FIVE SATANIC DECEPTIONS
DESIGNED FOR THE END-TIMES (Part II)
Since Satan is keenly aware that these are the end-times (the last days prior to the return of Christ), he has intensified his efforts to distort and subvert the teachings of the gospel and to replace them with humanistic and allegedly rational systems of thought. The Apostle Paul’s pastoral epistle to Timothy issues a strong and urgent warning “that in the last days perilous times shall come.” It is a remarkably accurate and prophetic description of contemporary society and, admittedly, of today’s institutional church:
II Timothy 3:1-5
1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
4 Traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
It is important to make a clear-cut distinction between the INSTITUTIONAL CHURCH, i.e. the DRAGNET described by Jesus Christ in Matthew 13:47-48 which gathers all kinds for ultimate judgment and separation, vis-à-vis the INVISIBLE CHURCH, which is comprised of genuine born-again believers. Modern critics of the church typically focus on the INSTITUTIONAL church, which is inherently human and subject to error, vis-à-vis the INVISIBLE church, which is fully redeemed through the sacrificial atonement of Christ and continually purified by His Word. (Ephesians 5:25-27) The apparent flaws and failures of human beings (and the institutional churches they occupy) become easy and disingenuous targets for those who would reject the gospel of Jesus Christ. And Satan gets maximum mileage out of these attacks in support of his argument for a more ‘reasonable’ and ‘realistic’ approach to faith. Paul confirms this truth: “The god of this world has blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.” (II Corinthians 4:4)
Such powerful satanic deceptions form the philosophical platform and framework for the NEW AGE MOVEMENT. Please take careful note of this: THE NEW AGE MOVEMENT IS THE NUMBER ONE SATANIC DECEPTION DESIGNED FOR THE END-TIMES. Dictionary.com defines “New Age” as follows: “of or pertaining to a movement espousing a broad range of philosophies and practices traditionally viewed as occult, metaphysical, or paranormal.” The Word of God contains compelling warnings against such humanistic and satanic systems of thought. The following scripture reference is so important that four translations are provided below for your prayerful consideration:
Colossians 2:8 (King James Version)
Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.
Colossians 2:8 (New King James Version)
Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.
Colossians 2:8 (New International Version)
See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.
Colossians 2:8 (New Living Translation)
Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ.
Here’s the thing. While humanistic philosophies ‘sound’ so nice, i.e. so open-minded, so rooted in common-sense and so inclusive of diverse persons and viewpoints, they are actually tantamount to satanic deception. It is of critical importance to recognize that the New Age Movement constitutes PRELIMINARY PREPARATION FOR THE ONE-WORLD GOVERNMENT AND ONE-WORLD RELIGION to be ushered in (during the Tribulation Period) by the antichrist and the false prophet. (Revelation 13:1-18)
The Jeremiah Project cites seven major teachings of the New Age. We will list these errors today, and elaborate more as this series progresses. [http://www.jeremiahproject.com/prophecy/newage01.html] For now, carefully consider their overall meaning and implications for our time.
SEVEN MAJOR TEACHINGS OF THE NEW AGE MOVEMENT
1. Jesus was not and is not the only Christ, nor is he God.
2. God is impersonal and cosmic, a God of energy forces.
3. Man, himself, is God, for he consists of and is the creator of the forces. Man already holds the powers inherent in his divinity and needs only to awaken to this fact.
4. Man should seek and accept spiritual instruction and direction directly from the spirit world.
5. All religions and religious teachings lead to the same goal. All are equally of merit.
6. The ancient wisdom of Babylon, Egypt and Greece - not the Bible - is the basis of all truth.
7. Sin and evil do not exist. Peace and love are the ultimate realities.
At its core, the New Age Movement represents a blatant denial of the Word’s most foundational revelation, that God-in-Christ manifested Himself to redeem and restore fallen humanity. (II Corinthians 4:6 and 5:19) Thus, it minimizes the power of God and marginalizes His Word by substituting HUMAN REASON in place of the expressed perfect WILL OF GOD.
Recently, I had a fascinating conversation with a professed Christian who insists that he wants to have “A REASONABLE FAITH.” Consider that phrase very carefully, and you will discover that it is an oxymoron. The Word informs us that “THE CARNAL MIND IS ENMITY AGAINST GOD; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.” (Romans 8:7) There can be no doubt; the natural mind IS the enemy of God! In no way does this scripture suggest that God wants us to be ‘spiritual air-heads’ who lack the ability to think or reason. NO. He gave us our minds as a vital vehicle for THINKING and ACHIEVING. So, the logical question is this: “Thinking and achieving WHAT?” The answer is quite simple: “Thinking and achieving...our divine purpose and destiny.” WE NEED GOD for this. Bottom-line: Whenever we substitute human intellect or natural reasoning for faith, we become ‘GOD’ in and over our own lives. It’s the premier satanic deception, an exact duplicate of Lucifer’s (Satan’s) tragic and sinful fall from Heaven’s grace and majesty. Lucifer’s signature transgression was the ludicrous THOUGHT that he could somehow be equal to Almighty God.
My friends, let’s not make that same mistake. My personal declaration to the devil is this: “Satan, I refuse to internalize, accept, or act on your flawed system of distorted and humanistic thinking, not matter how hard you try!”
Since Satan is keenly aware that these are the end-times (the last days prior to the return of Christ), he has intensified his efforts to distort and subvert the teachings of the gospel and to replace them with humanistic and allegedly rational systems of thought. The Apostle Paul’s pastoral epistle to Timothy issues a strong and urgent warning “that in the last days perilous times shall come.” It is a remarkably accurate and prophetic description of contemporary society and, admittedly, of today’s institutional church:
II Timothy 3:1-5
1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
4 Traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
It is important to make a clear-cut distinction between the INSTITUTIONAL CHURCH, i.e. the DRAGNET described by Jesus Christ in Matthew 13:47-48 which gathers all kinds for ultimate judgment and separation, vis-à-vis the INVISIBLE CHURCH, which is comprised of genuine born-again believers. Modern critics of the church typically focus on the INSTITUTIONAL church, which is inherently human and subject to error, vis-à-vis the INVISIBLE church, which is fully redeemed through the sacrificial atonement of Christ and continually purified by His Word. (Ephesians 5:25-27) The apparent flaws and failures of human beings (and the institutional churches they occupy) become easy and disingenuous targets for those who would reject the gospel of Jesus Christ. And Satan gets maximum mileage out of these attacks in support of his argument for a more ‘reasonable’ and ‘realistic’ approach to faith. Paul confirms this truth: “The god of this world has blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.” (II Corinthians 4:4)
Such powerful satanic deceptions form the philosophical platform and framework for the NEW AGE MOVEMENT. Please take careful note of this: THE NEW AGE MOVEMENT IS THE NUMBER ONE SATANIC DECEPTION DESIGNED FOR THE END-TIMES. Dictionary.com defines “New Age” as follows: “of or pertaining to a movement espousing a broad range of philosophies and practices traditionally viewed as occult, metaphysical, or paranormal.” The Word of God contains compelling warnings against such humanistic and satanic systems of thought. The following scripture reference is so important that four translations are provided below for your prayerful consideration:
Colossians 2:8 (King James Version)
Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.
Colossians 2:8 (New King James Version)
Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.
Colossians 2:8 (New International Version)
See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.
Colossians 2:8 (New Living Translation)
Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ.
Here’s the thing. While humanistic philosophies ‘sound’ so nice, i.e. so open-minded, so rooted in common-sense and so inclusive of diverse persons and viewpoints, they are actually tantamount to satanic deception. It is of critical importance to recognize that the New Age Movement constitutes PRELIMINARY PREPARATION FOR THE ONE-WORLD GOVERNMENT AND ONE-WORLD RELIGION to be ushered in (during the Tribulation Period) by the antichrist and the false prophet. (Revelation 13:1-18)
The Jeremiah Project cites seven major teachings of the New Age. We will list these errors today, and elaborate more as this series progresses. [http://www.jeremiahproject.com/prophecy/newage01.html] For now, carefully consider their overall meaning and implications for our time.
SEVEN MAJOR TEACHINGS OF THE NEW AGE MOVEMENT
1. Jesus was not and is not the only Christ, nor is he God.
2. God is impersonal and cosmic, a God of energy forces.
3. Man, himself, is God, for he consists of and is the creator of the forces. Man already holds the powers inherent in his divinity and needs only to awaken to this fact.
4. Man should seek and accept spiritual instruction and direction directly from the spirit world.
5. All religions and religious teachings lead to the same goal. All are equally of merit.
6. The ancient wisdom of Babylon, Egypt and Greece - not the Bible - is the basis of all truth.
7. Sin and evil do not exist. Peace and love are the ultimate realities.
At its core, the New Age Movement represents a blatant denial of the Word’s most foundational revelation, that God-in-Christ manifested Himself to redeem and restore fallen humanity. (II Corinthians 4:6 and 5:19) Thus, it minimizes the power of God and marginalizes His Word by substituting HUMAN REASON in place of the expressed perfect WILL OF GOD.
Recently, I had a fascinating conversation with a professed Christian who insists that he wants to have “A REASONABLE FAITH.” Consider that phrase very carefully, and you will discover that it is an oxymoron. The Word informs us that “THE CARNAL MIND IS ENMITY AGAINST GOD; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.” (Romans 8:7) There can be no doubt; the natural mind IS the enemy of God! In no way does this scripture suggest that God wants us to be ‘spiritual air-heads’ who lack the ability to think or reason. NO. He gave us our minds as a vital vehicle for THINKING and ACHIEVING. So, the logical question is this: “Thinking and achieving WHAT?” The answer is quite simple: “Thinking and achieving...our divine purpose and destiny.” WE NEED GOD for this. Bottom-line: Whenever we substitute human intellect or natural reasoning for faith, we become ‘GOD’ in and over our own lives. It’s the premier satanic deception, an exact duplicate of Lucifer’s (Satan’s) tragic and sinful fall from Heaven’s grace and majesty. Lucifer’s signature transgression was the ludicrous THOUGHT that he could somehow be equal to Almighty God.
My friends, let’s not make that same mistake. My personal declaration to the devil is this: “Satan, I refuse to internalize, accept, or act on your flawed system of distorted and humanistic thinking, not matter how hard you try!”
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