Abstract: The New Age Movement strives to promote a mystical brotherhood among all people, thereby preparing the way for social, political and economic unity on earth.Scripture quotations are from the King James Version of the Holy Bible except where otherwise indicated. Only very archaic terms have been substituted, between brackets, with correlating terms from the New King James Version (NKJV). All pronouns referring to the Godhead are capitalised. Edited by Bernard and Kathleen Reeves of London.

A new international order

Early in the 1980’s the New Age Movement emerged from its secluded circles and began to vigorously propagate its ideology around the world. It is closely associated with the concept of a new world order, and forms part of it. The movement and its doctrine is by now well known, and the media often refers to it. Newspaper and magazine headings such as the following no longer sound strange to the person in the street:

• Welcome to the Global Village
• The World Teacher is now here
• The Age of Aquarius has dawned
• Americans get religion in the New Age
• Anything is permissible if everything is God
• Tutu decries break up of New Age prayer meetings
• Soul of a New Age

The movement endeavours to raise the consciousness level of humanity, to unlock mystical powers in people, to unite the world religiously, politically, economically, and socially, and to pave the way for the appearance of a single world leader. He will be the common messiah of all faiths. Not only in the field of religion, but in all other areas, he will establish the concept of planetary citizenship. In the process, all boundaries and divisions will be removed for the sake of greater unity.

Origin of the movement

According to Rev 17, the origin of the false world religion of the end-time period can be traced back to Babylon. The ancient Babylonian Empire that was founded by Nimrod, was governed in close association with the heathen religion of that time. The marriage between religion and politics was so intimate that this empire was controlled by a priest-king who made use of occult powers and astrology to take decisions and to rule. The king was the personification of the sun-god, who was regarded as the giver of light and life. This superstition gave rise to the cult of the sun-pillars, from which the later obelisks and peace-poles of modern times evolved. Rev 17 and 18 describe how a neo-Babylonian government, religion and economy will be established before the Second Coming of Christ. The roots of the New Age Movement, therefore, go very far back in time – it is nothing new!

The end-time emergence of the New Age Movement is linked to the Russian-born Madame Helena Blavatsky who founded the Theosophical Society in New York in 1875. She received her revelations and commands directly from a spiritual master with whom she had telepathic contact. She offered herself as a medium to higher (demonic) powers that worked through her.

As a result of these revelations, she published the book Isis Unveiled in 1877, and the six volume The Secret Doctrine in 1888. In these volumes she expounded the secret doctrine that, according to her master, forms the foundation of all religious, philosophical and knowledge systems. In the introduction to Volume 1 of The Secret Doctrine she says: “The teaching in these volumes belong neither to the Hindu, the Zoroastrian, the Chaldean, nor the Egyptian religion, nor to Buddhism, Islam, Judaism, nor Christianity exclusively. The Secret Doctrine is the essence of all these. Sprung from it in their origins, the various religious schemes are now made to merge back into their original element, out of which every mystery and dogma has grown, developed, and become materialised.”

The New Age objective is, quite clearly, to unite all religions, including an adulterated version of Christianity, in an alliance of world religions. In association with demonic doctrines such as evolution, reincarnation, metaphysics, parapsychology, astrology, pantheism and socialism, all faiths and philosophies must revert to their common luciferic origin. In this way, unity can be achieved in the world and all people’s lives be ordered according to the same principles.

It was not opportune in 1875 to promote these ideas in public. Consequently, Blavatsky’s master instructed her that the theosophical ideal of a united world under the final control of a spiritual hierarchy, should be kept secret for a hundred years. During this time it was only to be revealed to initiated members of the Theosophical Society.

The last quarter of the 20^th century was earmarked as the revelation phase of the movement. By then, it was planned, the general climate would be conducive to New Age teachings due to the supporting influence of humanism, liberalism, socialism, and the consequent eroding of nationalism and evangelical, biblical Christianity.

Shortly after 1975, the New Age Movement began to go public with their teachings in an effort to establish a broad support base. In 1977, the Tara organisation was founded in London under the leadership of Benjamin Creme. He announced that the common messiah of all faiths has come and was ready to reveal himself as world teacher. As the Maitreya Buddha, he originated from a Buddhist tradition, but at the same time he is claimed to be the personification of the messianic expectation of the Hindus, Muslims, Jews, and Christians. He is the cosmic christ of all faiths. Creme published a book about the world messiah, titled The Reappearance of the Christ and the Masters of Wisdom.

During the period after 1975, various Eastern cults with their esoteric teachings came to the West and seriously challenged traditional Western thought. Among them are Hinduist Transcendental Meditation (TM), Zen Buddhism, the Bahai faith and gurus from various other sects. They all pose a threat to Christianity by popularising mysticism and the New Age dogma of monism (everything is one). All of them promote the false expectation of a Utopia that will follow on the world-wide achievement of their ideal of cosmic unity based on a universal mystical brotherhood.

New Age organisations

The network of organisations and groups that promote the New Age ideology is expanding by the day. The movement is at present still without a central authority because its expected world leader has not yet made his appearance. However, there are many organisations that are paving the way for the new dispensation. They function on various levels and can be classified as follows:

Core organisations

The inner circle of the movement is luciferic. Its final objective is to worship Lucifer and to subject the entire world to his direct authority. Organisations on this level include the top three grades of Freemasonry, the Illuminati, and other secret societies. Furthermore, there are Planetary Citizens and Lucis Trust (formerly called Lucifer Publishing Co.), which give open recognition to Lucifer. One of the leading organisations at this stage is Planetary Initiative for the World we Choose, under the leadership of David Spangler. He is also the head of Planetary Citizens.

Middle order organisations

A world-wide network of organisations has already been established, of which many are deeply mystical. Most of them hide their occult nature by using terms such as the universal god of all faiths, masters of wisdom, spirit guides, the coming world teacher, the higher self, a cosmic consciousness, and psychic powers. Their primary aim is to promote practices and a way of thinking that are favourable for the transition to a new world order.

The most well-known of these organisations are the Freemasons (including the lower grades), Tara, New Group of World Servers, World Future Society, the Theosophical Society, the Association for Humanistic Psychology, the World Council of Wise Persons, the Club of Rome, the Humanistic Movement, Global 2000, various Eastern meditation cults, the Astrological Society, as well as a number of peace movements and ecological groups that use New Age symbols such as reincarnation signs and the broken cross. Other symbols that are commonly used include the rainbow, the pyramid, the third or all-seeing eye, the number 666, the yin and yang, the pentagram, pegasus, and images of gods, religious leaders or people who are in a lotus position portraying yoga or meditation (see New Age symbols).

Front organisations

The New Age Movement also enjoys the spontaneous collaboration of a large number of front organisations. They advance its ideologies of globalism, religious unity, and the use of cosmic powers to attain a higher level of consciousness. Some of them may not even be aware of the agenda of the New Age Movement, but they are all under the power of the same spirit of delusion, and therefore natural allies in advancing the cause of the new world order. There are clear signs that many of them are moving closer together, and that they will join forces to achieve their common goal.

Among these front organisations are the Roman Catholic Church, ecumenical bodies such as the World Council of Churches, the Parliament of the World’s Religions, the United Religions Initiative, the United Nations with its agencies, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, large bankers such as the Bilderberger and Rockefeller groups, the US Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), the British Royal Institute of International Affairs, as well as the G8 countries, political movements, educational institutions, and influential media groups that can strongly influence public opinion.

The modern way of thinking in the world is largely supportive of the New Age Movement, the new world order, the humanistic movement, the interfaith movement, the realisation of the human potential by exploiting psychic powers, and the granting of unrestricted human freedom of speech, expression, sexual orientation, and religious conviction to people everywhere. The idea of new age globalisation is also promoted by many international summit conferences.

The age of Aquarius

The coming dispensation for which the New Age Movement prepares the world, is called the age of Aquarius. This is an astrological concept derived from the movement of the sun through the twelve signs of the zodiac, as seen from the earth. Apart from the annual movement through the twelve constellations, there is also a larger orbit in which the sun slowly passes through the constellations in an inverted order. On this basis, ages or dispensations of 2000 years each are identified.

In their book, Entering Aquarius, Michal Eastcott and Nancy Magor allege that every constellation through which the sun moves, exposes the earth to a particular kind of cosmic influence. The period between 4000 and 2000 before Christ was the dispensation of the Bull (Taurus). The bull was a holy symbol in the mythology of that time. The 2000 years before Christ was the dispensation of the Ram (Aries). During this time, the sacrificial lamb (a ram) was a strong symbol in Israel, and also the scapegoat. Israel was severely reprimanded for worshipping a golden calf, which was an obsolete symbol of the previous dispensation.

With the coming of Christ, the dispensation of the Fishes (Pisces) has dawned. The fish is often used as a symbol of Christianity, also in some of the parables. The disciples themselves were fishermen who became fishers of men.

During the time of the Fishes the emphasis was, according to astrologers, on authority, idealism, and the fanatical dedication to a cause. These characteristics gave rise to a great deal of militancy in people’s religious and national life, leading to wars and religious persecution.

However, the spirit of fanatical dedication to causes also had positive results in the form of many discoveries and scientific advancement. In this dispensation, humanity developed from the level of barbarism to the civilisation of the nuclear age. Two major religions were founded in this time, viz. Christianity and Islam.

Now, after 2000 years, we are at the end of the dispensation of the Fishes; consequently, it is asserted, humanity must be prepared to enter the dispensation of the Water-bearer (Aquarius). In this regard, justification for astrology is also sought in the Bible. Before the last Passover, Jesus said to His disciples: “Behold, when ye are entered into the city, there shall a man meet you, bearing a pitcher of water; follow him into the house where he entereth in” (Lk. 22:10). It is alleged that the Water-bearer has all along been walking before us, leading the way, and that the door to the next dispensation will now swing open.

The time has come, they say, for us to evolve to a higher level of consciousness and become the universal man (homo universalis). It entails the development of a changed cosmic consciousness which will enable us to realise the inherent unity of all things in the universe. Once this enlightenment has occurred, it will no longer be necessary to take a stand for one’s national or religious interests, or to fight to protect them. Everything is one. This principle necessitates the harmonising and uniting of all things, to be like a calmly flowing river. The dark, stormy night of Pisces is over and the light of a new dispensation of unity and reconciliation is now dawning. The big challenge of our time, they assert, is to convince those people who still cling to the old order.

The New Age concept of learning how to draw on the great treasure house of cosmic wisdom, strongly appeals to many people. It is claimed that in all civilisations the star-gazers, or astrologers, were the wise men, prophets and seers whose advice was sought on almost all matters.

What does the Bible say about this cosmic source of wisdom and of its associated magical power? “Stand now with thine enchantments, and with the multitude of thy sorceries, wherein thou hast laboured  from thy youth; if so be thou shalt be able to profit, if so be thou mayest prevail. Thou art wearied in the multitude of thy counsels. Let now the astrologers, the stargazers, the monthly prognosticators, stand up, and save thee from these things that shall come upon thee. Behold, they shall be as stubble; the fire shall burn them; they shall not deliver themselves from the power of the flame: [it is no] coal to warm at, nor fire to sit before it” (Isa 47:12-14).

Though they do not hesitate to quote from the Bible to give credibility to their deceptive teachings about a false unity, cosmic powers and wisdom, these people are practising sorcery and idolatry, thereby only bringing greater condemnation upon themselves.

Philosophical principles

The three fundamental principles upon which the New Age philosophy is based, are the following:

1. Everything is one (monism)

All things that exist are parts of a larger whole. The same cosmic life force permeates the material and spirit worlds, but this unity has become fragmented and must now be restored. On the vertical level, the ill-defined boundary between the natural and supernatural worlds must be transcended in order to re-integrate the material and cosmic spheres. On the horizontal level, people must refrain from establishing rigid boundaries among races, cultures, religions, and political ideologies, as it leads to divisions and the pursuit of conflicting group interests. These divisions disturb the inherent cosmic unity.

Monism must be promoted in all areas of life through a process of synthesis, convergence, and the building of bridges of reconciliation. There is no antithesis in the universe and therefore nothing that is inherently evil that should remain outside this all-encompassing unity. According to this philosophy there is no devil, no Antichrist, no evil spirits, and no hell. The only evils are the wrong attitudes of unattuned people, resulting in divisions, intolerance, and condemnation of others because of cultural, political or religious differences. Such people either need to be reoriented and reprogrammed or eliminated.

2. Everything is god (pantheism)

God is in everything – in all people and in all nature. He may be described as the cosmic intelligence, but he is mostly referred to as an impersonal cosmic power (cosmic life force or vital force). Because the cosmic life force permeates the entire natural world, there is also a mystical element in mother earth (the Gaia concept). Within nature, among animals and human beings, there is a slow evolutionary progress to higher forms of life. Death is only an illusion, as one life cycle is followed by another. By way of reincarnation, deceased people return to earth and continue their development to higher forms of consciousness, or divinity.

3. We are god (self-deification)

Because humans are leading in the evolutionary process, they have attained the highest level of consciousness development. They are conscious of the mystical, cosmic world, and can make further progress to higher levels of wisdom and divinity. Through techniques such as meditation, they can become one with the cosmic world around them, and in this way ultimately become masters of wisdom. Such people are gods in their own right because they have acquired the christ or Buddha consciousness. That is, the wisdom and power of the cosmic christ of all faiths.

There is also a corporate sense in which humanity is regarded as god. All human beings together constitute the global brain. If the thoughts and cosmic energy of a large group of people are concentrated on the same subject or area, power can be released that can produce big changes. For this reason, mass-meditation sessions are organised to concentrate on problem areas, and to generate positive thoughts of unity and harmony. In this way, according to the New Age Movement, humans can determine their own destiny, hate and divisions can be countered, and the ominous possibility of a third world war can be averted. The god of this world must, therefore, not be divided and ineffective, but united to conquer the evil of disunity.

Cosmic consciousness

The most important objective of the New Age Movement is to establish contact and eventual unity between people and the cosmic powers of the universe. Implicit in this process is an altered state of consciousness, the psychic ability to practise extrasensory perception, and a completely changed world-view. The following steps are followed in the awakening and development of a person’s consciousness:

A new self-image

All people must first discover their inherent divinity. This discovery will lead to the mental and spiritual realisation that everything is one because god is in everything. These perceptions are derived from the deeper, creative levels of their right brain, where their cosmic consciousness and dormant psychic powers are allegedly vested.

A decision for deeper involvement

At this stage in the awakening of people’s consciousness they are faced with the need for intensive instruction in the practice of extrasensory perception and the use of cosmic powers for a number of different purposes. A choice for deeper involvement must now be made. They can then become cult members and learn Transcendental Meditation, astrology, fortune-telling, astral travel, self-healing, etc.

Meditation

A psycho-technique must now be learned to effect attunement with the cosmic sphere. The most important one is meditation. Initiates must disengage mentally from the present reality by emptying their minds. To effect the change-over to an altered state of consciousness, a mantra must be used, which is an invocation. In Transcendental Meditation, the mantras are the names of Hindu gods. The word or phrase is repeated until illumination occurs and a new state of consciousness sets in. Initiates now see a different, integrated, cosmic reality. Their intuition is activated and they may even become aware of spirit guides.

Psychic gifts

Entrance to the world of cosmic powers offers a variety of psychic gifts to the person who meditates effectively. It includes paranormal abilities such as clairvoyance, extrasensory perception, psychokinesis, prophesying, intuitive contact with spirit guides, and self-healing. One can also get a super-memory to help one to learn better. This New Age technique is known as suggestopedia. Children are taught to do relaxation exercises while they are listening to rhythmic baroque music until they lapse into a meditative trance and switch over to their right brain. Information can then be read into their super-memories by the teacher, and they will allegedly remember everything.

Channelling

There are thousands of highly skilled New Age members who offer their services as channellers, or psychic consultants, to the public. Most of them have a spirit guide with whom they communicate telepathically. The spirit provides answers to the questions and solutions to various kinds of problems that people may have. In this way the consultant channels the cosmic power or wisdom to the client. He is, therefore, a spiritualistic medium. Other methods of healing are also used, e.g. acupuncture, which is aimed at removing blockages in the cosmic energy flow in the body.

Utilisation of cosmic focal points

Mass actions are organised in which large groups of people congregate at fixed times and in particular places for co-ordinated meditation sessions. The aim with these meetings is to focus cosmic energy on a country or society that badly needs peace, unity and harmony. This practice is considered to be most effective if it is performed at one of the strong focal points for cosmic energy. Among these places are Stonehenge in England, Table Mountain in Cape Town, the Egyptian pyramids, the Olympus Mountain in Greece, the Ganges River in India, Mount Fuji in Japan, and Central Park in New York.

Masters of wisdom

Persons who penetrate the deepest mysteries of the cosmic world and achieve a high level of consciousness development, are regarded as masters of wisdom. After their death, such people become avatars (ascended masters) who are worshipped by their followers – among the best known are Krishna and Buddha. Their esoteric wisdom is proclaimed by special disciples known as gurus.

To people in the West who may still be sceptical about the philosophy and mystical techniques of the Eastern religions, the New Age Movement offers the same occult powers in another form. Under the cloak of humanistic psychology and suggestopedia, programmes are compiled for right brain development, paranormal abilities, psychic powers and a new self-image which is based on the same mystical foundation. Higher work efficiency, revolutionary new study methods, and psychic powers for self-healing, are offered as the advantages of an altered state of consciousness in which one discovers one’s higher self. To the Christian church, a misleading form of Christian meditation is offered which is based on the same principles as TM. Those who practise it, also discover the cosmic christ (the god within) and are consequently drawn into deception.

Prayer

The following standard prayer has been distributed world-wide among New Agers to be prayed at fixed times daily:

• “From the point of Light within the Mind of God,
• Let Light stream forth into the minds of men.
• Let Light descend on Earth.
• “From the point of Love within the Heart of God,
• Let love stream forth into the hearts of men.
• May Christ return to Earth.
• “From the centre where the Will of God is known,
• Let purpose guide the little wills of men –
• The purpose which the Masters know and serve.
• “From the centre which we call the race of men,
• Let the Plan of Love and Light work out.
• And may it seal the door where evil dwells.
• Let Light and Love and Power restore the Plan on Earth.”

The motivation behind this prayer is explained as follows in the booklet: The Mantram of the New Age – the Great Invocation and how to use it (published by Sundial House): “In 1945 this prayer or Mantram was introduced to the West. It had long been used by the Wisdom Teachers… Down the ages humanity has, in times of crisis, ever invoked a power beyond its own. Each era has, in response to its particular conflicts and stresses, brought forth its own form of appeal, and today, as we face the challenge and problems of transition into a new era, this great Prayer, or Mantram, comes at a time to meet the new needs and empower our entry into the New Age.”

The superficial Christian observer may find this prayer harmless. However, the Eastern concept of God, and the fact that they exchange the name “Christ” freely with other names, renders it a very subtle and deceptive effort to involve Christians in their false world religion. Christians are seduced into believing that we all worship the same God.

A study of this widely-circulated prayer reveals the following New Age objectives and principles upon which it is based:

Pantheism

Because god is, according to pantheistic ideas, present in all people, this prayer is an effort to fix the collective attention of as many people as possible on thoughts, attitudes, and deeds of love. The New Age publisher, Sundial House (ibid) describes this prayer to their god as follows: “It expresses certain central truths which most people innately and normally accept – the truth of the existence of a basic Intelligence to Whom we vaguely give the name of God; the truth that, behind all our seeming, the motivating power of the universe is Love; the truth that both love and intelligence are effects of what is called the Will of God, and finally, the self-evident truth that only through humanity itself can the divine Plan work out. No one can, in fact, use this invocation thoughtfully and with intention without profound changes coming about in his own life, in his attitudes, nature and life intention; for it is a basic law that ‘as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he’. The constant turning of the mind towards Light, Love and Divine Purpose cannot but have effect, and when the Great Invocation is rightly used on a wide scale and it becomes a world prayer it will invoke into mankind as a whole the Light and Love and Spiritual Power that will eventually seal the door where evil dwells.”

As a philosophy, pantheism is a natural ally of humanism. Because humans are also seen to be gods, they must change themselves through their own efforts, and ensure their development to higher levels of existence.

Psychic powers

Humans must activate their inherent psychic powers to achieve this objective: “Let Light descend on Earth, is at once a demand upon the Sources of Light and a stimulus to those making the appeal… The energy of the mind should be used particularly in this stanza, invoking illumination and enlightenment into the minds of men” (ibid).

The universal christ

About the inclusive identity of the cosmic christ, Sundial House (ibid) is very clear and explicit. It is not at all the Christ worshipped by Christians: “May Christ return to Earth is a joyous and triumphant framing of the expectation of men all over the world that the World Teacher, the Avatar who will bring the next unfoldment of Divinity, will make His appearance in our crucial times. The word Christ embodies much more than the leader of the Christian Church. He is the World Teacher of the present cycle and is also known throughout the East as the Lord Maitreya, as the Bodhisattva and as the Imam Mahdi.”

J Meditation and cosmic powers

Through meditation, people become channellers of cosmic energy and thus creative reformers of the world: “The combining of these energies of mind, heart and will is invocation. It is the highest type of prayer there is, and a new form of spiritual appeal which our mental growth has made possible, and which our understanding of the power of thought and the science of meditation will make increasingly effective. By invocation, prayer and meditation, spiritual energies are contacted and brought into activity. By clear mental perception and directed thought they can become objects of desire and be brought factually into the world of daily living” (ibid).

The power of positive thinking, meditation, and visualisation, affords humans the creative ability to change things. Certain Christian groups have already been penetrated by these Eastern New Age psycho-techniques.

The Plan of Love and Light

The New Age Movement’s Plan for a take-over is based on the implementation of their universal antichristian concepts of love, light, and a mystical brotherhood of all men: “The urgent need of the New Age is a cry for light upon our way, for more love and brotherhood” (ibid).

Love and brotherhood

A strong theme of the New Age message to the world is love and brotherhood. The universal propagation of this message is so successful that it has been accepted as the most important theme for preaching by most religions. This humanistic love is of such great importance for the future existence of humanity that it cannot be confined to one dogma alone, but must be preached by all faiths. All people must concentrate on this broad, encompassing love to enable them to completely accept and love the members of all other cultures and religions without reservation.

In the light of this broadly defined love, Christians must abandon their prejudices against other religions and join them in brotherly love. Where estrangement and separation has occurred due to ignorance or dogmatic fundamentalism, bridges of love, mutual acceptance and unity must now be built. Every effort must be made to realise this ideal.

The New Age author, Michal Eastcott, says in his book, The Spiritual Hierarchy of the World, the following about Jesus’ ministry of love: “Through His work in Palestine we know He anchored the fullness of the nature of love. But it is not so widely known that in this He was completing the work begun by the Buddha some five centuries before. The Enlightened One, as the Buddha is frequently called, made known the Lighted way… Through His life and teaching He anchored Wisdom as one part of the great dual Second Aspect of God: Love-Wisdom. Christ then brought about the manifestation of the other, Love.”

Philosophers of the New Age Movement have no objections to the love of Christ being proclaimed, as long as it is not defined in terms of His death on the cross. The blood and the cross must be completely detached from this message as it does not fit into the New Age ideology. Emphasis must rather be placed on subjects such as the kingdom of God that is in the hearts of men, and that they must discover it there and develop their hidden divinity to become gods. The thought of dying and crucifying yourself is completely contrary to their teaching. That is why the death of Jesus on the cross is foolishness to them.

In his book, The Path of the Masters, Santon Ki Shiksha says the following about the Christian gospel: “When the new religion was formulated and given out, it was but little more than an allegorical metamorphosis of Judaism. Jesus was now made the sacrificial offering, the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.  It was his blood that was to take away the sins of the world… Thus the real mission of Jesus, which was to lead his disciples to realize the kingdom of heaven within themselves, was turned into a bloody tragedy… This was a gross insult to the sublime idealism of the Masters.”

Why do these masters of the new world order scare people away from the cross? They know that if people become true Christians, they will reject other religions. If they remain nominal Christians they can easily be seduced by deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons (1Tim 4:1). Such people may think that all religions worship the same God.

The love of God is fully revealed by the death of Jesus on the cross. Without the cross, no salvation is possible. Paul clearly says that in Jesus Christ “we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace” (Eph. 1:7).

Are you exposed to another gospel of humanistic love without the blood and the cross of Jesus? From such turn away and go instead to churches where only the true gospel is preached, which alone is able to save your soul.

Another Jesus

The Eastern religions, Roman Catholicism and apostate Protestantism are natural allies of the New Age Movement’s emerging world religion. It is the Bible-believing, evangelical Christians who are the movement’s primary target. In their propaganda campaign they do everything in their power to adulterate the Bible by offering another Jesus, another spirit and another gospel to Christians. We are earnestly warned against deceptions of this nature: “But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent [deceived] Eve through his [craftiness], so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him” (2Cor 11:3-4; see also v. 13-15).

In Gal 1:6-8 Paul says that if anyone perverts the gospel of Christ, let him be accursed. This remark obviously applies to the New Age Movement. They promote a Jesus without the cross, an unbiblical cosmic christ who is associated with Buddhism and other false religions.

Of all the attempts that this movement has made to pervert the gospel message, the most dangerous is probably the spurious Aquarian Gospel of Jesus the Christ. It is an effort to identify Jesus Christ outside the context of the inspired, historical, biblical account. Various Eastern religious titles are assigned to the New Age Jesus, thus portraying him as the universal, cosmic christ.

The account of this Gospel is based on the so-called lost years of Jesus between the ages of 12 and 30, which are not recorded in the Bible. It is alleged that during this time he (the New Age Jesus) visited India, Nepal, Tibet, Egypt, and Greece before returning to Israel to commence his public ministry there. A review is given on how he made an intensive study of the Vedas – the holy books of the Hindus. While in the Himalayas in Nepal he devoted himself to a study of Buddhism. He was regarded as a reincarnation of Buddha and the title Issa (Son of God) was conferred on him. In an Egyptian temple in Heliopolis (the City of the Sun) he acquired the title of the Christ, by which time he was suitably prepared to start his ministry in Israel.

A Russian historian, Nikolai Notovitch, made the discovery of the journey of the Son of God through the East in 1897 in Tibet where he investigated the history of Issa. In association with this account, but completely independently of it, the Scottish mystic, Levi Dowling, published the pervertedAquarian Gospel of Jesus the Christ in 1908. In writing it he relied solely on a mystical source of revelation, called the Akasha records. Akasha is a Sanskrit word that may be freely translated as the Universal Brain, the Cosmic Computer, or the Book of Life. A human brain that is in deep meditation, and fully attuned to the universal brain, can allegedly extract any information from it – even about events that happened thousands of years ago. The author had to meditate forty years before he could unravel the mysteries of the Akasha records. In the Aquarian Gospel, where he explains the pantheistic concept of an impersonal god (a belief strongly entertained in the New Age Movement), the New Age Jesus is quoted as saying:

“The universal God is one, yet he is more than one; all things are God; all things are one… Men and birds and beasts and creeping things are deities, made flesh; and how dare men kill anything?… The God I speak about is everywhere; he cannot be compassed with walls, nor hedged about with bounds of any kind. All people worship God, the One, but all the people see him not alike. This universal God is wisdom, will, and love. All men see not the Triune God. One sees him as the God of might; another as the God of thought; another as the God of love. A man’s ideal is his God, and so, as man unfolds, his God unfolds… The nations of the earth see God from different points of view, and so he does not seem the same to every one. Man names the part of God he sees, and this to him is all of God; and every nation sees a part of God, and every nation has a name for God. You Brahmans call him Parabrahm… and Zeus is his name in Greece; Jehovah is his Hebrew name… When man sees God as one with himself… he needs no middle man, no priest to intercede… Just give your life in sacrificial service to the all of life” (Chapter 28:4-25).

A new social order

The dominant unity syndrome of the New Age Movement is the motivating power behind various actions by a whole network of organisations that all endeavour to create a new, integrated social order on earth. Boundaries must be obliterated to bring about the end of conflicting group interests. Races, cultures and the followers of different religions must merge into a global society, abandon their traditional values and accept universal norms for living. The new order of planetary citizens must lead to such a close association of its members that they will function as one big family in the global village. In her book, The Aquarian Conspiracy, the New Age psychologist, Marilyn Ferguson, says the following about this new orientation of mankind: “The discovery of our connection to all men, women and children joins us to another family. Indeed seeing ourselves as a planetary family struggling to solve its problems, rather than an assorted people and nations assessing blame or exporting solutions, could be the ultimate shift in perspective.”

To create such a social order, all national and other boundaries must be removed. According to Ferguson, that is already happening: “Today there are millions of residents of that great country, the whole earth. In their hearts and minds, war and boundaries and dogma have indeed already died. The whole Earth is a borderless country…”

A new economic system

The redistribution of wealth and the establishment of a new economic order in the world, is also a high priority of the New Age Movement. All natural resources, as well as financial and industrial resources, must be controlled by a world government, ensuring equal access to it by all people. In this way, universal economic equality must be effected.

The entire world must have only one financial system with centralised control. That will enable a world government to enforce its policies and financial control on all countries and individuals. Uniformity in the new world order can be ensured in this way.

It is conspicuous that global financial magnates, e.g. the Bilderberg group, have for centuries been controlling governments through secret societies, thereby influencing them in the direction of the new world order. Slowly but surely they are moving closer to their final objective.

A master-plan for a take-over

The New Age Movement has worked out a thirteen-point Plan to establish the new world order:

1.  The principal aim of the Plan is to establish a one-world religion and a one-world political and social order. The key concept is that everything is one. This unity must be established in all spheres of life.

2.  The New Age world religion must constitute a revival of the religion of ancient Babylon in which mystery cults, sorcery, occultism and immorality flourished.

3.  The Plan will be fully implemented when the New Age messiah (the Antichrist) with his number 666, reveals himself as head of the coming world religion and world government of the new world order.

4.  Spirit guides (demons) will prepare people for the coming of the cosmic messiah, by acclaiming him as the world teacher.

5.  Peace, love and unity are to be used as buzz-words for the new world religion and the new world order.

6.  New Age teachings must achieve scientific credibility and be vigorously propagated in every sphere of life in the public and private sectors around the globe.

7.  Jesus must be portrayed as a prophet, a master of wisdom and one of the disciples of the cosmic christ. It should be denied that he is unique, divine and is to be worshipped as God over and above humanity.

8.  Christianity and all other religions must be integrated into the inclusive world religion of the New Age.

9.  Biblical Christian principles that stand in the way of this reform movement (e.g. the atonement for sins on the cross) must be discredited and abandoned.

10. Children must be spiritually influenced and indoctrinated with multi-faith ideas in schools in order to promote the New Age dogma of global religious unity.

11. Flattery will be employed to entice people into believing that humans are inherently divine. They should be told that we are all gods.

12. Science and the New Age world religion must become one. Evolution must be presented as fact and the cosmic unity of humanity and nature researched.

13. Christians who resist the Plan must be reoriented or dealt with in other ways. If necessary, they should be eliminated and the world purified of their influence.

Consciousness programmes

The movement has extensive consciousness programmes. They not only try to influence religious groups and governments with their ideology, but also the media, educational, and entertainment establishments.

The educational system must undergo the most radical transformation process. Changes must be introduced and implemented across the entire spectrum from the pre-school child level right up to the most advanced tertiary institutions, including theological seminaries. The identity consciousness of pupils and students must be neutralised. They must be prepared to take their place as planetary citizens in a multi-cultural, multi-religious, non-racial and non-sexist society. Narrow-mindedness must be replaced by the largest possible degree of open-mindedness on all matters, thereby eliminating any narrow ideological orientation. Theological faculties at universities must be declared open faculties where Eastern, African and other religions can be included in the curricula of disciplines such as comparative religion, science of religion, or religious studies. In this way the gap between different religions and ideologies can be narrowed.

In many institutions psycho-techniques are taught to children from a young age to obtain higher levels of consciousness, and to discover and use the latent powers of the mind. In certain educational programmes, strong emphasis is placed on cosmic powers.

Due to a renewed interest in astrology, cosmic influences on people’s lives are studied. Paranormal phenomena are also investigated. Several universities recognise holistic health practices, including the role of traditional healers in treating the sick. Their mystical psycho-techniques and alternative medicine are often recommended to patients.

The New Age’s view on cosmic consciousness ties up with many of the self-image development theories with which humanistic psychology is experimenting at present. Management seminars are also conducted for the business sector in which a new self-image, Silva Mind Control, telepathy, influencing people psychically, future projections, meditation, and yoga relaxation exercises are taught.

A theme that is strongly emphasised in the entertainment world, is the existence of beings of a higher order in the universe. They are often referred to as masters of wisdom or masters of the universe, and their leader is somebody like He-man or Superman who has unlimited powers.

These and occult fantasies such as Harry Potter and Pullman’s trilogy, His Dark Materials, feature in books, films, video and TV sagas, promoting new and dangerous ways of thinking in the young, making them discontented with their present limitations. They feel like captives in a real world which unfairly restricts them. To escape this harsh reality, modern youth look for heroes who flout civilised norms, despise God’s laws and offer liberation for spirit, soul and body. In flights of imagination they can escape to another world of fantasy. Techniques for mystical experiences inevitably lure them into the devil’s kingdom of darkness.

Rock stars are also regarded as heroes and youngsters mould themselves on them as idols – yet they portray and promote an immoral, escapist, irresponsible, decadent life-style of promiscuous sex, drug-taking, alcohol abuse, involvement in the occult and godlessness. Mystical experiences, drunkenness, free sex, witchcraft, and satanism are regarded as adventurous challenges in the search for freedom. Despite the destructive results of this false utopia, the victims of deceit carry on regardless of the consequences.

Many of the adults of our time are products of the godless cults of the past four decades. As a result of the ideological corruption in their education, the immorality of a permissive humanistic society, and the religious decadence of backslidden and dead churches, they now look for sensational and mystical ways to escape the dullness of life. These popular interests have given rise to film productions such as the following: Star wars, The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi, Poltergeist, The Exorcist, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, ET, Close Encounters, and The Dark Crystal.

The world is now almost ready to be taken over by the big superman and practitioner of dark, occult powers, the lawless one and false prince of peace, the cosmic christ and universal messiah – the Antichrist. The Bible calls him “that man of sin… whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders” (2The 2:3,9). Are you and your children among the victims of Satan’s intellectual, moral, and spiritual corruption, or have you “Put on the whole armour of God that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil” (Eph 6:11)? The kingdom of darkness is now making a final bid to delude all people into believing the New Age lie of cosmic unity.

Luciferic doctrines

The highest ranking deities in the New Age Movement are (1) the universal god of all faiths, (2) the cosmic christ, and (3) Lucifer. In his book Reflections on the Christ the head of Planetary Citizens, David Spangler, included a chapter titled: Lucifer, Christ and God. In it, an important role in the consciousness evolution of humans is assigned to Lucifer: “When man entered upon the pathway of self, he entered into a great creative adventure… There he can say, ‘I have fully and absolutely accepted the responsibility of who and what I am. In so doing I am free…’ The being that helps man to reach this point is Lucifer. That is his role. He is the angel of man’s evolution. He is the angel of man’s inner light. Lucifer is the spirit of light in the microcosmic world. God is the spirit of light in the macrocosm, and Christ is the bridge between the two that spells freedom in manifestation.”

David Spangler (ibid) promotes a luciferic initiation to effect the transition to a higher level of consciousness: “The true light of Lucifer cannot be seen through sorrow, through darkness, through rejection. The true light of this great being can only be recognised when one’s own eyes can see with the light of the Christ, the light of the inner sun. Lucifer works within each of us to bring us to wholeness, and as we move into a new age, which is the age of man’s wholeness, each of us is brought to the point of a Luciferic initiation, the doorway through which the individual must pass if he is to come fully into the presence of his light and wholeness.”

Through the spirit of the cosmic christ of the kingdom of darkness (the Antichrist), people are introduced to the false light and peace of Lucifer, who is the father of lies. Full luciferic revelations are at present still confined to the inner circles of the New Age Movement, as members must pass through various stages of spiritual illumination before the real identity of the movement’s leader is revealed to them.

A good example of progressive revelation is the system followed by the Freemasons. They are a New Age organisation, and the title of their monthly magazine is The New Age. Although they are subjected to strange rituals, members enjoy freedom of religion in the first 14 grades of the organisation. From this point upwards to the 29^th grade, they worship the universal God of all religions, Yahbulon (it is a combination of Yahweh, the God of the Bible, Bel or Baal, the god of the Babylonians and Assyrians, and On, the Egyptian sun-god). From the 30^th degree upwards the God of Masonry is called by his true name, Lucifer. Albert Pike, a 33^rd degree leader of Masonry in the 19^th century, sent the following directive to the 23 supreme councils in the world on 14^th July 1889: “That which we say to the crowd is: ‘We worship a God, but it is the God one adores without superstition.’ To you, Sovereign Grand Instructors General, we say this, that you may repeat it to the Brethren of the 32^nd, 31^st, and 30^th degrees: ‘The Masonic religion should be, by all of us initiates of the high degrees, maintained in the purity of the Luciferian doctrine. If Lucifer was not the true God, then why would Jesus, the God of the Christians, calumniate him?’”

A strong luciferic influence is also evident in the works of Alice Bailey. She supplemented Madame Blavatsky’s writings by continuing the preparatory work for the dawning of the New Age. In 1922, she founded the Lucifer Publishing Company in New York. In 1923, its name was changed to Lucis Publishing Company – Lucis is just another (less well known) name of Lucifer. Branches of this publishing house were established in Britain and South Africa. Alice Bailey’s New Age ideas were almost identical to those of her husband, Foster Bailey. He was a 32^nd degree Mason. In his book, The Spirit of Masonry, he strongly emphasises the universalistic religious nature of Masonry: “The Master Masons are called by many names and are known at different times by various appellations. They can be referred to as Christ and His Church, the Masters of Wisdom, the Illuminati (the Enlightened Ones), the Rishis of the Oriental Philosophy, the Builders of the occult tradition, and those individualities of outstanding wisdom.”

From this occult, luciferic tradition come the leaders of the new world order. Bailey claims that since the Freemasons are so universalistic in their thinking and objectives, they will play a major role in the establishment of the coming New Age dispensation: “It should be remembered that Masonry is not specifically Christian. Membership should be open to all. It is interesting to remember also that Jews were admitted 150 years ago, Hindus in 1865, and Muslims in 1836. Let us, therefore take our stand on this broad and generous platform and refuse to limit the original ideal by the pettiness of our views and the smallness of our vision… There will be seen in the world an organisation based on a foundation so broad and tolerant, that it provides not only a universal platform for thinkers of all schools of thought, but a universal religion and a form of government which may serve as an example to the restless peoples of the world.”

Constance Cumbey, an American attorney who did extensive research on the New Age Movement, said the following about the New Age connection to Masonry: “The Masonic teachings are absolutely identical to the New Age teachings… I have a book by a prominent Mason called The Meaning of Freemasonry, which says: ‘Now that we are going into the Age of Aquarius, and so many groups are working for the restoration of the mysteries, we Masons are the proper people to bring these teachings to the world because, after all, this is the same thing we’ve been teaching all along.’”

Active programme

The network of organisations in the New Age Movement is still expanding. Everywhere in the world they follow active programmes to recruit members, and to establish the right climate for the coming of the world messiah. Meditation sessions are often organised in conflict areas. As a result of these actions they claim credit for all breakthroughs in negotiations for peace and reconciliation. The movement regards the dismantling of the iron curtain between Eastern and Western Europe as a very significant turning point in achieving greater unity in Europe and, in a wider context, the moves to merge the Western and developing worlds, as advancing the realisation of a world without boundaries.

New Age groups were jubilant when the new South Africa elected a government that is positively inclined towards the new world order. This transition coincided with the abandonment of the former, largely biblically-based constitution, the acceptance of the interfaith principle, the establishment of a unitary state for the various national groups, and the integration of people from different races and cultures.

From the New Age point of view, an important step towards resolving the crisis in South Africa was taken by arranging a world focus rally in Cape Town for the weekend of 11-13 November 1989. New Age meditaters came from far and wide (including various overseas countries) to meditate for peace and unity on Table Mountain. To them, it is an important planetary centre from where cosmic energy can be channelled to the surrounding communities.

Since 1987, co-ordinated meditation sessions are organised in many different countries on the 31^st of December at 12 o’clock Greenwich time for the sake of peace, unity and reconciliation in the world. This day is referred to as world-wide healing day because its main purpose is to heal the international community of its divisions and lack of love. Among certain groups, the day is called a luciferic baptism for the world, in order that the christ consciousness may take possession of people.

The assault on the natural order and biblical Christian standards is extensive and well-planned. It is spearheaded by a host of seducing spirits from the kingdom of darkness. Any who are overcome by curiosity, or who open themselves to such spirits in ignorance, will succumb to the devil’s power of deception and believe his lies. Stay well clear of all New Age and occult spiritual deception!

Anyone who has already been drawn into New Age and occult practices or is tempted to dabble in them should stop and urgently consider where it will lead him. The personal stories of those who have been set free from its clutches demonstrate the very real dangers involved. A once famous USA New Age leader and author, Randall Baer, tells how, in a state of trance and enjoying ‘heavenly light’, he suddenly saw an evil face of absolute hatred and realised it was a demon. Horrified, he turned to the Bible and, recognising New Age for the false religion it is, received Christ as Saviour. Alan Morrison, another converted New Ager who became a Christian pastor, exposing the danger of occult influences in the church, said of the Christian hope of eternity in heaven with Christ, “That will be the true new age!” (see Dawn of the New Age, Penfold, 1998).

The Christian answer

The Bible has clear and specific guidance for us on this. Firstly, all should take to heart God’s commandment that: “There shall not be found among you any one… that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. For all that do these things are an abomination unto the Lord…” (Deu 18:10-12).

Anyone involved in New Age should follow this example: “And many that believed came, confessing and telling their deeds. Also many of those who had practised magic brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted up the value of them, and it totalled fifty thousand pieces of silver.” (The action of new converts at Ephesus – Act 19:18-19 NKJV).

Christians tempted to dabble in the occult should beware of: “…that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world” (Rev. 12:9) “…lest by any means as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ” (2Cor 11:3). “Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his [schemes]” (2Cor. 2:11). “Be sober, be vigilant; because the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: whom resist steadfast in the faith” (1 Pet. 5:8-9). “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you” (Jas. 4:7). “Put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Eph. 6:11-12 NKJV).

Christian and New Age world-views contrasted

Biblical Christianity and the New Age Movement are based on diametrically opposite world-views. A comparison follows:

Prof Johan Malan, University of the North, South Africa

www.bibleguidance.co.za