- Our world has been flooded by strong waves of mysticism. The word “mysticism” is a complex term that encapsulates a huge variety of ideas. From a religious perspective, the word implies the union of the individual with the Divine or Absolute in some kind of spiritual experience or trance.
This characterizes the worship experience even in certain churches. The phenomena can vary in form and intensity, but the tendency always is to replace the authority of the Written Word of God with one’s own subjective experiences.
In any case, the Bible loses much of its doctrinal function, and the Christian remains vulnerable to his or her own experiences. This kind of subjective religion does not provide a safeguard against any deception, especially end-time ones.
Personal feelings and taste end up being the criteria for interpreting the Scriptures or even for rejecting outright what the Bible teaches, often about obedience to God, which as Jesus said is so essential to building one’s house on the rock.
“The position that it is of no consequence what men believe is one of Satan’s most successful deceptions. He knows that the truth, received in the love of it, sanctifies the soul of the receiver; therefore he is constantly seeking to substitute false theories, fables, another gospel.”—Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, p. 520.
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