Abr. 3:22-23; Rom. 2:29-30; Mormon Doctrine, McConkie, p. 477; The Mortal Messiah, McConkie, pp. 22-26; Decisions for Successful Living, Lee, pp. 168-169; Conference Report, Harold B. Lee, Oct 1973, p. 7; Conference Report, Romney, Apr. 1944, p. 141
“Every …[person] who has a calling to minister to the inhabitants of the world was ordained to that very purpose in the Grand Council of heaven before this world was. I suppose I was ordained to this very office in that Grand Council.” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 365)
“Remember, in the world before we came here, faithful women were given certain assignments while faithful men were foreordained to certain priesthood tasks. While we do not now remember the particulars, this does not alter the glorious reality of what we once agreed to.” (Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, p. 316)
“Our young people are among the most blessed and favored of our Father’s children. They are the nobility of heaven, a choice and chosen generation who have a divine destiny. Their spirits have been reserved to come forth in this day when the gospel is on earth, and when the Lord needs valiant servants to carry on his great latter-day work.” (Joseph Fielding Smith, Improvement Era, June 1970, p. 3)
“For nearly six thousand years, God has held you in reserve to make your appearance in the final days before the Second Coming of the Lord… . God has saved for the final inning some of His strongest and most valiant children, who will help bear off the kingdom triumphantly. That is where you come in, for you are the generation that must be prepared to meet your God… . Make no mistake about it—you are a marked generation. There has never been more expected of the faithful in such a short period of time than there is of us. Never before on the face of this earth have the forces of evil and the forces of good been so well organized… . The final outcome is certain—the forces of righteousness will finally win. But what remains to be seen is where each of us personally, now and in the future, will stand in this battle—and how tall we will stand. Will we be true to our last days and fulfill our foreordained mission?” (Ezra Taft Benson, Dedication of the Boise Institute of Religion, Nov. 20, 1983)
“We are quite well aware that Joseph Smith and Jeremiah and the apostles and prophets … were foreordained to particular ministries. But that is only a part of the doctrine of foreordination. The whole House of Israel was foreordained, … millions upon millions—comparatively few compared to the total preexistent host—but millions of people were foreordained.” (Bruce R. McConkie, 1969 BYU Speeches of the Year, p. 6)