Part 1
A lot, if we read the Bible through the lens of belief in reincarnation. A very serious repercussion has been heresy trials resulting in excommunication, burning of books, even death for expounding a different doctrine.
A second devastating consequence has been the forced reading of and interpretation of the Bible according to the established church creeds. Any portion of the Scriptures that is contrary to the established creed (or, for those churches not subscribing to a creed, the traditional facets of the Christian doctrines) are ignored. Much within the gospel of John, which many scholars believe to be based in Gnosticism, is an excellent example. Another illustration is Jesus� statement; found twice in the gospel of Matthew, that John the Baptist is Elijah.
For seventeen hundred years, the church continues to read the Bible through the lens of the established creeds. In so doing, our eyes are blinded to the opportunities for new insights. The following are:
1. John the Baptist.
In the closing verses of the Old Testament (in the Christian arrangement of books), we find the prophet Malachi predicting the return to Earth of Elijah: "Lo, I will send you the prophet Elijah before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes. He will turn the hearts of parents to their children and the hearts of children to their parents, so that I will not come and strike the land with a curse.
The Israelite prophet, Elijah, lives during the first half of the ninth century B.C.E. He is a nomad who lives in desert caves and dresses in animal skins. According to II Kings 2:11, Elijah does not die. Instead, he ascends to heaven in a chariot of fire drawn by horses of fire. Elijah is one of three Old Testament characters who ascend to heaven without experiencing physical death. The other two are Enoch and Melchizedek.
Scholars are confident in dating the writing of Malachi in the first half of the fifth century B.C.E. Thus for at least five hundred years before the birth of John the Baptist, the Jewish people look forward to the return of Elijah as heralding a time of healing, blessings, and peace. Knowing this prophecy will aid in the understanding of the New Testament text and why the Jewish people question whether or not John the Baptist and Jesus are Elijah.
Near the end of the first century B.C.E., as Zechariah administers his priestly duties, an angel appears with a message. Elizabeth, his barren wife, will conceive a son whose name is to be "John." In the words of the angel, "You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He must never drink wine or strong drink: even before his birth he will be filled with the Holy Spirit. He will turn many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. With the spirit and power of Elijah he will go before him, to turn the hearts of parents of their children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. Luke�s gospel reveals to us, "The child grew and become strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day he appeared publicly to Israel." Though his parents reside in "a Judean town in the hill country," John the Baptist, like Elijah, lives in the wilderness. Both the Old Testament Hebrew word midbar and the New Testament Greek word eremos can be translated desert or wilderness. Matthew�s gospel describes John, "Now John wore clothing of camel�s hair with a leather belt around his waist." John dresses like Elijah. Our physical body, emotions, and mental attitudes often reflect past life thought and behavioral patterns.
If John the Baptist is the reincarnation of Elijah, would he not be the first to know?
Think back to the discussion of continuity of consciousness ,Continuity of consciousness, while in the physical body, would be overwhelming for the majority of humanity. As we are born into the physical plane, we mercifully forget much of what we know. Our soul decides upon specific goals for the particular incarnation. To have our minds filled to overflowing with memories of all past lives would be to defeat ourselves before we get started. It is not surprising that John does not remember his incarnation as Elijah. The lack of memory is a safeguard to ensure John completes his soul�s work this lifetime. If we read the stories of Elijah, we learn he orders the people to kill 450 Baal priests. The soul of Elijah has negative karma to confront while in the physical body of John the Baptist. John can accomplish his ministry of preparing the way for the Lord much better if he does not consciously remember that he has a debt to pay. Continuity of consciousness is readily available to us only after we have cleared away enough of our negative karma for the memories not to overwhelm and render us immobile with guilt and dread. The negative karma Elijah sows by having the priests murdered is reaped by the soul while in John�s body. John is beheaded for what appears on the surface to be a whimsical gift to Herodias� daughter. Underneath the obvious is the reaping of the soul�s past life negative karma.
During John the Baptist�s wilderness ministry, the Jewish people and Levites come from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you? Are you Elijah? John answers, "No."
But Jesus knew better, and said so in the plainest words possible:
"This is the one ... there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist.... And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come. He who has ears, let him hear." (Matthew 11:11-15)
Jesus recognizes John the Baptist�s identity. The gospel of Matthew twice records his identification of John as Elijah returned to earth. In Matthew 11, Jesus speaks to the crowds concerning John the Baptist: "For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John came; and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come." Jesus reaffirms this fact following his transfiguration as recorded in Matthew 17: "He replied, �Elijah is indeed coming and will restore all things; but I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they pleased. So also the Son of Man is about to suffer at their hands.� Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them about John the Baptist.
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