Chapter 3.17
Pre-Existence
Revisited
Did we exist somewhere before we were born on
earth?
Are we born over and over again till we get it
all right?
Was there another earth age? What is God’s foreknowledge?
First Word
The first time I ever heard
that man pre-existed was while watching “Shepherd’s
Chapel” with Pastor Arnold Murray whose BS,
Belief System
teaches that when God said “Let us make man in our Image,” He was talking to
all of the spirits in heaven from the FIRST
EARTH AGE both good and
bad that had to be born of woman on earth in order to make a FREE WILL decision to follow God or Satan. Those who had fought against Satan in the FIRST EARTH AGE were called the ELECT; they for sure would
choose God.
My worldview and Belief System is
that God was talking to Jesus and the Holy Spirit; the
Trinity with the angels looking on whom we were created just lower
than. Angels were created immortal and we
were created MORTAL; we have a SOUL and they do not; if we sin WE CAN BE FORGIVEN, they cannot.
Genesis 1:26 – God is speaking to Jesus
and the Holy Spirit
26 Then God said, “LET US MAKE HUMAN BEINGS IN OUR IMAGE, to be like
ourselves. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the
livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry
along the ground.” (NLT)
Pre-existence
The Book says that Man’s
natural body existed FIRST, then his spiritual body existed LATER,[1] and then emphatically says that
man has NEVER BEFORE heard God’s voice nor
saw His face[2] and
that his spirit was formed within his body.[3]
Jesus pre-existed in Heaven because He is God,
having no beginning nor an end of existence.[4]
Jesus teaches that He is different from man;
that there are two existences or two different states or bodies. Jesus
says clearly that we are not from above, but from below; not
of heaven, but of earth.[5] With that said; no mortal person can claim
pre-existence in heaven, except the son of God, Jesus the Christ.
John 5:37 – Man never heard, saw or pre-existed
with God
37 And the
Father who sent me has testified about me himself,
YOU HAVE NEVER HEARD HIS VOICE
OR SEEN HIM FACE TO FACE. (NLT)
God Foreknew
Us
Every time I see verses in the Book that
indicates that God knew us before we were born, causes me to conclude that we
existed before we were born SOMEWHERE. He told Jeremiah the prophet that HE KNEW HIM
BEFORE He formed him in his mother’s womb. Isaiah
was called to be a prophet from the womb BEFORE he was born.[6] God FOREKNEW
Peter BEFORE he was born.[7] Paul was set apart BEFORE he was born.[8]
God loved
Esau less
and Jacob more BEFORE they were
either born.[9] Esau
would care nothing of his inheritance and Jacob sought it with all his heart.
Webster’s Dictionary says KNEW or to know, is to have a clear perception or understanding of something
or situation, to be sure of, or well informed about something or situation; to
know the facts; to be aware or cognizant; to have a firm mental grasp of what
is going on.
The Book teaches of Good and Evil,
Believers and Unbelievers, the faithful and the faithless. God knew before we
were born, who we would be and what we would do and how
we would receive the Good news of the Gospel message.[10]
EVERY DAY OF OUR LIFE WAS RECORDED IN HIS BOOK. EVERY MOMENT WAS LAID OUT BEFORE A SINGLE DAY HAD PASSED. Over and over again we see that Jesus KNEW what was in the hearts of man before it was ever made manifest.[11]
In an effort to embarrass Jesus, and insinuate that
He was not the son of Joseph the carpenter; that He was a bastard child, the
child of an immoral woman, a whore, they asked on a worldly level; ‘WHERE IS
YOUR FATHER?” but Jesus responded on a spiritual level;
“you
don’t know
who I am, you don’t know who my Father is. If you knew me, you would also know my Father.
So my Belief System confirms to me that when God knew us, it was FOREKNOWLEDGE in His mind of who we would be in HIM, what we would do with HIM and how we would be a part of the
Good news of HIM.[12]
When God speaks of “KNOWING”, He is speaking to believers;
of knowing what’s in their hearts, HOWEVER to those that do not believe and to the Make-Believers,
He will look into their hearts and say I NEVER KNEW YOU.[13]
The
Take Away
The
Bible was not written to Un-believers or Make-Believers; God is
writing to the Believer about His FOREKNOWLEDGE of their existence before they
were ever born.
YES, we pre-existed; we existed in the mind
of God before we were ever created and when we answer the call, we will be justified
and glorified
and are predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son Jesus Christ;[14] can
you say PRAISE GOD
The Book teaches both Free Will and Predestination,
you don’t have to choose between them, they are both compatible with each
other. Many are called to come
to Christ by Free Will, while some were chosen, predestined; God uses
both. If you embrace both as I do, you
are called a compatibilist.
Matthew 22:14 – Many are called to Christ,
but few are chosen
14 FOR MANY ARE CALLED (to come by Free Will),
BUT FEW ARE CHOSEN.
(Predestined)
” (NLT)
Romans 8:29 – Believer will be conformed
to the Image of Jesus
29 For THOSE
WHOM HE FOREKNEW HE ALSO PREDESTINED
TO BE CONFORMED
TO THE IMAGE OF HIS SON, in order that he might be the firstborn among
many brothers. (ESV)
[1] 1 Corinthians 15:46-48 – First comes the earthly body; then comes
the spiritual
[2] John 5:37 – Man never heard, saw or pre-existed with God
[3] Zechariah 12:1 – God formed our spirits within our bodies
[4] Hebrews 7:3 – Jesus has no beginning nor an end
[5] John 8:23 – Man belongs to the world; not heaven
[6] Isaiah 49:1 – Isaiah was called by God
before he was born
[7] 1 Peter 1:1-2 – Peter was foreknown by God
before his birth
[8] Galatians 1:15-16 – Paul was set apart
before he was born
[9] Romans 9:10-14 – Esau was loved less
before he was born because of foreknowledge of his rejection of his
inheritance
[10] Psalm 139:13-17 – God saw us before we were ever born and as we were
knitted together
[11] Mark 2:8 – Jesus has foreknowledge of what’s in our hearts. -- John 6:64
– Jesus has foreknowledge of who will receive/reject Him
[12] Galatians 4:8 – Knowing is the FOREKNOWLEDGE of God -- John 8:19 – Knowing is believing and accepting Jesus Christ --1 Peter
1:2 – God knew you and chose you long ago Jeremiah 1:5 – God had foreknowledge of us before we are born --
[13] John 13:11 – Jesus has foreknowledge of who will reject Him -- Matthew
7:23 – To some God will say He never knew them
[14] Romans 8:30 – The Believer becomes the Called; Justified and Glorified --
Genesis 2:7 – God’s breath made man a living SOUL
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