- Feb 15, 2016
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“And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:” (Hebrews 9:27)
“O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law” (1 Corinthians 15:55-56).
When the Apostle Paul went to Athens, he discovered many people who spent all of their time in telling or hearing something novel (Acts 17:21). One man, Thucydides, an Athenian historian and general of the army, said of them that there were no more foolish people, and no people more easily deceived by novel notions. He accused them of being slow to follow approved advice. He called them despisers of what is time-honored and worshippers of unique ideas, however erroneous, that could titillate and indulge the mind. He would say about them; “You are always hankering after an ideal state, but you do not give your minds even to what is straight before you. In a word, you are at the mercy of your own ears.”
Sounds familiar. The devil is a master at despising what is familiar and approved, especially where the truth of the Lord is concerned, and is always seeking to construct ‘new’ lies to deceive men. As to the number and type of lies he has concocted, and pawned off on humanity, it would be hard to say. We can know for certain, from the evidence of Scripture, that reincarnation is one of them. In case you are not familiar with reincarnation, it is the philosophical concept that after biological death the soul or spirit can begin a new life in a new body. This doctrine is a central tenet of the Hindu religion, and is taught in Buddhism, Spiritism, Theosophy, Eckankar and Gnosticism. Followers of such cults as the Jewish Kabbalah, the Islamic Druze, the Rosicrucians and Scientology also hold to reincarnation.
Following the passages listed above we can have no doubt that this teaching is a lie. And we can know why the Devil has foisted it upon men.
As the Scripture says, “It is appointed unto men once to die.” Once a person is dead there is not return to this life. This same thing King David declares about the son of his lust after the boy died; “But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me” (2 Samuel 12:23). The author of Ecclesiastes adds this; “For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not anything, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten” (Ecclesiastes 9:5). The point is that once we die there is no return to this life and, because there is no return, there is nothing more that we can gain from this life. Indeed, forgetfulness of us is all that is left for those in this world.
As to why the lie is believed, that should be obvious. Reincarnation would take away the ‘sting’ of death, which has to do with the subsequent, and terrible, judgment of God upon men, after death and for their sins. This it attempts to do by teaching that there are many opportunities to live life again and, hopefully, live it more righteously. (You might call it the Devil’s version of being ‘born-again’). Death, for the unbelieving, has a certain sting. This sting is the piercing and the terrorizing conviction that final and awful judgment will fall on men, because of their sins, after their death. This is not a possibility or even a probability; it is a certainty. There are no second or third chances to get life right. Reincarnation would have people believe that there are.
We would add that Bible believing Christians do not subscribe to reincarnation. If they do they flatly deny the Scripture and, by extension, the Lord of Scripture. It is true that there have been, and are, quasi-Christian cults, that believe it (e.g. The Cathars). According to data released by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life (2009 survey), 24 percent of American ‘Christians’ expressed a belief in reincarnation. This is evidenced in some high-profile people who profess Christianity, but subscribe to reincarnation (e.g. Reba McEntire).
“O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law” (1 Corinthians 15:55-56).
When the Apostle Paul went to Athens, he discovered many people who spent all of their time in telling or hearing something novel (Acts 17:21). One man, Thucydides, an Athenian historian and general of the army, said of them that there were no more foolish people, and no people more easily deceived by novel notions. He accused them of being slow to follow approved advice. He called them despisers of what is time-honored and worshippers of unique ideas, however erroneous, that could titillate and indulge the mind. He would say about them; “You are always hankering after an ideal state, but you do not give your minds even to what is straight before you. In a word, you are at the mercy of your own ears.”
Sounds familiar. The devil is a master at despising what is familiar and approved, especially where the truth of the Lord is concerned, and is always seeking to construct ‘new’ lies to deceive men. As to the number and type of lies he has concocted, and pawned off on humanity, it would be hard to say. We can know for certain, from the evidence of Scripture, that reincarnation is one of them. In case you are not familiar with reincarnation, it is the philosophical concept that after biological death the soul or spirit can begin a new life in a new body. This doctrine is a central tenet of the Hindu religion, and is taught in Buddhism, Spiritism, Theosophy, Eckankar and Gnosticism. Followers of such cults as the Jewish Kabbalah, the Islamic Druze, the Rosicrucians and Scientology also hold to reincarnation.
Following the passages listed above we can have no doubt that this teaching is a lie. And we can know why the Devil has foisted it upon men.
As the Scripture says, “It is appointed unto men once to die.” Once a person is dead there is not return to this life. This same thing King David declares about the son of his lust after the boy died; “But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me” (2 Samuel 12:23). The author of Ecclesiastes adds this; “For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not anything, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten” (Ecclesiastes 9:5). The point is that once we die there is no return to this life and, because there is no return, there is nothing more that we can gain from this life. Indeed, forgetfulness of us is all that is left for those in this world.
As to why the lie is believed, that should be obvious. Reincarnation would take away the ‘sting’ of death, which has to do with the subsequent, and terrible, judgment of God upon men, after death and for their sins. This it attempts to do by teaching that there are many opportunities to live life again and, hopefully, live it more righteously. (You might call it the Devil’s version of being ‘born-again’). Death, for the unbelieving, has a certain sting. This sting is the piercing and the terrorizing conviction that final and awful judgment will fall on men, because of their sins, after their death. This is not a possibility or even a probability; it is a certainty. There are no second or third chances to get life right. Reincarnation would have people believe that there are.
We would add that Bible believing Christians do not subscribe to reincarnation. If they do they flatly deny the Scripture and, by extension, the Lord of Scripture. It is true that there have been, and are, quasi-Christian cults, that believe it (e.g. The Cathars). According to data released by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life (2009 survey), 24 percent of American ‘Christians’ expressed a belief in reincarnation. This is evidenced in some high-profile people who profess Christianity, but subscribe to reincarnation (e.g. Reba McEntire).
