The Prophetic Telegraph - No.107
Readers' Comments
on 'Pre-existence'
In writing about the
subject of the Pre-existence of the Sou1, we realised that it would come as a
shock to some, as abhorrent to others, but as an acceptable revelation to a
few. The following letters, extracts, and phone/fax messages have been received
from just after the last mailing until the end of January 1998.
"I was excited to read
your articles on pre-existence because it brought back to me an experience I
had over thirty years go, when coming back to the Lord after a time in the
wilderness. I found myself in heaven. 1 don't know whether it was "in the
body or out of it", to quote Paul, but it was nevertheless very real. I
was surrounded by such glories that I instinctively knelt down and bowed my
head. But after a few moments I had a strong urge to look up, and there,
standing before me, was the Lord Jesus Himself. But it was my comment that
surprised me. I can clearly remember saying, very reverently, "Oh, it's
You!" Yes, I knew Him. I recognised him. I realised that I'd seen Him
before. And now, having read virtually the same in Betty Eadie's book, it
brought it all back to me." (Phone call from M.W. Scotland.)
"Thank you Arthur for
the material on pre-existence. I have taken it all very seriously, and will
look forward to anything further you find on this important issue. At present I
am sharing it with a close friend, and in due course will tell you what his
reactions are." (Phone call from J.A. Staffordshire)
"I found the
pre-existence set interesting reading, but I have placed them in the filing
cabinet out of harm's way. By your own admission there is very little overtly
written in the Biblical account for this theory." (Letter from P.B.
Surrey)
"Thank you for your
latest bundle of papers. As you can imagine I was not greatly impressed with
your views on Pre-existence, in fact I find the whole idea quite grotesque. I
am not however writing to tell you that, but to express my appreciation of your
other papers." (Letter from C.O. Guernsey)
"I was admiring the
hills around me where I lived, and thinking they must he very old, when I heard
the Spirit say, 'My son, you're older than those hills.'" (Quoted from
J.S. in a news letter just received from
"When, on many
occasions, I have contemplated the fact that our God knew us before the
foundation of the world, we His chosen, who are constantly in His thoughts by
day and night, I wondered, "Lord, was I there?" and then when I read
of the joy of the sons of the morning, singing for joy, I imagine that I was
there too, singing for joy, and then the joy of the Lord breaks forth within me
- - - but what does it mean? Maybe there will be a further breakthrough, as I
further reflect and contemplate your writings. Thank you dear friends for your
devoted labours and research of His word." (Letter from W.D. Hampshire)
'Thank you very much for
sending me all those papers on pre-existence. I found them absolutely
fascinating, and will have to read them again to absorb the fullness of
them." (Phone call from G.S. East
"I found your papers
on pre-existence compelling. They certainly explained to my satisfaction all
those difficult passages about predestination. (Phone call from G.S. North
"1 found your papers
on pre-existence very stimulating. It was all completely new to me, but as I
began to reflect on it, it fell into place. There isn't much explicitly in the
Scriptures, is there?" "No," I answered, "but if you accept
the idea, then a lot of other things fall into place more easily."
"Exactly, that's how I found it as well. For example, when we read that
Jesus is the Firstborn of all creation, doesn't it imply that all the rest of
creation was there at the beginning as well? And again, that verse in John's
letter, where he speaks about the fathers who have known Him from the
beginning. What beginning is it?" "Most people refer that to the
start of Jesus' ministry, or perhaps the day of Pentecost," I answered.
"Exactly. But how do we know? There's obviously a lot more work to be done
on this subject. So thanks for the papers. They were very interesting."
(Phone call from T.H. Bedfordshire)
"Thank you for taking
the time to send me some back numbers of your newsletter The Prophetic
Telegraph. Unfortunately there are several doctrines which you believe which I
consider to be absolutely heretical, namely that the Holy Spirit is our Mother;
your belief in the pre-existence of souls; your denial of an imminent
pre-tribulation rapture, followed by the literal return of the Lord with His
saints; your belief that the kingdom could begin at any time; your acceptance
of the testimony of new-ager Betty Eadie; your approbation of the arch-heretic
of the early church, Origen, who incidentally was a Universalist; your own
belief in the damnable heresy of universalism. I do not judge whether you are
truly saved or not - 'the Lord knoweth them that are His' (2 Tim.2:19), nor do
I judge your motives, nor your sincerity in the beliefs you hold; however I
firmly believe you are sincerely wrong. You remind me of the Athenians of old
who "spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell or to hear some
new thing." (Acts
"I must take issue
with your recent issues of PT. I find it regrettable that you have given so
much space and emphasis to Greek thought and apocryphal writings in considering
matters of scriptural interpretation. The Word of God is unique, stands alone
without external support from human sources, and is alone inspired by the
Spirit of God." (Part of a letter from R.C.A., Senior Baptist Pastor from
" I had given thought
about pre-existence actually because of the verse that states, 'The spirit
returns to its Maker.' I thought, how can something return unless it
had been there before? So, truly I believe that spirits are with the Lord before
being born into the world. Now I won't go as far as to say they 'select' or
'choose' what purpose they will fill while here - I don't know about this -
could be right - I'm not sure about it." (Part of a letter from Mrs H.F.
Indiana,
"Your Prophetic
Telegraphs have certainly been very interesting lately -especially on the
subject of pre-existence which has brought some blessing. There is a lot to
digest and pray through - and they are certainly very challenging." (Part
of a letter from I&S.M. Scotland.)
"Many thanks for your
recent letter and the publications of the Prophetic Telegraph that I have
received. I would like to further encourage you in your research. I find your
articles thought provoking and challenging, which also encourages me to
research many new ideas that have challenged my thinking and help me to look at
new parts of God's word in a different light, so please keep the PTs
coming." (Part of a Faxed letter from L.B.
The Lord told Jeremiah,
"Before I formed thee in the belly, I knew thee." Paul said that we
had been "chosen in Him from before the foundation of the world".
Moses said of the Lord, "Thou hast been our dwelling place in all
generations." The Lord said through Isaiah, "Has it not been told you
from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the
earth?" These Scriptures establish that an order of beings (who would
later come to be born in the flesh) existed with God in the beginning. The sons
of God existed before the cornerstone of the earth was laid, when they shouted
for joy and the morning stars sang. (Extract from a lengthy communication
entitled "The Roll of the Scroll", by Carl Armstrong, P.O.Box 2000,
Suite 16A, Alvin, Texas, 77511, sent to us quite recently, and with whom we
have since corresponded.)
"Thank you for your
recent P.Ts dealing with the subject of pre-existence. I found these articles
both intellectually fascinating as well as a source of spiritual edification.
It is always exciting when the Holy Spirit brings to light truths that have
lain unrecognised for ages. I found that understanding pre-existence provided a
framework or context with which I could better understand my life. Many
Christians unknowingly seem to have the subconscious conception that the time,
place and family we are born into is a result of natural causes. But
pre-existence helps me to realise that out of all the places and times in
history that God could have placed me in, He specifically chose to put me here
because He knew that this is where I could best serve Him. Sometimes people may
think their lives are not very purposeful compared with the lives of famous
saints, yet if we see our life on earth like a specific "mission
trip" that God sends us on, then the only thing that matters is to follow
what He shows us to do in life, no matter how seemingly insignificant it may
seem. Thank you again for the work you have done on this subject in order that
those such as myself may be blessed. The facts you have uncovered fully
convince me that the doctrine of pre-existence is true. (Letter from R.P.
Lincolnshire)