All saving truths are manifest and must be learned by the spirit of revelation. In turn, they are to be taught by the spirit of prophecy. In many ways the spirit of revelation is the spirit of prophecy.
The spirit of revelation is that spirit which manifests things to the hearts and souls of men. It is the spirit that enlightens the mind of both the spokesman and the listener. It is the spirit by which all gospel truths must be learned.
When the teacher or preacher of the word so attunes himself with the Spirit of the Lord that what he says and does is what the Lord would say and do in the same circumstance, he has obtained the spirit of revelation and of prophecy.
Most generally, the spirit of prophecy is the spirit of forth-telling rather than the spirit of foretelling. It is by the spirit of prophecy that the scriptures are properly interpreted and appropriately applied in a given situation.
To have the spirit of prophecy is to preach by the power of the Holy Ghost; it is to speak “with the tongue of angels,” to speak “the words of Christ” (2 Nephi 32:2-3), to declare the mind, will, voice, and word of the Lord.
The manifestation of future events may be associated with either spirit, but the unfolding of the past is generally associated with the spirit of revelation.