Last week we focused on being plugged into God. If we are to truly be plugged into God, we must be unplugged from other gods! After God freed the Israelites from bondage in Egypt, He reminded them in Exodus 19: 3-4 that He had carried them on eagle’s wings and brought them to Himself. In other words, The Lord reminded the people that up to then they had been the objects of His free grace. God had redeemed them as a nation and then sought their obedience to fulfill the destiny as a people of His choosing—His possession—a Holy Nation, and a kingdom of priests. The Law was not imposed until it had been proposed and voluntarily accepted. In Exodus 19: 5 He gave Moses this instruction to the people: “Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine.” It was then that God gave Moses the Ten Commandments that expressed the righteous will of God according to Exodus 20: 1-26. The first three commandments addressed their relationship with God. He made it clear in verse 3: “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” Then He expanded upon that command that they should not bow to or serve any other god as it would result in curses upon them and their generations. It was not a suggestion but a command—God is the only One due worship and service! He repeated with consequences the command in 22: 20: “He that sacrificeth unto any god, save unto the LORD only, he shall be utterly destroyed.” God gives a further clarification in Deuteronomy 17: 3: “And hath gone and served other gods, and worshipped them, either the sun, or moon, or any of the host of heaven, which I have not commanded.” God is clearly stating what Paul would later reveal in Romans 1: 25, which states, “They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creation rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever.” This passage refers to a lie and where was the first lie in the Bible? It was spoken in Genesis 3: 5: “For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.” These passages clearly connect the other god and gods to Lucifer--Satan and the fallen angels who followed them. Jesus called the devil a liar and the father of lies in John 8:44. This title implies that he is the originator of falsehoods and deceives and corrupts others. Isaiah 44:8 declares, “Is there any God besides Me, Or is there any other Rock? I know of none.” This passage underscores the uniqueness of God, with no other gods formed before or after Him. The warning is clear: “If the Bible says do it, do it. Get your life straight and clear with God and in His Word with no compromise, diluting, or bending!”
Lucifer’s fall from heaven was due to his desire to be like God. In Isaiah 14: 12-17 we read of the overthrow of Lucifer because of pride and rebellion against God. His six “I will” statements got him and the angels who joined the rebellion kicked out of heaven. Satan and the fallen angels manifest themselves in this world today as “gods” to deceive, corrupt and destroy mankind and all of God’s creation. Deuteronomy 18:9 says, “When you enter the land which the LORD your God gives you, you shall not learn to imitate the detestable things of those nations. There shall not be found among you anyone who…uses divination, practices witchcraft, interprets omens, a sorcerer (pharmacia), one who casts a spell, a medium, a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. For whoever does these things is detestable to the Lord. And because of these detestable things, the Lord your God will drive them out before you.” So, what are the “gods?” They are the false gods and the evil practices that are detestable to God! These things have no place in the life of a child of God. I believe that God is calling us to “come out from among them and be separate.” Isaiah 52:11 speaks this to the Israelites who were returning from exile in Egypt. Paul would later give this instruction in 2 Corinthians 6: 17: “Therefore, come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord; do not touch any unclean thing, and I will welcome you.” It is quite evident as we look around today that the realm of darkness directed by the “god of this world” has encroached upon our lives, our nation and the world!
Back in 1995, Dr. David Jeremiah published a book entitled “Invasion of Other Gods” sounding the alarm of the seduction of our society by the New Age spirituality. He said: “Our American culture is being shaped by subversive forces. While we fight crime in the streets and corruption in high places the enemy has slipped in the back door and turned off the alarm system. In a desperate search for spiritual significance, many people, including Christians, have been led into the territory of “other gods” without understanding the danger.” He warns that these false gods are targeting schools, the media, corporate America, government, healthcare, the entertain industry and our churches! Wow! That was prophetic as we see the full reality of this today! “One nation under God” has lost its meaning if there are many gods manifesting in America. Dr. Jeremiah clarifies it further: “The New Spirituality is tolerant of all the religions of the world, even those that are diametrically opposed to one another. Its deception comes when no line is drawn between right and wrong. Someone may proclaim to be a Christian and yet embrace incompatible non-Christian beliefs.” The Bible says, “The Spirit clearly says that in the latter times some will abandon the faith and will follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.” (I Tim. 4:1) In too many places the Christian church possesses a passionless “head knowledge” about God that denies His power and devoid of a personal relationship.
Dr. Jeremiah sounded an alarm in 1995 that Eastern mysticism has infiltrated America which has come to full manifestation in these 30 years! He identifies the chief culprit as Hinduism that includes belief in pantheism (the belief that all is God and God is all), polytheism (a belief in many lesser gods), and a reliance upon occultic ritual and practices. Dr. Jermiah warned that millions of Americans have taken up Hindu practices such as yoga, meditation, developing altered states of consciousness, karma, seeking Hindu “enlightenment,” and various occultic practices. We are bombarded by messages of yoga’s peaceful and healthful benefits, but what we don’t hear, specifically in the United States, is the true origins of this type of lifestyle. A woman who was a yoga instructor for over 20 years and participated in the practice of Praise Moves has confessed her involvement as a Christian, and is now a spokesperson warning others of its evil roots. She said “Christian yoga is an oxymoron—it is like saying someone is a Christian Buddhist or a Christian Hindu.” Regarding the postures she said: “Yoga postures are really offerings to the 330 million Hindu gods. If you do these postures and you do this breathing technique and this meditation, then you will be accepted by a god ( little “g”). That’s the real danger,” she said. (Does this echo the serpent’s offer to Eve?) It is the opposite of Romans 12: 1-2 that says we are to offer our bodies as a living sacrificed to God.” She said that she and her family went to church, but we were not aware of the deception that is inherent within yoga and its connections to Hinduism. She now says, “We didn’t know about living the victorious Christian life. I have found that any part of our lives that is not submitted to the Lordship of Jesus Christ is an open door for the enemy…As I look back, that was the open door to the New Age for us. We began getting into Edgar Cayce, Ouija boards, crystals, and all kinds of things.”
Rabbi Jonathan Cahn in 2021 was moved by God to publish a book “Return of the Gods” as a warning to America that the ancient gods of the Bible have taken on new forms and presented themselves in various ways in our culture today. He likened the pagan practices present during the time of the early church to where we are today. In other words, the Church has come full circle in these 2000 years since the Holy Spirit formed the Church by baptizing all believers into the body of Christ and equipping them to be Jesus to others and share the Gospel message. Peter in Acts 2: 16-21 quotes the Prophet Joel concerning the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in Joel 2: 28-29 and connecting it to the former rain and the promise of a latter rain to come greater than the first. Since the gods present in that time have returned, could it be that God is getting the Church ready for the latter rain—a greater outpouring of the Holy Spirit than the first in order to complete the Bride and purify it making it without spot or wrinkle—prepared for the Bridegroom?
We as the Church cannot deny that we have been warned about the return of the gods that oppose God and His plan. It is apparent that the ancient gods and paganism have reappeared and labeled as the New Age philosophy. I have recently become aware of how the many concepts of Hinduism, such as meditation, karma, reincarnation and yoga have been adopted into mainstream American beliefs and culture. The Pew Research Center estimated that as of 2015, about 1.7 million adherents of Hinduism are in the United Stated. The Hindu population of the United States is the eighth largest in the world. Ten percent of Asian Americans, who together account for 5.8% of the U.S. population, are followers of the Hindu faith. I had a rude awakening in 2021 when the Alabama legislature approved yoga to be practiced in public schools as an accepted exercise program. I was appalled that a Hindu religious practice was allowed in our schools while prayer, the Ten Commandments and the Bible are banned! I wrote our legislative representatives and State and local school board members expressing my concern with appropriate documentation of its dangers, but it passed and was signed by Governor Ivey!
Recently, as I have done research into the backgrounds and beliefs of the political candidates in the news today, I was shaken to the core as I was made aware AGAIN of the infiltration of Hinduism i.e. false gods rooted in our nation! There are two natives of India in both parties campaigning for president, Kamala Harris and Usha Vance, wife of JD Vance. And that’s not to mention two other South Asian Republican candidates who vowed for the top slot, Nikki Haley and Vivek Ramaswamy, the latter a first cousin of Usha Vance. Usha is a practicing Hindi while Kamala states she is a Christian her platform in no way lines up with Biblical values and beliefs. Another name circulating in the media is Tulsi Gabbard, a Hawaiian who was the first Hindu to be elected to the U.S Congress, the first Hindu to seek a major party nomination for President in 2020, who has recently switched from the Democratic to the Republican party, and who readily declares that she is a practicing Hindu. Additionally, the last prayer offered during the Republican convention’s opening night featured a prayer to the Sikh god whom she described as “the one true god.” Have we opened the door for the entrance of “other gods” into our nation? Christ said: “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life and nobody comes to the Father except through Me.” Calvin Robinson sounds the alarm to Christians: “the loving thing to do is to challenge these pagan ideas of universalism and Hinduism, Sikhism, Mohammedanism—all of the ‘isms. As good Christians, as faithful Christians, as loving Christians, we should be challenging them.” It is time to return to the passionate faith of the early church and to seek God’s help without delay!
Let’s look at Dr. Adrain Rogers’ teaching regarding the devilish poison of false religions as he sounds these warnings to Christians: “False religion poisons everything that it touches—it brings bitterness and bondage. The devil is in favor of religion that leaves people in bondage, in bitterness and will take them to hell. A bitter person will cause problems in a church. There is devilish power in false religion. It is rooted in devilish pride. It shows in devilish pretense. It results in devilish poison, the gall of bitterness.” A recent message by Jonathan Cahn ties the pathway of false religion to a serpent. He first identifies the serpent as the enemy and warns that walking on a path that’s not clear will result in getting bitten. He says: “If you want to avoid getting bitten by the enemy of your soul and falling and succumbing to the poison of his venom, don’t dilute, compromise or bend the Word; walk clear with the Word and stay clear of sin; don’t waver back and forth.”
Like Dr. Jeremiah, Jonathan connects false religion and the occult under the guise of New Age; fortune tellers, psychic readers, astrology, daily horoscopes, Eastern meditation and yoga, etc. He sounds a strong warning to believers who in some way consult these things or think it’s harmless entertainment. He said: “These things have no place in the life of a child of life. If you’re born again, renounce all darkness in your life and walk in the light because though once you were of darkness…now you are light. Is there anything in your life that belongs to the realm of darkness? Renounce it today, be free, and walk in the light.” Read and mediate on 2 Corinthians Chapter 13—Final Warnings!