Old Truths for a New Age (3) Rev. Brian Garrard
Retired minister, latterly of Hyde Street Chapel, Winchester. Continued
from the previous issue. A keystone in the teaching of the New Age
movement is a belief in re-incarnation. Here Mr Garrard shows that this
belief, which is indeed not new at all, is without any real foundation
in the Scripture of truth. First published in the Presbyterian Standard, Issue 22, April-June 2001. Been here before? “I was
an American chief called Sitting on an Eagle’s Tail and I think I
was Socrates.” So claims David Icke, the former television
presenter, in a Daily Telegraph magazine and he adds: “People see
the incarnations as figures around me: if I need courage, they see an
Indian chief; if I’m in full flow, a Greek orator.” To
believe in re-incarnation is very fashionable today, yet it is not a
new idea by any means. It comes to us via the old eastern religions and
is the notion that every being has had a long series of re-births,
culminating in the state of perfection. Added to this is the Hindu
concept of ‘Karma’, where we are said to sow in this life
and reap the results in our re-incarnated state. For example, are we
unkind in this life? Then we might return as an animal or human and
suffer ill-treatment. To the adherents of the New Age, animals are but
re-incarnated souls and in the thinking of many they ought to have the
same rights as humans if not more! This is the reason why a number of
people are vegetarian. They regard the eating of meat as the
consumption of a human soul! Belief in re-incarnation also involves a
relationship with the occult. The human body becomes a
‘channel’ through which the spirits of other dimensions
speak to and through us. Highly sophisticated and seemingly intelligent
people believe in re-incarnation. They are often professional and well
educated. What can we answer them? We have only One Life “It
is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment,”
(Hebrews 9:27). The implication of the text is: we die once and
therefore we live only once. For us life is brief and fleeting:
“All flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of
grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away”
(1 Peter 1:24). “The character wherewith we sink into the grave
at death is the very character wherewith we shall reappear at the
resurrection” (Thomas Chalmers). People in the Bible are spoken
of as having only one life. Sometimes their life span is mentioned, but
there is never any word of them returning and being re-incarnated. Advocates
of re-incarnation have cited a number of examples from Scripture to
support their theory. Malachi 4:5 is cited: “Behold, I will send
you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day
of the Lord.” See also Matthew 11:14: “And if ye will
receive it, this is Elias (or Elijah) which was for to come.”
“There you are!” say the devotees of re-incarnation,
“here is the prophet Elijah come back as John the Baptist!”
This proves nothing of the kind of course. This is merely a description
of the manner in which John would come to earth. His ministry and
person would have marked similarities to those of Elijah of old. See
Luke 1:17 where the angel of the Lord tells Zacharias that his son
(John) will be a remarkable man, turning many in Israel to the Lord
their God. “And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of
Elias (Elijah).” Some have suggested that the
appearance of Moses and Elijah upon the mount of Transfiguration is an
evidence for reincarnation. Yet this proves no such thing, but merely
that these two faithful servants appeared with the Lord for a brief
while and came as themselves. Moses writing in Psalm 90:10
says: “The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if
by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength
labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.” In
saying this, Moses gives to us a note of finality about death. Once we
leave this life, there is no return and wherever we look in the
Scriptures this is emphasised. We have only One Death “It
is appointed unto men once to die” (Hebrews 9:27). This text
makes it clear that we die only once. The Puritan William Gurnall
underlined this when he wrote: “Our death was bred when our life
was first conceived.” There can be no more returns or
re-incarnations. No further process of rebirths until we reach the
so-called state of perfection. Genesis 3:19: “In the sweat of thy
face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of
it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou
return.” Ecclesiastes 3:20 has a similar truth: “All go
unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again.”
God has appointed and decreed that this must be the order of events and
nothing can undo God’s sovereign purpose. Why is it
that we have but one life followed by one death? The answer can be
summed up by saying: Sin and the Fall have brought this about.
“As soon as man had disobeyed God he became mortal. The power of
death came over him and the germ of death entered his nature. He was
separated from God and in the throes of spiritual, eternal death. The
germ must ripen, and when it does man’s body will be dissolved
and return to the dust from which he was taken.”(1)
Having sinned, we became subject to the judgment meted out upon
sinners. “The wages of sin is death...” (Romans 6:23). We have only One Eternity Job
could speak of death as “the change” and as ever, Scripture
is very accurate. “The bodies of men after death return to dust,
and see corruption; but their souls, (which neither die nor sleep)
having an immortal subsistence, immediately return to God who gave
them.”(2) Those who have refused to believe on Christ
and repent of their sins shall know their souls passing into hell. Here
they will await the great and final day of Judgment. “The souls
of the wicked are cast into hell, where they remain in torments and
utter darkness, reserved to the judgment of the great day.”(3)
This same document adds very definitely: “Besides these two
places for souls separated from their bodies, the scripture
acknowledgeth none.”(4) This immediately rules out purgatory on the one hand and re-incarnation on the other. For
every soul that has believed upon the Lord Jesus Christ, they will, at
death be “made perfect in holiness” and be “received
into the highest heavens, where they behold the face of God in light
and glory, waiting for the full redemption of their bodies... .”(5)
Conversely there are repeated warnings of judgment in the Bible. For
example: Matthew 13:41 and 42: “The Son of man shall send forth
his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that
offend, and them which do iniquity; and shall cast them into a furnace
of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.” For those
who love Christ matters are very different. See (for example) Matthew
13:43: “Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the
kingdom of their Father.” The Apostle Paul could also write that
to be with Christ is far better (Philippians 1:23). Here is
a state far more blessed and happy than anything that earth can ever
offer. Let those who are wise settle the matter now by placing all
their faith in the Son of God who loved us and gave himself for us. In
addition let their repentance be real and genuine. In his excellent
work upon repentance, Thomas Watson could write: “Repentance is
necessary: except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish (Luke 13:5).
There is no rowing to paradise except upon the stream of repenting
tears.”(6) Do not put this matter off. Think not that
another chance awaits in a new existence. This life is all we have. No
other is promised. “It is appointed unto men once to die, but
after this the judgment.” (To be continued, D.V.) Notes 1. Edward J. Young, Genesis 3, pp.138,139. 2. Westminster Confession of Faith, Chapter 32:i. 3. Ibid. 4. Ibid. 5. Ibid. 6. Thomas Watson, The Doctrine of Repentance, p.63. |