Like many New Age and occult groups that try to connect science to their beliefs, the Kabbalah Center is trying to make Kabbalah sound scientific. Kabbalah is Gnostic and full of occult mystical views of God and the universe. Kabbalah is also concerned with the supposed “laws” by which the universe operates.

Kabbalah (which literally means “that which is received”) has reached new heights of popularity in recent decades due to celebrities practicing it. But what is Kabbalah?

Kabbalah makes the claim to a mystical way to interpret the Torah, which is the 5 books in the Old Testament Bible believed to be written by Moses. Practitioners believe delving into Kabbalah can give them an understanding of the secrets of the universe. According to practitioners, Kabbalah is a meditation on creation, an attempt to find adequate language to describe all that we experience. However, it is difficult to define Kabbalah because of its vague history and basis. As a religion or cult, it tries to associate with Judaism, but Judaism rejects Kabbalah. It also lacks a centralized leadership and set of creeds.

Kabbalah has a theology that strays away from the God of the Torah, even though it affirms it. Their interpretation of the Torah is from the Zohar, a commentary of the 5 books.

Leading Kabbalists claim that by being involved in it, one can experience God personally through reading Jewish writings such as the Torah and using it in their methodology for supposed personal enlightenment. However, Jesus Christ said, “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.” Jesus is the one who is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6).

Kabbalah is also known to delve into gematria – practitioners put spiritual significance in numbers. Their emphasis on secret hidden messages based on esoteric interpretations of scripture is more similar to Gnosticism.

Summary of a Comparison Between Kabbalah and Christianity

God

In Kabbalah, God is called Ein Sof and like in all cults and false religions it denies the Trinity.

The Bible read there is one God in three Persons—Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. And Jesus is the name above all names.

Holy Book

In Kabbalah, it is the Torah (the first 5 books of the Bible), and the Zohar are considered their most holy writings.

In Christianity, the 66 books of the Holy Bible are the sole authority of the faith.

Jesus Christ

From a Kabbalah perspective, Jesus is not the Messiah, God’s unique Son. His resurrection is denied. He was simply another man, though some may consider Him a good teacher.

According to the Bible, Jesus is God’s perfect Son, holy, resurrected, from heaven, and shares the same nature as the Father (God), yet also fully human.

Salvation

From a Kabbalah perspective, salvation is gained by living holy plus having faith in God. There is no absolute certainty of one’s salvation because it is based on a combination of God’s help and human effort.

According to the Bible, salvation is attained by faith in Jesus Christ, and not by our own efforts.

Afterlife or After Death

In Kabbalah, God will reward the good and punish the wicked.

In Christianity, at death, all people will either enter heaven or hell based on whether they have salvation found only in the Lord and God Jesus Christ of Nazareth.

Kabbalah holds a much different view of who and what God is, their view of Jesus Christ is erroneous, and they are in error about their choice of holy books (aside from the Torah), and how one receives salvation. In many ways, the mysticism of Kabbalah is similar to certain aspects of many false Eastern religions, such as Hinduism and Buddhism.

(Information mostly from What’s the Big Deal About Other Religions? By John Ankerberg & Dillon Burroughs)

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If you don’t know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you can receive Him into your heart, and He can deliver you from darkness and sin and have your name written in His Book of Life.

If you are sincere, you can say this simple prayer to the Father (it doesn’t have to be word for word):

“God, I recognize that I have not lived my life for You up until now. I have been living for myself and that is wrong. Please forgive me of all of my sins, just as I forgive others. I need You in my life; I want You in my life. I acknowledge the completed work of Your only begotten Son Jesus Christ in giving His life for me on the cross, I believe in my heart Jesus is Lord and was raised from the dead and I long to receive the forgiveness you have made freely available to me through this sacrifice. Come into my life now, Lord. Take up residence in my heart and be my king, my Lord, and my Savior. From this day forward, I will no longer be controlled by sin, or the desire to please myself, but I will follow You all the days of my life. Those days are in Your hands. I ask this in the Lord and GOD Jesus’ precious and holy name. Amen.”