Biblical Evidence of my Previous Life

Where do babies come from?  This innocent question comes from those who contemplate the mortal birth of a human child.  It is a question that has arisen in every age.

Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting:

The Soul that rises with us, our life's Star,

Hath had elsewhere its setting,

And cometh from afar:

Not in entire forgetfulness,

And not in utter nakedness, 

But trailing clouds of glory do we come

From God, who is our home:

Heaven lies about us in our infancy!

- William Wordsworth

The Old Testament gives us an ancient answer to this question in Jeremiah 1:4-5.  “Then the word of the Lord came 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.”

Obviously the human body is formed in a mother’s womb.  But where does the human soul come from?  Jeremiah tells us that God knows each soul and gives some a special assignment to speak as a prophet on His behalf.  I wonder if God gave me the assignment to be a mother and raise my children in righteousness.  He certainly gave the assignment of mother to Eve.

The New Testament book of John records Jesus’ teaching about the premortal life.  In one place He says, “What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before?  It is the spirit that quickeneth…” (John 6:62-63)  In another he says, “Verily, verily, I say not you, Before Abraham was, I am.” (John 8:58)

In Jesus use of the word “before” he is referring to his premortal life.  He equates the place where he goes after death with the place he came from before life.  He tells the Jews that he existed before Abraham.  Surely there is a name for this place.  I don’t know it but Jude calls it the “first estate” (Jude 1:6).  God is there.  I think all souls were there before birth and all souls return —which makes this life neither the beginning nor the end.

What was life like before this life?  Jesus said of his Father, “I know him, for I am from him, and he hath sent me.”  (John 7:29)  This shows that our souls not only existed but were sentient.  Unlike me, Jesus brought knowledge with him to this life.  I have no memory of a previous life.  But I believe that like Jesus, I knew God, my soul’s father.

If I knew and was known by God before my earthly birth.  If I received an assignment like Jeremiah if to do nothing more than be a mother, then I can imagine that my Father prepared me for my assignment.  Jesus said, “I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught, I speak these things.” (John 8:28)  I believe that Jesus was taught and that I was taught in the life before this life.  What I was taught, I cannot remember.  Yet this idea reinforces my sense of value in my Father’s eyes.  I was loved “before the foundation of the world.” (John 17:24)

So if I existed before this mortal life began and was loved, then this Earth was created for me.  The beauty and majesty of this world is a gift from my Creator.  It represents the time and efforts of his mind made manifest in the flesh.  In my exploration of this Earth, I am exploring his mind even if I cannot understand how he made it all.  I can see what he was thinking about and how carefully he made it all fit together.  It is amazing!

And after my time here on Earth for exploring is over, I will ascend like Jesus back into the presence of God and see His face.  I am certain that I will have a new perspective on things after my earthly experience.  I hope that my experiences will prove useful in the next life and not just hold me back, like oversized baggage, from fully participating in the next life.

If you liked this post you might like one I wrote about the resurrection:  Gates of Heaven