Eastern Mysticism

RV86-02

Satan's goal, of course, is to convince people that they do not need Jesus Christ in order to attain eternal life in heaven. That is the bottom line of all of Satan's efforts – that people do not need Jesus Christ, and people do not need to concern themselves with any claims that He makes or any offers that He extends to them in order to relate them to the living God.

God's remedy, therefore, for man's fallen condition will be rejected if people believe that there is no sin problem, and that everyone has the power to achieve perfection without Jesus Christ. All the doctrines of Eastern mysticism teach exactly that. There is no problem. And man's only problem, really, is the fact that he does not realize that he has no problem. That's what Eastern mysticism teaches. He has no problem with God, and he has the full capacity to achieve perfection within himself.

So, the Lord Jesus is portrayed as a Man who is one of the greatest psychics, who showed all of us what we can become if we achieve the higher consciousness that He secured. That, of course, is the significance of the term "Christ consciousness." It is not our being aware of Christ, but our achieving the consciousness that Jesus Christ achieved.

If we do not give up our rebellion against God and accept Him as Savior, the Bible says that we cannot be reconciled to God. The battle today, therefore, is against the lies of Satan and of Satan's demons. Ephesians 6:12 tells us that we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities (these are demonic forces), against powers (another category of demonic forces), against the rulers of darkness of this world (demonic forces), against spiritual wickedness in the heavenlies (in the high places – also demonic forces). The objective of the angelic conflict (the angelic warfare) that surrounds us – the angels of God against the angels of Satan, is a conflict which is deliberately and systematically set on capturing the mind of man in order to establish a new frame of reference – that of Eastern mysticism and all that it believes.

In 1974, the Stanford Research Institute received funds from the Charles F. Kettering Foundation to perform a secret study. The purpose of this study was to determine how Western man could be deliberately turned into an Eastern mystic psychic frame of reference. Big money was invested in this project. The project was directed by a man named Willis W. Harmon, and the project was called "Changing Images of Man." A number of brilliant scientists were involved who sincerely believed that the doctrines and the practices of Eastern mysticism were the only hope for the survival of man in the atomic age. This study was initially kept secret, but it in time attracted such a wide support, by key leaders in America, that the project was made public.

The public presentation was done by one of Dr. Harmon's friends and admirers, a lady named Marilyn Ferguson. Marilyn Ferguson wrote what became a bestseller, the title of which was The Aquarian Conspiracy. This book documented in detail how the plan had been set in motion to shift Western thinking into the pattern of Eastern mysticism, and how successful they had been in that project – how Eastern mystical thought had now permeated Western society, and was the dominant force for change in American thinking. Many of you have already indicated that you've come across that. Several people talked to me again today who have been speaking with friends, and who have gotten the shock of their lives as they suddenly realized, as they listened to their friends who are reiterating to them their own beliefs which are exactly the beliefs of Eastern mysticism. Before, you weren't aware of that. Suddenly, you realized that you were dealing with people who think that this is the truth, and this is the way to think. Part of that influence (part of that condition) has been brought about by this particular study in this particular movement.

Marilyn Ferguson declares that the movement will save the human race from extinction by enabling humanity to take a quantum leap forward in its evolution to a higher consciousness. Specifically, here's what she says:

"A leaderless but powerful network is working to bring about radical changes in the United States. Its members have broken with key elements of Western thought. A great, shuddering, irrevocable shift is overtaking us. It is a new mind – a turnabout in consciousness in critical numbers of individuals. It is a network powerful enough to bring about radical changes in our culture. This network, The Aquarian Conspiracy, has already enlisted the minds, hearts, and resources of some of our most advanced thinkers, including Nobel laureate scientists, philosophers, statesmen, and celebrities who are working to create a different kind of society – the technologies for expanding and transforming personal consciousness. Once the secret of an elite, they are now generating massive change in every cultural institution: medicine; politics; business; education; religion; and, the family."

So, The Aquarium Conspiracy is really out there. It is really making the move forward. It is really achieving the objectives that they had set out for themselves. This movement deals with occult powers and with altered states of mind in which truth no longer exists. That's one of the things that the book points out, that truth is not a contained element that exists in itself. This is a flight, of course, from reason which believes that if one has no goals, then it's impossible to get lost. If one has no standards, then one cannot be condemned.

The Doctrines of Demons

A second doctrine is that man is destined to become God through self-realization of his innate deity. A third doctrine we have observed of Eastern mysticism is that man is not inherently evil, so he has no sin problem to deal with. But as modern psychiatry points out, man is simply distorted by society and by environment. But it is not a problem of innate evil.

Subjectivity

However, when you are subjective, then truth takes a different bend. It is now refracted by your own frame of reference. It is now distorted according to how you feel about it personally. Truth itself is determined by that method of what you personally think is truth. Religious truth, under this system of Eastern mysticism, is never based upon an external absolute authority such as the Bible. Instead, truth is treated as being basically relative, so that what is right or true for one person is not necessarily the same for another person.

Certainly, you have, or you will, sooner or later, run across people who have told you, when you have declared to them a biblical truth: "Well, that may be true for you, but that doesn't mean it's true for me." They are putting it in modern American language. They're not using the mystical language and the symbols and the code words of Hinduism, but they're saying the same thing. And that's what I want you to catch – that this concept permeates the mind of man, because it has come from Satan who has encased this in a religious system – the basic religious system of Hinduism.

It says that truth is only relative. A thing is true then only if one subjectively feels that it is true. There is not an external objective authority. This is why it's a little irritating to me when I listen to preachers who say, "I really feel this is true," and they don't realize that they picked up the language of Eastern mysticism. They're suggesting to people that truth is determined by how some authority (like maybe the preacher) feels about it. And they would lead you to think that the truth that you accept is in some way governed by how you feel about it. That is a satanic notion. Truth is not governed by how you feel about the matter.

So, under this system, reality and truth are whatever you want to believe. Truth is seen as residing within yourself. Of course, the justification for that, under Eastern mysticism, is that you are, after all, part of God. You are, after all, God. Therefore, what is within you must be the truth.

This subjective approach, of course, opens one to the deception of some charismatic teacher who can manipulate emotions. In John 5:18, we have the Lord Jesus Christ claiming something that was absolutely astounding to those who listened to Him. Here was a man that they knew. They knew Him as a man. They knew Him as a carpenter's son. They knew His parents, and they knew where He had been reared. And as far as they could see, He was a bonafide human being. That's the only way they knew Him. Yet, this Man was declaring that He was God – that He was equal with the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and that He was, therefore, to be received as such deity:

"Therefore, the Jews sought the more to kill Him, because He not only had broken the Sabbath, but He said also that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God.

"Then Jesus answered and said to them, 'Verily, verily, I say unto you, the Son of Man can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do. For whatever things He does, these also the Son does in the same manner. For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself does. And He will show Him greater works than these, that you may marvel. For as the Father raises up the dead and gives them life, even so, the Son giveth life to whom He will. For the Father does not judge any man, but He commits all judgment unto the Son, that all men should honor the Son even as they honor the Father. He that does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who has sent Him.

"'Verily, verily, I say unto you: he that hears My Word and believes on Him that sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but is passed from death onto life.

"'Verily. Verily I say unto you: The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God. And they that hear shall live. For as the Father has life in Himself, so has He given to the Son to have life in Himself. And He has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man. Do not marvel at this, for the hour is coming in which all that are in the grave shall hear His voice, and shall come forth; they have done good unto the resurrection of life; they have done evil unto the resurrection of condemnation.

"'And I can of My Own Self do nothing. As I hear, I judge, and My judgment, is just because I seek not My own will, but the will of the Father who sent Me. If I bear witness of Myself, My witness is not true. There is another that bears witness of Me, and I know that the witness which He witnesses of Me is true. You sent unto John, and he bore witness unto the truth. But I do not receive testimony from man, but these things I say that you might be saved. He was a burning and shining light, and you were willing for a season to rejoice in His light. But I have greater witness than that of John. For the works which the Father has given Me to finish, the same works that I do bear witness of Me that the Father has sent Me.'"

Notice that the Lord Jesus Christ is claiming to these Jews to be deity; to be equal with the Father; and, to have the full authority of God Himself. But He does not tell them to check that claim by some mindless inner meditation until they come to it and experience a mystical conviction. He does not say, like the Mormons do, "Think about this until you get the burning bosom feeling, and you'll know what is the truth." There is no mystical, mindless base of checking Him out. What does he say? He says, "I don't have the testimony of men. What I have is My works."

Verse 36: "I have greater witness than that of John for the works which the Father has given Me to finish. The same works that I do bear witness of Me that the Father has sent Me." He was authenticated by His miracles. They saw them. They knew that these were supernatural events. They knew that these were beyond human capacity. They knew that this was a Man who reflected that the power of God was working through Him.

Then verse 37 says, "And the Father Himself, who has sent Me, has borne witness of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His shape, and you do not have His Word abiding in you. For you do not believe Him whom He has sent. Search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life, and they are they which testify of Me. And you will not come to Me that you might have life. I do not receive from men, but I know you, that you do not have the love of God in you. I have come in My Father's name, and you did not receive Me. If another shall come in his own name, you will receive him (the false Christ). How can you believe, who receive honor one of another, and do not seek the honor that comes from God only? Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father. There is one that accuses you, even Moses in whom you trust (that is, the Word of God will condemn them). For if you had believed Moses, you would have believed Me, for he wrote of Me. But if you did not believe his writings, how shall you believe in My words?"

And the point of verse 36 is that there is a second authentication, and that is that Moses, in the Scriptures that the Spirit of God had him write, predicted certain things about Jesus Christ. They predicted things about One who would come; who would be in the pattern of Moses himself; who would be the final leader; who would be the final answer; who would be the Savior; and, who would be the Messiah. And Jesus Christ said, "I have fulfilled prophecy." Other prophets, of course, added to that basic prophecy: where He was going to be born; events in His life; His virgin birth; and, details about Him which were precisely fulfilled. Jesus said, "I'm not asking you just to have a mystical inner experience to believe Me when I say I am God. I am asking you to look at the objective evidence of My miracles and of the prophecy of Scripture; Moses whom you hold in such esteem; and, the Moses whom you know spoke to you the truth and the Word of God. Believe what he has said about Me." Jesus called them to objective evidence.

Inerrancy

So, every person is free to make up his own mind and to do his own thing if truth is subjective. That's the goal of Eastern mysticism, and that's what's so appealing about it. I can do whatever I want if what is true is what I feel is true. No one is to be inhibited, therefore, by questions of what is right or what is wrong. Who are you to tell somebody else that something is right or something is wrong if that person doesn't feel it's right or wrong for him?

Satan is still asking the question that he asked of Eve: "Did God really say that?" That is the subtle poison that he's injecting into thinking. Subjectivism in determining truth is crucial to demons for gaining acceptance of their doctrine.

Experience

Demonic Power

You and I hear about the voodoo practice of taking vengeance on somebody by creating a doll that looks like that person. Then you sit there, and you poke a pin into that doll's nose, that person has a terrific pain in the nose. You stick it in his neck, and he's got a pain in this neck. Pretty soon you get to a vital part, and you stab that pin into his heart, and he dies. And you say, "Oh, that's television stuff." No, it isn't. That is people who have come into association with the mystical powers of the demonic world, and they are able to control spirits. When they come to the point where they can control demon spirits, they can execute exactly that sort of thing. That's pretty exciting. Can't you think of people that you'd like to have power like that to be able to manipulate? That's very exciting, heady stuff. That is what is so attractive about what Hinduism offers through meditation. It's a real world, and it's real power. So, experience is exalted as being the guide to the truth.

However, never forget Matthew 7:21-23, where Jesus faces a group of people who are anticipating entering eternal glory, rest, and bliss in heaven with Him, and He says to them, "Not everyone that says unto me 'Lord, Lord' shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that does the will of My Father who is in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord (this is at the end of the tribulation), have we not prophesied in Your name, and in Your name have cast out demons, and in Your name done many wonderful works (miracles)?' And then I will profess unto them, 'I never knew you. Depart from Me you that work iniquity.'"

When Mrs. Danish and I were on the tour to Israel a couple of summers ago, one Sunday evening we had a vesper service at the hotel, and I was asked to speak. In the course of my remarks, I made reference to this passage. After the service, a young man came up who was in the business world, and had entered a considerable area of personal wealth. But he was a man who, I could tell just by listening to him and just by observing him, was into the charismatic world. He came up afterwards and he said, "You know, that verse that you read in Matthew has really bothered me for a long time." Then he told me what he was into, as I suspected. And I said, "Well, it should bother you, because what you believe is real, and those experiences that you are having are not confirmed by the objective authority of what the Bible teaches concerning the functioning of spiritual gifts. And the world that you're living in, that you think is a world of miracles and of divine power, is a world of delusion. It is a world of demonic and psychic powers."

I could tell that it upset him. But the truth of the matter is that the charismatic movement's emphasis upon experience as a guide to the truth is the thing that they have taken, without knowing, right over from Eastern mysticism. That is exactly a doctrine of demons, and they don't realize that that's what they have: "Experience will be that which will identify for me the truth." That's why the charismatics say, "Give me a man who's had an experience, and he will not be dissuaded by any man who has a doctrine." What do they mean? It's a variation of this same concept: "I have had an experience, and that is what confirms for me that I am in a relationship with God that is real. That is what is confirming truth for me. Even though I read something in the Bible that condemns my experience; that puts my experience in a different light; or, that gives a reality to show me that what I think is happening is not of God, then I must reject that."

I watched a charismatic television program recently. Edgar Cayce's patients and helpers used to observe something when healing was brought upon them by his prescriptions. Periodically, he would lose his voice, and he would put himself under self-hypnosis. The person who was accompanying him would ask that his voice be restored, and they would see his face and his forehead begin to turn red, and then move down until his whole chest became inflamed, glowing red, and then it would subside. When he would come out of the self-hypnosis, his voice was always restored.

People who have been in the demonic world have described having feelings of heat, and of electrical shock, and of vibrations. I was watching a television program. People were coming up to the microphone. It was in a charismatic meeting, and they were telling about their healing experiences. This one lady was all aglitter and all agog about something that had been healed on her. She said, "And I just felt this warm heat began to flow over me, and just flow down. And it was so wonderful what God was doing for me." And what she was describing, without realizing it, was that she was having a psychic experience, and she was having a demonic healing.

Existentialism

As has been pointed out many times for the existentialists, therefore, you may drive down the street in your car and you may see a little old lady standing on the curb with busy traffic going on. You can stop your car; get out; and, help her across. You have done a kindness; you have had an experience; and, you have authenticated yourself. Or you may watch that little old lady standing on the curb; drive up in your car; rev up the motor; jump the curb; run over her; knock her over; and, go on your way. You have done an unkind thing, but you still had an experience. It doesn't matter which way you do it. That is existentialism. That is the implication of the doctrine of demons.

In Eastern mysticism, the mind stands in the way of having a mystical experience. A higher state of consciousness is attained only when you bypass reason. Again, we have an illustration of this in the movie Star Wars, where Obi-Wan Kenobi was teaching Luke Skywalker how to use the light sword, and Skywalker could not get the hang of it. So Obi says, "Luke, it's because you're trying to think. You're trying to think and reason your way. Don't think. Just let the force take over, and you will experience success in using the light sword." There was pure Eastern mysticism. Skywalker was told to blank out his mind, and to use the force – the universal mind, that which is equated as the god that everyone is a part of. Let that take over, and you will have an experience, and in that case, the experience of knowing how to use the light sword. It's a way of removing reasonable thinking in order to arrive at the truth.

The Christian's walk, of course, is in contrast to all this. It is a walk which is by faith in the revelation of Scripture. Revelation of the Bible, of course, is one that we receive through the mind. We have an authenticated book. It is a book whose truth has been confirmed in a variety of ways. What is in this book is a revelation from God. It is received through the mind. John 8:32 points out, "You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." How do you know the truth? You don't know the truth by your emotions. You don't know the truth by how you feel about a thing. You know the truth because you have used your mind to learn it; to understand it; and, to relate to it.

This same concept was, of course, enunciated to the people of the Old Testament, as illustrated in Isaiah 1:18 that says, "'Come now, and let us reason together,' says the Lord. 'Though your sins be of scarlet, they shall be white as snow. Though they be red light crimson, they shall be as wool.'" If you want to deal with the subject of your personal salvation (the removal of your personal moral guilt before a Holy God), then let's sit down and talk it over. Let's reason together concerning this subject. Let's think it through on the basis of what the Word of God has to say. Emotions, of course, do result within the believer. The emotions are there as the result of what our minds do in positive acceptance of what God has taught.

In Hebrews 11:1, we read, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for; the evidence of things not seen." Faith is believing the objective authority of Scripture.

Hebrews 11:6 says, "But without faith, it is impossible to please Him, for he that comes to God must believe that he is, and that is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him." You have to believe in what God has said to approach Him, and you believe what God has said if you are going to come to the truth.

Satan's goal, in the Age of Aquarius, is to annihilate the brain's reasoning powers through a mystical frontal lobotomy. Reason is what distinguishes man from the instinct of animals. That's pointed out to us, for example, in Psalm 32:9. It is man's reasoning capacity that distinguishes him from the animals. The animals just go by instinct and experience: "Don't be like the horse or like the mule, that have no understanding, whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto you." It is instinct and experience that guide an animal, but man has a mind that should be able to think, and not have to be treated like a stupid mule.

The mind of the unbeliever, of course, is completely short-circuited when it comes to receiving divine viewpoint. That's why Satan comes up with a substitute system – to give people the illusion that they are coming to an understanding of truth. Ephesians 4:17-18 tell us about the unbeliever's mind: "This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you henceforth do not walk as other gentiles walk (that is, as unbelievers walk), in the emptiness of their mind, having the understanding darkened, and being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart." Of course, he is speaking about callouses here upon the soul in that word "hardness," which can be true of the Christian as well, who is rejecting the revelation of the Word of God.

Then in Romans 1:21, we read that the degeneration morally of the human race came about because: "When they knew God, they glorified Him not as God, neither were thankful, but became empty in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened." It was when they abandoned their thinking capacity that they came into the experience that drew them away from God.

The believer's mind, on the other hand, is renewed by the Holy Spirit, and so is receptive to divine viewpoint understanding, as Ephesians 4:23 and Romans 12:1-2 tell us – the renewing of our minds through the intake of the Word of God.

Approaches to the Truth

1. The Rationalist

   Imagine a rectangle, and imagine the letter "F" in the middle of that rectangle, representing the word "Finite." And imagine arrows pointing from that "F" to the perimeters of that rectangle. That is what the rationalist sees in the world. He lives totally within the boundaries of the finite world. That's it. This rectangle is limited. The perimeters of it are the finite world. That's what he lives within. The infinite for him does not exist at all. The finite material world is all that there is for the rationalist. So, all truth for him can be learned through the five senses, and through logic. Reason, for the rationalist is the only reliable guide to the truth, and the supernatural does not exist.

   Here is where most scientists are, of course. They have the mentality of the rationalist. The mentality of the rationalist is not the mind of the mystic, and it is not the mind of the Christian. Please keep these separate. The rationalist envisions a world that has perimeters that his senses can deal with, and that's the end of it. So the rationalist will not listen to anything that his senses cannot observe; anything that his senses cannot enter into; or, anything, therefore, that has the suggestion of the supernatural. That's why, in the whole realm of evolution, what is the problem to begin with? The problem is that the unbelieving scientist must have an explanation for life; for origin; and, for the various lifeforms which does not depend upon a supernatural act of a Supreme Being. Whatever thesis (whatever hypothesis) he comes up with, he must eliminate the concept of the supernatural. That is the way the rationalist thinks.

2. The Mystic

   Now let's look at the mystic. Imagine a rectangle that is broken all around. In the middle of this rectangle is the letter "F," standing for "Finite." Outside of the rectangle is the letter "I" standing for the "Infinite." For the mystic, the finite world doesn't exist, so we have the rectangle in broken dashes. The mystic says that the finite world does not exist. This is one of the concepts of Eastern mysticism. What is all around you here is an illusion. The Hindus call that "Maya." It's an illusion. This really doesn't exist. This world is not here. All of these things that you're seeing, and all these people you're seeing, are not there. For the mystic of Eastern mysticism, he doesn't just say that his friend is not all there: He says that he's not there at all. It's just an illusion. The guy is completely out of it. There's nobody there. You think he's there, but it's an illusion. It's a deception of the mind.

   This shows up in Christian Science. Christian Science says what? Christian Science says that there is no sickness; there is no death; and, there is no evil. That's all an illusion. When you feel ill, that's an illusion.

   Many years ago, we used to have a man who attended Berean Church who was a Christian Scientist, and we had one of our 4th of July picnics. As you know, we have the all-time great championship softball game. And the following Sunday, he came by, and he said something about the picnic. I said, "Yeah, that was a lot of fun. I hope your muscles aren't as sore as a mine are today." He snapped right back, and he said, "My muscles aren't sore." He was very emphatic. And I thought, "OK, that's kind of odd, being so emphatic about it." I got to thinking later about this guy being a Christian Scientist. And if his muscles are sore, it is against his religion to admit it. To him, that is a mortal evil; that is a mistake of the mortal mind; and that's illusion. It's Maya. It's the same concept of Eastern mysticism. Unfortunately, reality contradicts that.

   It's like the little boy who lived on the block where this lady was a Christian Scientist, and who never would admit that she was sick, because that doesn't exist. That's just a mistake of the mind. One day the little boy came running home, all excited to his mother, and he says, "Mother, mother, you know that lady down the street who was sick and didn't believe she was sick?" The mother said, "Yes." He said, "Well, now, she doesn't think she's dead." She just died, and she doesn't think she's dead, because death also is an illusion of the mortal mind. And even Mrs. Mary Baker Eddy finally could not escape that reality.

   So, this finite world to the mystic is mere illusion. The only reality lies outside of it in the infinite. There is no boundary line between the finite and the infinite. It's all one and the same. So, the key to reality for the mystic is just to trace this boundary in your mind, and for you to become part of the infinite yourself. That is the concept of Eastern mysticism. There you are. This is illusion. You're part of everything. Everything is out there. That's the infinite. You're part of that. That, of course, is associated with the fact that thus you are part of God. So, the mystic says that he will know truth experientially. He can only learn as he experiences the infinite out there. Once he understands that all of this is illusion, then the infinite is all there is.

3. The Christian

   For the Christian, again imagine a rectangle of a solid line. The letter "F" is in the middle for "Finite;" the letter "I" outside is for "Infinite;" and, an arrow is coming through into the rectangle. This is what illustrates pictorially the Christian position. It says that there is a finite world. It's not an illusion. It is part of a real creation that God made. However, the finite world creates boundaries around man's ability to know firsthand what the infinite is like. Our finite world is real, but it does restrict us from knowing what is out there in the infinite world. So, the infinite has to invade the finite. That's what God has done in the form of Jesus Christ, the God-man, to reveal truths to us about the infinite God, and about the infinite things of deity that we could not know. He had to invade our finite realm – our limited area. So, Jesus Christ on earth has revealed to us what we could not know in any other way. He validated Himself as the source of these revelations through many objective evidences, not the least of which was His own resurrection.

When you deal with those who are under the influence of Eastern mysticism, and ultimately that's what we're interested in doing, you should know the best approach to these people. First of all, you want to be careful not to make fun of them. You do want to treat them in kindness as human beings who've got a real problem. But there are a lot of secondary debates and discussions that you could get into. When you run into somebody who has these doctrines of demons, the first thing to do is to present the gospel. In 1 Corinthians 1:18, the apostle Paul says, "For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness, but unto us who are saved, it is the power of God." So, if you're going to change these people, you need a divine power, and it is the gospel that provides that divine power.

Also in 1 Corinthians 2:1-2, Paul says, "And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech, or of wisdom (argumentation), declaring unto you the testimony of God. For I determined not to do anything among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified." It is very tempting, when you talk to people who have these strange beliefs, to get into discussing those beliefs without realizing that they are incapable of grasping truth until they are born again. So, the thing you want to approach is presenting them with the gospel.

2 Corinthians 5:21 takes us a step further, where Paul says, "For He (God the Father) has made Him (Jesus Christ), who knew no sin, to be sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him."

Then, of course, Acts 16:31 says, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved." We need to progress people from knowing nothing about the gospel, to understanding what the gospel is, and what they must do with it in order to be saved: to believe it. You need to clarify three issues, in short, when dealing with people who have the concepts of Eastern mysticism. One: you have to clarify for them how truth is determined. That is what we've been talking about in this session. Secondly, you have to clarify how the guilt of personal sin is dealt with – that there is real moral guilt upon us. It's not just Maya. It's not just illusion. Then the third point you need to clarify is the identity of Jesus Christ – establishing who He is. He's not just an avatar. He's not just a reincarnation of one of the Hindu gods. He's not just a good man who is in the line of secondary followers of someone like Lord Maitreya, that we looked at in the previous session, and that he is one of the people who is exalting the Christ.

The Bible teaches us that we have ultimate responsibility and accountability to God for our souls. You should stress that. People need to understand that they, because they have a freewill choice, are going to be accountable to God. John 3:16 is the verse about God so loving the world and giving His only Son so that whosoever believes in Him should have eternal life.

Point them to John 15:25-29: "But this came to pass that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law. They hated me without a cause, but when the Comforter is come, whom I will send them to you, whom the Father, even the Spirit of Truth, who proceeded from the Father, He shall testify of Me. You also shall bear witness, because you have been with Me from the beginning." Expect God the Holy Spirit to inform people of their need (bring conviction).

John 16:11-12 clarify that: "Nevertheless, I tell you the truth. It is expedient for you that I go away, for if I don't go away, the Comforter (God the Holy Spirit) will not come unto you. But if I depart, I'll send Him unto you. And when He is come, He will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment. He will reprove the world of sin because they did not believe Me (very serious – the problem of sin is resolved by believing in Christ as Savior); of righteousness, because I go to My Father, and you see me no more (I am here as a demonstration, Jesus said, of the righteousness of God the Father, the absolute perfection, and when I'm gone, someone else is going to have to enable sinners to realize that they are dealing with a perfect God); and, of judgment" (because the prince of this world is judged, and people should understand that Satan, who had terrific power over them, has had that power broken). When you deal with people in Eastern mysticism, they need to know that.

Then finally, they need to know the sobering statement of Hebrews 9:27 which says, "And it is appointed unto men once to die, and after this, the judgment."

People everywhere have these concepts of the doctrines of demons. People everywhere today are actually believing that a purely subjective approach is to be used in determining religious truth. People everywhere believe that an experience with God (an experience of some kind) is more important than what you know from the Word of God. The experience will be your guide to your contact with God rather than the objective basis of the Word of God. Both of these are false. People who are trapped in this system need to be helped out of it by you who know the truth, and who need to carry them through step-by-step to an explanation of the problems that they are going to face as human beings. How are they going to decide what is true? How are they going to deal with their real personal moral guilt? And how are they going to view Jesus Christ? The answers to those questions are going to make all the difference of their eternity from the joy of heaven to the torments of hell.

Dr. John E. Danish, 1982

Back to the Revelation index