Book chapter update (2006)
Reinventing Jesus Christ: The New Gospel
Maitreya
Chapter 4 Update
Warren B. Smith
Coast to Coast
Benjamin Creme, now in his eighties, continues to travel around the world giving lectures and interviewing with the media. He has been on the popular nationwide late night Coast to Coast radio program five times in recent years talking with Art Bell and his staff about the coming of Maitreya, “the Christ.” Creme talks openly of Maitreya’s plan to bring love and peace to the planet through “world service” to the “have not” peoples of the Earth. Creme claims that many of the positive social, political and economic developments that have taken place over the last two decades have been inspired by Maitreya. But Creme readily acknowledges that many people are still suspicious of Maitreya and his motives. After Creme’s January 28, 2003 interview, Coast to Coast posted a recap of the program on their website. Under the heading The Coming of Maitreya it said:
Benjamin Creme of shareintl.org, made an eloquent appearance on Tuesday night’s show, speaking of the “incredibly evolved master” known as Maitreya….
“They are ignorant, misinformed, and afraid,” Creme said of those who claim that Maitreya is the Antichrist. “They have never experienced his love and his humanity,” he continued. According to Creme, Maitreya is waiting to make himself known at the proper time, which he believes may be when the developed world has a major economic collapse. It’s “the only thing that will bring humanity face to face with reality… a burst in their economic security,” Creme said. “It is the giant gap between the haves and have nots that urgently needs to be redressed in our world,” Creme pointed out. This total lack of balance he states causes the “inability to see the world as one.”1
In another section of the same Coast to Coast recap it was stated that:
According to Creme, Maitreya has the ability to appear and disappear at will, and has in fact materialized in gatherings around the world, where he takes on the form of a Messianic figure recognizable to that culture. Most notable was his appearance in Nairobi, Kenya in 1988 where he was said to be identified as “the Christ” in front of 6,000 people. There has been speculation, particularly among certain guests on Coast that Maitreya is actually the Antichrist…. Creme believes the Antichrist is an energy rather than a person….2
Maitreya and the “Master Jesus”
In his writings and lectures, Creme teaches that it is Maitreya—not Jesus—who is the Christ. In Deceived on Purpose I wrote:
Creme explained that when Maitreya reveals himself as “Christ,” he will be joined by “twelve Masters of Wisdom” who help him do his work in the world. Creme has stated that “Jesus” will be one of these “Masters” returning with Maitreya. But according to Creme, this “Jesus” is not the Lord and he is not the Christ—he is a “Master” and a “Master” only. Creme claims that Maitreya is the Lord and Christ. Creme has explained that the “Master Jesus” will be serving the “Lord Maitreya” by assuming the throne of St. Peter in Rome and heading up “the Christian Church.” This “Master Jesus”—obviously a false Jesus—will be in charge of a new reformation. It will be his job to “reform the Christian churches.”3
In The Reappearance of the Christ and the Masters of Wisdom Creme wrote:
The Master Jesus is going to reform the Christian churches.4
He is one of the Masters Who will very shortly return to outer work in the world, taking over the throne of St. Peter, in Rome. He will seek to transform the Christian Churches, in so far as they are flexible enough to respond correctly to the new reality which the return of the Christ and the Masters will create.5
Many recent translations and paraphrases of the Bible—like Eugene Peterson’s The Message—play right into Maitreya’s “Master Jesus” scenario. Unfortunately, many popular church leaders—like Rick Warren—choose to use these newer translations and paraphrases. In Deceived on Purpose I wrote:
Sadly, many of the newer Bible translations and paraphrases used by Rick Warren have often dropped the words “Lord” and “Christ” from Jesus’ title and have substituted the word “Master.” This obviously plays directly into the hands of a false Christ, like Maitreya, who will be trying to convince the world—and particularly Christians—that Jesus is not the Lord Jesus Christ but simply the “Master Jesus.”…
And while the disciples and followers of the real Jesus called Him “Master,” it was always with the understanding that He was also their “Lord” and “Christ.” But in the King James Bible, when they addressed Him as “Master” they never—not even once—directly addressed Him as “Master Jesus.” Yet, the term “Master Jesus” appears repeatedly in Eugene Peterson’s The Message. Peterson continually drops the word “Lord” from Jesus’ title, choosing instead to refer to Him as “Master Jesus.”
For example, The King James translation of Revelation 22:20-21 at the very end of the Bible is:
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.
The Message paraphrase is:
Yes! Come, Master Jesus!
The grace of the Master Jesus be with all of you. Oh, Yes!6
Rick Warren used The Message more than any other Bible translation or paraphrase in his book The Purpose-Driven Life. Many other church leaders are now referring to The Message in their books and writings—which of course opens the door to the “Master Jesus.” For example, Max Lucado in his recent book Cure for the Common Life: Living in Your Sweet Spot, quotes Colossians 3:17 from The Message paraphrase that makes reference not to the “Lord Jesus” as in most Bible translations, but to the “Master Jesus.”7 This concept of Jesus being only the “Master Jesus” is one of the critical false teachings of the New Age/New Spirituality. Stripping Him of His true titles, they try to redefine the Lord Jesus Christ as the “Master Jesus.” He is no longer “the Christ” and “the Savior;” He is simply a great “leader,” a great “role model,” and a great “example.” At a Lead Like Jesus conference in Birmingham, Alabama in the fall of 2003, Rick Warren referred to Jesus as “the Master servant leader.”8 This kind of a reference plays right into the hands of the false New Age Christ and his New Spirituality.
Softening up Christians
In a question and answer page posted on the Share International website, Benjamin Creme explains that the spirit of his “Christ” is presently working within the various denominations of the Christian church to “soften them up.”9 He would contend that Maitreya has been the unseen “change agent” working through Christian leaders to transform the church as it slowly transitions into the New Spirituality. He would argue that this purposeful “softening up” process includes the use of language and ideas that overlap with his New Age “Christ” and their New Gospel/New Spirituality—terms in common like “servant leader,” “Master Jesus,” and “new reformation.” Creme would be the first one to point out that Rick Warren’s “Global Peace Plan” and “New Reformation” are almost carbon copies of what Maitreya has already been describing for years. Creme is obviously pleased with all of the changes that are taking place within a seemingly orthodox Christianity. He describes those who resist these changes and those who resist his New Age “Christ” as “fundamentalists.” But, when questioned, he confidently states that on Maitreya’s “Day of Declaration” a powerful, supernatural “pentecostal” experience will persuade even the “fundamentalist Christians” that Maitreya is “Christ.”
[Question] How do we know ‘your’ Christ is who you say he is and how do we know he is not someone who is trying to obtain some powerful position in the world with the purpose of world domination?…
[Benjamin Creme] This is a question often put to me by fundamentalist Christians. A tree is known by its fruit, and the Christ must be known by His words, His deeds, and above all, His energy. If one man could achieve world domination (which, in today’s world, I very much doubt) then it could only be someone of the stature of the Christ. The fundamentalists, of course, are afraid that Maitreya might be the ‘anti-Christ,’ with which fallacy I have dealt many times, here and elsewhere. On the Day of Declaration, I submit, everyone—even the fundamentalists—will know, through the overshadowing of the minds of all humanity—a pentecostal experience for all—that Maitreya is the Christ.10
In The Reappearance of the Christ and the Masters of Wisdom, Creme describes how Maitreya’s “Day of Declaration”—the “reappearance” or “return” of Christ—will be celebrated throughout the world as a second Pentecost:
One day soon, men and women all over the world will gather round their radio and television sets to hear and see the Christ: to see His face, and to hear His words dropping silently into their minds—in their own language. In this way they will know that He is truly the Christ, the World Teacher; and in this way too, we will see repeated, only now on a world scale, the happenings of Pentecost; and in celebration of this event Pentecost will become a major festival of the New World Religion.11
Benjamin Creme, Wayne Peterson, Barbara Marx Hubbard and many of their New Age colleagues specifically point to a highly climactic, party-like pentecostal experience that will accompany the coming of their New Age “Christ.” Yet the Bible warns its readers to beware of the great spiritual deception that precedes the return of the true Jesus Christ (Matthew 24:3-5; Matthew 24:11; I Timothy 4:1).
Planetary Pentecost and Holy Laughter?
In 1994 I wrote an article entitled “Holy Laughter or Strong Delusion?” 12 It expressed my concern about the so-called “Holy Laughter” movement that had suddenly erupted in churches around the world. Congregations were breaking into uncontrollable fits of laughter. Because countless numbers of congregations were assuming that this “Holy Laughter” was sent from God, they did not even think of testing the spirits (1 John 4:1). As I witnessed the laughter phenomenon I was reminded of the “joy of the force” that Barbara Marx Hubbard’s “Christ” had described as one of the predominant features of his coming “Planetary Pentecost.” In my article I noted the striking similarity between “Holy Laughter” and the “joy of the force” that Hubbard’s New Age “Christ” described as the “Planetary Smile.” In fact, Hubbard’s “Christ” was stating that the “Planetary Smile” and the “Planetary Pentecost” were synonymous. Giving a clever New Age twist to a Scripture he pulled out of the King James Bible (Joel 2:28), Hubbard’s “Christ” tried to make it appear that the Bible is describing his “Planetary Pentecost”—the “Planetary Smile.” He described how God’s “Spirit” will be “poured out” on all “flesh” that is willing to experience “oneness.” Inviting an obvious comparison to “Holy Laughter,” he described how those opening themselves to this “poured out Spirit” will experience an “uncontrollable joy.” He explained that this “joy of the force” will “ripple” through humanity and light up their faces with a “Planetary Smile.”
The Planetary Smile is another name for the Planetary Pentecost. When enough of us share a common thought of our oneness with God, Spirit will be poured out on all flesh paying attention.13
An uncontrollable joy will ripple through the thinking layer of Earth…. From within, all sensitive persons will feel the joy of the force, flooding their systems with love and attraction. It will be as irresistible as sex.14
Just as “Holy Laughter” overshadowed the minds of so many in the church, Benjamin Creme emphasized how Maitreya’s “pentecostal experience” will “overshadow” the minds of all humanity. Creme stated:
On the Day of Declaration, I submit, everyone—even the fundamentalists—will know, through the overshadowing of the minds of all humanity—a pentecostal experience for all—that Maitreya is the Christ.15
Is this “joy of the force” and this “overshadowing of the minds of humanity” just another way of describing “Holy Laughter?” Was “Holy Laughter” part of the Christian “softening up” process described by Creme? Had “Holy Laughter” simply been a dress rehearsal for the coming New Age “Christ?” Would an unholy “Holy Laughter” in a future “Planetary Pentecost” seem to validate the New Age Christ to Christians who had already experienced “Holy Laughter?” Certainly the similarities between the church’s “Holy Laughter,” Hubbard’s “Planetary Pentecost”/“Planetary Smile” and Maitreya’s “overshadowing of the minds of all humanity” “pentecostal experience” were quite remarkable. Even the “Christ” of A Course in Miracles concluded his voluminous New Age teaching by unequivocally stating that “the world will end in laughter.”16 But the “Planetary Smile” of a New Age “Planetary Pentecost” is anything but a laughing matter to those who refuse to be a part of this counterfeit New Age Pentecost. Maitreya makes it clear that anyone who does not participate in the New Age Pentecost—those who choose to remain “separate” by denying the divinity in themselves and others—will be “driven” from the planet. He affirms this as his “purpose.” He warns:
All that hinders the manifestation of man’s divinity must be driven from our planet.17
The crime of separation must be driven from this world.
I affirm that as My Purpose.18
Maitreya’s “Purpose”
As seen in the above statements, Rick Warren and today’s Christian leaders are not the only ones who are especially fond of the word “purpose.” The declared “purpose” of this mysterious New Age Christ named Maitreya is to be recognized by the world as “the” true Christ. He frequently uses the word “purpose” to describe who he is and what he intends to do in the world. In the book Messages from Maitreya the Christ he states:
My Purpose unfolds.19
I am your Purpose.20
I shall place before you all the purpose of God.21
We are together, you and I, for the same purpose.22
Hold fast to My Purpose, which is to take man to God.23
I need all those who long to serve, who wish to fulfil their purpose in life….24
My Purposes are being fulfilled.25
Prominently displayed on the back cover of Messages From Maitreya The Christ is “The Great Invocation.” It is commonly recited in countless numbers of New Age churches and groups around the world. At the very heart of the invocation the “purpose” of “God” is specifically invoked:
From the centre where the Will of God is known
Let purpose guide the little wills of men--
The purpose which the Masters know and serve.26
Benjamin Creme explains that Maitreya introduced the invocation as a means of invoking the return of “the Christ”:
…[T]o enable man himself to invoke the energies which would change our world, and make possible the return of the Christ and Hierarchy.27
Given the fact that Maitreya claims to be “the Christ” and on Earth right now, and given the fact that he is so hostile to the true Jesus Christ and biblical Christianity, believers need to keep a close watch on this highly deceptive, longstanding, false Christ figure.
Endnotes
1. Coast to Coast website: http://www.coasttocoastam.com/shows/2003/01/28.html.
2. Ibid.
3. Warren Smith, Deceived on Purpose: The New Age Implications of the Purpose-Driven Church, p. 160.
4. Creme, The Reappearance of the Christ and the Masters of Wisdom, p. 85.
5. Ibid., p. 46.
6. Smith, Deceived on Purpose, pp. 160-161. Quote from Eugene Peterson, The Message: The New Testament in Contemporary Language, p. 353.
7. Max Lucado, Cure for the Common Life: Living in Your Sweet Spot (Nashville, Tennessee: W Publishing Group, 2005), p. 98.
8. Lead Like Jesus Celebration, November 20, 2003, Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Alabama. Transcript online: http://www.gprxnow.com/bonuses/BlanchardLeadLikeJesus.pdf. DVD available through Lead Like Jesus online store.
9. Share International website: http://www.share-international.org/maitreya/Ma_wwa2.htm.
10. Benjamin Crème, Maitreya’s Mission: Volume Two (Los Angeles: Share International Foundation, 1993), p. 239.
11. Creme, The Reappearance of the Christ and the Masters of Wisdom, p. 37.
12. Warren Smith, Holy Laughter or Strong Delusion? SCP Newsletter, Volume 19:2, Fall 1994. Also posted online at http://www.discernment-ministries.org/Holy_Laughter.htm.
13. Barbara Marx Hubbard, TEACHINGS FROM THE INNER CHRIST: for FOUNDERS of a NEW ORDER OF THE FUTURE (A Work in Progress): A Complement to The Book of Co-Creation (Greenbrae, California: Foundation For Conscious Evolution, 1994), p. 79.
14. Barbara Marx Hubbard, The Revelation: A Message of Hope for the New Millennium, p. 243.
15. Creme, Maitreya’s Mission: Volume Two, p. 239.
16. Foundation for Inner Peace, A Course in Miracles: Combined Volume (Teachers Manual), p. 37.
17. Messages from Maitreya the Christ: One Hundred Forty Messages (Los Angeles: Share International Foundation, 1992), p. 248.
18. Ibid., p. 189.
19. Ibid. p. 153.
20. Ibid., p. 123.
21. Ibid., p. 183.
22. Ibid., p. 206.
23. Ibid., p. 192.
24. Ibid., p. 159.
25. Ibid., p. 56.
26. Ibid, back cover.
27. Creme, The Reappearance of the Christ and the Masters of Wisdom, p. 39.
Benjamin Creme, now in his eighties, continues to travel around the world giving lectures and interviewing with the media. He has been on the popular nationwide late night Coast to Coast radio program five times in recent years talking with Art Bell and his staff about the coming of Maitreya, “the Christ.” Creme talks openly of Maitreya’s plan to bring love and peace to the planet through “world service” to the “have not” peoples of the Earth. Creme claims that many of the positive social, political and economic developments that have taken place over the last two decades have been inspired by Maitreya. But Creme readily acknowledges that many people are still suspicious of Maitreya and his motives. After Creme’s January 28, 2003 interview, Coast to Coast posted a recap of the program on their website. Under the heading The Coming of Maitreya it said:
Benjamin Creme of shareintl.org, made an eloquent appearance on Tuesday night’s show, speaking of the “incredibly evolved master” known as Maitreya….
“They are ignorant, misinformed, and afraid,” Creme said of those who claim that Maitreya is the Antichrist. “They have never experienced his love and his humanity,” he continued. According to Creme, Maitreya is waiting to make himself known at the proper time, which he believes may be when the developed world has a major economic collapse. It’s “the only thing that will bring humanity face to face with reality… a burst in their economic security,” Creme said. “It is the giant gap between the haves and have nots that urgently needs to be redressed in our world,” Creme pointed out. This total lack of balance he states causes the “inability to see the world as one.”1
In another section of the same Coast to Coast recap it was stated that:
According to Creme, Maitreya has the ability to appear and disappear at will, and has in fact materialized in gatherings around the world, where he takes on the form of a Messianic figure recognizable to that culture. Most notable was his appearance in Nairobi, Kenya in 1988 where he was said to be identified as “the Christ” in front of 6,000 people. There has been speculation, particularly among certain guests on Coast that Maitreya is actually the Antichrist…. Creme believes the Antichrist is an energy rather than a person….2
Maitreya and the “Master Jesus”
In his writings and lectures, Creme teaches that it is Maitreya—not Jesus—who is the Christ. In Deceived on Purpose I wrote:
Creme explained that when Maitreya reveals himself as “Christ,” he will be joined by “twelve Masters of Wisdom” who help him do his work in the world. Creme has stated that “Jesus” will be one of these “Masters” returning with Maitreya. But according to Creme, this “Jesus” is not the Lord and he is not the Christ—he is a “Master” and a “Master” only. Creme claims that Maitreya is the Lord and Christ. Creme has explained that the “Master Jesus” will be serving the “Lord Maitreya” by assuming the throne of St. Peter in Rome and heading up “the Christian Church.” This “Master Jesus”—obviously a false Jesus—will be in charge of a new reformation. It will be his job to “reform the Christian churches.”3
In The Reappearance of the Christ and the Masters of Wisdom Creme wrote:
The Master Jesus is going to reform the Christian churches.4
He is one of the Masters Who will very shortly return to outer work in the world, taking over the throne of St. Peter, in Rome. He will seek to transform the Christian Churches, in so far as they are flexible enough to respond correctly to the new reality which the return of the Christ and the Masters will create.5
Many recent translations and paraphrases of the Bible—like Eugene Peterson’s The Message—play right into Maitreya’s “Master Jesus” scenario. Unfortunately, many popular church leaders—like Rick Warren—choose to use these newer translations and paraphrases. In Deceived on Purpose I wrote:
Sadly, many of the newer Bible translations and paraphrases used by Rick Warren have often dropped the words “Lord” and “Christ” from Jesus’ title and have substituted the word “Master.” This obviously plays directly into the hands of a false Christ, like Maitreya, who will be trying to convince the world—and particularly Christians—that Jesus is not the Lord Jesus Christ but simply the “Master Jesus.”…
And while the disciples and followers of the real Jesus called Him “Master,” it was always with the understanding that He was also their “Lord” and “Christ.” But in the King James Bible, when they addressed Him as “Master” they never—not even once—directly addressed Him as “Master Jesus.” Yet, the term “Master Jesus” appears repeatedly in Eugene Peterson’s The Message. Peterson continually drops the word “Lord” from Jesus’ title, choosing instead to refer to Him as “Master Jesus.”
For example, The King James translation of Revelation 22:20-21 at the very end of the Bible is:
Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.
The Message paraphrase is:
Yes! Come, Master Jesus!
The grace of the Master Jesus be with all of you. Oh, Yes!6
Rick Warren used The Message more than any other Bible translation or paraphrase in his book The Purpose-Driven Life. Many other church leaders are now referring to The Message in their books and writings—which of course opens the door to the “Master Jesus.” For example, Max Lucado in his recent book Cure for the Common Life: Living in Your Sweet Spot, quotes Colossians 3:17 from The Message paraphrase that makes reference not to the “Lord Jesus” as in most Bible translations, but to the “Master Jesus.”7 This concept of Jesus being only the “Master Jesus” is one of the critical false teachings of the New Age/New Spirituality. Stripping Him of His true titles, they try to redefine the Lord Jesus Christ as the “Master Jesus.” He is no longer “the Christ” and “the Savior;” He is simply a great “leader,” a great “role model,” and a great “example.” At a Lead Like Jesus conference in Birmingham, Alabama in the fall of 2003, Rick Warren referred to Jesus as “the Master servant leader.”8 This kind of a reference plays right into the hands of the false New Age Christ and his New Spirituality.
Softening up Christians
In a question and answer page posted on the Share International website, Benjamin Creme explains that the spirit of his “Christ” is presently working within the various denominations of the Christian church to “soften them up.”9 He would contend that Maitreya has been the unseen “change agent” working through Christian leaders to transform the church as it slowly transitions into the New Spirituality. He would argue that this purposeful “softening up” process includes the use of language and ideas that overlap with his New Age “Christ” and their New Gospel/New Spirituality—terms in common like “servant leader,” “Master Jesus,” and “new reformation.” Creme would be the first one to point out that Rick Warren’s “Global Peace Plan” and “New Reformation” are almost carbon copies of what Maitreya has already been describing for years. Creme is obviously pleased with all of the changes that are taking place within a seemingly orthodox Christianity. He describes those who resist these changes and those who resist his New Age “Christ” as “fundamentalists.” But, when questioned, he confidently states that on Maitreya’s “Day of Declaration” a powerful, supernatural “pentecostal” experience will persuade even the “fundamentalist Christians” that Maitreya is “Christ.”
[Question] How do we know ‘your’ Christ is who you say he is and how do we know he is not someone who is trying to obtain some powerful position in the world with the purpose of world domination?…
[Benjamin Creme] This is a question often put to me by fundamentalist Christians. A tree is known by its fruit, and the Christ must be known by His words, His deeds, and above all, His energy. If one man could achieve world domination (which, in today’s world, I very much doubt) then it could only be someone of the stature of the Christ. The fundamentalists, of course, are afraid that Maitreya might be the ‘anti-Christ,’ with which fallacy I have dealt many times, here and elsewhere. On the Day of Declaration, I submit, everyone—even the fundamentalists—will know, through the overshadowing of the minds of all humanity—a pentecostal experience for all—that Maitreya is the Christ.10
In The Reappearance of the Christ and the Masters of Wisdom, Creme describes how Maitreya’s “Day of Declaration”—the “reappearance” or “return” of Christ—will be celebrated throughout the world as a second Pentecost:
One day soon, men and women all over the world will gather round their radio and television sets to hear and see the Christ: to see His face, and to hear His words dropping silently into their minds—in their own language. In this way they will know that He is truly the Christ, the World Teacher; and in this way too, we will see repeated, only now on a world scale, the happenings of Pentecost; and in celebration of this event Pentecost will become a major festival of the New World Religion.11
Benjamin Creme, Wayne Peterson, Barbara Marx Hubbard and many of their New Age colleagues specifically point to a highly climactic, party-like pentecostal experience that will accompany the coming of their New Age “Christ.” Yet the Bible warns its readers to beware of the great spiritual deception that precedes the return of the true Jesus Christ (Matthew 24:3-5; Matthew 24:11; I Timothy 4:1).
Planetary Pentecost and Holy Laughter?
In 1994 I wrote an article entitled “Holy Laughter or Strong Delusion?” 12 It expressed my concern about the so-called “Holy Laughter” movement that had suddenly erupted in churches around the world. Congregations were breaking into uncontrollable fits of laughter. Because countless numbers of congregations were assuming that this “Holy Laughter” was sent from God, they did not even think of testing the spirits (1 John 4:1). As I witnessed the laughter phenomenon I was reminded of the “joy of the force” that Barbara Marx Hubbard’s “Christ” had described as one of the predominant features of his coming “Planetary Pentecost.” In my article I noted the striking similarity between “Holy Laughter” and the “joy of the force” that Hubbard’s New Age “Christ” described as the “Planetary Smile.” In fact, Hubbard’s “Christ” was stating that the “Planetary Smile” and the “Planetary Pentecost” were synonymous. Giving a clever New Age twist to a Scripture he pulled out of the King James Bible (Joel 2:28), Hubbard’s “Christ” tried to make it appear that the Bible is describing his “Planetary Pentecost”—the “Planetary Smile.” He described how God’s “Spirit” will be “poured out” on all “flesh” that is willing to experience “oneness.” Inviting an obvious comparison to “Holy Laughter,” he described how those opening themselves to this “poured out Spirit” will experience an “uncontrollable joy.” He explained that this “joy of the force” will “ripple” through humanity and light up their faces with a “Planetary Smile.”
The Planetary Smile is another name for the Planetary Pentecost. When enough of us share a common thought of our oneness with God, Spirit will be poured out on all flesh paying attention.13
An uncontrollable joy will ripple through the thinking layer of Earth…. From within, all sensitive persons will feel the joy of the force, flooding their systems with love and attraction. It will be as irresistible as sex.14
Just as “Holy Laughter” overshadowed the minds of so many in the church, Benjamin Creme emphasized how Maitreya’s “pentecostal experience” will “overshadow” the minds of all humanity. Creme stated:
On the Day of Declaration, I submit, everyone—even the fundamentalists—will know, through the overshadowing of the minds of all humanity—a pentecostal experience for all—that Maitreya is the Christ.15
Is this “joy of the force” and this “overshadowing of the minds of humanity” just another way of describing “Holy Laughter?” Was “Holy Laughter” part of the Christian “softening up” process described by Creme? Had “Holy Laughter” simply been a dress rehearsal for the coming New Age “Christ?” Would an unholy “Holy Laughter” in a future “Planetary Pentecost” seem to validate the New Age Christ to Christians who had already experienced “Holy Laughter?” Certainly the similarities between the church’s “Holy Laughter,” Hubbard’s “Planetary Pentecost”/“Planetary Smile” and Maitreya’s “overshadowing of the minds of all humanity” “pentecostal experience” were quite remarkable. Even the “Christ” of A Course in Miracles concluded his voluminous New Age teaching by unequivocally stating that “the world will end in laughter.”16 But the “Planetary Smile” of a New Age “Planetary Pentecost” is anything but a laughing matter to those who refuse to be a part of this counterfeit New Age Pentecost. Maitreya makes it clear that anyone who does not participate in the New Age Pentecost—those who choose to remain “separate” by denying the divinity in themselves and others—will be “driven” from the planet. He affirms this as his “purpose.” He warns:
All that hinders the manifestation of man’s divinity must be driven from our planet.17
The crime of separation must be driven from this world.
I affirm that as My Purpose.18
Maitreya’s “Purpose”
As seen in the above statements, Rick Warren and today’s Christian leaders are not the only ones who are especially fond of the word “purpose.” The declared “purpose” of this mysterious New Age Christ named Maitreya is to be recognized by the world as “the” true Christ. He frequently uses the word “purpose” to describe who he is and what he intends to do in the world. In the book Messages from Maitreya the Christ he states:
My Purpose unfolds.19
I am your Purpose.20
I shall place before you all the purpose of God.21
We are together, you and I, for the same purpose.22
Hold fast to My Purpose, which is to take man to God.23
I need all those who long to serve, who wish to fulfil their purpose in life….24
My Purposes are being fulfilled.25
Prominently displayed on the back cover of Messages From Maitreya The Christ is “The Great Invocation.” It is commonly recited in countless numbers of New Age churches and groups around the world. At the very heart of the invocation the “purpose” of “God” is specifically invoked:
From the centre where the Will of God is known
Let purpose guide the little wills of men--
The purpose which the Masters know and serve.26
Benjamin Creme explains that Maitreya introduced the invocation as a means of invoking the return of “the Christ”:
…[T]o enable man himself to invoke the energies which would change our world, and make possible the return of the Christ and Hierarchy.27
Given the fact that Maitreya claims to be “the Christ” and on Earth right now, and given the fact that he is so hostile to the true Jesus Christ and biblical Christianity, believers need to keep a close watch on this highly deceptive, longstanding, false Christ figure.
Endnotes
1. Coast to Coast website: http://www.coasttocoastam.com/shows/2003/01/28.html.
2. Ibid.
3. Warren Smith, Deceived on Purpose: The New Age Implications of the Purpose-Driven Church, p. 160.
4. Creme, The Reappearance of the Christ and the Masters of Wisdom, p. 85.
5. Ibid., p. 46.
6. Smith, Deceived on Purpose, pp. 160-161. Quote from Eugene Peterson, The Message: The New Testament in Contemporary Language, p. 353.
7. Max Lucado, Cure for the Common Life: Living in Your Sweet Spot (Nashville, Tennessee: W Publishing Group, 2005), p. 98.
8. Lead Like Jesus Celebration, November 20, 2003, Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Alabama. Transcript online: http://www.gprxnow.com/bonuses/BlanchardLeadLikeJesus.pdf. DVD available through Lead Like Jesus online store.
9. Share International website: http://www.share-international.org/maitreya/Ma_wwa2.htm.
10. Benjamin Crème, Maitreya’s Mission: Volume Two (Los Angeles: Share International Foundation, 1993), p. 239.
11. Creme, The Reappearance of the Christ and the Masters of Wisdom, p. 37.
12. Warren Smith, Holy Laughter or Strong Delusion? SCP Newsletter, Volume 19:2, Fall 1994. Also posted online at http://www.discernment-ministries.org/Holy_Laughter.htm.
13. Barbara Marx Hubbard, TEACHINGS FROM THE INNER CHRIST: for FOUNDERS of a NEW ORDER OF THE FUTURE (A Work in Progress): A Complement to The Book of Co-Creation (Greenbrae, California: Foundation For Conscious Evolution, 1994), p. 79.
14. Barbara Marx Hubbard, The Revelation: A Message of Hope for the New Millennium, p. 243.
15. Creme, Maitreya’s Mission: Volume Two, p. 239.
16. Foundation for Inner Peace, A Course in Miracles: Combined Volume (Teachers Manual), p. 37.
17. Messages from Maitreya the Christ: One Hundred Forty Messages (Los Angeles: Share International Foundation, 1992), p. 248.
18. Ibid., p. 189.
19. Ibid. p. 153.
20. Ibid., p. 123.
21. Ibid., p. 183.
22. Ibid., p. 206.
23. Ibid., p. 192.
24. Ibid., p. 159.
25. Ibid., p. 56.
26. Ibid, back cover.
27. Creme, The Reappearance of the Christ and the Masters of Wisdom, p. 39.