We live in an age of great delusion. Jesus prophesied that this would happen in the last days. When His disciples asked Him what would be the signs of the end times, His first words of response were, “Take heed that no one deceives you” (Matthew 24: 4). I find Christ’s initial response extremely telling.

The first sign Jesus gave of the endtimes was deception. He warned us that the last days would be characterized by great deception and great delusion. And He warned us to “take heed” against it. To take heed means “to guard ourselves against.”

Deception is the act of misleading in a wrong direction. Deception is the promulgation of a lie that will eventually lead to death, not only physically, but also morally, psychologically, intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually.

One of the signs of this great deception is the widespread infiltration into the Church of the Enneagram. Like yoga, the Enneagram has been “Christianized” to make it look innocuous. But it is far from innocuous!

Perhaps you have heard of the Enneagram, or perhaps you have used it yourself. But for those of you who have never heard of it, what is the Enneagram?

The Enneagram is a tool used to analyse one’s personality. It became popular in the corporate world in the 1990s, and from there spread rapidly to the mainstream world. Now, sad to say, it has even infiltrated the Church!

The Enneagram is comprised of a diagram listing the numbers one to nine. The diagram has lines that connect each number to two other numbers. According to the Enneagram Institute, the nine numbers represent the so-called “nine divine forms” found in Gnostic teachings. Gnosticism, you may recall, was the heresy that the Apostle Paul refuted in the Book of Colossians. These nine forms of the Enneagram supposedly represent man’s perfect essence in unity with Divinity.

Under the guise of analysing the personality for the purpose of better understanding oneself and others, the Enneagram at its core has as its purpose a spiritual awakening. Listen to what Marcia Montenegro, a former New Age astrologer who converted to Christianity, has to say about the Enneagram: “The Enneagram purports to lead a person to not only self-understanding, but to an integration of all aspects of the self and, ultimately, to an awakening to the true Self. ‘Self’ is capitalized because the Self is considered by the original (and most contemporary) Enneagram teachers to be divine.”

As with other things in life, we must look at the root to determine the fruit. The Enneagram has its roots in the occult. In other words, it has its roots in the demonic kingdom of Satan. Some of those roots can be traced back to mystic George Gurdjieff (1866?-1949) who was born around 1866 and lived until 1949. It is purported, although not proven, that Gurdjieff learned the Enneagram from the Sufis, a mystical subgroup of Islam.

Gurdjieff had two well-known followers–P. D. Ouspensky (1878-1947) and Oscar Ichazo (b. 1931)–who helped Gurdjieff to promote the use of the Enneagram. Gurdjieff taught that man cannot know true reality unless his consciousness is awakened. The Enneagram is a tool for awakening the consciousness.

One of Gurdjieff’s protégés was psychiatrist Oscar Ichazo. Ichazo, a heavy user of psychedelic drugs, stated that he had a spirit guide named Metatron who guided him and his followers.

With this background, it is shocking that so many Christians are now embracing the Enneagram. Yet, many Christians continue to promote it as an okay tool as long as it is Christianized. But I ask you, “Can one sanitize evil?”

So, what’s wrong with the Enneagram, and why is it dangerous?

As Marcia Montenegro writes: “A simple investigation into the Enneagram reveals that its theories of personality are based on esoteric teachings and an occult worldview. The clear origin and purpose of the Enneagram is to initiate a Gnostic spiritual awakening to one’s alleged true divine Self, which is in itself an occult initiation. This is the claim and goal of virtually all occult and New Age teachings. The purpose of such initiation is a shift in consciousness, a change in the way one views reality — God, the world, others, and self.”

We cannot justify an occult practice simply by slapping the label of “Christian” onto it. Yet, that is what the Church has done with yoga and now with the Enneagram. Church, it is time to wake up! You are being deceived, and deception will always lead to destruction and, if there is no repentance, even damnation.

If you have been using the Enneagram, repent now and stop using it. I caution you to open your eyes to this doctrine of devils. And, as Jesus commanded, be not deceived!

The only way to keep from deception is to develop an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ. If you do not yet have such a relationship, I invite you now to accept Jesus as your Saviour and Lord.

Pray this simple prayer with me:

Lord Jesus, I come to You just as I am. I need You to save me. I cannot save myself. I repent of my sins and ask You to forgive me. I invite You into my life to be my Saviour and my Lord. I thank You for receiving me. In Your Name I pray, believe, and receive. Amen.