not written,) I will relate as minutely as is necessary.
"Joseph would, at intervals, say: 'What do I see?' as one might say while looking out the window and beholding what all in the room could not see. Then he would relate what he had seen or what he was looking at. Then Sidney replied, 'I see the same.' Presently Sidney would say 'what do I see?' and would repeat what he had seen or was seeing, and Joseph would reply, 'I see the same'" (Philo Dibble as quoted in "Recollections of the Prophet Joseph Smith," The Juvenile Instructor, 27 [1892], emphasis added).
It is of little wonder then that Paul said "the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned" (1 Cor. 2:14, emphasis added). Who among us in our modern scientific world would not look at a group of men talking into the air and think such a thing was 'foolishness'? Those few who would not scorn such a thing are truly born again to see and understand the things of the kingdom of heaven (see John 3:3, 8).
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