00:00CONCEPT OF PREEXISTENCE OF THE HUMAN SOUL IN THE SCRIPTURES
00:11Origen, a Greek writer and theologian,
00:17was one of the most prominent Christian thinkers
00:21in the early days of Christianity.
00:23He believed in the preexistence of the soul and reincarnation.
00:30An idea that was also accepted by other important figures of his time,
00:36including Jerome and Clement of Alexandria.
00:40However, at the Council of Constantinople II in 553,
00:47Origen's teachings were officially declared heretical and remain so to this day.
00:53The idea of reincarnation in successive lives
00:58was rejected by the Council due to Emperor Justinian's wife's fear of being reincarnated as a slave,
01:07as she was a firm believer in slavery.
01:10In a synodal election, the idea of reincarnation was narrowly defeated with a score of 3 to 2.
01:19Many believed that the primary reason for the defeat was not due to the Emperor's interference,
01:28but rather the perception of the clerics of the time that the concept of reincarnation would weaken the power of the Church.
01:36They fear that it would give the faithful too much time to seek salvation.
01:42Augustine even wrote a letter to Pope Innocent I,
01:46warning him about the need to condemn ideas about successive lives,
01:53as it would lead to the Church losing its authority.
01:57If the return to the world of matter for a new earthly life were not a fact,
02:06then countless biblical assertions that predict harsh consequences for evil acts would be false.
02:15These consequences did not occur during the same life in which these evil acts were carried out.
02:22In that case, injustice would prevail throughout the Bible,
02:27and a book could be written solely with these reports of apparent injustice.
02:33Jesus himself would be discredited because he announced,
02:38open quote,
02:39that is why this generation will be asked to account for the bloodshed of all the prophets since the creation of the world.
02:49Yes, I tell you, this generation will have to give an account of this.
02:56Close quote.
02:57Luke chapter 11 verses 50 to 51.
03:01That evil generation would one day have to answer for the crimes committed against the prophets resulting from the law of reciprocity.
03:12If the atonement did not occur in that particular life,
03:17it certainly would have to come in another, possibly even in this one.
03:23The claim of many Christian theologians against reincarnation,
03:29that, open quote,
03:30people are destined to die once,
03:33Hebrews 9 27,
03:35is again the result of a narrow view.
03:38As a resurrection in the physical body is impossible,
03:42since our physical body will only die once,
03:46the spiritual human being, which is the individual self,
03:50will continue to exist beyond earthly death.
03:54The only way for the human spirit to cease to exist in creation is if they experience spiritual death,
04:04also known as the second death, Revelation 2014 21 8.
04:11This event is the most terrible occurrence that could happen to a human spirit that has already achieved self-awareness.
04:22An individual that deviates from the word of the Lord, going against his laws,
04:28will ultimately be dragged into this spiritual death, which will only happen once and forever.
04:38However, this will be solely their fault, as the soul that sins, it will die.
04:47Ezekiel 18 4.
04:49And everyone will die for their own sin.
04:55Jeremiah 31 30.
04:58The Hebrew Talmud emphasizes the seriousness of this unconditional reciprocity for the human spirit by stating that, open quote,
05:09there is no death without sin, and there is no suffering without iniquity, close quote.
05:17Notice that in Psalm 115 17, the psalmist mentions that,
05:24all that descend into silence, while,
05:28the living will bless the Lord now and forever.
05:33Verse 18.
05:35If for those spiritually alive, this praise to the Lord is meant to be forever,
05:42it cannot only refer to a single earthly life.
05:46Instead, it must refer to the total existence of the human spirit,
05:52which includes several lives on earth and in the afterlife until it can live eternally in paradise.
06:01The spiritually dead descend into silence and are forgotten forever, but the living will forever bless the Lord.
06:10The psalmist can say with conviction, quote,
06:13I will always obey your law forever and ever.
06:18Psalm 119 44.
06:22Jesus never spoke directly about the concept of reincarnation and other similar subjects,
06:30primarily because he faced a lot of immaturity among his disciples.
06:36Sadly, he had to tell them that he had many things to say to them, but they were not ready to comprehend them yet.
06:45John 16 12.
06:47In the Gospel of Mark, we can see that the disciples struggled to understand Jesus' teachings correctly.
06:56The Book of Proverbs states that wise words are, quote,
07:01Life to those who find them and health to the whole body.
07:06Proverbs 4 22.
07:08The connection between sin and illness is also evident in the story of the paralytic from Capernaum.
07:17He was only able to be cured and follow Jesus' command to get up, pick up your mat and go home.
07:26Mark 2 22.
07:28After being assured of the forgiveness of his sins.
07:33James also establishes a link between sin and illness.
07:39James 5 15.
07:42This relationship between sin and illness was already well known to ancient people,
07:48as the Book of Proverbs also teaches to, quote,
07:53Turn away from evil to have a healthy body.
07:57Proverbs 3 7 to 8.
08:00However, how do we explain the case of children who are born with a serious illness?
08:07The only explanation could be reincarnation, which maintains balance and does not challenge divine justice.
08:19The severe Mosaic law is a testament to the belief that illnesses are caused by disobedience to the Lord's precepts.
08:28Leviticus 26 14-16 warns that, open quote,
08:36If one rejects God's laws and fails to follow His commandments, then He will bring upon them terror, consumption, and fever that can weaken one's sight and undermine their health, close quote.
08:57It is worth noting that some biblical passages state that John the Baptist had previously lived on earth as the prophet Elijah.
09:08In addition to the prophecy about the arrival of John the Baptist, which was confirmed by the four evangelists,
09:17Matthew 3 3 3 Mark 1.3 Luke 3.4 John 1.23
09:26The prophet Malachi also foretold the appearance of a messenger who would prepare the way for the Lord Jesus.
09:35This messenger would be the reincarnation of Elijah, as stated in Malachi 3 1.23
09:43Open quote
09:45Behold, I send my messenger who will prepare the way before me.
09:51Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes.
09:59Close quote
10:00Therefore, according to some passages, John the Baptist was the manifestation of Elijah, who came back to earth to pave the way for Jesus.
10:11This was also indicated by the angel of the Lord to Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist.
10:19Open quote
10:20He will walk before the Lord of the children of Israel in the spirit and power of Elijah.
10:28Luke 1 16
10:32This mission of precursor to John the Baptist, repeating Malachi's prophecy, is ratified by Matthew in the following passage.
10:43Open quote
10:44This is he of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before you, who will prepare your way before you.
10:55For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.
11:00And if you want to recognize him, he himself is Elijah, who was to come.
11:07He who has ears to hear, let him hear.
11:11Matthew 11 10 13-15
11:16Shortly afterward, according to the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus reinforces this concept with the disciples, answering their question about Elijah.
11:29Open quote
11:30The disciples questioned Jesus, Why then do the scribes say that it is necessary for Elijah to come first?
11:38Then Jesus answered, Indeed, Elijah will come and restore all things.
11:44But I tell you that Elijah has already come.
11:49And they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they wanted.
11:54Then the disciples understood that he had spoken to them about John.
12:01Matthew 17 10-13
12:05Would John the Baptist indeed have been Elijah in another life?
12:11According to Pope Gregory I, 540-604, there is a belief that John the Baptist was Elijah in a previous life.
12:22However, this is not true.
12:24In the Gospel of John, the Baptist denies being Elijah when questioned by the Jews.
12:32They asked him, Are you Elijah?
12:35And he replied, I am not Elijah.
12:39John 1 21
12:43It is an undeniable fact that the Scriptures discuss the phenomenon of the pre-existence of the human soul, which is commonly referred to as reincarnation.
12:57This is evident when Jesus asks his disciples for their opinion about who he is, and they respond by suggesting that he might be John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.
13:12Matthew 16 14
13:14The idea of reincarnation is also implicit in the Book of Job, where there is no other explanation for the suffering of those who appear to be innocent.
13:29Job could not find a solution for the misfortune that befell him in that life.
13:35The Protagonist's friends, Eliphaz, Bildad, Zophar, and Elihu, as well as Job himself, realize that no one could suffer unjustly, since the Lord is justice himself.
13:54As the cause always precedes the effect, if there is no recognizable cause for suffering in the current life, it must be present in a previous one.
14:09If you would like to know more about the titles published by Ordem do Grau na Terra, please go to bit.ly slash books dash OGT
Be the first to comment