New Age – Old Lie

 

 

The aim of this document is to introduce the New Age movement from a Biblical perspective.  You might be surprised that the Bible speaks of the New Age.  However, many of the beliefs and practices often described as “New Age” are actually forbidden by God in scripture.  While the New Age movement is diverse and eclectic, there are 5 main philosophies that make it distinctive:  Spiritism, Globalism, Eclecticism, Monism, and Relativism. 

 

Instead of dealing individually with New Age Gospels such as “The Gospel of Thomas”, “The Aquarian Gospel”, the “DaVinci code”, and whatever other New Age gospel that becomes popular, I prefer to introduce the 5 distinctives that you will find at the root of any New Age philosophy or theology.

 

 

 

Comparison

The chart below compares these 5 main New Age philosophies to Christianities closest equivalent philosophy.

 

 

New Age

Christian

Spiritism- spiritual practices that involve spirits other than the Holy Spirit of the Jesus Christ of the Bible.

Holy Spirit

There is only one.  He only gives glory to Jesus Christ*, whom He points man to by guiding man in Christ’s truth – which never contradicts the Bible.

Globalism – political world unity. 

Pluralism

God created a multitude of languages and cultures in the story of the tower of Babel, to create separate, autonomous nations.  This is the opposite of Globalism.  True biblical unity can only occur spiritually through Jesus Christ.

Eclecticism- Believing bits and pieces of whatever you like from sources other than the Bible, whether the sources contradict the bible or not.

Unified, internally consistent (testable) theology across the 66 books of the Bible, written by 40 different authors.

Monism –all is one.  No separation between good and evil, or man and God (humanism).

 

Pantheism (courtesy of Wikipedia)

(Greek: πάν ( 'pan' ) = all and θεός ( 'theos' ) = God) literally means "God is All" and "All is God". It is the view that everything is of an all-encompassing immanent God; or that the universe, or nature, and God are equivalent. More detailed definitions tend to emphasize the idea that natural law, existence, and the universe (the sum total of all that is, was, and shall be) is represented or personified in the theological principle of 'God'.

 

 

 

Dualism - Good vs. Evil. God is not one with evil:  Man (and Angels’) sin separates them from God. 

 

The Gospel

God the Father is good and man is not.  God’s creation was good until it was corrupted by Man’s sin, which separated it (and Man) from God.  Man can only become good (or at least better) by allowing God himself, by the Holy Spirit, to live through him by believing that God’s only son, Jesus Christ, died in his place, for his sins that once separated him (collectively and individually) from God.

Relativism - moral relativism is the position that moral or ethical propositions do not reflect absolute and universal moral truths, but instead make claims relative to social, cultural, historical or personal circumstances. Moral relativists hold that no universal standard exists by which to assess an ethical proposition's truth.

- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moral_relativism

Monotheism - One God, one absolute and universal truth; Jesus Christ—the Word become flesh—His Word is the universal standard by which to assess an ethical proposition's truth.

 

*John 16:13-15 (New International Version)

13But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. 14He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. 15All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you.

                                

As you can see from the chart and the above descriptions, New Age and Christian beliefs are opposite.  It is impossible for both to be true since they make contradictory claims.  Everyone must choose to follow Jesus or follow New Age thoughts.  Let’s take a closer look at these 5 distinctives of New Age thought.

 

 

Spiritism

These spiritual practices involve spirits other than the Holy Spirit of the Jesus Christ of the Bible.  While Christians label these practices as “occult” they are not new.  In fact God warned against involvement with them early on in scripture. 

 

Deut 18:9-14

9          When you enter the land the LORD your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there.

10         Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft,

11         or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead.

12         Anyone who does these things is detestable to the LORD, and because of these detestable practices the LORD your God will drive out those nations before you.

13         You must be blameless before the LORD your God.

14         The nations you will dispossess listen to those who practice sorcery or divination. But as for you, the LORD your God has not permitted you to do so. (NIV)

 

Lev 20:26-27

26         You are to be holy to me because I, the LORD, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be my own.

27         "'A man or woman who is a medium or spiritist among you must be put to death. You are to stone them; their blood will be on their own heads.'"  (NIV)

 

Lev 20:6-8

6          "'I will set my face against the person who turns to mediums and spiritists to prostitute himself by following them, and I will cut him off from his people.

7          "'Consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am the LORD your God.

8          Keep my decrees and follow them. I am the LORD, who makes you holy.  (NIV)

 

1 Chr 10:13-14

13         Saul died because he was unfaithful to the LORD; he did not keep the word of the LORD and even consulted a medium for guidance,

14         and did not inquire of the LORD. So the LORD put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David son of Jesse.  (NIV)

 

Deut 13:1-5

1          If a prophet, or one who foretells by dreams, appears among you and announces to you a miraculous sign or wonder,

2          and if the sign or wonder of which he has spoken takes place, and he says, "Let us follow other gods" (gods you have not known) "and let us worship them,"

3          you must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer. The LORD your God is testing you to find out whether you love him with all your heart and with all your soul.

4          It is the LORD your God you must follow, and him you must revere. Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold fast to him.

5          That prophet or dreamer must be put to death, because he preached rebellion against the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt and redeemed you from the land of slavery; he has tried to turn you from the way the LORD your God commanded you to follow. You must purge the evil from among you.  (NIV)

 

Lev 19:31

31                 "'Do not turn to mediums or seek out spiritists, for you will be defiled by them. I am the LORD your God.  (NIV)

1 John 4:1
Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
(Whole Chapter: 1 John 4 In context: 1 John 4:1-2) 

1 Corinthians 10:21
You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord's table and the table of demons.
(Whole Chapter: 1 Corinthians 10 In context: 1 Corinthians 10:20-22)

 Ephesians 4:27
and do not give the devil a foothold.
(Whole Chapter: Ephesians 4 In context: Ephesians 4:26-28)

 

1 Tim 4:1-7

1          The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.

2          Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron.

3          They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth.  4        For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving,

5          because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.

6          If you point these things out to the brothers, you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, brought up in the truths of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed.  7       Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives' tales; rather, train yourself to be godly.  (NIV)

 

 

Globalism

Gen 11:1-9

1          Now the whole world had one language and a common speech.

2          As men moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there.

3          They said to each other, "Come, let's make bricks and bake them thoroughly." They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar.

4          Then they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth."

5          But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower that the men were building.

6          The LORD said, "If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them.

7          Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other."

8          So the LORD scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city.

9          That is why it was called Babel-- because there the LORD confused the language of the whole world. From there the LORD scattered them over the face of the whole earth.  (NIV)

 

Why was God opposed to world unity?  He explains later in Revelation.  Notice how this future-tense Babylon united the world (achieved globalism) via “magic” with the adulterous bonds of greedy world trade, and a hatred for Christ’s followers- the spirit of antichrist. 

 

Rev 18:1-24

1          After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven. He had great authority, and the earth was illuminated by his splendor.

2          With a mighty voice he shouted: "Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great! She has become a home for demons and a haunt for every evil spirit, a haunt for every unclean and detestable bird.

3          For all the nations have drunk the maddening wine of her adulteries. The kings of the earth committed adultery with her, and the merchants of the earth grew rich from her excessive luxuries."

4          Then I heard another voice from heaven say: "Come out of her, my people, so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues;

5          for her sins are piled up to heaven, and God has remembered her crimes.

6          Give back to her as she has given; pay her back double for what she has done. Mix her a double portion from her own cup.

7          Give her as much torture and grief as the glory and luxury she gave herself. In her heart she boasts, 'I sit as queen; I am not a widow, and I will never mourn.'

8          Therefore in one day her plagues will overtake her: death, mourning and famine. She will be consumed by fire, for mighty is the Lord God who judges her.

9          "When the kings of the earth who committed adultery with her and shared her luxury see the smoke of her burning, they will weep and mourn over her.

10         Terrified at her torment, they will stand far off and cry: "'Woe! Woe, O great city, O Babylon, city of power! In one hour your doom has come!'

11         "The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her because no one buys their cargoes any more--

12         cargoes of gold, silver, precious stones and pearls; fine linen, purple, silk and scarlet cloth; every sort of citron wood, and articles of every kind made of ivory, costly wood, bronze, iron and marble;

13         cargoes of cinnamon and spice, of incense, myrrh and frankincense, of wine and olive oil, of fine flour and wheat; cattle and sheep; horses and carriages; and bodies and souls of men.

14         "They will say, 'The fruit you longed for is gone from you. All your riches and splendor have vanished, never to be recovered.'

15         The merchants who sold these things and gained their wealth from her will stand far off, terrified at her torment. They will weep and mourn

16         and cry out: "'Woe! Woe, O great city, dressed in fine linen, purple and scarlet, and glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls!

17         In one hour such great wealth has been brought to ruin!' "Every sea captain, and all who travel by ship, the sailors, and all who earn their living from the sea, will stand far off.

18         When they see the smoke of her burning, they will exclaim, 'Was there ever a city like this great city?'

19         They will throw dust on their heads, and with weeping and mourning cry out: "'Woe! Woe, O great city, where all who had ships on the sea became rich through her wealth! In one hour she has been brought to ruin!

20         Rejoice over her, O heaven! Rejoice, saints and apostles and prophets! God has judged her for the way she treated you.'"

21         Then a mighty angel picked up a boulder the size of a large millstone and threw it into the sea, and said: "With such violence the great city of Babylon will be thrown down, never to be found again.

22         The music of harpists and musicians, flute players and trumpeters, will never be heard in you again. No workman of any trade will ever be found in you again. The sound of a millstone will never be heard in you again.

23         The light of a lamp will never shine in you again. The voice of bridegroom and bride will never be heard in you again. Your merchants were the world's great men. By your magic spell all the nations were led astray.

24         In her was found the blood of prophets and of the saints, and of all who have been killed on the earth."  (NIV)

 

The lord tells His people in verse 4 to “Come out of her, my people, so that you will not share in her sins”.  What was the “magic spell” that brought such unity and persecution of Christians?  How could followers of Christ posed a threat or created a problem in the coalescence of this “New World order”?  Where greed might compel most to compromise their beliefs for the sake of unity, Christians are not greedy (1 Cor 6:9‑10, Col 3:5-6, and Matt 25:41-46) or interested in uniting with the world system, but only unity among themselves (Rom 15:5-6).

 

Rom 15:5-6

5          May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus,

6          so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.  (NIV)

 

1 Tim 4:7

7          Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives' tales; rather, train yourself to be godly.  (NIV)

 

2 Tim 3:1-5

1          But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days.

2          People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,

3          without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good,

4          treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God--

5          having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.  (NIV)

 

So, what  is the “magic spell” that brought unity to the world and persecution to Christians? I personally believe that it is the magic false gospel of the AntiChrist. 

 

II Th 2:1-12

1          Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers,

2          not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the day of the Lord has already come.

3          Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction.

4          He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God.

5          Don't you remember that when I was with you I used to tell you these things?

6          And now you know what is holding him back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time.

7          For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way.

8          And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming.

9          The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders,

10         and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.

11         For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie

12         and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.  (NIV)

 

So, there is a lie that you can believe that makes you wicked and damned to hell.  Only the ones who love the truth will be saved.  What could this lie be?  Verse 7 tells us that “.. the secret power of lawlessness is already at work”.  Some already believe it.  Do you?  What is this lie?  I’m not going to tell you until later in this paper. 

 

You have noticed that globalism, or world unity, is not a new idea.  It is, however a popular “New Age” idea. 

 

Chuck Missler and Dr. Mark Eastman expose the new age messages consistently attributed to aliens by the scattered hundreds who claim alien contact at http://www.khouse.org/conferences/alien/.  Since the new age movement is vast and eclectic, it has been difficult to summarize it into its basic component teachings.  These alien doctrines, however, have done a great job of that—so I will be citing them to represent the new age movement.  Whether you believe in aliens or not, this is the best summary of New Age philosophy that I have come across.

 

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Ecumenism

Uniting the world religiously, politically, and economically will be complete when all are required to take the mark of the beast. 

 

Rev 13:16-18

16         He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead,

17         so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name.

18         This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is man's number. His number is 666.  (NIV)

 

Until then, Ecumenism across religions (as in the quote above and below) works toward that end.  It is obviously new age:

 

 

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Slide 27 of 43

“Most other Religions”—That is interesting.  Which does not fit?  The antichrist exalts himself above everything that is called God.  This phraseology points to a previously existing religious pluralism.  Pluralism is respecting other beliefs as equally possibly true—since none of us can be sure about the one real truth.  This is beginning to be called “tolerance”.  Now, tolerance used to mean that you treated people equally whether you agreed with them or not.  However, now tolerance has taken on a Hindu meaning:  respecting other beliefs as equally true.  Notice how idea of one absolute truth is removed with removing the word “possibly” from the above sentence.  The Hindu meaning supposes the existence of mutually exclusive coexisting truths.  In other words, they can politely say in India, “what’s true for you is not true for me, but we are both right”.  A Christian can not acknowledge this silliness and therefore can not be “tolerant”. 

 

Intolerance?

Intolerance is the main enemy to World Unity.  This idea that truth is relative is called “relativism” and I will go into more detail about it later.  For now, let’s see how intolerant Jesus Christ Himself is:

 

the only way

 

John 14:6

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (NIV)

 

John 10:1-2

1          "I tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber.

2          The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep.  (NIV)

 

Matthew

(7:13)"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. (7:14) But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

(7:15)"Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.

 

Romans (3:29) Is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too, (3:30) since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith. (3:31) Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law.

 

Acts 4:9-12

9          If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a cripple and are asked how he was healed,

10         then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed.

11         He is "'the stone you builders rejected, which has become the capstone.'

12         Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."  (NIV)

 

Acts 17:30-31

30         In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.

For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead."  (NIV)

 

For more detailed explanation of the exclusivity of Christ in regards to “those who have not heard”, see my document by that name.  It takes me 30 pages of mostly scripture to explain the simple fact that God judges all according to their response to the revelation of Christ that they have had the opportunity to receive. 

 

So, for Christ, who claims to BE the truth, truth is far more important than unity with the world. However, for the antichrist, unity, or tolerance is more important than the doctrinal truth of the bible.  This is his false unity with which he will unite all “religions”.  Followers of the bible and the Holy Spirit, however, will not unite outside of sound biblical doctrine.

 

 

Doctrine is not important?

 

Have you heard the phrase, “Doctrine is not important”? 

'Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons.' 1Timothy 4:1

 

What happens to believers and preachers of false doctrine?

 

John 3:36

36         Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him."  (NIV)

 

John 3:16-18

16         "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

17         For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

18         Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.  (NIV)

 

1 Tim 4:16

16         Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.  (NIV)

 

Gal 1:8-9

8          But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned!

9          As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!  (NIV)

 

II Th 2:9-12

9          The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders,

10         and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.

11         For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie

12         and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness. (NIV)

 

Rev 22:14-15

14         "Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city.

15         Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.  (NIV)

 

 

Eclecticism

Eclecticism is a person believing bits and pieces of whatever you like from sources other than the Bible, whether the sources contradict the bible or not.  The New Age lie is that there is so much truth out there, that: Who’s to say which is the real thing?  The bible is not the authoritative standard of the one truth for New Age practitioners.  However, it is a very popular “spiritual book”. 

 

I Jn 4:1-6

1          Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

2          This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God,

3          but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.

4          You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.

5          They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them.

6          We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood.  (NIV)

 

2 Cor 11:3-4

3          But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent's cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.

4          For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough.  (NIV)

 

John 8:51

51         I tell you the truth, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death."  (NIV)

 

1 Cor 15:1-2

1          Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand.

2          By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.  (NIV)

 

Many believe that New Age philosophies are “extra” biblical, and that all truth comes from God.  This idea is called eclecticism.  Most educated westerners are New Age, although they may call themselves Christian.  This document exposes New Age philosophies as anti-biblical.  A Christian must pick between New Age and Christianity.  There is no middle ground because these religious systems are mutually exclusive. 

 

 

Monism

If you are God, you won’t die!

Even though God scattered the language of the Babylonians to prevent globalism, the city of Babylon continued through the centuries, according to David Jeremiah’s ten-part series on the New Age Movement.  God judged the Babylonians at least on 3 different occasions due to their new age philosophies:

  1. you will not surely die.
  2. you will be like God:  Monism- “all is one”/ I am one with everything-including God.
  3. Spiritism.

 

In Gen 11:1-9 God scattered them that built the tower of Babel, but Babylon reappears numerous times in the scriptures.  In Isa 47:5-15, the daughters of Babylon claim 'I am, and there is none besides me.'  This “You will be like God” theology is often masked in such an “all is one” New-Age statement.  In other words, they are saying “God is not separate from me”—which is essentially saying that they are God.

 

Isa 47:5-15

5          "Sit in silence, go into darkness, Daughter of the Babylonians; no more will you be called queen of kingdoms.

6          I was angry with my people and desecrated my inheritance; I gave them into your hand, and you showed them no mercy. Even on the aged you laid a very heavy yoke.

7          You said, 'I will continue forever-- the eternal queen!' But you did not consider these things or reflect on what might happen.

8          "Now then, listen, you wanton creature, lounging in your security and saying to yourself, 'I am, and there is none besides me. I will never be a widow or suffer the loss of children.'

9          Both of these will overtake you in a moment, on a single day: loss of children and widowhood. They will come upon you in full measure, in spite of your many sorceries and all your potent spells.

10         You have trusted in your wickedness and have said, 'No one sees me.' Your wisdom and knowledge mislead you when you say to yourself, 'I am, and there is none besides me.'

11         Disaster will come upon you, and you will not know how to conjure it away. A calamity will fall upon you that you cannot ward off with a ransom; a catastrophe you cannot foresee will suddenly come upon you.

12         "Keep on, then, with your magic spells and with your many sorceries, which you have labored at since childhood. Perhaps you will succeed, perhaps you will cause terror.

13         All the counsel you have received has only worn you out! Let your astrologers come forward, those stargazers who make predictions month by month, let them save you from what is coming upon you.

14         Surely they are like stubble; the fire will burn them up. They cannot even save themselves from the power of the flame. Here are no coals to warm anyone; here is no fire to sit by.

15         That is all they can do for you-- these you have labored with and trafficked with since childhood. Each of them goes on in his error; there is not one that can save you.  (NIV)

 

You are not God

A monist may or may not say “I am God”.  However, since all is one, they are as much God as God is.  This New Age idea is not a new idea.  I don’t honestly know whether the Babylonians pre-date the Hindu Vedic writings, but my guess is that they do.  They definitely pre-date the monistic teachings of Buddhism.  However, Hinduism (including Buddhism) is the most similar religion to the New Age religion because of it’s tolerance of multiple truths--relativism.  The New Age movement is basically Hinduism minus holiness. It is growing more popular among Westerners because you get to be God (in control), and make your own rules.  This New-Age idea actually predates Indian religion (Hinduism) and human history, however.  In fact, the Devil was the first to have this idea.

 

Isa 14:12-14

12         How you have fallen from heaven, O morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations!

13         You said in your heart, "I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain.

14         I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High."  (NIV)

 

According to many commentators, this King of Tyre is known to represent Satan, and this passage further explains that his desire to be as God was his doom:

Ezek 28:1-18

1          The word of the LORD came to me:

2          "Son of man, say to the ruler of Tyre, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: "'In the pride of your heart you say, "I am a god; I sit on the throne of a god in the heart of the seas." But you are a man and not a god, though you think you are as wise as a god.

3          Are you wiser than Daniel? Is no secret hidden from you?

4          By your wisdom and understanding you have gained wealth for yourself and amassed gold and silver in your treasuries.

5          By your great skill in trading you have increased your wealth, and because of your wealth your heart has grown proud.

6          "'Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: "'Because you think you are wise, as wise as a god,

7          I am going to bring foreigners against you, the most ruthless of nations; they will draw their swords against your beauty and wisdom and pierce your shining splendor.

8          They will bring you down to the pit, and you will die a violent death in the heart of the seas.

9          Will you then say, "I am a god," in the presence of those who kill you? You will be but a man, not a god, in the hands of those who slay you.

10         You will die the death of the uncircumcised at the hands of foreigners. I have spoken, declares the Sovereign LORD.'"

11         The word of the LORD came to me:

12         "Son of man, take up a lament concerning the king of Tyre and say to him: 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: "'You were the model of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.

13         You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone adorned you: ruby, topaz and emerald, chrysolite, onyx and jasper, sapphire, turquoise and beryl. Your settings and mountings were made of gold; on the day you were created they were prepared.

14         You were anointed as a guardian cherub, for so I ordained you. You were on the holy mount of God; you walked among the fiery stones.

15         You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created till wickedness was found in you.

16         Through your widespread trade you were filled with violence, and you sinned. So I drove you in disgrace from the mount of God, and I expelled you, O guardian cherub, from among the fiery stones.

17         Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor. So I threw you to the earth; I made a spectacle of you before kings.

18         By your many sins and dishonest trade you have desecrated your sanctuaries. So I made a fire come out from you, and it consumed you, and I reduced you to ashes on the ground in the sight of all who were watching.  (NIV)

 

This one passage contains many of the elements of the New Age movement that I will explain throughout this document. 

  1. I am God
  2. I am like God
  3. I will not die
  4. v. 16: widespread trade- the economic aspect of Globalism.

 

Notice the reference above to the garden of Eden?  Satan was a proponent of sharing his “you are God” idea early in human history, as he introduced the New Age movement to humans right away:

 

Gen 3:2-5

2          The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,

3          but God did say, 'You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.'"

4          "You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman.

5          "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."  (NIV)

 

Satan’s old New Age lie

Satan tries to deceive humans with the following reasoning:  “If you are God, then you won’t die. Don’t worry about God and His warnings that disobeying Him will kill you”.  Does this sound hard to believe?  Well, it is hard to believe for most people.  However, the devil wants us to believe that we are God, to keep us from knowing Him.  So, he improves the packaging of the idea:

  1. You will not die
  2. You will be like God

He can also improve the packaging more than this.  He can even use Christian packaging. 

17.  "Are you ready for some real revelation knowledge....you are god" (Benny Hinn, "Our Position In Christ", tape # AO31190-1)

Benny Hinn pretty much quoted Satan (and Shirley McLane) with the “you are God” statement. 

 

You are not like God.  Also, God is not a tool to get what your flesh desires.  He is also not the same as you.  You are not God!  Your desires and His will often be at odds.  What is your cross to bear?  Your cross is when your will crosses God’s.

 

Matt 16:24-26

24         Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

25         For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.

 

You will die. 

Either you will die to the flesh and live through the Spirit, or end up in Hell (Rev. 21:8).  Losing your life is dying. If you do not lose your life, you will not find true life in Christ.

 

1 Cor 15:31

31         I die every day-- I mean that, brothers-- just as surely as I glory over you in Christ Jesus our Lord.  (NIV)

 

Col 3:5

5          Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.  (NIV)

 

1 Pet 2:19-24

19 For it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God.

20 But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God.

21 To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.

22            "He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth."

23 When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.

24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.  (NIV)

 

You are not like God

 

Isa 55:8-9

8          "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD.

9          "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.  (NIV)

 

Have you heard people say, “He will give you the desires of your heart”?  Many quote part of the following passage without regard to its immediate context. 

 

Ps 37:3-5

3          Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.

4          Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.

5          Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this:  (NIV)

 

This promise is for those who trust in the Lord behaviorally by doing good (v3).  Their desires are different from those of most people, since they are on the narrow road (Matthew 7:14)—the committed way.  What part of their life is committed?  The whole thing—their way—is committed to God:  All their time, money, effort, decisions, is committed to God.  They delight in the Lord Himself.  He is the desire of their heart.  They desire the things that come from Him, not the things of this world.  He gives their new heart only godly desires. 

 

Ezek 18:30-32

30         "Therefore, O house of Israel, I will judge you, each one according to his ways, declares the Sovereign LORD. Repent! Turn away from all your offenses; then sin will not be your downfall.

31         Rid yourselves of all the offenses you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit. Why will you die, O house of Israel?

32         For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign LORD. Repent and live!  (NIV)

 

Ezek 36:26-27

26         I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.

27         And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.  (NIV)

 

Relativism

 

John 18:33-37

33         Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, "Are you the king of the Jews?"

34         "Is that your own idea," Jesus asked, "or did others talk to you about me?"

35         "Am I a Jew?" Pilate replied. "It was your people and your chief priests who handed you over to me. What is it you have done?"

36         Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place."

37         "You are a king, then!" said Pilate. Jesus answered, "You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me."  38            "What is truth?" Pilate asked. With this he went out again to the Jews and said, "I find no basis for a charge against him.  (NIV)

 

What is Truth?

Pilate’s question reveals another important corollary of the New Age:  What is truth when everyone is equally God?  Who decides what truth is?  Naturally, it is all truth!  The drama of Christ’s judgment shows us much about God’s purpose in allowing the Devil to deceive people and test their worthiness.

 

Luke 20:35-36

35         But those who are considered worthy of taking part in that age and in the resurrection from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage,

36         and they can no longer die; for they are like the angels. They are God's children, since they are children of the resurrection.  (NIV)

 

Pilate was not worthy.  He did “not take his cross and” follow Jesus. 

Matt 10:38-39

38         and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.

39         Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.  (NIV)

 

Like most New Agers, he was not “against Jesus”.  He believed his wife’s dream, and tried to release Him.  He even symbolically washed his hands of His blood before the Jewish leaders.  However, as Jesus says in Matt 12:30, "He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters.  (NIV)

 

This passage above (John 18:33-37) shows how “good people” do a terrible thing by refusing to gather with Christ.  New Ager’s unwillingness to accept the Bible as THE truth for ALL seems like a “harmless sin”:  It does not seem to be hurting anybody—in fact, it seems more polite and tolerant towards different perceptions of truth.  However, it is the very sin that crucified Christ.  In that same way, New Agers unbelief in Christ’s one truth is a sin that separates them eternally from God.  Even though Christ paid for that very sin on the cross, they just keep hammering those nails in His hands through their unbelief.  Unbelief is denial of Christ.  If you really believe on Christ, you will follow Him. 

 

John 8:23-24

23         But he continued, "You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world.

24         I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am, you will indeed die in your sins."  (NIV)

 

Hey-I’m not Anti-Christ!

People usually think of THE Antichrist as the one guy who will unite and lead the world system of Babylon to its end as cited in Revelation 18 above.  We don’t know who he is yet, but we know that the “spirit of the antichrist’ (I Jn 4:2-6) is at work in the world-through many different worldly people.  1 John 2:18 tells us “..as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come.”  

 

I Jn 4:2-6

2          This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God,

3          but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.

 

Did Pilate acknowledge Jesus?  Well, he did not want to crucify Him.  He respected and feared him to an extent.  The world, who’s God is the spirit of antichrist, denies the identity that He claims.  They do not believe that Jesus is God incarnate.  In fact, I asked a Hindu friend of mine for fun if he believed that “Jesus Christ has come in the flesh”.  He said no.  I was surprised that he correctly discerned the meaning of my question—Did the Spirit of the one true God come in the flesh as the man Jesus Christ?

 

Why does the spirit of antichrist deny that Jesus came in the flesh?  The New Age idea that Jesus was a mere man originated during the writing of the Gospels, according to Joe Schimmel.  He states that a first-century false teacher named Serenthis taught that Jesus was not born in the flesh-that instead his Christ-hood came from His self-realization of his own God-hood.  Much in the same way, many New-Agers believe that Christ was not born fully God and fully man but that Christ consciousness came upon a mere man named Jesus. This could possibly occur to any other mere man.  After all, we are all like God--the reasoning goes.

 

In fact, in keeping with the Babylonian pantheistic idea (Isa 47:5-15) that "I am and there is none beside me", you are God! All is one--there is no personal God separate from His creation.  God is not Holy and separate, instead, He is in everything, and everyone. That means that He is in Hitler, Manson, and every other unregenerate Christ-rejecting God-hater. While this pantheism seems like silly piece of ancient religious history to most of us, it is gaining popularity in the West—through the New Age movement.  Check out this survey research presented at http://www.barna.org/cgi-bin/PageCategory.asp?CategoryID=2

 

The god of the New Age--the god of this world

Pilate may not have known that he was anti-Christ.  He had nothing against Christ, he was simply unwilling to sacrifice everything for His sake.  This is anti-Christ though.  Furthermore, by default, he was against Christ—because he was of the world.  Notice what these passages say about the world:

 

I Jn 5:19

19         We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.  (NIV)

 

Rev 12:9

9          The great dragon was hurled down-- that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.  (NIV)

 

I Jn 4:2-6

2          This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God,

3          but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.

4          You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.

5          They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them.

6          We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood.  (NIV)

 

Since the New Age movement has gained popular acceptance in the popular media (see http://www.goodfight.org/ for compelling a/v resources on this topic), new age authors (many of whom claim that their writings were channeled or auto-written by spirits) can afford to be more upfront with their demonic message:

' Lucifer comes to give to us the final gift of wholeness.  If we accept it then he is free and we are free.  That is the Luciferic initiation.  It is one that many people now, and in the days ahead, will be facing, for it is an initiation into the New Age.'                                                                             David Spangler, Reflections on the Christ, 1981, Pg. 45.

 

Matriarchy &Greed

I cover the correlation between greed and the New Age extensively in my 30 something page paper entitled “The New Age Prosperity Gospel”.  The aim of this document is to introduce the New Age movement from a Biblical perspective.  So I will simply leave you with some biblical descriptions of the effect that New Age beliefs can have on society and individuals. 

 

Isa 3:12-24

12         Youths oppress my people, women rule over them. O my people, your guides lead you astray; they turn you from the path.

13         The LORD takes his place in court; he rises to judge the people.

14         The LORD enters into judgment against the elders and leaders of his people: "It is you who have ruined my vineyard; the plunder from the poor is in your houses.

15         What do you mean by crushing my people and grinding the faces of the poor?" declares the Lord, the LORD Almighty.

16         The LORD says, "The women of Zion are haughty, walking along with outstretched necks, flirting with their eyes, tripping along with mincing steps, with ornaments jingling on their ankles.

17         Therefore the Lord will bring sores on the heads of the women of Zion; the LORD will make their scalps bald."

18         In that day the Lord will snatch away their finery: the bangles and headbands and crescent necklaces,

19         the earrings and bracelets and veils,

20         the headdresses and ankle chains and sashes, the perfume bottles and charms,

21         the signet rings and nose rings,

22         the fine robes and the capes and cloaks, the purses

23         and mirrors, and the linen garments and tiaras and shawls.

24         Instead of fragrance there will be a stench; instead of a sash, a rope; instead of well-dressed hair, baldness; instead of fine clothing, sackcloth; instead of beauty, branding.  (NIV)

 

Does this sound familiar?  While I wish it was alien to modern culture, or Church culture, it is not.  Women use provocative clothing and accessories to entice men/boys into a relationship where they control the man, or “rule over them”.  This is the direct opposite of God’s pronouncement in Gen:

 

Genesis 3:16
To the woman he said, "I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you."
(Whole Chapter: Genesis 3 In context: Genesis 3:15-17)

 

To find out more about the fulfillment of this scripture (Isa 3:12-24) in our day, as it relates to popular music redefining gender roles, modesty, and other aspects of popular culture, check out http://www.goodfight.org/.

 

 

 

 

Conclusion

The New Age Gospel is broad, eclectic, and difficult to define and evaluate.  This contrasts with biblical thought which is narrow, mono-cultural (Jewish), internally consistent, unified, finite, and testable. 

 

Deuteronomy 4:34-36  (NIV)

Has any god ever tried to take for himself one nation out of another nation, by testings, by miraculous signs and wonders, by war, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, or by great and awesome deeds, like all the things the LORD your God did for you in Egypt before your very eyes?

You were shown these things so that you might know that the LORD is God; besides him there is no other.  From heaven he made you hear his voice to discipline you. On earth he showed you his great fire, and you heard his words from out of the fire.

 

2 Pet 1:20-21

20 Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation.

21 For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. (NIV)

 

1 Thessalonians 5
20do not treat prophecies with contempt. 21Test everything. Hold on to the good. 22Avoid every kind of evil.

 

Acts 17:11

11Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.

 

This document could be useful to a Christian who is or has been influenced by New Age thought according to Acts 17:11:  They can examine the scriptures herein to see if these 5 main New Age philosophies are true. Thousands of other New Age philosophies or theologies have their root in these 5 ideas. 

 

For Christians like me, who come from a New Age background, it is easy to spot traces of New Age thinking in the Church.  For many however, it is difficult to grasp the above concepts at all.  That is why I do not explain these New Age philosophies/theologies at length.  I only show the scriptures that expose and refute them. You could spend your whole lifetime studying New Age thought.  It would be better to study God’s thought.

 

2 John 1
9   Anyone who goes too far and (1) does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God; the one who abides in the teaching, he has both the Father and the Son.

 

1 Tim 4:7           Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives' tales; rather, train yourself to be godly.  (NIV)

 

2 Timothy 3 16-17

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

 

This means that there is no spiritual truth outside of scripture that you need to concern yourself with. God’s word is adequate in equipping you for every good work. 

 

 

 

 

 

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