Spiritual Deception of the New Age

We are seeing the words of Scripture play out in living color before our very eyes every single day now, though the unsaved world can not comprehend it.  With all we have to contend with, it’s easy for us to get distracted, focusing on the things we see in this physical world every day, and forgetting about the invisible, spiritual world all around us.  But this is where the REAL war is actually being waged.

The abominations we SEE on this earth are actually just the manifestations of intense warfare being played out in the spiritual realm.  Ephesians 6 tells us, “We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but…against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”  There is a whole SPIRITUAL WORLD “out there” that we do not see while we live in these earthly bodies, yet it is as just as real as the ground we walk on.  And these “spiritual forces of evil” are working overtime against all of us.  Peter warns us to be aware of this.  “Be alert and of sober mind.  Your enemy, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.”

Scripture tells us that these last days will be times of great deception and delusion.  People will have seared consciences and reprobate minds — they will be unable to think or discern truth any longer, because they have chosen  — get this:  they have CHOSEN to deny God!

You may think that “all” I do is publish a Christian newspaper, and broadcast a Christian commentary program on the radio.  I won’t go into ALL I do, but part of my work includes taking and responding to prayer requests that we receive here by mail, email, telephone and through our website.  We get a lot of prayer requests, we always have.  But now increasingly, the prayer requests are for matters pertaining to spiritual warfare, demonic attack, loved ones denying God, following strange religions, cults and demonic deception.  There is a pattern to this and it is increasing at an alarming, exponential pace.

I’d like to share some of these prayer requests with you here.  I am not giving any names or betraying any trust here, but I want to share some examples of what I’m talking about.  This first one came from a concerned mother and grandmother in Minnesota:  “Please pray for my son and his son.  Please pray against witchcraft attacks through the birth mother of my grandson.  There has been intense spiritual warfare over my grandson since he was born 15 years ago.  His mother is heavily into the occult.”

From a young woman in Wisconsin:  “Please pray for me.  I grew up going to church but for the past ten years I have been studying a lot of different religions, mainly practicing Wicca for the last few years.  Recently I have been reading your newspaper and the Bible and have had intense mental anguish over all this.  I feel like the devil is pulling at me with a dark presence I can’t explain.”

From a man in South Dakota:  “My wife and I were married in a Christian church ten years ago, but we haven’t been following God for most of our marriage.  I’ve been more serious than she has, and now I just really feel like I need to get right with God again and I wish we could do this together.   My wife has been into New Age stuff for a while now,  like earth worship and native American spirits, and she has gotten more and more hostile to Christianity.  She says if I want to be a Christian that’s fine, but Christianity doesn’t ‘work’ for her, and she is happy doing her own thing.  But the closer I get to God, the meaner she gets toward me.  I even have to hide just to read my Bible if I don’t want a fight…”

The great spiritual battle rages on:  it is God, our Creator versus Satan, the deceiver.  Where did it all start?   Satan rebelled against God by refusing to worship Him, and by demanding to be worshiped himself.   God cast him out and so now he seeks revenge.  His greatest revenge is achieved by destroying the lives and souls of God’s precious children — you and me.  He preys on the ignorant, the weak and vulnerable.  He lies, he tempts and he leads his victims to eternal damnation.  The worst thing anyone could ever do to me would be to hurt one of my kids.  Surely any loving parent would feel the same.   How much more must our Heavenly Father be crushed when His own dear children are led astray and slaughtered.

Now, if you don’t know God and understand Scripture, I’m sure this sounds as ridiculous, as primitive and superstitious as tales of Greek mythology.  But I assure you, the story is true.  And frighteningly real.  In our human arrogance, we think we have “evolved,” that our intellect has expanded and our knowledge increased.  We think we understand things now, because we’ve opened our minds to an amazing “universal consciousness,” through the teachings of the New Age.

Of course, most everyone believes in a Creator, a higher power.  The true atheist is rare, indeed.  But those who practice “New Age Spirituality” believe that all paths lead to God.  Like the spokes of a wheel, leading to a central point.  All peoples of the earth have their own traditions, their own understandings of who God is.  God reveals Himself to all of us in many different, but “loving” ways, and it is our job to find, and then embrace the path that “works” for us, …accepting that all people are given their own special path to God, the ‘Great Spirit’  — and each one is equally valid and true.

Do not judge anyone by the path they choose, because we are all “one,” we are all on this journey together, and regardless of how we choose to get there, we will all eventually take our own personal path and arrive at the center of the “wheel,” as long as we embrace this journey with love.  We will all find God in our own way, and that’s ok.

Have you heard this before?  These are the modern teachings of the “New Age.”  This “New Age” spirituality manifests in many ways and goes by many names…  but the root of all these false teachings is the same:  Lucifer, Satan, the devil.  Now, I am sure that statement sounds terribly narrow minded and exceedingly arrogant.  But please, if you are as open minded and loving as you claim to be, my enlightened New Age friends, I challenge you to hear me out.

Many New Agers delight to find some secret knowledge, perhaps even “ancient” wisdom that the world has long forgotten.  Perhaps ancient wisdom that has been suppressed by self-serving religious leaders (namely Christians) who have hidden this knowledge away to maintain their own power over the people.   Now, New Agers revere all sorts of writings and books, and often the older a book of knowledge is, the better.  Yet they will recoil at the thought of reading God’s Holy Word, the Bible, which, ironically, has been proven beyond the shadow of a doubt, to be the most reliable work of antiquity the world has ever seen.   Friends, know this: just because the Bible is freely available and not some “secret, hidden thing” does not mean it is not true.  It simply means that no matter how much Satan and evil men through the centuries have tried to destroy it, it is still here.  Miraculously and lovingly preserved by God for all generations, so we can know Him in a personal way, …if we really want to.

The first incidence of Lucifer deceiving mankind was in the Garden of Eden.  There, he approached Eve, the first woman, when her husband was not around.  This is significant.  I am not being a “male chauvinist” when I say that God’s plan for a man included protecting and defending his wife.  Not because women are stupider or more incompetent than men.  Because Satan specifically targets women for abuse and deception.  He goes after them deliberately and intensely because he hates women.  Why?  Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that God’s Son, Jesus Christ, would be born of a woman.  Scripture tells us that there is enmity between Satan and women.  He hates them intensely and he targets them directly.

The first thing Lucifer did to deceive mankind was to get Eve to question and doubt God.  The lure was the promise of becoming “like God” with great knowledge and wisdom.  This is the same lie that is told today in the form of “New Age Spirituality” — some forms of this religion even promise that you can become your own god when you evolve high enough spiritually and are reincarnated enough times.

Ever wonder why, in our culture today, it is “cool” to talk about all kinds of religion and spirituality — EXCEPT Jesus?  The daytime talk shows are replete with pagan spirituality.  Wicca, Transcendental Meditation, Yoga, Gaia worship, along with channeling, reincarnation, shamanism, occultism.  Anything goes.  EXCEPT Jesus.  And if they DO speak of Jesus, I guarantee it will be by a teacher or author with some “new” concept of God and Christ that goes directly AGAINST the teachings of Scripture.  They will claim to have some profound new way of looking at God, some brilliant new enlightened insight, but it is a lie.  You see, God doesn’t change, and Satan doesn’t care which god you worship, as long as it isn’t the real one.

The Bible tells us in 2nd Timothy that these false teachers will go after women specifically, just as Satan does.  In Chapter 3, Verses 6 & 7 we have this:  “They…worm their way into homes and gain control over gullible women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth.”  Once again, I am not bashing women here, nor is God’s word.  But it is significant that Oprah, Ellen and other shows of this nature are watched mostly by women.  And the content of these shows is often glorifying of New Age, false spirituality, NEVER true Christianity.  This is by design.  Because Satan hates women and he targets them purposely.  These women love this stuff, and if you are one of them, I dare say you find my message today particularly offensive and possibly even cruel.  But just as the Scripture tells us, you love studying these alternative spiritual practices, don’t you?  They challenge your mind and excite you.  You find it fascinating.   You can’t get enough.  But read the Scripture again:  These false teachers have wormed their way into your home;  they have gained control over your thoughts and your mind so that you will reject the God of the Bible and believe it is really YOUR idea, making your own choice;  just as the Scripture says, you are “always learning, but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth.”   In short, biblical Christianity “doesn’t work” for you.  You don’t get it.

Another great lie of the devil is that “all you need is love.”  If your “spiritual path” is done in love, then it is peaceful, good, pure and right, and all such beautiful paths will take you ultimately to God.  But this is contrary to the Bible.   What did Jesus say?  “I am the way, the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father, except by Me.”  Since both concepts cannot be right, one must be wrong.  The seeker sees two options:  all paths are equally valid as long as they are loving.  Except the Christian path, which is arrogant.  Result:  reject the Christian path… it is not loving or inclusive.  Satan is big on counterfeit love.  Currently, he is having a field day with the deception that “love is love” and that marriage can even be between two men or two women if that’s what you want; after all, if no one is hurt by it, why not?

This is another satanic deception.  The theme of the Wiccan religion is:  “if it hurts no one, do what you will.”  Many of those practicing paganism and Wicca believe they are operating in love and benevolence.  They see themselves as “good” witches, practicing “white” witchcraft.  They really believe and embrace the freedom of, “if it hurt no one, do what you will.”

But have you heard of Aleister Crowley?  He is one of the most famous satanists in history, and the author of the satanic “Book of the Law.”  He channelled the book while on a trip to Egypt with his wife in 1904.  While in a trance, he was given the words by a mysterious spirit who said, “I am the snake that giveth knowledge.  To worship me, take wine and strange drugs whereof I will tell my prophet (Crowley)… and ‘Do what thou wilt’ shall be the whole of the law…”

And so here is the serpent, the snake, Lucifer, Satan admitting who he is.  He comes promising to give knowledge.  His succinct message:   “Do what thou wilt.”  To the Wiccans he says, “If it hurt no one, do what you will.”  To Eve he said, “Did God really say…?”  “You won’t surely die; for God knows that when you eat of it, your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

Satan is still promising to give knowledge and wisdom.  He is still promising you can do as you please, that all paths lead to the same promise of god, and he even cloaks his demonic claws in a disguise of love.  Scripture tells us he appears to us as an angel of light, so that we will believe him.  If you’re caught up in strange spirituality that goes contrary to the Word of God, I challenge you to think on these things today.  There is so much more to learn on this subject, and I will continue this teaching next time.  Meanwhile, please, consider this:  If what you THOUGHT you knew about your spirituality turned out to be WRONG, WHEN would you like to know?

Audio versions and transcripts of this message are available when you call me at Wisconsin Christian News, (715) 486-8066.  Or email [email protected].  Ask for message number 152.

This article is printed with the permission of the author(s). Opinions expressed herein are the sole responsibility of the article’s author(s), or of the person(s) or organization(s) quoted therein, and do not necessarily represent those of American Clarion or Dakota Voice LLC.

Comment Rules: Please confine comments to salient ones that add to the topic; Profanity is not allowed and will be deleted; Spam, copied statements and other material not comprised of the reader’s own opinion will be deleted.

Rob is the founder and publisher of Wisconsin Christian News, a regional Christian newspaper. While the main distribution of the paper is Wisconsin-based, WCN also has subscribers in nearly all fifty states.  He writes a monthly commentary for WCN, and can also be heard twice weekly, (Tuesdays and Saturdays) nationwide on the VCY America Radio Network, with his “From the Editor’s Desk” commentaries.  Rob’s messages offer unique teaching and insights from God’s word, dealing with the most important issues of our day.

Rob Pue

View all articles by Rob Pue