THE MOST DANGEROUS WOMAN IN AMERICA!

“She’s the most dangerous woman in America!”

The bluntness of my wife’s statement caught me somewhat by surprise. We were driving home from a movie and having a casual conversation about an e-mail we had received earlier in the day. A friend had sent information about the stepped-up activities of New Age “evangelists.” One of the most prominent New Age “propagandists” is a very well-known celebrity who has begun to devote a significant amount of time to spreading “the New Age gospel.”

New Age philosophy is not new. The teachings of the New Age have been around for decades and, in fact, even longer than that. The essence of New Age teaching is that there are many ways to God and you just pick your own and go with it. New Agers typically construct their own spiritual journey usually involving material taken from occultism, neo-paganism and shamanism. If you choose to worship dust mites, that will get you to God; if you wish to be a Buddhist or an atheist, that’s cool, too. The New Agers say there are many prophets and Jesus Christ was just one of many—a good man but really nothing special—that you can do just as well by worshipping Sam Walton.

The momentum of the cults and the New Age movement seems to be accelerating. The new visibility is driven in large measure by celebrities. In our celebrity-hungry culture, when a famous person begins to speak about anything, a segment of the culture gives his/her words undue credibility and hordes of people follow the leading of the “famous person.” There is another level to this acceleration that is even more concerning to me. Because the New Agers often use terminology that is very close to the language of the church, hundreds of thousands of church-going people that should know better but don’t are being led astray. When a celebrity speaks, the naïve swoon and are swept into deception.

“Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness (iniquity) will abound, the love of many will grow cold” (Matthew 24:11-12). These verses are a part of the teaching that Jesus does in response to his disciples’ question in 24:3: “When is the end going to happen?”

In verses 10 to 12, Jesus focuses on what will happen in the church during the closing moments of time. Jesus says that “false prophets” will arise. These false prophets will not necessarily be predictors of the future but will come with a message that they have a “new” revelation from God. Jesus said that these “falsies,” as I call them, will bring an enticing message of deception. Deceivers are frauds and their message is a lie. A deceiver tells us that if you embrace this new revelation, it will simplify your getting to God. You don’t have to repent, you don’t have to ask for forgiveness, they say. Instead, they deceptively say that you should just confess, “I am Christ, I am light” and then you will be!

These deceivers will find a ready hearing among those who are a part of the cultural church, a part of the spiritually immature church, a part of the church that carries its Bible but doesn’t read it, that talks about the power of prayer but doesn’t do it, that says they are Christian but live like the world is everything to them. These are the prime candidates to be led astray into deception because they have no foundation in faith.

Jesus said in verse 12, “Because [wickedness] will abound, the love of many will grow cold.” The original word for wickedness means iniquity or lawlessness. In 2 Thessalonians 2:3, the word is used to suggest the idea of “contempt for divine law,” since the Antichrist will deny the existence of God. I believe that the iniquity or lawlessness spoken of in verse 12 will be an unrelenting attack on the work of Christ on the cross. Over and over the attack will say that there are others ways to God and you don’t have to go by way of Christ’s atonement; that Jesus did not die for the sin of mankind; that Christ’s whole life was a failure. New Agers believe and teach that there is no sin, no evil, no devil, and that God is in everyone and everything. The word picture being painted in verse 12 is that the love of many will grow cold because of the nonstop, chilling wind of attack and adversity; the attack will be so strong and unrelenting that whatever little amount of spiritual fire was in casual, carnal Christians will be chilled to nothing.

Jesus does not finish this portion of His teaching on a negative note. In verse 13, He affirms that those that have their heart set on following Him will see the salvation and protection of the Lord. Let us make this our declaration, “My heart is set, it is fixed on following Jesus!”

So who is the most dangerous woman in America, the spokesperson for the New Age? Her name is Oprah Winfrey and for all of 2008, her daily radio broadcast on satellite radio is devoted to propagating the deception of the New Age, as is a regular portion of her daily television program.