- God proclaimed the reincarnation of Elijah.
God Himself said that he would send Elijah just before the coming of the Messiah. If you read it just plain and simple the way it’s written, that’s what you get — Reincarnation. There’s not even any interpretation needed here.
If Jesus really was the Messiah, as many believe, then Elijah did actually come. Jesus literally said that John the Baptist was Elijah, and John himself declared, “I am the voice crying in the wilderness, prepare ye the way of the Lord“.
The prophet literally prophesied that God would send Elijah before the Messiah. If John was not Elijah, why is nothing at all mentioned about Elijah in the New Testament? It wouldn’t have been a secret because it was to be a public announcement. John the Baptist made that announcement.
Whenever the great and dreadful day of the LORD was, it had to be after the prophet’s death. Jesus himself believed that that day was his day, obviously, because Jesus said, “He (John the Baptist) is Elijah who is to come” (Mat 11:14) The only way he could “come” would have been to be (literally) born again into another body.
Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD: (Mal 4:5)
We all know that Jesus already came, so where do we see Elijah just before Jesus’ coming? It could only have been John the Baptist. And Jesus even literally said John was Elijah — whether or not Jesus was giving a metaphor.
The prophet and Jesus said God would send Elijah before the coming of Jesus — whether you interpret that to mean Jesus’ first coming or Jesus’ second coming. If you interpret it as Elijah coming at Jesus’ “second coming”, then it would be Elijah’s second time being sent too.
- Jesus believed in reincarnation.
Jesus declared plainly that Elijah was john the Baptist:
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- But I say unto you, That Elias is indeed come… (Mat 11:14)
- …this is Elias [John the Baptist], which was for to come. (Mar 9:13)
- …Elias is come already, and they knew him not. (Mat 17:12)
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He couldn’t have said it any clearer than that. Elijah came and John didn’t know that he was Elijah. Why? Because he had a different body. As is common, John had no recollection of his previous existences.
Now, apologists will say that John was not Elijah because when they asked John, “Are you Elijah?” and he answered, “I am not” (Jn 1:21). We know that a person that has reincarnated usually doesn’t remember a past life.
This was the case of John, he said he wasn’t because he simply didn’t remember being Elijah. However, he did declare that he was the voice of one crying in the wilderness prophesied by Isaiah — who was Elijah (according to many interpretations).
It was prophesied in Malachi that Elijah would come to announce the coming of the Messiah. That’s how we know that John the Baptist is the reincarnation of Elijah.
Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord: (Malachi 4:5)
He (John the Baptist) said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias. (Jn 1:23)
- The disciples believed in reincarnation
The disciples understood that Jesus was saying that John was the reincarnation of Elijah.
Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist. (Mat 17:13)
You can’t get any clearer than that — Jesus said that John the Baptist was Elijah, plain and simple.
- Elijah went up in a whirlwind and was transported to a different place
They say, however, that he couldn’t have possibly been the return of Elijah since he didn’t die, he went up to heaven in a whirlwind.
However, in 2 Chronicles 21:12 we discover that 3 years later Elijah turns up in another place and sends a letter to king Jehoram. So the fact of the matter is that Elijah wasn’t taken up to heaven without dying, only transported to a different place. Elijah died just like any other man.
Apologists also say that John couldn’t have been Elijah since Elijah and Moses were speaking to Jesus on the “Mount of Transfiguration”. However, John was executed around 30 AD and the transfiguration occurred shortly before Jesus’ crucifixion — which was around 33 AD. So, since John was already dead, it is certainly possible that he could have been Elijah as Jesus declared. (Mar 9:13)
- The prophets believed in reincarnation
The prophets and Jesus said that Elijah would come before Jesus’ coming, referring to bible prophecy.
Why say the scribes that Elias must first come? (Mar 9:11)
Elias verily cometh first, and restoreth all things; and how it is written …(Mar 9:12)
…That Elias is indeed come, and they have done unto him whatsoever they listed, as it is written of him. (Mar 9:13)
- The prophets prophesied of the reincarnation of Elijah
...Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: (Mat 11:11)
For all the prophets and the law prophesied until [about] John. (Mat 11:13)
And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come (according to OT prophecy) . (Mat 11:14)
Opinion: You might not agree with me here, but logic and reason tells me that the word “until” is a mistranslation that should have been translated “about”. What sense would it make to say that the prophets prophesied until John? That wouldn’t even be true. Plus “about” would make more sense seeing that Jesus said that “there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist”. (unless this is an interpolation)
But the prophets did indeed prophesy “about” John. “If ye will receive it…”, indicates that Jesus knew that many would not be able to accept the fact that John was the reincarnation of Elijah.
- Even the scribes and Pharisees believed in reincarnation
Even the Pharisees believed that Christ or Elijah or a prophet would reincarnate.
And they (the Pharisees) asked him, and said unto him, Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not that Christ, nor Elias, neither that prophet? (Jn 1:25)
They obviously were expecting the prophecies to come to pass about the coming of the Messiah or Elijah or a prophet. The Pharisees recognized that either the Messiah or Elijah would baptize when they came, which alludes to the fact that the Pharisees believed that these two would be reincarnated, or perhaps raised from the dead. What else could that possibly be but reincarnation? The scribes quote the prophets that Elijah would come (would be reincarnated) just before Jesus’ coming.
And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come? (Mat 17:10)
And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things. (Mat 17:11)
Here the disciples asked him about the prophecies about Elijah, maybe because they knew the scriptures prophesied of the coming of Elijah. Jesus confirmed to his disciples what the scribes had said about Elijah coming before the Messiah.
It’s very strange that Jesus would use the phrase “restore all things” because that seems to be alluding to the second coming, but Jesus was saying right there and then that John the Baptist was Elias. ( Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist – Mat 17:13)
Notice also the words “first come”, the only meaning of these words could be “reincarnated first” — if not, what happened to Elijah? He didn’t raise from the dead.
- The Old Testament Prophets Believed in Reincarnation
How else could Elijah come to prepare the way for the Messiah, before his coming, if it weren’t reincarnation? The Messiah came long after Elijah the prophet was dead in the OT. Either Elijah was John the Baptist or Jesus wasn’t the Messiah.
The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. (Isaiah 40:3)
Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord: (Mal 4:5)
- The people believed in reincarnation.
This proves that the Jews believed that people came back from the dead:
Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was done by him: and he was perplexed, because that it was said of some, that John was risen from the dead; (Luk 9:7)
And of some, that Elias had appeared; and of others, that one of the old prophets was risen again. (Luk 9:8)
…he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? (Mat 16:13)
And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. (Mat 16:14)
Notice that the gospel of Luke uses “risen from the dead” and “risen again”. The Pharisees believed in the resurrection of the dead. It could be that they speculated that the prophecies could mean Elijah would rise from the dead?
Of course dead men don’t return to be alive, but people who knew the scriptures expected that somehow one of the prophets would come. The people were saying that John was Elijah or one of the old prophets. It’s obvious that the people were expecting the fulfillment of the reincarnation of a prophet or Messiah.
And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? (Jn 9:2)
Here again it shows that they believed that a man could be born blind because of what he did in a previous life. This indicates that they believed in reincarnation. This is not only a sign that they believed in reincarnation but also some form of Karma which is a part of the doctrine of Reincarnation.
They obviously figured that this man must have reincarnated into a new life blind in order to “pay for sins” of a past life. Of course, this was not the case according to Jesus in the book of John.
- Elijah reincarnated in the body of John the Baptist and even fulfilled specific prophecies
Elijah fulfilled the prophesy in the Old Testament in John the Baptist
And he [Elijah] 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. (Mal 4:6)
And he [John the Baptist] shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. (Luk 1:17)
This shows that John fulfilled the prophecy about Elijah — Jesus quotes the very verse from the old testament and applies it to John: “turn the hearts of the fathers to the children”. Notice also that it says the “spirit and power of Elijah”. This is the perfect description of reincarnation:
The physical body of John the Baptist and the spirit of Elijah and the power of Elijah.
Now lots of Christians who don’t believe in reincarnation will use this very passage to try to prove that it was only the “spirit and power” of Elijah, and not actually Elijah reincarnated in John.
However this actually only proves the opposite. According to the doctrine of reincarnation a person reincarnated brings with him his spiritual power with him from one life to the next. The spirit of Elijah couldn’t bring with him anything but his own “spirit and power”. So this does not contradict reincarnation, it only reinforces it.
- John even had some of the same physical traits as Elijah — common with Reincarnation
And they answered him, He was an hairy man, and girt with a girdle of leather about his loins. And he said, It is Elijah the Tishbite. (2Ki 1:8)
And the same John had his raiment of camel’s hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey. (Mat 3:4)
Here it is again, the fact that John brought with him his personality from a former life. Both Elijah and John “wore a leather girdle about their loins”. This is more evidence to support the fact of reincarnation in the bible.
- John himself declared that he himself was the fulfillment of the old testament prophesy.
He said, I [John the Baptist] am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias. (Jn 1:23)
John knew that he was the fulfillment of the old testament prophesy, “the voice of one crying in the wilderness”, even though he was not aware that he himself was the reincarnation of Elijah. He was Elijah and John the Baptist were alike, Elijah even brought with him his personality to the physical body of John the Baptist. Obviously, Isaiah was prophesying about Elijah about “the voice of one crying in the wilderness”.
It’s Common Not to Remember Who You were in a Past Life
And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No.Jn 1:22 Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself? (Jn 1:21)
Many will say that John directly denied that he was Elijah when they asked him, but the simple explanation for this is that John just didn’t remember (as said before). Almost no one can remember their former lives. If you tried to remember things about your childhood, you would be able to remember very little.
How much less, if at all, could you remember a former life, especially when you have a completely different brain where only memories of present lives are stored. The past life brain and its memories are dead.
Our spirits also have memories, but these are blocked for the purpose of allowing us to focus on the present life as it is complicated enough without having to be aware of past experiences that may have been traumatic.
Again, this same passage says that the priests and Levites that the Jews sent to ask him wanted to know if he was the reincarnation of Elijah, which shows again that they also were expecting the reincarnation of Elijah as predicted by the prophet Isaiah himself.
If you can receive this just then listen, it’s not everyone that can except this hard saying.
He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. (Mat 11:15)
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