Bible Questions and Answers

 

 Thank you for your question

 From Wikipedia

Reincarnation, literally "to be made flesh again", is a doctrine or metaphysical belief that some essential part of a living being (in some variations only human beings) survives death to be reborn in a new body. This essential part is often referred to as the spirit or soul, the "higher" or "true" self, "divine spark", or "I". According to such beliefs, a new personality is developed during each life in the physical world, but some part of the self remains constant throughout the successive lives.

The Bible says nothing about reincarnation.

The gospel of the Kingdom of God is concerned with the resurrection of the original person from the dead to eternal life.

This is necessary because the original person is really and completely dead. No part of the person survives death.

This is why it is called the gospel of salvation. It is able to save us from death at God’s appointed time.

If we survived death to be reborn, what would we need to be saved from?

The Bible is meticulous in its explanation of why we die, what death is and how we can be saved from death.

·         Why do we die?

We die because Adam disobeyed God and brought death upon himself and his children.

Genesis 2:17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

Genesis 2:17 And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;

18 Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;

19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.

Eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil brought upon Adam and his posterity a disposition to sin which none was able to resist.

Romans 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

Because we all sin, we all die.

Ezekiel 18:4 Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.

Notice that the soul dies – the Bible knows nothing of the doctrine of an immortal soul. The soul is the person as it clearly is in the Maritime distress signal SOS – save our souls.

·         What happens at death?

Psalms 146:3 Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help.

4 His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish.

No part of a person has a conscious existence after death.

Psalms 6:5 For in death there is no remembrance of thee: in the grave who shall give thee thanks?

Ecclesiastes 9:5 For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten.

6 Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun.

That they ‘have no more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun’ rules out the doctrine of reincarnation.

·         God takes no pleasure in man’s death.

Ezekiel 18:32 For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord GOD: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye.

Ezekiel 33:11 Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?

·         How can we escape death?

The only escape from death is by resurrection from the dead.

1Corinthians 15: 20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.

21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.

22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.

From the genealogy in Luke 3 we see that Christ’s lineage goes right back to Adam.

He was born of a woman with our nature.

Galatians 4:4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,

Christ did not exist before he was born, he was sent in the same way that John Baptist was sent:

John 1:6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.

With God as his Father Christ had the understanding and strength of character to live a sinless life.

Hebrews 4:15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

When he died God could not leave him in the grave because he had not sinned.

Acts 2:24 Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it.

Further he voluntarily surrendered his life to redeem those that would believe on him.

John 15:13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

14 Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.

By his obedience Christ reversed the disobedience of Adam for those who will believe and try to live by his commandments.

Romans 5:19 For as by one man‘s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.

By belief and baptism into Christ we are accounted spiritual sons of God and can have the righteousness of Christ imputed to us.

Romans 4:22 And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.

23 Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him;

24 But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead;

Mark 16:15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved;

·         Why is death called sleep?

Death in Christ is referred to as sleep because resurrection is certain and we can take comfort in it.

1 Thessalonians 4:13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.

14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.

15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent (precede) them which are asleep.

16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

·         When will death end?

Death will finally be eradicated from the earth at the end of the millennial reign of Christ.

1Corinthians 15:25 For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.

26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.

27 For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him.

28 And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.

Revelation 21:3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.

4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

This will be the fulfilment of God’s stated purpose: Numbers 14:21 But as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD.

I hope you have found this helpful.

God bless you,
Glenn