Reincarnation

Reincarnation—

When a blind man was brought before Jesus it was pointed out to him that the man was born blind. The disciples wondered why he had been born blind and had been thus persecuted and they asked him, "Who did sin, this man, or his parents?" (John 1-3)

The disciples must have had reincarnation in mind, for obviously if the man had been born blind his sin could not have been committed in this life. If, on the other hand, the doctrine of reincarnation is wrong and pernicious, Jesus had a real opportunity to deny the entire theses. He didn't. He did say the man's blindness was for other reasons.

Jesus may have taken reincarnation for granted in Mark 10: 28-31. Peter began to tell Jesus what all they had left to follow him. Jesus listed the enumerated rewards that could possibly not have been fulfilled in one life or reincarnation.


Reincarnationists translate the last verse: But many that are first in this incarnation shall be last or in a lowly position in the next rebirth; while the last or least esteemed in this incarnation may be first in their future life.

Paul speaks of the previous existence of Jacob and Esau, saying that the Lord loved the one and hated the other before they were born (Romans 9: 10-13).

Encyclopedia Britannica 1959 edition, under Pre-Existence, it is stated that in the Christian era supporters of the doctrine of pre-existence or pre-existents, are found as early as the 2nd Century and among them was Justin Martyr and Origen.

St. Clement of Alexandria (AD 150 - 220). "Before the foundation of the world were we, because destined to be in him, pre-existed in the eyes of God before – we the rational creatures of the Word of God, ...The Savior, who existed before, has in recent days appeared.... He did not now for the first time pity us for our error; but he pitied us from the first, from the beginning."

In the opinion of the ancient Jews, Moses was Abel, the son of Adam and their Messiah was to be the reincarnation of Adam himself The Kabbalist's remark that Adam, contains the initial letter of Adam David and Messiah. (Kabbalah, which is the spelling usually preferred by scholars, specifically refers to oral mystical teaching not normally revealed to the general population, but passed on from the adepts to the initiates).

The last words of the Hebrew Scriptures: "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord." Malachi 4: 5.

Elijah has already lived among the Jewish people. What's more, the Greek Scriptures in the first book refers to this on 3 occasions and the remaining books refers to it 7 more times. The Greek name for Elijah is Elias. Read Matthew 16: 13-14. Matthew 17: 9-13. Matthew 11: 11, 14-15. The verse from Matthew 16 is repeated in Mark 8: 27-28, Luke 0: 18-19. Read John 1: 19-23 and Luke 9: 7-9.

© 2006 Abraham Lincoln - All rights reserved.