FACEBOOK JANUARY 7TH
2019
Resurrection is
bringing back to life with no change, reincarnation is bringing back to life in
a new body. Why do Christians talk of resurrection when the belief that they
will acquire new bodies is actually reincarnation? Jesus also acquired a new
form that was able to go through walls. What's your thought?
Hello sister
Catherine Wanjiku I am glad to respond to your question and please know how
happy I am. Happy new year! I First of
all would like to make a slight correction on the premise of your question; 1.
Resurrection is bringing back to life with no change, this premise is anchored
in fallacy because it does not define the term resurrection and it adds a
defective notion. The Merriam Webster’s dictionary defines RESURRECTION as the
rising again to life of all the human dead. Has this ever occurred? The answer is,
yes only one time in history has this occurred in Palestine about 2000 years
ago. Only one Person underwent this process because of the grand plan that God
had for humanity and the repeat of this will be seen at Jesus Christ second
coming. Resurrection therefore is NOT bringing back to life with no change but
RISING AGAIN TO LIFE AFTER DEATH and death here is a CHANGE in itself because
there is a cessation of bodily functions. The body organs stop working
terminally.
2. REINCARNATION is NOT just
bringing back to life in a new body BUT a rebirth in new bodies or forms of
life especially: a rebirth of a soul in a new human body or a fresh embodiment.
This idea exists in eastern religious thought and originally held in the Hindu
religion and other related religions like Buddhism. It is believed that a
person dies and he/she is reborn in another body depending on his/her former
life's merit. One can be born again in a dog's body, an insect, a rich man, a
woman, etc. There has been no evidence whatsoever in history but there are
stories that go around about people and children who are believed to be people
who died in jet fighters etc. These stories are not verifiable.
Having said that, I would like to introduce to
you another term: resuscitation: to
revive from apparent death or from unconsciousness. This is what happened to
Lazarus as recorded in John Chapter 11. Lazarus came back to life but he died
again. All those people who Jesus brought back to life, did die eventually and
that is why Jesus' Resurrection is UNIQUE.
Christianity teaches about THE RESSURECTION of the dead to either
everlasting life or everlasting torment in the Lake of fire as recorded in
Revelation 20: 11 Then I saw a
great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose [g]presence earth
and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. 12 And
I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne,
and [h]books were
opened; and another [i]book was
opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were
judged from the things which were written in the [j]books, according
to their deeds. 13 And the sea gave up the dead
which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in
them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their
deeds. 14 Then death and Hades were thrown
into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15 And
if [k]anyone’s name
was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of
fire. This is different and uniquely a Christian thought. Only Islam as
Religion teaches this similar thought but it is believed that it was derived
from or influenced by the Christian Teaching in the New Testament.
The fulcrum and pivot of your question was:
Why do Christians talk of resurrection when the belief that they will acquire
new bodies is actually reincarnation. This question can therefore be answered
as thus: Christians talk of resurrection only as it refers to undergoing a
bodily death and decay, and then coming back to life and living eternally with
God in a new heaven and a new Earth as recorded in Revelation 21 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and
the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. 2 And I saw the
holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a
bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne,
saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will [a]dwell among
them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them[b], 4
and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no
longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain;
the first things have passed away.”
Christianity does not teach about
Reincarnation because it is not true and the idea only serves to make humans
believe that their after death life depends on themselves and their good works
while in Christianity, our resurrection is entirely dependent on Jesus'
finished work at Cross and since our Lord died and rose again we too shall rise
again. This is recorded in Romans chapter 6 1 What
shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? 2 May
it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it? 3 Or do you not
know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized
into His death? 4 Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into
death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father,
so we too might walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have become [a]united with
Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be [b]in the likeness
of His resurrection, 6 knowing this, that our old [c]self was crucified with
Him, in order that our body of sin might be [d]done away with, so that we would
no longer be slaves to sin; 7 for he who has died is [e]freed from sin. 8 Now
if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, 9
knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, [f]is never to die
again; death no longer is master over Him. 10 For the death that He died, He
died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. 11 Even
so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.
The last part of your question rightly observes that Jesus Christ had a
new body that could pass through walls but also still had the scars of the
nails and the spear that was thrust in his side. The risen Lord could also eat
food. Luke 24: 36 While they
were telling these things, He Himself stood in their midst and *said to
them, “Peace be to you.” 37 But they were
startled and frightened and thought that they were seeing a spirit. 38 And
He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in
your [n]hearts?39 See
My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself; touch Me and see, for a spirit
does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” 40 And
when He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet. 41 While
they still [o]could not
believe it because of their joy and amazement, He said to
them, “Have you anything here to eat?” 42 They
gave Him a piece of a broiled fish; 43 and He took
it and ate it before them.
