Reincarnation?
Is there evidence?
As far as the light in Genesis, the simplest response is photons produced from the Big Bang, and we see the “afterglow” in the Cosmic Background Radiation. However, several factors prevented the light from being observed. First, the early universe was extremely thick with subatomic particles and could be described as blocked. Secondly, the photons were somehow connected to electrons, but as time passed, the connection between the photons and electrons was disassociated. Thirdly, according to Hugh Ross, a thick cloud formation covered the Earth, making the sky translucent. Hugh Ross uses Job 38: 9 when referring to the cloud. “When I made the clouds its garment and wrapped it in thick darkness.” According to Ross, this cloud was composed mainly of methane and ammonia. Therefore, a spectator from Earth would not have had a clear view of the universe outside of Earth. Eventually, over time, the dense cloud cleared, allowing for a clear view of the Sun and the Moon. I believe this clearing occurs on day 4.
God is omniscient; He knows everything, including future events, and is aware of all future humans.
Was God aware of Jeremiah and his purpose on Earth from the beginning? Yes. This in no way means that his soul therefore had to exist from the Big Bang. I believe that God foreknew Jeremiah before he was formed in the womb. This does not indicate that God knew him as a disembodied soul.
Light is indeed used in many different ways, but it seems rather bizarre to me that God would have created twenty billion souls and kept them pretty much a secret for thirteen billion years.
I have not come to a conclusion on the first humans. It is possible that God created humans other than Adam and Eve. Another possibility is that some of Adam and Eve’s children married a brother or sister. After the Levitical law, this was a big “no way!” Inbreeding today, after 100 mutations per generation
This is called inbreeding as opposed to in-line breeding. Today, considering approximately 100 mutations and thousands of generations, could be lethal. However, this was not a problem in the early history of humans.
The Bible does support two different views of the origin of the soul: transducism or creationism. Transducianism explains that the soul is passed down from the parents. I personally find it peculiar that the soul is included in the DNA or passed on sexually. On the other hand, creationism explains that the soul was created at the time of conception. The knitting mentioned in Jeremiah included a soul.
My belief is in creationism.
In Genesis 2:7, God breathed life into Adam’s nostrils. If the soul was created before Adam, why did God breathe life into Adam?
Two verses in the Bible refute the concept of reincarnation. Hebrews 9:27 appears to be clear on the issue of reincarnation. The verse states, “Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment,”
John 5:28-29 refers to a one-time life and a resurrection.“Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out—those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned
To me, creating my soul 13 billion years ago and keeping it in some storage until the right time does not seem reasonable, nor does the Bible support it. Does the Bible start out reporting 20 billion souls in Genesis, and then remain silent about them? I’m personally upset if two people are in front of me at a McDonald’s; it sometimes feels like a month, but imagine me waiting billions of years.
Disagreements have always been a part of Christian groups and will continue until Christ returns; God knew this before the Creation of the Universe. Disagreements themselves are not all bad or all good;, often, I find they perk up my mind and force me to study and grow. I could not disagree more with the Jehovah's Witnesses, but as a younger Christian, I spent many hours preparing for the knock on the door. Unfortunately, the knocks have stopped, but I am now better prepared to answer questions.
We indeed need to use caution when choosing topics. I am thankful for the materials printed and sponsored by Ken Ham and the Creation Museum. However, I disagree with his attacks on his Christian brothers. I'm concerned his attacks hurt the faith more than they help. He seems to think that if all the Christian Churches in the world suddenly proclaimed the world was only 6,000 years old, then the world would convert to Christianity. Sounds great, but I think much of the world would laugh at the Christian Church as much as they laugh at him. This does not mean I dislike Ken Ham, since I have visited the Creation Museum twice and hope to return.
When picking a topic, it must fall within the core of Christian beliefs: virgin birth, deity of Christ, crucifixion, resurrection, forgiveness of sin, and eternal life. There are numerous tangents to Christianity that I hold to, and many I don't, but they don't impact salvation. Some of the tangents, however, are not to be shared outside our group and historically cause discontent.
In my early apologetic journey, I intentionally chose atheistic material and looked for answers, and I found them. I'm entirely confident that our group will vote out any harmful books. Our next chapter on evolution clearly teaches us that even very intelligent people are completely ignorant about natural selection and evolution.
