Did you exist before you were born?

Everyone existed before they were born as spirit children of Heavenly Father and we lived with him in a state of innocence in heaven. "The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God" (Rom 8). God reveals this truth to Jerimiah the prophet when He says, "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" (Jer 1).

Also, the scriptures in revealing the divinity of Jesus Christ make it clear that Christ existed before he was born to Mary: "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad. Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am. Then took they up stones to cast at him" (John 8). Remeber, "I AM", is the name Jehovah of the Old Testament gives to himself when speaking to Moses in the Burning Bush. The Pharisees were going to stone Jesus because he revealed that he ,Jesus Christ of the New Testament, was Jehovah of the Old Testament.

The state of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden symbolizes this pre-mortal existence. Their fall and being thrown out of the Garden of Eden is akin to our leaving the presence of God and coming to Earth. We lived with God in heaven in a state of innocence. Except, we didn't get cast out of Heaven like Adam and Eve were cast out of the Garden. But the Bible tells us that there was a third-part of the angels of heaven who were cast to the Earth. This is known as the "War in Heaven."

"And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth. . . And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. . . for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time. . . And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ." (Rev 12)

Unlike Lucifer and his followers, we heard the great plan of salvation and accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior. That is why the scriptures call Christ "the lamb slain from the foundation of the world" (Rev 13). We fought with Adam against Lucifer and his followers. Revelations tells us how we prevailed against Satan then in the pre-mortal existence, "And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death" (Rev12).

Instead of fighting against the plan of God and being cast to Earth without bodies, the scriptures tell us we were happy and shouted for joy, "Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth?. . . When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?" (Job 38). In accepting Christ and coming to Earth the scriptures say that we are those who have kept our "first estate." "And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day" (Jude 1).

Satan and his angels were cast to earth without a vail over their memory of thier former life and birth like we have. They know the plan and are fighting against it. "Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble" (James 2). The war of heaven still rages here on Earth. The issues for which the war is being fought hasn't changed, and "The Way" to overcome Satan remains the same.

Though the war still rages untill the "End of the Earth," the scriptures reaveal the end result. "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! 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:I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit. 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" (Isa 14).