In recent years the words “New Age” have captivated millions of people, from starry-eyed, mindless cult members to brilliant and influential statesmen. These words have come to represent a common vision of a New World of “peace and prosperity” in which men, free from political and religious biases, will finally unite in a universal brotherhood.

This New Age concept was first popularized by Hollywood celebrities Shirley MacLaine and John Denver. MacLaine, in her best-selling book, Out on a Limb (published in 1983), describes her contact (while in a state of deep meditation) with highly intelligent “spirit guides” who informed her that the world is on the verge of “the Age of Aquarius.” Denver, a concerned environmentalist and a proponent of yoga, transcendental meditation, and other forms of Eastern mysticism, speaks out freely through the media about the New World that is coming.

Now if these two New Age prophets were the sole representatives of the movement, we could easily write it off as one more religious craze and feel quite confident that in a short time we would witness its demise. But in the wake of their prophecies many notable personages have emerged on the world stage with the same cry on their lips. In 1986 Pope John Paul II was able to gather the leading figures of 12 world religions together in Assisi, Italy, to pray to whatever “God” each believed in, beseeching these deities to bring peace to the world. To justify honoring the prayers of witch doctors and fire worshipers, John Paul told participants that “the challenge of peace… transcends religious differences” (The Los Angeles Times, October 28, 1986). The Pope’s unprecedented ecumenical accomplishments have inspired many world leaders and have resulted in many new ecumenical movements, one of them being The Global Forum of Spiritual and Parliamentary Leaders on Human Survival, made up of spiritual and legislative leaders from 52 countries. In 1987 they printed a brochure called “Shared Vision” in which some of their objectives were stated. Included in these were the following: “We have explored the nature of the relationship between political and religious life, and … have agreed that we both (political and religious leaders) need and desire to work together and shall promote at regional, national, and local levels all possible collaboration between spiritual leaders and parliamentarians. We are entering an ERA OF GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP (emphasis mine) …. This new consciousness transcends all barriers of race and religion, ideology and nationality…. We hold up the vision of a new community, where the long and tragic history of human violence gives way to an AGE OF MUTUALLY ASSURED WELFARE AND PEACE (emphasis mine).”

To these voices could be added that of the prestigious Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev who, in 1987, in his book Perestroika, wrote these words: “For all the contradictions of the present-day world, for all the diversity of social and political systems in it, and for all the different choices made by the nations in different times, this world is nevertheless one whole. We are all passengers aboard one ship, the Earth, and we must not allow it to be wrecked. There will be no second Noah’s Ark.” And again, “Today, in the face of a still worse danger, states belonging to different social systems can and must cooperate with one another in the name of peace.” And, “We see a BUDDING WORLD ORDER (emphasis mine) in which peaceful coexistence and mutually beneficial cooperation based on goodwill will be universal norms.” In his historic address to the United Nations on December 7,1988, he declared, “Further global progress is now possible only through a quest for universal consensus in the movement towards a New World Order.”

Most recently, in September 1990, President George Bush began speaking openly of a “New World Order.” Just before leaving for Helsinki, Finland, to discuss the Persian Gulf crisis at his summit meeting with Soviet President Gorbachev, he expressed the hope that “the foundation for the New World Order would be laid in Helsinki.” Since the victory in the Gulf many more have embraced this vision. Now world attention is focused on seeking peace in the Middle East and many American and European diplomats are hoping this peace settlement will form the hub of the New World Order.

To the unbeliever, these voices of desperation and hope sound like a last-minute cure for the world’s ills, one last attempt for mankind to save itself from an inevitable nuclear holocaust, or from environmental destruction, or from one of many potential deathblows. But to the enlightened Christian, they are but the words of deceived false prophets who have given “heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of demons” (1 Tim. 4:1). To the Bible scoffer, it may seem just and honorable to seek peace, harmony, and love between men. But to the Spirit-taught believer who knows there can be no true, lasting peace on earth without the Prince of Peace, these futile efforts are man’s last attempt to unite a godless world into a Utopia contrary to God’s will. I say “last attempt,” for it is surely not the first. It is similar to the confederacy we see in Gen. 11 :l-9. There men united on the plain of Shinar (just as New Age thinkers are uniting today). Their goal was to dwell there lest they be scattered across the earth, but this was contrary to God’s purpose (see Gen. 9:1). So too, the goals of New Agers run contrary to God’s will concerning the earth, for they leave out the One who is to rule over the earth, as well as His earthly people Israel. And then we see in verse 4 that they desired to build a tower reaching to heaven to make a name for themselves. Here we see SELF-worship, which is the ultimate goal of the New Age movement, for their New World Order would be the platform upon which man could boast of his progress and of all his fancied achievements. This tower of Babel is a foreshadowing of the future Babylon the Great (Rev. 17:5), a united religious system which will be joined to a united political system (the beast of Rev. 13:1). But just as God judged those in the plain of Shinar for their rebellion and pride, so He will make an end of Babylon the Great (Rev. 17:16,17) and the beast (19:19-21).

The title of this article poses the question concerning the New Age movement: “New or Old?” We have just seen from Genesis 11 that it is no new thing for man to unite and seek to bring about a New World Order apart from submission to God’s will. And we saw that the root of that movement was SELF. Their desire “to make a name for themselves” is a fatal ambition that is rooted in every human heart. This tendency in man dates back to the Garden of Eden where Satan whispered his lie to Eve, “Ye shall be as God” (Gen. 3:5 JND). We know that Eve fell for his bait and ever since then man has aspired to be his own God. The New Age movement is but the introduction to man’s final attempt to deify himself and the Bible clearly states that it will culminate in the Antichrist claiming to be God (2 Thess. 2:3,4). To the believer, this thinking is blasphemy, for we bow to the testimony of Scripture which says, “Verily every man at his best state is altogether vanity” (Psa. 39:5). New Agers boldly preach of the need for more “self-esteem,” but the Christian takes up the language of the apostle Paul, “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) dwells no good thing” (Rom. 7:18).

In closing, let me assure the reader that there is truly a NEW AGE COMING, but it will not be brought about by the vain attempts of man. The Old Testament Scriptures teem with prophecies concerning this Age of true “peace and prosperity” (Isa. 2:1-4; 9:6,7; 11:1-13; 60:1-61:6; 65:17-25; Jer. 23:1-8; 31:1-37; Ezek. 34:20-31; 39:21-29; Dan. 2:31-45; 7:1-28; etc.). The Lord Jesus, in Matt. 19:28, referred to this time as the “regeneration” (literally, “re-creation,” thus a new state of things), for it will be God’s NEW WORLD ORDER, ushered in by His beloved Son when He personally returns to earth to judge the wicked and to save Israel from their enemies (Matt. 24:29-31; 25:31-46; Rev. 1:7; 19:11-21).

Until that blessed time, may it be the portion of every believer to serve the Lord humbly here below, watching and waiting for the time when He will return FOR US to take us to our heavenly home (John 14:1-3), and also longing for the time when He will return WITH US to set up His glorious kingdom here on earth and receive the universal homage that is due to Him who is the KING OF KINGS and LORD OF LORDS.