The new age movement is the most deceptive and damaging philosophy around today. It is entwined not only in witchcraft and satanism, it is prevalent in all denominations of what the world calls Christianity. The belief system is deeply rooted in Eastern Mysticism and the Occult. Followers are told to awaken their God consciousness thru Transcendental Meditation, Yoga, Hypnosis, visualization etc.. What most do not understand is, this is the same thing Satan said in the garden of Eden to Eve. "You will be as Gods" (Genesis 3:4,5). No one is a god.
What is the "New Age Movement"? Is it a world beast power in the making? Briefly, the New Age Movement is not a new cult or an organization but a philosophical direction which blends ideas from many Eastern cults and religions with ancient pagan backgrounds. New Ageism is a major thrust in the developing "one world religion." The power and prevalence of New Age ideas permeate the world, including Christianity and most other religions. Few in the religious scene have understood what New Age ideas are about, and how widespread they really are. What are New Age doctrines? How and why are they contrary to Biblical beliefs?
History of the New Age Movement
The present "New Age Movement" may be traced back to Helena Blavatsky, who founded the Theosophical Society in 1875. From 1867 to her death in 1891, she was said to have received telepathic instruction from "Masters", spirit beings or humans who had died and evolved into a "higher plane", such as Jesus, Buddha, Mohammed, Confucius, etc. Along with evolution, she taught that all religions have common truths, especially the eastern Indian religion. Her central theme was that man can save himself because he is a god.
Communism, Nazism, secular humanism, Perestroika and many other modern movements all have common ground with Madam Blavatsky. Marilyn Ferguson's The Aquarian Conspiracy is considered the "Bible" of the New Age Movement. Actress Shirley McLain is one of its chief ministers. Other prominent "New Age" writers are Alice Bailey, Benjamin Creme, David Spangler and Ruth Montgomery. Ex-Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev could be considered a "high priest" of the movement.
Religion of the Bible: Supernaturalism, Monotheism
based on objective Criteria, true religion is based on faith, and backed up by evidence. The Bible reveals God's doctrines which we must live by.
I will compare new age beliefs to Christianity:
A. The Nature of God
1. Naturalism
Nature came about by some impersonal force, and you should seek to learn the secret of controlling and using nature for your own purposes.
Supernaturalism
We are awed by nature and seek to know the Creator in order to worship Him
2. All is God (Pantheism)
The common creed of all pagan religions and the occult is that there is a "higher power" of which all things are a part, which influences human destiny. The motto of the New Age is: "All is one, all is God, and we are God." God is not personal, but a force, which does not judge you or hassle you with morals. You can manipulate the force and become master of the universe.
God is One
God is the supreme power. We are apart from God but can join His divine family. His laws are absolute, and if broken will surely exact a penalty. In the words of Yul Brenner in the movie "The Commandments": "His god is God!" There is only one God. Judgment will fall on those who fail to distinguish between the Creator and His Creation, Romans 1:18-32 and especially those who claim to be God, Isaiah 47:8-10.
3. The Force
The purpose of Satanic rituals is to invoke and/or manipulate the natural "Force" or "collective unconsciousness" of the cosmos to selfishly achieve health, wealth, success, or curse one's enemies. Satan is not a personality. Spirit mediums consistently teach that demons do not exist. Since the Force is in everything, it's in you and me and we won't die, we just get recycled.
God is Ruler
God is Supreme Ruler, but has allowed Satan sway over mankind for 6,000 years. Satan is a personality, and is "The Force" contrary to God's Laws. We should surrender to God and seek Him through prayer. The purpose of true worship is to learn more about God and His ways, praise and thank Him for His blessings, confess our sins, increase our love for others, and build outgoing concern.
4. Man is God
You create your own reality, you are God. You can elevate yourself to the god status by tapping into the force. Sun Myung Moon: "Man is incarnate God", Yogi: "Be still and know you are God." Satanist Michael Aquino says, "We are not servants of some God, we are our own gods!" Shirley MacLaine shouts, "I am God! I am God! I am God!"
Only God IS God
Only God is God, there is none else, Isaiah 40:13-31, 45:5-19. God reproves those who aspire to take over His place, Ezekiel 28:2.
5. Jesus is not THE Savior
He was merely a highly evolved man, He was another guru teaching the same as all the rest, studying in India to prepare for his mission. This New Age teaching clearly marks its adherents as part of the anti-Christ, I John 4:1-3.
Jesus is THE Savior
Jesus is the Son of God, He lived a perfect life, died for our sins, was resurrected from the dead and He is alive for evermore. Gurus deny the existence of sin, while Christ condemns sin and calls sinner to repentance, and died for the sins of the world. Gurus are vegetarians, whereas Jesus was not. Gurus teach there are many ways to God, but Jesus says He is the way the truth and the life, the only way to the Father.
6. Sorcery
Sorcery is the key to a magical solution for all your problems. However, there are no divine miracles from an Almighty God, only natural events.
No Magic
Overcoming is not magic but building character by the Holy Spirit, learning faith and patience through overcoming trials and tests. God's power supersedes the laws of nature.
B. The Nature of Man
1. Human Potential.
Achieve your own infinite potential through psychology, developing your own inherent goodness through an "Altered State of Consciousness", or ASC.
Child of God
We can become a child of God through accepting God's gift of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for our sins, changing our natural, carnal mind through the power of the Holy Spirit. Paradise will be restored by the return of the Savior to rule all nations with a rod of iron.
2. Mind Changing
Altered States of Consciousness, Transcendental Meditation, and other techniques are more powerful than drugs. Their purpose is to experience spirit possession, to meet and listen to your "Inner Guide", the "god within" each of you. Hindus claim the universe is a mental illusion, and the only reality is an ASC. You can change your world by changing your thoughts.
Listen to God
The truth is, that ASC is more dangerous than cocaine or LSD. The "inner guide" is the voice of Satan and his demons. Our natural mind is enmity to God's Laws, and results in misery and unhappiness. God's Spirit does not coerce, it leads us to do good. We must yield ourselves to God, resisting Satan the Devil. While in an "altered state", group leaders are able to implant new ideas and alter the thinking processes of their followers. Don't let others do your thinking for you! The battle for the mind can be won through Christ. Man cannot find the way to peace, which can only come through obedience to the Law of God. Listen to God and His Word, the Bible. Choose life.
3. All is part of nature, of the universal "Collective Unconsciousness."
Peace can come if the whole world meditates for peace, taps the Universal Mind. Humanity's crises rise from ignorance of man's divinity and oneness with all things.
God is a personality
God is separate from nature which He created. He is a personality. Each human being is a distinct responsible person. There is no salvation apart from the Savior, Acts 4:12.
4. Self-realization
You are a part of nature and can "realize" your own godhood and create your own reality. Through self-realization, mind power, you can manipulate nature, and control it through occult power. There's nothing wrong with you, it's just the way you think. Get in touch with yourself and look within, finding out who you are, and then you will be able to realize the infinite human potential that resides in each of us.
God is source of our power
We have no inherent power to live beyond our few years of physical life. God is the source of all power, who may be petitioned through prayer, but cannot be made to conform to our will.
5. Self Love
Nature and man are god. You need to have more love of yourself, self- esteem, self-worth. The self is the hope of humanity, of man's salvation. Anton LaVey, Satanist priest, says: "The highest of all holidays in Satanism is the date of one's own birth, for we worship the individual and celebrate self-love."
We are to love God
Men shall be lovers of their own selves, denying God. He who loves his own life more than God shall lose it. We are nothing, but through God's love, we become His children and will inherit all things.
6. Openness to Everything (Universalism).
Psychiatry, psychology and humanism, communism, Hinduism, Buddhism, etc., all have a common theme, and are all equally valid. They all take you to the same place. The only enemy is the man not open to everything. You cannot criticize Satanists even though they offer human sacrifices; they are just acting out their "karma" (determined by what they did in previous lives). It doesn't matter what you believe as long as you are sincere.
One Faith
There is only one true religion. All others are false, and take you to one place--the lake of fire.
C. Sin
1. Sin
Humans are without sin and guilt, merely programmed to do the things they do. Lame excuse: "the devil (whom I don't believe in) made me do it!" Nobody is guilty, there isn't any right or wrong, I have my truth and you have your truth. There is no sin, for the world is holy, nature is holy, the body is holy, sex is holy, the mind is holy, the imagination is holy, for we are all part of god.
Sin is the transgression of God's Law
We are responsible for our sins and cannot use the pitiful excuse, "the Devil made me do it!" Forgiveness from God through Christ's blood is the only way to get rid of guilt. Only God is holy, and only He can clean up our vile imaginations and evil deeds.
2. Amoral
Nature has no morals. There is no such thing as justice, mercy, liberty or fairness, right or wrong. You should reject the concept of sin and judgment. Hitler, Stalin and Mao TseTung were not evil.
God has laws.
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn says the "self-deification of man as supreme" has led to a decline of Western morals. God has laws for our own good, He is a God of mercy, justice, equity. God's laws demand justice. His mercy is available through Jesus, but He will execute judgment on those who refuse to repent.
3. Rebellion against Universal Law, War Against God's People
Glorification of the ugly and perverted; brutal assault on decency and morality. Anti-Christ. The God of the Bible is not to be tolerated.
Satan is active.
The Bible prophesies of the "spirit of disobedience" in the last days, the "man of lawlessness" who will declare he is God, II Thessalonians 2. The Beast will persecute true believers. Christians are enemies of the New Age Movement because they cannot accept religious leaders other than Jesus of Nazareth. We must be separate from the one world religious system. Keeping the Sabbath and Holy Days, and not keeping the pagan celebrations keeps us apart from the world, and makes the world hate us.
4. Anti-Christian religion
Freud: Religion is the obsessional neurosis of humanity. Marx: the opiate of the masses. The only enemy is the man not open to everything. Those who say there is no right or wrong, nevertheless condemn as evil those who disagree with them. Except for Christians, "We're all taking different roads to get to the same place." Christianity is opposed because it claims to be right and the only way.
God's way or eternal death.
The fool has said in his heart there is no God. There are two ways: eternal life and eternal death. God's one way of life as described in Bible is the only way to participation in the Family of God.
D. Destiny of Man
1. Evolution
Nature came about by some impersonal force. You should seek to learn the secret of controlling and using this force for your own benefit. Man is a product of nature, therefore all he does, even war, is natural, and is not "right" or "wrong." Evolution makes reincarnation seem credible, for there is no point in being reincarnated numerous times unless one is evolving ever higher. Evolution has been the core belief of occultism for thousands of years. Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, etc., all agree we came from amoeba and are moving upwards to Godhood. Lord Maitreya: "Man is an emerging God."
God is Creator.
Some are willingly ignorant of the many proofs of creation. Even agnostics are debunking the theory of evolution, showing it to be unscientific and unsupported by the evidence. We seek to know the Creator in order to worship and obey Him. Man was created by God with free moral agency, the ability to choose right or wrong. "From slime to divine" makes man an animal and God a human. There is a contradiction in evolution: man is supposed to be the "highest form" of life, but has "lost" his survival instincts and threatens to destroy all life on the planet. Man is devolving downward, not upward.
2. Survival of the fittest
Compassion is contrary to nature, which is harsh. We should eliminate the "undesirable elements" of society and preserve and maintain a class of elite supermen.
Mercy, Love and Compassion
We should have mercy, love and compassion. Take care of the poor, needy, blind, deaf, crippled. All are equal in the sight of God. A mentally retarded person is no less precious in God's sight than a gifted intellectual.
3. Secrecy and the Elite Class
Only those who know the secrets can wield occult power. The rest are "dumb sheep". The "ascended masters" are those who have mastered occult powers and are "the Christ" who have and will lead the world.
Salvation to all.
Salvation is open to all whom God calls and who truly seek Him.
4. Absolute Obedience
Nazism, Hinduism, New Age beliefs demand absolute obedience to the guru leader. Followers must abandon reason and follow their exalted superior leaders.
God can be talked to
"Come let us reason together." Paul reasoned with them out of the scriptures. Follow no man.
5. Reincarnation
Man is evolving higher and higher up to Godhood. If a husband beats his wife, the law of karma says he must be reincarnated as a wife beaten by her husband. Reincarnation perpetuates evil. Freud says the present is determined by the prior years of one's life. Reincarnation says the present is determined by one's prior lives. Man doesn't die, he just gets recycled and incarnated again. At death, the individual's consciousness joins the pool of universal consciousness.
One chance at salvation.
Reincarnation is amoral, senseless and hopeless. Under God's Law, each has one chance to receive salvation. Few are being called in this age. Most will have their only chance during the Great White Throne Judgment. The second death in the lake of fire is a final and total cessation of one's consciousness for all eternity.
6. Communication with the dead
Channeling, receiving power from those long dead.
Dead are DEAD.
The dead know not anything. The Bible condemns mediums and those involved in necromancy. Those who attempt contact with the spirit world are seeking demons. Without repentance, they will reap the death penalty.
New Age Movement Infiltrates Church of God
It is shocking how many tenets of the New Age Movement have sprung up in the Church of God. Modern religious groups have helped pave the way for the New Age. In an effort to gain membership, some are convinced the good news should be presented without any negative aspects, rather than thundering calls for repentance and denunciations of sin as the prophets of old.
Although they once knew the truth, I know of a church organization that now preaches a pabulum gospel, extolling the virtues of the "vast human potential", and avowedly is working for world peace. Their new "apostle" jets around the world speaking nice things to world leaders. Their leading scholar goes to Tibet and has cordial relationships with Buddhist monks, and believes in "pre-Adamic man" ideas, co-existing with evolutionary theory. This church ridicules "anti-Catholic" books such as Hislop's The Two Babylon's as being divisive.
They have few miracles because medical science is lauded above the healing power of the Almighty. There is a veil of secrecy as the "dumb sheep" of the lay people are kept in the dark as to the real inner workings of the church. Those who can manipulate the system can work their way up into positions of power in the church and become an elite class above the common herd. There is an amoral double standard, as the elite church leaders can lie, steal, commit adultery and live in luxury while the lay people are subjected to an authoritarian, compassionless church government. Their leaders claim to be "above the Law" of God, worshipped by the membership.
The New Age Movement has virtually taken over some Sabbath-keeping churches of God!
Where Persecution Will Come From
Satan and his followers hate true Bible believers. They say the Christian age (so-called Age of Pisces) will soon be replaced by the enlightened Age of Aquarius. New Agers are open to everything. Everything, that is, except Bible believers, whom they sneeringly call "fundamentalists." New Agers will not tolerate those who believe the Bible and the absolute necessity of following the Eternals Law.
Why do followers of the New Age hate us? Because they want freedom from judgment and freedom from the conviction of their sins. New Agers are unwilling to accept their guilt; they want to do their own thing. Even without uttering a word, the true follower of Jesus of Nazareth is a living light, showing the New Ager that sin is real and that God hates sin, that there is a real personal Eternal who will judge every man for his deeds. Moreover, the true believer will not give an inch and grant that non-believers' views are equally valid. This drives the naturalistic pantheists wild with rage.
This is why New Age writing is full of bitter language against Christians. Bible followers are called parasites which must be exterminated. New Agers claim all religions except the Bible lead to godhood. All of the world's problems are said to be caused by bigoted fundamentalists. Christians are held to be primitive, stupid, and interfering with intelligence, creativity, joy and having a good time. Those who criticize witchcraft and the occult are said to be against social progress.
So-called Christians who willingly accept New Age doctrines will be spared. But New Agers say those who stubbornly stick to their "erroneous" belief that Yahshua is the only Messiah, and His way is the only way will have to be put to death. According to New Age belief, such staunch Christians are the only evil there is.
What a tragedy that many so-called Christian fundamentalists are indeed bigoted, narrow minded, rejecting the very Bibles they thump. They fuel the New Age fire sweeping the world.
We need to understand where persecution will come from, and why. After reading Texe Marr's book, Mystery Mark of the New Age, I can understand why people today, as men of old, extol the "noble" traditions of the Greeks who practiced infanticide and rampant homosexuality, the Babylonians and Canaanites who had human sacrifices and threw their children into fires to appease their gods, the temple prostitution of Rome, Pergamos and Corinth. I can now understand why New Agers today hate "obstinate" Bible believers. It goes all the way back to the Garden of Eden and Cain and Abel.
New Age Movement Prophesied
What we see today in the New Age Movement is a direct fulfillment of Bible prophecy.
Isaiah 2 is an end time prophecy. Verses 1-5 describe the establishment of the Kingdom of God on this earth, with its capital at Jerusalem. Verses 6-22 prophesies of the events just prior to the kingdom age. The "house of Jacob", i.e., modern Israel, will be forsaken by the Eternal. Why? Isaiah 2:6,
"because they be replenished from the east, and are soothsayers like the Philistines, and they please themselves in the children of strangers."
Or, as the Amplified Bible has it,
"they are filled with customs from the east."
Verses 7-9 describe the end time idolatry: great wealth and materialism, which is idolatry. Modern Israel, the Anglo-Saxon peoples and others in Northwestern Europe, have long observed pagan holidays and customs. But in the last days, the Eternal says they will become literally saturated with eastern religions. Every one of the New Age ideas come from the east, particularly India, home of the world's pagan religions.
Notice also Isaiah 2:10-22. At Messiah's return, He will humble proud and lofty men who claim "all is God, we are God."
In Hosea 12:1, Ephraim, one of the leading tribes of Israel (identified by some as the British Commonwealth, by others as the United States) follows after "east wind." Now "wind" is used in scripture as a symbol of false doctrine, Ephesians 4:14. False religious doctrines from the East will corrupt modern Israel during the last days.
II Timothy 3:1-7 adds that in the last days, men will be lovers of their own selves. Man has not always been this way. Self-sacrificing pioneers have colonized new territories, made great technical achievements for the progress of mankind, often with little recognition or remuneration. But in the last days, "love thyself" becomes the great commandment for reprobate man.
It is interesting to note that the Beast will honor the "god of forces", Daniel 11:38. All these scriptures cannot be mere coincidence. They are "dead ringers" for what is going on today.
Bible Condemns Occult, Witchcraft, New Age Movement
It is not difficult to discover what the Creator thinks of the "New Age" movement and similar paganistic, occult Satanic cults. The Bible lambastes such practices.
Sorcery, wizardry, witchcraft, enchantments, charms, clairvoyance, soothsaying, fortune telling, divination, prognostication spirit channeling, necromancy, mediums, spiritualism, astrology, star gazing and the like are thoroughly condemned in the Bible.
Here's some of the many scriptures that cover this topic:
Exodus 22:18~~~~ 2nd Kings 17:17 also 21:6~~~~Jeremiah 27:8-9~~~~Leviticus 18:21 also 19:26 & 31~~~~!st Chronicles 10:13-14~~~~Micah 5:12-15~~~~Deuteronomy 12:30-32 also 17:2-5 also 18:9-12 also 18:20-22~~~~2nd Chronicles 33:6~~~~Acts 16:16-18~~~~1st Samuel 15:23 also 28:1-25~~~~Isaiah 8:19 and 19:3 and 47:8-15~~~~Galatians 5:19-21~~~~Revelation 21:8
Naturalism or Supernaturalism?
Why is the Western world rejecting its Biblical roots? Because churches, supposedly Bible-based, have rejected God's word. Look at the demise of religion, the Jim Bakkers, Jimmy Swaggerts, Armstrongs, etc. No wonder thinking people are looking elsewhere for answers to life's questions. One of the five reasons for the decline and fall of the Roman Empire was the decay of religion, faith fading into mere form, losing touch with life, losing power to guide the people. Franz Cumont's Astrology and Religion Among the Greeks and Romans describes the crumbling classical world in "New Age" terms:
"In the declining days of antiquity the common creed of all pagans came to be a scientific pantheism, in which the infinite power of the divinity that pervaded the universe was revealed by all the elements of nature."
Hunt & McMahon show that the Bible is the basis of true faith, which grows out of a relationship of obedience to God, when we become an instrument of His will rather than making Him the instrument of our wills. We need to abdicate the throne of our lives to God. Only He has right solutions. Christians should not look to themselves for the answers, or let a religious guru do their thinking for them. We cannot exercise free choice if we don't really understand what we believe, I John 5:20. Therefore, we must get our noses in the Bible!
Spirit "entities" contacted by New Agers in their spiritual encounters endlessly repeat the three-fold lie of Satan: There is no death, man is God, knowledge of the self leads to one's own divinity, transformation, salvation and power.
There is nothing "new" about New Age ideas. The movement is merely a re- hash of Satan's twisted concepts. Individually we must fight back and win our personal battles against the devil. There are only two religions: naturalism or supernaturalism. Which one will you choose?
From the exposing satanism website
What Is Kabbalah?
DC040
Elliot Miller
Kabbalah is the name of an occult philosophy and theosophy that developed among Jews in Babylonia, and later Italy, Provence, and Spain, between the sixth and thirteenth centuries A.D.
What is Kabbalah- What does "Kabbalah" mean?
The word “Kabbalah” means “to receive,” and refers to heavenly revelation received by Jews and passed on to succeeding generations through oral tradition. At first it was used by the mainstream of Judaism, but eventually it became identified with those who believed that the Kabbalah was an esoteric, occultic tradition that explained the true meaning of the Hebrew scriptures, which was kept hidden from the masses and only made known to those who were spiritually ready to receive it.
What Is Kabbalah- The Philosophy
The most basic philosophical presupposition behind Kabbalah is that the world is an emanation of the spiritual essence of God. God, or “En Sof” (Endless One) is infinite and transcendent, and could make no direct contact with finite beings. The finite creation came into existence when the En Sof voluntarily limited Himself by allowing Himself to become manifest through attributes or emanation (called Sephiroth), listed as Crown, Wisdom, Intelligence, Greatness, Strength, Beauty, Firmness, Spendor, Foundation, and Sovereignty. Each emanation would be further removed from the En Sof, and thus further from God's perfection and transcendence. The Sephiroth would be repeated on four different levels, and these realms, according to descent, were called: “Atziluth” (the world of the supernals, or heavenless), “Briah” (the world of creation), “Yetzirah” (the world of formation), and “Assiah” (the world of material action). Taking on a personal form, these Sephiroth, as angels, served as intermediaries between God and man.
Kabbalah is classically divided into two systems: theoretical and practical. The theoretical is concerned with theosophical speculation upon God and His attributes, such as what is described above. The practical is concerned with bringing what has been theorized into the realm of everyday experience. This is attempted through prayer, ascetic practices, and the employment of various occult means, such as numerology, talismans, amulets, and incarnation of divine names and words.
Intrinsic to Kabbalah is the belief that scripture is inspired, not only in its obvious interpretations, but even to the degree that, through the use of occult symbol interpretation, one could find hidden meaning in the very numerical and alphabetical interpretation of the texts. Thus, the doctrine of the Kabbalah was derived through study of the Old Testament, albeit, only after occultic interpretative methods had been applied to it.
What Is Kabbalah?- A Historical Perspective
To give you an historical perspective, Kabbalah grew out of two basic needs in the Jewish consciousness. Because they had rejected their Messiah, God temporarily rejected the Jewish nation (Luke 13:35), and so, in the centuries that followed, there were no prophets; there was no immediate manifestation of God's presence among the Jewish people. This left them feeling that God was far away and removed from them and made them more prone to be influenced by the philosophical climate of the people in whose lands they dwelt. The overwhelming philosophical influence in areas where Kabbalah began was Greek; Neo-Platonism and its “Christian” offshoot, Gnosticism. These Platonic philosophies had a very transcendent view of God: He is infinite and far removed from any conceivable contact with man. As the Jew assumed an increasingly transcendent view of God, he needed to reconcile this with the traditional Hebrew belief in the immanence and accessibility of God to man. This need seemed to be met best through the doctrine of the Sephiroth, the groundwork of which had already been laid by the Gnostics, and Philo of Alexandria, a Jewish philosopher and contemporary of Christ.
A second reason for Kabbalah's emergence was that by around the twelfth century, Talmudic legalism, ritualism, and intellectual slavery had reached its peak (the Talmud is the body of writings that seeks the interpret the Law of God contained in Jewish scripture). Kabbalah became popular because it opened up an approach to religion that seemed more pleasurable, immediate, and less confining.
What Is Kabbalah- The Christian Response
What is the Christian response to Kabbalah? This is an important question because in today's “occult revolution” where all dimensions of the occult are being probed, there has been a revived interest in Cabala among both Jew and Gentile. Although its Jewish origin makes it unique, Kabbalah is still essentially an occultic system, and thus must be classified among all other occultic systems as being incompatible with the historic Judaeo-Christian faiths. Its theology is essentially pantheistic in that it teaches that all reality springs directly from God's own essence. Even if one believes that these emanations from God's essence have gone through a descent of ten spheres on four different levels, the conclusion is inescapable that even the being on the lowest level is still of one essence with God; and thus, ultimately, he is God. Such a concept is incompatible with the biblical God, who created the world out of nothing, not out of Himself (Gen. 1:1. The Hebrew word for “create” is “bara,” which indicates something coming out of nothing.
Although Kabbalists' insistence upon the inspiration of scripture in its literal form was commendable, their carrying this point to the extent of seeking to find hidden meaning in its numerical arrangements was unwarranted. Depending upon one's assumptions, one may apply Kabbalistic methods to almost any piece of literature and draw almost any interpretation from it. Kabbalistic method of interpretation is neither acknowledged in the Bible, nor justified by it. The application of this method of the Bible had produced interpretations that are not supported by scripture, and, in fact, are something directly opposed to it, in its obvious context.
In my years of research in comparative religions I have become persuaded that essentially there are only two metaphysical interpretations of reality available to us: the Biblical and the occultic. In seeking to support the inspiration of scripture, the Jewish Kabbalists applied to it a method of interpretation foreign to scripture, but familiar to the occult, and thus these Jews slipped over from a Biblical understanding of reality to an occultic one.
taken from the Christian research institute website http://www.equip.org/articles/what-is-kabbalah-
False Knowledge
by David C. Grabbe
Forerunner, November 2006
Read more: http://www.cgg.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/Library.sr/CT/ARTB/k/1186/Gnosticism-False-Knowledge.htm#ixzz1jwJgqj4m
During the last few years, an increasing number of movies and books have introduced and emphasized a major heresy that the true church had to contend with during the first century. The present-day heresy is not in exactly the same form as was its counterpart during the years following Christ's death, yet there nevertheless seems to be a resurgence and a growing popularity of the various philosophies generally known as Gnosticism.
We do not hear much about Gnosticism in the news, and we typically give it little thought. In terms of theology and doctrine, we concentrate on many other controversial points, relegating Gnosticism to an ancient, long-dead heresy. However, we would be remiss to assume that Gnosticism has no relevance to us today.
After all, Gnosticism was the predominant source of heresy when the New Testament was written. The books of John, I Corinthians, Galatians, Colossians, I and II Timothy, Jude, and I John all combat various elements of Gnosticism. Even the book of Revelation cites a couple of Gnostic beliefs and practices, referring to "know[ing] the depths of Satan" and "the Nicolaitans" (Revelation 2:6, 15, 24).
Gnosticism is clearly not some minor biblical issue. Given that the Bible is timeless and has never been more applicable than here at the end time—when knowledge is increased, and faith is lacking (Daniel 12:4; Luke 18:8)—perhaps Gnosticism is a greater threat now than we might think!
Gnosticism in Vogue
Gnosticism is not mentioned by name in the Bible, with one possible exception, I Timothy 6:20-21:
O Timothy! Guard what was committed to your trust, avoiding the profane and vain babblings and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge—by professing it some have strayed concerning the faith. Grace be with you. Amen. (Emphasis ours throughout)
The Amplified Bible makes these verses clearer:
O Timothy, guard and keep the deposit entrusted [to you]! Turn away from the irreverent babble and godless chatter, with the vain and empty and worldly phrases, and the subtleties and the contradictions in what is falsely called knowledge and spiritual illumination. [For] by making such profession some have erred (missed the mark) as regards the faith. . . .
Paul warns Timothy about "the subtleties and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge and spiritual illumination." The word translated "knowledge" in most translations ("science" in the King James Version) is the Greek gnosis. Literally meaning "to know," it forms the root of the word Gnosticism. It is possible, even probable, that Paul refers to Gnosticism here, since both of his letters to Timothy contain warnings against false teachers bringing in foreign concepts that were undermining the faith of church members.
Remember, however, that his warning is against a particular type of knowledge that induced some members to stray from the faith, knowledge that was subtle and yet contradictory. That it was contradictory is interesting because Gnosticism not only contradicts the truth, but within Gnostic beliefs there are also many contradictions.
This past summer, tremendous buzz surrounded the movie version of Dan Brown's book The Da Vinci Code. The Da Vinci Code is part of the popular revival of Gnosticism—even though it may not be recognized as such. Its underlying premise is that secret knowledge concerning the life of Jesus Christ has been repressed through the millennia and can only be uncovered by interpreting esoteric symbols and riddles. The story also blasphemes the true nature of Jesus Christ—a common element of Gnostic teachings—by proposing that He fathered a child by Mary Magdalene, and that a "divine" bloodline exists today.
The Da Vinci Code is not alone in its promotion of spiritual illumination by means of secret knowledge. The Matrix, released a number of years ago, is heavily laced with Gnosticism. (This is not a recommendation to see it, as it is a very violent movie containing a clever mix of truth and error.) Among its prevalent themes is that what happens in the mind can be entirely different from what happens in the body, and that the mind has to be "freed" to be able to accept truth. The main character has his mind opened to the knowledge of what human life "really" consists of and how it can be transformed for the better by gaining more power of the mind.
More recently, Walt Disney produced National Treasure, a film that introduces Freemasonry to the younger generation. Freemasonry is a prime example of Gnosticism; in fact, the g in the Masonic symbol does not stand for God, but for gnosis—that is, knowledge. Freemasons are initiated into secret knowledge and various mysteries through the teaching of more advanced Masons. Its symbolism and esoteric knowledge draws its adherents in, modifying their worldview. The Freemasonry in National Treasure is presented as exciting but harmless, with the "secret knowledge" dealing with various clues that would lead to an old and immense treasure. (Dan Brown is said to be working on another book, The Solomon Key, believed to be about Freemasonry.)
Many college fraternities and sororities—known as "Greek societies"—make use of symbols, rites, and ceremonies that originate in the same ancient "mystery religions" from which Freemasonry and the notorious "Babylonian Mystery religion" arose. The Greek societies, as well as the ancient mystery religions, have "outer mysteries," which the public may be privy to, as well as "inner mysteries," which are gradually imparted to initiated members. They even have a "high priest" or "high priestess" who conducts the ceremonies and rituals. Truly, Gnosticism is alive and well right now in various forms.
Gnostic "Gospels"
Recently, the newly-discovered Gospel of Judas, an example of what is called a "Gnostic gospel," has made headlines worldwide. It was not written at the same time as the four canonical gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—but rather appeared a couple of centuries later. The Gospel of Judas contradicts the true gospel accounts by asserting that Judas Iscariot was actually the hero, who had been given secret knowledge that the other disciples did not possess.
The opening line of the Gospel of Judas demonstrates this secret knowledge: "The secret account of the revelation that Jesus spoke in conversation with Judas Iscariot during a week, three days before he celebrated Passover." This so-called gospel gives a quite different view of the relationship between Jesus Christ and Judas, and its defenders say that it offers "new insights" into Jesus' betrayal, and the nature and character of Judas. "New insights" is another common theme of Gnosticism.
Several years ago, another Gnostic gospel, the Gospel of Thomas, was all the rage in the scholarly community. Its opening lines also emphasize this secret knowledge: "These are the secret sayings that the living Jesus spoke and Didymos Judas Thomas recorded. And [Jesus] said, 'Whoever discovers the interpretation of these sayings will not taste death.'" Notice that the emphasis is immediately on discovering an interpretation and on increasing knowledge as a way to eternal life. It contains nothing about salvation coming through one's relationship with God or even about living a godly life. In this Gnostic gospel, eternal life comes from the secret knowledge that will explain the obscure sayings.
Not only were the Gnostic gospels written long after the fact, but they are also full of statements that oppose the text of the Bible. For example, in the Gospel of Thomas, Jesus allegedly says, "If you fast, you will bring sin upon yourselves, and if you pray, you will be condemned, and if you give to charity, you will harm your spirits." Scholars say that Jesus is advocating "fitting in" and "being true to oneself," phrases often repeated these days.
In another place in the Gospel of Thomas, Jesus is quoted as saying, "[Blessed is] the one who came into being before coming into being." This makes absolutely no sense to us, but it does make a kind of sense to Gnostics, who believe in a dualism of flesh and spirit. Thus, they understand that "Jesus" implies that the spirit could come into being before the flesh. Many Gnostics were followers of docetism, the belief that Jesus and Christ were two separate beings in one body. Docetists believed that the man Jesus was born, and that the pre-existing god Christ entered into Him when He was baptized and left again before He was crucified. This, then, is an example of coming into being before coming into being.
Also in the gospel of Thomas,
The disciples said to Jesus, "Tell us, how will our end come?" Jesus said, "Have you found the beginning, then, that you are looking for the end? You see, the end will be where the beginning is. [Blessed is] the one who stands at the beginning: that one will know the end and will not taste death.
Again, knowing something is shown as the antidote of death. In this case, another element of dualism is that every person has a little spark of God in him or her, and that we have an eternal spirit (or soul) that is trapped or imprisoned within a body of flesh.
Modern Gnostic Doctrine
Gnostics generally believed that all spirit was inherently stable and good (overlooking the fact that Satan and his demons are spirit and yet also unstable and evil), while all matter and flesh was inherently evil (contradicting God's statement in Genesis 1:31 that everything God had made was "very good"). Plato reinforced this belief, writing, "The soul is the very likeness of the divine—immortal, and intelligible, and uniform, and indissoluble, and unchangeable." He also declared, viewing the body as a temporary house in which the soul is imprisoned, "The soul goes away to the pure, the eternal, the immortal and unchangeable to which she is kin."
The Gnostic goal was to learn the secret knowledge that would allow the inner spirit to be released from the confines of the flesh, enabling it to rejoin God in the spirit realm. Thus, the Gnostics linked the beginning and end (often depicted in the figure of a snake swallowing its tail), because if a person could figure out how the divine spark was infused into the flesh in the first place, he could then reverse it and release the spirit. We find the same basic tenet in the modern doctrine of the immortality of the soul, and the widespread belief that our "home" is in heaven, and that we go to this home when we die.
At the end of the Gospel of Thomas appears this bizarre statement:
Simon Peter said to them, "Make Mary leave us, for females don't deserve life." Jesus said, "Look, I will guide her to make her male, so that she too may become a living spirit resembling you males. For every female who makes herself male will enter the kingdom of Heaven."
If we ever encounter someone who teaches that a woman must become a man to enter God's Kingdom, the source of his doctrine should be apparent!
Ironically, despite this incendiary verse, the modern feminist movement actually leans heavily on various Gnostic texts to substantiate their ideas. While they do not care much for this line in the Gospel of Thomas, they typically pass it off by saying that, as an allegory of the inner transformation every woman must go through in order to find herself, it should not be taken too literally.
However, feminists who try to find their roots in ancient "Christianity" draw heavily upon the Gospel of Mary, the Gospel of Eve, and the Pistis Sophia (variously translated Faith Wisdom, Wisdom in Faith, Faith in Wisdom or Faith of Sophia—the Gnostic "divine counterpart of Christ"). From these texts springs the idea of the "divine feminine" (or "feminine divine"), and many liberal Christian churches rely on them as historical "proof" of female apostles, supporting the argument that women can and should hold any church position.
Philip Jenkins, in Hidden Gospels: How the Search for Jesus Lost Its Way, notes: "Gnostic believers practiced 'equal access, equal participation and equal claims to knowledge,' to the extent of allocating clerical functions by lot at their ceremonies." This can be seen not only in the ordination of women, but also in the attitude of some Christians who argue that, since "we all have the Holy Spirit," we do not need any authoritative teacher or leader.
Satan convinces those with Gnostic leanings to disparage the God-ordained roles and hierarchy within the church of God (see Ephesians 4:11-16). While this egalitarian idea might appear on the surface to contain utopian goodness, the result is confusion, as doctrine becomes subjected to the lowest common denominator. Not surprisingly, such individuals typically believe that they know better—or more—than the rest of the church and particularly the ministry. God's pattern is to establish doctrine and leadership through those He chooses (see, for instance, I Corinthians 12:18 and I Timothy 2:7).
Read more: http://www.cgg.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/Library.sr/CT/ARTB/k/1186/Gnosticism-False-Knowledge.htm#ixzz1jwJOZvYx
The following is a guest post from Shawn Pander addressing Charles Stanley’s unbiblical view of sanctification and assurance of salvation.
Brethren, as a born again follower of Jesus Christ I have realized it is usually acceptable with many believers to expose the teachings of Joel Osteen, Rick Warren, or Rob Bell. However, there are many believers who feel it is taboo to expose the teachings of Charles Stanley, who is very well-known in the Southern Baptist arena. This article is intended to compare his teachings with the Word of God.
When the Lord saved me, I was immediately given and encouraged from a family member to read a book by Charles Stanley called Eternal Security. Of course, since I was a new believer in Christ, I didn’t want any outside books filling my mind. I just wanted the Word of God. After reading my Bible daily for several months, I decided to see what this book had to say. Sadly, I was very shocked and disgusted by the teachings of this book.
This is not an easy article to write as Dr. Stanley has been a pastor for 40+ years, and is well-respected in the Southern Baptist church. However, when we die and stand before the Lord, the writings of Dr. Stanley or any other well known evangelical leader is not going to matter. The only thing that is going to stand is the Word of God, and what the Lord taught us in His Word.
Below is a list of quotes from Dr. Stanley’s book Eternal Security, each followed by a rebuttal from scripture:
1. ”Even if a believer for all practical purposes becomes an unbeliever, his salvation is not in jeopardy” (Chapter 10, p. 93).
Here is what God says in His scripture:
Matthew 10:22 – And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved.
Revelation 21:8 – But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death”
2. ”And last, believers who lose or abandon their faith will retain their salvation, for God remains faithful” (p. 94).
Here is what God says in His scripture:
1 John 2:19 – They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us.
3. ”Christ will not deny an unbelieving Christian his or her salvation because to do so would be to deny Himself” (p. 94).
Here is what God says in His scripture:
Matthew 7:21-23 – “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’
4. In regards to the parable Jesus taught in Matthew 25:14-30, Stanley writes:
The final verse of this parable is so severe that many commentators assume it is a description of hell. It is not. (p. 124) Where is this place represented by the “outer darkness” in Jesus’ parable? To be in the “outer darkness” is to be in the kingdom of God but outside the circle of men and women whose faithfulness on this earth earned them a special rank or position of authority. (p. 126)
Here is what God says in scripture:
Matthew 25:30 And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Matthew 13:41-42 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, 42and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Matthew 25:46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.
Revelation 22:14-15 Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates. 15Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.
5. Additionally, below is a list of quotes from Dr. Stanley’s book Handbook for Christian Living:
You and I are not saved because we have enduring faith. We are saved because at a moment in time we expressed faith in our Lord (p. 190).
Discipleship has nothing to do with whether you will go to heaven or not (p. 505).
It is possible to be a child of God and never a disciple of Christ. We can live the Christian life with the assurance of heaven as our ultimate destiny but miss the process of maturing as a disciple (p. 505).
Contrary to Dr. Stanley’s teachings, a Christian is a disciple as we see in Acts 11:26:
…And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.
Moreover, we see the demands and admonitions of Christ concerning true and false disciples in the following verses:
Luke 14:25-33 – Now great multitudes went with Him. And He turned and said to them, “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple…So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.”
Luke 6:46-49 – “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you? 47Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: 48he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built.c 49But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great.”
Brethren, we may disagree on secondary issues such as end-times prophecy, but we must not be wrong with the Gospel. Dr. Stanley’s teachings do not match up when compared to the Word of God. Dr. Stanley’s teachings are deceptive and can give an assurance of salvation to those who should not have it. Sadly, this type of teaching is very popular and typical in most evangelical churches today. However, this teaching is bad theology and denies the Lordship of Jesus Christ, it perverts the Gospel, and I believe is one of the many broad roads leading to destruction that Jesus spoke of in Matthew 7:13-14. Anyone teaching such heresy should tremble at Galatians 1:8-9.
Please note, I have emailed Dr. Stanley at In Touch Ministries in regards to this matter about a year ago, and I have still have not received a response.
I pray you grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ
In Him, Shawn
Shawn Pander lives in Mount Holly, North Carolina with his wife Lisa and attends Lincoln Community Bible Church. He is a member of The Speak:Truth Project where he proclaims the Gospel of Jesus Christ on the streets in the Charlotte area.
http://airocross.com/2012/05/08/charles-stanleys-false-assurance-salvation/
