What does the Bible say about reincarnation?
To reincarnate is, literally, to “incarnate again”; that is, reincarnation is a “rebirth” into a new body of flesh and blood. In most contexts, reincarnation refers to the process, after death, of a soul returning in a new body. Claims of remembering a “past life” imply reincarnation. According to some religious and philosophical systems, reincarnation…
What is the first resurrection? What is the second resurrection?
Daniel 12:2 summarizes the two very different fates facing mankind: “Many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.” Everyone will be raised from the dead, but not everyone will share the same destiny. The New Testament reveals the further…
Where did Old Testament believers/saints go when they died?
The Old Testament believers went to a place of comfort and rest called “paradise” when they died. The Old Testament taught life after death and that everyone who departed from this life went to a place of conscious existence. The general term for this place was Sheol, which could be translated “the grave” or “the…
If reincarnation is not true, why do some people remember their past lives?
Reincarnation can be defined as “the idea that human personality (or a component of it) may survive after death and later become associated with another physical body; as a rebirth of the soul, self or spirit” (Moraes, Lucam, et al., “Children who claim previous life memories: A Case Report and Literature Review,” EXPLORE, 2024). The…
What is the intermediate state?
The “intermediate state” is a theological concept that speculates regarding what kind of body, if any, believers in heaven have while they wait for their physical bodies to be resurrected. The Bible makes it clear that deceased believers are with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:6-8; Philippians 1:23). The Bible also makes it clear that the…
What is eternal death?
Eternal death is the fate that awaits all people who ultimately reject God, reject the gospel of His Son, Jesus Christ, and remain in their sin and disobedience. Physical death is a one-time experience. Eternal death, on the other hand, is everlasting. It is a death that continues through eternity, a spiritual death that involves…
What does the Bible say about bereavement?
Bereavement is the condition of having lost a friend or loved one in death. Bereavement usually results in a period of time when we mourn. Cultures worldwide differ in their responses to bereavement and the expectations surrounding the circumstance of such a loss. Scripture gives many accounts of bereavement and mourning, the first being Abraham…
Is there an afterlife?
The book of Job asks a question about the afterlife very simply: “If a man dies, will he live again?” (Job 14:14). Asking the question is easy; more difficult is finding someone to answer the question with authority and experience. Jesus Christ is the one person who can speak with real authority (and experience) concerning…
Is there life after death?
Job, speaking out of his despair, asked, “If a man dies, shall he live again?” (Job 14:14, ESV). All of us have been challenged by this question. Is there life after death? What happens to us after we die? Do we simply cease to exist? Is death a revolving door of departing and returning to…
What does the Bible say about soul sleep?
“Soul sleep” is a belief that after a person dies his or her soul “sleeps” until the resurrection and final judgment. The concept of soul sleep is not biblical. It’s true that, in some places, the Bible speaks of those who have died as being asleep. Daniel 12:2 describes the resurrection as the time when…