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ESPAÑOL: ¿Estamos viendo evidencia de que la guerra espiritual se intensifica?
Hi my name is Dean Smith and in this episode I want to discuss spiritual warfare, because I am seeing increasing evidence that things are starting to heat up.
At a recent church service my wife and I attend, our pastor shared an interesting story. He never gets headaches. But a few months ago he started having a headache every day for three weeks. It was always in the same spot.
He prayed about it but it didn’t stop.
Then the Lord spoke to him that he needed others to pray for him.
So at the end of a Saturday evening service, he asked for prayer. As people gathered around, someone had a word that while he was on a hospital visit, something demonic had attached to him.
The group then took authority and dispelled the demonic oppression.
The pastor said that as soon they prayed, he felt immediate relief.
There is always a tension between whether the source of our problems are demonic or whether they are due to our sin, choices and just life’s circumstances.
Certainly, our sin nature plays a big role, but I think Western Christianity has tended to downplay the impact of the demonic realm.
But as we study the book of Revelation, there are several indicators of increasing demonic attacks as we approach the end of the end-times.
This will culminate in people being forced to worship the Beast in Revelation 13:8.
Some believe we have entered this time. Though I am not sure, I was surprised recently by a video released by Tim Pool, a popular YouTube political pundit with two million followers on his various channels.
Tim describes himself as middle of the road politically. By his own admission, he is not a Christian.
But after the assassination of popular Conservative Christian Charlie Kirk, Tim released a video entitled “It’s time to bring back exorcisms.”
Tim started off the podcast with these words:
“It’s time to bring back exorcisms. And the reality is they’ve never gone anywhere. Did you know that the Catholic Church still performs exorcisms? Now, I’ve personally seen things that make me believe genuinely there are people who are possessed. I am not a Christian, but I do believe in God. I do believe that there is evil. And the response I got from many people is, Tim, you’re almost there. Maybe.”
Later in the podcast, Tim cites two news articles. The first was published by the Catholic Herald in January 2021 entitled “Demand for Exorcisms Soared After Lockdowns of COVID-19.” And a second published by Newsweek, entitled “Catholic Exorcists say they are overloaded with ‘possessed’ people: Study.”
Both articles discussed the growing number of people who are approaching the Roman Catholic Church for deliverance from the demonic. It has been particularly acute since COVID.
Tim then goes on to say that since the assassination of Charlie Kirk, he has seen quote “the willful tolerance of what is both figuratively and literally demonic and what appears to be demonic possession. Videos of people cackling, freaking out and laughing like demons in the movies.” Unquote
Tim acknowledges that secularists would claim these people are just mimicking what they have seen in the movies.
Tim admits this is possible, but he is not convinced that this is happening in all cases.
He goes on to share an interesting story associated with using the drug DMT and the trips associated with its usage:
“But I’ve heard many other stories and this one’s for the secular liberal friends, DMT trips and machine elves and demons.”
“I’ve heard stories from people who are not very religious who have taken DMT dimethylrypamine and they’ve experienced what’s called breaking through the veil. With a high dose of this drug, they blast off, as they call it, and go to another place of nearly indescribable proportions.
“Some have told me on these trips, they’ve met people, they’ve met entities who have promised them power if they just give in.
“I don’t know.
“There was a great article on Vice. I say great as in it was very interesting when a man said that he did DMT and he met a purple woman who talked to him and told him things he thought it was really interesting.
“He explained to a friend of his and the friend said he knew the purple woman and explained in detail things he could not have possibly known indicating that taking this DMT brought them to a a point that actually exists and that by both experiencing it proved something.
“I don’t know.”
Is this drug opening people up to the demonic realm?
Tim says that there has been a decline in Christianity in recent years. He adds that this has coincided with an increase in depravity and what he describes as demonic behavior.
Now, I know some will criticize this podcast because some of those stories are Catholic-based. I am not a Catholic, and I don’t agree with many of their doctrinal positions.
But I know that within the Catholic Church there are true believers. Much in the same way I know that not everyone who attends an evangelical church is automatically a Christian.
It is a matter of faith. Catholic exorcists as an example, would need a genuine faith to be successful.
A few years back someone suggested that there may be some validity to use of Holy water and other religious icons such as crucifixes in deliverances and healings.
But these religious items are not what brings about a deliverance.
Rather it is a foundational belief in the authority of Christ that provides the power. It is similar to what happened in the Book of Acts, when people were healed and delivered from demons with handkerchiefs touched by Paul in Acts 19. It was not the handkerchief that had power, but rather the underlying belief in Christ’s power and authority.
I also believe we are seeing evidence of increasing demonic activity, through the growing number of media reports of UFO sightings.
Now I believe that the bulk of these sightings can be explained away. They are drones, weather balloons and even unusual atmospheric conditions.
However, there are a significant number that can not. This includes reports of UFOs being picked up by military radar which are defying the laws of physics. This includes travelling at astronomical speeds and being able to stop and turn on a time, and then instantaneously resume their astronomical speeds.
At this point, I turn to Hugh Ross who helped found reasons.org. He is a Christian with a Ph.D. in astronomy.
When he hears of UFOs defying the basic laws of physics, he believes we are no longer looking at something natural, but rather supernatural.
Curiously, in his visions the prophet Ezekiel saw several bizarre looking things that travelled at the speed of lightening and could fly, stop and turn on a dime.
While some insist that the prophet was seeing UFOs, Ezekiel is equally adamant that he was seeing Cherubim from the heavenly realm.
This leaves us with the question. Are UFOs visitors from a far off alien planet or simply godly and even fallen angels manifesting from the spiritual realm?
In 2 Timothy 3, the Apostle Paul warns of the type of people that will start showing up in the end times. They will lack self control They will be brutal and will literally hate what is good.
Some will even embrace the demonic realm. In verse 8, Paul warns about the emergence of people who will be like Jannes and Jambres.
These were two Egyptian magicians, who publicly, but unsuccessfully, tried to match Moses’ display of power in the book of Exodus.
What happened in Egypt was in its simplest terms was an out and out, power encounter.
Paul writes:
“Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith. But they shall proceed no further: for their folly shall be manifest unto all men, as theirs also was.”
This ideas continues in verse 13 which reads:
“But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.”
According to Strong’s Greek Dictionary, the Greek word translated impostors refers to wizards and one who mutters spells.
Thayer’s Greek Dictionary states that the word refers to “enchanters” or those who uttered in a kind of howl in casting their spells.
Paul states that not only will these power confrontations start happening again, it will get worse, as these practitioners become more bold and aggressive as they openly embrace the occult in order to gain influence, culturally, politically and financially.
It’s a warning of a coming time of intense spiritual warfare,
According to an article on Faithwire, Scotty McDowell, the son of apologist Sean McDowell was manning a ‘change my mind’ table in the New York City a few weeks back.
A man named Jason, approached Scotty wanting to talk about the innerancy of the Bible.
Scotty was shocked when the man brazenly identified as a “self-proclaimed Satanist.” This was potentially leading to a direct spiritual power encounter.
But things took a turn, when Scotty asked if he could first explain what the Gospel was. Jason responded by pulling out some tarot cars and said he needed to “check my map.”
Jason then started making some funny sounds and Scotty put his hand on his shoulder, because he seemed to becoming disoriented.
Scotty said:
“The craziest thing to me was when the man didn’t do anything. But the second I said, ‘Jason, do you know who Jesus is?’ It was like a switch in his brain. Something went off.”
Jason then swore and said “Peace Scotty” and literally ran away.
Scotty stated later that he wasn’t scared, because he “had the Holy Spirit” and added, “There’s power in the name of Jesus.”
If we are entering a time of increased spiritual conflict, as believers we need to first understand our position in Christ.
Throughout the Gospels we read that Jesus gave His disciples both authority and power.
In Luke 10:19 the Lord told His disciples quote:
“Behold, I have given you authority to walk on snakes and scorpions, and authority over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will injure you.”
We have authority as we believe in Jesus who according to Matthew 28:18 has been given“All authority in heaven and on earth.”
Jesus is the source of our authority. He essentially deputizes us.
But authority is not enough. We also need power and that comes from being filled with the Holy Spirit.
When Jesus was accused of casting out Demons by a more powerful demon, Beelzebub, after delivering a mute man, Jesus responded by stating that He drove out demons by the power of the Holy Spirit in Matthew 12:28.
The Holy Spirit is the one Who deals with the demonic.
As enter this new era of warfare, we need to understand our authority in Christ and need to be continually filled with the Holy Spirit. Thanks for joining me on this podcast, and I will catch you again.
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