Do We Really Only Die Once?

"Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgement..." (NIV)

The teaching of dying only once, is mentioned only once in the NT.

The following NT verses support the idea of reincarnation.  If the people in those days did not believe in reincarnation, then why would they have asked or mentioned these things?

John 1:19-21, 24:
The Jewish leaders sent priests and Levites to ask John the Baptist if he was Elijah or the prophet (ie. Moses).
The Pharisees asked John why does he baptize, if he is not the Messiah, Elijah, nor the prophet (Moses).

Matthew 17:12:
Jesus says that Elijah has already come and they didn't recognize him.
(But then, in verse 13, the disciples understood him to mean Elijah WAS John the Baptist.  Here we seem to have a conflict with the verses in John, where John says he is not Elijah)

Mark 8:27-28:
Jesus asks his disciples who people say he is.  They answer that some say he's Elijah, some say the prophet (Moses), some say John the Baptist.

Mark 6:14-15:
People were telling Herod that Jesus was John the Baptist raised from the dead, and others said he was Elijah, or one of the prophets from long ago.

There are several other NT verses that mention the same topics; many more supporting the idea of reincarnation versus the teaching of only dying once (only 1 verse in the entire NT!).

Might Christians then consider, after all the evidence above, that MAYBE there is such a reality as reincarnation, and that the verse in Hebrews is misunderstood?

I certainly love entertaining the thought because I see a much more loving God, Who gives people more chances than just one to correct themselves and the wrong they have done in life; it's not just, "believe in Jesus, or you're going to hell", but if a person doesn't follow a spiritual journey in one lifetime, they get another chance.

(By the way, Christianity is the only religion in the entire world that doesn't support the thought of reincarnation.  Possibly the "Founding Fathers" of Christianity-the Catholics, may have had a certain agenda in this "only dying once" teaching?  Something to consider.)

What Can We Learn from Weather?

 Today was an extremely hot, sunny spring day.  I was thankful for the gentle breeze that was helping to cool me down a bit, as I worked outside.  No sign of any other weather coming, other than the sun continuing to shine, and the heat rising as the day progressed.

After completing outdoor chores, I went inside the house to cool off.  Later, I heard thunder!  I was wondering if I was imaging it, because there wasn't any sign in the skies earlier, that there was potential for rain.  I went outside and saw rain clouds in the distance.

I was told when I was younger, that the closer the thunder sounds are to one another, the closer the weather is to arriving.  So, I listened for the sounds of thunder.  Then I made sure everything I had to do outside, to prepare for potential weather, was taken care of.            

Then, I got to thinking...LIFE...

We go about living life, through good times and bad.  All too often we can get distracted in the good times, unaware of the bad that is heading our way.  

Just as our Creator, the One Who controls the weather, warns us of storms coming, with signs (and sounds) of how close they are, He also gives signs (and sounds) to us; warning us of a change in our life that we need to be prepared for.

Just as the storms pass, so the bad times in our life pass.  Some storms last awhile, and some pass quickly.  The same goes for our life.

We can be very grateful for these warnings, in weather and in life.  They help us prepare as best as we can.  But, sometimes storms cause devastation.  Sometimes people going through storms/bad times, don't make it through.  Perhaps loss of life is avoidable, if people pay attention to the warnings and act in a timely manner.  We may lose material possessions, but not life.

All of this makes me grateful for the warnings, and makes me realize that I need to pay attention during the good times.  I need to appreciate everything; from the smallest to the greatest are things to be grateful to our Provider for.  I need to slow down and take notice of things, enjoying life, rather than just plugging along doing the same thing every day - make the most of every moment; not waiting until it's "too late".

One more note:  Paying attention to a weather storm to see what direction it has potential of going, and possibly how long it will last, can also be applied to the trials in our life.