Paul’s spiritual eyes were opened; he came out of the kingdom of darkness and was ushered into the kingdom of light. He was delivered from Satan’s kingdom and ushered into God’s Kingdom—a Kingdom that lasts for eternity.

Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son. [1]

The apostle Paul’s conversion experience was very dynamic and is recorded in the book of Acts, chapter 17. My own conversion was not as dynamic, but it is just as real. While not written in the Word of God, the Bible provides the explanation for why and how my life was influenced by the Holy Spirit. Since February 12, 1978, my life has never been the same.

The Scriptures teach that when light is shone into the darkness, there is always a resistance from those who would rather remain in the darkness than have light expose their sin (John 3:19). Even though the wages of sin is death, and God has warned mankind of this, men, women, and children are driven by the flesh and therefore not led by the Spirit. Those living in spiritual darkness will accept an evolutionary agenda that will play a major role in the formation of the one-world religion that will set up the Antichrist.

The formation of the religion of the coming Antichrist became a reality to me in the early 1980s. As with other areas of the ministry God has given me, the Word of God opened my understanding regarding this topic. First, the teaching I received from my mentors G.S. McLean and Lorne Pritchard gave me the foundation to understand what the Bible teaches about this coming one-world religion. Second, I could see, based on the study of biblical history, that the Bible reveals there is nothing new under the sun, and history repeats itself.

In the early ’80s, a trend, obvious to only a few, was happening wherein Babylonianism was being revived and called new. This supposed new religion for a modern world is only the reintroduction of the same old lies that blinded millions of people in the past as evidenced by history and archaeology. In other words, the practices of pagans of the past are being introduced into the present in the name of something new. This New Age is not new. The deception can be understood in light of the Bible and the lie that Satan told Eve in the Garden of Eden—“ye shall be as gods” [2]

Many people worldwide, influenced by Darwinian evolution, are being deceived because they believe that God does not exist. Now I can see that the indoctrination of evolution has had another role to play in the latter part of the 20th century up to the present. Because society in general has rejected the overwhelming evidence for creation, they are now willing to worship and serve the creation rather than the Creator.

This, of course, is clearly outlined in Romans, chapter one. The outline for the last-days religion accompanied by the last- days delusion that will produce the perilous times and last-days immorality and depravity is clear. In fact, it is already here.

One day a number of years ago, I asked one of the staff of a local Bible school, “Do you think it would be possible for me to teach a class to the students here exposing the New Age movement?” You could see by his reaction that he had no idea what I was talking about. When I explained what the New Age movement was about, he seemed flabbergasted.

“This is a Bible school,” he exclaimed. “We don’t want students knowing about such things!”

I finally came to the sad conclusion that no one seemed to care. The house was on fire, and they didn’t want to hear about it because they did not like the message or the messenger. After all, it was a message that did not appeal to the sensual appetites of carnal man but rather challenged and exposed the hidden things of darkness.

The Eastern religious belief that man is evolving towards godhood and that we are all connected to one another and to all of creation should be apparent. This heresy promoted today by well-known proponents of the emerging church were ideas that were planted from Eastern mysticism in the early ’80s as the propaganda being sold to the world, but not the church.

Now that we are in the 21st century, these same ideas are mainstream in the emerging church. The preparation that has occurred is like the frog in the lukewarm water illustration where the frog is cooked to death without knowing it as the water in the pot is gradually brought to a boil.

From the New Age warning, the ministry God gave me headed in another direction. As I traveled, I could see that the world was being deceived in two main ways—there is no personal God because of evolution, and everything is God because of evolution.

While these two monstrous deceptions would be enough of a challenge for anyone or any organization to stand up against, another great delusion met me wherever I traveled worldwide—a delusion severely impacting the church. Christians who had once believed the Bible were now looking beyond the Bible for new revelation and experience.

Standing up against this tide of a New Age, experience-based form of Christianity proved to be devastating to my family and me. Many friends, acquaintances, and even pastors who once supported the ministry thought I had gone too far. As a result, they chastised me, called me a heretic and divisive, and finally abandoned me. One even “marked” me (Romans 16:17). What’s more, few have understood that my intention has always and only been that we, as believers, walk in humility, contriteness, and repentance. Repentance is like the rudder of a ship that keeps correcting for errors in compass bearings, steering clear of crags and shoals. It is the way I want to live my life, and I would think that others would want to live their lives like that too. It is a small price to pay for all that Jesus had done for us.

For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God. [3]

I am Roger Oakland. This has been a biblical perspective to help understand the times.