Where did we come from?

The premortal existence

The concept that we all existed before we were born into mortality is not hard to understand, but the details are often difficult to comprehend. In the life before we lived on this earth, we all existed as intelligence that was organized into spiritual beings by our loving Heavenly Father. As spiritual beings, we were and are all brothers and sisters and had to progress in knowledge and experience. Some progressed more than others. Jesus was our oldest brother and had progressed more than any other spirit. Christ was thus able to take on a key role in the great plan that our Heavenly Father had for His children.

Heavenly Father held a council to present His great plan of happiness. This was a plan that would allow all of God’s children to progress eternally and obtain the same glory and joy that He possesses. As a father, I want my children to have a better life than I have. Since God is perfect and has perfect joy and glory there is no way to have anything better than He does, He wants us to have the exact same life that He has. He wants us to be like him and live like him.

The plan was presented and one of God’s children named Lucifer offered an alternate plan. His plan would provide the same mortal experience, but would not offer any agency. This plan was fatally flawed because without agency, there can be no learning and no progression so this plan would ultimately lead to damnation of all. The plan did not involve any possibility to make wrong decisions though, so it was appealing to many. Lucifer also wanted all the glory to go to himself and not to the Father. This was rebellion against God and Lucifer was ultimately cast out of Father’s presence. God chose instead, Jesus Christ to execute His great plan. Jesus was to go down to earth with all the rest of us and get a mortal body. He was to live a perfect life and atone for everyone’s mistakes and sins, and overcome spiritual and physical death. This would provide us with the opportunity to overcome the obstacles that would keep us from becoming like our Eternal Father.

After our Father’s perfectly just and merciful plan of salvation and Lucifer’s awful plan of damnation were presented, a battle broke out. Not a physical battle, but a battle for our souls. Lucifer charismatically recruited souls to his plan by telling them they would not have to suffer or work. Heavenly Father recruited souls to His side by promising them exaltation and eternal life even though it would be very hard work and many would suffer greatly.

In the end of the battle one third part of all of Heavenly Father’s children chose to follow Lucifer and have forfeited their opportunity to come to earth, gain bodies, and progress. The other part chose the correct plan and we are able to come to earth and have the opportunity to get eternal life and exaltation with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. The children of God that chose the plan of salvation began coming to earth and getting bodies when Adam came to earth. Every child that is born on the earth has come from that premortal spirit world and is here on earth to fulfill the plan that our Father presented all that time ago when we all sat in the great council in heaven. With this knowledge we are equipped to take on the vicissitudes of life and return again to our Father in Heaven, but we can only do so by following the exact course that has been laid down by our Father and that path is through the teachings of Jesus Christ.