Monday, December 23, 2013

You Only Live Once ... or Twice ... Or ...

What's your opinion on reincarnation? I wouldn't mind coming back and doing it all again. I'd do it right the next time!

Awesome Question ... here we go!!!


I feel that Hebrews chapter 9 is also very applicable when addressing this question (used it last week).  While it would be good to read the whole chapter I want to highlight the portion of the chapter ... 

Heb 9:24-28 For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; 25 not that He should offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood of another 26 He then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. 
27 And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, 28 so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation. 

Also consider these verses - especially considering reincarnation

Gen 2:16  And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, "Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; 17  but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die." - notice He said die once ... not die, then die, then die ...

Rom 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Rom 6:23  For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. - the wages of your sin is not always your death ... but we experience death in the body (once) because of sin on the earth in all of us ... 

God created us according to His perfect will for us.  Death was never to be a part of our existence because we were created to be and are immortal. This body will fail, because of sin, but our soul will remain.  It will not get a new fleshly body per say ... but we will receive a spiritual body.

1Co 15:38  But God gives it a body as He pleases, and to each seed its own body. 39  All flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of animals, another of fish, and another of birds. 40  There are also celestial bodies and terrestrial bodies; but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. 41  There is one glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for one star differs from another star in glory.
42  So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption.
43  It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. 44  It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. 45  And so it is written, "THE FIRST MAN ADAM BECAME A LIVING BEING." The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. 46  However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, and afterward the spiritual.

There is no need of reincarnation since though death we will be spiritual ... the idea of random soul renewals defies the existence of our Creator and definitely diminishes the unique design He had for each of us ... reincarnation speaks against the very essence of God.  He needs "do overs" to get it right ... no ... it is part of the law that burns in all of us ... and He is satisfying it's demand for blood ... once and for all.  We don't have to go through it again ... nor do we get to.  Random regeneration of the soul means that the soul has no basis.  It is simply there .. and God says otherwise.  You, me .. we are special to Him.  He loves us bc He created us.

Mat 10:30  But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.

You were specifically planned ... God knows you intimately.

Those who support the belief in reincarnation do so with the belief in two basic flawed and completely Biblically incompatible processes.

1st thought process: That we have to build up so many "midichlorians" (or other named levels) to earn us the ability to jump to eternity.  The 1st and only needed flaw here is that it goes directly against the initial Scripture (Heb 9:27) listed above!  We live once ... then we die.  That's it.  Additionally, Jesus said, right before Jesus surrendered His life for all mankind that "it is finished." 

John 19:30  So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, "It is finished!" And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit. 

Demanding that more needs to be done diminishes the value and closure of His work on the cross.  If God needs help, then He's not God.  If God isn't sufficient, then He is not God.

2nd thought process: That we all spend eternity bouncing around as souls with no bodily home.  Worldwide, most current and ancient believers of reincarnation lean to this belief.  Variations circle around the idea that the next life form a person inhabits is based upon the successes or failures to develop their character in this life form and the the current life form is a result of previously lived lives.  Biblically, this cannot exist ... we will be able to recognize each other in bodily form ... and we are promised a new spiritual body.  We are promised that our eternity is based on the decisions we make in this one life we live ... that's it.  One life, then the judgment.

Proponents of reincarnation generally circle around the psychological phenomenon known most commonly as Deja Vu. The multiple accounts of people experiencing memories from the past ... which do truthfully happen.  But the Bible offers a more practical explanation (in my humble opinion).

Lev 19:31  'Give no regard to mediums and familiar spirits; do not seek after them, to be defiled by them: I am the LORD your God. 

Familiar Spirits: אוב 'ôb obe (from the same as אב 'âb awb - apparently through the idea of prattling a father’s name); properly a mumble, that is, a water skin (from its hollow sound); hence a necromancer (ventriloquist, as from a jar): - bottle, familiar spirit.

Literally a spirit who speaks through another's mouth ... a former person...often a blood relative (prattling a father's name).  The haunting memory is not because we once lived before, it's because the demon was there when that person lived, and is tormenting us now with the incident ... and needs to be rebuked and silenced!

If a person believes in God, then there should be the acceptance of all things and beings spiritual and the fact that they have powers, and limitations ... this should be an easy connection, once it is made known.

The only reincarnation we will experience is when we wake up in eternity ... and that will be it.  It will not be a reincarnation though ... it will be the forever and truthful us.  In math, we call the object before any transformations the "pre-image" ... that is the state we are in now.  We are the pre-image before Christ.  Through Christ we are transformed continuously if we let Him.

Rom 12:1  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2  And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. 

Our final transformation in Christ is through our passing from this life to the eternal ... 

1Co 15:46  However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, and afterward the spiritual. 47  The first man was of the earth, made of dust; the second Man is the Lord from heaven. 48  As was the man of dust, so also are those who are made of dust; and as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are heavenly. 49  And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man. 
1Co 15:50  Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. 51  Behold, I tell 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 trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 
1Co 15:53  For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54  So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: "DEATH IS SWALLOWED UP IN VICTORY." 55  "O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR STING? O HADES, WHERE IS YOUR VICTORY?" 

Let HIM do the work He desires to do in you and through in this, the only life you will live. I have no desire to go back and do things again ... I would be back in the same body that wanted what is saw, heard, tasted, touched, and felt ... no thank you.  Lessons of the past help shape decisions now and in the future ... but it's gone, in the records.

That's my take anyways! Great question!!!  


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6 comments:

  1. it is exciting to think about what our spiritual bodies will be like! Our human minds cannot fathom what it is going to be like in eternity. We do not even know at this time, what we will be doing other than praising our Lord Jesus Christ! He deserves every moment of praise in eternity forever and ever, amen! I look forward to Eternity where there is no sorrow and no sins and no hurt like in this world, & I am thankful that reincarnation is just some imagination that man has made up. Thank you for your blog.

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    1. Thank you for your comments! I also can't wait ... though I do hope there will be some socializing ... not sure if being in an eternal chant appeals to me ... though if I am with God, I am sure whatever we will be doing will be wonderful! Reincarnation, as every other form of explanation of the eternal (or lack of it) that rebels against God is more than man made ... it is devised by the enemy of our soul as a distraction ... He hates us ... hates our existence. Anything he can do to take our eyes off of His liberty he will do. Thanks again for your response ... they are always invited!

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    2. I believe there will be a mixture of both harmonized chants of praises,and socializing. Both,i believe,are supported by scripture,where you will hear the heavenly bodies worshiping the Lord all in unison,but also,how could we be a part of governing a New World with Christ if there isn't some sort of socializing?
      I'm glad you wrote this,there is a man on Twitter that claims reincarnation is a way of soul purification,and that there are other holy texts to support his beliefs. I'm very upset about this, we must test all spirits,yet he is saying that the Word of God has been tampered with and how would I, being someone not educated in a college,know much different?
      The answer is the Holy Spirit,and though I believe this man has best intentions, I just am not settled in my spirit to think that reincarnation is real.
      He claims that the texts that Paul had written are all false and agaist what Jesus taught. I do not find inconsistencies in the bible and again,am no scholar of such. I rely on the Holy Spirit. He is after all,sent to be our teacher. I actually love Paul's writings and it was said that his teachings would be discredited and i just feel backed into a corner with this guy's thoughts.
      He also did Jesus did it is against God's law to eat animals. That His blood sacrifice would not be for eternity. I know we must do our best to obey God's laws but we CANNOT earn our salvation,which is what this guy is also kind of saying,and it is impossible to keep all of the law.
      Hate takes some of his teacing from the KJV and some from 2other texts that supposedly the Vatican hid and also the Catholic bible,and i don't agree with Catholics at all. I'm glad you wrote this type people so they don't believe in reincarnation.

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  2. I think your mix of what heaven will be is spot on. As far as the "scholars" ... the dangers of simple text interpretation are as you have witnessed. The Bible was written as letter in contexts dealing with cultures and situational references that we must understand to properly understand what is being said and what it meant then and how to translate that to the world we live in. The letters were not written to be interpreted in many ways ... they had one meaning ... one purpose ... many lessons, one purpose. For us to properly understand what was meant we must understand the purpose of the letter. To state that Paul was in objection to Christ's teaching is just plain obstinance ... denying the forest in spite of the trees.

    Thank you for your thoughts ... I find them encouraging

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  3. The descriptions above give concrete strength in regards to answering the revolving-door question of reincarnation. The theory of reincarnation tells a lie in order to mask the uniqueness of God's creation. We all are made in God's image, and in so, we are made with an individualistic uniqueness for the age in with we are placed into this world. There is only one you, made for a distinctive purpose as the host has clearly explained.

    This would make credible sense in the times that this world needed its Ester, Jonas Salk, FDR and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Some things like aluminum cans may be a resourceful, recycled piece of trash, but the human soul in its beautiful creation, is in no way a discarded item that needs to be re-wrenched.

    Christ does offer an even better promise than that of reincarnation; the power of resurrection. Reincarnation gives the same hope that a dog has when it chases its tail. One can never make things right in this old sinful flesh that continues to fail irregardless of how hard we try to remain calm, be strong, be good and on and on.

    The sacrifice that Christ made on the cross for our behalf is the finality of our attempt to make things correct. Though we strive to do good, evil is always present. God loved us more than one can understand, and in so, He had to come in the flesh as a human being, to be tempted in all things as we are, but unlike us, He overcame all evil without succumbing to its will. He left the glorious riches of heaven to put on the filthy rags of flesh that you and I have to struggle with daily, in order to conquer the powers of hell that haunt us, inspire us with their lies and ravage our minds with grief.

    He allowed Himself to be offered up as a sacrifice on our behalf in order that if we accept Him and His statutes, we will come back, in a sense, but not again as grovelling worms that are beset with the stresses of this life, but as the true figures of what He had in mind for us in the beginning. Through Him and the victory of His resurrection, you and I have the glorious promise of having an infallible body that will never be inflicted with trauma, temptation and ultimately, death. Through Him, you shall have your true body, that was meant for you all along. Nothing borrowed, nothing used, it shall be yours and others shall know you for you. The unique you that God fashioned together as He had you, and not another, on His mind.

    You are unique, and as they say, the mold was broken. Knowing this and that God has a unique purpose just for you to do for Him in your own unique way, should make you a bit excited. Seek Him while He is found and ask Him what His will is for your life.

    In His Peace,

    Adam

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    1. Well said.

      "Reincarnation gives the same hope that a dog has when it chases its tail." That is a great explanation. God makes no drafts ... we are the pre image of God's masterpiece~we are yet in need of transformation ... thats the power of the cross. Very well said

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