The 2025 Agenda: Converging Apocalyptic Beliefs Between Evangelicals, Catholics, And New Agers On The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
Part 1: The Zionist Project, An Occult Conspiracy?
The year 2025 has captured the imagination of various groups, each with their own unique interpretation of its significance. From New Agers anticipating the reappearance of The Christ to Evangelical Christians supporting the Heritage Foundation's Project 2025 and looking forward to a second Trump presidency, and even Pope Francis' declaration of a Jubilee Year in 2025, the year holds a special allure for many. This convergence of interests, while seemingly disparate, may be linked by a shared underlying belief in a coming apocalyptic event that will transform the world and the role of Israel in fulfilling these eschatological prophecies. This blog series, titled The 2025 Agenda, will delve into the complex and often hidden world of Evangelical Christianity, Catholicism, and Occult New Age beliefs and their influence on global events.
Palestinians walk past destroyed houses in Jabalia refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip in February, 2024.
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict, a seemingly intractable geopolitical issue, is often viewed through a secular lens. However, a deeper dive into the religious and ideological underpinnings reveals a more complex and sinister picture. This research delves into the convergence of Evangelical, Catholic, and New Age occult beliefs, which, combined with Zionist ideology, form a potent force shaping the course of the conflict and the broader geopolitical landscape. By examining the shared apocalyptic vision and the role of Israel in these beliefs, we can uncover a hidden agenda that extends far beyond the immediate concerns of the Middle East.
Our initial focus will be on the New Age movement and its connection to the Zionist project, namely the creation and development of the State of Israel. In this first instalment, we will examine the historical and philosophical underpinnings of the New Age movement and its anti-Semitic tendencies. We will explore the role of influential figures like Helena Petrovna Blavatsky and Alice A. Bailey in shaping the New Age worldview. This blog will also cover Alice A. Bailey's vision of a New Age to be ushered in by 2025, and its potential connection to the on going Israeli-Palestinian conflict and genocide in Gaza. The Subsequent blog will delve deeper into the roles of Evangelical Christianity and Catholicism on this topic. We will investigate the shared beliefs and goals of these seemingly disparate groups and explore the potential consequences of their actions.
The Occult’s New Age Agenda And Zionists As Pawns
Portrait of Arthur Balfour by Walter Stoneman, 1921.
To understand how the Zionist State of Israel is possibly being used as pawns in a larger, religiously-infused geopolitical game, we must delve into the historical context of its creation. Arthur Balfour, a prominent British statesman, played a pivotal role in laying the foundation for the establishment of a Jewish state. His infamous Balfour Declaration of 1917, addressed to Lord Lionel Walter Rothschild, pledged British support for the establishment of a "Jewish national home" in Palestine. But who was this man, and why was he so invested in the creation of a Jewish state?
Arthur Balfour was a British statesman who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1902 to 1905. Arthur Balfour was also a prominent figure in the League of Nations, the forerunner to the United Nations, serving in the position of honorary President of the Council of the League of Nations1. His involvement in the League reflects his interest in international cooperation and his belief in the importance of collective security. And as mentioned, he is best known for the Balfour Declaration of 1917, which supported the establishment of a "Jewish national home" in Palestine. Arthur Balfour had an early interest in the Jewish question, as evidenced by his introduction to Nahum Sokolow's History of Zionism written in 19192. In this introduction, Balfour writes,
"The only qualification I possess is that I have always been greatly interested in the Jewish question, and that in the early years of this century, when anti-Semitism in Eastern Europe was in an acute stage, I did my best to support a scheme devised by Mr. Chamberlain, then Colonial Secretary, for creating a Jewish settlement in East Africa, under the British flag." pp. xxix
However, some have argued that Balfour's interest in the Jewish question was driven by anti-Semitic views which influenced his decision to issue the Balfour Declaration3. This claim is supported by Balfour's role in passing the Aliens Act of 1905, which restricted Jewish immigration to Britain. Additionally, Balfour's introduction to Nahum Sokolow's History of Zionism, reveals a problematic view of Jewish people as an "alien and even hostile" body within Western civilization, with him writing the following:
“if it succeeds [Speaking of the establishment of a Jewish State], it will do a great spiritual and material work for the Jews, but not for them alone. For as I read its meaning it is, among other things, a serious endeavour to mitigate the age-long miseries created for Western civilization by the presence in its midst of a Body which it too long regarded as alien and even hostile, but which it was equally unable to expel or to absorb. Surely, for this if for no other reason, it should receive our support.” p. xxxiv
Could Balfour's philosophical and religious leanings have influenced his anti-Semitic views and ultimately, his support for Zionism ambition for the creation of a Jewish State as a solution to the "Jewish Question"?
Balfour's philosophical and religious leanings can be glimpsed through his involvement in the occult. He was a founding member of the Society for Psychical Research (SPR), a society studying psychic and occult paranormal phenomena, and was its president from 1892 to 1894. Some scholars have argued that Balfour never became a believer in such occult phenomena. However, given his 12-year tenure as president of the SPR and the fact that his house served as a social centre for the society's early séance experiments, this claim seems dubious. The SPR had many famous occultists and New Agers as its members, including Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, who established one of the most influential schools of esoteric philosophical thought, Theosophy, and, along with Colonel Henry Olcott, founded the Theosophical Society in 1875. Blavatsky was a major influence on other occultists, most notably Alice A. Bailey, who became involved in the Theosophical Society herself in the early 20th century. So, how were Jewish people perceived by these occultists and spiritualists?
Anti-Semitic Sentiments in the New Age Beliefs and It’s Logical End Result
Adolf Hitler, leader of the National Socialists, is saluted as he leaves the party's Munich headquarters December 5, 1931
In her seminal work, The Secret Doctrine written in 1888, Blavatsky categorized races as superior and inferior, with the Aryan race occupying the highest position as the most metaphysical and spiritual people on earth4. Her work, made a sharp differentiation between Aryan and Jewish religions. Using the philosophical thoughts of Thomas Carlyle as a springboard she states that Aryans’ used religion as an "everlasting lodestar" in contrast to Judaism which Blavatsky claimed to be based on "mere calculation" and characterized it as a
"religion of hate and malice toward everyone and everything outside themselves.” p 472
This racial hierarchy, which pitted Aryans against Jews, resonated with the growing anti-Semitic sentiment in Europe at that time. In their research paper titled “Hitler's Racial Ideology: Content and Occult Sources”, Jackson Spielvogel and David Redles argued that Blavatsky's esoteric ideas, particularly her racial theories, may have been one of the major sources of Hitler’s racial ideology5. The occult revival in Germany during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, marked by the growth of Theosophical lodges and other occult groups, provided a fertile ground for the convergence of esoteric and nationalist ideas. This convergence, known as Ariosophy, combined German Theosophical speculation with völkisch nationalism, creating a potent ideological mix that ultimately contributed to the rise of Nazism. Jackson Spielvogel and David Redles argued in their paper that the logical product of such anti-Semitic ideologies was the Holocaust, saying:
“The final solution of the "Jewish question," namely, the genocide of the Jewish race in Europe, takes on its proper significance as the final, logical product of Hitler's racial ideology” p. 84
Alice A. Bailey, herself a prominent figure in the New Age movement, also harboured anti-Semitic sentiments within her esoteric writings. In her 1948 book, "The Reappearance of the Christ," she makes disparaging remarks about the Jewish people, suggesting that they have failed to evolve spiritually and remain trapped in outdated beliefs with her stating the following":
“The difficulty with the Jew is that he remains satisfied with the religion of nearly five thousand years ago and shows as yet little desire to change.”6 p. 33
She further states that “In the rejection of the Christ as the Messiah, the Jewish race has remained symbolically and practically in the sign Aries, the Scapegoat ” thus implying some sort of negative sacrificial role. Victor Shnirelman, a cultural anthropologist and ethnographer, who in a survey of modern Neopaganism in Russia, criticized Bailey's ideas on race saying that:
"... racist and antisemitic trends are explicit, for example, in the occult teachings of Alice Bailey and her followers, who wish to cleanse Christianity of its "Jewish inheritance" and reject the "Jewish Bible" as a prerequisite for entering the Age of Aquarius".7
What is this Jewish inheritance within Christianity? Alice A. Bailey makes it explicitly clear in her 1957 book titled “The Externalization of the Hierarchy” that this Jewish inheritance is the 10 commandments with this following statement:
“Ten Commandments, given through the Jews and—because of the negativity shown then and today by the Jews—given in a negative and not a positive form. The Christ endeavoured to offset and bring to an end the need for the Ten Commandments, by giving us the eleventh commandment; this, if kept, would entail the keeping of all the others”.8
Researcher Hannah Newman described what she identified to be anti-Semitic sentiments in the Great Invocation, a mantra given in 1937 by Bailey. According to Newman, "the Plan" named in the invocation refers to the plan authored by "the Hierarchy", that Newman states places
"high priority on removing all Jewish presence and influence from human consciousness, a goal to be achieved by eliminating Judaism"9
This is substantiated with a statement Bailey makes in her 1957 book The Externalization of the Hierarchy saying:
“When humanity has solved the Jewish problem (with the understanding cooperation of the Jew) and overcome ancient antipathies and hatreds, it will do so by fusing the problem in one vast humanitarian situation. When that happens, the problem will be rapidly solved and one of the major difficulties will disappear off the face of the earth. Racial fusion will then be possible. Our earth humanity and the group of human beings who are far more ancient in their origin than we are, will form one humanity and then there will be peace on earth.” p. 41
Alice A. Bailey's writings, while often cloaked in esoteric language, reveal a disturbingly genocidal undercurrent. In her work, she proposes a solution to the "Jewish problem" that involves the assimilation or, more ominously, the elimination of Jewish identity. Bailey's vision of a unified humanity which is predicated on the dissolution of Jewish distinctiveness, echoes the dark ideologies of the 20th century. This troubling perspective aligns with historical anti-Semitic narratives and raises serious ethical concerns and in particular the dangers of allowing occult and esoteric thought to possibly influence policy decisions. When these ideologies are used to justify harmful and discriminatory practices, the consequences can be devastating.
The United Nations: A Tool for the New Age Agenda?
The UN assembly voting on the proposal to partition Palestine, November 29, 1947
Given the prevalence of anti-Semitic sentiment within occult and New Age circles, it raises questions about the true motivations behind the establishment of Israel and whether it may have been a tool to fulfil a darker, more sinister agenda. If figures like Arthur Balfour, who was deeply connected to occult societies, could be influenced by such anti-Semitic occult ideologies, could international bodies like the League of Nations, in which he played a prominent role, and its successor, the United Nations, also be influenced by them as well? After all it was the United Nations through the adopted Resolution 181 (also known as the Partition Resolution) in 1947 that allowed for the establishment of the State of Israel.
Alice A. Bailey answers this question with these two passages that can be found in her book titled “Discipleship in the New Age, Vol. II” which states the following 10:
“Within the United Nations is the germ and the seed of a great international and meditating, reflective group—a group of thinking and informed men and women in whose hands lies the destiny of humanity. This is largely under the control of many fourth ray disciples, if you could but realise it, and their point of meditative focus is the intuitional or buddhic plane—the plane upon which all hierarchical activity is today to be found.” p. 221
“Evidence, however, of the growth of the human intellect along the needed receptive lines can be seen in the "planning" of the various nations, and in the efforts of the United Nations to formulate a world plan which will eventuate in peace, security and right human relations.” p. 351
Hannah Newman also states the following on the influence of Bailey’s work:
“Organizations and projects dedicated to carrying out Bailey's vision and directives are too many to list. The most prominent include Lucis Trust (originally Lucifer Trust, custodian of Bailey's writings and UN nongovernmental organization consultant), World Goodwill (distributor of "The Great Invocation"), Share International, New Group of World Servers, Arcane School, World Core Curriculum (UN-sponsored global education), and Robert Muller Schools.”
Finally, this excerpt from the official page of Lucis Trust further shows the intimate connection of Bailey’s teachings with the United Nations:
“The Lucis Trust has Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations (ECOSOC) and World Goodwill is recognized by the Department of Global Communications at the United Nations as a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO). As such the Trust and World Goodwill are part of a community of many hundreds of NGOs that play an active role in the United Nations, particularly in spreading information about the UN and fostering support for UN programs. Since their inception Lucis Trust and World Goodwill have given their support through meditation, educational materials and seminars, by highlighting the importance of the UN's goals and activities as they represent the voice of the peoples and nations of the world.”11
2025: The Planning Of A Genocidal End Game?
People attend a demonstration against Israel's participation in Eurovision in Malmo, Sweden, May 9, 2024.
Alice A. Bailey's esoteric writings, particularly her 1957 book "The Externalization of the Hierarchy" outline a plan for a New Age to be ushered in by 2025, where this “Hierarchy” of spiritual beings, or ascended Masters, led out by a figure called “The Christ” would manifest themselves openly to humanity and usher in the Age of Aquarius. The following are passages from the book that specifically mention this planned externalization:
“Thus a great and new movement is proceeding and a tremendously increased interplay and interaction is taking place. This will go on until A.D. 2025. During the years intervening between now and then very great changes will be seen taking place, and at the great General Assembly of the Hierarchy—held as usual every century—in 2025 the date in all probability will be set for the first stage of the externalisation of the Hierarchy. The present cycle (from now until that date) is called technically "The Stage of the Forerunner". It is preparatory in nature, testing in its methods, and intended to be revelatory in its techniques and results. You can see therefore that Chohans, Masters, initiates, world disciples, disciples and aspirants affiliated with the Hierarchy are all at this time passing through a cycle of great activity.”
“Today, human beings as a whole are so loudly invocative that the entire trend of the life of the Hierarchy and Its plans to date have been subjected to change, to postponement as far as certain interior and purely hierarchical determinations are concerned, and to a hastening of certain plans which were slated (if I may use such a word) to take place several centuries later than this but which—owing to the unexpected preparedness of humanity—can take place, not prematurely really, but securely and in the fullness of time; this fullness of time, as regards the particular planning with which we are dealing, is from now until the year 2025 A.D.—a brief period of time indeed in which to see the consummation of the larger purpose of the planetary Logos, working through the three major centres within His body of manifestation.”
This vision aligns with the broader New Age movement's belief in a coming Golden Age of peace. This vision however requires the resolution of various global issues, most importantly what they termed as the "Jewish problem". Given the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, particularly the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, one might wonder if the seeming inability of international bodies like the United Nations to effectively address this issue, particularly that of Israel’s genocide of the Palestinian people, is part of a larger, more sinister plan. Could the deliberate inaction and even, at times, support for Israeli actions be a strategic move to foment antisemitism globally and create conditions conducive to the fulfilment of this New Age prophecy?
If the creation of Israel was part of a larger, occult-influenced plan, could the ongoing genocidal conflict by Israel against the Palestinians and the seemingly unwavering support of Israel by Western Countries like Germany and America be a deliberate strategy to exacerbate tensions and incite antisemitism on a global scale? By portraying Israel as a belligerent and oppressive state, this could create a pretext for a final solution to the "Jewish problem," fulfilling the dark prophecies of certain esoteric groups.
Further evidence supporting the idea of a hidden agenda behind the creation of Israel for the purpose of fomenting anti-Semitism globally can be found in the infamous Pike Letter. This letter, allegedly written by Albert Pike, a prominent Freemason, to Giuseppe Mazzini in 1871, outlines a plan for three world wars that would ultimately lead to a New World Order, within the religious and political domain. While the authenticity of the letter has been debated, its content aligns with the conspiratorial narratives surrounding the creation of Israel and what is currently taking place in the Middle East, particularly with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Here are purported excerpts from the letter, which outline a plan for three world wars designed to establish a New World Order12:
"The First World War must be brought about in order to permit the Illuminati to overthrow the power of the Czars in Russia and of making that country a fortress of atheistic Communism. The divergences caused by the "agentur" (agents) of the Illuminati between the British and Germanic Empires will be used to foment this war. At the end of the war, Communism will be built and used in order to destroy the other governments and in order to weaken the religions."
"The Second World War must be fomented by taking advantage of the differences between the Fascists and the political Zionists. This war must be brought about so that Nazism is destroyed and that the political Zionism be strong enough to institute a sovereign state of Israel in Palestine. During the Second World War, International Communism must become strong enough in order to balance Christendom, which would be then restrained and held in check until the time when we would need it for the final social cataclysm."
"The Third World War must be fomented by taking advantage of the differences caused by the "agentur" of the "Illuminati" between the political Zionists and the leaders of Islamic World. The war must be conducted in such a way that Islam (the Moslem Arabic World) and political Zionism (the State of Israel) mutually destroy each other. Meanwhile the other nations, once more divided on this issue will be constrained to fight to the point of complete physical, moral, spiritual and economical exhaustion… We shall unleash the Nihilists and the atheists, and we shall provoke a formidable social cataclysm which in all its horror will show clearly to the nations the effect of absolute atheism, origin of savagery and of the most bloody turmoil. Then everywhere, the citizens, obliged to defend themselves against the world minority of revolutionaries, will exterminate those destroyers of civilization, and the multitude, disillusioned with christianity, whose deistic spirits will from that moment be without compass or direction, anxious for an ideal, but without knowing where to render its adoration, will receive the true light through the universal manifestation of the pure doctrine of Lucifer, brought finally out in the public view. This manifestation will result from the general reactionary movement which will follow the destruction of Christianity and atheism, both conquered and exterminated at the same time."
A striking parallel can be drawn between the apocalyptic visions of Alice A. Bailey and Albert Pike. Both figures, deeply rooted in occult traditions, share a common goal: the transformation of humanity through a cataclysmic event. Bailey, in her writings, suggests that addressing the "Jewish problem" is a necessary step towards the emergence of a New Age. Similarly, Pike's plan for three world wars, culminating in a global conflict between Israel and the Muslim world, could be seen as a means to clear the stage for a new world order.
However, the end results of both transformations seem to differ, at least on the surface. While Bailey envisions a peaceful and harmonious world led by a once hidden spiritual hierarchy now made visible to humanity and led by a Christ-like figure, Pike's plan involves the global acceptance of a Luciferian principle that would finally be brought out in public view. This raises the question of whether “The Christ" figure in Bailey's 2025 vision and the Luciferian principle in Pike's plan are ultimately referring to the same entity? The fact that Bailey's publishing company, originally named Lucifer Publishing Company (now named Lucis Trust), and the Theosophical Society, of which she was a member, used the name "Lucifer" in their early publications, reinforces the idea that the two entities that are to externalize themselves at the end in both Bailey’s writings and that of Pike’s are one and the same.
Closing Remarks
Given the potential involvement of occult and New Age groups in the creation of Israel and the ongoing conflict, and their anticipation in welcoming the appearance of “The Christ / Lucifer”, the role of Evangelical Christians and Catholics in all of this becomes even more intriguing. While these groups have historically been antagonistic towards one another, they share a surprising convergence of beliefs and goals. In the following blog post for this series The 2025 Agenda, we will explore the subtle convergence of belief systems and worldviews between Evangelical Christians, New Age occultists, and Catholics, and how these groups may be working together to achieve a common goal.
https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/research/learning/hall-of-fame/hall-of-fame-a-z/balfour-arthur
Sokolow, N. (1919). History of Zionism 1600 - 1918 Vol. 1. London: Longmans, Green and Co.
https://www.palestine-studies.org/en/node/232119
Blavatsky, H. P. (1888). The Secret Doctrine: The Synthesis Of Science, Religion, And Philosophy. Los Angeles: The Theosophy Company.
Spielvogel, J., & Redles, D. (1989). Hitler's Racial Ideology: Content and Occult Sources. In M. R. Marrus (Ed.), The Nazi Holocaust Part 2: The Origins Of The Holocaust (pp. 79-98). Berlin, New York: K. G. Saur.
Bailey, A. (1948). The Reappearance of the Christ. United Kingdom: Lucis Publishing Company.
https://web.archive.org/web/20070810224751/http://sicsa.huji.ac.il/13shnir.html
Bailey, A. (1957). The Externalisation of the Hierarchy. United Kingdom: Lucis Publishing Company.
Newman, H. (2005). "Invocation, The Great". In Levy, Richard S. (ed.). Antisemitism: A Historical Encyclopedia of Prejudice and Persecution. ABC-CLIO. pp. 351–352
Bailey, A. (2013). Discipleship in the New Age, Vol. II. Lucis Publishing Companies.
https://www.lucistrust.org/about_us/support_un
https://www.academia.edu/74355381/Albert_Pike_Letter_to_Mazzini