There are many who believe in reincarnation, which is different from resurrection: with the former, you get to come back and try to do it better, but with the latter you only get one chance to make it.
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Of course, we who worship the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, including those who accept that Yeshua (also called Jesus) is the Messiah God promised to send, know that there is no reincarnation.
I know that you are probably saying to yourself, “He knows we don’t believe in that, so what’s his point?”
Good question.
First, let’s review what reincarnation is about: as I recall from my studies, religions that believe in reincarnation also believe that if you led a bad life, you come back as a snake, or some other lower form of life, and have to live an entire lifetime that way. If you do it well, then you get to come back as some higher form of life.
(Yeah, I am also wondering how do you live a good life as a snake?)
Ultimately, you hope to come back as a Brahman (Priest), and if you do that well, you finally get to go to Nirvana (heaven).
My point is that too many people think they can get away with something now, and then ask for forgiveness of it later. Thinking that you can do something now and be forgiven later is similar, isn’t it, to believing in resurrection? Doesn’t Shaul (Paul) tell us that we are born a new creation every day (2 Corinthians 5:17)? Isn’t that very much like reincarnation?
It sounds the same, but it isn’t, because (as I said) reincarnation is a second chance, then a third chance, then a fourth, ad infinitum… until you reach Nirvana.
But for believers in God and Yeshua, we may be born anew every day, but that is a spiritual thing and not a physical thing, so you still have this one, and only one, chance to make it in God’s presence for all eternity.
Remember always that you never know what day will be your last, and since this is the only chance you have to make the grade, make sure you try your very best every minute of every day.
When it comes to salvation, there are no mulligans.
Thank you for being here and please remember to share these messages with everyone you know, even non-believers. Hey, after all, you never know how fertile the soil is until you plant a seed in it.
That’s it for this week, so l’hitraot and (an early) Shabbat Shalom!