Which reincarnation do you believe in?

Why is there idea of Reincarnation so dangerous?

It's a very popular idea. Several friends of mine are quite serious when they say "I must have been an X in one of my past lives because I..."

Some people point to death as just an ongoing cycle of life. You'll come back again, maybe this time as a butterfly. 

I think there's a thousand or more reasons this idea is awful, but I will cite just a few.

1. God created YOU. Not this version of you, but you. There has never been, nor will there ever be, a you again. You are uniquely you, and God adores you, and he had plans and purpose for you that carry far beyond this mortal coil.

2. Redemption shifts. Reincarnation shifts the burden of redemption from God's finished work in his son to your earning your way. If 10,000 of years of human history has taught us anything, it's that you cannot earn anything. Your "right-works" are as filthy rags compared to God's Glory. If your redemption was dependant on your works, you'd be doomed to repeat things over and over, never improving, like some sick twisted groundhog day, but with only vague notions about what you did before.

3. Redemption requires awareness. In order for reincarnation to even make sense, you'd have to come with full recollection of the previous life, so you could "do better". Not just a few vague 'memories' but actually recalling all of it. Otherwise, the activity has no meaning. 

4. It denies the REAL reincarnation. There is coming a day when each of us will inhabit a new body, but it will be a glorified version of this body. We'll live in this body, look like us still, but without any of the frailties. That day is future. Only one human in history has ever done it. The rest of us, past, present, future, will be getting ours on the same exact day. In one very specific moment, we (who are in "Christ"  "The Anointed One and in His Anointing") will all be transformed. The dead in Christ will rise first, and we who remain will be caught up with them. That day is ever closer. I believe I'll see it in my lifetime. Even if I don't, I'll see it still. 

5. You never stop being you. 10,000 years from today, you will still be you. If you've accepted the offer Jesus makes, to trade your life for his, you'll be happy about where you spent that 10,000 years. The reason Jesus came and took your place is so that (a) he could pay your price for you, you don't have to earn anything, and, (b) because you don't get another chance to do it better. This life keeps going. You are a spirit having a natural experience. You don't stop when your body does. 

What about those with vivid memories of past lives?

The Bible is clear on this. You get one shot. You are not coming back to try again. But what about those who think they remember? I submit a few thoughts.

1. Vivid imagination. They are dreamers. The same function that helps us tell great stories. They've told themselves the story so well that they believe it. 

2. Demonic Influence. Demons are fallen angels. They existed before the first human. No new angels were ever created and none destroyed. The exact number has been in existence from before man that exists today. A demon who spent time with a particular person can recount intimate details of their life to you. Even hidden treasures and secret conversations. They can't read minds, but they were in the room with them. This is the same reason Mediums can help you "communicate with your loved one who passed". It's NOT your dead husband you're speaking with. It's a demon imitation. There's no good that can come from it.

3. Willfully Fabricated. Either in an attempt to decieve or just because they want it to be true so bad, they made it up. Consciously. This is the least common, but I've seen it. It's part of an identity they craft for themselves, seeking attention.

Where you spend the next 10,000 years depends on whether you decide to stand before a  perfect God on your own merrits or His son's, but you have to pick one, before you leave. 

#Selah