This deception is beginning to manifest itself powerfully in the world, particularly in the entertainment industry, and, I believe, will culminate in the Great Deception spoken of in the Bible. It's preparing us to accept the idea that we are all part of God and/or can become God through the illumination of our consciousness. It's the oldest lie in recorded history: "You shall be as gods."
Here is Father Rohr elaborating on the 'cosmic Christ': http://www.ncronline.org/news/spirituality/eternal-christ-cosmic-story
I wrote the following recently on the "Christ consciousness" movement and its connection with the New Age and what I believe will be a core aspect of the coming Great Deception. Richard Rohr and Benjamin Creme are not cut from exactly the same cloth on this 'cosmic Christ' issue, but if you examine their ideas it's easy to see how their beliefs could be brought together quite easily. We have a one-world religion in the making here; all it requires is the right catalyst, and I believe that this catalyst will being making its appearance very soon:
The Coming “World Teacher”
For the last century or so, many in the New Age movement have been predicting the imminent arrival of a golden age for humanity. It is their claim that the current astrological age in which we live – the “Age of Pisces” – established by the arrival of Jesus, whom they regard as an “ascended master” (a perfectly evolved, spiritually enlightened human being) – will soon end, giving rise to the “Age of Aquarius,” in which humanity will begin to “ascend” to a new level of consciousness. This next step in humanity’s evolution will be ushered in by a spiritual leader, a world teacher that New Age guru Benjamin Creme calls “Maitreya,” a term derived from Buddhist teachings.
Creme has been traveling the world since the 1970s, teaching about the coming Age of Aquarius and channeling the spirit of Maitreya, whom he describes in terms that hearken back to the teachings of prominent, turn-of-the-century Theosophists such as Helena Blavatsky and Alice Bailey:
"He has been expected for generations by all of the major religions. Christians know him as the Christ, and expect his imminent return. Jews await him as the Messiah; Hindus look for the coming of Krishna; Buddhists expect him as Maitreya Buddha; and Muslims anticipate the Imam Mahdi or Messiah.
"Although the names are different, many believe that they all refer to the same individual: the World Teacher, whose personal name is Maitreya (pronounced my-tray-ah).
"Preferring to be known simply as the Teacher, Maitreya has not come as a religious leader, or to found a new religion, but as a teacher and guide for people of every religion and those of no religion.
"At this time of great political, economic and social crisis Maitreya will inspire humanity to see itself as one family, and create a civilization based on sharing, economic and social justice, and global cooperation."
Benjamin Creme teaches that Jesus was not the Christ, which he claims is not a reference to an individual at all, but rather, “the name of a function in the Hierarchy of Masters of Wisdom, that group of advanced beings who guide the evolution of humanity from behind the scenes. Whoever stands at the head of this Hierarchy automatically becomes the World Teacher…” According to Creme, Jesus was a disciple of Maitreya, who “overshadowed” him at the time of his baptism, thereby revealing the “consciousness of the Christ” to those who encountered Jesus during his ministry.
Creme also maintains that “the Christ principle” or consciousness, while associated with the person of Maitreya himself, actually “manifests through millions today,” and is even present in inanimate objects, such as statutes, and in certain religious ceremonies, such as Catholic communion. This may help explain what Jesus meant when He said, “Many will come in My Name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many.” (Matthew 24:5) Note that He said those who would come would claim to be Christ, not Jesus of Nazareth. We should be mindful of this distinction, as it is entirely possible that those who come will claim this “overshadowing” or “Christ consciousness,” rather than claiming to be Jesus Himself. It’s unlikely that the masses would be deceived by a number of individuals all claiming to be Jesus, as it would be obvious that someone was lying, but this “Christ consciousness” teaching has already deceived many throughout the world. Sadly, it has even seduced some Christians away from the truth, causing them to believe that they have become one with God. In the words of popular televangelist Kenneth Copeland, “You don’t have a God in you; you are one.”
This is also of interest when you consider the words of the apostle John with regard to the "spirit of Antichrist":
1 John 4:1-3 - "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the [spirit] of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world."Here, the apostle John tells us that the spirit that denies that Christ has come in the flesh is the "spirit of Antichrist". By this, he was probably referring to Gnosticism, a heresy that was prevalent in the church at that time. Gnosticism emphasized the perfection and ascension of the spirit, teaching that the flesh was irredeemably corrupt and of no ultimate relevance. Because they viewed the flesh in this way, Gnostics encouraged its indulgence in all manner of sins. This is also likely what the apostle Paul was referring to when he spoke of the "mystery of lawlessness," which he said was already at work in the world. Given that Paul referred to the "man of sin" as the "lawless one," I think it likely that Antichrist (and the False Prophet who aids him) will promote a philosophy that will represent a revival of Gnosticism in some form, encouraging the indulgence of the flesh while simultaneously denying that "the Christ" was exclusively Jesus of Nazareth, a flesh-and-blood man. New Agers are known for promoting both of these ideas even now.
Still, it is likely that at least one false prophet will claim to be Jesus of Nazareth at the time that these events begin to unfold. Benjamin Creme does teach that Jesus of Nazareth will come again, and that he will turn men to Maitreya, and that other ascended masters will also appear and travel throughout the world when the new age finally arrives; and the Lord did tell us that many false prophets would come, not just one.
Thus we can see that this “Christ consciousness” teaching would effectively allow the False Prophet, aided by others, to be all things to all men by ‘spiritually’ fulfilling the expectations of the world’s religions, rather than fulfilling them to the letter. And with his ability to perform miracles so amazing that “even the elect” might be deceived, if that were possible, how many people will seriously question his authenticity? Most people would believe a man such as this no matter what he said.
For more on Benjamin Creme, Maitreya and the New Age, see: http://www.share-international.org/
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