Part 5 - Matthew 11:13-14 - In A Previous Life I Was A Dolphin? Series

Part 5 - Matthew 11:13-14 - IN A PREVIOUS LIFE I WAS A DOLPHIN?

I asked some friends what they thought about REINCARNATION last night and got some funny responses - should have known. One of them said "once, in a previous life, I was a dolphin... lol jk." Another one said "It’s weird to think you may have been an ant once upon a time. ..."

I know that Scientologists like the actor TOM CRUISE believe in some strange things. But apparently that includes REINCARNATION? Past reincarnation, or "past lives, entering the flesh again", is a key part of the principles and practices of the CHURCH OF SCIENTOLOGY. I knew that HINDUISM teaches about reincarnation but apparently many MUSLIMS also believe Jesus and some prophets may incarnate again!

I’m telling you this because I was dumbfounded to read that in a 2005 Gallup poll 20 PERCENT of U.S. adults BELIEVED IN REINCARNATION! (Wikipedia) The article goes on to say that "Recent surveys by the Barna Group, a Christian research nonprofit organization, have found that A QUARTER of U.S. Christians, including 10 PERCENT OF ALL BORN-AGAIN CHRISTIANS, embrace the idea".

Kind of gives an entirely skewed view on 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NASB) which says, "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is A NEW CREATURE; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come."

Forgive me throwing up my hands in horror and tearing out my hair! (well perhaps not the hair. I don’t have any to tear out!) No wonder some people in mental institutions believe that they have come back as Jesus Christ. God became a man. Why not go round again? This is not what Paul meant when he said "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain" (Philippians 1:21 NASB).

Why am I talking about RE-INCARNATION? What started me on that track was a passage of the Bible in Matthew 11 where Jesus is speaking about John the Baptiser. Let me explain...

As a child I once asked my mother "Is Santa real?" She would say "If you believe he is real then he is." What kind of answer is that? Jesus has a different approach. It involves me accepting what He has to say before I can appropriate His message to my life.

Matthew 11:14 says "And if you are willing to accept what I say, HE IS ELIJAH, the one the prophets said would come." If you know the story of Elijah, he didn’t die but was taken up into heaven. 2 Kings 2:11 (NLT) says "... Elijah was carried by a whirlwind into heaven."

Jesus always takes me by surprise, but what is this really all about? How can John the Baptist be Elijah the prophet? Malachi 4:5 (NLT) gives a prophecy about Elijah. It says "Look, I am sending you the prophet Elijah before the great and dreadful day of the Lord arrives."

What makes things even more complicated is that back in John 1:21-23 (NLT) the Pharisees have already asked John the Baptiser "Well then, who are you?" they asked. "Are you Elijah?" "NO," he replied. "Are you the Prophet we are expecting?" "NO." "Then who are you? We need an answer for those who sent us. What do you have to say about yourself?" John replied in the words of the prophet Isaiah: "I am a voice shouting in the wilderness, ‘Clear the way for the Lord’s coming!’"(He’s quoting from Isaiah 40:3).

One minute John says he ISN’T ELIJAH and then Jesus says HE IS? Jesus says one thing and John has already CONTRADICTED Him. Is he Elijah and doesn’t know it? And if he is Elijah, how? Why? And Whoah! That’s pretty far fetched! Is this some kind of RE-INCARNATION MIRACLE? (Inter terrestrial Alien music in the background - "do do do do, Do Do DO DO!").

Was John ELIJAH IN HIS PREVIOUS LIFE? If he was then we have our religions mixed up here. Doesn’t Jesus realise we believe in CHRISTIANITY NOT HINDUISM? Why does Jesus say He IS Elijah? Was it a METAPHOR? Why did He say "If you are willing to accept what I say". Is it only true if we accept it?

How can I get this in perspective? John the Baptist was ONE OF A KIND and the LAST OF A KIND. He was the last of the old HIGHWAY CONSTRUCTION ENGINEERS. He joined the old highway to the new one - the OLD TESTAMENT TO THE NEW TESTAMENT.

It was the END OF AN ERA. Up until this time prophets only FORETOLD the coming of Jesus. Now John was INTRODUCING HIM PERSONALLY! Matthew 11:13 (NLT) says "For before John came, all the prophets and the law of Moses looked forward to this present time."

I love it when I am faced with a difficulty like this. Because I believe in what Jesus says and I trust Him. And in order to understand I also know that SCRIPTURE OFTEN INTERPRETS SCRIPTURE. In Luke an angel gives a prophecy about John and this clears it up for me (Here I am listening to an angel!) In Luke 1:17 (NLT) the angel says of John "He will be a man with the SPIRIT AND POWER OF ELIJAH."