Is it New Truth or Deception?

Ella (name changed to protect confidentiality), a sweet and vibrant client, has been fascinated with people that have died, went to Heaven, and returned to earth (also called Near Death Experiences or NDEs). She explained that some of their experiences bring a fresh rush of what Heaven could be like.

She brought her newest book find to my office one day and explained all that she learned from a woman who had an NDE. She shared that some of these ideas were not found in the Bible and therefore it is a new truth. “Jesus told her these things!” She excitedly shared. She felt enlightened and this was filling her spiritual hunger.

Ella handed me the book and insisted I read it. I flipped through it in my office and noticed the author mentioned Jesus was her savior, so I thought this was a Christian narrative and was excited to share in my client’s excitement.

I dove right in later that day.

Then my heart sunk.

10% into the book, the Holy Spirit started tugging at me. I kept reading. Another tug. I started rationalizing what I was reading. More tugs. But she said Jesus is her Savior, so clearly there is something here, right?

I googled the author.

Ugh. What we have here is a wolf in sheep’s clothing scenario.

Sweet Ella is searching for a more spiritual understanding. To learn the mysteries of God and our universe. To know Jesus and to feel His presence.

I get it. I am still very hungry for more of God. What about you?

The Pew Research Center reveals that more people call themselves spiritual, but not religious (not to say that there are still some that are both). See the site here. 44% do identify with a Christian church but are still so hungry for the spiritual side of things.

Many churches do not teach about spiritual things, so where does one go to find it?

The bookstore.

When I was a New Ager I had several spiritual books that revealed things about “God.” The book Ella lent me would have been one that I would have had in my stash had I found it 20 years ago.

Why is this book and others like it so wrong for the Christian (and non-Christian) looking for real truth?

Because it is flat wrong.

And if it’s flat wrong, it steers the person away from Jesus. If you are away from Jesus, you are in darkness and no longer have his light on your path (see John 8:12.)

Apostle Paul tells us that we are fighting against the principalities of darkness, not flesh and blood (see Ephesians 6:12). I believe the author of this NDE book did go to the other side. I also believe she did experience angelic beings and was told the information she shares in her book.

But I also believe that she was told these things from the enemy disguising himself as Jesus. That the angelic “entities” that told her they were with her for “eternities” were demonic minions. 2 Corinthians 11:12-15 tells us that the enemy disguises himself as an angel of light.

I can confidently say this because the things the author was saying in her book contradict what Jesus taught on earth. Galatians 1:6-9 is just one passage that explains that people have tried changing the gospel.

Ella’s book taught things like: Jesus said all church denominations and religions were good, and that people will use those churches/religions to learn and move onto to higher spiritual churches/religions. The author goes on to say that she and many others were there at creation and they helped God create the universe.

Say, whaaaat?????

Acts 4:12 explains succinctly that Jesus is the only way. Here are 100 more verses that cover this topic. The Bible is very clear that Jesus is the only way to God and to Heaven. Jesus would never change his mind and tell a person that all religions are good. He commands us in Matthew 28:19-20 to make disciples in all nations.

Plus, Jesus does not change (Hebrews 13:8).

The book that Ella read has sold millions of copies. This means that millions of spiritually hungry sponges have internalized the enemy’s lies and are not walking with God. Perhaps they are walking a little (they pick and choose verses they like), but now with a book like this, they have no reason to share the gospel.

We, as Christians, have to take a stand.

We either choose to have faith that the Bible is true or we don’t. We can’t have both. If anything contradicts the Bible it is not truth.

As a counselor that works in healing through spiritual ways, I know there are amazing transformations and revelations that my clients receive. My clients meet Jesus to receive emotional healing and to be encouraged (see John 8:32, Psalm 147:3, Psalm 30:2, James 5:16, Romans 12:2, Ephesians 1:17-29).

But I also know that the enemy tries to distort and give false truth. There is discernment that occurs in my office. Without it, many clients would be lead astray or stuck in their lies about who they are.

One of the MAIN things I teach my clients is that anything that is told to them that contradicts, adds or takes away anything in the Bible, we cannot trust. That misinformation is coming from them or the enemy or our own false beliefs (see Proverbs 30:5-6).

I hunger for more of God, as do many others. I love receiving God’s truth about who I am because when God reveals it, we are healed of emotional wounds or lies about ourselves. His words are like healing salve to a blistering wound.

But the enemy does not want us healed. He does not want us to connect to God with the eyes of our heart. He wants to delude us.

I believe he has hoodwinked the author of this book and she is now a pawn spreading lies through the disguise of a cloak of light. The enemy has taken advantage of people having curiosities (2 Timothy 4:3-4, 1 Timothy 4:1) and has used the author to create division for so many (Romans 16: 17-20).

The next time I saw Ella, we talked about how many of us crave to know more about the spiritual and what the book discussed. We discussed taking a stand on faith in the Bible or choosing to listen to a person that contradicts what Jesus teaches. We discussed how interesting some of the book was but because it contradicts the Bible, it cannot be trusted.

We then spent some time connecting with God and receiving His truth and His peace. Ella left my office feeling transformed with spiritual growth of the true kind.

It would be very easy to give you the book and author information, but that pours vinegar into the world. So, instead, I ask you to pray with me. Lift this author and many other deceived people to know the truth. For them to know they have been deceived and to repent. If they do not, there are consequences on the other side, right?

This author was not rooted in God’s word before she had this experience. She does not know how to discern truth from fiction. She is also not currently in a Christian church.

So, please stand with me and not judge and throw insults (I know how easy this is to do). Pray for her soul and those she has led astray. Pray the veil is lifted.

Standing in truth,