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THE SCRIPTURAL CASE FOR JESUS’ PRE-HUMAN EXISTENCE

What is The Word?

John 1:1,   “In the beginning was The Word”.  [He had a beginning.]

John 1:14, “The Word [already existing] was made flesh and dwelt among us…”

1 John 1:1,   “That which was from the beginning…our hands have handled the Word of Life.” [Clearly, “the Word” is Jesus]

Revelation 19:13 “…His name is called The Word [Logos] of God”. [this is Jesus]  *see note below on “Logos.”  In Rev 19:13 – “Logos” a noun as in John 1:1, not an adjective.

Summary: In the above passages of scripture The Word is just not a thought or plan, but is a person.   John 1:14, 1 John 1:1 and Revelation 19:13 demonstrate that “The Word” in John 1:1 is an entity, a person, a being.

Also note: The Word was from the beginning.  What beginning?  Certainly before his birth!  1 John 1:1 refers to the Word as a person who had a beginning.

 

Where did Jesus first originate or come from?

John 8:42 (Concordant) “For out of God I came forth….”

John 8:42 “…I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but He sent me.”

John 8:42 (Amplified) “for I proceeded (came forth) from God out of His very presence. I did not even come on My own authority {or } of My own accord (as self-appointed); but He sent Me.”

(How could Jesus have been sent if He did not already exist?)

Rev. 3:14, “These things says the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God.” [Note: This text does not say “new creation” as in 2 Cor. 5:17; Gal. 6:15]

Prov. 8:22, “The Lord possessed (created – ektise, Septuagint and Syriac) Me in the beginning of His way, before His works of old.  I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was.” (see also vss. 23-31)

Colossians 1:15 “The firstborn of every creature” (vs 18 “the firstborn from the dead;”

(Firstborn in order and rank.  First created and First resurrected.)

Summary:  When He was created, Jesus came from Jehovah God at which time He had a beginning.

 

By Him were All things created

John 1:3,   “All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made.”

John 1:10,   “The world was made by Him”

Colossians 1:16,   “For by Him were all things created…”

1 Corinthians 8:6,  “…by whom are all things.”

Summary: Jesus created the world and everything in it.  He could only have done this if He had a pre-human existence.

 

God sends His only begotten Son

John 3:16,   “For God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten son…”  (How could God have sent His Son if he did not already exist?)

1 John 4:9,   “…God sent His only begotten son into the world.”  (This must apply before Acts 13:33 where “only begotten Son” applies to Jesus New Birth or Resurrection to divine glory.)

John 1:14,   “…we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father full of Grace and Truth.”

John 1:18 (Rotherham) “18  No one, hath seen, God, at any time: An Only Begotten God, The One existing within the bosom of the Father, He, hath interpreted him.”

Summary: The only way that God could have sent His Son into the world is if Jesus already existed.  He was begotten at His creation (John 1:18 “Only Begotten God”) and again at His resurrection (Acts 13:33).

 

Jesus came from heaven to earth

Phil.2:5-8,   “…Christ Jesus, who though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men and being found in human form He humbled himself…”

John 3:13,31,32,   “And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but He THAT CAME DOWN FROM HEAVEN, EVEN THE SON OF MAN WHICH IS IN HEAVEN.”

John 6:38, 51,   “FOR I CAME DOWN FROM HEAVEN…”  I AM THE LIVING BREAD WHICH CAME DOWN FROM HEAVEN.”  (Jesus could not come down from Heaven unless he had previously been there.)

2 Cor.8:9  “For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He WAS RICH, yet for your sakes He BECAME POOR, that ye through His poverty might become rich.”  [Jesus was rich in his previous life in heaven.  When he came to earth born in a manger he had become poor.]

1 Cor.15:47  “The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.”

John 8:14,   “For I know where I came from…” (NIV)  [If Jesus is not referring to His pre-human existence, then what else would He be talking about?]

 

Jesus is from Heaven

John 8:23,   “Ye are from beneath; I am from above”  (Jesus could not be from above if He had been created in Mary’s womb.)

John 6:38,   “I came down from heaven.”

[If Jesus had his beginning at birth on earth, then he would have never made these statements.]

John 6:62,   “…What if you were to see the Son of Man ascending where He was before?” (RSV)

John 16:28,   “I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world: again I leave the world, and go to the Father.”

John 17:5,   “…O, Father, glorify Thou me with Thine own self with the glory which I had with Thee before the world was.”

 

Jesus Previously Knew the Father

John 6:46,  “Not that any man hath seen the Father, save He which is of God, He hath seen the Father.”

John 8:38,   “I speak that which I have seen of My Father…”

John 8:55,   “Yet ye have not known Him , but I know Him….”

[How would Jesus know who the Father is, unless He had already lived with him in His pre-human existence?]

 

Jesus existed before He was Born of Mary

John 1:15  “John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, this was he of whom I spake.  He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me.”  [Since John was born into this world on earth before Jesus, it can only mean that Jesus had a pre-existence.”]

John 8:58, “…Before Abraham was, I am.”  (He did not say “I was” since that might have implied that there was a period of time in the interim in which he did not exist.  He said “I am” showing that he had continued to exist uninterrupted from His creation.”

Hebrews 1:2,   “Hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son, whom He hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also He made (created) the worlds  (ages).

Proverbs 30:4,   “…Who hath established all the ends of the earth?  What is His name, and what is His son’s name…?

John 1:10.  “He was in the world, and the world was made through him/it, and the world knew him/it not.” (Jesus made the very world that rejected him.  This cannot be the New Creation.)

1 Cor. 10:4 – Israel “…drank of the spiritual rock that followed them: and that rock was Christ.”

Heb 3: (NKJV) “3 For this One [Jesus] has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as He who built the house has more honor than the house.” (Jesus built the house of Moses.  He gave God’s Law to Moses including the Tabernacle and rules of the Priesthood.”

Micah 5:2  “But thou, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of Thee shall He come forth unto Me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.” (whose origin is from of old, from ancient days) RSV.

Micah 5:2 (Rotherham) “…whose comings forth, have been from of old, from the days of age-past time.”

Micah 5:2 (Young’s Literal Translation) “…his comings forth are of old, From the days of antiquity.”

Read more here:  https://www.beyondwatchtower.com/2011/02/25/did-jesus-have-a-beginning-was-he-created/

* Note on Rev 19:13 – “Logos” a noun as in John 1:1, not an adjective – Comments from Jim Parkinson “Using McReynolds’ diaglott/concordance with Schmoller’s “Handkonkordanz zum Griechischen Neuen Testament,” I was able to do in less than an hour what used to take me perhaps a few hours.

In Rev. 19:11-13 (ASV), “he that sat thereon called Faithful and True…and his name is called The Word of God.”  […keklētai to onoma autou o logos tou theou.]  (Consider also verse 16, though it says, “…a name [having been] written, King of kings and Lord of lords.”)
The parallel wording is found only in Matt. 1:21, 23, 25; Luke 1:31 and 2:21.  E.g., “Thou shalt call his name Jesus;” “They shall call his name Immanu-El [With us is God];” “and he called his name Jesus.”  In each case the name (whether present “Jesus” or future “Immanuel) does not seem to be an adjective but a noun (or denominative noun, as some like to call it).  So I can see no reasonable ground to insist that Rev. 19:13 should not be a noun but an adjective.  (Or perhaps  no non-theological ground).
I have looked for the word, ē [η], in Rev. 19:11-13 but cannot find it.  Nor do I see variations in the manuscripts to justify its possible insertion anywhere.
If there were a non-theological reason to consider “the word of God” an adjective in Rev. 19:13, one should be prepared to explain why Jesus and Immanuel must also be adjectives.  But until someone can come up with a non-theological reason, I have to conclude that it is a noun.
For further study of “name” I suggest:
Heb. 1:4   (Jesus’ inherited name)
Rev. 2:17   (new name written on a white stone)
Rev. 14:1   (his name and his father’s name.  Suggests that if Jesus’ name were an adjective, then Jehovah’s name should also be an adjective.)
Rev. 22:4   (his name on their foreheads)
You might also find Harper’s “Analytical Greek Lexicon” helpful.?

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND THAT JESUS HAD A PRE-HUMAN EXISTENCE?

John 16:27-31,   “For the Father Himself loveth you, because ye have loved Me, and have believed that I came out from God.  I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world: again, I leave the world, and go to the Father.  His disciples said unto him, Lo, now speakest thou plainly, and speakest no proverb.  Now are we sure that Thou knowest all things, and needest not that any man should ask Thee: by this we believe that Thou camest forth from God.  Jesus answered them, “Do ye now believe?”  [The Father loves us because we love Jesus and because we believe that Jesus came from God.]

John 17:8,   “For I have given unto them the words which Thou gavest Me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from Thee, and they have believed that Thou didst send me.”

John 17:23,   “World may know that Thou hast sent Me and hast loved them, as Thou hast loved me.”  How would Jesus know the love of the Father if he didn’t live with him at sometime before his birth on earth?

John 17:25,   “These have known that Thou hast sent me.”

By believing in the pre-existence of Jesus, it enhances our understanding of God’s love and Jesus’ love for us.

If God never had a son from the beginning with him, what kind of a sacrifice would that be?  God would not be giving up anything for the human race.  On the contrary, since our Heavenly Father spent many ions of time with the Son they got well acquainted and the Father loved Him.  God loved the world so much that He was willing to send His only begotten Son to this earth that man would live again!   Jesus’ love is shown in that He had to humble himself from a previous lofty position with the Father and come to this earth to suffer and sacrifice his life for all men.

Contributed by DK

16 comments to THE SCRIPTURAL CASE FOR JESUS’ PRE-HUMAN EXISTENCE

  • Tyler

    Not surprisingly most references are from John, the so-called “High Christology” Gospel.

    Most of scholarship would agree that the Synoptics does not teach a literal preexistence, “pre-human,” Christology. Is this your position as well?

    • Lee Anthony (Brandon)

      Hi,
      Im unsure of the question? Binitarianism?
      Trinitarian? The belief amongst these and others is that Jesus had been alive prior to coming into the world to live as a man.
      Gal 4:4) Rom 8:3) among others God sent his son…. Pre-existence is defined as “existence in a former state or previous to something else.” Are you asking if we believe he was God?
      Lee

    • Peter K. (admin)

      Tyler – Yes I agree that the Synoptics do not teach pre-existence. However, isn’t John, Revelation, Colossians, Philippians, Corinthians, etc. enough to satisfy?

      Consider this. Jesus never used the word “immortality.” Only Paul did. Is Paul not good enough?

      Hope this helps. What do you think?

      • Bret

        Peter;
        Have you ever viewed one of Anthony Buzzard’s videos with an explanation of the Philippians 2:5-9 text you referred to in the video? After a close review I do not believe Paul was speaking of a pre-existence.
        Philippians 2:5 NASBS
        [5] Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, (Would Paul really be asking us to have the same mind or attitude of a mighty spirit person? Or of a fellow human?)
        Philippians 2:6 NASBS
        [6] who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, (Jesus was a representative of YHWH when carrying out his ministry, like Moses was God to Pharaoh, and never tried to seize nothing that didn’t belong to him)
        Philippians 2:7-8 NASBS
        [7] but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. [8] Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
        (Jesus emptied himself just as Paul stated he poured himself out at 2Tim 4:6, that is Jesus was 2nd Adam, the Messiah and rightful heir to the throne yet became lowly, servant to fellow men; an act of obedience and humility)
        I find it very hard to believe Paul was asking his fellow Christians to have the same mind of a Spirit person who they couldn’t relate to, but makes more sense if he asked them to copy the man who could have easily took his position as King and promoted himself as a perfect man…,

        • Anon CJ

          My whole thing is does it matter? I used to try to get all the answers to questions like: “Did Jesus Preexist?, Was there a Gap between Genesis 1:1-2a? Did the earth take 6 24-hour days or thousands possible millions of years? Did humans walk with Dinsouaurs?” It doesnt matter at this point. We won’t know because there are two sides to both arguments. At this point I don’t care if we have 6 thousand years days or 24 hours. We are here now. Did Jesus Preexist? Do it matter? Exists now?

          • Bret

            Anon;
            Simply a discussion.. I enjoy these discussions and others opinions such as Peter who I am always greatful to for this site and open forum which helped out of the indoctrination of the Watchtower…

        • Peter K. (admin)

          Brett – Thanks.

          As I mentioned in the video, it seems a Herculean task to take all the dozens of scriptures in our article which on the face indicate a pre-existence of Jesus, and read some deeper meaning into each one. I prefer to take the verses as stated.

          You wrote, “[5] Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, (Would Paul really be asking us to have the same mind or attitude of a mighty spirit person? Or of a fellow human?)”

          It seems Paul is asking the Philippians brethren to have the same humble attitude of Jesus, who gave up his great power and office, then became “a man, He humbled Himself” vs 8. How else can we read the context?

          Philippians 2 (NKJV)
          2 fulfill my joy by being like-minded <846> <5426> (5725), having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind <5426> (5723).
          3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.
          4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.
          5 Let this mind <5426> (5744) be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,

          So it seems Paul is saying in context that we should have this same humble mind (Strong’s 5744) as Jesus had.

          Verse 6. The contrast is Satan

          Isaiah 14 (NASV)
          12 “How you have fallen from heaven,
          O star of the morning, son of the dawn!
          You have been cut down to the earth,
          You who have weakened the nations!

          13 “But you said in your heart,
          ‘I will ascend to heaven;
          I will raise my throne above the stars of God,
          And I will sit on the mount of assembly
          In the recesses of the north.

          You said, “I find it very hard to believe Paul was asking his fellow Christians to have the same mind of a Spirit person who they couldn’t relate to…”

          My thought: They could related to the spirit being Jesus, since they new the story of the perfect human Jesus, understanding who he was and the sacrifices he had made for them.

  • Daz

    Great article, thankyou for posting this.
    One thing I can’t get my head around is why some denominations believe that Jesus Christ is actually God the Almighty, Jehovah?
    I can kind of understanding why they could get confused to a point, a couple of examples “In the beginning was the Word & the Word was with God & the Word was God” – John 1:1.
    Jesus said “I am the Alpha and Omega” – Revelation 1:8, 11; 21:6; and 22:13.
    BUT he also made it clear that the glory belonged to Jehovah God. He also paryed himself to his Father in heaven, he said to Pilate that he had now authority over him unless given to him from above, Jesus is known as “the son of God, his first born”, God said ” This is my son of whom I am well pleased”, so here are a few examples of proof as far as I can see that Jesus’ is the SON of God, they are pretty straight forward & clear to me so why do others believe different??

    Warm & loving regards,
    Daz

    • Peter K. (admin)

      Daz – It has been said that if you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. Denominational Churches are able to succeed in continuing the mythology of hell, trinity and immortal soul by the continual repetition of the error. The old Cold War Communist propaganda relied on the same technique and sadly America’s News Media is able to promote their political views with their own spin and repetition.

      Solution?

      2 Timothy 3:16-17 ESV
      All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.

      Psalm 119:105 ESV
      Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

      Acts 17:11 ESV
      Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.

      Hebrews 4:12 ESV
      For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

      • Daz

        Thankyou for your reply Peter, great scriptual references. Yes if a lie is repeated over & over again & is droned into you I guess yes you would believe it but it still doen’t explain why some cannot plainly see by the clear scriptual references referring to Jesus as God’s son, for example when Jesus said to his Father God,
        “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” (Luke 22.42). Now, he isn’t addressing himself here that is very obvious & note that he says “Father”, so again why would he say father if HE was the Almighty God Jehovah?

  • max

    To Johnson;

    Afew verses you might reason on. Luke 1:32,”he will be called Son of the Most High; and Jehovah God will give him the throne of David his Father.”

    John 20:17,”and to my God and your God.” 1 Cor 11:3,”the head of every man is the Christ; in turn the head of the woman is the man; in turn the head of the Christ is God.”

    That is why Jesus said,”because the Father is greater than I am.” John 14:28

  • johnson

    God is a spirit not a person. We are told in one of the scriptures that the fullness of Godheads dwell bodily in christ. My believe is that the visible form of God is christ the man. Conclusively christ is the visible image of god person hence christ is that same God and nothing else.

  • Peter K. (admin)

    Friend – You quote Isa 42:8 where Jehovah says, “my glory will I not give to another” as proof of the Trinity since “all power has been given” to Jesus Matt 28:18.

    Jehovah is speaking to Jesus in Isaiah 42. Verses 1-3 of this chapter are quoted in Matt 12:17-21, where they are applied to Jesus. In verse 6 & 7, Jesus is given for a “light to the Gentiles” and to “open the blind eyes.” So to take the passage as you say, would mean that God will not share his glory with Jesus. However, I do not think this is the point. Isa 42:8 is simply pointing our that Jehovah’s glory would not be given to any other men or his praise to any false idols. This highlights the foolishness of the proofs for the Trinity. People attempt to prove it with it with a convoluted deductive reasoning on a combination of various scriptures. This is because there is no passage in the Bible that directly explains the Trinity; that the Father, Son and Holy spirit are the same person.

    Another example of convoluted reasoning, is that we are told that since Jehovah is the only savior and since Jesus is our savior, therefore Jehovah and Jesus are the same person. Yet Obadiah 1:21, referring to the 144,000 or (little flock), speaks of “saviors shall come up on mount Zion.” The bride of Christ, as his body members, will participate with Christ in saving the world of mankind on Paradise earth. This does not make the Church part of the Trinity, but simply demonstrates that Jehovah, as the author of Salvation, can accomplish this saving through his agents, particularly Christ and his body members.

    The glory of the Son never has and never will eclipse the glory of the Father. The Son never attempted to diminish the Father’s glory, but always to add to it. Although “all power” is given to Jesus (Matt 28:18), this does not mean that the Father abdicated or surrendered any of his own power or authority; rather, where Jesus is concerned, the Father is always excepted (1 Cor. 15:27).

    There is a sense in which we share God’s glory now and in Heaven.

    1 John 3:2 – Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is” NASV

    2 Cor 3:18 – But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit. NAVS

  • the bible states i am jehovah and to no one will i give my glory, now it also says i am jehovah the same yesterday as today
    i do not change[some versions] now when jesus spoke the words all power and authority has been given me,some pretty interesting points of the godhead arise! first since jehovah already stated flat out he is not giveing anyone his glory.then for jesus to state ALL power and authority have been given me, proves their is a unity between jehovah god and jesus so close that jehovah considers jesus to be part of himself, other wise this statement was two lies! their is no lies in jesus or jehovah so we know have a totaly new understanding of the godhead,they are not brama shewa and visnu [the three headed god] nor are the a father a son and a tool called the holy spirit that both father and son share, what we have is an invisable father with unspeakable power, this father knows how men like to have an image or token or statue
    to worship yet he said no graven images,why because jehovah had already created a perfect mirror image of himself to represent himself,latter in history jehovah sent this image to earth in manley form, the angels have always understood that this image of jehovah was a tangable compresion of a glory far to large and powerful to stand face to face with and they had no problem worshiping this image later to be called jesus some say in heaven he was michael still others the mysterios melchizedek that apeared breifly in the bible,this image of jehovah has a seperate free selfawareness he also has full power and authority to acess
    power from jehovah
    he does this through a spiritual gatekeeper this kind compassionate
    gate keeper has to power to disobey but does have the power to express the emotions of god and jesus. we call this gentle giant the holy spirit. this awesome spirit creature although weilding the combined power of jesus/jehovah/ never fights back againt god or man, like a hugh powerfull mommy this spirit submits to jehovah of paitently take the abuses of men and although greived goes right on serveing!
    it is for this reason jehovah does not take kindly to anyone dareing to slap mom!so to speak in fact jesus calles it unforgiveable! I hope i have been able to bring some understanding to a problem that has many men actully ready to kill over gods shape and maner of makeing himself known.by the way im going to say a quick word on baptisim when you do it confess aloud jesus im a siner but in your name i surrender!then be dipped,i will have more on that latter.

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