The Bible supports reincarnation

[Aunty Jane]

Please don't equate ignoring your many questions with "dodging" them.

What else was I to think when you refused to answer such an important question....the kingdom of God was the theme of Jesus’ entire ministry. We have to know exactly what it is and what it will accomplish, otherwise how do we tell others about it?
Jesus trained his disciples before he sent them out to preach his message....yes, he sent them out to preach in all the villages and towns that they could visit. (Matthew 10:11:14)

I have no obligation to answer any of your questions-- I can close the door at anytime of my choosing and you get the privilege of thinking you've been persecuted in the process. It earns a badge of some sort for your sash, doesn't it?

I think that in a public forum, you are under obligation to defend your faith....isn't that the purpose of a public forum, to present what you believe for others to consider in their own spiritual journey?
To refuse to answer important questions gives the appearance of having no defense.

If you needed time to formulate your answers, then you could have just just said so.

I don't think it's easy, no. Neither do I think it's "helpful" to Jesus. I think it's ignorant, arrogant, unnecessary and wholly-- unhelpful. It promotes your religion, not 'the Kingdom' of God which needs no promotion from you or anyone else. I think you are probably right in thinking you and I have different ideas regarding that Kingdom.

So in sending his disciples out to preach, Jesus was giving them the wrong direction? Why would Jesus do that if he deemed it unnecessary? If he told his disciples by way of a direct command to “GO and make disciples of people of all the nations, baptizing them...” How were they instructed to do that?

Matthew 10:11-14...
“Into whatever city or village you enter, search out who in it is deserving, and stay there until you leave. 12 When you enter the house, greet the household. 13 If the house is deserving, let the peace you wish it come upon it; but if it is not deserving, let the peace from you return upon you. 14 Wherever anyone does not receive you or listen to your words, on going out of that house or that city, shake the dust off your feet.”

How were Jesus’ disciples to find those “deserving” ones? Was there an invitation from those people to come? Or was it an unplanned visit in a "house to house" ministry? If the household was not deserving of their presence or peaceful message, the disciples were to “shake the dust off” and leave, with the peace of God returned upon them, and then they were to offer the same message at the next house. (Acts 20:20)

How do emergency services make sure that no one misses out on a dire warning about an approaching storm or earthquake or volcano eruption? Don't they go "house to house"? What if people don't have a radio or television set or they live alone with no close family?
Could any message be more important that the coming of God's Kingdom...and the end of the present world....it is not going to end peacefully.

The gospels are full of examples that Jesus offered informing us what the Kingdom is like. Jesus taught (and I believe) -- the kingdom of God is in your midst. (within, among and all around you).

And that is one of the most misunderstood verses in the Bible......who was Jesus speaking to? It was the Pharisees to whom he said..."how are you to flee from the judgment of gehenna?" Was the Kingdom "within" those unrighteous men? What was Jesus really saying?
He told those hypocrites of whom he also said "their heart is far removed from me" that the Kingdom was right there in their midst, but they failed to accept him for who he was. He was just someone to ignore and treat as of no account.

The kingdom is a real government of God that will crush all earthly kingdoms out of existence, and replace them as man's only government. (Daniel 2:44) It will take place in the time of the present world rulers as these are the last ones in Daniel's prophesy to have dominion over the earth before God finishes the devil's rulership.
What did Isaiah prophesy?
"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder" (Isaiah 9:6)
What government is that?

 

[Aunty Jane]

Does God make it grow without any help?
He could...but that is not how he works....he involves us humans in his plans and gives us many opportunities to show him who we really are, and how much faith we place in his word, and how obedient we are to his commands. How else is he to make a decision about our future.....we show him who we are, and how important he is in our lives.

And again He said, “To what shall I compare the kingdom of God? “It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three pecks of flour until it was all leavened.”

I like the companion to this parable as recorded in the gospel of Thomas-

Jesus said : "The Kingdom of the Father is like a woman who was carrying a jar full of meal. While she was walking on a far road the handle of the jar broke and the meal emptied out behind her on the road. She did not realize it. She had noticed no accident. When she reached her house, she put the jar down and found it empty." (The good news is spread simply by her walk. Without any effort on her part or even any awareness.)

Funny, I can’t find the gospel of Thomas in my Bible.....why can’t I?

I'm guessing this (Matt 24:14) is at the least a good part of what motivates JW's to go door knocking. They must think that they, through their 'promotional marketing' are ushering in the kingdom of God (according to what they think it is). Just doing some simple math--- IF we can preach the gospel to the whole world as witnesses to all nations-- THEN the end will come, and the kingdom begin.... "Thy Kingdom come" --right?

Wrong....as usual. You have formulated your own ideas about us and you post those ideas as if what you assume is true.....it’s not.

There are no “Brownie points” in following Jehovah’s directives....meaning that we can never earn a place in God’s Kingdom, but that doesn’t mean that we don’t need to meet the qualifications to live there. There is a reward for faithfulness as the scriptures indicate....Jehovah 'rewards those who earnestly seek him'. (Hebrews 11:6) He does not expect us to go through the trials of this life without granting us a better one. But where will we spend it?

But that's not how it works. "The end" is the end of an age. It's like the end of a chapter in a book. The end of the chapter is not the end of the story. The end Jesus spoke of was near at hand and it came exactly as he said it would for that generation (age). We know this because we are informed by history. We know this because we are informed by testimony of 'actual' witnesses who lived at the time, who heard and saw and testified to those things he taught-- we call them gospel accounts. Among those early witnesses we have the testimony of Paul's letters, who makes it clear that no door knocking is required- He is talking about the means by which even in those days, at that time, the gospel had already been "promoted" sufficiently for 'the end' to come-- and it did.

--the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, was made a minister.

And what was the primary objective of those ministers?
What did Paul also say....?

Romans 10:11-15...
“For the scripture says: “No one who rests his faith on him will be disappointed.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek. There is the same Lord over all, who is rich toward all those calling on him. 13 For “everyone who calls on the name of Jehovah will be saved.” 14 However, how will they call on him if they have not put faith in him? How, in turn, will they put faith in him about whom they have not heard? How, in turn, will they hear without someone to preach? 15 How, in turn, will they preach unless they have been sent out? Just as it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who declare good news of good things!”
Paul was quoting Joel 2:32 and Zeph 3:9....both of which speak of calling on the name of Yahweh (“Jehovah.”)

It's like JW's go out with good intent, as you have stated here- wanting to preach and teach and witness and 'help' people come into relationship. Wonderful. They also seem to think that it earns them some kind of credit if they do this, and some future reward if they get the door slammed in their faces. Hint-- you are annoying people. You get what you deserve just like the telemarketers get hung up on when they call about my car's extended warranty or solar panels. They are not earning heavenly rewards and I don't hate them. I hate being bothered by them. There are probably telemarketers in cubicles at some call center saying-- Jesus said if they hated him they would hate us also....

If you examine the ones in times past who were given the responsibility of warning the people about God’s intensions, you will see that they all had one thing in common.....they had to obey God’s direction and do as they were told....think about Jonah for a moment....he was given an assignment and because it was a heavy one, he ran away to try and avoid his responsibility....did God allow him to shirk it? We know what happened....

What about Ezekiel? He too was given an assignment and it too was a difficult one where God’s people were behaving worse the those of the nations....what did God tell him to do?

To those hard headed and hard hearted ones he was to give them an ultimatum.
God told Ezekiel...
“Son of man, I have appointed you as a watchman to the house of Israel; and when you hear a word from my mouth, you must warn them from me. 18 When I say to someone wicked, ‘You will surely die,’ but you do not warn him, and you fail to speak in order to warn the wicked one to turn from his wicked course so that he may stay alive, he will die for his error because he is wicked, but I will ask his blood back from you. 19 But if you warn someone wicked and he does not turn back from his wickedness and from his wicked course, he will die for his error, but you will certainly save your own life. 20 But when someone righteous abandons his righteousness and does what is wrong, I will put a stumbling block before him and he will die. If you did not warn him, he will die for his sin and his righteous acts will not be remembered, but I will ask his blood back from you. 21 But if you have warned the righteous one not to sin, and he does not sin, he will surely keep alive because he was warned, and you will have saved your own life.”

We as Christians have a responsibility to preach Christ’s message and to warn the people like God’s servants did before the flood and like Jesus’ disciples did before the destruction of Jerusalem. Jesus is about to bring an end to this world system under the influence of God’s adversary. (1 John 5:19)
“The end” is coming and people will get one testimony from one small group of misfits....whom they will ignore and treat with contempt.

Next time you go to one of your Kingdom Hall meetings, poke everyone with a pin. When they yelp, explain that you were just trying to get their attention so you could tell them about Jesus. Do this every time, to everyone you encounter. In time, people will know you as that lady who pokes everyone with pins. Some people will grow to hate being poked with pins, and some might even grow to hate you BECAUSE you do this. It's not their fault. It's yours. Even if your motivation was pure in wanting to talk about Jesus. It's your methods that suck.

Now that is truly funny....because you cannot make this comparison without making the same apply to Jesus and his apostles....and to Noah........so, get used to the pins....they won’t stop until God says it is enough.

This is the heart of what JW's are blind toward.

And what is the heart of what makes you blind Mr E?
You speak as if your own beliefs could not possibly be wrong...? Did the people of Noah’s day believe that they were wrong? Did they think that they could ignore Noah with impunity?
What about the Jews in Jerusalem when the Roman armies returned to finish something they started 4 years previously? Did those people believe that Jerusalem would be destroyed and a siege instigated that would cause some in their desperation, to eat their own children?

History is repeating right under your noses and you just can’t see what you don’t want to see.....that is entirely your choice of course, and we will all answer to the same judge eventually......maybe sooner rather than later....who knows?

 

[Adam]

This is getting way too personal between the people involved.

Anyways, the Kingdom of God:

Luke 17:21
Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

Jesus says it himself, don't look around for some physical kingdom and say "yup, that's the holy kingdom that was promised, and that there is the holy king" or "yup just need to wait 50 years for God's kingdom on Earth, all the prophesies are coming true", God's kingdom is a spiritual state and it is attainable right now, it just requires the wisdom and perspective which most don't have.

My personal belief is that you earn your place in the Kingdom of God through reincarnation. Your soul is elevated in each lifetime and you gain the wisdom required. Eventually, you begin to come to the Kingdom of God, which is not an earthly kingdom, but a spiritual kingdom. It is the kingdom of Israel, the real Israel, which crosses time and space and has no geographical borders but is made up of all who serve God. It is the ability to see God's hand in everything. You see how God is working in yourself and others, in both the good times and bad, to teach lessons; and you understand that everything is moving unceasingly towards God, and it is a state of bliss, as you know nothing can undo the will of God. You realize that everyone is just a facet of God and there is no such thing as an evil soul, and that everyone has a kernel of good, which just needs to be brought out of them; so you have love and unity with all mankind without ego or accusation.

Or in other words, heaven and hell are a state of mind. You make this world into heaven by embracing universal love and contentment in God's will or you make it into hell by wrapping yourself up in ego and being hateful of others and resentful of all the circumstances outside of your control. Once you have fully cleansed your soul of evil, then you return to God, having no more need of this Earth and its lessons, but until then, a life of virtue is its own reward.

 

[Davy]

My personal belief is that you earn your place in the Kingdom of God through reincarnation.

But that idea is NOT written in God's Word.

Instead, that idea is an Eastern religious philosophy, and NO CHRISTIAN should maintain that false belief.

And I also recommend those 'trapped' in fraternal organizations that FALSELY TEACH all religions are on the same path to salvation, to LEAVE SUCH ORGANIZATIONS if they claim to be a CHRISTIAN, because those organizations are instituted and created by Lucifer's children of darkness. One might join in fellowship with other Christian brethren in those fraternities, but the higher ups are not who you think they are.

 

[Adam]

But that idea is NOT written in God's Word.

I have quoted multiple passages to that effect in this thread already, as have other posters.

Instead, that idea is an Eastern religious philosophy, and NO CHRISTIAN should maintain that false belief.

And I also recommend those 'trapped' in fraternal organizations that FALSELY TEACH all religions are on the same path to salvation, to LEAVE SUCH ORGANIZATIONS if they claim to be a CHRISTIAN, because those organizations are instituted and created by Lucifer's children of darkness. One might join in fellowship with other Christian brethren in those fraternities, but the higher ups are not who you think they are.

It is rather arrogant to think that the God of the west has completely turned his back on the east and that anyone born outside of a modern western paradigm is doomed to hell through no fault of their own. This was the exact same mentality that caused the pharisees to put Jesus to death, that they were afraid that Jesus' doctrine of universal salvation would destroy their unique status as God's chosen.

John 11
46 But some of them went their ways to the Pharisees, and told them what things Jesus had done.

47 Then gathered the chief priests and the Pharisees a council, and said, What do we? for this man doeth many miracles.

48 If we let him thus alone, all men will believe on him: and the Romans shall come and take away both our place and nation.

The Bible says: even those who have not heard the teachings can be justified by their desires to do good:

Romans 2
13 (For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.

14 For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:

15 Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another

Here is a quote from Confuscius (Annalects):

The Master said, "At fifteen, I had my mind bent on learning.
"At thirty, I stood firm. "At forty, I had no doubts. "At fifty, I knew the decrees of Heaven. "At sixty, my ear was an obedient organ for the reception of truth.
"At seventy, I could follow what my heart desired, without transgressing what was right."

Confucius may just be a man, but does this not speak of someone who had, as the Bible said, the law written on his heart?

Secondly -

For one to believe in eternal hell, one would have to either believe that God does not want to save everyone, or that God cannot save everyone.

For one to believe in a single life, one would have to believe that a child died in abortion, or a medieval Chinese farmer with no access to education (let alone education in western doctrines), or a child born to criminals (who would be beaten for telling the truth and rewarded for stealing), would have the same fairness of judgment as, for example, King Solomon, who was born to a holy dynasty, spoke directly to God, and witnessed miracles. Clearly these lives are not equal so how could this be justified if this is the only life we will ever have?

Finally, there are many scriptures that God's love is universal:

Romans 8:35-39

35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.

37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,

39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Death, demons, or hell can't separate one from the love of God.

 

[Davy]

I have quoted multiple passages to that effect in this thread already, as have other posters.



It is rather arrogant to think that the God of the west has completely turned his back on the east and that anyone born outside of a modern western paradigm is doomed to hell through no fault of their own. This was the exact same mentality that caused the pharisees to put Jesus to death, that they were afraid that Jesus' doctrine of universal salvation would destroy their unique status as God's chosen.

John 11
46 But some of them went their ways to the Pharisees, and told them what things Jesus had done.

47 Then gathered the chief priests and the Pharisees a council, and said, What do we? for this man doeth many miracles.

48 If we let him thus alone, all men will believe on him: and the Romans shall come and take away both our place and nation.

The Bible says: even those who have not heard the teachings can be justified by their desires to do good:

Romans 2
13 (For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.

14 For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:

15 Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another

Here is a quote from Confuscius (Annalects):

The Master said, "At fifteen, I had my mind bent on learning.
"At thirty, I stood firm. "At forty, I had no doubts. "At fifty, I knew the decrees of Heaven. "At sixty, my ear was an obedient organ for the reception of truth.
"At seventy, I could follow what my heart desired, without transgressing what was right."

Confucius may just be a man, but does this not speak of someone who had, as the Bible said, the law written on his heart?

Secondly -

For one to believe in eternal hell, one would have to either believe that God does not want to save everyone, or that God cannot save everyone.

For one to believe in a single life, one would have to believe that a child died in abortion, or a medieval Chinese farmer with no access to education (let alone education in western doctrines), or a child born to criminals (who would be beaten for telling the truth and rewarded for stealing), would have the same fairness of judgment as, for example, King Solomon, who was born to a holy dynasty, spoke directly to God, and witnessed miracles. Clearly these lives are not equal so how could this be justified if this is the only life we will ever have?

Finally, there are many scriptures that God's love is universal:

Romans 8:35-39

35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.

37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,

39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Death, demons, or hell can't separate one from the love of God.

You are pushing FALSE RELIGION.

No TRUE Christian can claim the eastern theory of reincarnation and claim to be a Bible-believing Christian.

Now I recognize that many today CLAIM the title of Christian while NOT actually believing The Bible. But those are just reeds shaking in the wind, and will believe just any old theory or philosophy of men.

 

[Adam]

You are pushing FALSE RELIGION.

No TRUE Christian can claim the eastern theory of reincarnation and claim to be a Bible-believing Christian.

Now I recognize that many today CLAIM the title of Christian while NOT actually believing The Bible. But those are just reeds shaking in the wind, and will believe just any old theory or philosophy of men.

The early Christian church (the most direct successors of the apostles) believed in hell as temporary: The Church fathers, Clement of Alexandria, Origen, Gregory of Nyssa and Diodorus of Tarsus all taught this view along with the doctrine of a guaranteed final salvation for everyone. This is supported amply by Biblical passages, such as the parable of the lost sheep.

As mentioned in the thread, Jesus' followers believed in reincarnation, as did the Hebrews, and many Bible passages refer to this, including Old Testament passages (for example Job alludes to returning to his mother's womb). The teachings of the institutional Roman church had around ~400-500 AD (off the top of my head) doctrinized the idea of an eternal hell, but to be frank - who cares about them?

Mark 7
7 Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

8 For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do.

9 And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.

Funnily enough, this isn't even a specifically eastern idea. The greeks also believed in reincarnation and Plato wrote about the earliest recorded example of a near death experience: the story of Er the son of Armenius, who attested to reincarnation after being dead several days and miraculously rising. But this doesn't matter eh? As they are not enlightened like us?

Luke 16
30 And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.

31 And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.

I believe that God has allowed a stumbling block to be put before the west. That, even having the final revelation and the capstone of Mankind's faith, Jesus Christ, that we would have lost some of our original teachings due to the political maneuverings of a state institutionalized church. But the Bible remains unspoiled and if we study it we can see the truth for ourselves. Our only obstacle is our preconceived notions:

“That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them.”

 

[Davy]

The early Christian church (the most direct successors of the apostles) believed in hell as temporary: The Church fathers, Clement of Alexandria, Origen, Gregory of Nyssa and Diodorus of Tarsus all taught this view along with the doctrine of a guaranteed final salvation for everyone. This is supported amply by Biblical passages, such as the parable of the lost sheep.

As mentioned in the thread, Jesus' followers believed in reincarnation, as did the Hebrews, and many Bible passages refer to this, including Old Testament passages (for example Job alludes to returning to his mother's womb). The teachings of the institutional Roman church had around ~400-500 AD (off the top of my head) doctrinized the idea of an eternal hell, but to be frank - who cares about them?

Mark 7
7 Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

8 For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do.

9 And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.

Funnily enough, this isn't even a specifically eastern idea. The greeks also believed in reincarnation and Plato wrote about the earliest recorded example of a near death experience: the story of Er the son of Armenius, who attested to reincarnation after being dead several days and miraculously rising. But this doesn't matter eh? As they are not enlightened like us?

Luke 16
30 And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.

31 And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.

I believe that God has allowed a stumbling block to be put before the west. That, even having the final revelation and the capstone of Mankind's faith, Jesus Christ, that we would have lost some of our original teachings due to the political maneuverings of a state institutionalized church. But the Bible remains unspoiled and if we study it we can see the truth for ourselves. Our only obstacle is our preconceived notions:

“That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them.”

COMMUNIST PROPAGANDA, that's all that is.

 

[Adam]

Tovarish, I have no idea what you are talking about.

 

[Johann]

You don't understand, and you are not listening. I did not say this was mine or anyone's "interpretation." I said it was by the spirit of God.

That means this is not a discussion. Agreement is not required.​

But I will address your comments. "Lineage" in the passage is clarified as not being the blind man's immediate lineage, but rather his original lineage...a statement that says that each is born "according to its kind", as it was written from the beginning. In this case, "its kind" means born of sin, which is to say, born to die according to the wages of sin.

But, yes, that is correct, everyone is born blind--spiritually blind.

As for "How is it just for someone to pay for their ancestor's crimes", that is not what is happening here. Again, you misunderstand. There is no actual ancestry--again, I am not speaking according to life as experienced in the world, but am speaking the greater truth from God. The would-be ancestry is rather the unfolding of One, one who was born and sinned and was sentenced to die, and One who was "born again." Thus, there is only one who dies with all his "kind" in him, and also One who is born who lives (having paid the price of sin) with all His kind in Him. Which for me to say, is to give you the true meaning of life that all who are born search for. Don't waste it.

So, no, not reincarnation, not past lives, One life...as it is written, there is only "one begotten." But it is also written that God has intended to "expand His tent" "bringing many sons to glory."

Meanwhile, these are times of revelation of all truth, "Precept upon precept, precept upon precept, Line upon line, line upon line, Here a little, there a little.” One thing at a time.

...and...

Heb 9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

It is appointed (apokeitai). Present middle (or passive) of apokeimai, “is laid away” for men. Cf. same verb in Luk_19:20; Col_1:5; 2Ti_4:8 (Paul’s crown).
Once to die (hapax apothanein).

Once for all to die, as once for all to live here. No reincarnation here.


After this cometh judgment (meta touto krisis). Death is not all. Man has to meet Christ as Judge as Jesus himself graphically pictures (Matt 25:31-46; Joh_5:25-29).
Robertson.

 

[Johann]

Tovarish, I have no idea what you are talking about.

Reincarnation in the Bible
The word reincarnation means "to come again in the flesh."
Reincarnation is contrary to several fundamental doctrines of the Christian faith.
Many people who attend church regularly believe in reincarnation, even though orthodox Christian beliefs deny the teaching.
The Bible says humans have one life to receive salvation, while reincarnation affords limitless opportunities to get rid of sin and imperfection.
Christian View of Reincarnation
Many apologists in the reincarnation camp claim that their belief can be found in the Bible. They contend that their proof texts from the original manuscripts of the New Testament were either altered or removed to suppress the thinking. Nevertheless, they claim that vestiges of the teaching remain in Scripture.

John 3:3
Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.” (NLT)
Supporters of reincarnation say this verse speaks of rebirth into another body, but the notion is pulled out of context. Jesus had been talking to Nicodemus, who wondered in confusion, "How can an old man go back into his mother’s womb and be born again?" (John 3:4). He thought Jesus was referring to physical rebirth. But Jesus explained that he was talking about spiritual rebirth: "I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You must be born again’" (John 3:5–7).

Reincarnation prescribes a physical rebirth, while Christianity involves a spiritual one.

Matthew 11:14
And if you are willing to accept what I say, he [John the Baptist] is Elijah, the one the prophets said would come. (NLT)
Defenders of reincarnation claim that John the Baptist was Elijah reincarnated.

But John himself emphatically denied this assertion in John 1:21. Furthermore, Elijah never, in fact, died, which is a critical element of the reincarnation process. The Bible says that Elijah was taken up bodily or translated into heaven (2 Kings 2:1–11). A prerequisite of reincarnation is that a person dies before being reborn into another body. And, since Elijah appeared with Moses at the transfiguration of Jesus, how could he have been the reincarnation of John the Baptist, yet still Elijah?

When Jesus said that John the Baptist was Elijah, he was referring to John’s ministry as a prophet. He meant that John had functioned in the same "spirit and power of Elijah," just as the angel Gabriel foretold to Zechariah, John’s father, before his birth (Luke 1:5-25).

These are just two of a handful of verses that proponents of reincarnation use either out of context or with improper interpretation to support their belief. More disturbing, however, is that reincarnation opposes several fundamental doctrines of the Christian faith, and the Bible makes this plain.

Salvation Through Atonement
Reincarnation asserts that only through a repeating cycle of death and rebirth is the human soul able to purge itself of sin and evil and become worthy of everlasting peace through assimilation with the eternal All. Reincarnation eliminates the need of a Savior who sacrificially died on the cross for the sins of the world. In reincarnation, salvation becomes a form of work based on human actions rather than on the atoning death of Christ.

Christianity asserts that human souls are reconciled to God through the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ on the cross:

He saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. (Titus 3:5, NLT)
And through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross. (Colossians 1:20, NLT)
Atonement speaks of Christ’s work of saving humanity. Jesus died in the place of the ones he came to save:

He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins—and not only our sins but the sins of all the world. (1 John 2:2, NLT)
Because of Christ’s sacrifice, believers stand forgiven, cleansed, and righteous before God:

For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ. (2 Corinthians 5:21, NLT)
Jesus fulfilled all the righteous requirements of the law for salvation:

But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. (Romans 5:8–10, NLT)
Salvation is God’s free gift. Humans cannot earn salvation through any of their own doing:

God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. (Ephesians 2:8–9, NLT)
Judgment and Hell
Reincarnation denies the Christian doctrines of judgment and hell. Through a continuous cycle of death and rebirth, reincarnation maintains that the human soul eventually frees itself from sin and evil and becomes united with the all-embracing One.

The Bible affirms that at the precise moment of death, the believer’s soul departs the body and goes immediately into the presence of God (2 Corinthians 5:8, Philippians 1:21–23). Unbelievers go to Hades, where they await judgment (Luke 16:19–31). When the time for judgment arrives, the bodies of both the saved and unsaved will be resurrected:

And they will rise again. Those who have done good will rise to experience eternal life, and those who have continued in evil will rise to experience judgment. (John 5:29, NLT).
Believers will be taken to heaven, where they will spend eternity (John 14:1–3), while unbelievers will be thrown into hell and spend eternity separated from God (Revelation 8:12; 20:11–15; Matthew 25:31–46).

Resurrection vs. Reincarnation
The Christian doctrine of resurrection teaches that a person dies only once:

And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment. (Hebrews 9:27, NLT)
When the body of flesh and blood undergoes resurrection, it will be changed into an eternal, immortal, body:

It is the same way with the resurrection of the dead. Our earthly bodies are planted in the ground when we die, but they will be raised to live forever. (1 Corinthians 15:42, NLT)
Reincarnation involves many deaths and rebirths of the soul into a series of many flesh and blood bodies—a repetitive process of life, death, and rebirth. But Christian resurrection is a one-time, conclusive event.

The Bible teaches that humans have one chance—one life—to receive salvation before death and resurrection. Reincarnation, on the other hand, allows for unlimited opportunities to rid the mortal body of sin and imperfection.

Sources
Defending Your Faith (pp. 179–185). Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications.
Reincarnation. Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics (p. 639).

Is Reincarnation Compatible With the Bible?

Many people think that reincarnation is in the Bible, but Scripture does not teach that a person can be continuously reborn after death.

www.learnreligions.com

No reincarnation in my bible brother.

 

[BeyondET]

Good article on Biblically-supported reincarnation here, though I came to the same conclusion separately:

May a Christian Believe in Reincarnation?

This brief study of reincarnation will be to determine if in good conscience a Christian may believe in reincarnation. You will be surprised!

ocoy.org

Many Bible quotes can be found within that support this concept. I won't spam the page up by listing them all redundantly when the article does a nice enough job. Here is one quote I feel is particularly ironclad:

Genesis 9:6
6 Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.

This would not be possible without reincarnation. As you know, many murderers are imprisoned or evade capture and die of natural causes.

The common counterargument to Christian reincarnation is the idea of an eternal hell which is countered here:

Tobit 13:2
“For he doth scourge, and hath mercy: he leadeth down to hell, and bringeth up again: neither is there any that can avoid his hand.”

How can one come out of hell without another chance at life?

On moral grounds, I would reject the concept of eternal hell, as an all-loving God would not create a being to suffer for all eternity. In fact, the Bible says that God will go through great lengths to save everyone, not stopping until He has succeeded.

Luke chapter 15 KJV (King James Version)

Luke chapter 15 KJV (King James Version)

www.kingjamesbibleonline.org

4 What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?

Furthermore, the idea of a loving God throwing sinners into eternal hell isn't just either - it is a cop-out. If you have an argument with someone, you can't win the argument by silencing them, only by proving them wrong. Evil can't be defeated with violence, only by turning evil to good can it be defeated in a moral sense. Hence, turn the other cheek. The question of good and evil, I would go so far as to say, is the fundamental question of our universe. It is one of the first things written about in the Bible, in Genesis chapter 3. So did God create evil just to lock it away? Or is there in fact a higher purpose to it? My personal theory is that your soul retains memory of its past suffering, and after experiencing evil, becomes more compassionate. Across the cycles, a soul gradually rises in consciousness from a base and evil state to a good and holy state, through toiling and suffering.

Now here is where I am about to get really unorthodox: human souls can transmigrate into animal souls. This is why the Hebrews sacrificed lambs and goats. A Jew repents for his sins by killing HIMSELF in his next life. A penance cycle as a lamb destined for slaughter. Therefore, the spiritual timeline of the world is not the same as the material timeline. A soul can be born to live concurrently with its previous or subsequent incarnation.

Now, how can Jesus atone for the collective sins of all mankind? There is only one possible explanation. Jesus is the Son of Man. The spiritual son, IE. the reincarnation of Man. The sum total of all human incarnations with a fully awakened soul memory.

Matthew 25:40
And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

Or in other words: all life in our universe really only has a single soul, which is inferior to God, but is in the process of purifying itself to return to God.

Philosophers have often grappled with the quesion: how can a loving God create a universe filled with so much evil? Well the answer to this is clear: it's a moral lesson. We think there is good and evil but we've really just been screwing ourselves over for thousands of years. Everything we do meets with exact justice because we suffer at our own hands and learn from it.

So whose moral education was this universe created for? The book of Job has the answer.

Job 1
8 And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?

The high toiling and suffering of a base evil state to good holy state or what ever, doesn't seem logical what purpose of creating souls to go through such anguish to a higher state.

Why not skip all the suffering and toiling and create good holy state from the get go.

Really I don't see a logical purpose of starting out man at a base and evil state especially when God said everything created was good.

 

[Keturah]

 

[Adam]

The high toiling and suffering of a base evil state to good holy state or what ever, doesn't seem logical what purpose of creating souls to go through such anguish to a higher state.

Why not skip all the suffering and toiling and create good holy state from the get go.

Really I don't see a logical purpose of starting out man at a base and evil state especially when God said everything created was good.

It's exactly because of logic that man must start at a base and evil state. If God created a man as completely perfect, it would only be an illusion or a philosophical zombie, with no free will. For something to exist as a free willed and independent being, it must gain its own knowledge.

 

[Adam]

Reincarnation in the Bible
The word reincarnation means "to come again in the flesh."
Reincarnation is contrary to several fundamental doctrines of the Christian faith.
Many people who attend church regularly believe in reincarnation, even though orthodox Christian beliefs deny the teaching.
The Bible says humans have one life to receive salvation, while reincarnation affords limitless opportunities to get rid of sin and imperfection.

No, it says that after death men are judged. This is not incompatible with reincarnation.

Christian View of Reincarnation
Many apologists in the reincarnation camp claim that their belief can be found in the Bible. They contend that their proof texts from the original manuscripts of the New Testament were either altered or removed to suppress the thinking. Nevertheless, they claim that vestiges of the teaching remain in Scripture.

No, I don't claim the scriptures were altered, it says it quite openly, David is the messiah; the Messiah is the Last Adam, Elijah is John the Baptist, a man can sin before he was born, etc.

John 3:3
Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.” (NLT)
Supporters of reincarnation say this verse speaks of rebirth into another body, but the notion is pulled out of context. Jesus had been talking to Nicodemus, who wondered in confusion, "How can an old man go back into his mother’s womb and be born again?" (John 3:4). He thought Jesus was referring to physical rebirth. But Jesus explained that he was talking about spiritual rebirth: "I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You must be born again’" (John 3:5–7).

Reincarnation prescribes a physical rebirth, while Christianity involves a spiritual one.

Matthew 11:14
And if you are willing to accept what I say, he [John the Baptist] is Elijah, the one the prophets said would come. (NLT)
Defenders of reincarnation claim that John the Baptist was Elijah reincarnated.

But John himself emphatically denied this assertion in John 1:21.

You've got things backwards. John the Baptist doesn't know all the mysteries of the soul, so he denied being Elijah, but Jesus does know these mysteries, so he knows the truth.

Furthermore, Elijah never, in fact, died, which is a critical element of the reincarnation process. The Bible says that Elijah was taken up bodily or translated into heaven (2 Kings 2:1–11).

Heaven is a spiritual place, in order to ascend to heaven, one must leave the physical body and take on a spiritual body. This is why John the Baptist was filled with the Holy Spirit from birth -- how would this be possible except that he was already a holy being in a previous life?

A prerequisite of reincarnation is that a person dies before being reborn into another body. And, since Elijah appeared with Moses at the transfiguration of Jesus, how could he have been the reincarnation of John the Baptist, yet still Elijah?

If I recall correctly, John the Baptist had already been executed at this point and returned to his spiritual state.

When Jesus said that John the Baptist was Elijah, he was referring to John’s ministry as a prophet. He meant that John had functioned in the same "spirit and power of Elijah," just as the angel Gabriel foretold to Zechariah, John’s father, before his birth (Luke 1:5-25).

Yes, he had the same spirit and power as Elijah, his soul. He's not a facsimile, he's the real thing.

These are just two of a handful of verses that proponents of reincarnation use either out of context or with improper interpretation to support their belief. More disturbing, however, is that reincarnation opposes several fundamental doctrines of the Christian faith, and the Bible makes this plain.

Salvation Through Atonement
Reincarnation asserts that only through a repeating cycle of death and rebirth is the human soul able to purge itself of sin and evil and become worthy of everlasting peace through assimilation with the eternal All. Reincarnation eliminates the need of a Savior who sacrificially died on the cross for the sins of the world. In reincarnation, salvation becomes a form of work based on human actions rather than on the atoning death of Christ.

Jesus is the gateway to the Father. Or in other words, one must have unity with Jesus to complete the soul.

Christianity asserts that human souls are reconciled to God through the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ on the cross:

He saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. (Titus 3:5, NLT)

You're using symbolic language but not actually saying HOW Jesus washes away sins. I will tell you plainly: reincarnation involves experiencing the lives of others, and final unity with Jesus means experiencing Jesus' life. Jesus is the gate and the shepherd. You must physically pass through the gate to enter the sheepfold.

And through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross. (Colossians 1:20, NLT)

Yes, and how did He do this? By experiencing all the lives of mankind.

Atonement speaks of Christ’s work of saving humanity. Jesus died in the place of the ones he came to save:

He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins—and not only our sins but the sins of all the world. (1 John 2:2, NLT)
Because of Christ’s sacrifice, believers stand forgiven, cleansed, and righteous before God:

For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ. (2 Corinthians 5:21, NLT)
Jesus fulfilled all the righteous requirements of the law for salvation:

And how can someone else's sinless life atone for ours? There is something else going on here that isn't being expressed.

But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. (Romans 5:8–10, NLT)
Salvation is God’s free gift. Humans cannot earn salvation through any of their own doing:

God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. (Ephesians 2:8–9, NLT)
Judgment and Hell
Reincarnation denies the Christian doctrines of judgment and hell. Through a continuous cycle of death and rebirth, reincarnation maintains that the human soul eventually frees itself from sin and evil and becomes united with the all-embracing One.

Hell exists, but it lasts for an aeon (in the original greek). An aeon is a fixed length of time. In greek poetry contemporary to the time of the gospels, aeon has also been used to refer to a human lifetime. In otherwords, a lifetime of sin is followed either by penance in hell (which lasts until repentance), and/or by a penance cycle of reincarnation.

 

[Adam]

The Bible affirms that at the precise moment of death, the believer’s soul departs the body and goes immediately into the presence of God (2 Corinthians 5:8, Philippians 1:21–23). Unbelievers go to Hades, where they await judgment (Luke 16:19–31). When the time for judgment arrives, the bodies of both the saved and unsaved will be resurrected:

The ressurection is the spiritual ascension to God, which is not the final step, but is part of the process of purification of the soul. Sinners and saints are judged, but no man is perfect, thus until final unity with Jesus, the cycle continues.

And they will rise again. Those who have done good will rise to experience eternal life, and those who have continued in evil will rise to experience judgment. (John 5:29, NLT).
Believers will be taken to heaven, where they will spend eternity (John 14:1–3), while unbelievers will be thrown into hell and spend eternity separated from God (Revelation 8:12; 20:11–15; Matthew 25:31–46).

Yes, there is judgement, but it is only for an "aeon". In revelations, the word for hell is the same as the word used for a crucible. In other words, God is the fire which refines Man into sainthood.

John 14
3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

It says pretty much outright, Jesus will recieve you into Himself and you will be where He is. You'll enter into a union of souls with Jesus.

Resurrection vs. Reincarnation
The Christian doctrine of resurrection teaches that a person dies only once:

And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment. (Hebrews 9:27, NLT)

Yes, judgement, then a period in heaven or hell, then the next life. In the next life you reap what you sowed in the previous life.

When the body of flesh and blood undergoes resurrection, it will be changed into an eternal, immortal, body:

We already have an immortal body, which is, the soul.

It is the same way with the resurrection of the dead. Our earthly bodies are planted in the ground when we die, but they will be raised to live forever. (1 Corinthians 15:42, NLT)
Reincarnation involves many deaths and rebirths of the soul into a series of many flesh and blood bodies—a repetitive process of life, death, and rebirth. But Christian resurrection is a one-time, conclusive event.

The soul is raised up, that is the ressurection, but the authors are trying to explain the form of the soul to an audience that might not understand it. Your soul lives forever, and it survives the death of the body.

The Bible teaches that humans have one chance—one life—to receive salvation before death and resurrection. Reincarnation, on the other hand, allows for unlimited opportunities to rid the mortal body of sin and imperfection.

Is God not merciful? Parable of the prodigal son. Parable of the lost sheep. Etc. God never forgets his son and goes through any length to get him back. Eternal hell is not compatible with eternal love

No reincarnation in my bible brother.

Who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?

 

[Adam]

Here is a riddle for you who don't believe in reincarnation: Why is Jesus called the son of David if Joseph is not Jesus' father?

Here's an even harder riddle, why does the Bible call David the messiah (many times in fact)?

3 Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.

/

23 And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd.

24 And I the Lord will be their God, and my servant David a prince among them; I the Lord have spoken it.

 

[Mr E]

One misconception is that a person lives, dies and then that same “person” is reborn into a new body. It’s not that Elijah lived, died, -and then became John the Baptizer. Neither did John become Elijah. The body comes first, and it becomes the house for the spirit which is sent from above.

John was John. Elijah was Elijah. But “if you can accept it” Jesus said. John was Elijah. In the spiritual sense the two of them were of that same spirit. If you want to dive even deeper into the weeds, the same spirit/messenger/Angel was sent to both men.

There is much more scriptural evidence for this, which was given to us by way of revelation, but few understand it.

 

[Adam]

One misconception is that a person lives, dies and then that same “person” is reborn into a new body. It’s not that Elijah lived, died, -and then became John the Baptizer. Neither did John become Elijah. The body comes first, and it becomes the house for the spirit which is sent from above.

John was John. Elijah was Elijah. But “if you can accept it” Jesus said. John was Elijah. In the spiritual sense the two of them were of that same spirit. If you want to dive even deeper into the weeds, the same spirit/messenger/Angel was sent to both men.

There is much more scriptural evidence for this, which was given to us by way of revelation, but few understand it.

I agree, perhaps another way to look at it is, we have a part of ourselves, our indwelt Holy Spirit, which is our connection to God, it is perfect, a perfect idea in the mind of God. It is our true self. The spirit grows in a person as he lives his life, and it can never be corrupted, but as we live our lives and the spirit grows (the wheat), also does our flesh (tares), which obscures it. God sifts us like wheat when it is time to harvest. The phrase doesn't mean God sifts good people from bad people and blanket forgives some while blanket condemning others; but rather that we are all both sons of God and sons of sin simulataneously, and God harvests the former and destroys the latter aspects of ourselves at the end of each life. God doesn't send you packing into your next life, with all your sin still attached, He gives you a fresh start. That is the reason why people only live such short lives.

 

[Dropship]

The Bible supports reincarnation​

No way hozay..
Reincarnation is just a satan-inspired notion that suckers people into believing there's no such thing as hell and that they'll keep being recycled onto earth over and over..