Reincarnation and the Near-Death
Experience
Reincarnation
is considered by some to be the greatest "unknown"
scientific discovery of modern times. In the last
chapter of
Dr. Ian Stevenson's
book entitled
Twenty Cases Suggestive
of Reincarnation
(1967), he provides exhaustive scientific reasoning
which concludes that reincarnation is the only viable
explanation that fits the facts of his study. He
considers every possible alternative explanation
for his twenty cases of young children who were
spontaneously able to describe a previous lifetime
as soon as they learned to talk. He was able to
rule out alternative explanations using one or more
of his cases. Later research also bolstered his
findings in favor of the reality of reincarnation.
His study is also reproducible for any skeptic who
doubts the validity of his study to repeat it for
themselves. I believe it is only a matter of time
before these findings are realized by the scientific
community to be one of the great scientific discoveries
of all time.
Many people would be very
surprised at the tremendous amount of references
to reincarnation in the Bible. The most compelling
references in the Bible comes from the teachings
of Jesus concerning John the Baptist and his former
life as Elijah the prophet
[1]
[2]
[3] [4]
[5]
[6]
[7]
[8]
[9]
[10].
More can be found on the
Christian NDE page.
Jesus is also seen in near-death accounts giving
people the choice to reincarnate.
There is a misconception
that many people have about
reincarnation.
Some assume that after death, people immediately
reincarnate without inhabiting various spirit realms
in between earth lives. Near-death experience accounts
affirm that we do not immediately reincarnate after
death. The reason is because
time does not exist in
the spirit realms.
Near-death experiencers
often cannot describe the length of their journey
in terms of earthly time. A single experience may
seem like an eternity and, at the same time, it
may also feel like it was only a moment. This is
because the spirit realms are completely outside
of time. It is for this reason that we can literally
spend an eternity in the spirit realms before we
decide whether we want to reincarnate to earth or
not.
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Table
of Contents |
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1.
Reincarnation is not eternal |
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"One of the purposes of the life review is to make
an informed choice between remaining in spirit and
returning to flesh. Should we choose to merge completely
with the light of God, we will never again be able
to choose, on our own decision, to return to physical
life. The decision to merge in the light is the
best decision." (Thomas
Sawyer)
"We are to live on earth in such a way that we will
not need to return to earth after death." (Cecil)
"In time, we who are trapped in the cycle of birth
and rebirth can once again come to know our original
state and purpose, and regain our celestial birthright
as a companion to God. In time we can again come
to realize that the conditions in our current life
is the result of our free actions and choices from
past lives." (Edgar
Cayce)
"If a person dies and merges completely into the
light, another reincarnation is improbable. However,
it is more usual for people to have earthly attachments
and not merge completely with the light. Such souls
may have characteristics of their personality, which
they do not want merged with the light." (Thomas
Sawyer)
"The law of karma demands that we meet every bit
of our karmic debts. However, an even greater law
exists, the law of forgiveness. If we wrong someone
and that person forgives us, when the day comes
that we approach God, we realize our memories which
are incompatible with God, but forgiveness removes
the barrier of separation. The law is so precise
(what one gives one receives; no exceptions) that
if we begin forgiving others, we begin to receive
forgiveness upon ourselves. Unless, of course, we
refuse to forgive ourselves." (Edgar
Cayce)
"Our attraction to worldly desires can hinder the
free expression of our souls and only when they
are no longer a hindrance can our earth incarnations
be finished. The free expression of our souls happens
when our wills become compatible with the thoughts
of God. At this time, our conscious spiritual identity
with God will merge with our soul consciousness
(subconscious mind). This is when the soul merges
with the light of God. The return of the soul is
the return of the thought that God imagined and
is becoming aware of being a part of all God and
everything." (Edgar
Cayce)
"Some souls desire to return again and again to
the physical state without spending enough time
in spirit to evaluate and plan their next incarnation
in the flesh. Any habit-forming pleasure, and they
are endless, traps them into the cycle of rebirth
over and over, until their appetites are finally
put aside while they are in the flesh. The lust
for money, lust for power, lust for sex, and other
habits such as an unnatural craving for alcohol,
drugs, tobacco, or any habit they are unable to
break loose from, can keep souls earthbound. Some
are so overly fond of the bodies they left behind
that they are hardly able to wait for an opportunity
to reincarnate and set to work indulging their new
bodies. These souls will not be able to advance
spiritually until they learn to give less thought
to appetites of the flesh." (Ruth
Montgomery)
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2.
Reincarnation is instruction |
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a.
Kevin Williams' theory of reincarnation |
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The purpose
of reincarnation is education - particularly, learning
the eternal lessons of love. Using the analogy of
a school, my theory of reincarnation is described
below. I describe stages of reincarnation and with
each stage I use a "school analogy" to
help clarify it. I consider this description of
the mechanics of reincarnations as "the curriculum
for the world-school we are currently enrolled in
and the academic degree we are trying to graduate
with":
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I. |
We are born into this world
with the mission to learn
lessons of love for the
purpose of becoming forever
at-one with everyone and
everything (God).
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Analogy:
We begin a new grade in school
with the goal of graduating
and receiving a degree. |
II. |
During our lives, we are subjected
to severe hardships for the
purpose of soul growth. |
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Analogy:
During the school year, we must
subject ourselves to difficult
homework in order to learn. |
III. |
After death we have a life review
to decide if we have earned
the right to advance to a higher
heavenly position. If we have
earned that right, we can assume
that position at any opportunity
we desire. In the meanwhile,
we can spend an eternity with
family and friends then reincarnate
to lower realms to help others
progress if we desire. |
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Analogy:
When the school year is over,
we then find out if we have
earned the right to enroll in
the next grade or whether we
must repeat the grade. Either
way, we then spend a long summer
vacation at home on with family
and friends before beginning
another school year. |
IV. |
Some people have made such tremendous
mistakes in life that, after
death, they set themselves back
some degree from progressing
and need to re-experience a
lower afterlife realm before
reincarnating for another earth
life. |
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Analogy:
Some students flunk out so badly
that they have to spend some
time in detention and be sent
back a grade. |
V. |
Because our ultimate goal is
to be forever at-one with all
things at a conscious level
(the divine consciousness),
we inherently desire more soul
growth until we attain this
goal. This goal is attained
by leaving the realm we currently
reside in (Death is the way
people leave the physical realm
- other realms have other ways.)
and entering another realm we
have earned the right to enter
for the purpose of further soul
growth. |
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Analogy:
Because
our ultimate goal is to graduate,
get a degree, and become co-partners
in the God R Us Corporation,
we leave home to go to school
to earn our degree. Based on
whether we have passed the grade
from the previous school year,
we enroll into a higher grade
in school or return to the same
grade from the previous year. |
VI. |
People in the lower realms will
be given opportunities to reincarnate
to higher realms, including
the physical realm, as many
times as it takes for them to
learn the lessons necessary
to earn and advance to a higher
position. |
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Analogy:
Students who flunked out of
school the previous year will
be allowed to repeat the grade
until they pass it. |
VII. |
It will take a lot of love and
effort, but eventually everyone
will be reunited - the Godhood
will be restored as it was in
the very beginning - a good
time will be had by all - perhaps
another Big Bang will happen.
But until everyone attains at-one-ment,
we will enter and leave realms
for our own soul growth and
to help others in their own
soul journey to God. |
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Analogy:
It will take a lot of studying
and hard work, but eventually
all students will graduate,
get their degree, and join the
firm. But after we graduate,
if we choose first to become
a teacher before accepting our
position as a permanent co-partner
in the firm, we choose to help
other students (perhaps our
loved ones) graduate as well.
(Kevin
Williams) |
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3.
Factors influencing reincarnation |
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According to
Amber Wells' NDE reincarnation research the
factors influencing reincarnation are: |
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1. |
Individual choice (free will) |
2. |
Karmic patterns or ties to other souls |
3. |
Learning or enlightenment |
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"Life itself is a series of learnings. The lessons
are universal, the two most important being truth
and forgiveness." (Amber
Wells' NDE research)
"The chief purpose of reincarnation is education.
To this end we are born again and again on earth,
not because of any external pressure, but because
we, as souls, desire to grow." (Amber
Wells' NDE research)
"It (reincarnation) is a universal process, and
prevails not only in the human kingdom but also
throughout the whole of nature. Whenever we find
a living form, the consciousness of that form is
also evolving, using temporarily for that purpose
the physical form in order that it may gain physical
experience. In each incarnation we have a different
physical body, a different name, and may have different
souls acting as parents, but these changes do not
in the slightest imperil our individuality ... Reincarnation
is not an endless process, and when we have learned
the lessons taught in the World-School we return
no more to physical incarnation unless we come back
of our own accord to act as Teachers of humanity
or as Helpers in the glorious plan of evolution."
(Amber
Wells' NDE research)
"The spirit needs to embody itself in matter to
experience it and learn. There are karmic patterns
to learn lessons and to work spirit in matter."
(Amber
Wells' NDE research)
"The only way to bypass bad karma is to develop
so much unselfish love that paying for bad karma
will serve no purpose - much like a college student
challenging a course he already knows." (Arthur
Yensen)
"If we do enough good works we will eventually run
out of bad karma and only good things will happen
to us, and vice versa. The goal of karma is to force
us to learn life's lessons whether we want to or
not." (Arthur
Yensen)
"If we do not wish to reincarnate to the physical
state to learn our lessons, there are schools in
the spirit were we can learn them. However, learning
our lessons in the physical state is the fastest
way to learn them." (David
Oakford)
"We have lived and died many times. The reason we
don't remember our former lives is because our vast
soul memories are not transferred to our baby brains
at birth. All we know in this life is what we have
learned, most of which is a partial memory of things
we learned in past lifetimes. At the beginning of
each lifetime, we are cleared of all past prejudices,
learning blocks and wrong teachings, and are ready
for a fresh start - just like a new term in school
- and, like school, when we have learned enough
of life's lessons, we graduate and don't have to
come back to this earth anymore, except as volunteers
to teach stragglers." (Edgar
Cayce)
"All of our karma has to be met. And yet, no one
is given more than it can bear to carry. We are
given the time we need to turn away from selfish
ways and return home like the prodigal son. Reincarnation
is not a way to avoid responsibility. It is a way
to allow us enough time to correct our mistakes."
(Edgar
Cayce)
"After death, when we are ready, we can choose to
view our past lives for the purpose of instruction.
(Betty
Bethards)
Life is a cycle of improvements and humans are not
perfect yet. Most people have this secret revealed
to them when they die. (Dr.
Frank Oski)
"At some point, our desire to advance will lead
us to reincarnate. Our guides help us decide an
incarnation that will help to achieve our goals.
After a period of farewell with family and friends,
we can meet with a great spiritual teacher (such
as Jesus, Buddha, etc.) to give us strength. After
this, we descend into the womb to be born again.
We leave paradise not just for our own advancement,
but to bring paradise to earth and God will light
our path throughout our time on earth and bring
us safely home afterward." (Sylvia
Browne)
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4.
Reincarnation is karma |
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Reincarnation
and karma together explains divine justice and why
some people are born into favorable conditions or
are born into unfavorable conditions. Personality
traits are also carried over from past lives.
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a. |
Whatever
we think, that thought makes an
impression on the Universal Consciousness.
Nothing is lost or done in secret.
Everything is done within the Universal
Consciousness, and the Whole is
affected by it (as well as all others
within the Whole). Reactions to
past thoughts and actions become
our destiny and karma. Our destiny
is simply the rebounding effects
of previous choices remembered by
the soul. (Edgar
Cayce)
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b. |
"A man
acts according to the desires to
which he clings. After death he
goes to the next world bearing in
his mind the subtle impressions
of his deeds; and, after reaping
there the harvest of those deeds,
he returns again to this world of
action. Thus he who has desire continues
subject to rebirth. He who lacks
discrimination, whose mind is unsteady
and whose heart is impure, never
reaches the goal, but is born again
and again. But he who has discrimination,
whose mind is steady and whose heart
is pure, reaches the goal and, having
reached it, is born no more." (Upanishads)
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5.
Some people reincarnate from hell realms |
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"Hell is a spiritual condition that some people
are allowed to experience whose goal is to purge
aspects of their personality so that they can participate
once again in the cycle of reincarnation." (Hindu
NDEr)
"Without physical bodies, feelings of hate and fear
are intensified as souls [in hell] vainly try to
hide from their enemies. Their only hope is to reincarnate.
Then unfortunately when they do, they may forget
all about their torment in hell and again lead lives
of greed and tyranny. This miserable cycle can continue
forever unless they find salvation in one of their
lifetimes. Such people really need a savior, since
they are not able to help themselves. I'm sure Christ
incarnated to help them because he said, 'I came
not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.'"
(Arthur
Yensen)
"After death, people who accrued severe negative
karma will enter a hellish realm for a short period.
After they have reflected upon their actions, they
will be allowed to reincarnate." (Sylvia
Browne)
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6.
The nature of reincarnation |
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"We prepare for future lifetimes during the life
we live now." (Edgar
Cayce)
"We progress at our own rate to reach the light.
If we do things that take us away from the light,
then we are perpetuating our time here." (Amber
Wells' NDE research)
"For the soul who wishes to ascend to the highest
heaven, reincarnation is to be avoided." (Apostle
Paul, Apocalypse of Paul)
"A woman of breathtaking beauty (Jan's Higher Self)
appeared as I watched in awe, and even after the
full materialization from pure light to visible,
substantial form was complete, nothing was static
... 'Look into my eyes,' she said with a gentle
but commanding smile. As I did, I felt myself being
absorbed ... The eyes I stared into were mine, the
eyes of my soul ... As though looking into a kaleidoscope,
I saw myriad lifetimes and experiences. Oh, the
wonder of me." (Jan
Price)
"Because of our free will, we are able to inflict
pain and suffering on others. When we die, we realize
the mess we left behind from our previous life and
we may decide to return to clean it up. By doing
this, we don't contribute to the combined mess that
exists on earth by others." (David
Oakford)
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7.
Reincarnation is a process |
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"The process that determines the number of destinies
a soul can chose from before reincarnating to earth
is an astrological process based on the nine planets
of our solar system that are physical representations
of afterlife realms. This is the fundamental concept
behind astrology: the position of the planets influence
the destiny of the soul reincarnating to earth.
However, free will is much greater than these influences.
The planets only influence - they do not compel."
(Edgar
Cayce)
"There is a heavenly process which connects souls
with bodies to be reincarnated." (Plato)
"The center of the earth is this great transmuter
of energy, just as you see in pictures of our earth's
magnetic field. That's our cycle, pulling reincarnated
souls back in and through it again. A sign that
you are reaching human level is that you are beginning
to evolve an individual consciousness. The animals
have a group soul, and they reincarnate in group
souls. A deer is pretty much going to be a deer
forever. But just being born a human, whether deformed
or genius, shows that you are on the path to developing
an individual consciousness." (Mellen-Thomas
Benedict)
"Reincarnation is not a linear thing. One of the
problems in defining it is that there is no analogy
to it. It is outside of time, yet we can't help
but think of it in terms of the past and the future,
and this incarnation. The whole story is so big
and so involved." (Thomas
Sawyer)
"As our souls draw closer to God, our souls become
aware that some of our memories are not compatible
with God, and since its ultimate purpose for being
is companionship with God, our souls seek out opportunities
to resolve these incompatible memories." (Edgar
Cayce)
"Between lives, with the great knowledge of our
Higher Selves, we choose the next life we are going
to live and how much karma we are going to meet
and settle. For example, if we abused animals or
people in one life, our Higher Selves would probably
urge us to reincarnate into a situation where we
would get abused to make us realize the misery we
caused others." (Arthur
Yensen)
"Once we enter into the light and blend with God,
we become God. Light can be divided into parts with
each part remaining to be the Whole. Each part is
wholly God. We are all a part of the light of God.
When merging with the light, we cease to exist as
a personality but every bit of our personality is
available for reincarnation." (Thomas
Sawyer)
"The inner quality is there, the inner self remains,
but the external aspect that may have seemed very
strong is dissolved. Individuality isn't the same
there. We are the same as everybody and everybody
is us. Our spirit is always ours. We are not the
personality that we were on earth. In the other
realm we are everything, light is everything." (Amber
Wells' NDE research)
"Reincarnation involves returning to earth with
aspects of our previous personalities and even aspects
of other soul's personalities as a new personality.
The soul doesn't evolve, the personality does."
(Thomas
Sawyer)
"Reincarnation happens not only on earth, but reincarnation
happens in afterlife realms as well. Between earth
lives, we dwell in afterlife realms before deciding
whether or not to reincarnate to earth. If a soul
reincarnates to earth from an afterlife realm, the
soul will manifest the influence of that realm through
its physical representation of one of the planets
in our solar system. All the planets in our solar
system are physical representations of afterlife
realms. Because of this, the planets exert an astrological
influence on us. It is through these planetary astrological
influences that we learn our lessons and are tested
on earth." (Edgar
Cayce)
"Homosexuality is a natural human trait that is
the result of a person of a particular gender reincarnating
as a person of the opposite gender. Such people
must adjust to their new gender and sexuality at
an early age. Former girls who are reborn as boys
may wish to dress as girls or prefer to play with
girls rather than boys. Former boys who are reborn
as girls may wish to dress as boys or prefer to
play with boys rather than girls. Former men who
are reborn as women will be attracted to women and
will therefore be lesbian. Former women who are
reborn as men will be attracted to men and will
therefore be gay." (Dr.
Ian Stevenson)
"Dr. Stevenson's research supports the scientific
evidence that
homosexuality is a natural
human genetic trait
and not a lifestyle or personal choice." (Kevin
Williams)
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8.
Reincarnation insights from NDEs |
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"It is a matter of personal knowledge from what
the being with whom I spoke during my near-death
experience told me about my older son, that he had
had 14 incarnations in female physical bodies previous
to the life he has just had." (Amber
Wells NDE research)
The following is a conversation between Jesus
and Jeanie Dicus during her NDE:
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He kind of grinned, I guess I was amusing
him, and he answered, "You want to be reincarnated?"
"Hey, give me a break," I yelled (only I
made no sound).
"I just died. Don't I get a chance to rest?"
"Take it easy, hold on, it's alright. You
can change your mind at any time."
I gasped, "I don't
even believe in you and now you want me
to reincarnate. Help!" (Jeanie
Dicus)
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"I saw four translucent screens appear (and form
a kind of gigantic box around me). It was through
this method that I was shown my life review. (Or
rather I should say my LIVES IN REVIEW!) Without
ever having to turn my head, I saw my past, my present,
my future and there was even a screen that displayed
a tremendous amount of scientific data, numbers
and universal codes. I saw the beginning of my known
existence as a Soul and saw that I had existed Spiritually
long before this incarnation -- where I am now a
male human known as Christian Andreason! In Heaven,
I undeniably saw that I had lived an innumerable
amount of lives. Yet, what I saw went way beyond
our comprehension of what we think reincarnation
is. So, I am not exactly speaking of being born
again and again on this planet alone. I saw that
it is a big Universe out there and God has it all
organized perfectly. Each of us is sent where we
can obtain the best growth according to our Divine
purpose." (Christian
Andreason)
"My whole life went before me of things I have done
and haven't done, but not just of this one lifetime,
but of all the lifetimes. I know for a fact there
is reincarnation. This is an absolute. I was shown
all those lives and how I had overcome some of the
things I had done in other lives. There was still
some things to be corrected." (Amber
Wells' NDE research)
"He said, 'Do you want to stay or go back?' I was
very aware that this decision would be if I would
stay in the heavenly realms or return to my life
as Karen on planet earth. All of my being wanted
to stay there in bliss, but ever since I was six,
I knew that reincarnation is the natural fact of
life, and now, I had the knowingness that if I chose
to stay, I would have to reincarnate to earth again
later. At the time, that was unacceptable to me.
I didn't understand then that earth is a boot camp
and school for soul's spiritual education, and as
such, it's tough. Nevertheless, I knew that I had
to return and finish whatever mission I had to do
here." (Karen
Brannon)
"From the other tunnels came souls preparing for
reincarnation on earth. From above came souls happily
reporting delights and visions of a beauty beyond
words. From below came souls lamenting and wailing
over a thousand years of dreadful sufferings, where
people were repaid manifold for any earthly suffering
they had caused." (Plato)
"I had a lot of questions, and I wanted to know
what they (the light beings) were doing why are
you just kind of milling around here? And someone
stepped forward ... it wasn't just one ... I got
information from a number of them ... that they
were all waiting for reincarnation." (Amber
Wells' NDE research)
"They said that I originally came to Gaia to learn
and share with others using the gifts that I have
accumulated over several lifetimes." (David
Oakford)
Sandra committed suicide and had a near-death experience.
The light gave her access to unlimited knowledge.
She was told that she could remain in the light,
provided she later reincarnate to re-experience
and overcome all that brought her to the point of
suicide. Or, she could be revived to live out the
rest of her life and overcome her problems here
and now. She choose to be revived. (Sandra
Rogers)
A woman once consulted Edgar Cayce to decide whether
or not to undergo a very high-risk surgery. After
inducing an out-of-body experience, Cayce went through
the tunnel and visited the Hall of Records where
he read her record in the Book of Life. Cayce advised
the woman to have the surgery because it would be
a success. Cayce explained that the surgeons who
were to perform the surgery were once Inquisitors
in a past life who tortured and killed her because
of her religious beliefs. Cayce explained that by
allowing these surgeons to heal her, she would be
allowing them to pay a karmic debt they owed her.
She underwent the surgery and it was a success just
as Cayce foretold. (Edgar
Cayce)
Jesus had many incarnations
on earth and
we can experience full knowledge of all of them
after death. (Edgar
Cayce)
The following is only one of the Bible passages
showing Jesus teaching reincarnation to his disciples:
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"And the disciples
asked him, saying, 'Why then do the scribes
say that Elijah must come first?' But he
answered them and said, 'Elijah indeed is
to come and will restore all things. But
I say to you that Elijah has come already,
and they did not know him, but did to him
whatever they wished. So also shall the
Son of Man suffer at their hand.' Then the
disciples understood that he had spoken
of John the Baptist." (Matthew
17:10-13)
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