Since reincarnation is mentioned in the bible...?

Question

Do those of you who believe the bible to be accurate now question your beliefs? And do those of you who think the bible is mostly lies now think there might be something truthful said? See below:

Yes. Some examples..

The episode in the bible where Jesus identified John the Baptist as the reincarnation of Elijah the prophet is one of the clearest statements which Jesus made concerning reincarnation.

"For all the prophets and the law have prophesied until John. And if you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who was to come." (Matt. 11:13-14)

Here is the dialogue where Jesus's disciples question him regarding, what seems to be the concept of karma.

And as he was passing by, he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who has sinned, this man or his parents, that he should be born blind?"

Jesus answered, "Neither has this man sinned, nor his parents, but the works of God were to be made manifest in him.'" (John 9:1-3)

The concept of karma and reincarnation are abound in the bible. Even in the old testament. The first-century Jewish historian Flavius Josephus wrote about the Pharisees being believers in reincarnation. Josephus wrote about the Pharisees' belief that the souls of evil men are punished after death. But the souls of good men are "removed into other bodies" and they will have "power to revive and live again."

The above examples were given to me in an answer from a previous question about reincarnation in the bible...

Answer 1

Excellent question. It reinforces my suspicions that Christianity was a mixture of many religious ideas of the time, including Buddhism and Hindu.

Also research Egyptian mythology - The rebirth of spring at the winter equinox (Dec 25) Pagan mythology backs this up.

The Nativity story itself was borrowed from paganism. The story of The Annunciation, the Conception, the Birth, and the Adoration of Jesus as told by Luke's gospel were all depicted about 1700 BCE on the wall of the Holy of Holies in the Temple of Amen at Luxor, built by Pharaoh Amenhotep III. And, oh yes, The Three Kings or Wise Men from the east were known to the Egyptians ages before they are supposed to have followed a star to Bethlehem. On a clear evening in midwinter, looking eastward we see the most striking of all the constellations in the sky, the three stars in Orion's belt pointing to the east from where they came, as if announcing a marvel. Then the marvel comes. Sirius, the most brilliant in all the heavens, rises in the east in line with those three stars. To the Egyptians, it was the most important of all the stars; they regulated their calendars by its rising. At one period in Egypt, it reached its highest point at midnight on December 24. Astronomically speaking, the Three Kings had "seen his star in the East."

Answer 2

When John Baptist was asked pointedly if he was Elijah, he said he was not:

"Now this was John's testimony when the Jews of Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, "I am not the Christ."
They asked him, "Then who are you? Are you Elijah?"
He said, "I am not."
"Are you the Prophet?"
He answered, "No." '
John 19:19-21

The other passage has nothing to do with reincarnation, but is a question posed to Jesus about who might be responsible for the blindness of a man born blind. It was a Rabbinical teaching that such blindness was the result of his parents sin.
Jesus plainly stated neither his parents nor the man born blind were responsible for his condition.
Then He healed him!
Also, after Jesus died, He rose from the dead, the same person.

"On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord."
John 20:19-20

The Bible teaches the resurrection from the dead:

"However, I admit that I worship the God of our fathers as a follower of the Way, which they call a sect. I believe everything that agrees with the Law and that is written in the Prophets, and I have the same hope in God as these men, that there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked."
Acts 24:14-15

Answer 3

There is an amazing book called You Mean That In The Bible. by Satyaraja Dasa do a google on it. Tells all the mistranslations and how Jesus actually taught Reincarnation and karma and vegetarianism, Constantine tried to remove everything to do with all of this but he forgot some verses. But people overlook them and misinterpret them.Take a look at Mathew 16:13-14 and Mathew 17:9-13 and mat 11:7, 10,11, 14-15 and Luke 9:7-9 and Romans 9:10-13 Mark 6:14-16 and so many more. Thanks for using your God given intelligence. That is what it takes to understand the Absolute Truth. One must understand Karma and Reincarnation and no one goes to hell eternally to understand the unlimited mercy of God. There is much taken out of the bible and mistranslations but when one understands universal spiritual knowledge they can read between the lines and see. Read Bhagavad Gita on line asitis.com tells all. Following Universal Truth will set one free.

Answer 4

Sorry, those verses have nothing to do with reincarnation, which is not taught in the Bible. Somebody gave you their own opinion, not Biblical truth. You should study the Bible yourself if you want to know what it really says. Know what YOU believe, don't use the opinions of others to try and make a statement. :)

Answer 5

Sorry, but neither of your illustrations state anything that would indicate that reincarnation is true. Jesus was refering to a prophecy concerning Elijah, not the literal person Elijah. It says that John fulfilled that prophecy, not that John was that prophet.

Answer 6

It seems to me that every religion has its own interpretation of the Bible. Keep in mind, also, that the Bible only contains edited scriptures. Meditate on the questions you have and the truth will come to you.

Answer 7

I think spiritual concepts like these are the only parts that are accurate.


Blessed Be!

Answer 8

No Christian that I know interprets the above mentioned passages as referring to reincarnation.
On the contrary:

"Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment,"

Hebrews 9:27

Answer 9

I have wondered about that myself, but no one could answer me