New Age

New Age

What is New Age/Occult/Witchcraft?

New Age - a broad movement characterized by alternative approaches to traditional Western culture, with an interest in spirituality, mysticism, holism, and environmentalism.

I. Does the Bible speak to New Age?

a. Absolutely

i. Here is one of the strongest condemnations of New Age.

1. “When you come into the land that the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abominable practices of those nations. There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer or a charmer or a medium or a necromancer or one who inquires of the dead, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord. And because of these abominations the Lord your God is driving them out before you. You shall be blameless before the Lord your God, for these nations, which you are about to dispossess, listen to fortune-tellers and to diviners. But as for you, the Lord your God has not allowed you to do this. – Deut. 18:9-14 (emphasis added)

II. Let’s look at that list.

1. Divination – survey future events

2. Fortune-tellers – word used for those that would interpret the hum of insects or the whisper of the leaves.

a. There is an interesting scene of this in one of my favorite Disney movies.

3. Interpret omens, sorcerers, & charmers – to ally oneself.

4. Medium – the phrase here is “medium or spiritist.” But the Hebrews states “to ask or inquire of a familiar spirit.” A familiar spirit is ALWAYS known as a demon. So, a medium is someone who speaks to a demon.

5. Necromancers – someone who talks to the dead.

a. Why is this a problem?

b. A good rule of thumb. Don’t talk to dead people, even loved ones.

III. We often hear, “These things are harmless.”

a. The scripture makes it clear.

i. There is an unseen realm.

ii. There are angels and demons.

iii. Ephesians 6 even claims that things occur in the unseen realm before they occur here in the physical.

IV. Here are some examples on why I do not think these things are harmless.

1. Pharoah’s sorcerers.

a. Did you know that they could do many of the powerful wonders that God performed?

Plague

Could Pharoah’s Sorcerers Reproduce it?

1Water into Blood

✅

2Frogs

✅

3Gnat (could be lice)

❌

4Flies

❌

5Livestock dying

❌

6Boils

❌

7Hail

❌

8Locust

❌

9Darkness

❌

10Death of the Firstborn

❌

b. How does this relate?

i. It is apparent that there was some kind of power behind the first two wonders being replicated by the sorcerers, not to mention, they also turned a staff into a snake.

ii. In the same way, there are new age practices that can mimic, in a very limited capacity, God’s power.

1. In July 2013, a psychic found the body of a murdered young man. How?

a.

2. 1 Corinthians 10:1-23 (NASB)

For I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea; and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea; and all ate the same spiritual food; and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them; and the rock was Christ. Nevertheless, with most of them God was not well-pleased; for they were laid low in the wilderness. Now these things happened as examples for us, so that we would not crave evil things as they also craved. Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and stood up to play.” Nor let us act immorally, as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in one day. Nor let us try the Lord, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the serpents. Nor grumble, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer. Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall. No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it. Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. Is not the cup of blessing which we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ? Is not the bread which we break a sharing in the body of Christ? Since there is one bread, we who are many are one body; for we all partake of the one bread. Look at the nation Israel; are not those who eat the sacrifices sharers in the altar? What do I mean then? That a thing sacrificed to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? No, but I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God; and I do not want you to become sharers in demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons. Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? We are not stronger than He, are we? All things are lawful, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful, but not all things edify.

3. There is nothing new under the sun. Ecclesiastes 1:9

a. Witchcraft and Occult is nothing new.

i. But the way it is perceived in our society has definitely changed.

1. Little Demon - show on Disney+

a. After being impregnated by the Devil, a reluctant mother and her Antichrist daughter attempt to live an ordinary life in Delaware.

2. Chilling Adventures of Sabrina ­– show on Netflix

a. Reimagines the origin and adventures of "Sabrina, the Teenage Witch" as a dark coming-of-age story that traffics in horror, the occult, and witchcraft. Tonally in the vein of "Rosemary's Baby" and "The Exorcist," this adaptation finds Sabrina Spellman wrestling to reconcile her dual nature--half-witch, half-mortal--while standing against the evil forces that threaten her, her family, and the daylight world humans inhabit.

b. There is an absolute, intentional plan to introduce witchcraft, occult, new age into mainstream.

A list of New Age Practices you may have not been aware of:

1. Dreamcatchers

2. Ouiji Boards

3. Tarot Cards

4. Astrology – Horoscopes

5. Burning Sage

6. Psychic Readings

7. Crystals

🚩🚩🚩🚩 Red Flags 🚩🚩🚩🚩

1. “I’m a Spiritual Person”

a. Do they believe in Jesus Christ & WHAT they believe about Jesus Christ.

2. Relative Truth – There is no absolute truth.

3. How they describe God

4. Good vibes/good energy.

5. They are inclusive. Rejects monotheism

6. Karma/ Law of Attraction

7. Mysticism – Channeling, tarot card, horoscopes, dream catchers

This all boils down to 2 things:

1. The first lie ever told in the garden. You can be like God.

a. This is done through self-awaken.

b. Instead of being called New Age, it should be called Old Age.

2. The first of the 10 commandments given to Moses in Deuteronomy 5.

a. You shall put no gods before me.

b. God describes Himself as a jealous God. (Ex. 34:14, Deut. 4:24)