THE SPIRITUAL BATTLE – 51 The New Age Movement

“4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: 5 for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:4-5, KJV).

Loved ones, for those of us who recall above that first Satanic lie ("Ye shall not surely die…and ye shall be as gods..."), the world around us today can be scary. In our Spiritual Battle with evil there is a growing army of "New Agers" preaching the doctrine that “man is God.” This lies at the very heart of what they call the "Perennial Philosophy" (see Aldous Huxley’s book by that title).

It gets even scarier. Listen to a leading high priestess of the New Age Movement. "Because life does not have a purpose per se, you are free to assign it one at will... (You are the all and the everything and you cannot oppose yourself.) In this as in all things, your will is God's will and Thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven" (Terry Cole Whittaker).

This, then, is the glorious gospel of the new "Aquarian Age;" the good news that man, having realized that he is God, will usher in the golden age of peace, harmony and joy, forever freed of the ugly shackles of the "Gospel Age" with all its talk of "sin," the "curse," and the need for "atonement."

Now there's really nothing new about the basic tenets of the so-called "New Age Movement," but this hodge-podge of paganism, Satanism, mysticism, and naturalism has become enormously popular in the West as men have fled from the sterile "God Is Dead!" philosophy.

Unbeknown to many, but man's Creator has “put eternity in their hearts…” (Ecclesiastes 3:10), and thus, it lies in his (man's) nature not to be contented with the temporal. In fact, the impulse of man shows that his innermost wants cannot be satisfied by that which is temporal.

Sadly, in a reaction to the dead, barren, Godless philosophies spawned by evolution, an increasing number of men and women in the West have embraced a potpourri of Eastern mysticism, spiritualism and the like, rather than turning to the one, true God, Jehovah in whom "we live, and move, and have our being" (Acts 17:28).

The "good news" of the Aquarian gospel (that man is God) is of course a blasphemous, soul threatening form of pantheism. Pantheism is “the belief that God and the universe are identical, meaning God is everything and everything is God… there is nothing but God; he is not only sole cause but entire effect; he is all in all.”

Thus, pantheism contradicts the affirmations of our moral and religious natures by denying man's freedom and responsibility; by making God to include in Himself all evil as well as all good. Double blasphemy! Not only is man God, but God is a composite of good and evil!

Now because "New Agers" use terms like "the resurrection" and "the second coming," and speak of "God" and "Christ," many Bible believers have been fooled into thinking that the Christian disciples of Jesus and members of this occult movement share common ground. This is certainly not the case.

Man is not God! He is a creature whose role is to, “Fear God, and keep His commandments…” (Ecclesiastes 12:13). God made all things, including man (Genesis 1:1ff; Psalm 8:1ff; Colossians 1:15ff).

With a heart filled with love, man should, “9 …Give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever, 10 …and worship him that liveth for ever and ever …saying, 11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created. Worship, and adore the Creator” (Revelation 4:9-11).

While God does not change (Malachi 3:6), the created realm is subject to decay and dissolution (Romans 8). Nor is God a composite of good and evil. Completely holy (Leviticus 19:2; 1 Peter 1:16), He is incapable of lying or behaving in any false way (Titus 1:2; Hebrews 6:18; 1 John 1:5).

Sadly the “Age of Aquarius” is not the dawn of a new golden age, but the same old satanic lie wearing new garments. Through the free gift of God’s grace by Jesus’ blood (Ephesians 2:8; Revelation 1:5) and your obedient faith (Romans 1:5; 10:17; 16:26), salvation is offered.

Shared with you by Samuel A. Matthews, preaching with the Liberty NW church of Christ, meeting in Portland, Oregon, USA. The God of Heaven and Earth is so good, and His love reaches all. He is in control, so trust Him. We love you with the love of the Lord (John 13:34-35).