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A friend sent the above photo of an advertising billboard as an example of exorcist humor. Actually, I’ve heard that punch line so many times that all I can do now is muster a slight grin when it’s thrown my way. But it does bring up an interesting question. If an individual has an exorcism, can the demon come back? It depends. Demonic possession is all about legal rights and the exercise of free will. One can get a demon by spiritual inheritance through the bloodline, but if that demon is to continue its inhabitation it needs a legal right to remain. For example, an ancestor who murdered someone could put a curse in the bloodline. You could inherit that demon; but for the evil spirit to remain in your life it would need to find a place to embed, such as your own unresolved anger and rage.

Once a demon is exorcised it may return if it is invited back in some way, or if the delivered person doesn’t fill that vacancy with the Holy Spirit and positive, God-affirming values (Luke 11:26). If the “house,” the delivered person’s soul, is only “swept clean and put in order” and not occupied by God’s presence through active pursuit of a dedicated spiritual life, there may be room and the right for eight demons to repossess. If the same sin is indulged in again, that kind of demon may return. I especially encounter this in the area of addictions. After an exorcism, counseling and rehabilitation is critical so that the root issues allowing the possession, and the addiction, are dealt with. A drug addict, for example, whose open door to demons was through illegal, recreational drugs risks being repossessed if he goes back to using those same substances. The same is true of sexual sin, the occult, and spiritual rebellion.

Being delivered is not an action, it is a way of living, continuing to abide in God’s grace and freedom. It means walking in accountability with others, regular church attendance, submission to spiritual authority, continuing counseling, and seeking healing and restoration for the wounded areas formerly infested by evil spirits. Yes, a delivered person can be “repossessed.” Not by a casual slip of rectitude, but by willfully reverting to the things that once held that individual in bondage to the forces of darkness.

Last Saturday, Brittany Maynard at age 29 murdered herself and became the face of the right-to-die movement in America. (I reported on this last week. To read that blog CLICK HERE.) Maynard had moved to the state of Oregon, which has the country’s most liberal euthanasia laws.  Suffering from terminal brain cancer, Brittany took a lethal concoction of drugs and exited life with the words, “Goodbye world. Spread good energy. Pay it forward.”  Just days later, in the same state, Jillian McCabe threw her six-year-old son off a bridge on the Oregon coast. McCabe has been arrested on murder charges. Both incidents in Oregon. Interesting. Any connection? Let’s explore this further.

Who was the legal guardian of the murdered child? The mother. Let’s suppose that the infant had been suffering, like Maynard, from an incurable, terminal disease. The six-year-old could not have likely committed suicide by herself, but what if her mother did it for her? Instead of an overdose, a toss off a high bridge. If the child were facing a soon and suffering death, as was Maynard, what’s really the difference? Both acts result in death. Both are acts of murder, Maynard to herself and McCabe acting with legal parentage, in my hypothesized example.

Yes, I realize there’s no evidence that the McCabe child was terminally ill. I’m just asking a “What if?” question, a hypothetical  moral query. What truly separates the two acts is not the disgust at the murder of a child or the squeamishness we feel at the image of a small body flung from a bridge. In fact, at a fundamental level of ultimate rectitude, what might someday prevent a parent from ending the life of a terminally ill child the same way Maynard ended her life? It’s done every day to unborn children in the womb who are not terminal. My point? We’re on a slippery slope here and who can say where it might end up. Many civilizations of the past have practiced systematic infanticide. Sometimes it was for economic reasons and other times it was sex-selective.  It was fairly common among the ancient Romans until Christian beliefs took hold. It was, in fact, the first Christian emperor Constantine who outlawed the so-called “exposure” of infants in A. D. 313.

“Spread good energy?” Self-murder is a demonic act and Maynard was deceived by evil spirits. “Pay it forward?” Her self-induced death was paying it backwards for the values of Western Civilization in general and our societal rejection of Christian morals in particular. I don’t take lightly the suffering she sought to avoid, but death is final and eternity is forever, and that is a comparison the devil hid from the eyes of both Maynard and McCabe.

 

Okay, so some of my critics may not agree that tattoos can be portals for demons. I get that, though I think they should take a moment to read my book CURSE BREAKING (to order CLICK HERE) and digest the section on the “curse of cremation.” Leaving that aside, maybe there is something even my tattooed Christian friends can agree upon. (Then again, maybe not, in our age of eclectic, no-rules Christianity.) A hot new trend is having the cremated remains of a loved one tattooed as a memorial, and a constant reminder of their presence. It certainly adds new meaning to the old Frank Sinatra signature song, by Cole Porter, “I’ve Got You Under My Skin.” Says one tattoo artist, “Ashes are essentially carbon, and carbon is the main ingredient in black ink. ” Some have even had their cat or dog’s cremated remains tattooed, preferably in the shape of a paw. Awww. Or should it be Ugh!

This trend, dubbed “morbid ink” by  some, may carry health risks since cremated remains are unsterile. But it’s the spiritual contamination that concerns me. As an exorcist having done in excess of 30,000 documented cases of actual exorcisms, I’m surprised I haven’t run into this yet. Or perhaps I have and no one told me. One thing is certain, the Bible is clear about the curse of touching an unclean corpse (see Numbers chapter 9). That injunction was for more than hygienic reasons. God also wanted to separate his people from the pagan practice of failing to honor the dead body by leaving it to be defiled and devoured by wild beasts. The Lord also wanted this command to be a symbol of the purity of God’s people, to worship a living God instead of unduly revering a dead corpse as was the heathen custom of the time. If momma or Tabby or aunt Emma is under your skin, get deliverance before their cremation become your curse. The remains of a dead body in a tattoo could be an invitation for a ghost (demon) to haunt the entire body.

Today’s the day. Tonight’s the night, when all things ghostly and ghoulish come out in the form of a cultural obsession with death. Otherwise normal people will deliberately try to look like a skeleton or some fiend from the grave. But for some, Halloween is all year long. They search art houses and the internet to find actual artifacts of death–skulls, mummified human heads, bones, skeletons and the like. Human remains are not confined to cemeteries and morgues. There is a big market for those fascinated with shrunken heads and other oddities, found at antique fairs and exotic markets. You can get an actual human skull on eBay for a couple of hundred dollars; an infant’s skeletal remains for a little more than $1000. When buying, you may be best to use a code word such as “natural material” rather than human bones, which some are skittish to sell. I came across this macabre market in a newspaper article and filed it away to discuss on today’s day of the devil, Halloween.

It’s a sick fascination, of course, but worse yet it can be an invitation to demons. Satanist love to keep around the remains of human bones, mostly to freak-out people. The devil has other ideas. This allurement of human remains which attracts demonic forces can be extended to cremated remains. (See my book CURSE BREAKING for a detailed analysis of the dangers of cremation. To order CLICK HERE.) If you know someone who has this kind of morbid curiosity, warn them to back off. The skull on their mantle, or the facsimile on their T-shirt, may be an open door to demons.

The scandal has been front page, entertainment news. Stephen Collins, former star of the family-friendly show “7th Heaven,” in which he played a minister, has been accused in court of “a long pattern of sexually abusing minor children.” Collins apparently lived a double life, approachable nice guy on and off screen, but a pedophile in private. His wife of 27 years, Faye Frant, and his daughter Katherine, 25, have blown his cover. With his long, lucrative career over, Hollywood observers are left wondering what happens next. Could this horror story be true? One thing I noticed in checking out this tragedy. In all the family photos I saw that Collins’ daughter consistently appears unsmiling and sullen. Perhaps she was just caught by the camera at a bad moment. Perhaps she too has been a victim.

From my experience as a counselor and exorcist, often dealing with the sordid side of life, I’m not surprised. That someone held in such high regard, and who played such a moral role on-sceen, would end up this way serves Satan well. In fact, Collins was a lay minister in his church, increasing his chances that the devil would want to destroy him. This all likely happoened, based on my experience, because he was abused as a child and so were other male ancestors in his bloodline. That’s how these things happen. My prayers go out to him and all his victims, but my warning is that anyone, male or female, violated in their youth desperately needs deliverance, and serious counseling and therapy. If that person is you, please call to arrange for a personal Encounter with me as soon as possible. I’m not suggesting that you will necessarily become a child abuser; but the violation you’ve experienced could lead to severe personal problems without healing and spiritual freedom. It’s not a risk you want to take, assuming that the past will somehow fade way without spiritually therapeutic intervention.

Saturday, Brittany Maynard will die. Last week she checked off the last stop on her bucket list, Grand Canyon. She stood on the edge hugging and kissing her husband. Brittany has aggressive brain cancer and at age 29 has moved to Oregon, the state with the most permissive euthanasia laws. There she believes she can die with “dignity.” Her body is swelling. Her speech is at times gibberish. The headaches are unbearable. She has already picked out her posthumous Christmas gifts. After she’s gone she wants her mother and stepfather to visit the Incan site of Machu Picchu in Peru because she says “it’s a very sacred, spiritual domain.” She wants her family to go there and feel her there — after she’s dead.

There is so much to be said about this tragedy. But her Machu Picchu comment says it all. I’ve been there, high in the Andes of Peru. To the Incas it was a place of human sacrifice. Walking its steep, verdant paths one can feel the demonic presence that still pervades this mist-enshrouded mountain, its altars once flowing with human blood. Brittany’s wish reveals her New Age outlook on life, a viewpoint devoid of the Christian hope of heaven or the fear of an eternity without God. The secular press has been oozing with compassion concerning the potential suffering which she’ll avoid. But let’s get real for a moment. I’ve read many articles about her and there’s not a shred of a reference by her, or any of her family, of a Christian worldview. Consequently, there is no judgment to fear by deliberate, pre-mediated suicide and no possibility of God intervening by grace or healing.

I don’t judge her, I just feel sad. And angry. Angry at a nation that has forsaken God, preachers who fail to warn of hell, and a culture that never considers eternal consequences of actions. I pray that when Saturday comes she’ll reconsider that God may not be finished with her life and she may yet be an instrument of his love with a graceful death, not a premature exit. Someone needs to say it boldly, though in our permissive age it sounds harsh. The suffering she’ll avoid is nothing to be compared with what the Bible says she may endure for eternity, barring a last minute death bed reconsideration.

Quick. Before Halloween gets here, there’s still time to book a last minute fare to London and celebrate October 31 in real style in your very own Harry Potter Hotel room. The Georgian House Hotel, built in 1851, has designed special Harry Potter-themed rooms.  If a magical night of spirits is what you’re after, this is the place. The so-called “wizard chambers” can be had for a party of two at the cost of $401 or bring the whole family and sleep five for $585. The quarters are designed to resemble the abode of wizard Albus Dumbledore, from the Potter series. And that’s not all! (Why does that sound like “Let’s Make a Deal?”) For a little extra you can throw in a visit to the Warner Bros. studios where the Potter movies were filmed. Really adventurous? Add to that the Harry Potter Muggle Walking Tour of locations which inspired author J.K. Rowling.

Would it be possible to get a witchcraft demon by sleeping in one of these rooms? Would a night with Dumbledore’s accoutrements open one up spiritually to his wizardry spirits? Yes and no. A room is a room, whatever its design. Technically, just sleeping there wouldn’t get you a demon. Demons only operate in realms to which they are given permission to enter. But it’s likely that the person wanting a night at the Harry Potter Hotel would have already exhibited a fascination with the occult, and this might be the straw that . . .  you know the rest. Or if the occupant has a prior generational curse of witchcraft, this could be the contemporary connection to that long-ago evil. I wouldn’t sleep there and neither should you. Ephesians 4:27 warns Christians not to give place to the devil, and registering for a Dumbledore room is a dumb thing to do.

 

This week has seen a flurry of news articles and YouTube videos about the long-kept secret of Mormon undergarments. It seems that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is finally going on the offense and coming out of the clothes-closet. Speculation about what these underwear garments really signify became a PR problem that the Mormon Church could no longer ignore. So they finally decided it was best to take it all off and tell all. At least that is the impression they want to give, but as usual their spin campaign isn’t telling the whole truth. Mormon web sites will admit that after their temple endowment they are required to wear such garments as sign of their devotion, but they leave out some glaring omission.

Originally the garments were connected to Freemasonry and had Lodge symbols. (They still do on the navel and the nipples, facsimiles of the Freemason square and compass.) This clothing was originally to be a reminder of their secret oaths regarding polygamy. Over time, tall tales and legends surrounding the protective quality of these garments led to their having a magical quality. Devout Mormon still never let the garment leave the body. Even when changing to a clean one they most always have a part of the original one touching some part of their body. And, yes, the most devout won’t even have sex without some part of their body at least partially covered, such as an arm through a sleeve. When taking a bath they keep one arm or leg outside the tub, covered by the magic underwear.

Want to know more? Check out a web site where I’m interviewed by John Safran, the Australian TV personality on whom I did a much publicized exorcism. John caught me with cameras while I was chomping down breakfast one day some years ago.  It’s good for information, and especially good for a laugh: http://1857massacre.com/MMM/mormon_underwear.htm

 

It hasn’t happened yet, but some government officials in the Russian Federation want Halloween off the calendar. They charge that “horror-themed parties induce lowly feelings and turn into orgies.” The Culture Ministry has been approached with attempts to shut down any recreational establishment from featuring “youngsters dressed as corpses and monsters scaring children.” Last year a leading representative of the Russian Orthodox Church, Vsevolod Chaplin, called such practices dangerous, declaring, “At first, people play with the evil spirit as a joke, but then they begin to play seriously with these things. This leads to serious problems: sickness, sadness, and despair.”

While I’m not for the kind of censorship that currently chills some dissent in Russia, one has to wonder: What kind of upside-down world do we live in when America, the country with the largest Christian population in the world, fails to significantly protest what Putin’s Russia laments? In losing our spiritual bearing have we ceded the moral high ground to a country that was dominated by systematic atheism for more than a century? Whatever the fault in logic by Russian Halloween protestors, you’ve got to at least admire their rectitude. That’s more than I can say for our fear-filled leader above.

 

If you’re like me, there are a lot of questions in life that go unanswered because we never take the time to ask and investigate the answer. Like why car speedometers list speeds that you shouldn’t attain and couldn’t if you wanted to. Unlike Germany’s autobahn (Been there driven that. Crazy!) American highways never legally post a speed limit over 85. But your car likely has a speedometer tempting you to go way beyond that. If you drive a high-performance vehicle the top range, on your speedometer, may be well over 140 m.p.h. Even over 200! What gives? According to a former Nissan executive, 80% of cars won’t go over 110, and standard-issue tires aren’t made for over 130.

It’s all about salesmanship. Selling you on the idea that your car has a hot engine and can maximize velocity if you want to. Basically, you’re being sold a lie. Sin is like that. Don’t believe it if your spiritual speedometer says you can abuse sex and drugs without consequences; if you can harbor anger and bitterness without a toxic price to your soul and body; if you can spurn Christ in favor of living in the fast lane. First, the devil can’t take you where he promises. He uses a lying moral speedometer to get you into the danger zone. It’s there that the devil and demons take over and a crash is waiting.