4: Could reincarnation be biblical?

Helpful Background on Reincarnation

1.              The definition of reincarnation is: the rebirth of “the aspect of an individual that persists after bodily death” (sometimes referred to as soul or spirit) in another body (The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica, 2024). The Bible distinguishes between the soul and the spirit (Hebrews 4:12, 1 Thessalonians 5:23). The “soul” is who a person is, and it is that aspect that reincarnates if reincarnation is real. Adam, for examples was “a living soul” (Genesis 2:7). The biblical distinction between the soul and the spirit is explained in more depth in a later post.

2.         Main Religions and Basic Beliefs

The main religions that believe in reincarnation are Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, Sikhism, and Kabbalah Judaism. The general belief is that how a person reincarnates largely depends on their earthly deeds. Hindus believe that the cycle of life and death ultimately leads the soul to salvation and oneness with God. Actions in a soul’s life impact how quickly they reach ultimate salvation (called “moksha”). Once they reach this, there is no more life and death cycle.

            In Jainism, a soul is responsible for its own life and death through the consequence of its actions. Souls can be bad or good and move forward or backward based on their karma. Once a soul is liberated, they are known as Siddhas, and they are then free from the cycle of reincarnation. They are perfect and god-like. (What major religions believe in reincarnation?, 2020)

            In Buddhism, a person’s next life is the outcome of the previous life. Just like Jainism and Hinduism, people can be reborn as animals. A person’s karma is based on the thoughts and deeds of each person. Rebirth ends when the person is set free from desire and self-focus. They then reach oneness with the universe. (What major religions believe in reincarnation?, 2020)

            In Sikhism, the escape from rebirth is only achieved when they unite with God and end the cycle of reincarnation, which is based on the principles of karma. Someone with good deeds is reborn as a person in good circumstances, while a person with a past life of bad deeds will lead a miserable life. Reunion with God breaks reincarnation. (What major religions believe in reincarnation?, 2020)

            In Kabbalah Judaism, the soul in a person’s body once lived in another person’s body. No other form of Judaism believes in reincarnation. Three types of reincarnation exist: gilgul, ibbur, and dybbuk.

            These other religions’ views of reincarnation point to human effort as being the means by which people are united with God – directly opposed to the Christian view that, while there is effort needed, God meets us in His mercy and grace. Salvation is a free gift, not something that needs to be earned through multiple life cycles. Moreover, the Bible teaches that salvation cannot be earned through multiple life cycles – no one can earn their way to heaven, they need the mercy and grace of God through the person of Jesus Christ. (What major religions believe in reincarnation?, 2020)

3.     Biblical Reincarnation (if it exists) would need to be different than the type of reincarnation described in other religions.

I do not think the reincarnation (perhaps) evidenced in the Bible is identical to other religions’ belief in reincarnation. “Karma”, specifically the idea that what someone does in one life impacts future lives, is not a doctrine explicitly found in the Bible. I do not think that people in good circumstances must have “good” karma, and those who suffer more have “bad” karma. This idea is contradicted throughout Scripture. Job, for example, was a good man, and suffered terribly. Jeremiah was a devout prophet of God who suffered greatly. The sinless founder of our faith suffered intensely. Early Christians were, and many Christians are now, terribly persecuted despite their devout faith and devotion to God. Hebrews 11 is full of stories of followers of God who suffered despite their character and devotion to God. Many of the holiest people in the world have suffered the greatest. Jesus explicitly says in John 9 that a man born blind was blind not because of his sin but so that “the works of God might be displayed in him” (John 9:3). Moreover, the Bible says God uses suffering for our good to make us more like Christ. For a brief theology of suffering see the last part of my post: Universal Salvation Part 1: What is salvation according to the Bible?

Nevertheless, God’s justice as seen throughout the Bible demonstrates that human action has consequences. Mosaic law upheld “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth” (Exodus 21:24) as justice. We reap what we sow, as Galatians 6:7 says, “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.”  Yet God’s loving actions towards His people, which include discipline (Hebrews 12), are undoubtedly more complex – and exceedingly more loving – then the straightforward law of karma found in religions that believe in reincarnation.

If reincarnation is true, the God of the Bible leaves us with a much more nuanced and unclear view of reincarnation. God is a God of justice, but He is also a God of mercy and grace. He relents from judgment. Sometimes He changes His mind when people intercede or repent (Exodus 32, Joel 2). Certainly, as the Christian gospel proclaims, because of Jesus’ sacrifice we do not get what we deserve. What is more, while people may think the “ideal” life is one of little suffering, the Bible declares that the best life is one lived in a deep and intimate relationship with God – a life that, to gain intimacy with God and strong character, Scripture insists must include suffering (for example, James 1:2-4, Romans 5:1-5, Romans 8:28, 1 Peter 1:3-9, and many more). We cannot understand much of God’s ways. Isaiah 55:8 says, “’For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ declares the Lord. ‘As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.’” We cannot fathom the good purposes God has in and through suffering and life circumstances. If reincarnation is true, we are certainly in no place to judge any person’s or community’s situation or our own personal circumstances on past life actions. Ephesians 1:11 states that God “works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will.” A will that we can trust is good.

4.     Reincarnation is found in some Jewish teaching, which is significant as, of course, Christianity’s roots are in Judaism.

The Talmud, a collection of Jewish writings and theology, mentions “gilgul neshamot”, which is the “judgment of the revolutions of the souls”. A notable Rabbi, Mannasseh ben Israe, states in his book Nshmat Hayyimm that reincarnation is real. The Zohar, a book from the Jewish mystical tradition, states, “All souls are subject to revolutions. Men do not know the way they have been judged in all time.” (Williams, 2019d).

            So, reincarnation has been and still is a belief for some Jews. Rabbi Benjamin Resnick stated, “The notion that souls can be reborn after death figures prominently in Jewish mysticism.” The concept of “gilgul” is described in the Kabbalah, a school of thought in Jewish mysticism. “Gilgul” is similar to the Buddhist concept of “samsara” and means “to spin”. The first historical evidence of this concept showed up in the Zohar, a Torah commentary and foundational text of Jewish mysticism. For Jews who believe in reincarnation, the ultimate goal of reincarnation is to become one with God. This is a form of mysticism that is not believed by the majority of Jews and does not prove the existence of reincarnation. But it does prove that reincarnation has emerged at times as Jewish belief, specifically in Jewish mystical history, (“6 things Jews believe about reincarnation”).

5.     Reincarnation was believed by some in the early church.

Reincarnation was also believed in the early church by some percentage of people for the first 500 years of Christian history. For example, Origen of Alexandria, one of the first fathers of the early Church, wrote about preexistence and reincarnation, writing that people could only reincarnate as other people, and that this continued rebirth happened for purification of the soul. The goal was to be restored to oneness with God. Origen was a disciple of Clement of Alexandria, who was a disciple of Mark, the disciple that wrote the Gospel of Mark. Later in life, however, he questioned reincarnation and its validity (Klimczak, 2016).

Other Church leaders, Valentinus and Basilides of Alexandria, affirmed reincarnation. Jerome, another church father, said reincarnation was taught for a long time among the early Christians.  St. Gregory (257-337) said that the soul should be healed and purified, accomplished in future lives if possible. Some think they were influenced by Plato, who believed in reincarnation (Klimczak, 2016). Could they have instead been influenced by the Spirit of God?

Most recently, when early Judeo-Christian sources were found in 1945, including the Dead Sea Scrolls, some information on reincarnation was also found. Some texts described two concepts of resurrection – spiritual and bodily. Spiritual rebirth is by the Holy Spirit. Bodily resurrection of a human could be called reincarnation. One author considered the Bible itself included many mentions of reincarnation (Klimczak, 2016).

6.     Reincarnation was finally decreed heresy by the Roman Church in 553 A.D. at the Second Council of Constantinople.

The fact that it needed to be declared heresy shows that some percentage of the Church believed reincarnation to be true. Many think it was declared heresy largely because the Church believed reincarnation minimized Christian salvation, conflicted with resurrection of the body, presented an unnatural separation between body and soul, its proof was too speculative of a use of Christian scriptures, and practically, people did not remember past lives.

Others think the Church did not reject reincarnation solely because of theological issues. Some think that the Church was self-motivated in doing so, afraid the priests’ source of wealth would be in danger if people believed they would come back to life multiple times and were therefore not as dependent on the Church (Klimczak, 2016). Others think the Catholic Church declared reincarnation heresy because of the bishops worrying if people were not motivated by fear of judgment and eternal torment resulting from a single life, they would grow slack in their faith (Klimczak, 2016). 

Ultimately, however, the Bible, the Christian’s authority on truth, has the final word on reincarnation. So: does the Bible at all support reincarnation?

Is reincarnation unbiblical?

A.        Reincarnation is unbiblical because people are destined to die once, and after that face judgment.

Hebrews 9:24-28

“For Christ did not enter a sanctuary made with human hands that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God’s presence. ²⁵ Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own. ²⁶ Otherwise Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But he has appeared once for all at the culmination of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. ²⁷ Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, ²⁸ so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.”

Many people refute reincarnation with verse 27, stating that people are destined to die once and face judgment, and therefore reincarnation is unbiblical. However, believers in biblical reincarnation would say that a “different individual” returns upon being reincarnated. Each person dies once and faces some sort of judgment (distinct from the final judgment described in Revelation), but they have a new identity as a new person reincarnated. So, each individual person dies once, but a person’s soul/spirit, which experiences growth over different lives, may die more than once and face “judgment” more than once. That judgment, some imagine, will impact their next life. Seen from this perspective, verse 27 does not prove reincarnation to be false, though the verse certainly COULD mean what perhaps the plainest and simplest interpretation of the text is: people live once and die once. Given that other Biblical passages clearly reference reincarnation, the traditional interpretation, used against reincarnation, is unlikely.

Additionally, if this verse was meant completely literally it would not be true in all cases. For example, Lazarus in John 10 was raised from the dead and therefore died twice.

Catholics also believe that this refers to a person’s judgment when they die and are judged in terms of purgatory, heaven, or hell. They believe this is separate from the final judgment when Christ returns, so this verse may refer to a judgment before the final judgment. This shows there are other legitimate ways of understanding this passage besides referring to the final judgment that may allow for something like reincarnation, especially if another life is allotted by God to people for the loving purpose of purging/sanctification. 

Ultimately, more Scriptures need to be considered to disprove or prove reincarnation than just this single verse given the different interpretations of it.

B.        Reincarnation is unbiblical because the only type of rebirth in the Bible is that of the Spirit, and that is not reincarnation.

John 3:3

^“Jesus replied, ‘Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.’

^‘How can someone be born when they are old?’ Nicodemus asked. ‘Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!’

Jesus answered, ‘Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.’”

This does not refute the possibility of reincarnation, this just speaks to the new birth in the Spirit that happens during a person’s lifetime. Reincarnation does not contradict the Bible. Of course, this does not mean that reincarnation is true – it simply means it might be true.

C.        Reincarnation is unbiblical because the final judgment clearly shows that no reincarnation exists as there are no chances to choose God following it. People have one chance to choose God.

Matthew 25:46

 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left… Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

John 5:29

“…and come out—those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned.”

Matthew 25:41

“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.'”

Jesus’ final judgment, rightly understood, points to a time of corrective judgment, not eternal damnation in hell, as section 3 of this blog, "Universal Salvation", illustrates. In any event, God could certainly use reincarnation before this time.

D.        Reincarnation is unbiblical because salvation is only found in Jesus, not through multiple lives of trying to make it to God ourselves.

John 14:6

“Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'”

Acts 4:12

“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”

Romans 10:9

“If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

1 Corinthians 15:22

“For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.”

John 3:16

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

John 3:36

“Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.”

Titus 3:5

“He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.”

John 5:24

“Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.”

Jesus is clearly the only way to the Father; he is the only way of salvation. If reincarnation is true, the Eastern religion reincarnation belief that a cycle of multiple lives to earn their salvation is some way is false. No one can receive salvation on their own effort. Belief in people (souls) being reborn in different bodies but not achieving salvation through the person’s own effort is not contradicted in the Bible, though it is not explicitly stated.

What if God, in His grace, allows for multiple lives, at least in the case of unbelievers, to give them more chances to repent? If that is true, this would certainly line up with the character of God, who is gracious and merciful and wants all to be saved.

E.         Reincarnation is unbiblical because upon death, believers immediately enter Christ’s presence, they are not reborn again on earth.

Philippians 1:21-24

“For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body.”

Luke 23:42-43

^“Then he said, ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’

Jesus answered him, ‘Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.’”

2 Corinthians 5:8

“We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.”

These verses clearly show that when a Christian dies, they will immediately be away from the body and at home with Christ in the intermediate state described earlier. This does not contradict reincarnation before a Christian dies or after.

If reincarnation is real, perhaps only unbelievers reincarnate until Jesus returns or until they choose Christ, but Christians stop reincarnating. Or, perhaps Paul is at home with the Lord and later reincarnates for further purification. The Bible is unclear, though there is one passage that may affirm reincarnation of believers around the time of Christ’s return. 

F.  Reincarnation is unbiblical because it is completely different than resurrection.

John 6:40

“For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.”

1 Thessalonians 4:14

“For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.”

Per point E, upon death Christians will be with Christ in heaven. This verse affirms that Christ will raise up believers at the last day. Given this verse and the preceding verses quoted, all Christians die, go to heaven with Christ, and experience a final resurrection upon Christ’s return.

Some believers in Christian reincarnation hold that the final resurrection will happen, at least in part, via reincarnation (addressed more later). There was no word for “reincarnation” when the Bible was written, so some think that the various biblical words for resurrection of the body could in some cases actually refer to reincarnation. If this interpretation of the final resurrection is correct, it is possible Christ himself will return via reincarnation (addressed more later). 1 Thessalonian 4:14 does seem to imply that Christ and those who have fallen asleep in him (believers) will return to earth together, perhaps in the same way. Maybe even through reincarnation. Nothing in the Bible contradicts that possibility, as will be more clearly shown throughout this section of my blog.

Is reincarnation biblical?

A.             John 9:1-3

“As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’ Jesus answered, ‘It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.’”

If reincarnation is unbiblical, how is it possible that the man sinned before he was born? If reincarnation is not real and was not believed by the disciples, why did the disciples think it was possible for the man to have sinned before he was born? If reincarnation is not true, and the disciples asked Jesus this question which implied reincarnation, why didn’t he correct their wrong theology as he consistently did when confronted with any false teaching in his ministry?

Note: if reincarnation is real, again, this also shows reincarnation is different in the Bible than in Eastern religions. This man was born blind not because of past sin but so that the works of God might be displayed in him. It is not about “karma”, the belief that what you do in a past life or current life decides your future fate. So, suffering is not necessarily a result of sin in someone’s life. As stated previously, God allows suffering for good purposes in the lives of all His children to make us more like Christ.

B.        Hebrews 11:13-16

 ^“These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. ¹⁴ For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. ¹⁵ If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. ¹⁶ But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.”

If reincarnation is unbiblical, how would the people of faith have an opportunity to return? What would that mean, “to return” to earth?

This cannot be talking about the resurrection of heavenly bodies at the end of time because in context, these people are people of God who did not want to return to earth because they desired God over earthly things. So, based on these verses, people who are still desiring earth when they leave have an opportunity to return. Given that people only enter the earth through their mother’s womb, this could suggest reincarnation.

A similar sentiment is repeated by Jesus in Revelation 3:12 when he says, “The one who is victorious I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will they leave it. I will write on them the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on them my new name.” This implies that while people have left the temple of God before, those who are victorious will not leave it.

So, those who are victorious, who desire a better country, do not leave God’s temple to return to earth, perhaps through reincarnation.

Does this contradict a time of reincarnation for believers at the end of the age, which I have referenced? Perhaps the exception to these verses is the time of the end when the new heaven and new earth is created. Perhaps then former believers will be resurrected via reincarnation to live with Christ forever (the biblical basis for this is explained more later). Regardless, these passages do seem to point to the possibility of returning to earth in some way, and people only enter the world through childbirth.  

C.        Job 1:20-21

^“Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped. And he said, ‘Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.’”

If reincarnation is unbiblical, how will Job return to his mother’s womb, the definition of reincarnation – being born again from the womb? Job seems to think that reincarnation is a reality: not just for him but a general rule. Naked, people return to the womb.

D.        Isaiah 26:17-19

“Like a pregnant woman/who writhes and cries out in her pangs/when she is near to giving birth, so were we because of you, O Lord/ we were pregnant, we writhed/but we have given birth to wind/We have accomplished no deliverance in the earth/and the inhabitants of the world have not fallen/Your dead shall live; their bodies shall rise/ You who dwell in the dust, awake and sing for joy!/For your dew is a dew of light/ and the earth will give birth to the dead.”

If reincarnation is unbiblical, what does it mean that the dead will live and bodies rise in the context of the earth giving birth to the dead? Does this point most naturally towards Christians’ traditional view of resurrection, or towards some sort of “rebirth” of the dead?

E.    Revelation 1:7

 ^“Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen.”

If reincarnation is unbiblical, how will “every eye” on earth see him, including those who “pierced him”, given that those people lived in the past, and Jesus’ return will at least happen around 2000 years after that? Those people died.

This verse may point to the reincarnation of those who pierced Jesus. They must be alive on earth when he returns for this verse to be true. But, maybe those individuals will be resurrected in a different way at that time such that they will see Jesus and not through reincarnation.

F.   Matthew 24:30-34

^“Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. ³¹ And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

³²From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. ³³ So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates. ³⁴ Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.”

If reincarnation is unbiblical, how will the generation he is with now (in the gospels) not “certainly pass away” until the Son of Man comes on the clouds of heaven, given that all the disciples died almost 2000 years ago? How will they be alive on earth when Jesus returns?

The only way this generation will not pass away until all those things take place is if that generation is living when Christ returns. One way that generation can be living when Christ returns is through reincarnation, because every person’s body from that generation died. Those people, that generation, could still be reborn if reincarnation is real for this prophecy to be true. 

Without reincarnation, how can the people of the generation Jesus was a part of "not pass away" and be alive when he returns?

G.        ^“Then Peter said in reply, “See, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?” ²⁸ Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, in the new world [Greek: in the regeneration], when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. ²⁹ And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name's sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life.” Matthew 19:27-29

The word “regeneration” is the Greek word “palingenesia”, which literally means “rebirth”, or “reincarnation”. If reincarnation is not real, why does Jesus say “in the regeneration”, or “in the rebirth”, talking about when he comes back to earth?

Could Jesus be referring to reincarnation? The disciples, who died almost 2000 years ago, can only receive a hundredfold and eternal life if they are alive. Jesus uses the Greek word “palingenesia” (regeneration) in verse 28 to describe when that will happen. The word in Greek literally means “rebirth”, the definition of reincarnation. Again, the word “reincarnation” was not penned until centuries after the Bible was written, so it is possible that “resurrection” refers to “rebirth” or reincarnation at times in the Bible.

Given that the word Jesus uses here means “rebirth”, or reincarnation, perhaps Christ and his disciples will return to earth via reincarnation, to receive a hundredfold and eternal life. The Bible never says that the return of Jesus with his saints will not or could not happen, at least initially, via reincarnation. Perhaps God will use reincarnation to fulfill the promises made by Jesus to his disciples in this passage. Jesus and the disciples will be reborn, all reign and judge together, and receive a hundredfold with eternal life. Would this contradict Jesus’ return when he “comes with the clouds”? Perhaps Revelation 19’s description of Jesus coming with the clouds happens after he has already been on the earth and is metaphorical: Jesus will not literally appear in the clouds and come to earth when he returns. Revelation is largely metaphorical. There are many unknowns, and we probably will not understand eschatology until we see Jesus face to face. I am simply trying to communicate that this is a possible interpretation of this passage.

 So, if this scenario is not at a minimum possible, why did Jesus use the Greek word for “rebirth”, the definition of reincarnation?  While this scenario would be unexpected and surprising for the Church, the fact that it is unexpected and surprising is decidedly more like God than something expected. God’s ways are beyond our understanding and imagining (Isaiah 55:8, Ephesians 3:20-21). Consider Jesus’ first coming: it was entirely unlike anything people were hoping for and expecting.

This passage in Matthew 19:27-29 is, I think, the best biblical evidence for reincarnation of believers happening at the end of the age when Christ returns. While there are other interpretations of this passage, I think the plainest meaning of Jesus’ words given his use of the word “rebirth” is that the disciples and Christ will be reborn via reincarnation to inaugurate the millennial kingdom and Christianize the world. The millennial kingdom is described in detail in section 6 of my blog, "The Millennium". This cannot be talking about the new heaven and the new earth as there will be no judgment, and here Christ and the disciples are described as judging the earth.

H.        Matthew 16:13-14 says, “Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say that the son of Man is?’ And they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’”

Why would people think those people could be Jesus as all the people named are dead?

How could Jesus be one of those people without reincarnation? Now, the passage reads on that the disciples did not think Jesus was any of these people. However, the Jews in this passage must have believed in reincarnation, even believing that Jesus could be the reincarnation of a prophet. What other explanation is there for their discussions over Jesus’ identity? Jesus obviously did not have the same body as these individuals, and the Jews knew Jesus was born in Bethlehem. For Jesus to have been Elijah or Jeremiah, for example, he must have been one of them born into a new body: reincarnation.

I.    Luke 13:1-5

“There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. ² And he answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? ³ No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. ⁴ Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? ⁵ No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”

This is just a note to point out that, 1)18 people died when the tower of Siloam fell on them, 2) they were not more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem, so 3) life circumstances are not always a result of past sin, so if reincarnation is real this differentiates Christianity from reincarnation in other religions.

J. Wisdom 8:19-20

“As a child I was naturally gifted, and a good soul fell to my lot; or rather, being good, I entered an undefiled body.”

This verse shows that character before life, i.e., this child was “good”, resulted in the child entering an “undefiled body”.  This verse may indicate a past life of this particular child. How could they have “been good” if they had not lived before? Because this child was good, he received something good from God: “an undefiled body”. While it is not evident what that means, the preexistence of the child may point to reincarnation as what is being described here.

K. 1 Samuel 2:5-8

^5 “Those who were full hire themselves out for food, but those who were hungry are hungry no more. She who was barren has borne seven children, but she who has had many sons pines away.

⁶ “The Lord brings death and makes alive; he brings down to the grave and raises up.⁷ The Lord sends poverty and wealth;    he humbles and he exalts.⁸ He raises the poor from the dust    and lifts the needy from the ash heap; he seats them with princes    and has them inherit a throne of honor.

“For the foundations of the earth are the Lord’s; on them he has set the world.”

The Lord is generally described here as bringing death and making alive, bringing down to the grave, and raising up, as if those two tasks were routine things He did that paralleled each other. In a world where reincarnation existed, verse 6 would make sense. God is in the business of consistently bringing down to the grave and raising up from the grave, presumably the same people. He brings death and also makes people alive.

While God occasionally raises people from the dead in the Old Testament and the New, that is extremely rare. This passage makes it sound common place. Again, if reincarnation was true, the Lord’s actions of “raising up” would take place via the rebirth of souls in new bodies. Understanding this passage as referring to reincarnation makes more sense than the traditional understanding that God primarily only brings death with the extremely rare occurrence of a resurrection. This passage cannot be referring to the final resurrection as this is an Old Testament understanding of God. From this Old Testament perspective, God is currently bringing down to the grave and raising up. There is no reason to think this “raising up” could not happen via reincarnation. Again, reincarnation was penned in the 19^th century and refers to “raising up”: just through rebirth, not inanimate corpses coming to life. This passage may refer to universal reincarnation.

Conclusion

There is some evidence for reincarnation in the Bible. Reincarnation could be a valid explanation for the passages I reference here. However, I do not think a strong argument for “universal reincarnation” can be made from these passages. This does not mean universal reincarnation is not a reality. Many truths about the world are not found in the Bible. Moreover, while universal reincarnation is possible, God does not seem to be clear on this in His Word. Again, this demonstrates that God did not want reincarnation to be a major focus if it is true. God is clearly way more focused on how we live now in the life given to us than wondering about any past lives we may have had.

Finally, while the Bible may be unclear about universal reincarnation, the Bible is clear, as I will show in the posts to follow, that God sometimes uses reincarnation. He did in the life of John the Baptist and the life of Jesus.  Reincarnation as evidenced in the life of Jesus is not a peripheral truth but one vital to the Christian understanding of Christ. He is far more like us then we could have imagined.