Frequently Asked Bible Questions

What does the Bible say about reincarnation?

Do the souls of people come back again and again in different bodies? Does the Bible contain any teachings about reincarnation or the transmigration of souls?

The Bible never talks explicitly about reincarnation, but it does in many places talk about the state of a human being after he or she dies. King Solomon admonishes readers, "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going" (Ecclesiastes 9:10). He also wrote, "The living know that they will die; but the dead know nothing" (Ecclesiastes 9:5).

The belief in reincarnation holds that, after death, some eternal facet of human beings (commonly called the "soul" or "spirit") is returned to physical life in an altered form—either as another human being or as plant or animal life. However, the Bible makes it clear that this is not the case.

Rather than continuously cycling through an increasingly destabilized world, God's Word reveals that "it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment" (Hebrews 9:27). The Bible shows that all humanity will be restored to life (resurrected, not reincarnated; John 5:28-29). Click on these links to read more about the resurrections and God's plan to give everyone the chance to be part of the perfect Kingdom of God.

Related Online Resources

Will God Forget the Dead?
One of the cardinal beliefs held by many in the New Age movement is the belief in reincarnation—that, after death, a person is reborn to live another life as a human being (or as something else). But do the Holy Scriptures support these concepts?

Do Some Bible Verses Teach That We Have an Immortal Soul? from our booklet What Happens After Death?
Some believe that various scriptures support belief in an immortal soul. Let's consider some of these passages and understand what they really say.

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