Scriptural Examples -- It is not less agreeable to the dictates of human reason than conformable to the plan of perfect organization that characterizes the Church of Jesus Christ, that all who minister in the ordinances of the Gospel should be called and commissioned for their sacred duties by divine authority. The scriptures sustain this view most thoroughly; they present to us an array of men whose divine callings are attested, and whose mighty works declare a power greater than that of unaided human capacity. On the other hand, not an instance is set down in Holy Writ of anyone taking to himself the authority to officiate in sacred ordinances and being acknowledged of the Lord in such administration.
Consider the case of Noah who "found grace in the eyes of the Lord" FN in the midst of a wicked world. Unto him the Lord spake, announcing His displeasure with the wicked inhabitants of earth and the divine intention concerning the deluge, and instructed him in the manner of building and stocking the ark. That Noah declared the word of God unto his perverse contemporaries is shown in Peter's declaration of Christ's mission in the spirit world -- that the Savior preached to those who had been disobedient during the period of God's longsuffering in the days of Noah, and who in consequence had endured the privations of the prison house in the interval. FN None can question the divine source of Noah's authority, nor the justice of the retributive punishment following the wilful rejection of his teachings, for his words were the words of God.
So also with Abraham, whom the Lord called FN and made covenant with for all generations of his posterity. Isaac FN was similarly distinguished; likewise Jacob, FN to whom, as he rested upon his pillow of stones in the desert, the Lord was manifest. Unto Moses FN came the voice of God amidst the fierceness of fire, calling and commissioning the man to go into Egypt and deliver therefrom the people whose cries had come up with such effect before the Lord. In this work Aaron FN was called to assist his brother; and later, Aaron and his sons FN were chosen by divine direction from the midst of the children of Israel to minister in the priest's office. When Moses FN saw that his days were numbered he solicited the Lord to appoint a successor in his holy station; and by command, Joshua, the son of Nun, was named for specific service.
Samuel, who became a great prophet in Israel, commissioned to consecrate, command, and rebuke kings, to direct armies and to serve as the oracle of God unto the people, was chosen while yet a boy and called by the voice of the Lord. FN Such was the power that followed this call that all Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established as the prophet of the Lord. FN The scriptures tell of many other men of might, who received their power from God, and whose histories portray the honor with which the Lord regards His authorized ministers. Think of the heavenly vision by which Isaiah was called and directed in the duties of his prophetic office; FN of Jeremiah, to whom the word of the Lord came in the days of Josiah; FN of the priest Ezekiel, who first received the divine message in the land of the Chaldeans FN and subsequently on other occasions; of Hosea, FN and all the rest of the prophets to Zechariah FN and Malachi. FN
The apostles of the Lord were called by His own voice in the days of His ministry; and the Savior's authority is beyond question, vindicated as it is by the mighty works of the atonement, wrought through pain and the anguish of death, and by the declarations of the Father. Peter, and Andrew his brother, while casting their nets into the sea were called with the instruction: "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men"; FN and soon afterward, James and John, sons of Zebedee, were similarly called. So with all of the Twelve who ministered with the Master; and unto the eleven apostles who had remained faithful He appeared after His resurrection, giving them special commissions for the work of the kingdom. FN Christ specifically affirms that He had chosen His apostles, and that He had ordained them in their exalted stations. FN
In the period immediately following that of Christ's earthly mission, the ministers of the Gospel were all designated and set apart by unquestionable authority. Matthias was chosen, by lot but under invocation of the Lord's direction, to fill the vacancy in the body of the Twelve occasioned by the death of Judas Iscariot. Saul of Tarsus, afterward Paul the apostle, who had been converted with marvelous signs and wondrous manifestations, FN had to be formally commissioned for the labor that the Lord desired him to perform; and we are told that the Holy Ghost spake to the prophets and teachers of the Church at Antioch, while they fasted before the Lord, saying: "Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them." FN
Ordination of Men to the Ministry, as sanctioned by scriptural precedent and established by direct revelation of God's will, is to be effected through the gift of prophecy and by the imposition of hands by those who are in authority. By prophecy is meant the right to receive and the power to interpret manifestations of the divine will. That the laying on of hands is usual as a part of the ordinance is seen in several of the instances already cited; nevertheless the scriptures record numerous ordinations to the offices of the Priesthood without specific statement concerning the imposition of hands or any other details. Such instances do not warrant the conclusion that the laying on of hands was omitted; and in the light of modern revelation it is clear that the imposition of hands was a usual accompaniment of ordination as also of confirming blessings FN and of bestowing the Holy Ghost.
Thus, the Holy Priesthood descended from Adam to Noah under the hands of the fathers. FN Enos was ordained by the hand of Adam; and the same was true of Mahalaleel, Jared, Enoch, and Methuselah. Lamech was ordained under the hand of Seth; Noah received his authority under the hand of Methuselah. And so may the Holy Priesthood by traced, bestowed as the spirit of prophecy directed, by the hand of one upon another, till the time of Moses. Melchizedek, who conferred this authority upon Abraham, received his own through the direct lineage of his fathers from Noah. Esaias, a contemporary of Abraham, received his ordination under the hand of God. Through the hand of Esaias, the authority passed to Gad, thence by the same means to Jeremy, Elihu, Caleb, and Jethro the priest of Midian under whose hand Moses was ordained. FN Joshua the son of Nun was set apart as directed of God, through the imposition of hands by Moses. FN
In the days of the apostles circumstances rendered it expedient to appoint special officers in the Church, to care for the poor and attend to the distribution of supplies; these were selected with care and were set apart through prayer and laying on of hands. FN Timothy was similarly ordained, as witness the admonitions given him by Paul: "Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery," FN and again, "Stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands." FN The Lord has bound Himself by covenant to acknowledge the acts of His authorized servants. Unto whomsoever the elders of the Church give promise after acceptable baptism, the Holy Ghost will come. FN Whatever the Priesthood shall bind or loose on earth, in accordance with the Lord's commands, is to be bound or loosed in heaven; FN the sick upon whom the elders lay their hands are to recover; FN and many other signs are to follow them that believe. So jealous is the Lord of the power to officiate in His name, that at the judgment all who have aided or persecuted His servants are to be rewarded or punished as if they had done those things unto Himself. FN
Unauthorized Ministrations in priestly functions are not alone invalid, but also grievously sinful. In His dealings with mankind God recognizes and honors the Priesthood established by His direction, and countenances no unauthorized assumption of authority. A lesson is taught by the case of Korah and his associates, in their rebellion against the authority of the Priesthood in that they falsely professed the right to minister in the priest's office. The Lord promptly visited them for their sins, causing the ground to cleave asunder and to swallow them up with all their belongings. FN
Consider also the affliction that fell upon Miriam, the sister of Moses, a prophetess among the people. FN She, with Aaron, railed against Moses, and they said: "Hath the Lord indeed spoken only by Moses? Hath he not spoken also by us? And the Lord heard it." FN Jehovah came down in a cloud and stood in the door of the tabernacle, denouncing their presumption and vindicating the authority of His oracle, Moses. When the cloud passed from the tabernacle Miriam was seen to be leprous, white as snow; and according to the law she was shut out from the camp of Israel. However, through the earnest entreaties of Moses, the Lord healed the woman and she was subsequently permitted to return to the company.
Consider the fate of Uzza, the Israelite who met sudden death through the anger of God because he put forth his hand to steady the ark of the covenant. FN This he did in spite of the law that none but the priests might touch the sacred accompaniments of the ark; we read that not even the appointed bearers of the vessel were allowed to touch its more sacred parts, on pain of death. FN
Think also of Saul who had been called from the field to be made king of the nation. When the Philistines were marshalled against Israel in Michmash, Saul waited for Samuel, FN under whose hand he had received his kingly anointing FN and to whom he had looked in the days of his humility for guidance; he asked that the prophet come and offer sacrifices to the Lord in behalf of the people. But, growing impatient at Samuel's delay, Saul prepared the burnt offering himself, forgetting that though he occupied the throne, wore the crown, and bore the scepter, these insignia of kingly power gave him no right to officiate even as a deacon in the Priesthood of God; and for this and other instances of his unrighteous presumption he was rejected of God and another was made king in his place.
A striking instance of divine jealousy, which is righteous zeal, concerning priestly functions, is shown in the experience of Uzziah, king of Judah. He was placed upon the throne when but sixteen years old; and, as long as he sought the Lord he was greatly prospered, so that his name became a terror unto his enemies. But he allowed pride to grow in his heart, and indulged the delusion that in his kingship he was supreme. He entered the Temple and essayed to burn incense on the altar. Shocked at his blasphemous action, Azariah, the chief priest of the Temple, and fourscore priests with him, forbade the king, saying: "It appertaineth not unto thee, Uzziah, to burn incense unto the Lord, but to the priests the sons of Aaron, that are consecrated to burn incense: go out of the sanctuary; for thou hast trespassed." At this rebuke and condemnation from his subjects, though they were priests of the Lord, the king became angry; but immediately the scourge of leprosy fell upon him; the signs of the dread disease appeared in his forehead; and being now physically an unclean creature his presence tended the more to defile the holy place. So Azariah and his associate priests thrust the king out from the Temple; and he, a smitten thing, fled from the house of God never again to enter its sacred precincts. Concerning the rest of his punishment we read: "And Uzziah the king was a leper unto the day of his death, and dwelt in a several house, being a leper; for he was cut off from the house of the Lord." FN
A forceful illustration of the futility of false ceremonies, or of the mere form of sacred ordinances when the authority is absent, is shown in the New Testament record of the seven sons of Sceva. These in common with others had marveled at the miraculous power possessed by Paul, whom the Lord so blessed in his apostleship that through contact with handkerchiefs or aprons sent by him the sick were healed, and evil spirits were cast out. Sceva's sons, who are counted by the sacred chronicler among the exorcists and the vagabond Jews, sought also to expel an evil spirit: "We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth" said they; but the evil spirit derided them for their lack of authority, exclaiming: "Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye?" Then the afflicted person, in whom the evil spirit dwelt, leaped upon them and overcame them, so that when they escaped from the house they were naked and wounded. FN
Teachers True and False -- None but those who are duly authorized to teach can be regarded as true expounders of the word of God. The remarks of Paul concerning high priests are applicable to every office of the Priesthood: "No man taketh this honor unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron." FN And Aaron, as we have already seen, was called through Moses unto whom the Lord revealed His will in the matter. This authority to act in the name of the Lord is given to those only who are chosen of God; it is not to be had for the mere asking; it is not to be bought with gold. We read of Simon, the sorcerer, who coveted the power possessed by the apostles; he offered them money, saying: "Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands he may receive the Holy Ghost." But Peter answered him with righteous indignation: "Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money. Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God." FN
It was known to the apostles of old that men would seek to arrogate unto themselves the right to officiate in things divine, thus becoming servants of Satan. In addressing a conference of elders from Ephesus, Paul prophesied of these ill events and warned the shepherds of the flock to look well to their charge, FN and in an epistle to Timothy the apostle reiterated this prophecy. Encouraging to diligence in preaching the word, he declared: "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables." FN Peter's declarations on the same subject are no less plain. Addressing himself to the saints of his time, he refers to the false prophets of old, and adds: "There shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies; even denying the Lord that bought them * * * And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of." FN
Divine Authority in the present Dispensation -- We claim that the authority to administer in the name of God is operative in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints today; and that this power or commission was conferred upon the first officers of the Church by ordination under the hands of those who had held the same power in earlier dispensations. That the authority of the Holy Priesthood was to be taken from the earth as the apostles of old were slain, and that of necessity it would have to be restored from heaven before the Church could be reestablished, may be shown by scripture. On May 15, 1829, while Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery were engaged in earnest prayer for instruction concerning baptism for the remission of sins, mention of which Joseph Smith had found in the plates from which he was then engaged in translating the Book of Mormon, a messenger from heaven descended in a cloud of light. He announced himself as John, called of old the Baptist, and said he had come under the direction of Peter, James, and John, who held the keys of the higher Priesthood. The angel laid his hands upon the two young men and ordained them to authority, saying: "Upon you my fellow servants, in the name of Messiah I confer the Priesthood of Aaron, which holds the keys of the ministering of angels, and of the gospel of repentance, and of baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; and this shall never be taken again from the earth, until the sons of Levi do offer again an offering unto the Lord in righteousness." FN
A short time after this event, Peter, James, and John appeared to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery, and ordained the two to the higher or Melchizedek Priesthood, bestowing upon them the keys of the apostleship, which these heavenly messengers had held and exercised in the former Gospel dispensation. This order of Priesthood holds authority over all the offices in the Church, and includes power to administer in spiritual things; FN consequently all the authorities and powers necessary to the establishment and development of the Church were by this visitation restored to earth.
No one may officiate in any ordinances of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints unless he has been ordained to the particular order or office of Priesthood, by those possessing the requisite authority. Thus, no man receives the Priesthood except under the hands of one who holds that Priesthood himself; that one must have obtained it from others previously commissioned; and so every bearer of the Priesthood today can trace his authority to the hands of Joseph Smith the Prophet, FN who received his ordination under the hands of the apostles Peter, James, and John; and they had been ordained by the Lord Jesus Christ. That men who are called of God, to the authority of the ministry on earth, may have been selected for such appointment even before they took mortal bodies, is evident from the scriptures. This matter may properly claim attention in the present connection; and its consideration leads us to the subjects following.
Foreordination -- In an interview with Abraham, the Lord revealed many things ordinarily withheld from mortals. Concerning this the patriarch wrote: "Now the Lord had shown unto me, Abraham, the intelligences that were organized before the world was; and among all these there were many of the noble and great ones; And God saw these souls that they were good, and he stood in the midst of them, and he said: These I will make my rulers; for he stood among those that were spirits, and he saw that they were good; and he said unto me: Abraham, thou art one of them; thou wast chosen before thou wast born." FN This is one of the many scriptural proofs that the spirits of mankind existed prior to their earthly probation -- a condition in which these intelligences lived and exercised their free agency before they assumed bodily tabernacles. Thus the natures, dispositions, and tendencies of men are known to the Father of their spirits, even before they are born into mortality. The word of the Lord came unto Jeremiah, telling him that before he was conceived in the flesh he had been ordained to be a prophet unto the nations. FN
Evidence is abundant that Jesus Christ was chosen and ordained to be the Redeemer of the world, even in the beginning. We read of His foremost position amongst the sons of God in offering Himself as a sacrifice to carry into effect the will of the Father. He it was, "Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world." FN
Paul taught the doctrine of divine selection and preappointment thus: "For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son. * * * Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called." FN And again: "God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew." FN
Alma, the Nephite prophet, spoke of the priests who had been ordained after the order of the Son, and added:. "And this is the manner after which they were ordained -- being called and prepared from the foundation of the world according to the foreknowledge of God, on account of their exceeding faith and good works; in the first place being left to choose good or evil; therefore they having chosen good, and exercising exceeding great faith, are called with a holy calling, yea, with that holy calling which was prepared with, and according to, a preparatory redemption for such." FN
Foreordination Does Not Imply Compulsion -- The doctrine of absolute predestination, resulting in a nullification of man's free agency, has been advocated with various modifications by different sects. Nevertheless, such teachings are wholly unjustified by both the letter and the spirit of sacred writ. God's foreknowledge concerning the natures and capacities of His children enables Him to see the end of their earthly career even from the first: "Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world." FN Many people have been led to regard this foreknowledge of God as a predestination whereby souls are designated for glory or condemnation even before their birth in the flesh, and irrespective of individual merit or demerit. This heretical doctrine seeks to rob Deity of mercy, justice, and love; it would make God appear capricious and selfish, directing and creating all things solely for His own glory, caring not for the suffering of His victims. How dreadful, how inconsistent is such an idea of God! It leads to the absurd conclusion that the mere knowledge of coming events must act as a determining influence in bringing about those occurrences. God's knowledge of spiritual and of human nature enables Him to conclude with certainty as to the actions of any of His children under given conditions; yet that knowledge is not of compelling force upon the creature. FN
Doubtless He knows of some spirits that they await only the opportunity of choice between good and evil to choose the latter and to accomplish their own destruction; these are they as spoken of by Jude, "who were before of old ordained to this condemnation." FN To avert the fate of such their free agency would have to be taken away; they can be saved by force alone; and compulsion is forbidden by the laws of heaven alike for salvation and condemnation. There are others whose integrity and faithfulness have been demonstrated in their pristine state; the Father knows how unreservedly they may be trusted, and many of them are called even in their mortal youth to special and exalted labors as commissioned servants of the Most High.
Preexistence of Spirits -- The facts already presented concerning foreordination furnish proof that the spirits of mankind passed through a stage of existence prior to their earthly probation. This antemortal period is oftentimes spoken of as the stage of primeval childhood or first estate. That these spirits existed as organized intelligences and exercised their free agency during that primeval stage is clear from the declaration of the Lord to Abraham: "And they who keep their first estate shall be added upon; and they who keep not their first estate shall not have glory in the same kingdom with those who keep their first estate; and they who keep their second estate shall have glory added upon their heads forever and ever." FN
No one who accepts Jesus Christ as the Son of God can consistently deny His antemortal existence, or question His position as one of the Godhead before He came to earth as Mary's Son. The common interpretation given to the opening words of John's Gospel sustains the view of Christ's primeval Godship: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." We read further, "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us." FN The affirmations of the Redeemer support this truth. When His disciples dissented concerning His doctrine of Himself, He said: "What and if ye shall see the Son of Man ascend up where he was before?" FN On another occasion He spoke in this wise: "I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world: again, I leave the world, and go to the Father." FN And His disciples, pleased with this plain declaration confirming the belief which, perchance, they already entertained at heart, rejoined, "Lo, now speakest thou plainly, and speakest no proverb * * * by this we believe that thou camest forth from God." FN To certain wicked Jews who boasted of their descent from Abraham, and sought to hide their sins under the protecting mantle of the great patriarch's name, the Savior declared: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am." FN In solemn prayer the Son implored, "And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was." FN Yet Christ was born a child among mortals; and it is consistent to infer that if His earthly birth was the union of a preexistent or antemortal spirit with a mortal body such also is the birth of every member of the human family.
But we are not left to mere inference on a basis of analogy; the scriptures plainly teach that the spirits of mankind are known and numbered unto God before their earthly advent. In his farewell administration to Israel Moses sang: "Remember the days of old * * * When the Most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel." FN From this we learn that the earth was allotted to the nations, according to the number of the children of Israel; it is evident therefore that the number was known prior to the existence of the Israelitish nation in the flesh; this is most easily explained on the basis of previous existence in which the spirits of the future nation were known.
No chance is possible, therefore, in the number or extent of the temporal creations of God. FN The population of the earth is fixed according to the number of spirits appointed to take tabernacles of flesh upon this planet; when these have all come forth in the order and time appointed, then, and not till then, shall the end come.
Authority in the Ministry
Prior to the Mosaic dispensation: Adam commissioned to teach -- Moses 6:57, 58; he was after the order of God -- verse 67. The Lord commanded Noah -- Gen. 6:13, 14, 22; 7:1. And the Lord ordained Noah after his own order -- Moses 8:19. The Lord commanded Abraham -- Gen. 12:1; 15:9; 17:1-9. Abraham became a high priest -- Abraham 1:2, 3. See book of Abraham in P. of G.P. The Lord covenanted with Abraham as to the Priesthood -- Abraham 2:9-11. Melchizedek, priest of the most high God -- Gen. 14:18-20; see also Alma 13:18. Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek -- Ps. 110:4; Heb. 5:6-10; 6:20; 7:1-3. The Lord covenanted with Isaac -- Gen. 26:2-5; and with Jacob -- Gen. 28:10-15.
Authority to Moses and others: Moses commissioned to deliver the children of Israel -- Exo. 3:4-17. I have made thee a god to Pharaoh -- Exo. 7:1. Jethro, priest of Midian -- Exo. chap. 18; conferred the Holy Priesthood upon Moses -- D&C. 84:6. Joshua ordained under hand of Moses -- Num. 27:18-23; Deut. 34:9.
Note instances of retribution upon some who presumed to officiate without authority -- Num. chap. 16; 1 Chron. 13:10; 1 Sam. 13:5-14; 2 Chron. chap. 26.
Priests which were anointed and consecrated to minister -- Num. 3:3; Levites appointed -- verse 9.
Seventy men of the elders of Israel -- Num. 11:16, 25.
Them the Lord hath chosen to minister -- Deut. 21:5.
Ye shall be named the Priests of the Lord -- Isa. 61:6.
Jeremiah was ordained a prophet; the Lord's words in his mouth -- Jer. 1:4-9.
Word of the Lord came expressly unto Ezekiel the priest -- Ezek. 1:3.
Then spake Haggai the Lord's messenger -- Haggai 1:13.
Word of the Lord unto Zechariah -- Zech. 1:1.
The priest is the messenger of the Lord of hosts -- Mal. 2:7.
Authority Conferred by Jesus Christ While in Mortality
He gave power to twelve disciples -- Matt. 10:1.
He ordained twelve -- Mark 3:14; these twelve he named apostles -- Luke 6:13.
I have chosen you, and ordained you -- John 15:16; see also 17:18.
Christ appointed and sent out other seventy also -- Luke 10:1, 17.
I will give unto thee (Peter) the keys of the kingdom of heaven -- Matt. 16:19.
Commission to the apostles to baptize and teach -- Matt. 28:19, 20.
Sins to be remitted or retained under authority given the apostles -- John 20:21-23.
Ordination in Days of the Apostles
Matthias was numbered with the apostles -- Acts 1:21-26.
Seven men chosen and ordained by the laying on of hands -- Acts 6:2-6.
Philip ministered by authority, with signs following -- Acts 8:5-12; compare 6:5. Note that Peter and John, apostles, administered the higher ordinances to the Samaritans converted through Philip's ministry -- Acts 8: 14-17.
Barnabas and Saul received the laying on of hands -- Acts 13:1-3.
Elders ordained in every church -- Acts 14:23; see also Titus 1:5.
Paul, called to be an apostle -- Rom. 1:1; 1 Cor. 1:1; see also Rom. 1:5.
How shall they preach unless they are sent? -- Rom. 10:14, 15.
Whereunto I am ordained a preacher, and an apostle -- 1 Tim. 2:7; also 2 Tim. 1:11.
Gift bestowed by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery -- 1 Tim. 4:14; also 2 Tim. 1:6
A chosen generation, a royal priesthood -- 1 Peter 2:9.
But he gave some, apostles, and some, prophets -- Eph. 4:11.
Jesus Christ a high priest after the order of Melchizedek -- Heb. 5:1-8.
If any man speak, let him speak as the oracle of God -- 1 Peter 4:11.
Nephi called to be a ruler and a teacher -- 1 Nephi 2:22; 3:29; 2 Nephi 5:19.
Nephi consecrated Jacob and Joseph to be priests -- 2 Nephi 5:26.
Jacob called of God and ordained after his holy order -- 2 Nephi 6:2.
Alma was consecrated the high priest over the church -- Alma 4:4; 8:23; 16:5.
High priesthood after order of the Son of God -- Alma 13:1-19.
Alma ordained priests and elders by the laying on of hands -- Alma 6:1.
By all those who had been ordained by the holy order of God -- Alma 49:30.
They of old were called after the holy order of God -- Ether 12:10.
The Lord touched the twelve disciples with his hand and gave them power to give the Holy Ghost -- 3 Nephi 18:36, 37; Moroni chap. 2 Other disciples ordained -- 4 Nephi 14.
The disciples ordained priests and teachers -- Moroni, chap. 3.
Priesthood of Aaron conferred upon Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery by John the Baptist -- D&C sec. 13.
Behold, this is mine authority, and the authority of my servants -- D&C 1:6.
I will reveal unto you the priesthood, by the hand of Elijah the prophet -- D&C 2:1.
Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery ordain each other as commanded -- P. of G.P. pp. 57, 58, verse 71.
Ordinations required; each ordination must be under the hands of one having authority -- D&C 42:11.
Bishops must be high priests, except they be literal descendants of Aaron; rights of the literal descendants of Aaron -- D&C 68:14-21.
Through this priesthood, a savior unto my people Israel -- D&C 86:11.
Revelation on Priesthood, giving lineage of the ancient patriarchs, and the duties of the several offices in the Priesthood -- D&C sec. 84.
He that is ordained of me and sent forth to preach the word of truth -- D&C 50:17.
Preach the Gospel, acting in the authority which I have given you -- D&C 68:8.
The Lord took Moses out of the midst of Israel, and the Holy Priesthood also; and the lesser Priesthood continued -- D&C 84:25, 26.
Whoso is faithful unto the obtaining these two priesthoods, become the sons of Moses and Aaron and the seed of Abraham -- D&C 84:33, 34.
Wo unto all those who come not unto this priesthood -- D&C 84:42.
The Twelve called to go into all the world to preach the gospel -- D&C 18:27-29. Instructions relating to the Twelve -- verses 31-36.
The Twelve a Traveling Presiding High Council to build up the church -- D&C 107:33; the Seventy to act under the direction of the Twelve -- verse 34.
The Twelve Apostles are special witnesses of the name of Christ in all the world -- D&C 107:23.
Revelation dealing with the quorums of priesthood and their duties -- D&C, sec. 107.
One man on the earth at a time holding the keys of the sealing power -- D&C 132:7.
Same priesthood, which was in the beginning, shall be in the end of the world also -- Moses 6:7.
The Lord said to Abraham: I will take thee, to put upon thee my name, even the priesthood of thy father -- Abraham 1:18.
The records of the fathers, even the patriarchs, concerning the right of priesthood -- Abraham 1:31.
Preexistence and Foreordination
God is the Father of the spirits of all flesh -- Heb. 12:9; see also Num. 16:22; 27:16; Job 12:10.
After death the spirit is to return to God who gave it -- Eccles. 12:7.
Jeremiah, before he was born, was known to God and was ordained -- Jer. 1:5.
What and if ye shall see the Son of Man ascend up where he was before? -- John 6:62.
I came forth from the Father; again, I leave the world, and go to the Father -- John 16:28.
Christ prayed that he be glorified with the glory which he had with the Father before the world was -- John 17:5.
Who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? -- John 9:2.
Consider the many instances of Jehovah, or Jesus Christ, manifesting himself to the ancient prophets of both hemispheres before his birth into the flesh.
Predictions that the Lord Omnipotent, who then reigned, would come down and dwell in a tabernacle of clay, and be born of Mary -- Mosiah 3:5-8.
The Lord showed to Abraham the intelligences that were organized before the world was, for whom the earth was created -- Abraham 3:22-26.
The resurrected Lord declared to the Nephites that he created the heavens and the earth and was with the Father from the beginning -- 3 Nephi 9:15.
The Lord declared to Nephi, son of Nephi, on the night before his birth: On the morrow come I into the world -- 3 Nephi 1:13.
Being called and prepared from the foundation of the world, according to the foreknowledge of God -- Alma 13:3; prepared from eternity to all eternity, according to his foreknowledge -- verse 7.
Christ, who was prepared from the foundation of the world -- Mosiah 18:13. I am he who was prepared from the foundation of the world -- Ether 3:14.
Elect according to the foreknowledge of God -- 1 Peter 1:2.
He hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world -- Eph. 1:4.
Being predestined according to the Lord's purpose -- Eph. 1:11.
God foreordained that men should walk in good works -- Eph. 2:10.
Ye are lawful heirs, and have been hid from the world with Christ in God -- D&C 86:9, 10.
Things of God which were from the beginning, before the world was -- D&C 76:13.
Ordained in the Council of the Eternal God before this world was -- D&C 121:32.
The Lord chose from among the unembodied spirits those whom he would make his rulers in the flesh -- Abraham 3:23.