1. The idea that John had been Elias (or Elijah) and that the prophets could relive again on Earth is to be found in many passages of the Ne...
1. The idea that John had been Elias (or Elijah) and that the prophets could relive again on Earth is to be found in many passages of the New Testament, but is most notedly quoted in these ones: Matthew 16: 13-17, Luke 9: 7-9, and Matthew 17: 10-13. If this was an erroneous belief, Jesus would have combated it as He did many others. But from this He gave it complete sanction and authority by making it a basic principle and necessary condition by saying (cf. John 3:1-12) “No one may reach the Kingdom of God if he is not born again”, and further insisted when He added “Do not be surprised when I say it is necessary to be born again.”nn2. The words “If man is not born again of water and of Spirit” have been interpreted in the sense of regeneration by means of the water of Baptism. But in the original text it was said simply “not born of water and of Spirit”, whereas in some translations the words “of spirit” have been substituted by “Holy Spirit”, which does not correspond to the original meaning. This capital point stands out from the first comments which the Gospels raised and will one day be confirmed beyond all possible doubt.nn3. To enable the real meaning of these words to be reached it is also necessary to pay attention to the significance of the word water which is not used here in its usual sense. The knowledge of physics was very imperfect in ancient times when it was believed that the Earth had risen out of the water. Therefore, water was considered to be the exclusive primitive generating substance. This is why we read in the book of Genesisnn“...the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters; it floated above the waters; ... Let there be firmament in the midst of the waters; ... Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear; ... Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the Earth in the open firmament of heaven.”nnAccording then to this belief, water represented the nature of matter, just as the Spirit represented the nature of intelligence. The words “If man is not reborn of the waters and of the Spirit”, or “in water and in Spirit” thus signify “if man is not born with his body and his soul”. This is the manner in which these words were originally understood. This interpretation is wholly justified by these other words: “What is born of the flesh is flesh and what is born of Spirit is Spirit.” Here Jesus established a clear distinction between body and Spirit. “What is born of the flesh” clearly indicates that only the body generates from the body and that the Spirit is independent.nn4. The words “The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound but know not from whence it comes nor whence it goes” are referring to the Spirit of God, who gives life to whom He wishes, or rather to the soul of man. The words “you know not where it comes from nor where it goes” signifies that we do not know who the Spirit had been previously or who it will be in the future. If the Spirit or soul was created at the same time as the body we would know where it came from because we would know its beginning. Whichever way you look at this passage, it confirms the principle of the pre-existence of the soul and subsequently the plurality of existences.nn5. Even if the doctrine of reincarnation as expressed by John might be interpreted in principle in a purely mystic sense, the same could not happen with the passage in Matthew 11: 12-15, which does not permit any ambiguity: “He is Elias, who was to come”. Here there is nothing figurative, nothing allegorical, only a complete affirmation.nn“Since the time of John the Baptist till today the Kingdom of Heaven is seized by violence.” What do these words mean when John the Baptist was still alive at that moment? Jesus explains them to us when He says: “If you wish to understand what I am saying, this is Elias who was to come”. Therefore, if John was Elias, Jesus alluded to the time when John was living under the name of Elias.nn“Till the present time the kingdom is seized by violence” is another allusion to the violence of the Mosaic laws, which ordered the extermination of infidels so that the rest might attain the Promised Land, the Paradise of the Hebrews, whereas according to the new law Heaven was to be won by charity and mildness.nnJesus then added “He that hath ears to hear, let him hear”. These words are frequently uttered by Him, telling us that not everyone was in a condition to understand certain truths.nn(Allan Kardec, "The Gospel According to Spiritism", Chapter 4, available at amazon . com) Less
