John Was Reincarnation Of Elijah! (Jesus, reject, Earth, Kingdom)

[A. Ben-Shema]

"They asked Him (Jesus), 'Why is it that the scribes say that Elijah must come first?' He said to them, 'Elijah does first come and restore all things. And yet how is it written of the Son of Man that He will suffer many things and be treated with contempt? But I say to you that Elijah has indeed come, and they did to him whatever they wished, just as it is written of him.'" (Mark 9:11-13).

It seems very clear that Jesus is identifying John (the Baptist) with Elijah. Though John is not named here, the reference to him is obvious. The proof, however, is clearly given in the following passage:

Matt 11:13-15 "For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John. And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come. He who has ears, let him hear."

So, it seems, that Jesus taught of reincarnation. How does Christianity deny this?

Peace & Love

[jeffncandace]

I found this link, I think it answers it well from a traditional Christian perspective...

Is Reincarnation Biblical?

It says, in part...

Some people twist the Scriptures and say that Jesus Himself taught reincarnation or "cyclical rebirth." In Matthew 11:14, for example, Jesus said, "And if you are willing to accept it, [John the Baptist] is the Elijah who was to come." Likewise, in John 3:3 Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again."

But these passages, rightly interpreted, do not support reincarnation. Matthew 11:14 does not really teach that John the Baptist was a reincarnation of Elijah. Luke 1:17, an important cross reference, tells us that the ministry of John the Baptist was carried out "in the spirit and power of Elijah." Moreover, reincarnationists conveniently forget that John the Baptist, when asked if he was Elijah, flatly answered, "No!" (John 1:21).

Regarding Jesus' words about being "born again" in John 3:3, the context clearly shows that Jesus was referring to a spiritual rebirth or regeneration. In fact, the phrase born again carries the idea of "born from above," and can even be translated that way. Jesus clarified His meaning by affirming that "flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit" (v. 6).

There are other Scriptures that clearly debunk the notion of reincarnation. Hebrews 9:27 tells us that "man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment...." Each human being lives once as a mortal on earth, dies once, and then faces judgment. He does not have a second chance by reincarnating into another body. Second Corinthians 5:8 indicates that at death the Christian immediately goes into the presence of the Lord, not into another body. Luke 16:19-31 indicates that unbelievers at death go to a place of suffering, not into another body.

We must also remember that Jesus taught that people decide their eternal destiny in a single lifetime (Matthew 25:46). This is precisely why the apostle Paul emphasized that "now is the day of salvation" (2 Corinthians 6:2).

Further, Jesus taught the concept of resurrection, not reincarnation. In fact, He predicted His own resurrection early in His public ministry (John 2:19). And after Jesus resurrected from the dead, He appeared to some disciples and said, "Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have" (Luke 24:39). Jesus resurrected in the same body that went into the tomb. His body even retained the scars and wounds in His hands, feet, and side from the crucifixion (John 20:28).

[Huckleberry3911948]

Originally Posted by A. Ben-Shema

"They asked Him (Jesus), 'Why is it that the scribes say that Elijah must come first?' He said to them, 'Elijah does first come and restore all things. And yet how is it written of the Son of Man that He will suffer many things and be treated with contempt? But I say to you that Elijah has indeed come, and they did to him whatever they wished, just as it is written of him.'" (Mark 9:11-13).

It seems very clear that Jesus is identifying John (the Baptist) with Elijah. Though John is not named here, the reference to him is obvious. The proof, however, is clearly given in the following passage:

Matt 11:13-15 "For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John. And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come. He who has ears, let him hear."

So, it seems, that Jesus taught of reincarnation. How does Christianity deny this?

Peace & Love

possible extrapolation. maybe?? but i am gona stick with transfiguration. moses and elias were talking with jesus (luke 9:30) why not john the baptist and moses?
i dont think so. if you are looking for arguments for reincarnation. tibetan book of the dead can provide more fuel. i dont see jesus getting into it much. lots of people try to make him out to be an eastern mistic but he wasn't.

[I LOVE NORTH CAROLINA]

Originally Posted by A. Ben-Shema

"They asked Him (Jesus), 'Why is it that the scribes say that Elijah must come first?' He said to them, 'Elijah does first come and restore all things. And yet how is it written of the Son of Man that He will suffer many things and be treated with contempt? But I say to you that Elijah has indeed come, and they did to him whatever they wished, just as it is written of him.'" (Mark 9:11-13).

It seems very clear that Jesus is identifying John (the Baptist) with Elijah. Though John is not named here, the reference to him is obvious. The proof, however, is clearly given in the following passage:

Matt 11:13-15 "For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John. And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come. He who has ears, let him hear."

So, it seems, that Jesus taught of reincarnation. How does Christianity deny this?

Peace & Love

NO! Jesus did NOT teach reincarnation. Matt 17:11-13"Jesus replied, Elijah is indeed coming first to set everything in order. But I tell you he has already come, but he wasn't recognized and he was badly mistreated. And soon the Son of Man will also suffer at their hands. Then the disciples realized He had been speaking of John the Baptist".

John the Baptist took on Elijah's prophetic role, boldly confronting sin and pointing people to God. Malachi 4:5, Malachi had prophesied that a prophet like Elijah would come.

[Alpha8207]

Originally Posted by I LOVE NORTH CAROLINA

NO! Jesus did NOT teach reincarnation. Matt 17:11-13"Jesus replied, Elijah is indeed coming first to set everything in order. But I tell you he has already come, but he wasn't recognized and he was badly mistreated. And soon the Son of Man will also suffer at their hands. Then the disciples realized He had been speaking of John the Baptist".

John the Baptist took on Elijah's prophetic role, boldly confronting sin and pointing people to God. Malachi 4:5, Malachi had prophesied that a prophet like Elijah would come.

I'm with you ILNC, saying 'he is the Elijah to come' and saying 'he is Elijah' are two totally different things.

But there's been 'interesting' threads all over the boards these past couple of days....

[blue62]

I am with Alpha and ILNC..I also believe that if you believe that the bible is the infallible word of God, then it is..Scripture has been translated; not rewritten; not some secret code; not prone to 14 different meanings or the famous last words, "what He really meant was..."

[kawgpz550]

Here's a great explanation for you...


Was John the Baptist really Elijah reincarnated?

Question: "Was John the Baptist really Elijah reincarnated?"

Answer: Matthew 11:7-14 declares, “While they were going away, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: ‘What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? ... A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is the one about whom it is written: “Look, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.” I tell you the truth, among those born of women, no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist ... From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and forceful people lay hold of it. For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John appeared. And if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah, who is to come." Here Jesus quotes from Malachi 3:1, where the messenger appears to be a prophetic figure who is going to appear. According to Malachi 4:5, this messenger is “Elijah the prophet,” whom Jesus identifies here as John the Baptist. Does this mean that John the Baptist was Elijah reincarnated? Not at all.

First, the concept of reincarnation would have been completely foreign to the Jewish mind. We cannot simply import eastern religious thought into the words of a first century Jew. If anything, Elijah “come again” would have simply been Elijah raised from the dead at the coming of the Lord (cf. Daniel 12). So even if John the Baptist was literally the person of Elijah, it would have been a resurrection – not a reincarnation. To say otherwise is to force one’s preconceived view of reincarnation on Scripture.

Second, the Bible is quite clear that John the Baptist is given this designation because he came in the “spirit and power of Elijah” (Luke 1:17) – not because he was Elijah in a literal sense. John the Baptist is the New Testament forerunner who points the way to the arrival of the Lord, just as Elijah filled that role in the Old Testament (and will again in the future – see Revelation 11). Third, Elijah himself appears with Moses at Jesus’ transfiguration after John the Baptist’s death. This would not have happened if Elijah had changed his identity (Matthew 17:11-12).

Fourth, Mark 6:14-16 and 8:28 show that both the people and Herod distinguished between John the Baptist and Elijah. Finally, proof that this is not an instance of reincarnation comes from John the Baptist himself. In the first chapter of John’s (the Apostle) Gospel, John the Baptist identifies himself as the messenger of Isaiah 40:3, not as the Elijah of Malachi 3:1. John the Baptist even goes so far as to specifically deny that he was Elijah (John 1:19-23).

John did for Jesus what Elijah was to have done for the coming of the Lord, but he was not Elijah reincarnated. Jesus identified John the Baptist in his role as Elijah, while John the Baptist rejected the identification when it came to the religious leaders. How do we reconcile these two teachings? There is a key phrase in Jesus’ identification of John the Baptist with Elijah in the text above that must not be overlooked. He says, “if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah.” In other words, John the Baptist’s identification as Elijah was not predicated upon him being Elijah, but rather upon people’s responses to his role. To those who were willing to believe in Jesus, John the Baptist functioned as Elijah – for they believed in Jesus as Lord. To the religious leaders who rejected Jesus, John the Baptist did not perform this function.

[Oakback]

Since when do Christians and Jews believe in Karma?

[sun queen]

Originally Posted by A. Ben-Shema

"They asked Him (Jesus), 'Why is it that the scribes say that Elijah must come first?' He said to them, 'Elijah does first come and restore all things. And yet how is it written of the Son of Man that He will suffer many things and be treated with contempt? But I say to you that Elijah has indeed come, and they did to him whatever they wished, just as it is written of him.'" (Mark 9:11-13).

It seems very clear that Jesus is identifying John (the Baptist) with Elijah. Though John is not named here, the reference to him is obvious. The proof, however, is clearly given in the following passage:

Matt 11:13-15 "For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John. And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come. He who has ears, let him hear."

So, it seems, that Jesus taught of reincarnation. How does Christianity deny this?

Peace & Love

U sound like u could benefit from a good Bible concordance to help u in your understanding of the Scriptures. I think u would find David H. Stern's Jewish New Testament Commentary easy to understand and helpful. This web site can give u information on how to get one: www.messianicjewish.net or u can e-mail: lederer@messianicjewish.net

[A. Ben-Shema]

Originally Posted by Oakback

Since when do Christians and Jews believe in Karma?

You tell me.

But the Bible makes it quite clear: that as you sow, so shall you reap!

Isn't that the same idea as Karma?

Peace & Love