 The false doctrine of reincarnation has now crept into churches as well as Hebrew culture . The belief in reincarnation in the Hebrew culture is now called " regeneration".
Regeneration is the belief that the soul returns to God after death, is judged, and then is born again into a new body. I'm told the difference between regeneration and reincarnation, is the person always comes back as the person they were, except they may look different and have no memory of previous lives. Scriptures some use to support this idea are: Jeremiah 1:4 Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 5 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. (Ephesians 1:4) He chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blemish in his sight and love." Malachi 1:2-3 2 “I have loved you,” says the Lord. “But you ask, ‘How have you loved us?’ “Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?” declares the Lord. “Yet I have loved Jacob, 3 but Esau I have hated, and I have turned his hill country into a wasteland and left his inheritance to the desert jackals.” Romans 9:11-13 11 (For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;) 12 It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger. 13 As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. Job 1:20-21 Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and he fell to the ground and worshiped. And he said, "Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I shall return there. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord." Job 19:25 I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth. 26 And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; 27 I myself will see him with my own eyes-I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me (John 9:1) 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.' Ecclesiastes 1:4-9 4 One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever. 5 The sun also ariseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteth to his place where he arose. 6 The wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north; it whirleth about continually, and the wind returneth again according to his circuits. 7 All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full; unto the place from whence the rivers come, thither they return again. 8 All things are full of labour; man cannot utter it: the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing. 9 The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun. Matthew 11:13-14 For all the prophets and the law have prophesied until John. And if you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who was to come." Addressing the scriptures they use to support their theory First i'd like to say, God knew what the purpose of the person would be while he was yet knitting them together in their mother's womb. This doesn't imply reincarnation, but the predestined intention and set purpose of the creator for that individual. Romans 9:18-23 addresses the predestination of the individual Reincarnationist try to impose on scripture by using Jeremiah 1:4 Predestination, in theology, is the doctrine that all events have been willed by God, usually with reference to the eventual fate of the individual soul. Romans 9:19-23 19 Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will? 20 Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus? 21Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour? 22What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: 23And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared Addressing scriptures in the book of Job used by reincarnationist In the scriptures the reincarnationist use to support their theory of Job expecting to be reincarnated, Job is not saying he's going to return to his mother's womb. He is saying he came out of his mother's womb naked and naked he will return, but return where? Job is saying he will return to God who gives and takes away. His spirit will return to God who gave it. Job 1:20-21 And said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord. 1 Corinthians 15: 35-38 35 But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come? 36Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die: 37 And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain: 38 But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body. Job was prophesying about his own resurrection on the last day, when the seed that is his body which was sewn ( died) will be resurrected. Notice in verse 38, every seed has his own body, but God gives it a body as it hath pleased him, Addressing scripture used from the book of Ecclesiastes by supporters of reincarnation Supporters of reincarnation love to use Ecclesiastes 1: 4-9 as evidence of their theory of reincarnation. They believe the author of Ecclesiastes is speaking of reincarnation when he says there is nothing new under the sun. They use this scripture to say the earth is on a circuit and the wind is on a circuit, therefore they say " Man is on a cycle". It is true, man is on a cycle, but not a cycle of being reincarnated. Man is on a cycle of reproducing after his kind and after his own likeness. In the beginning God blessed the man and woman to reproduce. It is the cycle of being born, reproducing, dying, and your soul returning back to the one who gave it. Genesis 1: 28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it. Hebrews 9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: Ecclesiastes 12:7 Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it. Reincarnation supporters also use (John 9:1) to say the disciples thought the man being born blind must have sinned. They take this and run with it as if this is sound teaching on reincarnation . While I must admit it is a peculiar question for the disciples to ask, It also has to be acknowledged it is peculiar because it's not something clearly taught in scripture. The only scriptures I've come across addressing the subject of whether or not an offspring is thought to guilty or having sinned by birth or through their parents is the proverb God told Ezekiel he wouldn't use again concerning Israel. Ezekiel 18:2 What mean ye, that ye use this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying, The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge? They believe since the messiah didn't rebuke the disciple's question, although he did correct them, Theorists believe the lack of harsh rebuke means messiah agreed with the doctrine of Reincarnation. Messiah simply answered :"Jesus answered, 'Neither has this man sinned, nor his parents, but the works of God were to be made manifest in him.'" Yet another scripture used by theorist is, Matthew 11:13-14 . These scripture twisters use the verse in Matthew for shock value. This scripture is used to catch the audience completely off guard. The idea that John the Baptist is Elijah the prophet may have been a hard one to swallow even in the day the messiah himself spoke it, the reason being is it wasn't a common teaching as the believers in reincarnation would have you believe. This is evidence by the fact that messiah had to say to his disciples "And if you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who was to come." Elijah and Enoch were both taken by God. Enoch did not see death because the bible says he didn't see death, but was taken and "translated " Hebrews 11:5 By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God. Enoch was taken to heaven by God, but he didn't see death. Theorist will then reply " No man has ascended into heaven except the messiah". This would obviously be correct because that's what the bible says, and I have no argument against scripture as long as it's used within context and correctly harmonizes with other scriptures in the bible. It amazes me how the same people who say precept upon precept, can then take scripture and make a false doctrine by taking scripture out of context and precepts that aren't supported in the bible and it's entirety . Elijah like Enoch, were both taken to heaven. It is assumed Elijah died, but Enoch, also being taken to heaven did not die because he had this testimony " he pleased God". Being translated then can not equal death, because the wages of sin is death. There is something with the condition of being translated, which allows that person who God has taken to be with him to not see death. Enoch and Elijah both pleased God and were taken to heaven. There is no reason to think Elijah was not also translated ( changed)as Enoch was. Example of being changed 1 Corinthians 15:51-54 51 51Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory To think Elijah and Enoch pleased God so much he took them to kill them goes contrary to scripture. Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Enoch wasn't taken because he sinned, but because he pleased God. He was taken that he didn't have to see death . Elijah, likewise was also pleasing to God and was taken because he pleased God. It is appointed for man once to die, and afterward the judgment. I have no problem with John the Baptist being sent into the world as Elijah, who hadn't died but was translated . Elijah who was taken, would be sent back, Just as messiah was sent, and a body was prepared for him. Elijah the man who had not seen death as Enoch had not seen death, was sent to be born as John the Baptist. This is not a usual event, just as being taken and translated is not a usual event for everyone, and does not remotely imply that everyone is sent back as Elijah was sent back. The Israelites didn't believe in reincarnation, and that's why messiah had to say to his disciples "And if you will receive it, this is Elijah, who was to come." Israel may not have been able to receive that explanation of John The Baptist being Elijah because reincarnation was not part of their belief system. Another evidence against reincarnation commonly taught in Israel is this: John 3: 3-5 3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. 4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? 5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. Nicodemus, a teacher in Israel, had no concept of being born again. Nicodemus even had to ask if he was to enter a second time into his mother's womb. He didn't ask if he were to enter a second time into mother's womb because he believed he could, but was simply trying to figure out the concept of him being "born again". This also shows that Job was not preaching to his friends a false doctrine of entering a second time into his mother's womb but was simply saying his spirit would return to the one who gave it, and had faith he'd be resurrected on the last day. Notice how Nicodemus Marveled at the concept of himself being born again John 3:77 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. |
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