Lesson 2. What Is Occultism? The “Hidden Occultism” school was compiled in 2010 by Dmitriy Leo, senior pastor of Father’s Blessing Church.
Occultism (from the Latin occultus—secret, hidden) is a general term for teachings that acknowledge the existence of hidden forces in humans and the cosmos, and a hidden connection between humans and the supernatural world.
According to history, the development of occultism began in ancient Egypt. In the Holy Bible, we find the first mention of magic and sorcery precisely in ancient Egypt.
Exodus 7:11 Then Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers; now the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments
According to Strong’s Concordance, the word “enchantments” is also translated as “magic.” Synonymous terms refer to spells and rituals. Pharaoh had magicians, and they practiced occultism.
This is another reason why God allowed such great plagues to come upon the Egyptian people. He could have simply brought Israel out without the plagues. But because the Egyptians were deeply involved in idolatry and occultism, they had to learn that there is only one Lord.
Exodus 7:4 Pharaoh will not heed you, and I will lay My hand on Egypt and bring out My armies, My people, the children of Israel, from the land of Egypt by great judgments; Exodus 7:5 and the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I stretch out My hand on Egypt and bring out the children of Israel from among them.
However, the Egyptians still did not repent, and since then all kinds of occult orders and societies have spread throughout the earth.
The Development and Transformation of Occultism
- The oldest occult organization was formed in Egypt. It consisted of priests of the deity “Set.” People were sacrificed to this idol. Cheops created the “Horus” order to wage war against the “Set” order, and this war lasted a very long time. Modern researchers claim that this war is still continuing today.
- Then the statue passed from the Egyptian priests into the hands of Alexander the Great.
- Napoleon, who dreamed of world domination, was on an expedition and searched for a long time for the statue of “Set” so that he could gain supernatural abilities with it. When he found it, he brought it to France and placed it in the home of a wealthy Freemason. After that, Napoleon began winning one battle after another. Subsequently, France became a center for various secret occult organizations.
- On January 27, 1924, a mausoleum was erected in Red Square—a building shaped like the stepped pyramid of Pharaoh Djoser. This pharaoh was an all-powerful ruler and magician who intended to resurrect after a thousand years. Lenin was embalmed using the same technology.
- Later, Dzerzhinsky founded a secret alchemical laboratory where occult experiments were conducted on the influence of magical power over the masses. This laboratory created a secret device capable of activating a person's paranormal abilities. According to declassified documents, during the Great Patriotic War, both sides used occult achievements from their alchemical laboratories in addition to weapons.
- However, the most powerful occult organization of the 20th century was in Germany. Hitler was deeply initiated into occultism and gathered all the occult knowledge he could find in the world. Hitler wanted to revive the “Aryan” race. It was believed that all Aryan warriors possessed secret occult powers and were invincible, but because of intermixing with other bloodlines, the Aryans lost their strength. The task of the secret Thule Society was to recreate the Aryan race, so its members searched the world for people with Aryan blood and brought them to Germany to breed Aryans. The ultimate goal was to destroy the entire world and populate it with an elite Aryan race.
- Before the Russians captured Berlin, Hitler’s leading geneticist, Josef Mengele, disappeared. He was in charge of secret laboratories and conducted monstrous experiments on people. The CIA and Mossad could not allow such brilliant minds as Josef Mengele and other German geneticists to perish, so they were taken to the United States, where they continued their experiments and research. After that, the United States made a breakthrough in genetic weapons. It was in these laboratories that AIDS and various types of bacteriological and genetic weapons of mass destruction were created.
- Eventually, various orders, secret mystical and occult societies, the Templars, Freemasons, Satanists, the New Age movement, the Thule Society, Scientology, and others spread throughout the earth. For thousands of years, these occult societies controlled the course of history and stood behind wars, revolutions, and epidemics on earth. It was secret occult organizations that financed projects to destroy people. Their goal was to leave only the “golden billion” elite on the planet, after which, according to their calculations, something resembling paradise would come to earth.
Occult organizations no longer hide as they once did and are coming into the open. They promote occultism everywhere—through films, clothing, toys, symbols, advertising, the opening of fortune-telling parlors, and so on. The leaders of occult orders and secret societies now state in the media that they no longer need to hide as they once did—the world is already ready for the arrival of a single world order.
Thus, occultism in all its manifestations is currently filling the entire world and is imperceptibly becoming part of people’s everyday lives.
What Is Dangerous
Numbers 33:51–52 Announce to the Israelites and say to them: When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan, drive out all the inhabitants of the land before you, destroy all their carved images and cast idols, and demolish all their high places; 55–56 But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land, those you allow to remain will become barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides, and they will harass you in the land where you live, and then I will do to you what I intended to do to them.
If God’s people are among all this, it will influence them.
- These are people who practice idolatry.
- These are images of idols.
- These are cast idols (carvings, statues, figurines).
- These are places where rituals take place.
Ezek. 8:9–10 And He said to me, “Go in and look at the detestable abominations that they are doing here.” So I went in and looked, and behold, every form of creeping thing and detestable animal, and all the idols of the house of Israel, portrayed on the walls all around.
- These are images of idols in the form of creeping things and detestable animals.
Acts 15:19–20 Therefore I judge that we should not trouble those from among the Gentiles who are turning to God, but should write to them to abstain from things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from what has been strangled, and from blood, and not to do to others what they do not want done to themselves.
A more precise translation of this passage is: from pollution by idols. This may mean defilement from the idols themselves or contact with things defiled by idols.
- This is defilement from idols (from things defiled by idols).
Col. 3:5 Therefore put to death what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry
- This is idolatry, which is covetousness (greed for money).
So, here is an incomplete list of what believers need to pay attention to.
- These are people who practice idolatry.
- These are images of idols.
- These are cast idols (carvings, statues, figurines).
- These are places where rituals take place.
- These are images of idols in the form of creeping things and detestable animals.
- This is defilement from idols (from things defiled by idols).
- This is idolatry, which is covetousness (greed for money).
All Lessons
- Lesson 1. Where It All Began
- Lesson 2. What Is Occultism?
- Lesson 3. How to Be Free
