Spirit of Elijah or Reincarnation of Elijah?

[LearningToLetGo]

Jesus describes what sounds like the reincarnation of Elijah.

 

Matthew 17:9-13

English Standard Version

9 And as they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, “Tell no one the vision, until the Son of Man is raised from the dead.” 10 And the disciples asked him, “Then why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?” 11 He answered, “Elijah does come, and he will restore all things. 12 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 will certainly suffer at their hands.” 13 Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist.

 

However, John himself denies being Elijah.

 

John 1:19-21

English Standard Version

The Testimony of John the Baptist

19 And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” 20 He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.” 21 And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.”

 

Either John did not know he was Elijah reincarnated or something else is happening here. I wonder which it is.

[Dennis1209]

21 minutes ago, LearningToLetGo said:

Jesus describes what sounds like the reincarnation of Elijah.

 

Matthew 17:9-13

English Standard Version

9 And as they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, “Tell no one the vision, until the Son of Man is raised from the dead.” 10 And the disciples asked him, “Then why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?” 11 He answered, “Elijah does come, and he will restore all things. 12 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 will certainly suffer at their hands.” 13 Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist.

 

However, John himself denies being Elijah.

 

John 1:19-21

English Standard Version

The Testimony of John the Baptist

19 And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” 20 He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.” 21 And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.”

 

Either John did not know he was Elijah reincarnated or something else is happening here. I wonder which it is.

I had wondered about that myself. Below is a good explanation from John MacAuthur:

1:20 “I am not the Christ.” Some thought that John was the Messiah (Luke 3:15–17). Christ. The term “Christ” is the Gr. equivalent of the Heb. term for “Messiah.”
1:21 “… Are you Elijah?” Malachi 4:5 (see note there) promises that the prophet Elijah will return before Messiah establishes His earthly kingdom. If John was the forerunner of Messiah was he Elijah, they asked? The angel announcing John’s birth said that John would go before Jesus “in the spirit and power of Elijah” (Luke 1:17), thus indicating that someone other than literal Elijah could fulfill the prophecy. God sent John who was like Elijah, i.e., one who had the same type of ministry, the same power and similar personality (2 Kin. 1:8; cf. Matt. 3:4). If they had received Jesus as Messiah, John would have fulfilled that prophecy (see notes on Matt. 11:14; Mark 9:13; Luke 1:17; Rev. 11:5, 6). “Are you the Prophet?” This is a reference to Deut. 18:15–18 which predicted God would raise up a great prophet like Moses who would function as His voice. While some in John’s time interpreted this prophecy as referring to another forerunner of Messiah, the NT (Acts 3:22, 23; 7:37) applies the passage to Jesus.

John MacArthur Jr., ed., The MacArthur Study Bible, electronic ed. (Nashville, TN: Word Pub., 1997), 1575.

[Zemke]

41 minutes ago, LearningToLetGo said:

Jesus describes what sounds like the reincarnation of Elijah.

 

Matthew 17:9-13

English Standard Version

9 And as they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, “Tell no one the vision, until the Son of Man is raised from the dead.” 10 And the disciples asked him, “Then why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?” 11 He answered, “Elijah does come, and he will restore all things. 12 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 will certainly suffer at their hands.” 13 Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist.

 

However, John himself denies being Elijah.

 

John 1:19-21

English Standard Version

The Testimony of John the Baptist

19 And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” 20 He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.” 21 And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.”

 

Either John did not know he was Elijah reincarnated or something else is happening here. I wonder which it is.

There is more to be said to fully understand the situation but in short many aspects of the Scripture are pattern. Abraham goes down and comes out of Egypt, his descendants go down and come out of Egypt and Jesus goes down and comes out of Egypt. "Out of Egypt I have called my Son." In context in Hosea that is speaking of the Jews but Matthew is saying it pertains to Jesus. There are many patterns and shadows in the scripture.

Elijah had his Mantle fall to Elisha at the Jordan on the plains of Jericho and Johns ministry was at the Jordan on the plains of Jericho. Geography plays into relationship many times. Elijah went to the same mountain and had a similar experience as Moses and we see them together at the transfiguration. A wicked woman turns the king against Elijah and a wicked woman turns the king against John. 

They had the same spirit as in ministry. He was not a reincarnation, he was John. In some way the spirit of Elijah will manifest before Jesus comes again. Some believe it will be Elijah but we can only speculate up to a point. But something akin to the first coming where people had to go out to here one crying in the wilderness to hear good teaching and preaching will be part of it. 

Edited May 16, 2021 by Zemke

[appy]

The bible never teaches or picks up on reincarnation. Reincarnation is unbiblical and must be rejected as false. The book of Romans teaches us that God has revealed himself to the world, revealed to man about sin and the coming judgment. (God's wrath on sin) The world, does not want to accept the truth that they know in their hearts instinctively; so man, attempts to get around the truth of the coming judgment by the concept of reincarnation, where judgment and consequences never exists. Reincarnation eludes the reality of God's judgment on sinful man. However, the Bible denies reincarnation in Hebrews 9:27

“Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment,”

 

Matthew 25:46

Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

 

Notice in verses 12 and 13 of your Matthew passage, that Jesus was referencing verses in Malachi 3.1 and 4:5-6 that John the Baptist would come in the spirit and power of Elijah. That the events that would precede the appearance of the Messiah whom God had promised to send.

Jesus in Luke 17:12 was saying that the Malachi prophecy had been fulfilled in John the Baptist. John the Baptist ministry of spurring people to confess and repent of their sins and baptizing them in the river mirrored that of Elijah in that John had the same zeal for the Lord as Elijah did.

John the Baptist should NOT be thought of as Elijah literally. The bible speaks of John the Baptist of having an Elijah like ministry. The ministry of Elijah and all the other prophets in the OT was not about them having super human abilities to perform miracles, but to preach “repentance” and being restored back into the relationship with God. Their message was always.... “turn from the road you are traveling and turn to God”

[R. Hartono]

Elijah and Moses + 144000 Hebrews will replace the church in the first half of great tribulation.

[Desopixi Seilynam]

"Behold I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord"
Malachi 4:5

"Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come?"

"And Jesus answered and said, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things.
But I say unto you that Elias is come already, and they knew him not,
but have done unto him whatsoever they wanted, as it is written of him."  Matthew 17:10-13, Mark 9:11-13.

Elijah did not die, John the baptist died. 
The prophets in Revelation 11 do not stay dead, their bodies don't decay, after 3 days they are raised to life and up to heaven.

The prophets in Revelation 11 are the ones coming very shortly before the literal great and dreadful day of the Lord.

Revelation 19 describes the day; Malachi 4:2-3 very literally coming to pass.

 

-------

It's not reincarnation, it's that Elijah is a special servant of God.
I do believe that Elijah and John shared the same spirit, quite literally.
And yes, the man John, due to the nature of the flesh, was unaware of his spiritual conncetion
to the man Elijah. However it's a special case, we don't all go through such, we don't all have 'past lives'
there is no reincarnation, it's just that Elijah is special. Each sincere servant of God will have their own uniqueness, we should all seek what God has for us, for we are special to Him, He desires to do fantastical things with us. 

Edited May 16, 2021 by Desopixi Seilynam

[Riverwalker]

13 hours ago, LearningToLetGo said:

Jesus describes what sounds like the reincarnation of Elijah.

Well you have given me much to consider. Ponder and study. I do not know the answer

 

My Initial reactions are:

Reincarnation is not a biblical option, ever.  But then Elijah did not die. 

I am also struggling with "The great and DREADFUL day of the Lord.   This does not sound like the glorious arrival of the promised Messiah

[Guest kingdombrat]

I see no issue with John being Elisha knowing Yeshua said, "There's not a [Greater Prophet].   

 

When we break it down, the WORD has come as Creator of [ALL] things, Tree of Life in the Garden, Melchizedek, Noah's Ark, Burning Bush, Pillar of Fire by Night and a Cloud by Day, the Staff of Moses, the General of God's Army to Joshua, the Angel of the Lord, the 4th Man with Shadrach-Meshach-Abednego, eventually as the Promised Messiah, and will soon come back as the King of kings and Lord of lords.

 

Elisha being John is not impossible if it was God's Plan and Design for that to happen.

Edited May 16, 2021 by kingdombrat

[Alive]

48 minutes ago, kingdombrat said:

I see no issue with John being Elisha knowing Yeshua said, "There's not a [Greater Prophet].   

 

When we break it down, the WORD has come as Creator of [ALL] things, Tree of Life in the Garden, Melchizedek, Noah's Ark, Burning Bush, Pillar of Fire by Night and a Cloud by Day, the Staff of Moses, the General of God's Army to Joshua, the Angel of the Lord, the 4th Man with Shadrach-Meshach-Abednego, eventually as the Promised Messiah, and will soon come back as the King of kings and Lord of lords.

 

Elisha being John is not impossible if it was God's Plan and Design for that to happen.

Is there scriptural evidence that John the Baptist was born as a child?

[Justin Adams]

4 minutes ago, Alive said:

Is there scriptural evidence that John the Baptist was born as a child?

Mary Visits Elizabeth
…40 where she entered the home of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 In a loud voice she exclaimed, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!"

Edited May 16, 2021 by Justin Adams