Christian Reincarnation?

For the first three hundred years of Christianity, reincarnation was an official doctrine.

The problem with reincarnation and Christianity is twofold.

Firstly there are lots of bible verse when placed in context rule out the possibility when considered in totality. There isn't, however, a go to verse that directly says incarnation isn't possible. The complexity of all these bible verses makes it difficult to present here especially when you so readily dismissed Oblivion's quotes (eg. when Jesus tells the thief on the cross He will see him in paradise there's no room for reincarnation at least for him).

Secondly if we're going to consider reincarnation we have to understand the origin of it's possibility and it''s compatibility in relation to Jewish thinking. Christianity is after all a Jewish religion! To the OT Jews the idea of reincarnation is demonstrably alien. They rejected any notion of incarnation but that doesn't mean it isn't truth. The Jews in the main rejected their Messiah on the basis that He didn't conform to what they expected. However, the problem is that when Jesus came He demonstrated to the Jews He was the Messiah and introduced a new covenant. In doing so He corrected Jewish thinking on the major tenants of faith and issued in the new era of God writing laws onto hearts and yet He didn't raise the issue of incarnation. If incarnation is true this would be a major omission not least because He was a Jew (actually a Pharisee) and Jews were clear that reincarnation was heresy. The fact that Jesus didn't correct the Jews and establish incarnation as truth is important and difficult if not impossible to understand/explain if incarnation is true.

Some Christian actually do believe in reincarnation. I have a friend in high school who believes in reincarnation and she believes in reincarnation. She believes that you will enter heaven no hell, but if you want to be reincarnated, so be it. But that's the beauty of not labeling yourself. Her and I have the same views on reincarnation but with different afterlife

The second coming of Elijah has a far deeper meaning than simple reincarnation. The meaning is based on someone coming in the spirit and likeness of Elijah, not a physical reincarnation of Elijah.

Reincarnation is not strange to Christianity but Incarnation is the main subject

Voodoo Star Wars?

Where are the dead?

Gen. 3:19: “In the sweat of your face you will eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken. For dust you are and to dust you will return.”

Eccl. 9:10: “All that your hand finds to do, do with your very power, for there is no work nor devising nor knowledge nor wisdom in Sheol [“the grave,” KJ, Kx; “the world of the dead,” TEV], the place to which you are going.”

What is the condition of the dead?

Eccl. 9:5: “The living are conscious that they will die; but as for the dead, they are conscious of nothing at all.”

Ps. 146:4: “His spirit goes out, he goes back to his ground; in that day his thoughts [“thoughts,” KJ, 145:4 in Dy; “all his thinking,” NE; “plans,” RS, NAB] do perish.”

John 11:11-14: “‘Lazarus our friend has gone to rest, but I am journeying there to awaken him from sleep.’ . . . Jesus said to them outspokenly: ‘Lazarus has died.’” (Also Psalm 13:3)

What prospects will await those raised to life on earth?

Luke 23:43: “Truly I tell you today, You will be with me in Paradise.” (All the earth will be transformed into a paradise under the rule of Christ as King.)

Rev. 20:12, 13: “I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and scrolls were opened. But another scroll was opened; it is the scroll of life. And the dead were judged out of those things written in the scrolls according to their deeds. . . . They were judged individually according to their deeds.” (The opening of scrolls evidently points to a time of education in the divine will, in harmony with Isaiah 26:9. The fact that “the scroll of life” is opened indicates that there is opportunity for those who heed that education to have their names written in that scroll. Ahead of them will be the prospect of eternal life in human perfection.)