A Fire That Consumes or Illumines? A Conversation with a Modern-Day Mystic/Gnostic

A Fire That Consumes or Illumines? A Conversation with a Modern-Day Mystic

Recently, I had a conversation that left me burdened, engaged, curious and prayerful. It wasn’t with an atheist or someone disinterested in spiritual things. It was with a man deeply convinced that he was walking in divine truth, fire in his chest, and mystery in his language. And the debate was unlike anything I ever encountered.

Something felt off from the start. I’d send a simple message, and within seconds (like literally 7 seconds), I’d get back what looked like chapters of poetic, mystical language. The speed, the volume, the almost mechanical quality of the responses made me realize: he was using AI to craft his replies. So I began using AI myself, not to generate my thoughts, but to help me research quickly and organize my responses to his flood of words.

We exchanged dozens of messages over a few days. It was impossible to have a real intellectual conversation. Every attempt at reasoned discussion was met with torrents of mystical poetry, esoteric symbols, and accusatory prophecies. He seemed completely in control of these occult powers. Or perhaps they were in control of him.

But the technology wasn’t the real problem. The real problem was what those words contained.

He had passion. He quoted Scripture, some of it. He spoke of Yeshua, the flame, the cross. But his Christ was not the Christ of the Bible. His God was not the Triune God—Father, Son, and Spirit—but a distant “Source,” distorted through layers of mysticism, Gnostic parables, and esoteric symbols.

He didn’t want the Jesus who bore our sins on the cross. He wanted a Jesus who flames through temples and flips tables, but not one who sits at the right hand of the Father and intercedes for sinners.

He rejected the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments (God’s clear, final Word) and instead leaned into myths: Sophia, the Aeons, the Akashic records, the Monad, Metatron. He spoke of the demiurge, of Yahweh as a tyrant, of Scripture as a trap.

This is exactly why our forefathers wrote the 1689 London Baptist Confession. Not to cage truth, but to guard it. Chapter 1 declares that Scripture alone is “the supreme judge by which all controversies of religion are to be determined.” No hidden gnosis, no secret revelations, no mystical additions.

Layered Tongues, Clouded Light — Why Did He Speak in So Many Languages?

One of the more startling features of this exchange was his use of multiple ancient, obscure, and mystical languages. Throughout our conversation, he quoted phrases in:

• Old Norse / Icelandic – Used to frame dramatic apocalyptic visions, speaking as if in prophetic trance: “I was fire, I was spirit, I was light.”
• Runic (Elder Futhark) – Presented as primal, sacred language connected to ancient wisdom or forgotten spiritual energy.
• Sumerian Cuneiform Transliterations – Evoked in connection with gods like Anshar and mythic origin stories, meant to stretch truth into the realm of mystery.
• Constructed Fantasy Tongues – Phrases like “KHA’RUM VEKH-NA! DAR SHA’UL AKH’TA!” are untraceable but dramatic, often evoking cosmic battle or divine judgment.
• Greek and Hebrew – Occasionally, he returned to biblical source languages, but not for faithful exegesis. Instead, he reinterpreted terms like “Logos” or “Ruach” (Spirit), detaching them from their biblical context and blending them into his mystical framework.

But why this parade of languages?

Part of it, I believe, is intentional mystique, a tactic meant to elevate his message as more enlightened or ancient than “plain” scripture. To many, it may sound poetic or impressive. But it’s actually a form of gatekeeping: you can’t really understand unless you’ve tapped into the “secret knowledge” (what early heretics called gnosis).

This pattern is not new. In the first and second centuries, the Gnostics did much the same, wrapping their theology in arcane terminology, cosmological hierarchies, and layers of language meant to separate the “awakened” from the “ignorant.”

But in contrast, God’s Word is clear, open, and sufficient:

“The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple.” — Psalm 119:130 “I did not come speaking to you in lofty speech or wisdom… but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power.” — 1 Corinthians 2:1–4

The gospel is not encoded in runes or reserved for linguistic elites. It is clear enough for a child to believe, yet deep enough to anchor the soul of the wise.

When language is used not to reveal, but to obscure, we must ask: What is being hidden? When someone claims divine truth but avoids the plain meaning of the 66 books of Scripture, we must hold fast to the Word that God gave, not to secret myths or cosmic riddles.

Jesus didn’t come to encrypt the truth. He came to make the Father known.

What do you say to someone like that?

Here’s what one exchange looked like. When I challenged him to deal honestly with Scripture, saying we go in loops because he was unwilling to honestly deal with what Yeshua says in His Word from Genesis to Revelation, he responded:

“You want truth? Here it is: You say I go in loops—but that’s only because you’ve built a cage and called it scripture. You walk circles inside your own doctrine and mistake it for the whole path… I don’t worship a book. I walk with the Word made flesh. I picked up my cross, too—but mine wasn’t polished wood in a pew. Mine was mud, blood, and flame… So ask yourself: Have you died yet? Or are you still clinging to theology like a life raft—afraid to drown in the truth Yeshua really taught? Because I’m not afraid. And that’s why your loop ends where my fire begins.”

Then came the threats, the claims of special knowledge, the accusations that I serve a false god:

“Your temple will fall… You baptized in tradition, but never in Spirit… You wore crosses but never carried them… Yahweh is dead. I killed him… the 144,000 have returned. And they bring fire.”

I responded as clearly as I could:

“But I don’t fear your fire. Because I know the true Flame—not born of anger or mysticism, but revealed in Scripture, fulfilled in Christ, and alive through the Spirit. You say theology is a cage, doctrine a shackle. But doctrine is what guards the truth from lies. Theology is how we know who God is and who we are. Without it, we don’t end up with freedom—we end up with confusion and idolatry… The fire you’re calling down? It already fell—on Jesus. For me. For you. Repent, believe, and live.”

This wasn’t just passionate disagreement. This was something deeper. The early Gnostics of the 1st and 2nd centuries (men like Valentinus, Basilides, and the writers of texts like the Gospel of Thomas and Pistis Sophia) spoke of hidden knowledge (gnosis), divine sparks trapped in bodies, secret origins of Yahweh, and cosmic hierarchies. And yet, the early church consistently rejected these teachings. Not because they weren’t “spiritual” enough, but because they contradicted the gospel revealed in Jesus Christ, the incarnate Son of God.

And nothing has changed. What I encountered was not new revelation. It was the same old rebellion, just wrapped in mystical robes and amplified by modern technology.

The Confession we hold dear puts it perfectly: “In this divine and infinite Being there are three subsistences, the Father, the Word, and Holy Spirit.” Not a distant Source filtered through Aeons, but the living God: Father, Son, and Spirit.

What he needs, and what we all need, is not more flame talk or star-born parables. We need the light of God’s Word. We need the real Jesus. The One born of a virgin. The One crucified under Pontius Pilate. The One risen from the dead, coming again in glory.

We need the Jesus who said: “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.” —John 17:17 “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” —John 14:6 “If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” —John 8:36

The whole experience left me clinging more tightly to Scripture, more grateful for clear doctrine, more aware of how easily we can be deceived when we abandon the anchor of God’s Word.

So I’m writing this for two reasons.

First, to warn. These kinds of ideas are out there, dressed in poetic language, spiritual fervor, and just enough Scripture to sound true. Now they’re amplified by AI, making error appear more sophisticated and overwhelming than ever before. But they deny the very foundation of the faith.

Second, to ask for prayer. This man is not beyond the reach of God. No one is. Would you pray with me? That he would come to trust the 66 books of Scripture alone, not adding or subtracting from God’s Word. That he would know the Father, Son, and Spirit—the true, living Triune God. That he would see Jesus not as a symbol, but as the Savior: fully God and fully man. That he would stop relying on his own “flame” and instead be filled with the Spirit of God and the light of Christ.

There is only one name under heaven by which we must be saved. Not Sophia. Not Metatron. Not hidden sparks or cosmic flames.

As Reformed Baptists, we’ve inherited a rich tradition of biblical fidelity. The 1689 Confession reminds us that “the whole counsel of God…is either expressly set down or necessarily contained in the Holy Scripture.” We don’t need Sophia’s whispers when we have God’s clear Word.

“For in Him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” —John 1:4–5

The real light has come. Let’s not trade it for shadows.

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🔥 Glossary of Terms & Concepts

Aeon In ancient Gnostic thought, an aeon is a kind of spiritual being or divine power that came from God (the “Monad”). Aeons are said to live in a heavenly realm called the Pleroma.

Akashic Records / Akashic Libraries A mystical or New Age idea that there’s a spiritual library somewhere in the universe where everything that has ever happened—or will happen—is recorded. This idea doesn’t come from the Bible.

Christ (in Christianity) Jesus Christ is the Son of God—fully God and fully man—who lived a perfect life, died for sins, rose again, and offers salvation to those who trust Him. (Important note: Modern mystics use the name “Christ” in a different way—more like a spiritual force than the historical Jesus.)

Demiurge In Gnosticism, the Demiurge is a false god who created the material world. They often say the God of the Old Testament (Yahweh) is the Demiurge—cruel and jealous. This is the opposite of the Christian belief that the God of the Old Testament is the true, loving Creator.

Doctrine A set of beliefs or teachings, especially about God. Christian doctrine is based on the Bible and includes things like the Trinity, salvation, sin, and the nature of Jesus.

Elohim A Hebrew word for “God.” In the Bible, it’s often used to describe the true God. Modern mystics sometimes use it differently—referring to a group of spiritual beings in their alternate mythology.

Gnosticism An ancient belief system that teaches salvation comes through secret knowledge (gnosis). Gnostics often believe the physical world is evil and that true divinity is hidden inside us. Many modern mystical movements line up with updated versions of Gnosticism.

Logos A Greek word meaning “Word.” In John 1:1, it refers to Jesus: “In the beginning was the Word (Logos), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

Metatron A name from Jewish mysticism (not the Bible), supposedly an angel or divine scribe. New Age thinkers sometimes claim to access “Metatron’s records” for spiritual knowledge.

Midgard In Norse mythology, Midgard is Earth—the world of humans. Modern mystics sometimes mix this with other religious language to describe their spiritual view.

Monad In Gnostic thought, the Monad is the ultimate, unknowable source of all things—above even “God.” This is not a biblical concept.

Pleroma Another Gnostic term, meaning “fullness.” It refers to the spiritual realm where divine beings (aeons) live, separate from our material world.

Sophia In Gnosticism, Sophia is a goddess-like being (an aeon) who tried to create without her counterpart and gave birth to the Demiurge (Yaldabaoth/Yahweh). In the Bible, sophia just means “wisdom”—not a person.

Yahweh The personal name of the one true God in the Bible, used often in the Old Testament. Modern Gnostics wrongly claim Yahweh is a false god or Demiurge, which is a direct attack on biblical truth.

Yaldabaoth A Gnostic name for the false god who created the material world—described as jealous, cruel, and blind. Gnostics use this name for Yahweh, but that’s a total inversion of biblical teaching.

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Appendix: Understanding Modern Gnostic and Mystical Movements

For those wanting to better understand the beliefs and communities I encountered, here are some resources that illuminate this growing spiritual movement. I share these not to endorse them, but to help Christians recognize and respond to these ideas with wisdom and truth.

Online Communities & Discussion Spaces

These digital gathering places reveal the vibrancy and reach of modern Gnostic thought:

• r/Gnostic (Reddit): An active forum exploring ancient and modern Gnostic ideas, with regular discussions on Sophia, the Demiurge, and anti-institutional spirituality.
• The Gnosis Archive: A comprehensive collection of primary texts, lectures, and articles on both historical and contemporary Gnosticism, including audio teachings.
• The Gnostic Hub (Discord): Real-time community discussions focused on Gnostic and esoteric spiritual practices.
• Esoteric Christianity Podcast: Explores mystical interpretations of Scripture, Sophia worship, and connections between Christianity and other esoteric traditions.
• Talk Gnosis (Facebook/YouTube): Contemporary Gnostic practice discussions, Sophia mythology, and related spiritual topics.

Key Academic and Critical Resources

For deeper understanding of these movements and what they mean for the church:

• “Gnosticism and Esotericism: An Example from Russian New Religiosity” – Academic analysis of how ancient Gnosticism provides foundation for modern esoteric movements.
• “Critical Theory Is a New Species of Gnosticism” – Thoughtful critique comparing Gnostic anti-institutional tendencies with contemporary intellectual movements.
• “Virtual Gnosticism and the Church” – Examines the rise of personal mystical knowledge versus institutional religion in modern spiritual life.

Foundational Texts and Modern Interpretations

Understanding what they read helps us engage more effectively:

• The Nag Hammadi Scriptures (Marvin Meyer, ed.) – Primary early Gnostic texts including the Gospel of Thomas
• Pistis Sophia (G.R.S. Mead, trans.) – Central Gnostic text featuring Sophia and complex spiritual hierarchies
• Inner Christianity: A Guide to the Esoteric Tradition (Richard Smoley) – Modern explanation of mystical Christianity and the divine feminine
• How to Read the Akashic Records (Linda Howe) – Contemporary guide to the “cosmic memory field” concept
• The Jesus Mysteries (Timothy Freke & Peter Gandy) – Presents Jesus as a mystery figure disconnected from biblical Yahweh

Remember: We study these not to adopt their teachings, but to understand the spiritual landscape around us. As Paul reminded us, “Test everything; hold fast what is good” (1 Thessalonians 5:21). The truth of Scripture remains our anchor in every spiritual storm.