About reincarnation--a soul returning to earth in an unrelated body--nothing. The consistent teaching of the Bible is that death is final, so far as this earth is concerned. For example, Hebrews 9:27-28 (NKJV) "27) And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, 28) so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation." Resurrection--the reuniting of body and soul--is not the same as reincarnation. The teaching of Scripture is that body and soul will eventually be reunited, some for eternal reward, some for eternal punishment. A few resurrections have occured on earth, for the purpose of displaying the power of God over death. And Christ was resurrected to demonstrate that He had indeed triumphed over sin and death.

My only disagreement with jalex's answer is that the Bible does not "say nothing," but speaks directly to this issue - it says just what he cites: it is given to man ONCE to die, then judgment, and like he correctly observes, this rules out any conventional understanding of reincarnation.

While I've wondered whether reincarnation occurs for animals (maybe why they have such good instincts?) it is clear from verses like Hebrews 9:27 that there is none for man. As for why I suspect there might be for animals: Ecclesiastes 3:21 Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth? Some info from Solomon on what death (also known as sheol, or the grave) is like before the final judgement: Ecclesiastes 9:5 For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten. 6 Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun. Ecclesiastes 9:10 Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest. EDIT: I never said it showed reincarnation to be for animals, simply that I wondered because of the verse whether the verse meant it could be a possibility.

There may be some exceptions; Jesus seems to speak of the spirit of Elijah being born into John the Baptist. Now, I am not going to pretend that I PERSONALLY believe that I know what he means by that. I will, however, say that since Elijah didn't die a natural death, there may be no exception. That's all.

The question about "once die" (Hebr. 9:27) is a matter of translation. The Greek word hapax is here translated as "once", but can - according even to theological Greek dictionaries - also be translated as "once again", "once for all", "a last time", "at once" and even a few more things. hence it isn't a certain contradiction. About this and many other things which answer questions about reincarnation and Christianity see my PDF file "Reincarnation, Christianity and the Dogma of the Church", downloadable from www.christian-reincarnation.com > ENGLISH > Texts. Best regards, Jan Erik Sigdell

if we die{death is sleeping, aware of nothing} before Jesus comes,we will rise to be judged with the living, there will be a 2nd death for those who are not in the BOOK of LIFE and did not live by the BIBLE{judged by 2 books). The 2nd death is FINAL. Some will not have a 2nd death because they will still be alive on JUDGEMENT DAY. Reincarnation is man made.

Nothing. Reincarnation never enters into the Bible at all, and is unknown in Old Testament or Intertestimental Judaism, or early Christianity. The earliest books speak of the grave (sheol) in terms of it being a kind of abode of the dead. In the Torah, from the 2nd Chapter of Genesis on, death seems to have an absolute finality to it -- thus David says to his (dead) son, "You cannot come to me, but I will go to you." In the latter Prophets and some of the Psalms there are passages that, in the 2nd Temple period, the Pharisees saw a hope/promise of a future resurrection of the dead to eternal bodily life, when there would be no more death - and no more birth. This was also the teaching of Jesus and the apostles, the New Testament, and the unanimous proclamation of the early churches and Partristic writers. As for the passages about Elijah and John, dilletantes have (wishfully) seen a suggestion of a belief in reincarnation here, but context and a knowledge of Greek, Scripture and Jewish beliefs at the time makes that absurd. According to the book of 2Kings 2:11, Elijah never died: he was taken up into heaven in a fiery chariot carried by a whirlwind. In Jewish millennarianism, there was a belief that Elijah would return from heaven AS HE HAD LEFT (fully grown, and presumably on his chariot) to announce the coming of Messiah and the impending Judgment of Israel and the world. Some did not believe it would be Elijah himself, and some believed the key OT passages spoke of just "The Prophet" who would come in the last days, who would in someway continue Elijah's mission, being "like Elijah". Still others believed that one or more of the ancient prophets would be resurrected a little in advance to fulfill this role. Now when people ask John who he is, the correct translation of what they ask him is, "are you Elijah himself [now come back down from heaven]?" to which he answers that he was not. Later, when Jesus asks his disciples who others say Jesus is, the disciples say, "Some say you are John the Baptist [resurrected] (John had after all just been killed some months before: I don't think anyone would suppose that he had been reincarnated and grown to manhood pushing 40 in under a year.), others say Elijah himself [returned from heaven], and others that you are Jeremiah or one of the prophets [resurrected]. Also, when speaking ofJohn, Jesus says of John that he is AN Elijah, i.e., a prophet like Elijah, and most definately does not say that John is (or was) Elijah himself. The meaning of the Greek is absolutely clear on this, and inescapable. The last word on the matter is in Hebrews: HEB 9:24 For Christ did not enter a man-made sanctuary that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God's presence. 25 Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own. 26 Then Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But now he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. 27 Just as men are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, 28 so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him. Those who would try to argue that "men are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment" can be translated or interpreted in some way that permits of reincarnation have a few huge problems: 1) the Greek doesn't really permit it, 2) the context absolutely forbids it, 3) the apostles, the patristic writers, and by all evidence all Christians for the first 6 centuries of the Church, never understood it in this way. The early Church even pronounced Origen a heretic just because (inspired by Platonism and an extra-Biblical Jewish myth) he believed in the Gup - the soul nursery - and thus the pre-existance of human souls before they were actually concieved in-utero. And all Origen meant by it was that all souls had been created at the beginning of time, and waited in the Gup until it was time to incarnate in their one and only mortal life, after which it was death, and another heavenly (or a Hellish) wait for the resurrection and the Last Judgment. The only early Christians to mention reincarnation, do so when talking about the beliefs of the Pythagoreans (who alone among the ancient Greco-Romans believed in reincarantion), and they mock and condemn them for believing it. The 3rd century (and subsequent) Manichaeans believed in reincarnation, not Christians.

"Whoever believes in me shall not perish, but have everlasting life." The two choices are: (1) perish; (2) have everlasting life.

1) The doctrine of reincarnation is very old and existed among the comtemporary of the people who write the Bible. Jesus never formulated a clear condamnation of this doctrine. He said that he was showing a way to reach the Kingdom of God inside a single life. As the Bible unclear is on the subject, and as this doctrine quite usual war at the beginning of the Christian Church, this doctrine could be teached for centuries before it was condemned from the Church authorities. 2) "And if you are willing to receive and accept it, John himself is Elijah who was to come." Source: Matthew 11:10-14 (Amplified Bible) http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2011:10-14;&version=45; "14 King Herod heard about this, for Jesus' name had become well known. Some were saying,[a] "John the Baptist has been raised from the dead, and that is why miraculous powers are at work in him." 15 Others said, "He is Elijah." And still others claimed, "He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of long ago." 16 But when Herod heard this, he said, "John, the man I beheaded, has been raised from the dead!"" Source: Mark 6:14-16 (New International Version) http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark%206:14-16;&version=31; "7 Now Herod the tetrarch heard about all that was going on. And he was perplexed, because some were saying that John had been raised from the dead, 8 others that Elijah had appeared, and still others that one of the prophets of long ago had come back to life. 9 But Herod said, "I beheaded John. Who, then, is this I hear such things about?" And he tried to see him." Luke 9:7-9 (New International Version) http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%209:7-9%20;&version=31; 3) "From time to time throughout Jewish history, there was a persistent belief about dead prophets returning to life through reincarnation. But the Sadducees, a purist sect of Judaism, rejected the Persian concepts of resurrection and all Hellenistic influences involving reincarnation that was happening in Jesus' day. The Sadducees accepted only the orthodox Hebrew belief in Sheol. So there were a variety of influences going on in Jerusalem at the time of Jesus. When Jesus began his ministry, many people wondered if he was the reincarnation of one of the prophets. Some people wondered the same thing concerning John the Baptist. And even Jesus affirmed to his disciples that John the Baptist was indeed the reincarnation of the prophet Elijah. Throughout his ministry, Jesus taught people about the true resurrection - a spiritual rebirth within a living person. Thus, when Jesus stated that he was the resurrection and the life, he was teaching them a radical new principle. It was a rebirth of the spirit - not into a new body - as when we are born from our mother's womb - but a rebirth of our spirit within the body we now inhabit. Jesus was distinguishing between what was already believed in those days concerning the afterlife and a new teaching concerning a spiritual change within us that can lead to liberation. He was making a distinction between "the resurrection of the body" (returning to life from physical death) and "the resurrection of the spirit" (returning to life from spiritual death)." "The first great Father of the early orthodox Church was Origen (A.D. 185-254) who was the first person since Paul to develop a system of theology around the teachings of Jesus. Origen was an ardent defender of pre-existence and reincarnation. Pre-existence is the religious concept of the soul as not being created at birth; rather the soul existed before birth in heaven or in a past life on earth. Origen taught that pre-existence is found in Hebrew scriptures and the teachings of Jesus. Origen was a disciple of Clement of Alexandria who was a disciple of the apostle Peter. Clement and Origen wrote about receiving secret teachings of Jesus handed down from the apostles. One of these secret teachings was the concept of physical and spiritual rebirth. The existence of secret teachings and mysteries from Jesus is recorded in the Bible. Here are some of them: He replied, "The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance." (Matt. 13:11-12) I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness - the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints. To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. (Col. 1:25-27) Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed. (1 Cor. 15:51) The doctrines of pre-existence and reincarnation existed as secret teachings of Jesus until they were declared a heresy by the Roman Church in 553 A.D. It was at this time that the Roman Church aggressively destroyed competing teachings and so-called heresies within the Church. Along with the destruction of unorthodox teachings came the destruction of Jews, Gnostics, and ultimately anyone who stood in the way of the Inquisition and Crusades." Source and further information: http://www.near-death.com/experiences/origen03.html 4) "Reincarnation is a popular belief among many "spiritual" people, and is commonly held in most major religions. It has such popularity because people would like to believe that they will be given a second chance if they "blow it" in their first life. In Judaism, where salvation is based upon "being good," one could be condemned quite easily by making some major mistakes in his life. The "hope" of reincarnation provides an escape from a God who demands righteousness. However, both the Old and New Testaments do not leave reincarnation as an option that God chose to use. Why would God not allow a second chance for those who made mistakes on their first attempt? The answer is quite simple. Salvation is a free gift for all who want it. It requires only repentance from your former life (admitting you were wrong and wish to change) and belief in the completed work of Jesus Christ on the cross to atone for your sins. Anyone can be saved through the gospel (good news) of Jesus Christ. Don't expect a second chance to go to heaven." Source and further information: http://www.godandscience.org/apologetics/reincarnation.html 5) "Scriptures from the King James Version of the Bible which hint at Reincarnation. Reincarnation was taught in the Roman Catholic Church until 553 A.D. when it was voted out (3-2) at the Council of Constantinople." Source and further information: http://www.powerattunements.com/article42.html 6) Further information: "Does the Bible teach reincarnation and karma?" http://www.theosophical.ca/ReincBible.htm "Is there reincarnation in the Bible?" http://www.allaboutspirituality.org/reincarnation-in-the-bible-faq.htm

Resurrection is not reincarnation, aka "the transmigration of souls". To confuse one with the other is to be guilty of the same fatuous logic that confuses a horse chestnut with a chestnut horse. Resurrection is the Jewish and later Christian idea that a person (indeed all people) would be brought back to life by miraculous act of God on Judgment Day, raised to life again instantly as an adult (and then some) with an incorruptible imortal body, but still the person they were: no loss of memory or identity, or even of distinguishing physical features. Reincarnation/transmigration of souls is an Eastern idea that souls go through a series of lives -- including conception, gestation, birth, maturation, aging and death, all in a different body with a different identity and (usually) no conscious sense or memory of their former selves. Also, as any child should be able to see, if John the Baptist had been executed by Herod Antipas only recently, then Herod Antipas certainly didn't think that he had been reborn as an infant named Jesus who then aged to be in his 30's in a matter of months. Also, Origen was certainly NOT the first Christian systematic theologian since Paul (though arguably the greatest before Augustine), and he certainly did NOT teach reincarnation. He speculated about the possibility of the PRIOR EXISTANCE of souls before their one and only conception in utero, and that is what was condemned by the 5th Ecumenical Council (the 2nd Council of Constantinople) in 553 (along with 14 other teachings attributed to him, which are not germain to this question). The church most assuredly did NOT teach reincarnation until then. Every shred of a mountain of documentary evidence from the Patristic period proves that absolutely and conclusively. I already pointed out in my first post what the Elijah references are talking about, and they certainly aren't suggesting reincarnation.

the is no rebirth... but a human being is born with sins.... according to catholic bible

Wrong department, buddy! Check with Hindu and Buddhist religions, for instance.

Consider this article: http://www.watchtower.org/e/19970515/article_02.htm

Here's an interesting take on reincarnation and the Bible. https://leewoof.org/2014/03/07/the-bible-emanuel-swedenborg-and-reincarnation/

i think it says we dont reincarnate

Come again ?

I am glad we don't reincarnate because this life is enough.

probably that its not true

The Bible does have a specific description of what happens to someone who dies. In Ecclesiastes chapter 9 verses 5 & 6 explain that the dead know nothing at all, they no longer have any share in what is done under the sun. The Holy Scriptures do not support idea of reincarnation.