New Age Spirituality & The Sons of God :: By Gary Ritter

Published on: June 30, 2019 by RRadmin7 Category:General Articles

 

The New Age movement, i.e. the New Spirituality, isn’t really so new. Its roots go back to antiquity. They weave throughout the Bible. And they manifest in various world religions such as Hinduism and Buddhism. These roots are fascinating and deadly.

In order to see the nature of these roots, we have to look at the Bible in a new way, actually one that is old. It’s all about context. How would ancient Israel, and the nations surrounding her, have understood various concepts that we read in Scripture, but we pass by as throwaway passages because we don’t have the proper context, nor desire to apprehend the supernatural as those in past millennia did?

One of the keys in this approach is found in two passages from Deuteronomy. The first is Deuteronomy 4:15-19, which reads:
“Therefore, watch yourselves very carefully. Since you saw no form on the day that the Lord spoke to you at Horeb out of the midst of the fire, beware lest you act corruptly by making a carved image for yourselves, in the form of any figure, the likeness of male or female, the likeness of any animal that is on the earth, the likeness of any winged bird that flies in the air, the likeness of anything that creeps on the ground, the likeness of any fish that is in the water under the earth. And beware lest you raise your eyes to heaven, and when you see the sun and the moon and the stars, all the host of heaven, you be drawn away and bow down to them and serve them, things that the Lord your God has allotted to all the peoples under the whole heaven.”

The second is Deuteronomy 32:8-9:
“When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance, when he divided mankind, he fixed the borders of the peoples according to the number of the sons of God. But the Lord‘s portion is his people, Jacob his allotted heritage.”

In the Deuteronomy 4 passage, God warns His people Israel not to follow false gods; they are allotted to every other nation except Israel. But we know the story. Israel did exactly the opposite. She bowed down and served the gods of other nations.

The verses in Deuteronomy 32 round this out for us. They say that God placed other nations under the control of other gods. When He did that, however, He called Abraham, who then fathered the nation of Israel that became God’s special people. They would be His heritage, His inheritance. We also know that from them all the nations of the earth would be blessed.

Who are these gods that God the Most High placed over the nations? They are the members of His divine council we see in Psalm 82:1, divine beings He created to be part of His family:
“God stands in the divine assembly; he administers judgment in the midst of the gods.”
In this psalm we gain a clear picture that His divine sons have been corrupt in their administration over the nations. God admonishes them in verses 2-5:
“How long will you judge unjustly
and show favoritism to the wicked? Selah
Judge on behalf of the helpless and the orphan;
provide justice to the afflicted and the poor.
Rescue the helpless and the needy;
deliver them from the hand of the wicked.
They do not know or consider.
They go about in the darkness,
so that all the foundations of the earth are shaken.”

These sons of God, the divine rulers He placed over the nations, became wicked. They harmed mankind in their divine oversight. God is quite displeased; He rebukes them. Then He issues a decree as to their ultimate fate in verses 6-7:
“I said, ‘You are gods, sons of the Most High, all of you; nevertheless, like men you shall die, and fall like any prince.”’

In other words, these divine beings that God entrusted to responsibly do a job for Him failed miserably.  They took the same attitude that we see with Satan in Ezekiel 28 and Isaiah 14. Effectively, through their pride, they decided they could do a better job of “godding” than God. They had free will, just as God created mankind to have. They used it poorly and will suffer the consequences. Though divine, they will die like men.

Ultimately, God will right this wrong. The final verse in Psalm 82, verse 8 gives us that assurance:
“Rise up, O God, judge the earth, because you shall inherit all the nations.”
God will take back the nations from these unjust divine rulers. His plans and purposes will prevail.

All this has been background to my premise. These are the roots. How does this equate with New Age Oneness?

Recall that God had directed mankind twice to go throughout the earth, multiply, subdue, and have dominion. He told Adam this (Genesis 1:28), and we know where that went. He also told Noah this following the flood (Genesis 9:1-2). It’s clear that God intends for mankind to multiply, subdue, and have dominion over the earth.

But what did men do? They gathered in Babylon to build a tower. Their intent was to stay there and bring God down to them on their terms. Of course, that’s not what He wanted. He would have none of that. So, He confused their language and scattered them throughout the earth. In doing this, that’s where Deuteronomy 32 comes into play. This is where God assigns members of His divine council to administer the nations. This is what we call the Deuteronomy 32 worldview.

The original desire of mankind, in contradiction to God’s will, was to come together as one, seen in the building of the Tower of Babel. Although each god over his own nation is doing his own thing, the inclination of them all is to thwart God’s intent and man’s understanding of who God is.

God is our creator. He is separate and above all things. He wants to restore our relationship with Him, but that can only be done on His terms. It turns out that the means for this is through the incarnation of Jesus, His death, and His resurrection—all contrary to what these rulers and authorities over the nations want. Besides, when God ultimately accomplishes His will, these divine sons will be toast. They will be cast into hell; they will die like mortal men.

So, the plot thickens. What can these rebellious sons do? They will mislead men and their understanding of the nature of reality. They will confuse men as to who and what they are.

These gods do this by teaching men that they are all part of a seamless fabric – Mankind is not only part of all creation; it is one with it. There is no difference between a man and an ape. Man evolved from the muck. The oneness man feels when he looks at the trees is because he is part of them and they are part of him. In fact, because man is in all, he is also god, the one universal essence and energy in the universe.

This all comes together in the ancient and the New Age religions. It will have its final fulfillment in the 7-year Tribulation with the rise of the One-World Religion.
When we talk about the fact that we’re in a spiritual battle, it is much greater than most of us realize.  There’s a much bigger picture at play here that we typically see. Its roots are extensive, and it involves all the spiritual entities that Paul writes about in Ephesians 6:12:
“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”
…and Colossians 1:16:
“For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.”

It is all these entities that have rebelled against God that we struggle with in the flesh. This great eons-old war is coming to a head. When Jesus came, He threw down the gauntlet that God was about ready to take back what is rightfully His. That’s the last thing these rulers want, so the battle is intense, and it’s growing by the day. It will reach a fever pitch following the Rapture of the Church as the Restrainer is removed. At that point, lawlessness originated by these demonic entities will have its day.

We generally think it’s just Satan we have to worry about as the director of the chaos that will soon erupt on the earth, but he’s got a lot of powerful friends in high places. The corrupt sons of God will have a major part in the violence that fleshly rulers will perpetrate in the world.

But God is in charge. He is greater than any of His sons, these divine and wicked rulers. He created them; He can and will destroy them.
Our job is to remember who we are in Christ and to warn others of the horrors to come, even as we show them the love of God. Let us keep our eyes on Him, and these pretenders to the throne will never deceive us.
—————

Gary Ritter is a lay pastor and serves as Missions Director at his church. He is also a prolific author. His Whirlwind Series is comprised of three books: Sow the Wind, Reap the Whirlwind, and There Is A Time.  All these books are also contained in the collected volume of the just-released Whirlwind Omnibus.  Gary has a standalone novel of supernatural suspense, The Tattooed Cat, and plans to release Alien Revelation – The Unveiling, the first novel in a new series The Sons of God Chronicles in early Fall 2019.  You can reach him via his website at www.GaryRitter.com or at his Facebook Author page at https://www.facebook.com/gritter3390.

The Emergent Church and the New Age Movement

Posted by: mlemay Posted on: October 14, 2011

Reposted from: Stand up for the truth

Image by Roshnii via Flickr

John MacArthur is a wonderful, godly man whose teachings have been instrumental in the lives of many Christians.  He has been a staunch defender of the gospel through attacks from false teachers and continues to urge Christians to hold on to the absolute truth of God’s Word.  I thoroughly enjoy his books and teachings and we use his research and writings frequently on Stand Up For the Truth.

But even great men like John MacArthur get it wrong some times.  MacArthur recently commented that the Emergent Church was dead.  He sees it as no longer a threat to traditional Christianity.  Well in this one instance, John MacArthur is failing to understand just what the Emergent Church is—and is not.

The Emergent Church is like water—conforming and molding to the container it is in.  And its container is this:  That for any man to claim he can know absolute truth is an abomination.  Its container is not doctrine or the Word of God—it is how we feel about things.  If we don’t like the judgmental side of God, just ignore it.  When Christianity is taught as a religion of exclusivity, well that is just too harsh for them.

The Emergent Church is all about humanism—putting the desires and dreams of men ahead of the Word and will of God.  And it has found a new container it fits within perfectly—the growing New Age Movement.  A movement where you can bend and shape the character and nature of God to what you would like it to be, instead of what God states His character and nature truly is.  A movement that cannot accept what Jesus taught about the path to salvation being narrow.  A movement that teaches that God is in everything and each of us have a divinity within us—and if we can just tap in to it and connect with one another, that we can accomplish anything–just like the Tower of Babel.

When you take a step back and connect the dots between Emergent Church leaders and the New Age Movement, you see the big picture.  Many Emergent leaders are followers and admirers of New Age mystic teachers like Emanuel Swedenborg, Eckhart Tolle, Matthew Fox and Leonard Sweet—men who taught that we are all divine and if we could just connect our divinity with others, we could become God.

With all due respect and admiration for John MacArthur, on this point he could not be more wrong.  The Emergent Church continues to emerge—and has now found its perfect home in New Age mysticism.  And sadly the movement is being promoted and supported—knowingly or unknowingly—in churches like Rick Warren’s Saddleback Church.  And Rick Warren has a website for pastoral resources that thousands of pastors access on a regular basis.  As pastors see the growth and financial prosperity of churches like Saddleback, do you think for a moment that many are not tempted to adopt his ideas for church growth?

How long will it be until more churches do what Rick Warren is doing with his “Daniel Plan”—inviting Muslims and Hindus in to teach Christians how to have physical, emotional and spiritual health?  How long will it be until more churches stop preaching out of the bible, and turn to using cheap, inaccurate paraphrase commentaries like Eugene Peterson’s “The Message”?

A day is coming when every Pastor and Elder Board will have a huge decision to make:  Do they stand strong on the absolute truth of God’s Word?  Or give in to the world so they can see growth in numbers and finances?  It’s a big decision—with big, eternal consequences.


Related articles

• Nondenominational Meditation? (solasisters.blogspot.com)
• Is the Emergent Church movement dead (or dying)? (standupforthetruth.com)
• John MacArthur Says Emerging Church in “Disarray and Decline” – Evidence Shows Differently (lighthousetrailsresearch.com)
• Christians and energy healing (standupforthetruth.com)
• New Age Christianity – Are You Prepared? (standupforthetruth.com)
• Spotting counterfeit truth (standupforthetruth.com)
• Time For The Church To Wake Up! (standupforthetruth.com)
• Barbara Marx Hubbard and the New Age (standupforthetruth.com)
• Brian McLaren:12 Step groups may help us escape Bible (standupforthetruth.com)

Top Christian bestseller accused of heresy

Former New Ager alleges 'Jesus Calling' is harmful to believers

Jim Fletcher About | Email | Archive

Blogger and researcher Jim Fletcher has worked in the book publishing industry for 15 years, and is now director of the apologetics group Prophecy Matters. His new book, "Truth Wins," provides important analysis of Rob Bell and his Emergent friends.

A runaway bestseller in the Christian book world is generating controversy as charges of unbiblical and New Age influences are leveled by watchdog groups and individuals. 

“Jesus Calling,” a top-selling inspirational Christian title, is authored by Sarah Young and currently ranks No. 1 on numerous lists
Young, who lives in Australia, where she helps her husband plant churches, has a philosophy degree from Wellesley College, a counseling degree from Georgia State University and a master’s degree from Tufts. By all accounts, she is stunned by the success of her book, which has sold more than 10 million copies worldwide in the decade since its launch.

Various editions have been published by Thomas Nelson, the world’s largest Christian publisher. The Nashville-based publishing house was bought by News Corporation in 2011, and is now a subsidiary of NewsCorp-owned HarperCollins.

Christian author Warren Smith, who left the New Age movement in 1984, has serious concerns about much of the material in “Jesus Calling,” and has written a book – titled “‘Another Jesus’ Calling” – critiquing Young’s bestseller as well as other modern Christian movements and ministries in which he sees dangerous New Age influences.
“We’re getting incredible response to my book,” says Smith, “because her book is indefensible!”
Laura Minchew, senior vice-president of publishing for Thomas Nelson, disputes the claims, and told WND the Sarah Young book has positively impacted countless lives.

“I will tell you that should anyone hint of New Age teachings in ‘Jesus Calling,’ they would be sorely misinformed,” she said.
“We are releasing a new 10th anniversary edition of the book in September.  We have added an expanded ‘Author Note’ that looks back at how the book was published and includes stories from the thousands of comments we have received about the impact of this book on people’s lives.” 

For a critical review of “Jesus Calling,” get Warren Smith’s “‘Another Jesus’ Calling.”
Minchew added: “Jesus Calling has been such a comfort and source of peace for so many. It helps readers spend time with the Lord. People’s lives have been touched for good by this book. I would ask that you not try to make a controversy that has no merit, just for the sake of readership.”

However, others in the Christian community echo Smith’s concerns, including Chris Quintana, pastor of Calvary Chapel Cypress, in Cypress, California, who is alarmed by the book’s success: 

“‘Jesus Calling’ is just the latest fad to come through the church,” says Quintana. “Like ‘The Shack’ or ‘The Prayer of Jabez’ before it, when truth is mixed with error, then it becomes heralded as the new wonderful thing. The church embraces and promotes it because those who should know better … don’t.

“The Jesus of Scripture would be appalled by the ‘Jesus’ of this book, and I am sure is grieved over the misrepresentation. There are some pages where nothing objectionable can be found, so people let their guard down. The book was given to them by a friend, or purchased through their church bookstore, etc. It then becomes trusted and they fail to see the error of the mystical ‘Jesus’ found therein.”

According to the Association for Christian Retail, or CBA, “Jesus Calling” ranks No. 1 in the category of Inspirational/General Interest. For May 2014, the children’s version ranks No. 2 in the Children’s category and No. 3 in Young Adult for the teen edition.
“Jesus Calling” has a staggering 5,451 reviews on Amazon, of which 5,050 are five-star. Only 73 are one-star.
Typical of the positive reviews are these three:

• “A beautifully written book of devotion. Sarah Young has a great deal of love in her heart for Jesus and the Christian faith.”
• “I was given this devotional while going through a difficult time, and it couldn’t be a better fit. Young writes from the voice of God, without sounding blasphemous or assumptive.”
• “Great devotional book, has changed my life! If you are looking for a closer relationship with God, this devotional book will help you on this journey.

However, one negative Amazon review clearly summarizes most of the main problems critics see with Young’s bestseller:
“There are several problems with this book. Here are just four:

• The obvious one is that the book puts words in God’s mouth.
• The author seems to depend on mystic experiences she’s had for her belief in God. Also, she wants something more than God’s Word in the Bible. It has a New Age feel to it.
• It’s a feel good book. It avoids the real problem of personal sin. It’s all about God filling the personal needs that you feel. It’s very self-centered.
• Dependence on experiences will lead to frustration and confusion in the Christian life because we need to have more and more experiences to be satisfied.

“In a nutshell,” adds the reviewer, “the book is misleading and is self-centered, rather than what Christianity teaches – to realize our sinfulness and look to Christ, and to serve God and others as a response to our salvation. I do not recommend this book.”

Despite warnings from Smith and others, “Jesus Calling” is highly visible in Christian bookstore chains and among ministries.

The New age Movement - Beginning in the Garden of Eden

Post written and posted by Jean-Louis. 4/2011

What is the New Age Movement (NAM for short)? What are its beliefs?
The NAM does not consist of a single group of people and is not identified by a single set of beliefs or source book like the Bible. Rather, it is a network of organizations that are independent and yet bound together by anti-Biblical religious beliefs. Some of these beliefs are:
1. Monism: the belief that everything flows out from one divine energy. All is one.
2. Pantheism: the belief that God is all and all is God, including nature and mankind.
3. Reincarnation and Karma: explaining good and evil.
4. Universal religion: all religions are just alternate paths to the same goal.
5. Personal transformation: a mystic or psychic experience that will usually result in a shift from an “old world” belief system to the realization of the “New Age” belief system.
6. Planetary vision: the belief that the earth possesses a life in and of itself. New Agers are attempting to realize the notion of a “mother earth” or “Gaia” whose children are assimilated into a religio-socio-political consciousness. They believe that a shift of political power that emphasizes the environment (pollution, acid rain, etc.) will help bring about this planetary consciousness.
7. New Age eschatology: the belief that a coming world leader or avatar will usher in the New Age. (For a more thorough study , see Dictionary of Cults, Sects, Religions and the Occult, George A. Mather and Larry A. Nichols)

In Eccl. 1:9 Solomon stated that, “ There is nothing new under the sun.” The New Age ideas are old, but repackaged in a deceiving look of updated and more sophisticated vocabulary.
With New Age philosophy, Satan is using the same temptation that he used in the Garden of Eden: the promise of “hidden knowledge” that will make people be “like God”.

PRINCIPLE: DO NOT ENTER INTO A DIALOGUE WITH SATAN.
• What does God say? In Gen 2:16, “ The Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.” It means that they were alive and immortal before eating of the fruit.

• What does Satan say? In Gen 3:1, first, Satan plants a seed of doubt in Eve’s mind by hissing sweetly, “ Did God really say, “ You must not eat from any tree in the garden.” Eve should have stopped him right there, rebuked him with the Word of God like Jesus and run away like Joseph. Then, openly contradicting the word of God, he asserts in verse 4, ” You will not surely die… for God knows that when you eat of it, your eyes will be opened.”
• Were their eyes closed before? Certainly not.

Then, Satan further states in the same verse, ” You will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

• Weren’t they like God already? In which way? Gen 1:27 declares, "So God created man in his own image.”
• Didn´t they already know good? Absolutely! They knew God as Creator, Father, Provider, Teacher, Master Gardener, to name a few of the ways God related to them. They knew Him whose “ Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of heavenly lights.” James I: 16.
• Did they know evil? No. They had not yet met the father of lies.

So, before the fall, they saw and knew only the good there was, God their father, their creator, the person whose nature and character are absolute, pure and eternal goodness and the source of all that is good according to Gen 1:31 which says that, “God saw all that he had made and it was very good.” Consequently, the only knowledge that they could gain or acquire was that of a deadly and confusing mixture of good and evil. They fell from the free state of God-consciousness to the state of enslavement that is Self-consciousness which carried to its extreme logical conclusion leads to Self-Realization, the state of having and experiencing the fullness of self in all its ugly rebellion and defiant independence from God and being like its original, perfect model and example, Satan himself. “The acorn doesn´t fall far from the tree”!

It doesn´t get any clearer than this. 
Examine the following statements about the nature and practice of Kriya Yoga and see if you can find any similarity between the first temptation in the garden of Eden. 
These define the primary meaning of Kriya. The involuntary movements caused by the repeated practice of this technique are just the symptoms and results of a deeper involvement with things forbidden by God.  

Kriya Technique Source http://kriya-yoga.com/english/what_is.htm "The teaching of Kriya Yoga is done gradually. It is sectioned into six stages referred to as First Kriya, Second Kriya and so on. The beginner starts with First Kriya. First Kriya is the root, the very foundation which allows for progress through the spiritual path for followers of any religion. It gives access to knowledge of the body, of the Soul and the chakras. It allows for comprehension of the gross body, the astral body and the causal body. Later, after having practized regularly over a period of time and achieved the necessary demanding level of mastery, one can receive second Kriya, and thus progress towards the higher Kriya levels. Describing Kriya Yoga in words has little meaning. A person may truly understand only through practice. If you wish to know what an apple is, a simple description is not enough. Take the fruit, touch it, taste it, then you will really and immediately understand what an apple is. The same goes for Kriya Yoga." (Blogger note: Sounds pretty convincing, doesn´t it? This is precisely the point at which most people get taken in. In my own case, this is exactly the same salesman  spiel that tilted the balance in the favor of the knowledge of godhood and perfect bliss on earth and eternity, contrasted with a life of constant struggle and doubts and the search for the divine reality that they told me already existed inside of me. Although the guru (teacher) was different, the exact same words were used expect that it was an orange instead of an apple. To make it more appealing, The recruiters were offering free weekly lessons for serious seekers who were commited.)   The Ultimate Goal. continued The constant practice of iswara pranidhana (practice of breath control in every moment) gives the siddhi (perfection) of samadhi. The incoming breath is î - power, outgoing breath is ra - light, sva - yourself, is between these two. isvara gives life and will fill yourself.  Iswara pranidhana  means that by constantly observing the breath which enters and leaves the body, through practice one will come to the formless state. Then you remain in the divine light enabling yourself to achieve constant nirvana or liberation in your life time. As Jesus Christ said in the Bible: "You can’t see, feel or realize God, but you can be". To learn more about Kriya yoga click on the link below:
See more

  
Notice that Satan says: Not if you eat, but when you eat. As if it were understood that they were going to do it, that it was only a matter of time. Satan always presents an alluring picture to us, the undeniable pleasure of sin before we discover the very high price we have to pay later for disobeying God.

• Was the fruit really good or did it appear pleasing to Eve’s eyes? Gen 3:6.
• How did she know that it was desirable for gaining wisdom? Satan told her.
All she knew about the fruit is what Satan told her, and what she could see with her own eyes. Satan could not give them anything that they didn’t have before the fall, except the knowledge of evil, the disease of sin, the curse of the ensuing fall of all mankind and his destructive, demonic wisdom.

He lied to them - but was it a total lie?
• What truth was mixed with the lie?
• Was it true that they were going to know evil? Yes.

Eccl 10:8 states: “He who digs a pit shall fall into it; and whoever breaks a hedge, a snake shall bite him.” (NKJV)
If we are on Satan’s territory, he defines the terms, the rules. We don’t. When he says “you will know”, he doesn’t mean “you will have information about evil, some data to store in your computer memory so that when you see evil you’ll run away from it.”.
Knowing evil on Satan’s terms involves participation, just as knowing God involves participation in His life, His works and the lives of His people.
Satan meant you will know or experience evil in your mind, soul, and body. And in that he was right and true.
• What does God say about wisdom? Prov 2:6 declares: “It is He who gives wisdom.” Wisdom is not just having knowledge of evil, as Satan said.
Isaiah 11:2 -3 says this about the Lord Jesus: “And the Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him, The spirit of wisdom and understanding, The spirit of counsel and strength, The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. And He will delight in the fear of the LORD, And He will not judge by what His eyes see, nor make a decision by what His ears hear.” (NAS)

PRINCIPLE: WHEN YOU ARE NOT SURE OF AN IDEA, AN ACTIVITY, STRETCH THE POSSIBILITY OF INVOLVEMENT TO ITS CONCLUSION.
There are 2 trees in the beginning: the Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.
• 2 kinds of fruits. One gives life, the other death.
• 2 kinds of choices - one right, one wrong
• 2 persons:
1. God, our Father who loves us, wants the best for our lives.
2. Satan, who is a liar from the beginning, and who seeks to steal, kill and destroy. He wants to take us away from God and His blessings, he wants to take us out of commission instead of being a part of the Great Commission.

The New Age fruit that is so desirable is a change in consciousness through various methods, means, techniques that will cause one to look at God, the universe and oneself, in a different way.
Look at Psalm 1., this psalm gives us the general principle of the progression in involvement with sin: walking, standing, sitting. In the case of drugs, it also includes lying down and flying out of one’s mind.

New Age techniques produce the same effect without the help of drugs and deceives people into believing that they have had a spiritual encounter with the source of life. It produces in the adept or devotee a sense of superior self-righteousness due to a false sense of their own purity as they compare themselves to the drug addict or drug user. 

However, they have fallen into the bigger trap of Satan which has them bound in their pride which is the first step to anybody’s downfall and destruction.
Look at Gal 6:7: “ Do not be deceived; God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.”

If you are asked to accept a new idea or participate in a questionable activity and have any doubt in your heart that it is right remember Romans 14:23 which says: “But the man who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith and everything that does not come from faith is sin.”

As Christians, if we want to know, we can study, meditate on and apply the words of life, the Holy scriptures. Deuteronomy 29:29 says: “The secret things belong to the LORD but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law.”

In the beginning there were 2 trees: the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. At the end in Rev 22:2: “on each side of the river stood the tree of life.” In the end there is only one tree, the tree of Life. Only one God, only truth, only the righteous.

When it comes to something seemingly new, we have to ask ourselves 2 questions:
1. Where does this come from, what is the source of the information? (The seed, the root)
2. Where does it lead? (the branches and the fruit)

• FIRST STEP: Be informed. Ask your parents, your youth group leader, your Pastor, an older Christian or anybody spiritually mature enough in this area who can answer your questions or direct your inquiry to someone knowledgeable. If you want information, don’t read directly from the New Age authors. There is plenty of material written on the New Age and cults by people that have been involved, have come out and given their testimonies. You can trust the word of a burnt person who tells you that fire burns.
Don’t assume that you are different, that you know better, that you are smarter than the next person. Here is a warning to us from Israel’s history. I Cor 10:1. “(Do not be idolaters…be careful that you don’t fall.)”

• SECOND STEP: Look at the fruit. This is the hardest test of all, because a lot of New Age people seem to be very calm, peace loving, well organized, caring individuals who use their personal resources and energy to promote what they believe are positive changes in themselves, their environment, and society. These may seem good, but they are done in ignorance and rebellion against our Creator, who has His own good plans for bringing peace and light to the world. And they don’t address the real problem with our world - sin.

Remember, these persons however well intentioned and highly motivated are deceived. They have allowed themselves to believe the lie of Satan that “wisdom” is a tool to acquire “god-power”, when such hidden wisdom is really a trap. Unfortunately, in the eyes of God they are like Eve and Adam, as responsible for their sin as is their leader or teacher.

In Matt 7:15-20, Jesus warns his disciples with these words: “Beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. You shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thorns, or figs from thistles? Even so every good tree brings forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree brings forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruits, nor [can] a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that does not bring forth good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you shall know them.” (NKJV)

John 16:1. Right after chapter 14 and 15 about the coming of the Holy Spirit of truth, abiding in the vine, the inability to do anything without Him, the command to love each other and to bear fruit, our Lord Jesus warns: "all this I have told you so that you will not go astray".

Then, there is the temptation to “be open-minded”, rather than “intolerant” of these “alternative religions”. Aren’t we supposed to explore and discover? Here is a good analogy: 
"Let’s say you live in a house and it’s summertime. You want to breathe fresh air, so you open the window. What happens? You get fresh air, but along with it, you get dust, pollen, and bugs. The proper thing to do is to put a screen on the window." ( Source: heard in a talk given by Greg Laurie)

The word of God acts as a screen that rejects all the impurities, corrupt thoughts, lies, and false teaching that invade our minds, but for that screen to be effective in our lives, we have to study, understand, believe, know and practice what the Word of God says in obedience to our Lord´s command. Psalm 119:9,11: “How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. I have hidden your word in my heart that I may not sin against you.”

Finally, It is my prayer that, “Your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus-Christ, to the glory and praise of God.” Phil. 1:9-11.

Jean-Louis

Winter 1989. Shared at The St.Giles Presbyterian Church’s Youth Group.
Revised and shared in Hendersonville, N.C. Winter 1997 for the 1st. Baptist Church Youth Group.