Today marks the 52nd anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in Dallas, Texas. It was an awful day that shook America and reminded all of us that no one is safe from the attacks of the enemy.
Though the power of our God is great and though His hedge around us is secure, there is no promise to any man--of high degree or low--that the moment to stand before the Holy One will not come at an unanticipated moment.
May we take this somber reminder to heart and may we allow Christ to do His work of salvation within us and His work of revival and awakening throughout our nation. May no one be caught unaware at an inopportune time.
November 22
The Occult New Age By Dr. D. James Kennedy
‘Give no regard to mediums and familiar spirits; do not seek after them, to be defiled by them…’—Leviticus 19:31
Have you noticed the recent explosion of the occult, witchcraft, and Satanism in our society? If you pay attention, you can see it everywhere—in movies, in television programs, in many of the songs of our pop culture.
Drive down Main Street, U.S.A., and you’ll most likely see the storefront office of a psychic or a palm reader. The work of the devil and his demons takes many forms and has many names. It ranges from Satan worshipers to those who experiment with parapsychology and read horoscopes. And our country has embraced it all.
Why do people turn to the occult? Some people hunger for the supernatural. Ignorant of the gospel and unacquainted with Christ, these people seek a supernatural connection in the occult world. Others seek power. They don’t care where they get it; they just want as much of it as they can grab.
Yet others just play with the occult. It serves as an entertaining diversion for them, a game to play. And as the occult gains more and more popularity, many dabble in it out of curiosity.
God created us as spiritual beings for a realm beyond this world. For this reason, people hunger for spiritual things. But many don’t understand that their spiritual needs can only be met in Christ. So they turn to the dark side. The occult becomes an illegitimate way to fulfill a legitimate need.
This all sounds very dark and depressing, but as Christians we can have, and share with others, hope. Jesus came into this world to defeat Satan and destroy his works. By His death, Christ accomplished this once and for all, and He set the prisoners free.
You and I need to share the good news of Christ, who alone can truly satisfy the longings for the supernatural. Zig Ziglar suggests that rather than listening to the stars by following our horoscope, we should listen to the One who made the stars by reading the Holy Bible.
Have you allowed the occult to take hold of you? If so, you needn’t feel possessed by it. Confess your involvement to Jesus Christ, and repent of it. As you do, Christ will forgive and cleanse you from all sin. And whether or not you’ve experienced the occult, pray today that God will break the hold the occult has on our nation, setting people free from Satan and drawing them to Christ to experience the most potent supernatural power—the power of the gospel.
Satan works best where his existence is denied. —‘…and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’—Genesis 3:5
Have you felt as bewildered as I at the recent proliferation of crystals, psychics, and gurus? A “new” religion has swept through our land—the New Age movement—attracting converts with the speed of a runaway train. But the only thing new about this movement is its slick Madison Avenue makeover.
In reality, the New Age movement has existed since the Garden of Eden. An old serpent in a new skin, this worldview slithers around our society today, consuming people by the millions.
The term “New Age” refers to an astrological belief that every two thousand years the world moves into a new zodiac age. New Agers believe that at the beginning of the twenty-first century, we will pass out of the house of Pisces and into the age of Aquarius. (Interestingly, the fish symbol has always signified Christianity.)
Although the New Age movement has many different and loose strands, we may glean three dogmas underlying it:
1. The material world is an illusion. It’s not real. Only things in the spiritual realm are authentic. Sounds like Plato.
2. Only one infinite, eternal reality exists—one force, one life energy, one spirit—and it envelops everything (including us). Sounds like pantheism— each of us is one spark from the same fire. In other words, each of us is “god.”
3. Since each of us is “god” or a part of “god,” we have no need for the “old-fashioned” Christian concepts of sin, guilt, and redemption. We only need enlightenment—to recognize that we are “god.”
The New Age religion takes bits and pieces from Eastern mystical religions— Hinduism, Buddhism, and Taoism—Western neo-pagan occultism, ancient philosophy, modern psychology, and Taoist physics. When we mix all this together, what do we come up with?
The original lie that Satan gave to mankind in the Garden of Eden: “For God knows that in the day you eat of it [the tree of knowledge of good and evil] your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
New Age thinking weasels its way into many places, even into so-called Christian organizations. As you seek to grow closer to God, test the philosophies you hear.
If anything sounds suspect, seek the truth in God’s Word and by His Spirit. God will never lead you into anything contrary to His being or His will.
The devil often transforms himself into an angel to tempt men. AUGUSTINE
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