The following "Question" was asked by a member of the congregation at Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California, and "Answered" by their pastor, John MacArthur Jr. It was transcribed by Kathy Shortridge of Billings, Montana from the tape, GC 1301-P, titled "Bible Questions and Answers Part 18."  A copy of the tape can be obtained by writing, Word of Grace, P.O. Box 4000, Panorama City, CA 91412 or by dialing toll free 1-800-55-GRACE. ©1981. All Rights Reserved.

Question

How did reincarnation get mixed in with the scriptural teachings of the Old Testament and all the other writings that have been around like the Kabala, and the Talmud, and all this other extra-scriptural writing Do they contain references to reincarnation?

Answer

Yeah, basically the Kabala, the Koran, the Baga-Vagita, all of those have reference to reincarnation. Now, all world religions stem from Babel, but for us it's clear to understand, because when the people were scattered, they were scattered from the Tower of Babel. But in a more contemporary mode, all the world religions basically have been born out of Hinduism. Hinduism is built on a reincarnation system. The whole idea is that you just keep reincarnating and reincarnating. That's why they won't kill cows and won't step on bugs and won't kill flies. I've pointed that out, remember when we were doing the series on the Disciples Prayer about the food thing. The reason the people in India are starving is not because there’s not enough food. Indira Gandhi herself said they could feed the nation three times over and export more than they eat. But 30% of it is eaten up by rats and mice which they will not kill because they don't want to mess up somebody’s karma who's living in the rat. So it is their pagan religion that binds them in this kind of thing. But reincarnation answers the major problem that the pagan world faces.

Romans 1:18 says, “The wrath of God is revealed,” right? and that is the heart and soul of the Gospel, that God is going to pour out wrath on sinful man. Now, how can man deny that? So that's his dilemma, he doesn’t want to accept God, he doesn’t want to accept the truth, he doesn’t want to accept the gospel. So somehow he’s got to replace this concept of judgment. The Bible says in Hebrews 9:27, “It's appointed unto man once to die and after that the judgment.” So the Bible denies reincarnation in that one verse.

Now, at that point the system of man says, we deny judgment. In 2nd Peter it says, "Where is the promise of His coming, all things continue as they were from the beginning..." so forth and so forth...they don't want to admit judgment. Now the way they get out of judgment is by this constant cycle of reincarnation, you’re never judged, you just keep cycling through human existence again and again, there’s no consequences to what you do, except a lowering or a raising of your karma in life. It is a calculated design to evade the reality of judgment.

Question (continued)

Is there any research on how it got from the eastern religions into Judaism and into Christianity?

Answer (continued)

Well there is really no reincarnation in true Judaism and there is no reincarnation in Christianity. Even though reincarnation has been around for a long time, but the Bible never picks it up, in fact, the Bible doesn’t even comment on it. I mean if you’re looking for a verse, it doesn’t even comment. I have a friend named John Weldon (sp.) who has done a lot of research on reincarnation, he has a new book out on the occult. You might check in there, there might be a section on it. Also International Standard Bible Encyclopedia or Zondervan's Encyclopedia or Baker's Dictionary of Theology might have a section reincarnation and give you some historical background.

Added to Bible Bulletin Board's "MacArthur’s Questions and Answers" by:

Tony Capoccia
Bible Bulletin Board
Box 119
Columbus, New Jersey, USA, 08022
Our websites: www.biblebb.com and www.gospelgems.com
Email: tony@biblebb.com
Online since 1986