More Evidence of Pre-Mortal Existance from Scripture

1. In Ephesians we clearly have this premortal existence taught. First we must remember that Christ prayed to His Father thusly: "You loved me before the foundation of the world" (John 17:24). The Ephesian saints had that same relationship with the Father. "He chose us in him before the foundation of the world" (Ephesians 1:4) The same phrase that refers to Christ's premortal life must also refer to the premortal existence of the saints. Interestingly when we turn to the Greek, we find the Greek phrase is exactly the same in John 17:24 and Ephesians 1:4, thus demonstrating very clearly the premortal existence of Christ and the saints


2. The Greek of Ephesians as well as that of Romans 8 contains a number of words which refer to the premortal existence. Pro before a Greek verb adds the idea of beforehand, a prefix in the borrowed word prognosis which, of course refers to what is known beforehand about the future condition of a patient. The same Greek verb is used of the Father's knowing Christ and men before mortality. This is best seen in the 1881 Revised Version that made the Greek proginosko consistent in the following two passages. Peter taught the clear New Test. doctrine that Christ "was foreknown indeed before the foundation of the world" (1 Peter 1:20; also the same phrase as in Eph. 1:4 and John 17:24 in the Greek). And we find Paul teaching the same doctrine! "For whom he foreknew, he also foreordained to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren; and whom he foreordained, them he also called" (Rom. 8:29-30, RV). The "calling" is about conversion of souls here on earth, but there are two stages before that, God's foreknowledge and foreordination. In the case of Christ, Peter's language refers not merely to conceptualizing his future existence but to knowing him personally as a premortal spirit. Does Paul use foreknowledge of God merely preconceiving the future existence of the many brethren? This is an arbitrary switch of ideas. As surely as Peter spoke of Christ's preexistence, Paul spoke of those yet to become earthly Saints as personally alive and known by their Father when he made decisions about their foreordinations.

3. Justin Martyr taught that at death the soul goes back to the place from whence it was taken. The early Christian writing 2 Clement teaches that the first church was created and organized before the sun and the moon. The early Christians as well as the Bible clearly taught and believed in all people's souls having a premortal existence with Christ in heaven.

4. Our bodies are formed from the dust of the earth, but are our spirits made from the same materials? If they were, then at death, they would return to the dust; but as they are not reduced to dust, like the body, they must be formed of materials far superior to those of the earth. Where did those materials come from? They came from God according to the Bible. Ecclesiastes 12:7 says "Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was; and the spirit shall RETURN unto God who gave it." Interestingly the Hebrew shuwb, (return) means, among other things, to bring back home again, according to Strong's Concordance. The spirit, according to the Bible here, came from God, not the dust of the earth. The spirit also returns (goes back home again) to God, who gave it we are told. Could the spirit return to God if it never were in His presence?

5. Revelations 3:14 calls Jesus "the beginning of the Creation of God" while Paul says Jesus is the image of the invisible God - the FIRST BORN of every creature (Colossians 1:15). Romans 8:29 says Jesus is the First Born among many brethren. And Hebrews 2:11 says that He that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified, are all of One: for which cause He is not ashamed to call them brethren. The brethren here are sons of God begotten by the same Father that Jesus was, as is seen at Hebrews 12:9, We have had fathers of our flesh... shall we not rather be in subjection unto the FATHER OF SPIRITS and live? Now Jesus clearly was NOT the FIRST BORN among many brethren here on earth. This is clearly talking about a premortal existence with Christ and all of us among the children of God.

6. Now when we understand that God promised eternal life before the world began (Titus 1:2) and that Christ was foreordained before the foundation of the world (1 Peter 1:20), and that He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:3,4) is in not rather obvious that we all were in a premortal existence with God and Christ? The Bible so teaches.

7. "Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness; therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows." (Psalms 45:7) He asks Who were his fellows? His faithful Apostles and followers in the pre-existence.