The Gospel Versus Kabbalah

The Gospel Versus Kabbalah

At the very beginning of His ministry, Christ was tempted by the devil in the wilderness. As it is known, Jesus did not succumb to this temptation. However, this event deserves closer examination as it serves as a key theme for all of Christ’s subsequent work.

The events in the wilderness represent a conflict between good and evil, and truth and lies. Similarly, much of Christ’s teaching is presented as a dispute with the Pharisees and Sadducees. Both the devil and Christ communicated, not through ordinary conversation, but by quoting Scripture. The devil tempts Christ using Scripture and Christ counters the temptations with Scripture.

Christ’s disputes with the Jews center on the interpretation of Scripture. The events in the wilderness foreshadow a fundamental reality. It is foreshadowed that there are two ways of interpreting Scripture. One is devilish and false, while the other is divine and true. Christ directly and repeatedly states that the source, the father of Pharisaic teaching, is the devil. Meanwhile the source and Father of Christ’s teaching is God.

It can be questioned what the teachings called. The true teaching is Christ’s Gospel, the Good News. The false, devilish teaching is the Jewish human “tradition”. In Hebrew it is translated as “kabbalah”. Christ explicitly condemns kabbalah as a teaching as it is not from God:

“Then the Pharisees and scribes asked him, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands? He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition” (Mark 7:5-10, KJV).

Therefore, what is Kabbalah?

In all civilizations, there have been esoteric teachings about the world, God, angels, demons, humanity, the laws of the universe and its governance, the purposes of humanity, values, and concepts of good and evil, and so on. People sought out this knowledge because it offered keys to power and control over humanity.

The most well-known esoteric centers that gave rise to ancient esotericism include Egypt, Babylon, India, and China. However, the source of this knowledge is the same.

In pre-Flood times, fallen angels came to earth. They mated with women and produced various kinds of abominations. They practiced genetic manipulation which created hybrids and monstrous creatures. These angels also led humans astray by teaching them to worship the fallen angels as gods and introducing astrology, witchcraft, and other esoteric practices. God destroyed this wickedness with the Flood.

However, the demons did not stop. Even after the Flood, they continued to tempt humanity. They presented seemingly truthful teachings that were, in reality, lies leading to destruction.

People deceived by the devil, just as Adam and Eve were tricked into believing they could gain knowledge and become like gods, eagerly collected and systematized esoteric teachings. They created their own schools and centers of esotericism. The main centers in the first millennium, BCE, were Egypt, India, Babylon, and China.

During this same period, the Jewish people, having been in Egyptian and later Babylonian captivity, actively absorbed esotericism. Although God clearly forbade such practices, the Jews persisted. Not only did they adopt pagan knowledge, but they also systematized, expanded, and deepened it. This created a specific esoteric doctrine called “tradition” or “kabbalah”.

From the first mid-millennium BCE, kabbalah began gaining popularity, not only among Jews, but also among other people. For example, Pythagoras and likely Aristotle were influenced by kabbalistic ideas. Later, kabbalah captivated the Arabs and was adopted by the Templars. From the Templars, it passed to the Freemasons. Through them, it ultimately spread into all areas of human life, both in the West and worldwide.

Many well-known scientists, artists, and politicians from the West, ranging from Newton to Einstein and Trotsky, from Da Vinci to Marx and Attali, were kabbalists. Kabbalah remains popular among the powerful of the world because it provides the knowledge needed to achieve success, wealth, power, and more. Today, kabbalah continues to be studied by the global elite.

Kabbalah became the foundation for the rise of Greek philosophy, Western science, technology, Western magic, and the cultural basis of the entire Western and global civilization. Simply put, kabbalah is the law of this world. The world around us is deeply saturated with kabbalistic concepts. The devil is the prince of this world and the laws of his domain are rooted in kabbalah.

Kabbalah often speaks of ideas that seem correct, practical, and appealing at first glance. However, it derives them from false premises or distorts true principles into outright lies. Take the Gospel passage cited earlier as an example. From the perspective of this world, the kabbalists were correct. All in all, hands should be washed before eating, water should be boiled, sanitation and hygiene should be maintained. However, for the salvation of the soul, such worldly correctness can cause irreparable harm because its source is the devil achieved through the rejection of truth. Earthly trifles are purchased at the cost of one’s soul, and Christ addresses this very issue.

Kabbalah has one defining characteristic: the way it presents its teachings. The Jews developed kabbalah as an interpretation of Scripture. Moreover, they claim that kabbalah was revealed to them by God Himself!

It is clear that God cannot be mocked. As the true author of “the Law and the Prophets”, He had to provide a judgment on kabbalah and show the correct way to interpret Scripture. At the beginning of our era, when kabbalah was flourishing, God Himself came to His people in the person of Jesus to fulfill the promise of salvation. However, His main opponents were not Israel’s external enemies like the Gentiles who had occupied the land or even the sinners, tax collectors, robbers, and prostitutes. The true opponents of God were the scribes like Pharisees and Sadducees. They were known as the theologians and interpreters of Scripture, in other words, they were the kabbalists.

Given such a stark difference in spiritual positions, it was inevitable that conflict would arise. Conflict did become apparent. It was manifested as constant disputes over the interpretation of Scripture between Jesus and the Pharisee-kabbalists. These disputes form a significant part of the Gospel narrative.

Let us examine and compare the basic concepts of Jewish kabbalah and Christ’s Gospel.

Kabbalah is presented as an interpretation of Scripture based on the literal text and numerical codes as decoding of various “hidden” messages within the text. With such an approach, one can extract anything from Scripture. This effectively corrupts the Law. The Gospel interprets Scripture according to the Spirit, for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

The goal of kabbalah lies in this world. According to kabbalah, humanity is tasked with improving and transforming this world. They are essentially building a paradise on earth. Nevertheless, in the Gospel, the goal of humanity is the Kingdom of God and to live an eternal life with God. Christians are not of this world and their kingdom is not of this world.

Kabbalah seems to speak much about God. However, in reality, it simultaneously dissolves God into the world and distances Him from the world and humanity to an infinite degree, this combines both deism and pantheism. In essence, both are forms of rebellion against God. Moreover, kabbalah depersonalizes God, reducing Him to a mere function. The Gospel, on the other hand, presents God as a living Person who is directly involved in the life of humanity and even dwells in the human heart.

In kabbalah, the world is seen as a complex system and a matrix where every person, like a small cog, must find and know their place. They would perform their function and role like a pre-programmed robot. To live better, a person simply needs to find the program that suits them best within the global matrix. However, in the Gospel, a person receives a wonderful guide from God, his Grace. This Grace allows a person to live in the world while remaining free and not becoming a slave, a mere cog in the system, following a pre-written program.

In kabbalah, rational knowledge is excessively emphasized. In the Gospel, knowledge is just one tool, serving a subordinate role. Being intelligent and knowledgeable does not necessarily equate to being wise or seeking Truth.

In kabbalah, knowledge is hierarchized and dispensed according to a person’s position within the pyramid of knowledge. In this system, everyone is limited to their level and cannot access higher knowledge. In the Gospel, knowledge is for everyone for “they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness shall be filled” (Matthew 5:6, KJV). All knowledge in the Gospel is open, not secret. Anyone who desires it can partake in it.

Kabbalah is from the devil. Some even suggest that the god of kabbalah is Lucifer. The Gospel is from God and was revealed to the world by God Himself.

Christ unequivocally condemned kabbalah as false and a doctrine of the devil, while kabbalah hates Christ.

It should also be noted that the war between kabbalah and the Gospel did not end with the rise of Christianity or the destruction of Jerusalem and the dispersion of the Jews. The division among the Jews into Christians and kabbalists continued. Christianity spread, while kabbalah continued to develop. These two forces, like God and the devil, have always been, and still are, engaged in a battle for human souls.

There are known cases where experienced Jews renounced kabbalah and became Christians. On the other hand, kabbalah has always tried to infiltrate Christianity like a virus. First it invades through pagan remnants, Greek philosophy, and Roman law. Later, it is infiltrated through Renaissance humanism and the Enlightenment. Now it can be done through ecumenism and the liberalization of Christianity.

It must be acknowledged and in many ways, it has succeeded.

Kondratio