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Chapter 10. Coming into the World

12th June 2015 by Arthur Eedle

Sometimes we can read what look like perfectly ordinary statements in the Scriptures, and think we have grasped the truth, only to find that we have overlooked something important. This may be a human foible, but on the other hand it could be that we have not been ready for the work of the Holy Spirit.

This happened to me over such a well-known text that I was surprised! It was John 1:4 & 9,  “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men . . . . . He was the true light that enlightens every man coming into the world.”

Now, it is possible to read this sentence in two ways. We could re-arrange the words to read, “He was the true light coming into the world, thatenlightens every man.” In other words Jesus was the Light, and now He was coming into the world. There is nothing wrong with that statement. It is perfectly true. But is it a justifiable translation of the original Greek? The order of the Greek words suggests rather that the other meaning should be adhered to. In other words, “Every man coming into the world is enlightened by Jesus.” Every person, before being conceived, has been given enlightenment in the heavenly realm.

Can we obtain some reinforcement of this conclusion? In the Apocryphal book of 2nd Esdras 7:21-24 we find the following words. “God has given clear instruction to all men when they come into this world, telling them how to attain life and escape punishment. But the ungodly have refused to obey Him; they have set up their own empty ideas, and planned deceit and wickedness; they have even denied the existence of the Most High, and have not acknowledged His ways. They have rejected His law and refused His promises, and have neither put faith in His decrees nor done what He commands.”

I make no apology for introducing the Apocrypha at this point. The book in question was written, according to scholars, about the first century A.D., and therefore reflects current thought in that era. The writer put these words into the mouth of the instructing angel who was speaking to Ezra, and the sense is exactly the same as that in John’s writing.

If we can accept this understanding from the pen of the Apostle John, then we have learned one more important truth about our pre-existence. Whatever man’s moral condition was before birth, every soul received enlightenment from the Lord Jesus before leaving for earth. No one can therefore claim that God was unjust, and that we were never given a chance to know the truth. Even though we have passed through the “river of forgetfulness”, it is apparent that a certain awareness remains. Quite the majority of human beings are aware, for example, of much within the ten commandments, without ever having heard of them. They know that Murder, Falsehood, Theft, and Adultery are wrong. What has told them? Or should we say, WHO has told them?

It may come as a surprise to learn that even the Greek philosophers of the fourth century B.C. were debating this very point, and some of them came to remarkable conclusions, in line with what John said in his first chapter, and this was achieved without any contact with the Jewish nation, who held the oracles of God. Somewhat later in this series, we shall have to return to this.

Filed Under: All our Yesterdays Tagged With: Human Pre-Existance

About Arthur Eedle

Arthur was born in 1931, and became a Christian in 1948. At London University he gained a 2nd honours degree in Physics. He went on to get a Teaching Diploma, and throughout his career life taught physics in England, Kenya, and Hong Kong. Coupled with his love of science, he was a keen student of Greek and Hebrew, and gave many lectures on Biblical subjects. Read more

All our Yesterdays

Chapter 1. The Man born Blind

12th June 2015 By Arthur Eedle

Chapter 2. The Festival of Creation

12th June 2015 By Arthur Eedle

Chapter 3. The Feast of Trumpets

12th June 2015 By Arthur Eedle

Chapter 4. Born wicked

12th June 2015 By Arthur Eedle

Chapter 5. Born to Election

12th June 2015 By Arthur Eedle

Chapter 6. Wheat and Tares

12th June 2015 By Arthur Eedle

Chapter 7. Jacob and Esau

12th June 2015 By Arthur Eedle

Chapter 8. The Return Home

12th June 2015 By Arthur Eedle

Chapter 9. Of gods and men

12th June 2015 By Arthur Eedle

Chapter 10. Coming into the World

12th June 2015 By Arthur Eedle

Chapter 11. The Blood of Abel

12th June 2015 By Arthur Eedle

Chapter 12. The Treasury of Souls

12th June 2015 By Arthur Eedle

Chapter 13. Made Together

12th June 2015 By Arthur Eedle

Chapter 14. Memory

12th June 2015 By Arthur Eedle

Chapter 15. Wisdom’s rejoicing

12th June 2015 By Arthur Eedle

Chapter 16. Redemption

12th June 2015 By Arthur Eedle

Chapter 17. Judas Iscariot

12th June 2015 By Arthur Eedle

Chapter 18. A Root of Bitterness

12th June 2015 By Arthur Eedle

Chapter 19. Predestination & Foreknowledge

12th June 2015 By Arthur Eedle

Chapter 20. Ancient Jewish Beliefs

12th June 2015 By Arthur Eedle

Chapter 21. Ancient Christian Beliefs (1)

12th June 2015 By Arthur Eedle

Chapter 22. Ancient Christian Beliefs (2)

12th June 2015 By Arthur Eedle

Chapter 23. Ancient Christian Beliefs (3)

12th June 2015 By Arthur Eedle

Chapter 24. Apocryphal writings

12th June 2015 By Arthur Eedle

Chapter 25. Plato’s writings (1)

12th June 2015 By Arthur Eedle

Chapter 26. Plato’s writings (2)

12th June 2015 By Arthur Eedle

Chapter 27. Plato’s writings (3)

12th June 2015 By Arthur Eedle

Chapter 28. George Ritchie’s experience

12th June 2015 By Arthur Eedle

Chapter 29. Betty Eadie’s experience

12th June 2015 By Arthur Eedle

Chapter 30. Conclusion to this Series

12th June 2015 By Arthur Eedle

Article Series

  • All our Yesterdays (30)
  • Before He comes (13)
  • God's Spoken Word (37)
  • Mysteries of Science & Faith (8)
  • New Series (101)
  • Newsletter (2)
  • Original Series (109)
  • Prophecy considerations (5)
  • Recognising the Hand of Judgment (33)
  • Resurrection and Change (16)
  • Seekers Corner (14)
  • Simple Statements on Serious Subjects (6)
  • The City of God (18)
  • The Millennial Octave (23)
  • The Restitution Times (22)
  • The Song of Solomon (6)
  • The Standard (19)
  • The Wayside Pulpit (107)
  • The Wayside Pulpit 2015 (96)
  • The Wellspring (101)
  • The Wellspring 2017 (55)

Index of Topics

Arthur & Rosalind Eedle's Personal Testimonies Discipleship Expository Items Good and Evil Human Pre-Existance Jane Leade. Philadelphian Numerology in the Bible Quotations from other Authors Resurrection and the Change Ron Wyatt. Archaeology Science Topics The Kingdom of God the Millennium and the Return of Christ The Sabbath Day Universal Reconcilliation

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