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- #029: The Reincarnation Crisis: Why 33% of Christians Are Missing the Gospel's Core Promise
#029: The Reincarnation Crisis: Why 33% of Christians Are Missing the Gospel's Core Promise
The Eternal Difference: What the Bible Promises—Resurrection—and the Comforting Lie That's Infiltrating the Church.
Ravi Patel & Chriss Mogaka
November 09, 2025
📱 TL;DR
33% of Americans believe in reincarnation—including 16% of evangelicals. The Bible promises resurrection, not reincarnation. What we choose to believe sets the tone for what lies ahead. Let go of worldliness to achieve godliness.
Welcome, Family
God put your head at the top of your body for a reason.
The mind should lead the body. The body should not lead the mind and become slave to the pleasures of the flesh.
What we choose to believe is everything—it sets the tone for our future and what lies ahead.
33% of all U.S. adults believe in reincarnation—the idea that people will be reborn again and again in this world. Even 16% of evangelical Christians say they believe in reincarnation.
24% of American Christians expressed belief in reincarnation—a significant deviation from the traditional Judeo-Christian narrative.
The Bible doesn't promise reincarnation. It promises resurrection.
There's a difference—and it's eternal.
🍞 This Week's Bread
⏳ The Sign ⟹ Why 33% believe in reincarnation and what that reveals
📖 The Word ⟹ Resurrection vs. reincarnation—the eternal difference
🌍 The Witness ⟹ Rich man and Lazarus—no second chances, no communication
🔥 The Work ⟹ Three questions about worldliness vs. godliness
⚡ Midweek Power ⟹ Wednesday prayer for biblical truth over worldly lies
🙏 Prayer Corner ⟹ Freedom from New Age deception
🆕 First time here? - Come As You Are is your weekly dose of community, Scripture, and real talk that cuts through religious noise to find authentic faith.
⏳ The Sign
The statistics reveal a spiritual crisis.
One-third (33%) of all U.S. adults believe in reincarnation. Even among evangelical Christians, 16% say they believe in reincarnation.
The percentage has grown dramatically over time: In 1976, only 9% believed in reincarnation. By 1998, it was 25%. By 2003, 27%. Today: 33%.
Women are more likely than men to believe (38% vs. 27%). Younger adults are more likely than adults 65+ (40% vs. lower rates).
Even more disturbing: 48% of members of historically Black Protestant churches believe in reincarnation. 47% of Hispanic Catholics. 38% of all Catholics. 26% of Protestants.
This isn't a small fringe—this is infiltrating the church.
Why the growth? "Modern Americans, in their optimism and material success, see reincarnation as a chance to postpone eternity for another day"—says Boston University religion professor Stephen Prothero. "Reincarnation means never having to say you're dead."
Translation: We've chosen worldly comfort over biblical truth. We've let the body lead the mind instead of the mind leading the body.
Here's what Scripture actually teaches:
"Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it."
Not reincarnation. Return to God.
đź“– The Word
"Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation."
The Bible is crystal clear: Resurrection, not reincarnation.
"Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality."
Reincarnation says: The soul is eternal, trapped in cycles of rebirth based on karma until achieving enlightenment.
Resurrection says: The body dies, the spirit returns to God, and at Christ's return, the dead are raised—some to eternal life, some to judgment.
The differences are eternal:
Reincarnation (Worldly Lie) | Resurrection (Biblical Truth) |
|---|---|
Multiple chances through cycles | One life, one death, then judgment (Hebrews 9:27) |
Works-based karma system | Grace-based salvation through Christ |
Soul never dies | "The soul that sinneth, it shall die" (Ezekiel 18:4) |
Immediate rebirth into new body | Dead sleep until Christ's return |
No final judgment | Judgment seat of Christ determines eternity |
Here's what worldliness has done: It took Eastern religious philosophy, baptized it with Christian language, and sold it as "spiritual enlightenment."
But the Bible dismantles three worldly lies:
LIE #1: "The soul never dies"
Bible response:
"The soul that sinneth, it shall die."
The soul is NOT immortal by nature. Immortality is a GIFT from God at resurrection—not an inherent quality.
LIE #2: "The righteous go to heaven immediately"
Bible response:
"Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also."
Jesus will COME AGAIN to receive us. The dead don't go to heaven at death—they await resurrection.
LIE #3: "We can communicate with the dead"
Bible response:
"And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep, and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead?"
The dead cannot communicate. When mediums claim to contact the dead, they're contacting demons—not deceased loved ones.
God put your head at the top of your body for a reason: The mind should lead the body. Doubt comes through the eyes (what you see), but faith is formed through the ears (what you hear from God's Word).
You must let go of worldliness to achieve godliness.
🌍 The Witness
Photo Credit: https://jimfriedrich.com
Luke 16:19-31: The Rich Man and Lazarus
A rich man lived in luxury. A beggar named Lazarus laid at his gate, covered in sores. Both died.
"And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom."
Notice what Jesus reveals:
1. Consciousness after death - The rich man was fully aware in torment
2. No reincarnation - He didn't get another chance, another life, another cycle
3. Memory intact - He remembered his five brothers still alive
4. Fixed separation - "Between us and you there is a great gulf fixed" (v. 26)
The rich man made a desperate request:
"Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house: For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment."
He wanted Lazarus to return from the dead and warn his brothers.
Abraham's response destroys the lie of communicating with the dead:
"If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead."
Three truths from this account:
No second chances - One life, one death, then judgment
No reincarnation - The rich man stayed in torment, Lazarus in comfort
No communication - The dead cannot return to warn the living
What we choose to believe sets the tone for what lies ahead. The rich man believed worldly prosperity meant God's favor. He was wrong—and it cost him eternity.
🔥 The Work
Photo Credit: Say It Ain’t SEO
Three diagnostic questions:
1. Am I letting my body lead my mind, or my mind lead my body?
God put your head at the top of your body for a reason. The mind should govern the body—not the other way around.
When you're led by your body:
You chase pleasures that destroy you
You believe what feels good instead of what's true
You choose comfort over conviction
When you're led by your mind (submitted to God's Word):
You discipline your body for righteousness
You believe truth even when it's uncomfortable
You choose conviction over comfort
Be honest: Is your theology shaped by God's Word or by what makes you feel comfortable?
2. What worldly belief have I baptized with Christian language?
33% of Americans believe in reincarnation, including 16% of evangelicals. They didn't reject Christianity—they blended it with Eastern mysticism and called it "spiritual."
What worldly philosophy have you wrapped in Christian packaging?
"Everything happens for a reason" (that's karma, not sovereignty)
"We're all going to the same place" (that's universalism, not salvation)
"I feel their presence" (that's necromancy, not comfort)
Doubt comes through the eyes (what you see), but faith is formed through the ears (what you hear from God's Word).
Are you believing what the world shows you or what God's Word tells you?
3. Have I let go of worldliness to achieve godliness?
You cannot serve two masters. You cannot believe in reincarnation AND resurrection. You cannot trust karma AND grace. You cannot blend worldliness with godliness.
What worldly belief are you clinging to because it's more comfortable than biblical truth?
Name it. Renounce it. Replace it with Scripture.
🙏 PRAYER CORNER
This week, we’re interceding for:
The 33% who believe in reincarnation
16% of evangelicals deceived by worldly philosophy
Those blending Eastern mysticism with Christianity
Minds enslaved to the body's desires
Hearts choosing comfort over conviction
đź“… What's Next
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✝️ Final Word
What we believe sets our entire future.
The world is creeping in: 33% now believe in reincarnation. The Bible promises resurrection, not cycles of rebirth. It’s grace, not karma.
Remember: God put your mind at the top to lead your body. Don't choose worldly comfort over biblical truth. Reincarnation is a lie. Resurrection is the promise.
In His Love,
- Mogaka Events Ministry
P.S. If you believe "everything happens for a reason," you're believing karma, not God's sovereignty. If you've "felt the presence" of a deceased loved one, you didn't—demons impersonate the dead. Let go of worldliness to achieve godliness. What we choose to believe sets the tone for what lies ahead.
Come As You Are is a Spirit-led devotional for young adults hungry for God's presence. Written by Ravi Patel and Chriss Mogaka.