Providence

Providence usually refers to manifestation of God's foresight and care for his creatures, it's a manifestation of God's will, particularly as expressed through events on Earth. And while we can assume all the things that take place are under God's watchful eye and care, sometimes people label things that are not from God, “providence.”

Sin for example, is not something God desires or preordained mankind to do. It is not God's will. While it is not God's will for us to sin, he does know all about it.

Despite our belief in God, we humans sometimes wrestle with knowing that which we should and should not do. One thing we must be wary of is looking to things like the occult, instead of God's Word. When we do, it will only get confusing. For example, there are people who will tell you that participating in new age practices is God's will, or that by doing them you can find out God's will for your life. Galatians 5:17 is pretty clear about those things which are not the will of God for the life of his children, yet some spiritually minded people would encourage others to engage in such things.

Here is a case in point...

Wiccan occultist and magician Carl Llewellyn Weschcke is president of Llewellyn Worldwide Ltd, one of the largest publishers of occult books in the world. In an editorial in New Worlds Magazine, (Issue: NW062) Weschcke says that the new age equals responsibility. He encourages his spiritually minded readers saying, “We have been blessed with life, but even more so with responsibility. We perceive the world where we have dumped our garbage treated the earth with disrespect, trampled upon our neighbors and created hatred among our kind in the name of differently perceived Divinity. Let us accept responsibility, exercise our mental power and achieve spiritual insight to “finish the project” and bring about a New Order of the Age as favored by Providence.”

And what project does "Providence" favor we humans finish?

Weschcke explains, “I believe we are at a tipping point in human evolution where more people are opening to higher levels of consciousness, extended awareness and mental capabilities to the point that we will soon be able to bring about a New Order of the Ages. See the Great Seal on the back of your dollar bill — where it also says Annuit Coeptis, meaning ‘Providence Has Favored Our Undertakings,’ but it also shows an incomplete pyramid. We have to finish the project through our own efforts.”

The interesting thing is that Jesus, when he was dying on the cross, said, "It is finished." JEsus said another interesting thing too.

In Luke 20, Jesus tells a parable about a vineyard and some tenants that reasoned among themselves, saying, "This is the heir: come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours." So they cast him out of the vineyard, and killed him. After telling the parable, he quoted them from Psalm 118: 22, and asked them what it meant. Psalm 118:22 says, “The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner. This is the LORD'S doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.”

Jesus, of course is that stone. In Weschcke’s New Age pyramid scheme, Jesus is rejected completely. Rejecting the stone that completed what we could not, Weschcke believes that through mindpower and manpower humans will “finish the building” project. He even says such an undertaking is favored by providence.

Yes the undertakings of bringing about "a New Order of the Age" will surely come about, and providence will prevail, but not because of humanities dabbling in the occult, using mental power and gaining occultic spiritual insight. It will come about because God has said it would. Rejecting Christ Jesus, believing false teachers and their doctrines, some will put their hope in this world that is perishing and in their own strength to "finish the project," but Jesus is the only one who had ever raised from the dead, the one that God sent into the world.

To them that are perishing the whole notion of Jesus is a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense, but to those being saved Jesus is the sweet savor of life unto life.

Providence? Providence has a name with which the work is done. That name is Jesus.