Christians that disapprove of the idea of reincarnation use Heb 9:27, because it says: “…once to die, but after this the judgement” — since man only dies once. But actually this verse is actually not even referring to reincarnation. If you read it in context you will find that what it is really addressing was whether Christ had to die over and over for the sins of the world.
Heb 9:27 was referring to Jesus: “once to die”, for all time, and not over and over and over.
However, it does say “As it is appointed unto MEN once to die…”. It clearly does appear that the writer believed that men were only born once and die once — that is if the writer even did initially write that. What is not apparant is who actually wrote this, and if that was what it originally said when it was first written. In other words, just like much of the rest of the New Testament, there is the strong possibility that there are changes to this chapter to make it appear that men are not born again nor do they die again.
It is speculated that Paul wrote this book. But if so, then he contradicts himself since in another place he says, “Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap”. This is clearly the doctrine of Karma which is closely related to Reincarnation. As has been pointed out before the doctrine of Reincarnation was very common in the first century, in the Early church and among Jews. Somewhere along the way with all the “corrections” that were made, this verse may have been changed to fit the Church’s agenda.
Again, it really isn’t known who actually who wrote the book of Hebrews. If these are the actual words of the original writer, maybe he really did believe that men are not born again and only die once. If this is so, then this writer had a completely different view than Jesus, the disciples, many of the Jews, and Greeks also. Reincarnation was not only a belief of the Early Church but also among many Greeks, which language much of the New Testament was written.
Nevertheless, the whole point of this chapter was not that a man only lives and dies once, but the main point was that Christ only had to die once. One time for him to die was all that was necessary to cover all the sins of the world for all time. So this one little verse is pulled out and focused on, of the whole NT, to show that man only lives one life, has one chance only to get it right, and the doctrine of Reincarnation is incompatible with the Bible. The idea that is meant to portray with this is that if a man makes the wrong choice in this one short lifetime, he could be destined to an eternity without God in unfathomable agony of Hell — for ever! And without a second chance! It’s hard to imagine a God that cruel!
According to the law, the Jews believed (erroneously) that the shedding of blood was necessary for God to forgive sins. They were constantly having to bring animals to be sacrificed to the priest for the forgiveness of sins every time someone needed to be cleansed of sin and forgiven. The point is that is Jesus came to do away with these sacrifices by dying, and once was all that was necessary.
In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. (Heb 9:22)
However, this is one of those cases where the Israelites got this practice from the heathen and then their false priests made it into a law. Because though God did allow the sacrifices, he never really did command this practice. It was kind of like the ignorance of children — a practice which they brought with them from Egypt. The following proves this point:
For I spake not unto your fathers, nor commanded them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices:
But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you. (Jer 7:22-23)
In fact, Jesus said that he came to put an end to animal sacrifices that God hated:
“I have come to destroy (animal) sacrifices; and if you do not stop making sacrifices, the wrath of God will not leave you.” (Gospel of the Hebrews)
The author of the epistle of Hebrews, as it turns out was actually only saying that was the way it was not the way that God originally really wanted it, because we see that in the very next chapter he says that sacrifices can’t actually take away sins nor did God even tell them to do it and he didn’t even want it in the first place.
For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. (Heb 10:4)
Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldst not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law; (Heb 10:8)
It would take billions of sacrifices to forgive all of mankind’s sins Each person had to bring sacrifices many times because of many sins. Imagine that multiplied by all the millions of people that had ever lived and all those millions who would come in the future.
The point that is being brought out here is that Jesus didn’t need to be sacrificed over and over and over, billions of times in order for all mankind’s sins to be forgiven throughout all time — “Once to die”. Just as man dies once during his lifetime, so Christ died only once was sufficient for all of mankind’s sins (according to the writer).
But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever (“once to die”), sat down on the right hand of God; (Heb 10:12)
Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again (only “once to die”), the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own. (Heb 9:25)
Then Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. (Heb 9:26)
The author is saying that if one time weren’t enough, Christ would have to suffer and die, return, suffer and die, return, suffer and die… billions of times!
…But now he has appeared once for all [time] (“once to die”) at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. (Heb 9:26)
Just as man is destined once to die, and after that to face judgment, so (in the same way) Christ was sacrificed once (to die) to take away the sins of many people; (Heb 9:27-28)
The idea is that to die one time is enough for all men for all time. What is not logical is while Christians believe that Jesus was sent from God and thus pre-existed, they don’t believe that other men and women have pre-existed.
Jesus pre-existed, and incarnated into a human body. Since Jesus was merely a man and not God, this makes stronger evidence yet for reincarnation in the bible. The argument that if Jesus was merely a man or not, is outside the scope of this article.
However, it is my conviction, as it was the early Christians, that Jesus was not simultaneously God and man, but only a man chosen by God and had special relationship with God.
So the whole idea behind the quote that Christians take out of context is where the author of Hebrews in reality is saying that Jesus only had to die once (“once to die”) for the forgiveness of sins.
And the reason they do this is an attempt to prove that Reincarnation should not be a part of Christian theology, nor is it a universal reality.
Next: Reincarnation | The Lord’s Servant