Even prior to Christ’s resurrection, his followers understood that there would be a resurrection day for them as well. In John 11:23-24 Martha affirms her belief that her dead brother, Lazarus, would live again in some future day:
Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again.
Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.
When Christ appeared to his disciples as a resurrected being, he had a glorified body. His disciples could physically handle him and feel the scars on his hands and on his feet. Christ ate fish and honey in their presence (see Luke 24:36-43). His new resurrected body would never sicken or die. He was immortal, perfected. Because of Christ, every man and woman that has ever lived on the earth may anticipate a glorious resurrection.
But what came before the first man and first woman, Adam and Eve, were put on the earth? Did each man and woman first come to exist at birth, or did they exist before being born in the flesh? Christ indicated that he dwelt with God before he was born to the virgin Mary:
And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.
Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.
(John 17:5, 24)
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (nicknamed the Mormons) has additional scripture that explains the eternal nature of men and women. God showed Abraham in a vision how he, God, had organized the spirits who were to be born on the earth. Among them were those who were especially suited to be righteous leaders on earth, like the prophet Abraham. The following is from The Pearl of Great Price:
Now the Lord had shown unto me, Abraham, the intelligences that were organized before the world was; and among all these there were many of the noble and great ones;
And God saw these souls that they were good, and he stood in the midst of them, and he said: These I will make my rulers; for he stood among those that were spirits, and he saw that they were good; and he said unto me: Abraham, thou art one of them; thou wast chosen before thou wast born. (Abraham 3:22-23)
None of us, unfortunately, remember life before we were born on earth. It does not mean, however, that it did not occur. Part of the challenge of this life is learning to live by faith. It is important to understand that when we hear God’s truth on earth, we are not hearing it for the first time. We dwelt with God as his spirit children in a premortal world. God held a premortal council wherein he presented a plan for his children to come to earth and learn to live by faith. Those that choose to follow God will be blessed not only in life, but will be allowed to return to God’s presence after they died, never again to be separated from his presence.
