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Is reincarnation Biblical?

What exactly does the Bible say about reincarnation? Reincarnation by definition is “physical rebirth after death”

Some may say that the Bible may offer some verses indicating that reincarnation is scriptural by is there actual proof supporting that. Some suggest that John the Baptist is Elijah reincarnated with the following versus

Remarkable as it sounds we cannot build a doctrine upon one single verse so lets further investigate what the Bible actually says.

Yes, he was Elijah (Matthew 11:13-14) – “For all the prophets and the Law prophesied until John. ¹⁴“And if you care to accept it, he himself is Elijah, who was to come.”

No, he was not Elijah (John 1:19-21) – “And this is the witness of John, when the Jews sent to him priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” ²⁰And he confessed, and did not deny, and he confessed, “I am not the Christ.” ²¹And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” And he *said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.”

New Testament.
Matt 3: 4
And the same John (the Baptist) had his raiment of camel’s hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey.

The Old Testament description of Elijah was:
2 Kings 1:8
And they answered him, He (Elijah) was an hairy man, and girt with a girdle of leather about his loins. And he said, It is Elijah the Tishbite.

1. PEOPLE WERE AWARE OF THE CONCEPT OF REINCARNATION:

Rabbi, who sinned, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? (John 9:2).It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be made manifest in him (John 9:3).

Now the word of the Lord came to me saying, “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you; and before you were born I consecrated you, and I appointed you a prophet to the nations” (Jeremiah 1:45).

They thought John the Baptist or Jesus was Elijah

Matthew 16:13-15

13(A)Now when Jesus came into the district of (B) Caesarea Philippi, He was asking His disciples, “Who do people say that (C) the Son of Man is?”

14And they said, “Some say (D) John the Baptist; and others, (E) Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.”

15He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”

Mark 6:15; Luke 9:19, Matthew 16:14; Mark 8:28;

2. PEOPLE WERE EXPECTING ELIJAH TO COME BACK THROUGH PROPHECY

Malachi 4:5-6 5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD: 6And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.

Note (1) People didn’t know how Elijah would appear; as the literal physical sense OR reincarnated because they wouldn’t have asked Jesus or John if they were Elijah since they already recognized what Elijah physically looked like especially during the transfiguration.

3. Jesus says that He has already come and the disciples understood that he was referring to John the Baptist.

10And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come? 11And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things. 12But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them. 13Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist.

Matt 11:13-15 “For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John. And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come. He who has ears, let him hear.”

4. John was prophesied to come and declared it. Isa.40:3-4 as “The voice crying out in the wilderness: prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.”

5. John denies he is Elisha, the Messiah, a prophet, and states that he is the one that Isaiah prophesied about to make way for the Lord. He is also other forerunner un named in Mal.3:1

19And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou? 20And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ. 21And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No. 22Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself?23He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias.24And they which were sent were of the Pharisees.25And they asked him, and said unto him, Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not that Christ, nor Elias, neither that prophet?

HOW TO SOLVE THIS PROBLEM

Luke 1:17

17″It is he who will (A) go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, (C)TO TURN THE HEARTS OF THE FATHERS BACK TO THE CHILDREN, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, so as to (D) make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” (a reference of Malicah concerning John the Baptist )

Now “in spirit and power” could be very misleading and some take it as a reference to reincarnation. But that is not the case.

2 Kings 2:15

Now when the sons of the prophets who were at Jericho opposite him saw him, they said, “The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha.” And they came to meet him and bowed themselves to the ground before him.

Elisha was not literally Elijah but has his powers and spirit just as John the Baptist did.

A reader has also made this interesting observation, concerning these verses:

Hosea 3:5 Afterward shall the children of Israel return, and seek the LORD their God, and David their king; and shall fear the LORD and his goodness in the latter days.

Ezekiel 34:23-24 And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd. And I the LORD will be their God, and my servant David a prince among them; I the LORD have spoken it.

In these passages the Messianic king is called “David” — and this is the same sense in which John is properly called “Elijah” by Malachi 4.

Hosea 3:5 and Ezekiel 34:23-24, the Messianic king is called “David.” But this does not mean that Christ is a reincarnation of David, or that David was prophesied to return to earth to reign

In other words John the Baptist was Elijah, not THE PHYSICAL ELIJAH that everyone was expecting so they denied him just like they denied Jesus as the Messiah.

As far as reincarnation some can agree that reincarnation was nothing new in the Old testament but that doesn’t mean that its necessarily true.

There is even a bigger problem with this view. For reincarnation to be held true in this case, one must die, before being reincarnated. However according to the Bible, Elijah never experience a physical death.

II Kings 2:11

As they were going along and talking, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire and horses of fire which separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind to heaven.

Indeed, just as people are destined to die once and after that to be judged, Hebrews 9:27

Let’s say for the sake of the argument that Elijah did in fact die and reincarnated to John the Baptist.

How could Elijah revert back into himself during the transfiguration shortly after John the Baptist was beheaded? That makes the reincarnation concept even more confusing than ever. Elijah came as John and transformed back to himself right after? Also, how could Elijah appear as a full grown man shortly after John’s death?

So what does the Bible say where we go when die? According to the Bible there are only two place where we go

2 Corinthians 5:8 According to Paul we would return home to God

And I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it…. And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened….and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds….And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. (Revelation 20:11-15)

Jesus told the criminal on the cross, “Today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43), not “You will have another chance to live a life on this earth.” Matthew 25:46 specifically tells us that believers go on to eternal life while unbelievers go onto eternal punishment

For believers, after death is to be “away from the body and at home with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:6-8; Philippians 1:23). For unbelievers, after death means everlasting punishment in Hell (Luke 16:22-23).

In conclusion and based on the Scriptures, we understand that John the Baptist is not the reincarnation of Elijah the Prophet but his forerunner.