Jeremiah 1:4-5
QUOTE |
4 Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 5 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. |
Nowhere, but it doesn't say a lot of things in the Bible, just as it doesn't say we existed before this life...it's a matter of interpretation.
I worded it wrong, what I meant was that He had already planned our existence. I am one of the types that believe in a way that God knows all that is, was and is to come.
Edited: SivanIlius on 19th Sep, 2006 - 9:27pm
So, does this mean that God has never finished the Creation? You are implying that He continues creating spirits for every baby that is born. Is this right? If this is so, why did He proclaim the Creation finished?
Also, in verse 5, God specifically states that he "ordained" Jeremiah, before he was born. Since ordination is an actual action, not simply "knowing about" him, how could God have taken this specific action upon a thought or imagination? The wording seems extremely clear to me.
Jeremiah 1:4-5
QUOTE
QUOTE |
4 Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 5 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. |
QUOTE |
Should there be a prophet among you, in visions will I reveal myself to him, in dreams I will speak to him; NOT SO with my servant Moses! Throughout my house he bears my trust: Face to face I speak to him, plainly and not in riddles. The presence of the Lord he beholds. (Numbers 12:6) |
The scripture is first and foremost a dream and vision to Jeremiah, or who ever wrote the book. Its is the confirmation that he was supposed be the prophet of Israel. This vision confirmed that he was always supposed to be a prophet, no mistake was made, he was born to it. He was selected to be a prophet before he was born. If god truly knows everything, then this does not require pre-existence. Because it means that god knew he would be born and chose him before he was born.
The scripture, while I can easily see the pre-existence interpretation in it, does not say that he existed. In fact, it says nothing of his existence before being formed. It just says that he was chosen and sanctified. One does not have to be existent before hand to be picked out if you already know what is going to happen.