Mysticism Compatable

Babylonian Spiritualistic Mysteries–Compatible with
the Atonement?

Atonement means “at-one-ment” with God. Salvation is the act of God in restoring man to be in harmony with his Creator. The 17th chapter of John records the great prayer of Jesus just before He started His night in the Garden of Gethsemane. He prayed:

That they all (His disciples) may be one; as thou Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they Also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. John 17:21

In heaven, a great battle for the loyalty of the angels occurred between God and Lucifer who desired to be in the place of the Son of God. That battle spread to this earth when man sinned. ¹⁾ Rev. 12. Sin separated God from man, so that there could be no direct communication, no salvation while in the separated state. Only by the atonement of the Son of God could there be a restoration of communication, blessings, or salvation from God for man. Satan became the:

Prince of this world. This great controversy of the ages continues today. God uses only truth, righteousness and love in defending Himself. ²⁾ White, E.G.; Patriarchs and Prophets, Pacific Press Pub. Assn., Nampa, ID, (1958), chapter 1.

He expects the same defense by His believers. From the very start, all of Lucifer’s accusations against God were based in falsehood, deceit, and self-glorification. These same principles he has taught his followers to utilize. The name tree of knowledge of good and evil contains much of the secret of Satan’s methods. He has been able to convince man that within himself (man) exists all the knowledge of the universe and all man has to do is to learn how to bring it out.

The devil wishes to take the place of God in the minds of men. To do so, he must take their minds off knowing who their Creator is. He devised a story for the origin of man which portrayed man as being formed by the balancing of a great (imaginary) two-part opposing energy (chi, yin–yang) or force that was proclaimed to be throughout the universe. When the balance of the two parts was perfect, then the universe, earth, and man were formed. God the Creator, who has power and life within Himself, is left out of this story. And so Lucifer, in truth, takes the credit for creation. These are Babylonian Mysteries, that is, secrets of astrological concepts. If we choose to utilize any of the modalities for health and healing that are based on this false premise, after we have been exposed to the truth about these astrological teachings, we are actually accepting this theory as the truth.

Immortality was promised to Adam and Eve on the condition of obedience. If they sinned they would lose eternal life. Satan’s lie that you will not die had to be explained to man because man did die. To cover this obvious untruth the doctrine of reincarnation was formed.

In the early history of the Adventist church, spiritualism entered the medical work through the dogma of pantheism. This was called by Ellen White the alpha of apostasy.

Be not deceived; many will depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils. We have now before us the alpha of this danger. The omega will be of a most startling nature. ³⁾ White, E.G.; I Selected Messages, Review and Herald Publishing Assn., Hagerstown, MD, (1958), p. 197.4.

Should we consider the movement of present-day Eastern mysticism and sympathetic remedies as a part of the omega apostasy? God has allowed man to choose whom he will serve. This book has been written to help us see clearly that at times when we feel we are following God and using His methods, we may actually be deceived and be partaking of a counterfeit. The consequences are eternal. E.G. White, in the book, Early Writings, page 88, speaks of the delusion that Satan will bring to the world through the influence of spiritualism.

I saw the rapidity with which this delusion was spreading. A train of cars was shown me, going with the speed of lightning. The angel bade me look carefully. I fixed my eyes upon the train. It seemed that the whole world was on board, that there could not be one left. Said the angel, “They are binding in bundles ready to burn.” Then he showed me the conductor, who appeared like a stately, fair person, whom all the passengers looked up to and reverenced. I was perplexed and asked my attending angel who it was. He said, “It is Satan.” He is the conductor in the form of an angel of light. He has taken the world captive. They are given over to strong delusions, to believe a lie, that they may be damned. This agent, the next highest in order to him, is the engineer, and other of his agents are employed in different offices as he may need them, and they are all going with lightning speed to perdition.

How can I determine that the method of natural healing that I am being offered is not of Satan’s origin? After all, I seem to have improved with the method and others swear by it. The most frequent comment I hear is: “It helped me,” or “My friend was helped by it,” or “It works.”

The criteria as to whether a method is of Satan or not, does not include whether or not an individual was benefited. People do get better and apparently receive healing at times. The issue is whose power brought healing? Another comment often heard is: Well, I just take the good out of it.

Any technique distinctly connected to the occult cannot be considered neutral.

Participating in these methods may be the first step to altering our concept of our origin, and the beginning of the changing of our world view. When a technique has its origin in pantheistic concepts and astrological beliefs, just accepting that it may do something desirable is actually unconsciously accepting this belief.

At times, a mixture of scientific medicine is combined with holistic methodology so as to stimulate the question, is it good or not? I would ask you to search out the answers to the following questions and make a determination. The report, The New Age Movement and Seventh-day Adventists by the Biblical Research Committee of the General Conference, July 1987, lists the following criteria which we may use to determine whether a treatment method is valid. These questions were first printed in Mystical Medicine by Warren Peters M.D.

1. What and where are its roots?
2. What (other healing modalities) does it keep company with in clinical use and in the books and literature describing it?
3. Does the method claim to activate the innate powers within myself, or does it direct me to recognize the power of the Creator God in healing?
4. Is its method of action in harmony with the known laws of physics and science?
5. Does it claim to balance, polarize, manipulate, unblock, and correct energies, electromagnetic frequencies, or vibrations?
6. Is it a technique that involves altering my consciousness or rational thought process, so as to impede control of my mind and whose power controls me?

The most powerful deterrent to becoming bewitched by Satan’s deceptions in health and healing is to know God’s methods so well that it becomes easy to detect the counterfeit. We are told that:

…disease is an effort of nature to free the system from the effects of violating the laws of health. ⁴⁾ White, E.G.; The Ministry of Healing, Pacific Press Pub. Assn., Nampa, ID, (1905), p. 127. 

God’s remedies involve the use of pure air, sunlight, temperate use of good substances, avoiding the injurious, rest, exercise, proper diet, the use of water inside and outside the body, and trust in Divine power. ⁵⁾ Ibid., p. 127 Trust involves being obedient to the Creator’s physical and spiritual laws.

The rapid spread of Neo-paganism across the world, and especially here in America, has been, to a great extent, related to the dogma and modalities involved in health and healing practices of the so-called alternative methods. The devil has used these methods as the right arm of his message. Satan presents his health and healing program so that it appears natural and that it is the same method God has given us. The difference can be ascertained by looking for the explanation of the source of the power for healing. If it is from some energy within us, and if we are doing some act to balance that power from within, then it is of the counterfeit.

We, too, believe that the health message is the right arm of the gospel. There is a difference however. The difference is that we trust in a living God as our Creator, and that His power sustains and restores us to health when we choose to place ourselves in harmony with His physical and spiritual laws, and ask Him to bless our efforts.

The history of medicine should help give us the answers we need in making a correct choice in methods of health and healing. Wherever the system of medicine has been built upon the energy concept, the health of that country remained primitive. Over millennia those nations using such methods saw no improvement in health and healing. As soon as the scientific method, based upon the laws of physics and chemistry—God’s physical laws, are instituted in the approach to health and healing, quick and great improvements occur. Keep in mind the change China experienced when they made changes directed by scientific understanding of disease and its cause. The traditional Chinese medicine had been available and used in medical treatment for the people for more than 3500 years. With just a little use of scientific methods (cleanliness of water, body, and environment) the life span doubled in 50 years’ time.

We have a written history of medical systems of several past and present civilizations and the story is the same in all of them. When an approach to health and healing based on God’s physical laws and methods is utilized we see profound improvements. We have evidence of the advantage of following the messages God gave to the SDA church through Ellen White. Review chapter 3 The Story of Our Health Message.

If we remember that systems like that of Ayurveda were designed by men on the basis of intuition, contact with spirit guides, and astrological concepts of origins, it should be easier to make the right choice in the selection of our health and healing methods.

Already there are coming in among our people spiritualistic teachings that will undermine the faith of those who give heed to them. The theory that God is an essence pervading all nature is one of Satan’s most subtle devices. It misrepresents God, and is a dishonor to His greatness and majesty. ⁶⁾ White, E.G.; Evangelism, Pacific Press Pub. Assn., Napa, ID, (1946), p. 601.

Christ’s death on the cross met the conditions of the atonement. His work on earth was accomplished, and He won the kingdom. Following Christ’s resurrection, He ascended to the heavenly courts to hear from God the Father that His atonement for men’s sins was sufficient.

…The Father ratified the covenant made with Christ, that He would receive repentant and obedient men, and would love them even as He loves His son…. ⁷⁾ White, E.G.; The Desire of Ages, Pacific Press Pub. Assn., Nampa, ID, (1898), p. 790.

Christ returned to earth for 40 days, after which he returned to heaven and there entered the heavenly sanctuary to be our High Priest, and …finishing of the atonement, and preparing of the people to abide the day of His coming. ⁸⁾ White, EG.; Christian Experience and Teaching, CD of E.G. White Writings, (1922), p. 56.

The application of the atonement made on the cross for each of us is now taking place in heaven. If we believe on the Son of God and have no other gods before us, He will, at the time of our judgment, present His life to the Father in place of our sinful lives. Let us guard carefully so that we not allow other gods before us by becoming entangled in Satan’s deceptions in health and healing.

The spiritualistic theories concerning God make His grace of no effect. If God is an essence pervading all nature, then He dwells in all men; and in order to attain holiness, man has only to develop the power within him. ⁹⁾ White, The Ministry of Healing op. cit., p. 428.3.

The answer to the original question, are the Babylonian Mysteries of health and healing compatible with the atonement? The answer is stated below:

These theories, followed to their logical conclusion, sweep away the whole Christian economy. They do away with the necessity for the atonement and make man his own savior. These theories regarding God make his word of no effect. ¹⁰⁾ Ibid., p. 428

“This article has been taken from the book Exposing Spiritualistic Practices in Healing by Edwin A. Noyes M.D., MPH”