Neither repented they of their sorceries

Just as Revelation 9:21 predicts that witchcraft and occultic practices (sorceries) would be popular during the Great Tribulation, a recent study has shown that millennials are increasingly embracing the dark arts as we approach the last of the last days. According to journalist Kari Paul’s recent MarketWatch article, she explores “Why millennials are ditching religion for witchcraft and astrology.”

The headline itself is misleading since witchcraft and astrology are religions themselves. Essentially, millennials are dumping what they may have been taught in organized “Christian” churches about God for a new set of eclectic religious beliefs that mixes Eastern and Western mysticism. Ms. Paul highlights that more than half of America believes astrology is science and that a majority of Americans now believe the lie that people can be good without God. Hence, it becomes perfectly fine to embrace heathenism and the occult.

Nevertheless, the article never establishes any examples of people they interviewed who came from a “Christian” background to prove the headline, making the whole presupposition suspicious. But Ms. Paul points out that one person in the article came from a Taiwanese pagan background, which really doesn’t shore up her deceptive headline.

On the other hand, if the thought behind the headline is true–i.e. millennials with a Bible or Christian background are indeed turning to witchcraft and astrology–I am prone to believe Ms. Paul is probably accurate given what I have seen for myself in churches since the 1980s. I’ve known church kids I grew up with who had seances with ouija boards, so I know it’s probably worse now. I have also known regular church attenders who claim Christianity but consistently check their horrorscopes (misspelling intentional).

Additionally, I’ve had one or two pastors that I later found out were Freemasons. I’ve attended churches where Eastern mysticism rituals were used on people who were prayed for at the altar (e.g. being “slain in the spirit”). Therefore, since many millennial churchgoers witnessed the same things in their churches, I’m not surprised some of them think the occult is harmless, especially if you add in the fact many of them are fans of entertainers or entertainment pushing the occult, like Katy Perry, Beyonce, Imagine Dragons, etc. and TV programs like “Lucifer” or “Supernatural.”

The occultist in Ms. Paul’s article who has the Taiwanese background believes more millennials embrace occultism because it gives them powers to effect change in their own environments when they are disaffected by things they can’t seem to change like “a world of big industry, environmental destruction, large and oppressive governments, and toxic social structures.” But her excuses are merely a smokescreen to hide the real reason why people embrace the occult. Although churches can be blamed for allowing or encouraging the occult in their congregations unchecked, each individual makes their own choice on whether or not to serve God. Those who embrace the occult do so because they enjoy rebelling against God, so they can be their own self-serving god unto themselves, “[f]or rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry,” (1 Samuel 15:23).

Sadly, what they don’t realize is that their sorcery will lead to them burning in hell if they refuse to repent. While they embrace their occultism, I’m going to continue embracing my Lord who holds the only real power worth tapping into as I pray that their lost souls will experience his true power of salvation.