The false belief of Reincarnation
Any Greek or Hebrew translations are quoted from
New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible
James Strong, LL.D., S.T.D.
Thomas Nelson Publishers 1990 edition
Scripture does not teach reincarnation. In fact, scripture says once to die and then the judgment. Hebrews 9:27: And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment. Our life and our death are appointed by God. When a person dies they do not come back as another person and start all over again. There have been cases where people have been miraculously raised from the dead, but their soul and spirit came back only for a time to the same body that they occupied prior to their death. An excellent example of this is Lazarus. God raised him from the dead, but He did not appoint Lazarus a new body. Lazarus did not come back as a totally different person. On the contrary, Lazarus life was restored to the same body – a body which had already begun to stink with death. John 11:11-14, 33-34, 39-44: These things said he: and after that he saith unto them, Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep. Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well. Howbeit Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep. Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead. When Jesus therefore saw her (Lazarus’ sister Mary) weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled. And said, Where have ye laid him? They said unto him, Lord, come and see. Jesus said, Take ye away the stone. Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto him Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days. Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God? Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me. And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go. (Scriptural parenthesis added for emphasis)
There are many people today who believe and teach reincarnation. Some even try and use the following scripture in an effort to prove their theory. Luke 1:17 (speaking of John the Baptist): And he shall go before him (Jesus) in the spirit and power of Elias (Elijah), to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. The Greek name ‘Elias’ in Luke 1:17 is “Helias, hay-lee’-as; i.e. Elijah”. These false teachers of reincarnation believe that Elijah was reincarnated into the body of John the Baptist. The problem with this theory is that in order for a person to be reincarnated (according to the belief of reincarnation) a person must first die, and Elijah did not die! God took him up to heaven in a whirlwind. II Kings 2:9-13: And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elish said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me. And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so. And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces. He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan. When Luke 1:17 speaks of John the Baptist having the spirit and power of Elias (Elijah) it simply means: the same Holy Spirit who empowered Elijah would also empower John the Baptist. What about II Kings 2:9-13 (above)? It says that Elisha received the spirit of Elijah (just as scripture says John the Baptist did). Was Elijah also reincarnated into Elisha? If so then Elisha would have had to be born at the precise time Elijah left. Also remember that Elijah never died, and in order to be reincarnated you have to die. There are far more questions than there are answers in the false belief of reincarnation. Scripture only proves the fact that there is no such thing as reincarnation. Reincarnation is a lie straight from the pit of hell. If every time someone dies they are reincarnated into another person then why is the population increasing? The number of people should remain the same if people are just being re-made over and over again. Another speculation about reincarnation is that people are reincarnated into animals, if they do not live a good life the first time – but even if that were the case then human population would still be decreasing, not increasing. People cannot be reincarnated into an animal because animals do not have a spirit (mind) that can think rationally; but people do! Many people do not realize that God’s living animals do not have a rational spirit mind. They have a body and soul, but not a rational thinking spirit. Animals are not rational thinking beings. Their only resemblance to man’s spirit is that they breathe. When referring to any spirit the Hebrew word for ‘spirit’ in the Old Testament is “ruwach, roo’-akh; …by resemblance breath… exhalation… life… by resemblance spirit, but only of a rational being… air… blast… mind… wind”. The Greek word for ‘spirit’ in the New Testament is “pneuma, pnyoo’-mah; a current of air, i.e. breath (blast) or a breeze… a spirit, i.e. (human) the rational soul… life… mind”. Animals have a ‘soul’ (heart, mind, emotions, appetite, etc) but they cannot think rationally. The Hebrew word for ‘soul’ in the Old Testament is “nephesh, neh’-fesh; a breathing creature, i.e. animal… beast”. The Greek word for ‘soul’ in the New Testament is “psuche, psoo-khay” and the Greek terms “exactly correspond respectively” to the Hebrew. Though God’s real animals are understanding they were not created with a rational thinking mind. Man’s spirit, which is a rational thinking spirit, cannot be reincarnated into an animal or vice versa.
Reincarnation is not only false but it is a very dangerous belief. Hebrews 9:27: And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment. You must accept Jesus Christ as your Savior now. Do not think you can come back and do it another time. Do not wait until you are standing before the judgment seat of Christ to try and make a decision to follow Christ, because by then it will be too late! Do not wait until you stand before God to figure out that reincarnation is false and that you do not get another chance. If you have not accepted Christ by the time you die, it will be too late, because after death there are no more chances!
