Reincarnation in the Bible

Reincarnation In The Bible

"Behold I will send you Elijah the prophet, before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord."(Malachi 4:5) "And the disciples asked him, saying, 'Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?'But he answered them and said, 'Elijah indeed is to come and will restore all things. But I say to you that Elijah has come already, and they did not know him, but did to him whatever they wished. So also shall the Son of Man suffer at their hand.' Then the disciples understood that he had spoken of John the Baptist." (Matthew 17:10-13)

Here is a clear statement of preexistence. Despite the proclamations of the Emperor Justinian and his counter reaction to Origen, there is firm and explicit testimony for preexistence in both the Old and the New Testament. Indeed, the ban against Origen notwithstanding, contemporary Christian scholarship acknowledges preexistence as one of the elements of Judeo-Christian theology.

As for the John the Baptist-Elijah episode, there can be little question as to its purpose. By identifying the Baptist as Elijah, Jesus is identifying himself as the Messiah. Throughout the gospel narrative there are explicit references to the signs that will precede the Messiah. "Behold I will send you Elijah the prophet, before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord." This is one of the many messianic promises of the Old Testament.

One of the signs that the true Messiah has come, according to this passage from Malachi, is that he be preceded by a forerunner, by Elijah. Although the Bible also contains other reincarnational passages, these Elijah-John passages constitute clear proof of reincarnation: 1. The Old Testament prophesied that Elijah himself (not someone "like" him or someone "similar" to him, but Elijah himself) would return before the advent of the Messiah. 2. Jesus declared that John the Baptist was Elijah who had returned, stating bluntly "Elijah has come".

Now, based on these passages alone, either (A) or (B) must be true:(A) John the Baptist was Elijah himself, meaning that Elijah had reincarnated. If this is true, then reincarnation must belong in Christian theology, and the West's entire doctrinal interpretation of "Life After Death" in general, and the "Last Day Resurrection" in particular, must be radically revised, or... (B) John the Baptist was not Elijah himself, meaning that Elijah himself had not returned.

If this is so, then either:(1) The Old Testament prophecy about Elijah returning before the Messiah failed to come to pass (meaning that Biblical prophecy is fallible), OR (2) Jesus was not the Messiah.

Basically, it comes down to this simple question: What do you believe? One of the following A, B, or C, must logically be true: A. Reincarnation is true, or B. Jesus was not the Messiah, or C. The prophecies of the Bible are unreliable. As surely as two and two make four, one of the above must be true.

At any rate, the passage in which Jesus says in no uncertain terms that John was Elijah is "overt" and direct: "But I tell you, Elijah has come." (Mark 9:13) The following verse is used to refute the John the Baptist/Elijah reincarnation connection. The Bible tells us that John the Baptist possessed, "... the spirit and power of Elijah." (Luke 1:17) Those who refute this reincarnation connection say that John the Baptist merely came in the spirit and power of Elijah. However, this is a perfect description of reincarnation: the spirit and power. This is reincarnation - the reincarnation of the spirit. The Bible itself states that John the Baptist possessed the spirit that had previously lived in, and as, the man Elijah - not his physical being and memory, but his spirit. "This is the one ... there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist........ he is the Elijah who was to come. He who has ears, let him hear." (Matthew 11:11-15)

Another ... One episode in particular from the healing miracles of Christ seems to point to reincarnation: "And as he was passing by, he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, 'Rabbi, who has sinned, this man or his parents, that he should be born blind?" Jesus answered, 'Neither has this man sinned, nor his parents, but the works of God were to be made manifest in him.'" (John 9:1) The disciples ask the Lord if the man himself could have committed the sin that led to his blindness. Given the fact that the man has been blind from birth, when could he have commited such transgressions, such sins, as to make him blind at birth? The only conceivable answer is in some prenatal state. The question as posed by the disciples explicitly presupposes prenatal existence. Take note also, Christ says absolutely nothing to dispel or correct the presupposition. The answer of course was for the 'manifestitaion of God,' but the answer doesn't take away the fact that the disciples asked if the man had sinned to cause him to be born blind. Were the disciplese completely out of their minds to ask such a question? If not, it is simply incontrovertible support for a doctrine of human preexistence, i.e., reincarnation.

Another Bible verse has Paul discussing the process of "resurrection" (i.e. reincarnation): "But someone may ask, 'How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?' How foolish! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else. But God gives it a body as he has determined, and to each kind of seed he gives its own body."(1 Corinthians 15:35-38)

If this verse in the Book of Revelation isn't referring to reincarnation, then what on earth is it saying?"She gave birth to a son, a male child, who will rule all the nations with an iron scepter. And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne." (Revelation 12:5) Her son was to 'rule all the nations with an iron scepter' ... but the child 'was snatched up to God' ... when was he to rule all nations?

After reading all of the above, one can only draw the conclusion that reincarnation was not only known by those in Christ's day, but that Christ Himself and the Bible teaches it, and reincarnation should be a doctrine acceptable by every follower of Christ.

One can only imagine how many, many more verses, and perhaps even chapters may have spoken openly of reincarnation before Emperor Justinian (see note 1 below), bowing to his Empress, Theodora's wishes (see note 2), had the original Bible edited to suit her tastes. Seems, however, they did a rather haphazard job on certain verses. Hope he didn't pay his editors an outlandish salary.(Note 1 ) Emperor Justian: This is from the Ecclesiastical History, written by Evagrius (536-594)."There was a quality latent in the character of Justinian - a depravity which exceeded any bestiality which can be imagined."(bestiality: 1 : the condition or status of a lower animal2 : display or gratification of bestial traits or impulses3 : sexual relations between a human being and a lower animal) Like it or not, it's in the history books, this is one of the men to whom you can thank for the editing of your Bible.(Note 2) Empress/Mistress Theodora: Theodora was the only empress in history to enthrone her very own Pope, Virgilus, year 538. Of course, she had to contrive the murders of two other Popes* first. Also, she had actually ascended the papal throne in person, hence the source of the legend of the mythical "Pope Joan." Taken from a writing by Procopius:"...if the Emperor (Justinian) granted a favor to a man without her content, that man's affairs would suffer a turn of misfortune and not long afterwards he would be dismissed from his office with the greatest indignities, and would die a most shameful death." This woman, Empress Theodora, my friends, is the 'inspiration' behind the editing of your Bible**. (* Pope Agapetus and Pope Silverius)(** The Fifth Ecumenical Congress of Constantinople, 553 A.D.)