In The Blink of an Eye

Chapter 8- Reincarnation

Reincarnation- True or False?

Reincarnation is the belief that when someone or something dies their soul comes back in another body or form. It literally means "to come again in the flesh". It is a process of repeated rebirths continuing up the evolutionary ladder until the soul reaches the ultimate stage of perfection merging with its source (God or the Universal soul). Death is not to be feared because you just get born into another body taking wisdom that you have gathered in your previous life or lives.

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WHAT IS KARMA?

In the law of Karma good is rewarded in the life to come, and evil is punished. It is believed that everyone gets what he or she deserves in life. There is no mercy towards the less fortunate because it is believed that they had bad karma in their past life or lives.

WHAT DOES GOD'S WORD SAY ABOUT REINCARNATION?

The Bible says " And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment" (Hebrew 9:27). This verse is very clear that mankind dies only once, not numerous times. The doctrine of reincarnation is a false deception told back in the Garden of Eden by the father of lies, Satan himself.

Jesus says in the gospel of John,"Ye must be born again"(John 3:3). Many involved in the New Age Movement believe this scripture teaches reincarnation. In this scripture, Jesus did not mean that a person is to be born physically over and over again, but that he is in need of a spiritual birth from the Spirit of God. Jesus was mostly concerned with telling Nicodemus the way of salvation, like He did in countless other scriptures. (see John 3:3-21)."For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved" (John 3:17).

HEAVEN OR HELL?

In Christianity, death is to be greatly feared if a person does not know Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior, because this person's soul will go to hell forever.

There is only true peace and no reason to fear death when a person has accepted Jesus Christ into their life as their personal Lord and Savior because they have the glorious promise of heaven and a future with Him for all eternity.

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IS THERE ANY EVIDENCE FOR REINCARNATION?

Many who believe in reincarnation openly admit that they are in contact with what they call "spirit guides" or "entities" that either speak to the dead for them or are the dead. They believe what these entities speak because they are experiencing their presence. Many believe these spirits are telling the truth because they are "clothed in light". Let's read who can clothe himself in light from God's word. "And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light"(2 Corinthians 11:14). Satan has deceived millions of people this way! This is why God tells us in His word to not speak with familiar spirits (channeling) or practice necromancy (speaking to the dead). These things are clearly forbidden in the scriptures and are an atrocity to a holy God who hates these evil occult practices; "When thou art come into the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations. There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee" (Deuteronomy 18:9-12).

These entities are in reality demons (devils) that speak deception. They twist the truth of God into a lie and oppose Him for all He is.

Souls do not transmigrate (to move or pass from one place or body to another), but demons do. These clever spirits enter into human beings who willingly open themselves up to them and communicate this false information to them. Demons take the identity of someone who they had once inhabited in the past, a person they were familiar with. This lie compels the person who allows the spirit(s) to come in to believe they were actually that person in their past life. There is no sound evidence for reincarnation, but only experiences which can be very deceiving when giving over to the things that God has clearly forbidden.

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Traditional Hinduism also teaches the doctrine of a consecutive embodiment of the soul in a series of bodies that could consist of any form of life besides a human being. Erwin W. Lutzer and John F. DeVries write from their book "Satan's "Evangelistic" Strategy For This New Age:

 "Long before Charles Darwin, the Hindus had their own understanding of evolution, the notion of the gradual development of the soul to higher forms. This evolution can be illustrated by a series of continuous circles, gradually working up the scale. There is neither a beginning nor an end, but an endless process of refinement and perfection. The system slowly but surely purges out the weak, the unfit, the undesirable. . . . Reincarnationism also teaches a kind of devolution as well as evolution. This means that if you accumulate some bad karma you could regress in your journey toward the nothingness of nirvana. You could be a spider or a worm in the life to come. But this aspect of Hinduism is conveniently omitted when marketed for American audiences. The mood in the West is upbeat and optimistic. Everyone is making progress as they complete their cycles. With each round, a better form of life is reached." (2)

One is terribly grieved when taking a look at a country like India. India is a country filled with much poverty and one that has been practicing Hinduism for centuries. Many children and adults are helplessly suffering and dying because it is believed that if someone helps another in need, they are actually interfering with their karma. It is believed that if a merciful person does try to help them, that person will get paid back with bad karma in their next life. This is nothing but cruel, selfish religion where no one looks out for anyone else but his or her own self. There is absolutely no conscience as a merciless rich person steps over a poor weeping child dying of sickness and starvation. In India, reincarnation is taught more than any other place, and they also suffer needlessly the most from this appalling theory.

In the law of karma there is no forgiveness. How can someone learn from their mistakes in the past if they can't even remember them? This is an utterly absurd and satanic doctrine.

THE GOOD NEWS!!!

The good news is that we can be forgiven because Jesus has paid the debt of sin in full! There is no payment that is required of us. All we have to do is repent and receive His forgiveness and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ to be saved. 

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16).

THE RESURRECTION 

 After Jesus death, He was buried and on the third day He rose from the dead! He overcame death! He lives again! "For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: (1 Corinthians 15:3-4)

All those who have died will also be raised from the dead. Those who have trusted Christ will be raised to everlasting life in heaven, and those who have rejected Christ will be raised to everlasting torment, destruction and separation from almighty God in hell.

TWO RELIGIONS

Lutzer and DeVries sum up the differences between Christianity and other religions;

 "What is the difference between the experience of the Eastern religions and the experience of the true God? One is self-centered, the other is people-centered; one seeks the experience itself, the other seeks the true God, and the emotional experience connected with it is secondary. Christian joy comes when we look away from ourselves-first to God, then to others". (3)