This article discusses how pre-existence is related to eternal progression, and contrasts it with what the Bible teaches. It also shows how both the Book of Mormon and the Bible contradict and disprove the LDS doctrine on the pre-existence of man.



ETERNAL PROGRESSION

The LDS maintains that we all originally existed as intelligent matter and then progressed to the point of being born as spirit beings into the family of God, our Heavenly Father, and his wife/wives, all of whom had bodies of flesh and bone. (They had also originally progressed from a form of intelligent matter themselves — see the link at the bottom of page to the article on Eternal Progression.) However, this story doesn't jell. It is a fact that kind reproduces kind, so how could beings of flesh and bone have reproduced children who did not have fleshly bodies, but were in a spirit form?

The then First Presidency of the LDS church (Joseph F. Smith, John R. Winder and Anthon H. Lund) said:

"All men and women are in the similitude of the universal Father and Mother and are literally sons and daughters of Deity;" as spirits they were the "offspring of celestial parentage." (Man, His Origin and Destiny, pages 351, 355) c/f Mormon Doctrine, LDS Apostle Bruce R. McConkie, page 589.

Not only does the LDS teach that mankind were the literal spiritual offspring of God the Heavenly Father in a pre-existence, but that Christ was his first-born, followed by Satan, all the other angelic beings, and the whole of mankind. (See chapters 2-3, Gospel Principles; Doctrine and Covenants 93:21, Discourses of Brigham Young, Page 26 and Mormon Doctrine by LDS Apostle Bruce McConkie, pages 192-193, 321, 516, 589).

They go on to teach that we lived in this spiritual pre-existence, which they call our first estate, until we were ready for the next step in our eternal progression. This involved taking on bodies of flesh and bone, by being born all over again, but this time to earthly parents. Then whilst on earth we would be required to serve a period of probation. And through obedience to the laws and ordinances of the LDS gospel, it would be possible for men to be exalted to godhood, in the same way as our Heavenly Father had been before us. With this end in mind, a council was called in heaven to work out the details of how all of this would be managed (c/f Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pages 348-9, 365; Pearl of Great Price, Abraham 3:24-28; Doctrine and Covenants 29:36-40).

However, this doctrine of eternal progression, from which the teaching of pre-existence stems, is flawed. If God is a glorified man who progressed to a spirit being by being born into the family of an already existing God, where did the first God come from? And if he could have progressed from eternal matter to the stage of becoming a God without having been born into the family of an already existing God, why can't everyone else do the same?



WAR IN HEAVEN

The teaching of the LDS is that during our pre-existence, the fall of mankind was planned, and that Jesus, the oldest son of the Heavenly Father, was chosen as the Redeemer. However, Lucifer, who was Jesus's brother and ours too, came up with a counter-plan, whereby the whole of mankind could be saved by not allowing us to have free agency (the right to choose our own actions and make our own decisions). There was some controversy over this, which culminated in a war in heaven, where a third of the hosts of heaven fought on the side of Lucifer. They were not permitted to obtain physical bodies. This meant that they would not be able to progress any further than they had done at that stage.

And again, we exclaim, O Mormonism! No wonder that Lucifer, son of the morning, the next heir to Jesus Christ, our eldest brother, should fight so hard against his brethren; he lost the glory, the honor, power, and dominion of a God and the knowledge, spirit, authority and keys of the priesthood of the son of God! (Times and Seasons, volume 5, page 758, Jan. 1, 1844, article by W. W. Phelps)

The story of Lucifer is the most terrible example of such apostasy. ... He pitted his own plan and will against the purposes of God. He strove to gain the birthright of his Elder Brother, Jesus the Christ (LDS Apostle John A. Widsoe, Evidences and Reconcliations, page 209)

The 1992 edition of Gospel Principles, pages 18 to 19, explains:

"Because we are here on earth and have mortal bodies, we know that we chose to follow Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father ..... When he became our Savior, he did his part to help us return to our heavenly home. It is now up to each of us to do our part and become worthy of exaltation." [Exaltation is an LDS term used denoting progression to godhood and eternal life, which are one and the same thing in Mormonism.]

Some of those who were not valiant in the war in heaven were given black or coloured bodies here on earth. Others were born into non-Mormon families. In other words, their race or the fact that they weren't born as Mormons was a direct consequence of their performance in the pre-existence.

The race and nation in which men are born in this world is a direct result of their pre-existent life. All the spirit hosts of heaven deemed worthy to receive mortal bodies were foreordained to pass through this earthly probation in the particular race and nation suited to their needs, circumstances and talents. (Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, 1993 printing, page 616)

Though he was a rebel and an associate of Lucifer in pre-existence, and though he was a liar from the beginning whose name was Perdition, Cain managed to attain the privilege of mortal birth. ..... Then he came out in open rebellion, fought God, worshiped Lucifer, and slew Abel. ..... As a result of his rebellion, Cain was cursed ..... The Lord placed on Cain the mark of a dark skin; he became the ancestor of the black race. (Moses 5, Genesis 4, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, page 169) (LDS Apostle Bruce McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, 1993 printing, pages 108-109.)

LDS SCRIPTURES STATE THAT MAN WAS CREATED

Joseph Smith wrote his Book of Mormon at about the time the LDS church first came into being. So it reflects his beliefs at that stage. Consequently, the following scriptures teach that mankind came into existence through a creative act of God:

And Ammon said: Yea, and he looketh down upon all the children of men; and he knows all the thoughts and intents of the heart; for by his hand were they all created from the beginning. (BOM, Alma 18:32) (Italics inserted by writer.)

Ammon said unto him: I am a man; and man in the beginning was created after the image of God, and I am called by his Holy Spirit to teach these things unto this people, that they may be brought to a knowledge of that which is just and true. (BOM Alma 18:34) (Italics inserted by writer.)

Now when Ammon had said these words, he began at the creation of the world, and also the creation of Adam ...... (BOM, Alma 18:36) (Italics inserted by writer.)

For behold by the power of his word man came upon the face of the earth, which earth was created by the power of his word. Wherefore, if God was able to speak and the world was, and to speak and man was created, O then why not able to command the earth, or the workmanship of his hands upon the face of it, according to his will and pleasure? (BOM, Jacob 4:8) (Italics inserted by writer.)

But Mormonism is a progressive religion in that their doctrines change radically, from time to time. (Mormonism of today bears little resemblance to what it was at the start.) And although the above verses appear to contradict Smith's later revelations that man had pre-existed prior to his appearance on earth, Mormons don't see it that way. Theirs is a religion of deception, and the LDS church has invented their own exclusive meanings for many of the biblical terms, in order to give their teachings the semblance of fitting in with the Bible. Consequently, Mormons have been taught that "create" doesn't mean to bring into being out of nothing, but to organize already existing matter. In other words, at the creation, God reorganized Adam and Eve from the form they had possessed prior to that stage, into earthly bodies of flesh and bone:

Now, the word create came from the word baurau which does not mean to create out of nothing; it means to organize; the same as a man would organize materials and build a ship. (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, compiled by Joseph Fielding Smith, pages 350; c/f Mormon Doctrine, LDS Apostle Bruce McConkie, pages 169-170.)

However, no biblical scholar of repute agrees with the LDS. The Hebrew word for created, used in Genesis 1:27 regarding the creation of man, is bara. W. E. Vine, a highly respected, world renowned classical scholar, who is an authority on biblical languages, has this to say regarding the precise meaning of bara, the Hebrew word from which we get the meaning created:

Bara OT:1254, "to create, make." This verb is of profound theological significance, since it has only God as its subject. Only God can "create" in the sense implied by bara. The verb expresses creation out of nothing, an idea seen clearly in passages having to do with creation on a cosmic scale: "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth" Gen 1:1; cf. Gen 2:3; Isa 40:26; 42:5. All other verbs for "creating" allow a much broader range of meaning; they have both divine and human subjects, and are used in contexts where bringing something or someone into existence is not the issue.

Bara is frequently found in parallel to these other verbs, such as asah, "to make" Isa 41:20; 43:7; 45:7,12; Amos 4:13, yatsar, "to form" Isa 43:1,7; 45:7; Amos 4:13, and kun, "to establish" ......

A careful study of the passages where bara occurs shows that in the few nonpoetic uses (primarily in Genesis), the writer uses scientifically precise language to demonstrate that God brought the object or concept into being from previously nonexistent material.
(from Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words, Copyright © 1985, Thomas Nelson Publishers.)

GOD'S FOREKNOWLEDGE DOES NOT MEAN WE PRE-EXISTED

Some scriptures reveal God's foreknowledge about certain individuals. And it seems that because the LDS believes that God is merely a glorified man, they equate Him with mankind when it comes to our lack of knowledge of future things. So, putting Him in the category of a glorified man, they assume that if God had foreknowledge about people, then He must have known them in a prior existence. But the biblical God bears no resemblance to the God worshipped by Mormons. He always has been God, and He is omniscient (He knows everything there is to know). (For both LDS and biblical references regarding God, click on these links The Mormon Gods, Past and Present and Understanding the Biblical God .)

The LDS God bears no resemblance to the God of the Bible at all. He is a far inferior, finite being with a body of flesh and bone, and is restricted in many ways. And because he lived as a mortal man on an earth similar to ours before being exalted to godhood, this means that he had nothing whatsoever to do with creation of the universe. So he is not even remotely necessary to the universe, but instead is subject to it in the same way as we are.

On the other hand, because the biblical God created the universe, it is subject to Him and He sustains it by His almighty power (Hebrews 1:3). So He reigns supreme over all. He also created time and space. Consequently He is not bound by or subject to these dimensions, as is the God of Mormonism. He lives in eternity, outside of time and space, and to Him the past, present and future is one long panorama. That's why He is able to give His prophets accurate prophecies about what is to come. It's just as easy for Him to know the future as it is for Him to know the present or the past. His foreknowledge means that He isn't restricted, as we are, by the dimension of time.

JEREMIAH 1:5
Where the biblical God says in Jeremiah 1:5 that He knew all about Jeremiah even before he had been born, Mormons have jumped to the false conclusion that He must have known Jeremiah in a previous existence. And instead of learning something about God's attributes of foreknowledge and omniscience, they have used this scripture as a so-called proof scripture for their doctrine of pre-existence.

ISAIAH 44:28
A more explicit example of the biblical God's foreknowledge that can't be attributed to the possibility of a Mormon pre-existence, concerns Cyrus, the pagan king of Persia. Here is the relevant prophecy:

That saith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure: even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid. (Isaiah 44:28, KJV)

In this prophecy Cyrus is actually named by God's prophet, Isaiah, 150 years before he began his reign in 550 BC. In other words, even before Cyrus had been born God foreknew that his parents would name him "Cyrus" and that he would become the king of Persia. He also foreknew that Cyrus would be instrumental in enabling the Israelites to return to Jerusalem after their captivity and dispersion. The true, biblical God knows everything. The fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy (and also another by Jeremiah), is as follows:

Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord spoken by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying, Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, All the kingdoms of the earth hath the Lord God of heaven given me; and he hath charged me to build him an house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Who is there among you of all his people? The Lord his God be with him, and let him go up. (2 Chronicles 36:22-23, KJV)

Seeing that God knew Cyrus's parents would give him that name before he'd even been born, and that he would be instrumental in enabling the Jews to return to Jerusalem, then surely Mormons can grasp the fact that it was just as easy for Him to know all about Jeremiah before he was in the womb? The above scripture clearly indicates that the biblical God's attribute of foreknowledge concerning His calling of Jeremiah, has been wrongly used by the LDS as so-called "proof" that God knew us all in a previous existence.

ECCLESIASTES 12:7
Another of the scriptures the LDS uses to vindicate their doctrine of pre-existence is Ecclesiastes 12:7. They maintain that it wouldn't be possible to return to God after death unless we'd lived with Him before we were born:

Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it. (Ecclesiastes 12:7, KJV).

However, this scripture doesn't say that the spirit lived with God before birth and then returns to Him after death. It says that the spirit will return to God who gave it. The Bible teaches that God creates our mortal bodies and then gives or forms a spirit within us. Giving, creating or forming something is a completely different thing to procreating or reproducing it. Nowhere does the Bible say that our spirits were begotten by God and his wife in a previous existence. That is purely a Mormon fantasy.

1 PETER 1:20-21
The LDS also wrongly uses 1 Peter 1:20-21 as a proof text to back up their doctrine of pre-existence. So we will examine this passage in its proper context, from verse 18 to verse 25, in order to get a correct understanding of what Peter is actually teaching us:

1 Peter 1:18-25
18 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;
19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:
20 Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,
21 Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.
22 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:
23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.
24 For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away:
25 But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you. (KJV)

The subject matter here is redemption, not pre-existence. Verse 20 talks about the fact that Christ, through whose blood we were redeemed from sin, was foreordained before the foundation of the world. Peter isn't teaching the pre-existence of man. He merely confirms that Christ, whose blood redeemed us from sin, pre-existed. And this fits in with John 1.1, that tells us that Christ, the Word of God, was with God in the beginning, i.e. before the foundation of the world, and that He was God. Nowhere does the Bible ever tell us that mankind pre-existed, only that Christ pre-existed as God.

The fact that the LDS persists in reading things into scripture that aren't there, has led to an unbiblical religion that dares to lift man up to the same level as deity, claiming that man came first and then God evolved from man. Their teachings bear no resemblance to those of the primitive church (who wrote the New Testament).

Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. (2 Peter 1:20 KJV)

ROMANS 8:16-17
The next "proof scripture" we will look at is Romans 8:16 and 17. However, yet again the LDS has taken these verses out of context, so we will quote from verses 14-17:

Romans 8:14-17
14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. (KJV) (Emphasis by editor)

This passage has nothing whatever to do with pre-existence. Nowhere does the Bible teach that we were born as children of God in a pre-existence. That was Joseph Smith's idea, not the Bible's. The Bible teaches here in Romans 8 that we are adopted into the family of God, not that we were born into God's family in the normal manner, in a prior existence, as is claimed by the LDS (see the explanation in John 1:12 quoted a few paragraphs below).

The people of biblical times had different terms of speech to those we are familiar with today (see the informative and easy to understand article, Mormon Doctrines On Christ Misconstrue Hebrew Terms of Speech ).

The term "son" as used in biblical times did not necessarily mean biological offspring, as it was also a term of speech, and when used in this manner it denoted the characteristics or nature of the person concerned. An excellent example of this usage is given in Mark 3:17, where Christ named the brothers James and John, "Sons of Thunder." As the Bible doesn't go into any detail here, we can only speculate that they both had fiery tempers.

In direct contradiction of the LDS teaching that we were God's children prior to the creation of the earth, the Bible explains that when we receive Christ as our Saviour, He gives us the power to become sons of God. In other words, through Christ's saving power we are enabled to emulate God's traits of goodness, righteousness, holiness and so on, that would qualify us to be described by the Hebraism, or term of speech, "sons" of God:

But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name (John 1:12, KJV) (Emphasis by editor)

The gospel of Luke gives us further insight into the biblical term "sons," by explaining that the one who loves his enemies and expects nothing in return for his kindness and generosity, is emulating God's nature.

But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men. (Luke 6:35, NASB) (Emphasis by editor)

JOB 38:4-7
Mormons use Job 38:4-7 as proof that Job had a pre-existence. But this scripture, when read properly, in context with the previous and following chapters, tells us the exact opposite, i.e. that Job had not been present (and had not even existed) when God had created the world and all that is in it.

Job felt that God was wrong in permitting him to suffer. And God pointed out that He was way above Job in wisdom and knowledge, so who was Job to judge Him? Amongst other things He used sarcasm to show Job that he was out of line, by saying in effect "Where were you and why weren't you the one creating the wonders of the heavens and the earth and all that is in them [if you are so much wiser than I am]?"

The reason why Mormons misunderstand the book of Job and other parts of the Bible too, is firstly because the LDS takes scriptures out of their context whenever it suits their purposes. (This habit makes it difficult, if not impossible, to understand what the Bible is actually teaching.) And secondly, Mormons have been instructed both to judge the accuracy of the Bible and to interpret it, by fitting it in with their own scriptures, revelations and teachings. But how then are they to understand what God's Word is in reality telling us??? Bear in mind that the Bible is the standard of truth which God has given us to enable us to judge false teachings and wrong theology; and not the other way around — see Ephesians 6:10-17 (c/f The Bible and its Reliability as a Spiritual Weapon ).

The truth of the matter is that Genesis 1 teaches us, as does the rest of the Bible, that we are created beings, i.e. that we had never existed prior to Genesis; at which stage God created us. Creation has nothing whatever to do with breeding or begetting. That was Joseph Smith's story, and it will not be found anywhere in the Bible. In reality we owe our everything to our Creator, including our very existence.

Once Mormons have a right knowledge of who God really is and of who man is, they will find themselves worshipping God at a deeper level than they had ever imagined possible, and they will also be able to understand the Bible in a way they have never been able to do before.

God is way above anything we could ever hope to be or even begin to imagine, and the book of Job brings out the fact that we have no right as created beings to question His wisdom in permitting adversity. This is where Job, who was a righteous man, had slipped up. Although he revered God; his sufferings, combined with the accusations of his so-called comforters, brought him to the point where he had begun to question God's judgment in permitting him to suffer such terrible adversity. He wanted to debate God on this subject, and was convinced that if only God would only listen to his side of the story, he'd be able to convince Him that was absolutely wrong, and had in fact made a big mistake, in permitting him to suffer (see Job 23:1-6). (The early chapters of Job reveal God's purpose in allowing Job's adversity.)

In chapters (38 and 39), God was reminding Job that he was merely a created being and that he hadn't even existed when He, God, was doing all these wonderful things involving the creation of the world and all that it contained, that had required such infinite wisdom. In other words, God was comparing Job with Himself in order to put him in his place:

Canst thou bind the sweet influences of Pleiades, or loose the bands of Orion [constellations of stars]?(Job 38:31, KJV) .....

Canst thou send lightnings, that they may go, and say unto thee, Here we are? (Job 38:35, KJV).....

Gavest thou the goodly wings unto the peacocks? or wings and feathers unto the ostrich? (Job 39:13, KJV).....

Moreover the Lord answered Job, and said, Shall he that contendeth with the Almighty instruct him? he that reproveth God, let him answer it. Then Job answered the Lord, and said, Behold, I am vile; what shall I answer thee? I will lay mine hand upon my mouth. (Job 40:1-4, KJV)..... (Emphasis by editor.)

Then Job answered the Lord, and said, I know that thou canst do everything, and that no thought can be withholden from thee. Who is he that hideth counsel without knowledge? Therefore have I uttered that I understood not; things too wonderful for me, which I knew not. Hear, I beseech thee, and I will speak: I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me. I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee. Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes. (Job 42:1-6, KJV)..... (Emphasis by editor.)

So the Lord blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning ..... (Job 42:12, KJV)

The truth of the matter was that Job, as a mere, finite, created being, had no hope of comprehending the deep things God (which include the purpose of suffering). As we can see in the last few scriptures, Job eventually got things into their right perspective, i.e. that God was the almighty Creator, of unimaginable wisdom and power, whilst he was merely the work of His hands. Consequently, he had no right to judge God's administration of justice, or His providence.

Job is a very deep book, and the LDS church has done it an injustice in their presumptuous attempt to fit it in with their unbiblical teachings.

REVELATION 12:7-9

And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, and prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. (Revelation 12:7-9, KJV)

The above scriptures used by the LDS as proof of our pre-existence merely indicate that Satan and his followers, who were created angels, revolted against God. (Angels were heavenly beings who were created by God to serve Him, prior to His creation of the earth and mankind. And Satan was an angelic being.) In no way does this passage indicate or even hint at the prior existence of mankind. Angels are not related to mankind in any way, and nor were they they offspring of God and one of his wives. That was a story invented by Joseph Smith, and it is not biblical. (See the aforementioned article Mormon Doctrines On Christ Misconstrue Hebrew Terms of Speech in order to gain a better understanding of the Hebraism, "sons of God," in reference to angelic beings.)



THE BIBLE DISPROVES THE LDS DOCTRINE OF PRE-EXISTENCE

Nowhere does the Bible teach that we had a pre-existence. And the following scriptures actually disprove this false LDS doctrine:

And he [Jesus] said unto them, Ye are from beneath [the earth]; I am from above [heaven]: ye are of this world; I am not of this world. (John 8:23, KJV)

And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. The first man [Adam] is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.(1 Corinthians 15:45-47, KJV)

..... The burden of the word of the Lord for Israel, saith the Lord, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him. (Zechariah 12:1, KJV) (Italics inserted by author.)

The first three links below will take you to articles on major changes in LDS doctrine on deity, and the last link to an article on Eternal Progression:

The Mormon Gods, Past and Present

The LDS Jesus Christ is Not the Saviour of the Bible

The LDS Holy Spirit and Holy Ghost

Mormonism's Law of Eternal Progression

To access a comprehensive index of fully referenced articles comparing various aspects of Mormonism with what the Bible teaches, click on the "home" button at the bottom of this page.

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