Transformed Women For Christ

It would be easy to say that Gnosticism is on the rise, but that wouldn’t be altogether true. If we dive into history we would see Gnostics wounding their beliefs and agendas through all cultures and governments, seeding their beliefs in the religious leaders throughout time. While there are various sects of Gnostics, one you may have heard of is the Jewish Gnostics, the Kabbalists. There are some very famous celebrities who are Kabbalists. So, what do they believe? Why should we Christians be interested in learning about them?

“Gnosticism” is a derivation of a Greek word, gnosis, which means knowledge. This religious group came about almost simultaneously with Christianity in the Eastern provinces of the Roman empire (The Gnostics and Their Remains, by Charles William King, [1887], at sacred-texts.com). The origin of the belief system itself is still unclear. While there are varying beliefs, they all believe the earth and all the universe is a prison, God is evil because He created evil,( but He didn’t create the earth because a lesser god did), Jesus was an aeon, (an intermediate god of which there are many), there are more evil gods, called archons, and secret knowledge is saving knowledge. Can you see the similarities with Christianity and yet the complete inverse that happened? There is one supreme God, Yahweh. There are heavenly beings. The garden had the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil where Adam and Eve chose to eat of the tree. Jesus is both God and Man and interceded on our behalf. Evil does exist and there are many spiritual beings on the side of Satan. Faith in Jesus Christ is what brings salvation.

They do have one ancient text (as we have our Bible) called the Pistis-Sophia, a Coptic text, that is in the British Museum today (The Gnostics and Their Remains, by Charles William King, [1887]). This book explains the origin of the revelation of Jesus the Saviour and his teachings to the disciples. It explains the aeons as Zodiac signs, names the “Virgin of Light” as the judge, and Peter rebukes Mary Magdalene for speaking and not giving men the chance to speak. Other heretical texts by Gnostics would be the false gospels, such as the Gospel of Philip and the Gospel of Thomas where hidden knowledge would be revealed.

Gnostics borrow from myths and other religions. They can be difficult to follow. You can see the New Age movement today and how it has run rampant throughout the world. There are Gnostics who do not believe in marriage or having children because this world is a prison for the evil creator God and having children would be obeying the Bible (be fruitful and multiply). They do not value life in any way and only desire the secret knowledge to free themselves from this prison planet. Thus, you see the abortion industry, the radical feminism, the drive for people to spread homosexuality and crush the nuclear family. The transhumanism movement is very gnostic as well. They desire to separate themselves fully with this world in various different ways. On one hand, they want to change human DNA and make us something other than human. Using gene editing software they can cut and paste genes and can even make humans with more than two parents. On the other hand we have transhumanists who want to upload your consciousness into a computer. A certain Arnold Schwarzenegger movie was made all about that. There are a ton of TV shows and movies depicting gnostic ideas. I’d be here all day listing them, but I’ll save you the time. Watch everything with discernment, friends.

Many of us have probably felt like we were alone and no one cared about us at one point in our lives. Maybe you’ve had a friend or relative say, “It feels like God just doesn’t care, otherwise why would He let this happen?”. How very gnostic of them to think so! This a gnostic perspective. They do believe that God is inferior, made us and left us, and that our souls are held captive and only we can redeem ourselves. When you hear the word “enlightenment” or transcendent” you are hearing words that the Gnostics use to explain the secret wisdom or secret knowledge that will save them from this prison world. It is the knowledge of the creation of the world, the creation of the planets, the stars, the heavens, all things. They consider self-knowledge and knowledge of God and creation to hold them in a higher sophisticated level of society than you and I. Many sects hold to secret societies, some quite famous thanks to millionaires and celebrities today. If you’re familiar with William Shakespeare, his plays were all very gnostic and he himself was a Mason. He has been propped up as one of the greatest playwrights of all time and yet his plays are all rather tragic and unfulfilling. Do you ever wonder why these types of people are put up on a pedestal and the altruistic people are downplayed? Gnostics are the elites of our society and have been for a very long time. They believe they are the true spiritual elite as well.

Our Bible warns of these people in multiple places. Paul warns Timothy in the first epistle to him of these false teachers and doctrines of demons. 1 Tim 4:1-3 “The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth.” NIV

Are we seeing a revival of gnostic thought today? I believe we are seeing them more openly express their beliefs as they gain power and influence. We are seeing the World Health Forum tell us that we shouldn’t eat meat, but we should eat synthetic, lab grown foods and bugs. We are hearing that we should live in 15 minute cities because carbon, literal plant food, is bad for the environment. We are told that we ourselves are a plague on the planet and as useless eaters we need to eradicate all but 500 million of us. The sad part is that people believe this. Unfortunately, the truth is hidden from the populous. You are told that the earth is in danger and that by doing what they recommend you are helping the animals, the earth and other people, but that’s a lie. Gnostic ethics is more about detaching from the material world, separating oneself from desire, emotion, and your own nature. You’re not supposed to live a normal life in their view. The physical world has no value, however your soul does have value. They believe there can be no harmony with the earth, only liberation from it. Gnosis, in their minds, is only found by detaching from the world and sparking this mystical awareness within oneself.

What should we do with this information? It is a difficult world to raise children in when they are met by Gnostic heresies almost everywhere they go. Just a couple months ago was Halloween, a time when scary movies are watched and haunted houses are “fun”. It’s also a time when cults gather and hold rituals that may not be altogether legal… In Gnostic thought, no matter the sin done on the flesh, it is meaningless. Maybe you celebrated, maybe you didn’t. I’m not here to debate the holiday. It is my simple desire to remind you that there are cults everywhere, sects of Gnostic belief everywhere, consisting even of people claiming to be Christian themselves. Remember George W. Bush’s interview when he was asked if there was more than one way to get to heaven? He said “yes”!

Beware of many mainstream thought movements. The -isms that gain popularity are rarely beneficial. Universalism, relativism, materialism, pragmatism. These beliefs become convictions that meld themselves into religions and new sects are born. That is exactly why we need to build our foundations in the Biblical text, pray for discernment and sound judgement, and stay vigilant on topics such as these. Many things that pop up are not new. The New Age movement has only evolved. Scientism has been around for hundreds of years. If you are familiar with English history you may recall John Dee, a seer for Elizabeth I. He used scrying, a method of divination using a black mirror. Check out this website for more information on John Dee and his mirror. Philosophy, like Shakespeare’s plays and charismatic leaders, weave words to sound so convincing and believable. Remember Satan in the garden. Words can be attractive. A partial truth or something that sounds right, can be distracting enough to lead someone astray. 1 John 4:2-3 “This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.” NIV

Remember this: The Bible is the ultimate source of Truth. No works will save you. No secret knowledge will save you. Solomon had wisdom and if you recall, it did not bring him joy. At all. Jesus is the only gift and his salvation is absolutely free. There are no lost books of the Bible. No, you do not have to read their texts, but do be aware of their existence. It is good to be prepared to defend your own beliefs. 1 Pet 3:15 “But in your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give a defense to everyone who asks you the reason for the hope that is in you. But respond with gentleness and respect.” Berean Standard Bible