Scripture tells us in 2 Thessalonians 2:10-11 that God will send a deluding influence upon those who do not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. In this context, the time period being discussed is just prior to the rapture and immediately following it during the tribulation period (2 Thessalonians 2:6-11). Those to whom the deluding influence will be sent are the ones who have already rejected Christ—the unbelievers. We know that some people will be saved during the tribulation period [see Revelation 6:9-11; 7:3, 14; 16:6, to list a few references]. Others will be exposed to the gospel both prior to and following the rapture, but they will reject it. This is the group onto whom God will send this delusion (a rather large group of people). God sends this deluding influence so that they who have rejected Christ might believe what is false (2 Thessalonians 2:11). This delusion will be a factor toward influencing those unbelievers to believe a lie, i.e., that the “man of lawlessness” [Antichrist] is a messiah as he claims to be.

NATURE OF DELUSION

What kind of delusion will God send upon an unbelieving world that will cause people to believe a lie, especially in regard to the true nature of the Antichrist? It is impossible to be certain about the nature of the delusion, and I do not claim to know the answer. I would like to suggest that this delusion might involve New Age beliefs.

The New Age Movement started mushrooming in popularity in the 1960s. These beliefs are really very ancient lies and deception originating from Satan but are dressed up in a new cloak to fit our times [italics by author]. Satan is a liar, a counterfeiter, and is a master at deception.

NEW AGE APOSTASY

The New Age Movement is very broad and hard to define since it is a mixture of Eastern philosophies, religions, and mysticism combined with Western beliefs. For example, it includes the occult and areas such as extrasensory perception (ESP), parapsychology, psychic phenomena, Transcendental Meditation, mind control, and the UFO movement, to name just a few areas. It also includes more subtle areas, such as many self-help books, and movies like Harry Potter and The DaVinci Code.

New Agers have coined many “buzz” words and phrases such as: Higher Consciousness, Christ Consciousness, the Cosmic Christ, Global Village, the Force (used in the movie Star Wars), Co-Creators with the Universe, New World Order, and the Age of Aquarius. One of the hallmarks and attractions of the New Age Movement involves Self-deification combined with an emphasis on experience for determining reality. New Age beliefs usually involve a mixture of truth and lies.

Satan is the master when it comes to mixing lies and truth. For example, the New Age Movement has permeated most disciplines, such as psychology, counseling, and philosophy. It has infiltrated colleges and seminaries, attacking the Bible and evangelical Christianity. It is very subtle and deceptive and has desensitized Western civilization and countries that were established on Christian principles, such as the U.S.A.

PERSONAL EXPERIENCE

I was personally deceived by the New Age Movement (N.A.M.). Several years after receiving a graduate degree from a well-known seminary, I began reading New Age books that contained truthful material mixed with lies. This eventually led me into more obvious deceptions, such as psychic phenomena, E.S.P., synchronicity, Eastern thinking, etc. I spent ten years swimming around in mush attempting to make New Age thinking compatible with biblical truth.

Obviously, I was unsuccessful. They are not compatible. I thank God for showing me the truth. I learned a lot from this experience and have committed myself toward exposing this kind of deception and showing how the New Age belief system may tie into biblical prophecy, i.e., the distorted teachings that are currently influencing the last generation in the “last days” (1 Timothy 4:1; 2 Timothy 4:3).

You may wonder how all of this ties into “The Grand Cosmic Deception.” Let’s look at the connection between the New Age Movement and the Grand Deception.

SCIENCE AND THE NEW AGE MOVEMENT

Some scientists have a problem dealing with the origin of life. They reject the creationist view. After all, it could not be proven scientifically. They also have a problem with the chance-probability explanation. There is now a third explanation of the origin of life. Sir Frederick Hoyle, a prominent astronomer, researched the spontaneous generation theory. In 1981, Hoyle expressed the following view:

The likelihood of the formation of life from inanimate matter is one to a number with 40 thousand naughts (zeros) after it. It is enough to bury Darwin and the whole theory of evolution … [I]f the beginnings of life were not random they must therefore have been the product of purposeful intelligence.

Hoyle was among a number of prominent scientists who believed that life was delivered from outer space either by aliens or a comet infected with bacteria. He did not accept the chance-probability theory or a miraculous cause for the origin of life. Francis Crick, a brilliant molecular biologist, agreed with Hoyle.

It is interesting to note that even when the random selection (chance-probability) theory of evolution is studied by some scientists and is found without merit, they still will not consider the option of a belief in God. They choose to believe that humans were somehow planted on earth by aliens. This takes a lot of faith on their part. There is no evidence to back this theory. In addition, it sets people up to look toward extraterrestrials for salvation. They will go to great lengths to avoid a belief in God. As a result, many people do believe that we are the product of alien creation or planting. If, in the future, we have a significant visitation by extraterrestrials (demonic beings disguised as aliens in UFOs) they will be given great respect.

During the tribulation period, Satan and his angels will be cast out of heaven and “thrown down to the earth” (Revelation 12:9). We don’t know how this event will manifest itself, but it could appear to the unbelievers who were left behind at the time of the rapture as an alien visitation of UFOs.

SOME NEW AGE BELIEFS

Combine the beliefs of some scientists who reject the chance-probability theories and the supernatural with the belief in UFOs, and the result is the Church of ET (Extraterrestrials), which Missler and Eastman describe in their book, Alien Encounters, as the result of the UFO movement of the 1960s and 1970s. The theme of these UFO Churches is that life on earth was delivered and created by ETs. Humans are their children, and the ETs are returning to help us to evolve into the next stage of our evolutionary process.

Note: I am not in any way endorsing this belief system. My purpose is to show how the New Age belief system may play into this Grand Deception.

There is a significant move away from dualism (belief in two powers, one good and one evil) to monism or “all is one,” which results in the elimination of evil. The New Age Movement becomes evident when what was traditionally considered evil merges with good.

Philosophically, Westerners are becoming more in tune with Eastern thinking. The New Age Movement is a blend of Eastern and Western religions or philosophies. It is not exclusive to religion and philosophy. As we have seen, science has also been infiltrated by it, as well as other disciplines.

PROPHECY ACCORDING TO THE NEW AGE

In my research, I found this area most intriguing. Numerous New Age authors predict a “rapture” event where large numbers of people will literally disappear. Some New Age authors describe this disappearance as space ships removing people like a “Beam me up, Scotty” in the Star Trek series. Others talk in terms of “vibrations” accelerating until people disappear. In The Revelation, Barbara Hubbard (a New Age author) states, “Those vehicles which you have called UFOs are moving in ultra high frequencies, and they slow down to ‘appear’ and quicken to ‘disappear.’ You should do the same, and shall be taken up in the fullness of time in your quickened condition.” [I am not endorsing or recommending this book.] It is full of lies or New Age beliefs originating from the demonic.

This belief in a New Age rapture is very common. An example of this was illustrated by one of my first editors to the book this article was taken from, The Last Generation: Prophecy, Current World Events, and the End Times. She, the editor, stated that she had never heard of a biblical rapture but was familiar with a New Age rapture. She edited religious books. I found this very interesting. Other New Age authors believe in “high vibrations” that will cause some people to disappear, according to James Redfield, New Age author of The Celestine Prophecy, as they literally walk into heaven in their same form. These New Age authors don’t seem to agree on which group will experience this rapture event. According to my research, the majority of them believe that it is the traditional religious people who will be the ones taken (raptured), those who are “slowing down progress” and harming “Mother Earth,” also known as Gaia. Gaia is another name that refers to the Earth as a goddess. When she becomes overwhelmed or held back with the portions of humanity that are impeding her well being, she expels them, or cleanses herself. This, according to some New Age authors, is known as the rapture event. [To read more about this whole topic, see The Last Generation: Prophecy, Current World Events, and the End Times by Jim Simmons.]

WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN?

A real biblical rapture will happen (probably sooner than we realize) where the believers in Jesus Christ will be taken and the unbelievers will be left behind [see 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; 1 Corinthians 15:51-52, but it will not be the result of vibration levels or UFOs.

Is it possible that Satan is preparing an unbelieving world for this event so that the unbelievers who will be left behind and will be living during the tribulation period can, somehow, explain it away? Once again, Satan is distorting God’s Word through the New Age prophets, so the people left behind (after the rapture) will believe a lie.

No one can be certain what this grand deception will be. I am only suggesting one of the many possibilities, based in part on the New Age belief system. Satan oftentimes counterfeits God’s miracles. Through the New Age belief system, he has a counterfeit already in place.

[This article was extracted from the recently released book, The Last Generation: Prophecy, Current World Events, and the End Times by Jim Simmons. All of the material that originated from other sources is footnoted in the book.