Reincarnation or Resurrection?

The Wheel of Karma

What is reincarnation? It's the belief that after a person dies, his or her soul will inhabit a new body. And, according to this belief, the human soul is immortal and can inhabit several bodies over the course of time.

Where does reincarnation come from? It comes from the eastern religions, specifically Hinduism that teaches that souls must continually reenter the so-called Wheel of Karma to be reincarnated until they achieve perfection. According to this teaching, a person who commits a crime such as robbery or murder in this life must come back in another life and become the victim of a robbery or a murder in order to atone for the transgression.

As you can see, such a system--if it's true--perpetuates evil rather than solves it. Why? Because those who commit a transgression in their current life must become the victim of the same transgression in their following life, committed by a perpetrator who will then have to become the victim of that transgression in their next life.

Is reincarnation biblical? Of course it isn't. The Bible clearly teaches that we are given only one life to live on this planet and no more. We don't get a second or multiple chances to get right with God after death. (Hebrews 9:27) Those who die in their sins outside of Jesus Christ are consigned to hell to await God's final judgment. 

The Bible teaches us that on Judgment Day, the righteous will be resurrected by Christ to inhabit new, immortal bodies that will never grow old, get sick, decay or die. (Isaiah 26:19, Daniel 12:2, Luke 14:14, John 6:40) However, the unrighteous will be raised by God to face eternal damnation for committing evil. Though millions of people will plead with God on that day to give them another chance, it'll be too late. They'll be doomed.

If reincarnation is true then why did God institute the sacrificial system for sin under the terms of the Mosaic Covenant? That system mandated that the blood of animals such as bulls, goats and rams be sacrificed in order to cover the sins of the ancient Israelites. The Bible clearly says that "In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness." (Hebrews 9:22)

Certainly, the system of animal sacrifice was temporary and insufficient. It was put in place until God's Son Jesus Christ came into the world to become the final and everlasting sacrifice for all sin by His death on Calvary's cross. The Bible says this: "Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when this priest (Jesus Christ) had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, and since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool. For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy." (Hebrews 10:11-14)

For nearly 2,000 years, the Christian church believed that message. And for good reason, because that message was backed by the factual evidence of Christ's resurrection from the dead. However, in recent decades, more and more Christians have begun to doubt the Bible in favor of pagan myths such as reincarnation.

Though no recent polls have been conducted, a Gallup poll taken in 1999 reported 20 percent of professing Christians claimed to believe in reincarnation. That means two of every 10 Christians embraced an unbiblical pagan religious belief 16 years ago. That figure's probably much higher today.

One man who professes to be a Christian, wrote this: Many Christians have the misconception that the concept of reincarnation holds that, at the time of death, people reincarnate immediately and do not have any experiences in the spirit realms in between Earth lives. Near-death experiences prove this misconception to be untrue. Because time does not exist in the spirit world, a person can spend an "eternity" in the spirit realms, if they wish to do so, and have the freedom to decide if they want to reincarnate or not. The ultimate goal of reincarnation is to learn enough lessons from Earth lives that reincarnation is no longer necessary.

Reincarnation is a demonic lie. It's a myth, and an extremely dangerous one. It's designed to give people the false hope that if they live bad lives punctuated by decadence and immorality, they'll be given another chance or chances to get it right. But they won't. Concerning Satan's lies, the apostle Paul wrote this: "The (Holy) Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons." (1 Timothy 4:1)

It's understandable that the world would embrace such a pagan myth. But professing Christians? That's a tragedy. It proves just how badly the church has been straying from the Bible in the times we're living in.

Reincarnation or Resurrection?

The Wheel of Karma

You'd be shocked at how many professing Christians actually believe in reincarnation. What is reincarnation? It's the pagan religious belief that the spirits of human beings can occupy several bodies during countless lifetimes.

Hinduism teaches that human souls can even be reincarnated into insects, birds and animals. For what purpose? To allegedly atone for transgressions committed in previous lifetimes.

Although reincarnation is commonly associated with pagan eastern religions such as Buddhism, Hinduism and Taoism, it's also taught in monotheistic religions such as Judaism. The rabbis believe that God sends departed souls back to new bodies in order to get right what they got wrong in previous lives.

Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, a Talmudic scholar and Sephardic rabbi who died in 2013, claimed that the Jews who perished in the Holocaust actually brought that on themselves. He stated that they were reincarnated in order to be punished for sins committed in past lives.

Here's what he said in a sermon he preached during the summer of 2000: "The six million Holocaust victims were reincarnations of the souls of sinners, people who transgressed and did all sorts of things which should not be done. They had been reincarnated in order to atone."

http://www.timesofisrael.com/5-of-ovadia-yosefs-most-controversial-quotations  

Though many people condemned Yosef for his outrageous comments, he merely repeated a concept that Orthodox Judaism has taught for centuries. Though reincarnation can't be found anywhere in either of the Bible's testaments, the Orthodox Jews embrace it as divine truth. And it isn't--it's a demonic lie.

Reincarnation contradicts the Bible's mandate that innocent blood must be shed in order to atone for sin: "In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness." (Hebrews 9:22)

If sin can be dealt with via reincarnation, then the whole sacrificial system for sin instituted by God through Moses was a complete farce and done in vain. The purpose of that system was to provide atonement for sins committed in this life only. Concerning the one and only life we are given, the Bible says that "people are destined to die once and then to face judgment..." (Hebrews 9:27)

If people are destined to die once and then face judgment, then they don't get a second chance. That's why Jesus Christ came into this world in the form of a humble man so he could provide the ultimate sacrifice for sin "once for all" (Hebrews 9:26) on the cross that the blood of animals never could provide. 

Those who reject Christ die in their sins and are cast into hell where they will be confined until Christ returns to judge them. 

Rather than reincarnation, the Bible teaches resurrection. If reincarnation is true, then resurrection makes no sense because who would the dead be raised as if they were incarnated multiple times? 

Concerning the resurrection, of which Christ was first to be raised, the apostle Paul said this: "But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. For he 'has put everything under his feet.' Now when it says that 'everything' has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ. When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all." (1 Corinthians 15:20-28)

There's absolute evidence for resurrection. That evidence is Jesus Christ who rose from the dead and was seen by over 500 eyewitnesses before He returned to heaven. Not all of those witnesses were His followers. And yet they attested to His resurrection.

But there's no evidence for reincarnation. That's a lie. Those who stubbornly reject the truth and embrace reincarnation are going to be shocked when they reach eternity. They won't be coming back. And if they meet up with Rabbi Yosef down under, he'll undoubtedly concur.

Resurrection and Renewal

Ellen Katz: 1919-1928

I don't visit cemeteries very often for obvious reasons. They're depressing places and they remind us of our mortality. And, as you can see from the photo above, when headstones have pictures attached to them, they offer a personal dimension.

I've been looking at that headstone since I was a child. The young girl pictured on the stone is buried near a family plot and she's hard to ignore. She was obviously a very beautiful child and she died way too young.

And of course, it's only natural to wonder what happened to her. At that young age, she probably succumbed to a catastrophic disease such as cancer. Or, she may have been killed in an accident. But then again, only God knows what happened to her.

When many folks see the tombstones of young children such as the one above, they're inclined to ask why God allows these things to happen. The loss of a young child turns many parents bitter and resentful toward God. It causes some people to question whether God even exists. And certainly, that's an understandable reaction.

In fact, some folks believe that Charles Darwin took out his revenge against God by writing his atheistic thesis: On the Origin of Species after the death of his young daughter Annie. Darwin's book eliminated God by attempting to explain the existence of physical life from a purely naturalistic perspective.

Whether the death of his daughter motivated the lapsed theologian and amateur scientist to write his book is debatable. But what isn't debatable is the fact that Darwin changed the course of human history with that terrible book.

The rise in crime, violence and moral decadence throughout the western world since Darwin's book was first published in 1859 provides a testimony to what happens when people no longer believe in God and spurn His laws. And it was the apostle Paul who prophesied that the last days on earth preceding the return of Jesus Christ would see terrible times. (2 Timothy 3:1-5)

And so, why indeed does God allow young children to die? Why does he allow pedophiles to rape and brutalize children; Islamic head-hackers to murder them under the banner of "honor killings", and why does he allow them to be born into destitute households where apathetic and irresponsible parents either ignore or persecute them? Why?

Those aren't easy questions to answer. But there's an answer. And that answer naturally upsets some people. What's the answer?

In commandment two of the Ten Commandments, the Lord said this: "You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments." (Exodus 20:4-6)

Tragically, the sins of people can have deadly consequences. Sins can bring curses (Deuteronomy 28-29) and those curses can visit children generations after those sins were committed. There's no rational or scientific explanation why curses land on some children and not on others. I found out that the girl pictured above had a sister who lived to a good old age.

Before anyone accuses me of being a pompous, self-righteous jerk, (I've been accused of that) I'll admit that I'm a sinner just like everyone else who's ever lived on this planet. And my sins condemned me and brought me an eternal death sentence.

But I've been saved by God's grace. As the apostle John wrote: "And the blood of Jesus, his (God's) Son, purifies us from all  sin." (1 John 1:7) And Christ Himself said this: "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16)

Death will claim our sinful mortal bodies at some point, as it has since the dawn of history. It will claim mine, and it will claim yours.

However, there's good news. There's going to be a resurrection. And we're all going to raised up. If you don't believe that, then consider the resurrection of Jesus Christ. "But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep." (1 Corinthians 15:20)

The resurrection of Christ is evidential and irrefutable. When a 19th century Harvard law professor and an atheist named Simon Greenleaf looked at the evidence for the resurrection of Christ, he became a believer. And he said this: "Based upon the evidence for the Resurrection, there isn't a court of law in the world that could deny it."

And the great news is that young children like the one pictured above are going to be resurrected. God loves children and he's going to raise them up and give them immortal bodies that will never die again. In fact, he showed the ancient prophet Ezekiel an incredible vision of just what the resurrection is going to look like. (Ezekiel 37)

And so, don't fret. We'll see these young people again. And it will be a time of incredible joy.