tctrills:
Today, I have two verses I want us to contemplate on. These verses help explain the origin of man.

Hebrews 11:13
“These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.”

Psalm 119:19 I am a stranger in the earth: hide not thy commandments from me.

If we are strangers and pilgrims on the earth, then clearly our journey did not begin on earth.
Where did our journey begin?

Michael547:

Hmm....that's an interesting question you just asked.
It's important to know that the words 'strangers' and 'pilgrim' in those verses you read has to be understood in context of those scriptures. The bible does not teach that humans lived somewhere before coming to the earth. The bible shows that all human lives started from the earth (Genesis 2:7). You can chat me up on 08167469103 for more explanation.

tctrills:

Sorry I don't trust you enough to call you. So if they are stangers and pilgrims on earth how come their life's began on earth? Was Paul lying?

Michael547:

Nice question. One thing to note is that the bible describes the human life as temporary because we don't live forever (James 4:14 and Job 14:1,2) So it could be said that we are strangers or pilgrims on earth cause we don't live forever on it. It does not necessarily mean we lived somewhere else before.

tctrills:

Life is not forever has no bearing with being a stranger or pilgrim. How does that even relate?
A pilgrim is someone who comes from another country mostly for a religion purpose.

Michael547:

Ok...let me explain with the context of Hebrews 11 to help you understand the concept of pilgrim mentioned there.
Going through that chapter you would learn that the apostle Paul was talking about people of faith, People like Abraham and so on.
Taking the example of Abraham, Paul pointed out in verse 8 and 9 that Abraham had to leave his own land and live in other people's land. Thereby living a stranger or pilgrim. Paul did not suggest that Abraham came from another Planet to earth in that context.
More to that, in verse 38 after mentioning different men and women of faith, Paul described how they lived on earth. Thereby portraying them as strangers and pilgrims in different part of the earth.

tctrills:

13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.

It clearly states stangers and pilgrims on the earth. Not from a different part of the earth

Michael547:

The 'earth' In this context can involves different parts of the earth as described in verse 8 and 9 while describing Abrahams lifestyle on earth.
The 'earth' could also refer to the whole world of unrighteous people as described in verse 37 and 38 In which God's people lived as strangers or foreigners among them.

tctrills:

Verse 8 and 9 did not mention the earth so there is no context there. Now verse 38 did not only call them strangers, it also called them pilgrims. There is a difference.
A pilgrim would always return back home after his pilgrimage. Abraham and his wife were not looking to return back to their father's land so it could not have been referring to where they came from.

Michael547:

I think the issue here is your understanding of the word pilgrim. A pilgrim simply refers to one who journeys in a foreign land. Not necessarily one who returns to where he came from.
Paul was simply saying that the whole world of unrighteous people were likened to a 'foreign land' among whom the people of God were like 'pilgrims' or 'strangers' because their lifestyle was not accepted by the people they lived with, thus came the persecutions they faced.
We can talk on phone for better explanation.

Michael547:

I think the issue here is your understanding of the word pilgrim. A pilgrim simply refers to one who journeys in a foreign land. Not necessarily one who returns to where he came from.
Paul was simply saying that the whole world of unrighteous people were likened to a 'foreign land' among whom the people of God were like 'pilgrims' or 'strangers' because their lifestyle was not accepted by the people they lived with, thus came the persecutions they faced.
We can talk on phone for better explanation.

sonmvayina:


Your missing the context..

tctrills:

Paul was not saying that the whole world of unrighteous people were likened to a 'foreign land' among whom the people of God were like 'pilgrims' or 'strangers' because their lifestyle was not accepted by the people they lived with, thus came the persecutions they faced.
He was not even talking about the unrighteous world in that verse. Nothing shows he was alluding to the unrighteous world.

Michael547:

What's the context of Hebrews chapter 11

sonmvayina:


The context is the earth...

Not different places on earth..
They are on pilgrimage to earth...meaning they came from somewhere other than earth....

Maybe Jupiter..

tctrills:
Today, I have two verses I want us to contemplate on. These verses help explain the origin of man.

Hebrews 11:13
“These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.”

Psalm 119:19 I am a stranger in the earth: hide not thy commandments from me.

If we are strangers and pilgrims on the earth, then clearly our journey did not begin on earth.
Where did our journey begin?

GoodIsGod:



Everyone is a pilgrim and strangers on the earth.
You should know the Bible speaks poetically most times and this is why we have different interpretations of biblical verses from church to church, sect to sect and pastor to pastor. This is why there are lots of heresies preach in the name of Jesus today.

That aside, there is no living soul on earth that God is not aware of their coming into the world. No one.

Jeremiah 1:5 (KJV) 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.

So your journey as a human did not start from your mother's womb. It started in the spiritual.
Right in the mind of God.

So when you were born you have existed before then and you are still going to leave that body ( the flesh) when you die. So, poetically you are like a pilgrim on a journey. From the spiritual to the physical and from the physical back to the spiritual.

The spiritual must happen either in two ways. Living with the one who formed you in your mother's womb for ever for accepting Jesus or live with the Devil for ever due to your wrong decision of denying Jesus on earth.

GoodIsGod:



Everyone is a pilgrim and strangers on the earth.

You should know the Bible speaks poetically most times and this is why we have different interpretations of biblical verses from church to church, sect to sect and pastor to pastor. This is why there are lots of heresies preach in the name of Jesus today.

That aside, there is no living soul on earth that God is not aware of their coming into the world. No one.

[b]Jeremiah 1:5 (KJV) 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.

So your journey as a human did not start from your mother's womb. It started in the spiritual.
Right in the mind of God.

So when you were born you have existed before then and you are still going to leave that body ( the flesh) when you die. So, poetically you are like a pilgrim on a journey. From the spiritual to the physical and from the physical back to the spiritual.

The spiritual must happen either in two ways. Living with the one who formed you in your mother's womb for ever for accepting Jesus or live with the Devil for ever due to your wrong decision of denying Jesus on earth.

GoodIsGod:



Everyone is a pilgrim and strangers on the earth.
You should know the Bible speaks poetically most times and this is why we have different interpretations of biblical verses from church to church, sect to sect and pastor to pastor. This is why there are lots of heresies preach in the name of Jesus today.

That aside, there is no living soul on earth that God is not aware of their coming into the world. No one.

Jeremiah 1:5 (KJV) 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.

So your journey as a human did not start from your mother's womb. It started in the spiritual.
Right in the mind of God.

So when you were born you have existed before then and you are still going to leave that body ( the flesh) when you die. So, poetically you are like a pilgrim on a journey. From the spiritual to the physical and from the physical back to the spiritual.

The spiritual must happen either in two ways. [s]Living with the one who formed you in your [/s]mother's womb for ever for accepting Jesus or live with the Devil for ever due to your wrong decision of denying Jesus on earth

Michael547:

So in essence, where did we come from? Or where were we living before we came to the earth?

tctrills:

This makes sense but do you have scriptural backing?

tctrills:

Life is not forever has no bearing with being a stranger or pilgrim. How does that even relate?
A pilgrim is someone who comes from another country mostly for a religion purpose.

Dtruthspeaker:


Meaning man came from the place called nothing to earth and to journey to any where His Creator shall send him to.

GoodIsGod:


The few men and women that the Angels predicted their coming and mission should be enough proof bro.

Samson, John the Baptist, Samuel just to mention a few. Their coming was announced and what they were coming to do.
The fact that there was no prediction about you and me doesn't mean we never existed in God's mind.
We were as good as created before were were born.
God was aware we were coming. He created us for a purpose and it's left for us to choose to follow Him or not.

Samson for example was fortold that he was going to deliver his people from their enemies and he did before deviating from the precepts of God and suffer the consequence.
Slawormiiiir was not destined to be a bomber when he was created but he chose to be who he is today by himself. But God knew he was coming to the world like God knew Samson was coming.

Michael547:

According to your explanation, Are you saying people like Samson and John the Baptist lived in heaven before coming to the earth? Or did God used his power of knowledge to know that they would be born on earth in the future? which one?

tctrills:

There is no place called nothing. Stop making up things. A place called nothing, loooool .

GoodIsGod:


They existed in the mind and the plan of God. It was as good as they existed physically.

It is not everything spiritual that is explainable and fathomable by the mind of man. So wanting to know everything about the spiritual is a fruitless effort. We can only know the little our minds can understand. So, why worry yourself?

GoodIsGod:


They existed in the mind and the plan of God. It was as good as they existed physically.

It is not everything spiritual that is explainable and fathomable by the mind of man. So wanting to know everything about the spiritual is a fruitless effort. We can only know the little our minds can understand. So, why worry yourself?

Michael547:

So if you say they existed in God's mind means that they were as good as existing physically, does that not suggest that God knew beforehand that they would live on earth? Instead of suggesting that they lived in heaven or other parts of the world before coming to earth

GoodIsGod:


They never lived in heaven. The only people who lived in heaven with God were the Angels and Christ. Every other being including you and me lived in the mind of the living God.
Like I said earlier, there is a limit to what the mind of man can understand. So, it doesn't really make sense wanting to know everything about the spiritual.

Live your life obeying the laws of God Jehovah by believing in His Son Jesus Christ. Forget about wanting to know everything because you really can't. No one can.
Just be fine with the little you are allowed to know.