February 1, 2002 Blogged April 1, 2014
From: Dad, Grandpa Pratt and otherwise
Re: Pre-Existence
Of course it is impossible to pre-exist. How can you exist before you exist? However, this term is now used universally in the (LDS) church, and is understood by most, as relating to our existence before we were born into this earth life called mortality, which is also known as pre-mortal life. Knowing something about who we are and why we left that sphere of action, to live, for a short time, in a mortal body, gives us a better understanding of our individual potential and worth.
In my years of studies of the many major Christian and non-Christian religions, none of them know of this great truth. All teach that life begins with birth. Isn't this somewhat absurd? Mortal parents can only create a mortal body.The life that activates the body, sometime between conception and birth, comes from God. When that doesn't happen, the baby is born without life and referred to as “still born”. This is why abortion is such a grievous sin, for abortion is literally the murder of innocents. The 1.5 million estimated abortions yearly in the U.S. alone, makes wicked King Herod look like a novice. For in his attempt to kill Baby Jesus, it is estimated that he only killed 200-300 babies.
Now let us explore the exciting, so very exciting past, before the world was. Modern prophets have verified the Bible teachings to be true. So, hook up your seat belts and hang on.
Let’s start with Jesus. He was the first-born in the Spirit, before the world was. He is literally our elder brother. God said: “I will make Him my First-born”. Ps. 89:27 “In the beginning was the Word (meaning Jesus). He was the First-born of many.” Romans 8:29. “Mine Only Begotten, in the flesh, which was with Me from the beginning.” Moses 2: 26 “Christ redeemeth....bringeth them (us) back. Into the presence of God”. Heleman 14:17 This same Jesus, under the direction of the Father, has created all things, both the Heavens and the earth and everything in and on them. (There are so many scriptures on this, that I will only give one. “Thine hands have made me.” Job 10:8
“Then the Lord answered Job, out of the whirlwind and said: ‘Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge?...Answer thou me. Where wast thou, when I laid the foundations of the earth? Declare, if thou hast understanding....when the Morning Stars sang together, and ALL THE SONS OF GOD SHOUTED FOR JOY?” I might add that the daughters also shouted for joy. YOU and I were there!
All the spirits that were born to our Heavenly Parents, who would live on this earth, were born and had grown to spirit adulthood, before the earth was made. When it was explained to us, the purpose of earth life, mortal birth, death, resurrection, etc., and the hadships and risks thereof, one third of our spirit brothers and sisters refused to accept the plan. They rebelled against God, the Father, as is so dramatically related in the book of Revelations 12:7-11
“And there was war in heaven. Michael (who became Adam) and his angels fought against the dragon. And the dragon fought and his angels and prevailed not; neither was their place found anymore in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil and Satan, which decieveth the whole world. He was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him...and they (us, with our spirit brothers and sisters) overcame him (Satan) by the blood of the Lamb (Jesus was still to be born on earth thousands of years in the future.) And by the word of their testimony.”
No. Spirits can’t be killed. So it wasn’t a shooting war, but a war of truth versus error; or testimony versus non-testimony, until every spirit had taken sides with one or the other. Satan and his followers then, not willing to go along with God’s plan were ejected from heaven and put on the earth as spirits, to serve as an opposition, so that mortals could still have a choice.
Now, let us look at other individuals, starting with Abraham. We could start with Adam, but space is limited. Abraham was born about 2000 B.C. exactly halfway between the fall of Adam and the birth of Jesus Christ. It was also about 250 years after the great flood, when Noah was just finishing his long and illustrious life.
“Now the Lord had shown unto me, Abraham, the spirits that were born 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 said: “These I will make my rulers, (families) for He stood among those that were spirits. And He said unto me, ‘Abraham, thou art one of them. Thou wast chosen before thou wast born.’” (YOU WERE THERE AND RECEIVED THE SAME PROMISE!)
Out of that vast host of spirits, many have been named. I can only mention a few. Adam, before mortality was known as Michael, the Archangel (meaning first angel). He led us in the battle against Satan. Adam is next to Christ in authority. Moses was also chosen before he was born on earth. He wrote the first five books of the Old Testament. Genesis had to be written by revelation to Moses from God, for it happened before Moses’s time in mortality. In Genesis 2:5,
it was revealed to Moses, that all life, both plant and animal were created as spirits. “And every plant of the field, before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field, before it grew; for the Lord, God, had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was no man to till the ground.”
The prophet, Joseph Smith, taught, “That which is spiritual, being in the likeness of that which is temporal; and that which is temporal, in the likeness of that which is spiritual. The SPIRIT of man is the likeness of his person, as also the spirit of the beast, and every other creature which God has created. “ D.& C. 77:2
But the testimony that I like best of all is that of the great prophet, Jeremiah, who was the prophet at Jerusalem in 606 B.C. when Daniel, as a teenager, was carried away captive to Babylon. Only six years later, in 600 B.C., Lehi and family left that city (Jerusalem), soon to be destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. They were brought by the Lord to America. Jerusalem was destroyed 13 years later.
Jeremiah 1:45, “Then came the word of the Lord unto me saying, ‘Before I formed thee in the belly, I knew thee and before thou camest forth out of the womb, I sanctified thee. And I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.” how can it be said any plainer?
And finally, for each of us. We are part of Israel, God’s chosen people, chosen before the earth was created, because of our valiance in the war in heaven, in casting out Satan and his followers. Moses tells us in Deuteronomy 32:7-8 and Paul, in Acts 17:24-27, ....”and hath made of one blood, all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the Times BEFORE APPOINTED, AND THE BOUNDS OF THEIR HABITATION,”
Israel means PRINCE or PRINCESS, and thereby eligible to become KING and QUEEN, as one of the rulers mentioned in Abraham. “We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the restoration of the ten tribes.” Articles of Faith 10.
Grandma and I are both of the tribe of Joseph, through his son, Ephriam. The modern day Jews are from the tribe of Judah, who was the fourth son of Jacob and Leah
I LOVE YOU!
From, Dad, Grandpa Pratt etc (Richard Marden Pratt)
Roger found a wonderful quote and I will add it here as Dad would love it and want to share it too.
Elder Lansing of the Seventy said, “Sometimes we forget that in pre-mortality we fought alongside the Savior in defense of the Father’s plan of moral agency. And we won! Lucifer and his followers were expelled, and we received the opportunity to experience the life we fought for. The Father’s plan included the Atonement. Our job is to face our challenges and endure them well. As we do this, the Atonement has meaning in our lives and we fulfill the Lord’s work and glory: “To bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.” Moses 1:39
You may want to pull out your memos and read the sequel to How Grandpa got a shiner. And open grandma’s book and read page 30 and read the chapter (2 ½ pages) you will enjoy it with your children and laugh at the Easter story and be amazed at the time she fell through the ice and was saved. ENJOY! Sorry to those of you who don’t have their books.
