The order, priority, and timing of God's creations are not haphazard,¹ nor is anything left to chance.² Every stage of creation is a matter of intelligent design.³ The three stages of creation include (1) the spirit creation,⁴ (2) the physical creation,⁵ and (3) the final creation called the resurrection.⁶ Each stage of creation follows a pattern, order, and priority.⁷ Each stage is also in the likeness of every other stage of creation.⁸ Thus, there exists a certain Order of Creation in all eternity. The Order of Creation, as used in this text, is a shorthand way to describe the structure, framework, and design of God's creative processes⁹ in all three stages of creation and among all four classes of creation.¹⁰ One stage of creation cannot be understood without fully understanding its relationship to every other analogous stage of creation.¹¹

Obedience is the first law of heaven.¹² This law is the foundation for the Order of Creation.¹³ Bruce R. McConkie has written that: "The whole system of creation and existence is thus centered around the eternal principle of obedience to law."¹⁴ This principle is readily apparent in the separate stages of the resurrection.¹⁵ The scriptures indicate that the Order of Resurrection is from the most obedient to the least obedient.¹⁶ The law of obedience also governed the creative order for the birth of God's spirit children during the premortal spirit creation. For example, Jehovah was born first among all God's spirit children because he was the most intelligent and obedient of all.¹⁷ Jehovah was also the first of all God's spirit creations,¹⁸ which means he was first among all four classes of creation that include all spirits in (1) the human kingdom, (2) the animal kingdom, (3) the plant kingdom, and (4) the mineral kingdom.¹⁹ This means, of course, that Jehovah was first as it pertains to this generation of God, his Father.²⁰ Jehovah was certainly not the first creation of all creations in every generation. He was, however, first in this generation because he was the most intelligent and obedient²¹ of all uncreated intelligences as of the time the Father began the premortal spirit creation.²²

The law of obedience also governs the order for the physical creation that came after the spirit creation. However, the creative sequence is reversed for the physical creation.²³ Doctrine and Covenants Section 29:30 states this principle, saying, "the first shall be last, and that the last shall be first in all things whatsoever I have created by the word of my power."²⁴ Based on this reversal in the creative sequence, the Order of Creation is readily apparent for the three (3) stages of creation among the four (4) kingdoms or classes of creation,²⁵ as follows:

1. SPIRIT CREATION: Humans were created first (in descending order of intelligence), followed consecutively by the animal, plant, and mineral kingdoms.²⁶

2. PHYSICAL CREATION: The mineral kingdom (earth) was created first followed by plants and animals in consecutive order, with the creation of Adam and Eve coming last in time, as recorded in Genesis 1 and Moses 2.²⁷

3. RESURRECTION: Humans are resurrected first (in descending order of obedience),²⁸ followed consecutively by the animal,²⁹ plant,³⁰ and mineral kingdoms.³¹

Several conclusions can be drawn from these three creative sequences among the four kingdoms of creation. First, the spirit creation of all four kingdoms was complete before the physical creation began.³² This must be true because the last and least intelligent spirit world organized by God during the spirit creation³³ became the first inner spirit world within the first physical earth³⁴ organized by Jehovah (Jesus Christ)³⁵ during the physical creation.³⁶ This last world of spirits was first to be clothed in physical element during the physical creation because, as noted above, the creative sequence is reversed as the creation proceeds from the spirit creation to the physical creation.

This creative sequence also means that all God's spirit children were born to their Heavenly Parents³⁷ before the grand council in heaven was convened.³⁸ At that council, the plan was laid for the physical creation to begin.³⁹ All God's spirit children had to attend⁴⁰ this instructional and organizational meeting⁴¹ so they could exercise their agency to accept or reject the Father's plan of salvation.⁴² Similarly, every spirit child of God had to be present to accept or reject the appointment of Jesus Christ as their physical creator, Savior, Redeemer, and judge.⁴³ If they had no choice in the matter of the plan or Christ's selection for any reason, then the actions at the council would have abrogated, not preserved, the principle of agency.⁴⁴

The foregoing discussion leads to the inevitable conclusion that the number of God's children at the grand council was infinitely large,⁴⁵ but the number was also fixed.⁴⁶ In other words, God the Father stopped having spirit children before the grand council. This is the only way that all God's spirit children could equally participate in that momentous gathering.⁴⁷ If any of God's children were left out of the decision-making processes of the grand council simply because their spirits were born after-the-fact, then they would not be on equal footing with their spirit siblings and God would be a respecter of persons.⁴⁸ The creative sequence for the Order of Creation confirms that God is not a respecter of persons because all God's children were born before the grand council, and the creation of all the spirits of all animals, plants, and worlds of this generation were also complete before the grand council and start of the physical creation.⁴⁹