Post by ResLight on Apr 24, 2014 11:25:59 GMT -5
I have been given Matthew 11:11,15 and John 8:58 as proof that the Bible supports the "reincarnation" theory.
The theory of reincarnation is nowhere taught in the Scriptures, not in Matthew 11:14,15, nor in John 8:58. Indeed, such a theory is totally antagonistic the total plan of God as presented in the Bible. Our Lord Jesus and the apostles never, in all their teachings, said a word about reincarnation.
As to the meaning of the Savior's words referred to in the Matthew 11:14,15, we should recognize that he was calling to mind the prophecy of Malachi 4:5,6. John the Baptist was one of the greatest of the Prophets, and it was his mission to prepare the way of Jehovah before Christ, by performing a reformation work in preaching repentance toward God and baptism for the remission of sins and declaring the Kingdom of Heaven at hand. This message was to the Jews and to them only as they had been Jehovah's chosen people for many centuries. But now a new dispensation was about to be ushered in. The Kingdom of Heaven was at hand! And it was John's mission to prepare the people for the new order of things. This he attempted to do in the power and spirit of Elijah (Luke 1:16,17), although only a small remnant of the people came to repentance through his preaching. We know positively that John was not Elijah reincarnated for we have his own testimony on the subject: "And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elijah? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that Prophet? And he answered, No." -- John 1:21.
In John 8:58, Jesus was declaring his existence before Abraham, which meant that he existed before he "became flesh". (John 1:14) Jesus spoke of this in prayer to the "only true God [Supreme Being]" in his words recorded in John 17:5. He did not speak there of having been living many times as a human being, but he spoke of a glory that he once had when he was with the only true God before the world of mankind had been made. John wrote about this also in John 1:1, in which John used the word THEOS to describe that glory that Jesus had when he was with the only true God before the world of mankind had been made through Jesus. (John 1:3,10) The word "theos", then, in John 1:1, applied to the Logos does not mean that Jesus was the Supreme Being whom he was with, but rather that he did have a divine (mighty) glory before his becoming flesh. This glory as the firstborn (Colossians 1:15) was evidently higher than the glory of the angels, and thus at least two steps higher than the glory of a human being. (Psalm 8:4,5) Paul, in answer the question concerning what kind of body the believer is raised with, spoke of the two general kinds of glory as being celestial and terrestrial (1 Corinthians 15:39-41) The glory, therefore that Jesus had before he became flesh in his existence before Abraham was that of a celestial, spiritual glory, not a terrestrial, fleshly, glory. Thus, there is nothing in Jesus' statement in John 8:58 that would fit the theory of reincarnation.
See my studies related John 8:58
jesus.rlbible.com/?page_id=5085
For studies related to life after death:
life.rlbible.com
The theory of reincarnation is nowhere taught in the Scriptures, not in Matthew 11:14,15, nor in John 8:58. Indeed, such a theory is totally antagonistic the total plan of God as presented in the Bible. Our Lord Jesus and the apostles never, in all their teachings, said a word about reincarnation.
As to the meaning of the Savior's words referred to in the Matthew 11:14,15, we should recognize that he was calling to mind the prophecy of Malachi 4:5,6. John the Baptist was one of the greatest of the Prophets, and it was his mission to prepare the way of Jehovah before Christ, by performing a reformation work in preaching repentance toward God and baptism for the remission of sins and declaring the Kingdom of Heaven at hand. This message was to the Jews and to them only as they had been Jehovah's chosen people for many centuries. But now a new dispensation was about to be ushered in. The Kingdom of Heaven was at hand! And it was John's mission to prepare the people for the new order of things. This he attempted to do in the power and spirit of Elijah (Luke 1:16,17), although only a small remnant of the people came to repentance through his preaching. We know positively that John was not Elijah reincarnated for we have his own testimony on the subject: "And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elijah? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that Prophet? And he answered, No." -- John 1:21.
In John 8:58, Jesus was declaring his existence before Abraham, which meant that he existed before he "became flesh". (John 1:14) Jesus spoke of this in prayer to the "only true God [Supreme Being]" in his words recorded in John 17:5. He did not speak there of having been living many times as a human being, but he spoke of a glory that he once had when he was with the only true God before the world of mankind had been made. John wrote about this also in John 1:1, in which John used the word THEOS to describe that glory that Jesus had when he was with the only true God before the world of mankind had been made through Jesus. (John 1:3,10) The word "theos", then, in John 1:1, applied to the Logos does not mean that Jesus was the Supreme Being whom he was with, but rather that he did have a divine (mighty) glory before his becoming flesh. This glory as the firstborn (Colossians 1:15) was evidently higher than the glory of the angels, and thus at least two steps higher than the glory of a human being. (Psalm 8:4,5) Paul, in answer the question concerning what kind of body the believer is raised with, spoke of the two general kinds of glory as being celestial and terrestrial (1 Corinthians 15:39-41) The glory, therefore that Jesus had before he became flesh in his existence before Abraham was that of a celestial, spiritual glory, not a terrestrial, fleshly, glory. Thus, there is nothing in Jesus' statement in John 8:58 that would fit the theory of reincarnation.
See my studies related John 8:58
jesus.rlbible.com/?page_id=5085
For studies related to life after death:
life.rlbible.com
