40. Antichristian Cults
ANTICHRISTIAN CULTS Who are the Swedenborgians and what do they teach? This is a religious sect that follows the teachings of Emmanuel Swedenborg, who organized in London in 1787 what he called the Church of the New Jerusalem. They regard the universe as a whole, the outward world being the counterpart of the inner and spiritual. They hold that beneath the literal meaning of the Bible is the spiritual meaning, open to those having inner discernment. According to their teaching, justification is not by faith alone, but that “whoever fears God and works righteously” shall be saved. God is one, and the real trinity is in Christ. The last judgment has already taken place, and the New Jerusalem has already descended in the form of the New Church. They deny physical resurrection, and teach that at death men’s eyes are opened to the spiritual world of which they are already a part, and they are drawn to heaven or hell by their own “affinities.” Angels, according to this sect, are the spirits of departed human beings. Of course, all this is decidedly anti-scriptural, and therefore false.
What is British-Israelism?
British or Anglo-Israelism is the teaching that the British and other English-speaking people are the “lost tribes of the house of Israel,” and that the people known as Jews are set aside, having no share in the promises of blessing for “Israel.” Trie sect once had a vast body of literature, and a large following in Great Britain and Canada, as well as smaller followings in America and other countries. It is nevertheless contrary to Scripture. “Israel” and “Jews” are words used interchangeably in the Bible, and the promise of future glory is for the people called by these names, and not for Britain or America. These promises name the Jew in Zechariah 8:23 and Israel in Romans 11:25-27, to cite only two examples out of many. A person purporting to belong to the American Academy of Astrologers was consulted with regard to my future, having in hand data only as regarded my correct name, and the exact date of my birth. This was all without solicitation, and to the credit of this person be it said that, on the strength of such a small amount of information, a great deal was spoken regarding my habits of thought and action which I knew to be exactly as had been stated. Furthermore, I know it to be a fact that very specific happenings regarding another person took place precisely as the astrologer had prophesied, and several years after the prophecies had been given. Could you enlighten me with a Bible message on this subject?
Modern astrology, like spiritism, may have supernatural elements, for Satan is supernatural, and it is one of his favorite devices to get God’s people interested in supernatural things apart from God and His Word. “And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep, and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead? To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this Word, it is because there is no light in them” (Isaiah 8:19-20).
Please, sir, what is this thing called “Buchmanism”? This thing called “Buchmanism” is also variously called “the Oxford Group Movement,” “First Century Christianity,” “the Groups” and “the Fellowship.” The first name mentioned is from the name of its leader, Frank Buchman. Its dangers are pointed out by a former adherent, Pastor Harold T. Commons, as follows: In my early Christian experience in Williams College (1923-1927), I was actively associated with the Group for over three years, taking part in many “house parties.” I came to know all the leaders of the Group intimately, including Frank Buchman, Sam Shoemaker, Sherry Day, Ray Purdy, Cleve Hicks, Ken Twichell, Louden Hamilton, Stiff Wishard, Howie Blake, Charles Haines and many others, a list too long to name. I have been a close observer of the workings of the movement for over eight years, and feel that I can speak with authority. After three years on “the inside” I finally severed my connection with the Group out of loyalty to my Lord, for I realized that it is actually far removed from real New Testament Christianity. At first acquaintance it seems to be what its name indicates, a revival of first century apostolic Christianity—emphasizing personal evangelism, guidance for daily living, the reality of sin and the necessity for a clean break with sin, etc.—all of which seems like real true Christianity with the dynamic behind it which is so often lacking in our modem churches. This is what makes it appeal to so many Christians. It seems so practical and vital. If the above things were built on the right foundation I would support the movement one hundred percent. But here is the trouble.
1. The movement cares not what a man believes but how he lives. This is salvation by works instead of by grace through faith. The New Testament teaches that without correct belief the best moral character in the world will not inherit eternal life (John 3:3).
2. The movement shares the fundamental fallacy of mysticism—an experimental religion. Everything is based upon experience. And experience can never be a trustworthy foundation for religion, despite the popular belief to the contrary. Satan can give one all kinds of experiences. Revelation alone, as we have it in God’s infallible Word, is the only sure foundation.
3. Both Modernists and Fundamentalists, believers and unbelievers, are welcomed into the Fellowship on the basis of a common experience of sin, confession and surrender. No questions are asked as to belief. And while some claim to be Fundamentalists, doctrine is never mentioned and there are many open Modernists in their ranks.
4. This doctrinal weakness or indifference is further illustrated by the lack of Bible teaching and instruction in the Word characteristic of the house parties. While it is recommended that the Bible be read during “quiet times,” there is very little real Bible study, and no instruction as to the way of salvation, justification by faith, or any of the cardinal truths of redemption.
5. There is much stress laid on “surrender.” But in all the talk of surrender there is no mention made of an atonement for sin. This is something entirely foreign to the New Testament, which stresses from beginning to end the substitutionary death of Christ and His blood shed on the Cross for our sins, for “without shedding of blood there is no remission of sin.” In this respect Buchmanism differs not a whit from Mohammedanism, the very heart and core of which is surrender of the will to God without an atonement. In all the meetings of the Group I have ever attended or heard about there has never been any mention of the blood of Christ in its expiatory character.
6. It follows from this that the “changed lives” of the Group are nothing more than moral conversions, in no sense corresponding to the New Birth of the New Testament, which designates the passing of a soul from death to life by the acceptance of Christ’s atoning work on the Cross. Anything that omits God’s one remedy for sin (1 John 1:7) leaves the human soul still guilty before God regardless of how many moral conversions the person may have gone through.
(Note: Frank Buchman’s Five “Cs” for the sinner supposedly cover the whole ground. They are: Conviction, Contrition, Confession, Conversion and Continuance. Every one of these is possible on a purely moral basis—know you are a sinner, feel sorry for your sins, confess them, turn away from them and continue on the new way. But if, in addition to all this, there is no faith in the blood of Christ and no acceptance of the Lord Jesus Christ as personal Substitute and Savior, then the guilt of sin still remains and the soul is unsaved.)
7. Then, while rightfully stressing the reality of sin, the method of open and public confession of sins is a very questionable procedure. It produces the desired psychological effect in the meeting, but it incites undue emotionalism, and also tends to lower the standards and to produce a sort of fellowship on the basis of sin that seems to me very undesirable. Specific sins, after continued open confession, seem not quite so terrible as they were at first. I well remember a statement of one of the leaders that “the fellowship of sinners is more real than the fellowship of saints.”
8. Finally, their idea of “guidance” is false to Scripture. All Christians believe in God’s guidance and being led of the Holy Spirit to make right choices and decisions. But the practice of the groups in sitting down with paper and pencil in hand and letting the mind go absolutely blank, and then writing down whatever flashes across the mind as God’s orders for the day, is beyond anything promised or sanctioned in Scripture. Indeed, this “passivity” of mind is a very perilous condition to be in, for it is precisely at such moments that Satan gains control and does his devilish work. This is one of the fundamental errors of the mysticism that pervades the movement. True guidance comes through the Word of God, through God-given conviction after prayer and through circumstance.
Many truly born-again Christians have become attracted to the movement because of its deceptive appearance and its use of many old familiar terms and orthodox expressions. Many others have seen its fundamental errors and have either never gone into it or else have severed their connection with it as soon as possible. My prayer is that this frank testimony will enable many others to see that Buchmanism is another one of the many counterfeits and delusions of the “latter days” (1 John 4:1; 2 Peter 2:1-2; 1 Timothy 4:1; 2 Timothy 4:3). Are Christadelphians Christians?
Christadelphians deny the Trinity and teach the doctrine of annihilation, although they profess to Delieve in Jesus as a Savior from sin. I could not class such as Christians. I cannot understand how one could be a Christian who denies the deity of Christ, or who teaches a doctrine so contradictory to the Scriptures as the doctrine of annihilationism.
What is wrong with the teachings of “Christian Science”?
Plenty. Eddyism, falsely called Christian Science, is neither Christian nor scientific, but is a fabrication of falsehood. It denies the personality of God, the doctrine of the Trinity and the deity of Christ. It declares there is no evil, and of course denies the need of salvation through the blood of the cross. Sin is only imaginary, “the error of mortal mind.” The evil spirits cast out by the Lord Jesus were only “false beliefs.” The Comforter bestowed by Christ is not the Holy Spirit but “Divine Science.” And all this, plus much more of the same kind, is put forth as exposition of the Holy Scriptures! Christian Science, falsely so called, should be shunned as a pestilence. Can a man be a Christian and be a member of the Masonic fraternity? No doubt many Christians are at the same time Masons. And doubtless many of these occupy these two positions conscientiously. But if you ask whether this is consistent and according to the Word of God I should have to say, No. Freemasonry and the lodge system generally constitute an enormous Unitarian religious organization. I say “Unitarian,” because it is by no means necessary, in order to become a member of these lodges, for a man to confess Jesus Christ as “God manifest in the flesh.” But according to the Word of God, one who does not thus receive the Lord Jesus and worship Him as God is an unbeliever. And the Word of God is emphatic in its insistence against any such alliance with unbelievers as is made necessary by fellowship in the lodge.
“Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God” (2 Corinthians 6:14 to 2 Corinthians 7:1). Will you please tell me what is the generally accepted theory, among Protestant Christians and those who have studied the matter, of the “Book of Mormon” and the plates? Is it nothing but deception, or what? The whole system of Mormonism is a fraud. This is shown by its direct contradiction of Scripture and by its subtle and deceptive use of Scripture. The Mormon preacher and teacher and literature use Scripture terminology in an unscriptural way and thus seek to turn the testimony of the Bible against itself. Is Modernism a form of Christianity? By no means. Modernism, parading under the name of Christ, is anti-Christian in all its teachings. It denies the inspiration of the Scriptures, teaches that if man ever fell he fell upward instead of downward, and is now evolving upward; it denies blood redemption; it has no place for the new birth, declaring that God is the Father of all men and that all will be saved eventually. It teaches that there is no such place as Hell and no such thing as eternal punishment. In short, there is nothing in common between the Christianity taught in the Scriptures and the teaching of Modernism, which has become so widespread in schools of all grades throughout Christendom so called, as well as in many places included in so called heathendom. Beware of Modernism, for it eats away at the core of Christianity like a cancer.
Why are so many preachers modernists, and why do even some denominational colleges teach evolution? How are we parents to know where to send our young men and women to college? As to why so many preachers are modernist, and why even some denominational colleges teach evolution, my only answer would be, “An enemy has done this.” As to your third question, as to how parents are to know where to send your young men and women to college, my answer is that you should know before sending them anywhere. Inquire carefully, from the colleges themselves, and from those who can inform you reliably. A modernistic school or college, or a modernistic church, should be shunned like poison, for they are synagogues of Satan, every one of them, and if you subject your children to their poisonous teachings, God will surely hold you responsible. Will you please explain the movement called “New Thought”?
“New Thought” is described by one of its own advocates as “the right understanding of the nature and power of the mind.” The same writer says of it that “the reality of an infinite, eternal and intelligent energy, principle or substance, perceptibly active everywhere and always in the phenomena we call life, is its basic principle.” Dr. Frank S. Weston of Toronto describes “New Thought” as “a scheme of self-salvation through the exercise of one’s own will.” Prof. James of Harvard University says that “one of its doctrinal sources is the Four Gospels, another Emerson, another Berkleyan idealism, another spiritism with its message of law and progress, another the optimistic popular science evolution, and, finally, Hinduism has contributed a stain.” The Bible is set aside as a source of authority, and there is no place in the system for the blood of the Lamb of God. It is pernicious and poisonous.
What is the International Bible Students’ Association?
It is Millennial Dawnism under another name. It is also called Jehovah’s Witnesses. It is made up of the followers of the late “Pastor Russell,” and it is well to give it a wide berth, for most of its teachings are contrary to the Word of God.
Judge Rutherford, the Russellite leader, claimed that there is no Hell or place of torture; it means the grave or death. That folks, when they die, are just sleeping, as how could there be a resurrection if they were in Heaven or Hell? No doubt you have read his books or know something about them. Do those who die, whether Christians or not, just sleep (of course in the body), and does the soul float somewhere in space, asleep until the resurrection? Then he teaches that finally all will be saved, as God is just and full of love and wants all men to be saved. Is this true? I was always taught, and believe, that those who die in Christ go to a place prepared for them. Heaven, I suppose, is not for us until after the coming of Christ; but where are the souls of the saved and unsaved after death and until Christ’s coming? Will you please point out somewhat in detail the wrong doctrines of Russellism?
Those who die in Christ are immediately in Heaven, being “absent from the body” and “present with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:8). Prior to our Lord’s death and resurrection, the saved were in the Paradise section of Hades, but when He ascended up on high He took them with Him into Heaven (Luke 16:23, R.V.; 23:43; Ephesians 4:8-10; 2 Corinthians 12:2-4). The lost are in Hades, awaiting their judgment at the Great White Throne (Luke 16:19-31, R.V.; Revelation 20:11-15, R.V.). Both the saved and the lost are conscious. There is no truth in the teaching either of soul-sleeping or of annihilationism.
Russellism denies the deity of Christ, teaching that Jesus was a created being. It also denies the incarnation, declaring that Jesus was nothing more than “a perfect human being.” It practically denies also the atonement, robbing it of its power by declaring that it was “as a human being” that “He gave Himself a ransom for men.” This language is quoted literally from Russell’s writings. He says also “it was His flesh, His life as a man, His humanity, that was sacrificed for our redemption.” Russellism also denies the resurrection of the body of Christ, declaring that the body was never resurrected, that “we know nothing about what became of it,” and that it was “supematurally removed from the tomb because if it had remained there it would have been an obstacle to the faith of the disciples.” Russell also says “whether it was dissolved into gases or whether it is still preserved somewhere as a grand memorial of God’s love no one knows.” Russell also taught that Christ is now only a spirit, with no humanity whatsoever, thus denying our Lord’s high-priestly intercession, for it is only as “the man Christ Jesus” He can be the “one mediator between God and men” (1 Timothy 2:6). Russellism also teaches the annihilation of the wicked dead. Indeed, it declares that death itself is annihilation. Russell says that “death is a period of absolute unconsciousness—more than that, it is a period of absolute non-existence.” But he also says that the wicked dead are to be recreated in order to receive their final judgment, which will be total and eternal non-existence. This, of course, is a denial of the doctrine of eternal punishment. In a word, Russellism is utterly and absolutely unscriptural from beginning to end, and is made up of Satanic heresies. Where are the dead between death and resurrection? I mean both saved and unsaved. I accept Dr. Scofield’s explanation in Luke 16, but there are some erroneous teachings from our pulpits today that there are none in Heaven, and Russellism has taught it through its books.
There is not very much use in trying to catch up with Russellism. The Word of God is clear enough that the dead, both saved and lost, are conscious, the saved being in the conscious bliss of the presence of God, and the lost being in conscious torment in Hades. You speak of your acquaintance with the Scofield Bible on this point, and I think that there is nothing to be added. A Russellite asked me, saying, “Where would he go when he died?” and also asked, “Where is Heaven, and where is Hell, now?” What answer would you make, knowing their teaching of annihilation after death? Where a Russellite, or any other person, goes after death depends altogether upon what he has done before death about the Lord Jesus. If he is in Christ when death comes, then he will at once be absent from the body and present (or, “at home”) with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:8). If he dies out of Christ, he will surely find his place in Hell, in “the fire that never shall be quenched: where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched” (Mark 9:42-48). These words are from the mouth of the Son of God, whose authority will not be questioned by any who have found shelter under His shed blood. The Russellites’ “teaching of annihilation after death” has nothing to do with the case, for it is contrary to the plain teaching of Scripture.
What is the teaching of Spiritualism or Spiritism?
Spiritism is the better name for this cult, which is a dangerous one. Its central aim is to hold communication with the dead. It denies the fall of man, the evil of sin, the need of blood redemption, the deity of our Lord Whom the Spiritists describe as “a Jewish religious enthusiast who came to an untimely death”; it declares there is no Hell, no resurrection and no judgment. Spiritism substitutes faith in demons for faith in God; and it substitutes also a pretended new revelation for the Word of God. It teaches that “whatever is is right; evil does not exist; evil is good; a lie is the truth intrinsically; it holds a lawful place in creation; it is a necessity; vice and virtue too are beautiful to the eyes of the soul; virtue is good and sin is good; murder is good; murder is a perfectly natural act. That which is natural is divine, for God is the author of nature, and every murder that was ever committed had a divine necessity for being wrought, and is good.” That may be enough to show the evil of Spiritism. It is the Devil’s lie.
What is the distinctive error of Unitarianism?
Unitarianism emphasizes the Unity of God and denies the doctrine of the Trinity. Of course, that means that Christ is not deity, and this shows that Unitarianism is anti-Christian. But Unitarianism is by no means confined to the Unitarian denomination; it is the central sin of Modernism, and is essentially a lie. “Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son. Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father” (1 John 2:22-23). “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father but by me” (John 14:6).
Please tell your readers something about the Unity movement.
According to the editor of the Unity magazine, the movement is decidedly unscriptural. In a letter to a subscriber who had stopped his subscription, the editor wrote: “We do not believe in a vicarious atonement, if by this you mean that Jesus Christ suffered on the cross for our sins and because of this act of His alone we are free. However, that is not the vital point in the Unity teaching. The teaching is based on the importance of man being continually conscious of the indwelling Christ.” Of course, it is perfectly obvious that this editor is not speaking of the Christ of God revealed in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, but of a Christ of his own imagining and devising.
Continuing, the editor wrote: “We do not believe in eternal punishment in hell-fire as the penalty for man’s sins.” But evidently our Lord Jesus believed in such a place, “where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched” (Mark 9:42-48).
And, further, from the editor: “We believe and teach that Jesus Christ opened the way to eternal life and perfection for man. We believe that He did this by dying to all that pertains to the mortal, a work that culminated in His apparent (note that word) death on the cross.”
Unity is a system of healing, and therefore it catches many followers who magnify the healing of the body above the gift of God which is eternal life. It is clearly the work of Satan (see 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12). Is Universalism true to the Scriptures?
No. Universalism teaches universal salvation. It tells us that all men, angels, demons, even Satan himself, will ultimately be saved. This makes the death of Christ a farce, and negates many of His own teachings, as for example, Mark 9:43-48; Luke 16:22-31, as well as the teaching of Scripture elsewhere as to the doctrine of eternal punishment. ‘To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them” (Isaiah 8:20).