[by Dean Smith] Alice Cooper, 66, was a mega-rock star during the 70s and 80s. He won many awards including having his original band nominated to the Rock and Roll Hall of fame in 2011. Some of his hits include “School’s out” and “I’m 18.”

But Cooper, who’s real name is Vincent Damon Furnier, went one step further. His fans called Cooper the “Godfather of Shock Rock.” He dressed demoniacal during his shows that included such props as a guillotine, fake blood and boa constrictors. He performed bizarre acts including mock suicides and decapitating baby dolls.

Cooper came from a religious home. Both his father and grandfather were lay preachers. But as he grew older, Cooper shoved his faith aside and threw himself into everything the world offered as his band gained fame.

In an interview with CNSnews, Cooper said:

“So I always refer to myself as the real Prodigal Son, because I went out and the Lord let me do everything. Maybe didn’t let me but allowed it, and then just started reeling me back in. You know, you’ve seen enough. Let’s bring you back to where you belong.”

The change started in the 1980s when Cooper realized he needed to end his addiction to alcohol and cocaine that was destroying his life.

Describing his dependence Cooper said:

“I was throwing up blood every morning; I was really a bad alcoholic. I wasn’t a cruel or mean alcoholic but I was certainly self-destructive.”

Cooper realized he needed God. He and his wife, the daughter of a Baptist minister, started attending an evangelical church in Phoenix, Arizona — Camelback Bible.

Every Sunday the pastor would preach and Cooper said his words were “just nailing me. Every weekend I’d get out exhausted. I’d come out of there and be, ‘I don’t want to go back.’  It was like torture and I always came back.”

Today, Cooper professes a born-again faith.  Ministering when he can, he is very open about his belief in Christ during his concerts. He is also careful about the words used in his songs, which he believes are impacting.

One message that Cooper also clearly delivers is the reality of satanic realm.

In the interview, Cooper said:

“The world doesn’t belong to us. It belongs to Satan. We’re living in that world. We’re bombarded with that every day … If you don’t have Christ in your life, then you’re a victim to it.  So I think what we have to be very careful about is how we react to the world.”

As one who dabbled with darkness, Cooper is absolutely convinced of satan’s existence. He says failure to believe in the demonic realm makes one open to deception. In a 2006 interview with Jesus Journal, Cooper said:

“The Devil, on the other hand, is a real character that’s trying his hardest to tear your life apart. If you believe that this is just mythology, you’re a prime target because you know that’s exactly what Satan wants: To be a myth. But he’s not a myth, of this I’m totally convinced. More than anything in the world, I’m convinced of that.”

Alice Cooper is right about satan’s ownership of earth.

In satan’s temptation of Jesus recorded in Matthew 4:8-11, the devil offered the Lord all the nations of the world in exchange for a moment of worship. Jesus never challenged satan’s claim of ownership.

Similarly, the Apostle Paul also describes satan as the “god of this world” in 2 Corinthians 4:4. However, the apostle is equally clear that Jesus was given authority over all dominions and powers (Ephesians 1:20-23).

One disturbing trend I see in Christianity is that people tend to believe more in God than they do the satanic realm. We treat the demonic as more a metaphor about evil than the source of it.

Read more:

• Alice Cooper, Christian: ‘The World Belongs to Satan’: CNSNews.com
• Alice Cooper: Satan is real and the world should beware: Christian Today