552. Prior to life on earth we lived as spirits in a premortal world.
553. Our spirit bodies are in the same form as the spirit body of Jesus Christ.
555. We were instructed and prepared for earth life in the premortal world.
557. Memory of our premortal existence was taken from us when we were sent to earth.
558. We are spirit children of God—His literal offspring.
563. In the premortal world God knew each of us individually before we were born into mortality.
565. Every spirit born on earth is innocent.
552. Prior to life on earth we lived as spirits in a premortal world.
In the pre-existence we dwelt in the presence of God our Father. When the time arrived for us to be advanced in the scale of our existence and pass through this mundane probation, councils were held and the spirit children were instructed in matters pertaining to conditions in mortal life, and the reason for such an existence. In the former life we were spirits. In order that we should advance and eventually gain the goal of perfection, it was made known that we would receive tabernacles of flesh and bones and have to pass through mortality where we would be tried and proved to see if we, by trial, would prepare ourselves for exaltation. We were made to realize, in the presence of our glorious Father, who had a tangible body of flesh and bones which shone like the sun, that we were, as spirits, far inferior in our station to him. (Doctrines of Salvation, 1:57) DGSM:14
quoted by Joseph Smith
Now the Lord had shown unto me, Abraham, the intelligences that were organized before the world was; and among all these there were many of the noble and great ones;
23. And God saw these souls that they were good, and he stood in the midst of them, and he said: These I will make my rulers; for he stood among those that were spirits, and he saw that they were good; and he said unto me: Abraham, thou art one of them; thou wast chosen before thou wast born.
24. And there stood one among them that was like unto God, and he said unto those who were with him: We will go down, for there is space there, and we will take of these materials, and we will make an earth whereon these may dwell;
25. And we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them; (Abraham learns of pre-earth life and foreordination) Abraham 3:22-25
[T]he Sacred Records make it clear that the Father and the Son were not alone in their eternal abode; that they dwelt amongst untold Heavenly Hosts; that a great schism arose amongst these hosts; that part of them rebelled against the Father, led by Lucifer, a son of the Morning, who sought to make himself above God; that a war ensued; that Lucifer and his followers, a third of the hosts of heaven were cast out and down into the bottomless pit, becoming the devil and his angels. Modern revelation makes all this very clear. . . .
There is no place in this great plan, framed in the Council of Heaven, for that arch-heresy first preached, if not invented by Tertullian, and still proclaimed by a large part of the sectarian world, that our spirits had no premortal existence, but are propagated, like our mortal bodies, by our mortal parents.
Our spirits were created by our Heavenly Father. We existed before we came to earth. (On the Way to Immortality and Eternal Life, pp. 21-31) MPSG1968-69:14-15
[T]he spirits of mankind passed through a stage of existence prior to their earthly probation. This antemortal period is oftentimes spoken of as the stage of primeval childhood or first estate. That these spirits existed as organized intelligences and exercised their free agency during that primeval stage is clear from the declaration of the Lord to Abraham: "And they who keep their first estate shall be added upon; and they who keep not their first estate shall not have glory in the same kingdom with those who keep their first estate; and they who keep their second estate shall have glory added upon their heads forever and ever."
No one who accepts Jesus Christ as the Son of God can consistently deny His antemortal existence, or question His position as one of the Godhead before He came to earth as Mary's Son. . . . Yet Christ was born a child among mortals; and it is consistent to infer that if His earthly birth was the union of a preexistent or antemortal spirit with a mortal body such also is the birth of every member of the human family.
But we are not left to mere inference on a basis of analogy; the scriptures plainly teach that the spirits of mankind are known and numbered unto God before their earthly advent. In his farewell administration to Israel Moses sang: "Remember the days of old . . . When the Most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel." From this we learn that the earth was allotted to the nations, according to the number of the children of Israel; it is evident therefore that the number was known prior to the existence of the Israelitish nation in the flesh; this is most easily explained on the basis of previous existence in which the spirits of the future nation were known.
No chance is possible, therefore, in the number or extent of the temporal creations of God. The population of the earth is fixed according to the number of spirits appointed to take tabernacles of flesh upon this planet; when these have all come forth in the order and time appointed, then, and not till then, shall the end come. AF:174-76
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. (The Lord to Jeremiah, about 628 B.C.) Jeremiah 1:5
When God created the earth and placed our first parents upon it, He did not leave them without knowledge concerning Himself. It is true that there had been taken from them the remembrance of their pre-existent life, but in His tender mercy He talked with them and later He sent His choice servants to instruct them in the things pertaining to eternal life. CR1928Oct:90-91
According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: (Letter to the Saints at Ephesus in Asia Minor, about A.D. 62) Ephesians 1:4
Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding.
5. Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it?
6. Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof;
7. When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy? Job 38:4-7
The LORD possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old.
23. I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was.
24. When there were no depths, I was brought forth; when there were no fountains abounding with water.
25. Before the mountains were settled, before the hills was I brought forth:
26. While as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the highest part of the dust of the world.
27. When he prepared the heavens, I was there: when he set a compass upon the face of the depth:
28. When he established the clouds above: when he strengthened the fountains of the deep:
29. When he gave to the sea his decree, that the waters should not pass his commandment: when he appointed the foundations of the earth:
30. Then I was by him, as one brought up with him: and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him;
31. Rejoicing in the habitable part of his earth; and my delights were with the sons of men. (Proverb of Solomon, king of Israel) Proverbs 8:22-31
Related Witnesses:
Even before they were born, they, with many others, received their first lessons in the world of spirits and were prepared to come forth in the due time of the Lord to labor in his vineyard for the salvation of the souls of men. (Vision of the Savior's visit to the spirits of the dead, Oct. 3, 1918) D&C 138:56
receiving the Word of the Lord
[F]or, behold, the devil was before Adam, for he rebelled against me, saying, Give me thine honor, which is my power; and also a third part of the hosts of heaven turned he away from me because of their agency; (Revelation received Sept. 1830) D&C 29:36
receiving the Word of the Lord
And now, verily I say unto you, I was in the beginning with the Father, and am the Firstborn; . . .
23. Ye were also in the beginning with the Father; that which is Spirit, even the Spirit of truth; (The Lord speaks by revelation at Kirtland, Ohio, May 6, 1833) D&C 93:21,23
There is no way to make sense out of life without a knowledge of the doctrine of premortal life.
The idea that mortal birth is the beginning is preposterous. There is no way to explain life if you believe that.
The notion that life ends with mortal death is ridiculous. There is no way to face life if you believe that.
When we understand the doctrine of premortal life, then things fit together and make sense. We then know that little boys and little girls are not monkeys, nor are their parents, nor were theirs, to the very beginning generation.
We are the children of God, created in his image.
Our child-parent relationship to God is clear.
The purpose for the creation of this earth is clear.
The testing that comes in mortality is clear.
The need for a redeemer is clear.
When we do understand that principle of the gospel, we see a Heavenly Father and a Son; we see an atonement and a redemption.
We understand why ordinances and covenants are necessary.
We understand the necessity for baptism by immersion for the remission of sins. We understand why we renew that covenant by partaking of the sacrament. CR1983Oct:22
553. Our spirit bodies are in the same form as the spirit body of Jesus Christ.
John R. Winder, Anthon H. Lund
(First Presidency)
All men and women are in the similitude of the universal Father and Mother, and are literally the sons and daughters of Deity.
"God created man in His own image." This is just as true of the spirit as it is of the body, which is only the clothing of the spirit, its complement; the two together constituting the soul. The spirit of man is in the form of man, and the spirits of all creatures are in the likeness of their bodies. This was plainly taught by the Prophet Joseph Smith (D&C 77:2). MOFP4:203
The nature of the spirit is plainly revealed in the scriptures. A clear word picture of a spirit is recorded in the third chapter of Ether in the Book of Mormon, which gives an account of the appearance of Jesus Christ, as a spirit, some 2200 years before he was born to Mary in the flesh. The record says that Jesus stood before the brother of Jared in the form and likeness of man and said:
". . . Behold, I am Jesus Christ. . . .
". . . Seest thou that ye are created after mine own image? Yea, even all men were created in the beginning after mine own image.
"Behold, this body, which ye now behold, is the body of my spirit; and man have I created after the body of my spirit; and even as I appear unto thee to be in the spirit will I appear unto my people in the flesh."
Corroborating this truth, Jesus declared to Joseph Smith, as late as 1833:
". . . I was in the beginning with the Father, and am the First-born [meaning, of course, the firstborn spirit];
"Ye were also in the beginning with the Father; that which is Spirit. . . ." (D&C 93:21,23) CR1973Apr:134
Q. What are we to understand by the four beasts, spoken of in the same verse?
A. They are figurative expressions, used by the Revelator, John, in describing heaven, the paradise of God, the happiness of man, and of beasts, and of creeping things, and of the fowls of the air; 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 in the likeness of his person, as also the spirit of the beast, and every other creature which God has created. (Revelation in connection with his translating of the scriptures—Revelation 4:6March 1832) D&C 77:2
But we do know that our Eternal Father . . . lives in the family unit. We do know that we are his children, created in his image, endowed with power and ability to become like him. CR1974Apr:103
also quoting Jesus
And it came to pass that when the brother of Jared had said these words, behold, the Lord stretched forth his hand and touched the stones one by one with his finger. And the veil was taken from off the eyes of the brother of Jared, and he saw the finger of the Lord; and it was as the finger of a man, like unto flesh and blood; and the brother of Jared fell down before the Lord, for he was struck with fear.
7. And the Lord saw that the brother of Jared had fallen to the earth; and the Lord said unto him: Arise, why hast thou fallen?
8. And he saith unto the Lord: I saw the finger of the Lord, and I feared lest he should smite me; for I knew not that the Lord had flesh and blood.
9. And the Lord said unto him: Because of thy faith thou hast seen that I shall take upon me flesh and blood; and never has man come before me with such exceeding faith as thou hast; for were it not so ye could not have seen my finger. Sawest thou more than this?
10. And he answered: Nay; Lord, show thyself unto me.
11. And the Lord said unto him: Believest thou the words which I shall speak?
12. And he answered: Yea, Lord, I know that thou speakest the truth, for thou art a God of truth, and canst not lie.
13. And when he had said these words, behold, the Lord showed himself unto him, and said: Because thou knowest these things ye are redeemed from the fall; therefore ye are brought back into my presence; therefore I show myself unto you.
14. Behold, I am he who was prepared from the foundation of the world to redeem my people. Behold, I am Jesus Christ. I am the Father and the Son. In me shall all mankind have life, and that eternally, even they who shall believe on my name; and they shall become my sons and my daughters.
15. And never have I showed myself unto man whom I have created, for never has man believed in me as thou hast. Seest thou that ye are created after mine own image? Yea, even all men were created in the beginning after mine own image.
16. Behold, this body, which ye now behold, is the body of my spirit; and man have I created after the body of my spirit; and even as I appear unto thee to be in the spirit will I appear unto my people in the flesh. (Christ, before he is born into the world, shows himself to be in the image of man) Ether 3:6-16
554. The spirits of people and the spirits of animals and plants in the premortal world were in the same form as their mortal bodies.
John R. Winder, Anthon H. Lund
(First Presidency)
The spirit of man is in the form of man, and the spirits of all creatures are in the likeness of their bodies. This was plainly taught by the Prophet Joseph Smith (D&C 77:2). (From an Official Statement of the First Presidency, IE1909Nov:75-81) MOFP4:203
Man and all forms of life existed as spirit beings and entities before the foundations of this earth were laid. There were spirit men and spirit beasts, spirit fowls and spirit fishes, spirit plants and spirit trees. Every creeping thing, every herb and shrub, every amoeba and tadpole, every elephant and dinosaur—all things—existed as spirits, as spirit beings before they were placed naturally upon the earth. (The Millennial Messiah, pp. 642-43) DGSM:16
Q. What are we to understand by the four beasts, spoken of in the same verse?
A. They are figurative expressions, used by the Revelator, John, in describing heaven, the paradise of God, the happiness of man, and of beasts, and of creeping things, and of the fowls of the air; 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 in the likeness of his person, as also the spirit of the beast, and every other creature which God has created. (Revelation in connection with his translating of the scriptures—Revelation 4:6March 1832) D&C 77:2
translating the Book of Moses
And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew. For I, the Lord God, created all things, of which I have spoken, spiritually, before they were naturally upon the face of the earth. For I, the Lord God, had not caused it to rain upon the face of the earth. And I, the Lord God, had created all the children of men; and not yet a man to till the ground; for in heaven created I them; and there was not yet flesh upon the earth, neither in the water, neither in the air; . . .
7. And I, the Lord God, formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul, the first flesh upon the earth, the first man also; nevertheless, all things were before created; but spiritually were they created and made according to my word. (The Lord reveals to Moses the creation of the earth and of man) Moses 3:5,7
These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens,
5. 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 not a man to till the ground. (Revelation to Moses with respect to the Creation) Genesis 2:4-5
Related Witnesses:
The spirit of man consists of an organization of the elements of spiritual matter in the likeness and after the pattern of the fleshly tabernacle. It possesses, in fact, all the organs and parts exactly corresponding to the outward tabernacle. (Key to the Science of Theology, p. 79) DGSM:14
555. We were instructed and prepared for earth life in the premortal world.
In the pre-existence we dwelt in the presence of God our Father. When the time arrived for us to be advanced in the scale of our existence and pass through this mundane probation, councils were held and the spirit children were instructed in matters pertaining to conditions in mortal life, and the reason for such an existence. (Doctrines of Salvation, 1:57) DGSM:14
Our spirits existed before they came to this world. They were in the councils of the heavens before the foundations of the earth were laid. We were there. We sang together with the heavenly hosts for joy when the foundations of the earth were laid, and when the plan of our existence upon this earth and redemption were mapped out. We were there; we were interested, and we took a part in this great preparation. We were unquestionably present in those councils when that wonderful circumstance occurred when Satan offered himself as a savior of the world if he could but receive the honor and glory of the Father for doing it. But Jesus said, "Father, thy will be done, and the glory be thine forever." Wherefore, because Satan rebelled against God, and sought to destroy the agency of man, the Father rejected him and he was cast out, but Jesus was accepted. We were, no doubt, there, and took part in all those scenes, we were vitally concerned in the carrying out of these great plans and purposes, we understood them, and it was for our sakes they were decreed, and are to be consummated. (Gospel Doctrine, pp. 93-94) TLDP:494-95
We are his offspring. We were spirit children: he was glorified and exalted in the life that went before. We could tell the difference between our spirit bodies and the glorified and exalted body which he possessed. He taught us eternal truths: there came into our hearts the great desire to progress and advance and become like him so that we could have glorified and exalted bodies and so that we could live in the family unit as he lived in the family unit. And as a consequence, he ordained and established what is called a plan of salvation. The Prophet Joseph Smith said, "God, himself, finding he was in the midst of spirits and glory," ordained laws whereby they progress and become like him. ACR(Brisbane)1976:14
When we lived in the other life we had no doubt some understanding with reference to our duties in this life when we were permitted to come to this our second estate. And very likely we put ourselves under certain obligations that we would discharge certain duties devolving upon us when we came here into our second estate. And we had rendered ourselves worthy to come upon this earth for the purpose of securing those blessings that could only be obtained by observing the laws pertaining to our present estate. CR1898Apr:12
Even before they were born, they, with many others, received their first lessons in the world of spirits and were prepared to come forth in the due time of the Lord to labor in his vineyard for the salvation of the souls of men. (Vision regarding the Savior's visit to the spirits of the dead, Oct. 3, 1918) D&C 138:56
One of the most exhilarating moments of your life—when you were filled with anticipation, excitement, and gratitude—you are not able to remember. That experience occurred in the premortal life when you were informed that finally your time had come to leave the spirit world to dwell on earth with a mortal body. You knew you could learn through personal experience the lessons that would bring happiness on earth, lessons that would eventually lead you to exaltation and eternal life as a glorified, celestial being in the presence of your Holy Father and His Beloved Son. You understood that there would be challenges, for you would live in an environment of both righteous and evil influences. Yet surely you resolved no matter what the cost, no matter what the effort, suffering, and testing, you would return victorious. (CR 2001Apr; First Things First, Ensign, May 2001, p.6)
Related Witnesses:
Our spirits . . . were in the councils of the heavens before the foundations of the earth were laid. We were there. We sang together with the heavenly hosts for joy when the foundations of the earth were laid, and when the plan of our existence upon this earth and redemption were mapped out. We were there; we were interested, and we took a part in this great preparation. . . . We were vitally concerned in the carrying out of these great plans and purposes, we understood them, and it was for our sakes they were decreed, and are to be consummated. (Gospel Doctrine, pp. 93-94) MPSG1985:78-79
We are in the world for a purpose. We are not here accidentally. We came here because we were willing to come, and because it was the wish of our Father in heaven that we should come.
We undoubtedly saw very clearly that there was no other way for us to secure what the Father had in store for us. CR1901Apr:2
quoted by Elder Joseph Fielding Smith
At the first organization in heaven we were all present, and saw the Savior chosen and appointed and the plan of salvation made, and we sanctioned it. (At the organization of a school of instruction, Jan. 1841) TPJS:181; MPSG1987:39; DGSM:21
quoted by Joseph Smith
And there stood one among them that was like unto God, and he said unto those who were with him: We will go down, for there is space there, and we will take of these materials, and we will make an earth whereon these may dwell;
25. And we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them;
26. And they who keep their first estate shall be added upon; and they who keep not their first estate shall not have glory in the same kingdom with those who keep their first estate; and they who keep their second estate shall have glory added upon their heads for ever and ever.
27. And the Lord said: Whom shall I send? And one answered like unto the Son of Man: Here am I, send me. And another answered and said: Here am I, send me. And the Lord said: I will send the first. (Abraham learns of pre-earth life and foreordination) Abraham 3:24-27
Abraham's account of the great pre-earth heavenly council identifies both God and Satan as participators in that council. (Read Abraham 3.)
Marvelous and important is the knowledge revealed in that account—knowledge of things as they were in the distant past, concerning God the Father and his spirit children, and concerning his plans for the creation of this earth. It refers to the gospel plan and identifies Christ and Satan. CR1971Apr:22-23
Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness;
2. In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began; (Letter to his companion Titus, about A.D. 64) Titus 1:1-2
One of the saddest examples of a misconceived and twisted knowledge of an otherwise glorious concept is the all-too-common heresy that there were two plans of salvation; that the Father (presumptively at a loss to know what to do) asked others for proposals; that Christ offered a plan involving agency and Lucifer proposed a plan denying agency; that the Father chose between them; and that Lucifer, his plan being rejected, rebelled, and then there was war in heaven.
Even a cursory knowledge of the overall scheme of things reassures spiritually discerning persons that all things center in the Father; that the plan of salvation which he designed was to save his children, Christ included; and that neither Christ nor Lucifer could of themselves save anyone. As Jesus said: 'The Son can do nothing of himself. . . . I can of mine own self do nothing.' (John 5:19,30)
There is, of course, a sense in which we may refer to Lucifer's proposed modifications of the Father's plan as Lucifer's plan, and Christ made the Father's plan his own by adoption. But what is basically important in this respect is to know that the power to save is vested in the Father, and that he originated, ordained, created, and established his own plan; that he announced it to his children; and that he then asked for a volunteer to be the Redeemer, the Deliverer, the Messiah, who would put the eternal plan of the Eternal Father into eternal operation. (The Mortal Messiah, pp. 48-49 n.3) DGSM:15
The first principles of man are self-existent with God. God himself, finding he was in the midst of spirits and glory, because he was more intelligent, saw proper to institute laws where by the rest could have a privilege to advance like himself. The relationship we have with God places us in a situation to advance in knowledge. He has power to institute laws to instruct the weaker intelligences, that they may be exalted with Himself, so that they might have one glory upon another, and all that knowledge, power, glory, and intelligence, which is requisite in order to save them in the world of spirits. (To the Church in general conference—to a congregation of 20,000—"King Follett Sermon," April 7, 1844) (See HC6:302-17, also see The Words of Joseph Smith, pp. 340-62) HC6:312
556. When the plan of salvation was presented in the premortal world, each person had the opportunity of accepting or rejecting it.
quoted by Elder Joseph Fielding Smith
At the first organization in heaven we were all present, and saw the Savior chosen and appointed and the plan of salvation made, and we sanctioned it. (Jan. 1841, at organization of a school of instruction) TPJS:181; MPSG1987:39
When the plan of redemption was presented and Jesus was chosen to be the Redeemer of the world, some rebelled. They were not willing to accept him as "the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world." . . . In this great rebellion in heaven, Lucifer, or Satan, a son of the morning, and one-third of the hosts thereof were cast out into the earth because Lucifer sought to destroy the free agency of man and the one-third of the spirits sided with him. He sought the throne of God, and put forth his plan in boldness in that great council, declaring that he would save all, that not one soul should be lost, provided God would give him the glory and the honor. When his plan was rejected for a better one, he rebelled and said, as Isaiah states the case: "I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God. . . . I will be like the Most High.". . .
There were no neutrals in the war in heaven. All took sides either with Christ or with Satan. (Doctrines of Salvation, 1:64,64-66) TLDP:495
In our pre-existent state, in the day of the great council, we made a certain agreement with the Almighty. The Lord proposed a plan, conceived by him. [ed. note: conceived by the Almighty God; see Bruce R. McConkie, above, in D-555] We accepted it. Since the plan is intended for all men, we become parties to the salvation of every person under the plan. We agreed, right then and there, to be not only saviors for ourselves, but measurably saviors for the whole human family. We went into partnership with the Lord. The working out of the plan became then not merely the Father's work, and the Savior's work, but also our work. The least of us, the humblest, is in partnership with the Almighty in achieving the purpose of the eternal plan of salvation. . . . (Utah Genealogical and Historical Magazine, Oct. 1934) MPSG1967:87
Related Witnesses:
quoted by Mormon
And this is the manner after which they were ordained—being called and prepared from the foundation of the world according to the foreknowledge of God, on account of their exceeding faith and good works; in the first place being left to choose good or evil; therefore they having chosen good, and exercising exceedingly great faith, are called with a holy calling, yea, with that holy calling which was prepared with, and according to, a preparatory redemption for such.
4. And thus they have been called to this holy calling on account of their faith, while others would reject the Spirit of God on account of the hardness of their hearts and blindness of their minds, while, if it had not been for this they might have had as great privilege as their brethren.
5. Or in fine, in the first place they were on the same standing with their brethren; thus this holy calling being prepared from the foundation of the world for such as would not harden their hearts, being in and through the atonement of the Only Begotten Son, who was prepared—(Alma instructs the people how God calls and ordains men to teach, about 82 B.C.) Alma 13:3-5
557. Memory of our premortal existence was taken from us when we were sent to earth.
When God created the earth and placed our first parents upon it, He did not leave them without knowledge concerning Himself. It is true that there had been taken from them the remembrance of their pre-existent life, but in His tender mercy He talked with them and later He sent His choice servants to instruct them in the things pertaining to eternal life. CR1928Oct:90-91
Back there [in the premortal life] we were tested as spirit beings, down here we were to be tested as mortal beings, as individuals having mortal bodies which would be subject to the lusts and appetites of mortality—of the flesh. Whereas, back there we underwent a test to determine how we would keep the commandments when we walked by sight and when we were in the presence of the Eternal Father, down here we were to undergo a test to determine how we would respond to his laws when we walked by faith and no longer remembered the life that we had in his presence. ACR(Brisbane)1976:14
also quoting Orson Hyde
and Elder Joseph F. Smith
Agreeing to enter this second estate . . . was like agreeing in advance to anesthetic—the anesthetic of forgetfulness. Doctors do not de-anesthetize a patient, in the midst of what was previously authorized, to ask him, again, if it should be continued. We agreed to come here and to undergo certain experiences under certain conditions.
Elder Orson Hyde said, "We have forgotten . . . But our forgetfulness cannot alter the facts." (JD7:315) Yet, on occasions, there are inklings. President Joseph F. Smith observed how "we often catch spark from the awakened memories of the immortal soul, which lights up our whole being as with the glory of our former home." (Gospel Doctrine, p. 14) CR1985Oct:21
quoted by John A. Widtsoe
I want to tell you, each and every one of you, that you are well acquainted with God our Heavenly Father, or the great Elohim. You are all well acquainted with him, for there is not a soul of you but what has lived in his house and dwelt with him year after year; and yet you are seeking to become acquainted with him, when the fact is, you have merely forgotten what you did know. (In Tabernacle, Feb. 1857, JD4:216) DBY:50
Notwithstanding this fact that our recollection of former things was taken away, the character of our lives in the spirit world has much to do with our disposition, desires and mentality here in mortal life. The spirit influences the body to a great extent, just as the body in its desires and cravings has an influence on the spirit. The Lord has caused it to be so, therefore those who were "noble and great ones" in that former world, the Lord fore-ordained to be his prophets and rulers here; for he knew them before they were born, and through the action of the spirit on the body, he knows they will be likely to serve him here. Environment and many other causes, however, have great influence on the progress and destiny of man, but we must not lose sight of the fact that the characteristics of the spirit which were developed through many ages of a former existence play a very important part in our progression through mortal life. ("Is Man Immortal?" IE1916Mar:426) TLDP:496
Related Witnesses:
Our knowledge of persons and things before we came here, combined with the divinity awakened within our souls through obedience to the gospel, powerfully affects, in my opinion, all our likes and dislikes, and guides our preferences in the course of this life, provided we give careful heed to the admonitions of the Spirit.
All those salient truths which come home so forcibly to the head and heart seem but the awakening of the memories of the spirit. Can we know anything here that we did not know before we came? Are not the means of knowledge in the first estate equal to those of this? I think that the spirit, before and after this probation, possess greater facilities, aye, manifold greater, for the acquisition of knowledge, than while manacled and shut up in the prison-house of mortality. (Letter to O. F. Whitney, about 1883) TLDP:496; MPSG1970-71:27-28
558. We are spirit children of God—His literal offspring.
John R. Winder, Anthon H. Lund
(First Presidency)
All men and women are in the similitude of the universal Father and Mother, and are literally the sons and daughters of Deity. "God created man in His own image." This is just as true of the spirit as it is of the body, which is only the clothing of the spirit, its complement; the two together constituting the soul. The spirit of man is in the form of man, and the spirits of all creatures are in the likeness of their bodies. This was plainly taught by the Prophet Joseph Smith (D&C 77:2). (From an official statement of First Presidency, IE1909Nov:75-81) MOFP4:203
It does seem strange that so many people doubt our divine ancestry, and that God is the Father of our spirits; yet from the very beginning, from the very earliest period of which we have any record in this world, He has been teaching men and women this fact. . . . CR1928Oct:90-91
quoted by John A. Widtsoe
Things were first created spiritually: the Father actually begat the spirits, and they were brought forth and lived with him. . . ." (In Tabernacle, Feb. 8, 1857, JD4:218) DBY:50
quoted by John A. Widtsoe
We are all his children. We are his sons and daughters naturally, and by the principles of eternal life. We are brethren and sisters. (In new Tabernacle, May 1970, JD13:178) DBY:53
That man is a child of God is the most important knowledge available to mortals. Such knowledge is beyond the ken of the uninspired mind. Neither logic, science, philosophy, nor any other field of worldly learning has ever been, or ever will be, able to find it out. Those who limit their search to such learning techniques will continue to be as they always have been, "Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth." (2 Timothy 3:7)
The only means by which such knowledge can be had is divine revelation. Fortunately for us . . . it has been so revealed repeatedly from Adam until today. CR1973Apr:136
But we do know that our Eternal Father . . . lives in the family unit. We do know that we are his children, created in his image, endowed with power and ability to become like him. CR1974Apr:103
That by him, and through him, and of him, the worlds are and were created, and the inhabitants thereof are begotten sons and daughters unto God. (Vision to Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon, Feb. 16, 1832) D&C 76:24
The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: (Paul writes to the Church in Rome, about A.D. 55) Romans 8:16
Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? (Paul writes to the Jewish members of the Church, about A.D. 60) Hebrews 12:9
The theory that man is other than the offspring of God has been, and, so long as it is accepted and acted upon, will be, a major factor in blocking man's spiritual growth and in corrupting his morals. . . .
The concept that man is a beast relieves him of a sense of accountability and encourages him to adopt the fatalistic attitude of "eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die.". . .
The aspirations, desires, and motivations of one who accepts, believes, and by the power of the Holy Spirit obtains a witness to the truth that he is a begotten son or daughter unto God differs from the aspirations of him who believes otherwise, as the growing vine differs from the severed branch.
Knowing that he is a child of God, one does not doubt whether to "deem himself a God or Beast." He is not of "chaos . . . thought," driven by "passion" and "all confused." He is not "fix'd like a plant on his peculiar spot, to draw nutrition, propagate, and rot." He thinks of himself, as the scriptures teach, possessed of the innate ability, as are all other reproducing offspring, to reach in final maturity the status of his heavenly parents and have "glory added upon [his] head for ever and ever." (Abraham 3:26) This is his goal. [Quotations are from Alexander Pope] CR1973Apr:135-36
Related Witnesses:
Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device. (Paul preaches on Mars' Hill about the Unknown God) Acts 17:29
To begin with, there is a God in heaven who is infinite and eternal, an everlasting, glorified, exalted Being. He has a tabernacle of flesh and bones. He is a resurrected and holy and perfected man, and we are his offspring. We are his spirit children. He lives in the family unit. We are members of his family. We lived in this premortal life with him for an infinite period of time. We were on probation; we were being schooled and tested and examined; we were given the laws and the circumstances so that we could progress and advance. What he did for us was to ordain a plan of salvation. ("Making Our Calling and Election Sure," Brigham Young University Speeches of the Year, pp. 5-6) MPSG1974-75:8
translating the Book of Moses
And I, the Lord God, had created all the children of men; and not yet a man to till the ground; for in heaven created I them; and there was not yet flesh upon the earth, neither in the water, neither in the air; (The Lord reveals to Moses the creation of the earth and of man) Moses 3:5
559. As spirit children of God in the premortal world we were not all alike; each of us had different talents and dispositions.
The spirits of men were not equal. They may have had an equal start, and we know they were all innocent in the beginning; but the right of free agency which was given to them enabled some to outstrip others, and thus, through the eons of immortal existence, to become more intelligent, more faithful for they were free to act for themselves, to receive the truth or rebel against it. (Doctrines of Salvation, 1:59) MPSG1985:78
Being subject to law, and having their agency, all the spirits of men, while yet in the Eternal Presence, developed aptitudes, talents, capacities, and abilities of every sort, kind, and degree. During the long expanse of life which then was, an infinite variety of talents and abilities came into being. As the ages rolled, no two spirits remained alike. Mozart became a musician; Einstein centered his interest in mathematics; Michelangelo turned his attention to painting. Cain was a liar, a schemer, a rebel who maintained a close affinity to Lucifer. Abraham and Moses and all of the prophets sought and obtained the talent for spirituality. Mary and Eve were two of the greatest of all the spirit daughters of the Father. The whole house of Israel, known and segregated out from their fellows, was inclined toward spiritual things. And so it went through all the hosts of heaven, each individual developing such talents and abilities as his soul desired. (The Mortal Messiah, 1:23) TLDP:497
Thus the natures, dispositions, and tendencies of men are known to the Father of their spirits, even before they are born into mortality. The word of the Lord came unto Jeremiah, telling him that before he was conceived in the flesh he had been ordained to be a prophet unto the nations. . . .
Doubtless He knows of some spirits that they await only the opportunity of choice between good and evil to choose the latter and to accomplish their own destruction. . . . There are others whose integrity and faithfulness have been demonstrated in their pristine state; the Father knows how unreservedly they may be trusted, and many of them are called even in their mortal youth to special and exalted labors as commissioned servants of the Most High. AF:172-74
quoted by Joseph Smith
Now the Lord had shown unto me, Abraham, the intelligences that were organized before the world was; and among all these there were many of the noble and great ones;
23. And God saw these souls that they were good, and he stood in the midst of them, and he said: These I will make my rulers; for he stood among those that were spirits, and he saw that they were good; and he said unto me: Abraham, thou art one of them; thou wast chosen before thou wast born.
24. And there stood one among them that was like unto God, and he said unto those who were with him: We will go down, for there is space there, and we will take of these materials, and we will make an earth whereon these may dwell;
25. And we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them; (Abraham learns of pre-earth life and foreordination) Abraham 3:22-25
From this revelation [Abraham 3:23], we may infer two things: first, that there were among those spirits [in pre-mortal life] different degrees of intelligence, varying grades of achievement, retarded and advanced spiritual attainment; second, that there were no national distinctions among those spirits such as Americans, Europeans, Asiatics, Australians, etc. Such "bounds of habitation" would have to be "determined" when the spirits entered their earthly existence or second estate. . . .
. . . . Our place in this world would then be determined by our own advancement or condition in the pre-mortal state, just as our place in our future existence will be determined by what we do here in mortality.
When, therefore, the Creator said to Abraham, and to others of his attainment, "You I will make my rulers," there could exist no feeling of envy or jealousy among the million other spirits, for those who were "good and great" were but receiving their just reward. (Home Memories of President David O. McKay, pp. 228-30) DGSM:14
The spirits of men were created with different dispositions and likes and talents. Some evidently were mechanically inclined, from them have come our inventors. Some loved music and hence they have become great musicians. We evidently brought to this world some if not all of the inclinations and talents that we had there. The fact that one person finds one bent, like mathematics easy and another finds it difficult, may, in my judgment, be traced to the spirit existence. So with other talents and skills. It was these characteristics that enabled our Eternal Father to choose certain individuals for certain work on the earth, such as Adam, Abraham, Moses and Joseph Smith. The Lord chose Cyrus and named him one hundred years before he was born to perform the work assigned to him on the earth. It is my judgment that thousands of others were chosen for their special fields because they showed talents and dispositions in that spirit world. (Answers to Gospel Questions, 5:138-39) TLDP:202
In this prior life, this premortal existence, this preexistence, we developed various capacities and talents. Some developed them in one field and some in another. The most important of all fields was the field of spirituality, the ability, the talent, the capacity to recognize truth. ("Making Our Calling and Election Sure," Brigham Young University Speeches of the Year, 1969, pp. 5-6) MPSG1974-75:9
When we come into mortality, we bring the talents, capacities, and abilities acquired by obedience to law in our prior existence. Mozart composed and published sonatas when but eight years of age because he was born with musical talent. Melchizedek came into this world with such faith and spiritual capacity that "when a child he feared God, and stopped the mouths of lions, and quenched the violence of fire." (Genesis 14:26Inspired Version) CR1974Apr:103; MPSG1976-77:221-22
560. In the premortal world the Lord called (foreordained) certain persons to fulfill special assignments and missions on earth.
The work to be done by John the Baptist, by the ancient Twelve, by Columbus, by the signers of the Declaration of Independence, and by the framers of the Constitution of the United States were all known and arranged for in advance. And all these are but illustrations and patterns, for all of the Lord's work is planned and prepared in advance, and those who are called and chosen to do the work receive their commission and ordination from him, first in the preexistence and then, if they remain true and faithful, again here in mortality. CR1974Apr:102-03; MPSG1987:42
There are thousands of men upon the earth today, among the Saints of God, of whom it was decreed before they came that they should occupy the positions they have occupied and do occupy, and many of them have performed their part and gone home; others are left to still fulfill the duties and responsibilities devolving upon them. (At funeral service of Bishop Miller, July 24, 1882, JD23:177) TLDP:202
Here we are a handful of people chosen out of some twelve or fourteen hundred millions of people; and my faith in regard to this matter is that before we were born . . . we were chosen to come forth in this day and generation and do the work which God has designed should be done. (In Assembly Hall, July 3, 1880, JD21:193) TLDP:202
The spirits of men were created with different dispositions and likes and talents. Some evidently were mechanically inclined, from them have come our inventors. Some loved music and hence they have become great musicians. We evidently brought to this world some if not all of the inclinations and talents that we had there. The fact that one person finds one bent, like mathematics easy and another finds it difficult, may, in my judgment, be traced to the spirit existence. So with other talents and skills. It was these characteristics that enabled our Eternal Father to choose certain individuals for certain work on the earth, such as Adam, Abraham, Moses and Joseph Smith. The Lord chose Cyrus and named him one hundred years before he was born to perform the work assigned to him on the earth. It is my judgment that thousands of others were chosen for their special fields because they showed talents and dispositions in that spirit world. (Answers to Gospel Questions, 5:138-39) TLDP:202
During the ages in which we dwelt in the pre-mortal state we not only developed our various characteristics and showed our worthiness and ability, or the lack of it, but we were also where such progress could be observed. It is reasonable to believe that there was a Church organization there. The heavenly beings were living in a perfectly arranged society. Every person knew his place. Priesthood, without any question, had been conferred and the leaders were chosen to officiate. Ordinances pertaining to that pre-existence were required and the love of God prevailed. Under such conditions it was natural for our Father to discern and choose those who were most worthy and evaluate the talents of each individual. He knew not only what each of us could do, but what each of us would do when put to the test and when responsibility was given us. Then, when the time came for our habitation on mortal earth, all things were prepared and the servants of the Lord chosen and ordained to their respective missions. (The Way to Perfection, pp. 50-51) DGSM:14
Related Witnesses:
There was only one Christ, and there is only one Mary. Each was noble and great in the preexistence, and each was foreordained to the ministry he or she performed. We cannot but think that the Father would choose the greatest female spirit to be the mother of his Son, even as he chose the male spirit like unto him to be the Savior. (The Millennial Messiah, pp. 326-27, n.4) MPSG1987:41
And I said unto him: A virgin, most beautiful and fair above all other virgins.
16. And he said unto me: Knowest thou the condescension of God?
17. And I said unto him: I know that he loveth his children; nevertheless, I do not know the meaning of all things.
18. And he said unto me: Behold, the virgin whom thou seest is the mother of the Son of God, after the manner of the flesh.
19. And it came to pass that I beheld that she was carried away in the Spirit; and after she had been carried away in the Spirit for the space of a time the angel spake unto me, saying: Look 20. And I looked and beheld the virgin again, bearing a child in her arms. (Nephi in a vision sees Mary, the mother of the Son of God, hundreds of years before her coming to earth, 600-592 B.C.) 1 Nephi 11:15-20
And I looked and beheld a man among the Gentiles, who was separated from the seed of my brethren by the many waters; and I beheld the Spirit of God, that it came down and wrought upon the man; and he went forth upon the many waters, even unto the seed of my brethren, who were in the promised land.
13. And it came to pass that I beheld the Spirit of God, that it wrought upon other Gentiles; and they went forth out of captivity, upon the many waters. (An angel shows Nephi the discovery and colonizing of America, 600-592 B.C.) 1 Nephi 13:12-13
receiving the Word of the Lord
And for this purpose have I established the Constitution of this land, by the hands of wise men whom I raised up unto this very purpose, and redeemed the land by the shedding of blood. (Revelation at the time of great persecution in Missouri, Dec. 16, 1833, affirming the purpose of the Constitution was to protect the rights and agency of individuals—see verses 77-79) D&C 101:80
561. In the premortal world the Lord chose those who were to be rulers in the church of God on earth.
quoted by Elder Joseph Fielding Smith
Every man who has a calling to minister to the inhabitants of the world was ordained to that very purpose in the Grand Council of heaven before this world was. I suppose I was ordained to this very office in that Grand Council. (Sunday sermon at the Stand in Nauvoo, Ill., May 1844) TPJS:365; DGSM:57; MPSG1987:40
I observed that they [The Prophet Joseph Smith, and my father, Hyrum Smith, Brigham Young, John Taylor, Wilford Woodruff, and other choice spirits who were reserved to come forth in the fulness of times to take part in laying the foundations of the great latter-day work] were also among the noble and great ones who were chosen in the beginning to be rulers in the Church of God.
56. Even before they were born, they, with many others, received their first lessons in the world of spirits and were prepared to come forth in the due time of the Lord to labor in his vineyard for the salvation of the souls of men. (Vision regarding the Savior's visit to the spirits of the dead, Oct. 3, 1918) D&C 138:55-56
No doubt all the prominent men who have figured in any dispensation of the Gospel since the days of our father, Adam, until the present, were inspired of the Almighty from their childhood, and were chosen and selected even from or before their birth. (In Assembly Hall, Feb. 17, 1884, JD25:52) TLDP:201
I believe that Spencer W. Kimball was foreordained to be the president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; to be the prophet, seer, and revelator to the Lord's people; and to be the mouthpiece of God on earth for the time and season that lies ahead. . . .
But more than mortal birth, more than mortal preparation are involved. He was born in the household of faith for a reason, and it was not this life alone that prepared him to stand as a minister of light and truth and salvation to his fellow mortals. The fact is, he is a spirit son of God who was called and chosen and foreordained before the foundations of the earth were laid, and he is now fulfilling the destiny designed for him from the preexistence, and promised him, in our presence, as we sat with him in the grand council when God himself was there. . . . President Kimball now wears the mantle of Joseph Smith and was a participant in the operation of the same law of foreordination. CR1974Apr:100-01; MPSG1975-76:53
May I say there is no chance involved in the call of these brethren to direct the Lord's work on earth. . . . He selects and foreordains his ministers; he sends them to earth at the times before appointed; he guides and directs their continuing mortal preparations; and he then calls them to those positions they were foreordained to receive from before the foundations of the earth. CR1974Apr:101
quoted by Joseph Smith
Now the Lord had shown unto me, Abraham, the intelligences that were organized before the world was; and among all these there were many of the noble and great ones;
23. And God saw these souls that they were good, and he stood in the midst of them, and he said: These I will make my rulers; for he stood among those that were spirits, and he saw that they were good; and he said unto me: Abraham, thou art one of them; thou wast chosen before thou wast born.
24. And there stood one among them that was like unto God, and he said unto those who were with him: We will go down, for there is space there, and we will take of these materials, and we will make an earth whereon these may dwell;
25. And we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them; (Abraham learns of pre-earth life and foreordination) Abraham 3:22-25
quoted by Mormon
And this is the manner after which they were ordained—being called and prepared from the foundation of the world according to the foreknowledge of God, on account of their exceeding faith and good works; in the first place being left to choose good or evil; therefore they having chosen good, and exercising exceedingly great faith, are called with a holy calling, yea, with that holy calling which was prepared with, and according to, a preparatory redemption for such.
4. And thus they have been called to this holy calling on account of their faith, while others would reject the Spirit of God on account of the hardness of their hearts and blindness of their minds, while, if it had not been for this they might have had as great privilege as their brethren.
5. Or in fine, in the first place they were on the same standing with their brethren; thus this holy calling being prepared from the foundation of the world for such as would not harden their hearts, being in and through the atonement of the Only Begotten Son, who was prepared—(Alma instructs the people how God calls and ordains men to teach, about 82 B.C.) Alma 13:3-5
Joseph Smith was ordained before he came here, the same as Jeremiah was. Said the Lord unto him, "Before you were begotten I knew you," etc.
So do I believe with regard to this people, so do I believe with regard to the apostles, the high priests, seventies and the elders of Israel bearing the holy priesthood. I believe they were ordained before they came here; and I believe the God of Israel has raised them up, and has watched over them from their youth, and has carried them through all the scenes of life both seen and unseen, and has prepared them as instruments in his hands to take this kingdom and bear it off. If this be so, what manner of men ought we to be? If anything under the heavens should humble men before the Lord and before one another, it should be the fact that we have been called of God. (General conference, Oct. 10, 1880, JD21:317) TLDP:202
Related Witnesses:
quoted by John A. Widtsoe
It was decreed in the counsels of eternity, long before the foundations of the earth were laid, that he, Joseph Smith, should be the man, in the last dispensation of this world, to bring forth the word of God to the people, and receive the fulness of the keys and power of the Priesthood of the Son of God. The Lord had his eyes upon him, and upon his father, and upon his father's father, and upon their progenitors clear back to Abraham, and from Abraham to the flood, from the flood to Enoch, and from Enoch to Adam. He has watched that family and that blood as it has circulated from its fountain to the birth of that man. He was fore-ordained in eternity to preside over this last dispensation. (In Tabernacle, Oct. 1859, JD7:289) DBY:108 DGSM:63
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. (Revelation, the word of the Lord to Jeremiah, about 628 B.C.) Jeremiah 1:5
According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: (Letter to the Saints at Ephesus in Asia Minor, about A.D. 62) Ephesians 1:4
562. Demonstrated worthiness was the basis upon which those in the premortal world were called and chosen (foreordained) to minister in the Lord's vineyard on earth.
During the ages in which we dwelt in the pre-mortal state we not only developed our various characteristics and showed our worthiness and ability, or the lack of it, but we were also where such progress could be observed. It is reasonable to believe that there was a Church organization there. The heavenly beings were living in a perfectly arranged society. Every person knew his place. Priesthood, without any question, had been conferred and the leaders were chosen to officiate. Ordinances pertaining to that pre-existence were required and the love of God prevailed. Under such conditions it was natural for our Father to discern and choose those who were most worthy and evaluate the talents of each individual. He knew not only what each of us could do, but what each of us would do when put to the test and when responsibility was given us. Then, when the time came for our habitation on mortal earth, all things were prepared and the servants of the Lord chosen and ordained to their respective missions. (The Way to Perfection, pp. 50-51) DGSM:14
quoted by Mormon
And this is the manner after which they were ordained—being called and prepared from the foundation of the world according to the foreknowledge of God, on account of their exceeding faith and good works; in the first place being left to choose good or evil; therefore they having chosen good, and exercising exceedingly great faith, are called with a holy calling, yea, with that holy calling which was prepared with, and according to, a preparatory redemption for such.
4. And thus they have been called to this holy calling on account of their faith, while others would reject the Spirit of God on account of the hardness of their hearts and blindness of their minds, while, if it had not been for this they might have had as great privilege as their brethren.
5. Or in fine, in the first place they were on the same standing with their brethren; thus this holy calling being prepared from the foundation of the world for such as would not harden their hearts, being in and through the atonement of the Only Begotten Son, who was prepared—(Alma instructs the people how God calls and ordains men to teach, about 82 B.C.) Alma 13:3-5
This election to a chosen lineage is based on pre-existent worthiness and is thus made "according to the foreknowledge of God." (1 Peter 1:2) Those so grouped together during their mortal probation have more abundant opportunities to make and keep the covenants of salvation, a right which they earned by pre-existent devotion to the cause of righteousness. As part of this election, Abraham and others of the noble and great spirits were chosen before they were born for the particular missions assigned to them in this life. (Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, 2:274) MPSG1987:41
Back there [in the premortal life] we were tested as spirit beings, down here we were to be tested as mortal beings, as individuals having mortal bodies which would be subject to the lusts and appetites of mortality—of the flesh. Whereas, back there we underwent a test to determine how we would keep the commandments when we walked by sight and when we were in the presence of the Eternal Father, down here we were to undergo a test to determine how we would respond to his laws when we walked by faith and no longer remembered the life that we had in his presence. ACR(Brisbane)1976:14
From this revelation [Abraham 3:23], we may infer two things: first, that there were among those spirits [in premortal life] different degrees of intelligence, varying grades of achievement, retarded and advanced spiritual attainment; second, that there were no national distinctions among those spirits such as Americans, Europeans, Asiatics, Australians, etc. Such "bounds of habitation" would have to be "determined" when the spirits entered their earthly existence or second estate. . . .
. . . . Our place in this world would then be determined by our own advancement or condition in the pre-mortal state, just as our place in our future existence will be determined by what we do here in mortality.
When, therefore, the Creator said to Abraham, and to others of his attainment, "You I will make my rulers," there could exist no feeling of envy or jealousy among the million other spirits, for those who were "good and great" were but receiving their just reward. (Home Memories of President David O. McKay, pp. 228-30) DGSM:14
563. In the premortal world God knew each of us individually before we were born into mortality.
Thus the natures, dispositions, and tendencies of men are known to the Father of their spirits, even before they are born into mortality. The word of the Lord came unto Jeremiah, telling him that before he was conceived in the flesh he had been ordained to be a prophet unto the nations. . . .
Doubtless He knows of some spirits that they await only the opportunity of choice between good and evil to choose the latter and to accomplish their own destruction. . . . There are others whose integrity and faithfulness have been demonstrated in their pristine state; the Father knows how unreservedly they may be trusted, and many of them are called even in their mortal youth to special and exalted labors as commissioned servants of the Most High. . . .
But we are not left to mere inference on a basis of analogy; the scriptures plainly teach that the spirits of mankind are known and numbered unto God before their earthly advent. In his farewell administration to Israel Moses sang: "Remember the days of old . . . When the Most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel." From this we learn that the earth was allotted to the nations, according to the number of the children of Israel; it is evident therefore that the number was known prior to the existence of the Israelitish nation in the flesh; this is most easily explained on the basis of previous existence in which the spirits of the future nation were known.
No chance is possible, therefore, in the number or extent of the temporal creations of God. The population of the earth is fixed according to the number of spirits appointed to take tabernacles of flesh upon this planet; when these have all come forth in the order and time appointed, then, and not till then, shall the end come. AF:172-76
Under such conditions it was natural for our Father to discern and choose those who were most worthy and evaluate the talents of each individual. He knew not only what each of us could do, but what each of us would do when put to the test and when responsibility was given us. Then, when the time came for our habitation on mortal earth, all things were prepared and the servants of the Lord chosen and ordained to their respective missions. (The Way to Perfection, pp. 50-51) DGSM:14
The numbers of the children of Israel were known and the bounds of their habitation fixed, in the days of old when the Lord divided to the nations their inheritance. We conclude, therefore, that there must have been a division of the spirits of men in the spiritual world, and those who were appointed to be the children of Israel were separated and prepared for a special inheritance. (Doctrines of Salvation, 1:59) TLDP:202-03
This election to a chosen lineage is based on pre-existent worthiness and is thus made "according to the foreknowledge of God." (1 Peter 1:2) Those so grouped together during their mortal probation have more abundant opportunities to make and keep the covenants of salvation, a right which they earned by pre-existent devotion to the cause of righteousness. As part of this election, Abraham and others of the noble and great spirits were chosen before they were born for the particular missions assigned to them in this life. (Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, 2:274) MPSG1987:41
Related Witnesses:
quoted by John A. Widtsoe
I want to tell you, each and every one of you, that you are well acquainted with God our Heavenly Father, or the great Elohim. You are all well acquainted with him, for there is not a soul of you but what has lived in his house and dwelt with him year after year; and yet you are seeking to become acquainted with him, when the fact is, you have merely forgotten what you did know.
There is not a person here to-day but what is a son or a daughter of that Being. In the spirit world their spirits were first begotten and brought forth, and they lived there with their parents for ages before they came here. This, perhaps, is hard for many to believe, but it is the greatest nonsense in the world not to believe it. If you do not believe it, cease to call him Father; and when you pray, pray to some other character. (In Tabernacle, Feb. 8, 1857, JD4:216) DBY:50
Remember the days of old, consider the years of many generations: ask thy father, and he will shew thee; thy elders, and they will tell thee.
8. When the most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel. (Moses ' farewell administration to Israel) Deuteronomy 32:7-8
Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied. (Letter to the churches in modern Asia Minor, about A.D. 60) 1 Peter 1:2
564. Physical deformities upon birth into mortal life are not punishment for misbehavior of the spirit in premortal life.
We must in all reason conclude that some physical defect at birth is due to some accident or other cause that can be laid at the door of mortal conditions and not to some premortal defect or punishment in the spirit world. When the disciples came to the Savior and asked the question concerning the man who was born blind, the question whether this defect came upon him because of a condition existing in the spirit world, he gave them the assurance that such was not the case. We have reason to believe that every spirit that comes into this world was whole and free from such defects in the pre-existence.
We are subject to all the vicissitudes that go with a temporal existence, sickness and physical defects as well as health, but such things will not exist in the world of spirits nor in the kingdom of God after the resurrection. The Lord has made this perfectly clear. (Answers to Gospel Questions) MPSG1972-73:55-56
also quoting Jesus
And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth.
2. And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?
3. Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him. (Jesus heals a man born blind, on the Sabbath ) John 9:1-3
The Savior's teaching that handicaps are not punishment for sin, either in the parents or the handicapped, can also be understood and applied in today's circumstances. How can it possibly be said that an innocent child born with a special problem is being punished? Why should parents who have kept themselves free from social disease, addicting chemicals, and other debilitating substances which might affect their offspring imagine that the birth of a disabled child is some form of divine disapproval? Usually, both the parents and the children are blameless. CR1984Oct:72-73
We are not warranted, however, in assuming that all bodily ills are the result of culpable sin; and against such a conception stands the Lord's combined instruction and rebuke to those who, in the case of a man born blind, asked who had sinned, the man or his parents to bring so grievous an affliction upon him, to which inquiry our Lord replied that the man's blindness was due neither to his own sin nor to that of his parents. JTC:192
Jesus and His disciples saw the sightless one upon the street. The poor man lived by begging. The disciples, eager to learn, asked: "Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?" The Lord's reply was: "Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him." The disciples' question implied their belief in a state of moral agency and choice antedating mortality; else, how could they have thought of the man having sinned so as to bring upon himself congenital blindness? We are expressly told that he was born blind. That he might have been a sufferer from the sins of his parents was conceivable. The disciples evidently had been taught the great truth of an antemortal existence. It is further to be seen that they looked upon bodily affliction as the result of personal sin. Their generalization was too broad; for, while as shown by instances heretofore cited, individual wickedness may and does bring physical ills in its train, man is liable to err in his judgment as to the ultimate cause of affliction. The Lord's reply was sufficing; the man's blindness would be turned to account in bringing about a manifestation of divine power. JTC:412-13
565. Every spirit born on earth is innocent.
Every spirit of man was innocent in the beginning; and God having redeemed man from the fall, men became again, in their infant state, innocent before God. (Revelation, May 6, 1833) D&C 93:38
We learn from this revelation [D&C 93:38] that in the beginning of mortal life all mankind is innocent before God and, therefore, is like the beginning river of water, pure and undefiled. As the polluted tributaries of water enter the main stream, our lives too become polluted when we allow tributaries of evil and wickedness to enter. It is these tributaries of evil we must be concerned about and fortify ourselves against. Wickedness never was happiness, but to the contrary, it is depressing; it destroys conscience and ultimately the spiritual life of the constant, erring individual. CR1971Oct:104
[T]he spirits of men were not equal. They may have had an equal start, and we know they were all innocent in the beginning; but the right of free agency which was given to them enabled some to outstrip others, and thus, through the eons of immortal existence, to become more intelligent, more faithful for they were free to act for themselves, to receive the truth or rebel against it. (Doctrines of Salvation, 1:59) MPSG1985:78
566. The devil rebelled against God in the premortal world, sought to take control of the kingdom of God, and there was war in heaven.
When the plan of redemption was presented and Jesus was chosen to be the Redeemer of the world, some rebelled. They were not willing to accept him as "the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world." . . . In this great rebellion in heaven, Lucifer, or Satan, a son of the morning, and one-third of the hosts thereof were cast out into the earth because Lucifer sought to destroy the free agency of man and the one-third of the spirits sided with him. He sought the throne of God, and put forth his plan in boldness in that great council, declaring that he would save all, that not one soul should be lost, provided God would give him the glory and the honor. When his plan was rejected for a better one, he rebelled and said, as Isaiah states the case: "I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God. . . . I will be like the Most High.". . .
There were no neutrals in the war in heaven. All took sides either with Christ or with Satan. (Doctrines of Salvation, 1:64-66) TLDP:495
And this we saw also, and bear record, that an angel of God who was in authority in the presence of God, who rebelled against the Only Begotten Son whom the Father loved and who was in the bosom of the Father, was thrust down from the presence of God and the Son,
26. And was called Perdition, for the heavens wept over him—he was Lucifer, a son of the morning.
27. And we beheld, and lo, he is fallen is fallen, even a son of the morning 28. And while we were yet in the Spirit, the Lord commanded us that we should write the vision; for we beheld Satan, that old serpent, even the devil, who rebelled against God, and sought to take the kingdom of our God and his Christ—(Vision to Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon, Feb. 16, 1832) D&C 76:25-28
translating the Book of Moses
And I, the Lord God, spake unto Moses, saying: That Satan, whom thou hast commanded in the name of mine Only Begotten, is the same which was from the beginning, and he came before me, saying—Behold, here am I, send me, I will be thy son, and I will redeem all mankind, that one soul shall not be lost, and surely I will do it; wherefore give me thine honor.
2. But, behold, my Beloved Son, which was my Beloved and Chosen from the beginning, said unto me—Father, thy will be done, and the glory be thine forever.
3. Wherefore, because that Satan rebelled against me, and sought to destroy the agency of man, which I, the Lord God, had given him, and also, that I should give unto him mine own power; by the power of mine Only Begotten, I caused that he should be cast down;
4. And he became Satan, yea, even the devil, the father of all lies, to deceive and to blind men, and to lead them captive at his will, even as many as would not hearken unto my voice. (Revelation, 1830; Moses describes the fall of Satan) Moses 4:1-4
receiving the Word of the Lord
And it came to pass that Adam, being tempted of the devil—for, behold, the devil was before Adam, for he rebelled against me, saying, Give me thine honor, which is my power; and also a third part of the hosts of heaven turned he away from me because of their agency;
37. And they were thrust down, and thus came the devil and his angels;
38. And, behold, there is a place prepared for them from the beginning, which place is hell. (Revelation received Sept. 1830; the fall of Adam and the atonement of Christ bring salvation) D&C 29:36-38
I call attention to the war that took place in heaven of which we read in the Bible, the 12th chapter of Revelation, and the Pearl of Great Price [Moses 4:1-4, where one of our Father's sons who was regarded as a noble and great one, presented a plan for our salvation that would oblige us to comply with the law without the exercise of our agency, and he would take away from our Father in heaven his honor and his glory. In that council in heaven the Firstborn of the Father in the spirit came forward with a simple but forceful declaration: "Father, thy will be done, and the glory be thine forever."
The battle was fought, whatever its nature, upon this platform of principles, and we have reason to believe that we were among those who stood with the Savior, our Elder Brother, true and faithful, and those who rebelled were cast out and down. . . . CR1941Oct:20-21
The question then arose [in the pre-mortal heaven], how, and upon what principle, should the salvation, exaltation and eternal glory of God's sons be brought about? It is evident that at that Council certain plans had been proposed and discussed, and that after a full discussion of those principles, and the declaration to the Father's will pertaining to His design, Lucifer came before the Father, with a plan of his own, saying, "Behold I, send me, I will be thy Son, and I will redeem all mankind, that one soul shall not be lost, and surely I will do it; wherefore, give me thine honor." But Jesus, on hearing this statement made by Lucifer, said, "Father, thy will be done, and the glory be thine forever." . . . He also wished the glory to be given to his Father, who, as God the Father, and the originator and designer of the plan, had a right to all the honor and glory. But Lucifer wanted to introduce a plan contrary to the will of his Father, and then wanted His honor, and said; "I will save every soul of man, wherefore give me thine honor." He wanted to go contrary to the will of his Father, and presumptuously sought to deprive man of his free agency . . . and again, Lucifer wanted the honor and power of his Father, to enable him to carry out principles which were contrary to the Father's wish. (The Mediation and Atonement, pp. 93-94) TLDP:494
And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,
8. And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.
9. 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. (John sees the War in Heaven) Revelation 12:7-9
567. As a result of the war in the premortal world, the devil and a third part of the hosts of heaven were thrust out.
receiving the Word of the Lord
And it came to pass that Adam, being tempted of the devil—for, behold, the devil was before Adam, for he rebelled against me, saying, Give me thine honor, which is my power; and also a third part of the hosts of heaven turned he away from me because of their agency;
37. And they were thrust down, and thus came the devil and his angels;
38. And, behold, there is a place prepared for them from the beginning, which place is hell. (Revelation in presence of six elders, Sept. 1830) D&C 29:36-38
We learn that our Father called a council, and the plan of salvation was presented to all. Lucifer rebelled and led away one-third of the spirits, and they were cast out with him. . . .
It was necessary that all should have the plan of salvation placed before them in that spirit existence, otherwise there could have been no rebellion against the plan and if all had not had the privilege of receiving or rejecting it, there could have been no punishment for rebellion. (Answers to Gospel Questions) MPSG1972-73:49-50
The punishment of Satan and the third of the host of heaven who followed him, was that they were denied the privilege of being born into this world and receiving mortal bodies. They did not keep their first estate and were denied the opportunity of eternal progression. The Lord cast them out into the earth, where they became the tempters of mankind—the devil and his angels. (Doctrines of Salvation, 1:65) DGSM:15
quoted by John A. Widtsoe
In regard to the battle in heaven . . . how much of a battle it was I have forgotten. I cannot relate the principal circumstances, it is so long since it happened; but I do not think it lasted very long; for when Lucifer, the Son of the Morning, claimed the privilege of having the control of this earth, and redeeming it, a contention arose; but I do not think it took long to cast down one-third of the hosts of heaven, as it is written in the Bible. But let me tell you that it was one-third part of the spirits who were prepared to take tabernacles upon this earth, and who rebelled against the other two-thirds of the heavenly host; and they were cast down to this world. It is written that they were cast down to the earth. They were cast down to this globe— to this terra firma that you and I walk upon, and whose atmosphere we breathe. One-third part of the spirits that were prepared for this earth rebelled against Jesus Christ, and were cast down to the earth, and they have been opposed to him from that day to this, with Lucifer at their head. He is their general—Lucifer, the Son of the Morning. He was once a brilliant and influential character in heaven, and we will know more about him hereafter. (In Bowery, July 19, 1857, JD5:54-55) DBY:54-55
Related Witnesses:
And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,
8. And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.
9. 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. (The Apostle John sees the War in Heaven) Revelation 12:7-9
For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment; (Peter writes to members of the Church, about A.D. 60 to 64) 2 Peter 2:4
recorded in Luke
And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. (Jesus speaks to the Seventy) Luke 10:18
quoted by Nephi
O the wisdom of God, his mercy and grace For behold, if the flesh should rise no more our spirits must become subject to that angel who fell from before the presence of the Eternal God, and became the devil, to rise no more. (Jacob teaches the Atonement to the people of Nephi, 559-545 B.C.) 2 Nephi 9:8
Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.
13. And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child. (John sees the War in Heaven) Revelation 12:12-13
translating the Book of Moses
Wherefore, because that Satan rebelled against me, and sought to destroy the agency of man, which I, the Lord God, had given him, and also, that I should give unto him mine own power; by the power of mine Only Begotten, I caused that he should be cast down;
4. And he became Satan, yea, even the devil, the father of all lies, to deceive and to blind men, and to lead them captive at his will, even as many as would not hearken unto my voice. (The record of Moses : the Lord describes Satan's rebellion in the premortal world) Moses 4:3-4
How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations 13. For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
14. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.
15. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.
16. They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms; (Lucifer is cast out of heaven for rebellion) Isaiah 14:12-16
And this we saw also, and bear record, that an angel of God who was in authority in the presence of God, who rebelled against the Only Begotten Son whom the Father loved and who was in the bosom of the Father, was thrust down from the presence of God and the Son,
26. And was called Perdition, for the heavens wept over him—he was Lucifer, a son of the morning.
27. And we beheld, and lo, he is fallen is fallen, even a son of the morning 28. And while we were yet in the Spirit, the Lord commanded us that we should write the vision; for we beheld Satan, that old serpent, even the devil, who rebelled against God, and sought to take the kingdom of our God and his Christ—
29. Wherefore, he maketh war with the saints of God, and encompasseth them round about. (Vision to Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon, Feb. 16, 1832) D&C 76:25-29
