"We
are but Spiritual beings who are currently having a material
experience" Edgar Cayce
I became fascinated by the concept of reincarnation as being
a means that could possibly establish physical proof that
the essential self did survive the death experience and continue
as a spirit for that would eventually in some way be incarnated
into another earthly body.
The real fascination of this did not come to me however until
I had a visit with my grandmother after she had taken on a
new body in god's world to live her new life.
My grandmother contacted me from the other world and when
she did she told me not to be saddened at her leaving me,
that one day she would be able to sit with me again and we
would hold hands with each other as we had when she was in
the earth.
This thought of holding her hand was indeed a warm one. Yet,
I had no belief at that time of reincarnation or had any idea
that such a belief existed.
I remember telling my daughter Cynthia of our visit and what
my grandmother had said. Her answer to me was, "Mom haven't
you heard of reincarnation where someone dies and is reborn
again back into another life time?" My answer to Cynthia was,
"I am not sure I really believe this can be done?" I believe
when one dies they have eternal life, so I am not sure how
this fits in!"
However, once I began moving into God's world and getting
information about "what happens we we die" I soon realized
that we, indeed "Live Again" but not in the way I or my daughter
had thought we did.
It seems that when one passes on into their new world to live
again, their spirit goes to that place in which it is to reside.
Their soul goes to be with God to reside with him until God
and the soul makes a decision to take on a new body and return
back into life again. I was told that not all of the souls
had to reincarnate but only a partial part of the soul would
have to return back to be with the new personality that it
would overshadow while in the earth.
When asking why this was to be? I was told, "To be ye perfect
as your Father in heaven is." That this was the way one perfected
themselves.
It meant that my grandmother who had passed away would always
remain in her world to have an eternal life and only a partial
part of her soul if she came back into an earthly body would
reincarnate. which made me feel so much better knowing if
I should leave the earth she would still be there waiting
for me.
Many years later after my one daughter Rene" had a baby, which
I was in the deliver room when the child was born and I just
remember looking into her eyes and saying to myself, "I know
you!" The feeling I received was indescribable. I had this
over whelming feeling of joy when I held the child. I immediately
took it to mean that this was that they called "Grandmothers
love" and left it at that!
When this grandchild got a little older. She would cry for
me to be with her. I was a pastor of a church at the time
and each Sunday she would come to Sunday school and whenever
she saw me she would have to run to me and immediately hold
my hand. When we would go to lunch after Sunday school and
church she would not let go of my hand during the time she
would eat. Her mother became pregnant with her sister when
my grandchild was about four years old. One day she placed
her hand on her mothers stomach and said, "Mommy, when I was
big I used to feel you moving inside of grandma's stomach
just like now." Well, to say the least, my daughter called
me and shared the story with me.
After that I was shopping with my grandchild in a department
store and a mannequin had a cloth necklace around the neck
with a cameo on it. My grandchild after entering the store
and seeing this necklace started crying and said very mater
of fact, "Grandma they have my necklace and I want it." I
said to her, "No, the necklace belongs to the store." she,
said very loudly, "No, Grandma they stole it from me." To
quiet her I went to the sales person and asked if I could
buy it. She got a chair and gave me the last one which was
on the mannequin.
I called my mother who lived out of town and asked her if
my grandmother owned this type of necklace and she said. "Yes
she did and after I told her the story she said she would
mail the necklace to me. Of course, this necklace now has
it's original owner wearing it as it had been worn before.
Another similarity was the child was born with asthma and
when my grandmother was in the earth she had asthma.
I would like to share with you some interesting facts I have
found through my studies of the scriptures. I believe they
will give you food for thought!
We must understand that reincarnation was a philosophical
truth which great modern philosophers like Ralph Waldo Emerson
and others accept and which was believed by countless millions
in ancient and modern worlds, and was stricken from the teachings
of the church especially since it was a doctrine also believed
by the Near Eastern people of the Nazarene's time. In Fact,
the New Testament contains various speculations or gossip
of the people concerning who the man-God, Jesus, was in previous
lives.
Jesus inquired of his disciples: "Whom do men say that I,
the son of man am? and they said "some say thou art John the
Baptist, some Elias, and others Jeremiahs, or one of the prophets.
In the ninth century B.C. the prophet Elijah is believed to
have lived according to the scripture, when his time came
to die, a fiery chariot appeared with horses of fire and Elijah
went up in a whirlwind to heaven and was seen nor more (II
Kings 2:11) four centuries later, Malachi recorded in the
closing lines of the old testament, this prophecy made by
God: "Behold I will send you Elija the prophet before the
great and terrible day of the Lord comes" (Mal. 4:5) to the
Jewish people this meant that, before their much-looked-for
Messiah would appear, the signal of his coming would be the
return of Elijah then, with the appearance of the Messiah,
"The terrible day of the Lord," or the last judgment would
take place.
Because the disciples of Jesus identified Christ as the Messiah,
they naturally believed the prophecy recorded by Malachi should
apply to him. But where was the fore-runner? Where was the
returned Elijah? So they asked Jesus to explain this. It was
here Jesus made the astonishing reply that Elijah had already
returned, that he had come back as John the Baptist.
The first reference to this appears in chapter 11 of Matthew.
Now when John (The Baptist) heard in prison about the deeds
of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples and said to him:
"Are you he who is to come, or shall we look for another?"
Jesus then answers by telling of his own miracles. As they
went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John.
"This is he of whom it is written, "behold I send my messenger
before thy face, who shall prepare thy way before thee. "Truly,
I say to you, among those born of women there has risen no
one greater than John the Baptist and if you are willing to
accept it, he is Elijah who is to come. He who has ears to
hear let him hear (Matt. 11:2-15)
What is interesting here is that apparently reincarnation
was accepted by the disciples and Christ's reply confirms
that he also believed in it. another time the disciples asked
Jesus, "Why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?"
Christ replied, Elijah does come, and he is to restore all
things, but I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they
did not know him. But they did to him whatever they pleased.
(He was beheaded). So also the son of man will suffer at their
hands." Then the disciples understood that he was speaking
to them of John the Baptist. (Matt. 17: 10-13, Mark 9: 9-13)
In Matt. 16:13, Mark 8:27-28, Luke 9-18-19) In these three
selections, three is no intimation that reincarnation was
regarded as unusual or extraordinary. It seems to be taken
for granted, the sole point of concern being the identity
of the individual who was reborn.
In Matthew, there is a reference. Here Jesus does not again
identify John the Baptist as Elijah but, bon the question
he asks and the reply of the disciples, it is evident that
the people of the time were not only expecting Elijah to return
but other of their great prophets.
Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi,
he asked his disciples, "Who do men say that the son of man
is?" and they said, "some say John the Baptist, others say
Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.
All of these questions asked by the Jews Regarding the return
of their prophets suggest that the theory of rebirth was common
lace to them. These are certainly not questions that the average
church goer today would be likely to raise concerning a great
Saint or teacher that appeared on the horizon. But they were
however characteristic of the way people were thinking at
the time of Jesus.
In Luke 1: 13-17, an angel makes this prophecy to Zacharias,
the Father of John: "and your wife Elizabeth shall bear you
a son, and you shall call his name John, and he will go before
him in the spirit and power of Elijah. Remember Jesus words.
This is Elijah. He who has ears to hear let him hear.
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