What I Learned About Racism From Atticus Finch - LEE GRADY CHARISMA MAGAZINE

What I Learned About Racism From Atticus Finch

7/13/2016 J. LEE GRADY  charisma magazine

A scene from 'To Kill a Mockingbird' (YouTube)

Besides the Bible, To Kill a Mockingbird is my favorite book in the world—and the movie version is my favorite film. That's partly because I'm a Southerner who appreciates this painfully probing look at Southern racism. I also love the novel because no one has ever made fictional characters come to life better than author Harper Lee.

Atticus Finch, the small-town Alabama lawyer who defends a black man in a rape trial in the 1930s, is a hero to me because of his courage to fight social injustice. I feel as if I know him, along with Atticus' children, Jem and Scout; their black maid, Calpurnia; their neighbors Miss Maudie and Mrs. Dubose; the mysterious Boo Radley; and Tom Robinson, the man who is falsely accused of rape in a biased culture that refused to believe a black man could ever be innocent.

I thought of Atticus Finch and Tom Robinson many times last week. I wished I could have invited them over to my house for a glass of iced tea. We would have a lot to talk about.

On July 4th we celebrated Independence Day, and then we mourned for the next few days—first because of the questionable killings of two black men, Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, in Louisiana and Minnesota, and then because of the shooting of five police officers in Dallas during a peaceful protest. Not since the 1960s has America felt such overwhelming racial tension.

As I listened to the chatter on the news and on social media last week, I couldn't help but remember Atticus' advice to his daughter. He told Scout: "You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view—until you climb into his skin and walk around in it."

Isn't that what we should do today? We cannot hope to rid ourselves of the spirit of racism that haunts our country until we sincerely try to understand each other.

Atticus Finch felt compassion for his black client, Tom Robinson, because he drove to Tom's house in the country and sat on his front porch and got to know his family. He saw the fear on Tom's face and heard the racial slurs he endured from local townsfolk. Atticus saw the world from Tom's perspective. Atticus' children learned the same lesson when they went to church with Calpurnia and saw how black Christians worshiped.

That's the only way we're going to end this ugly racial divide. We have to talk to each other. We have to sit on our porches together. We have to become friends and share each other's burdens. We have to worship together. Laws alone will never tear down the walls of racism. Only compassion can destroy this evil.

I was not born black so I don't understand what my black friends have experienced. I have never been stopped by a police officer and interrogated when I wasn't doing anything wrong. I have never walked into a store and felt people staring at me or treating me with suspicion. I have never had to endure racial slurs. I have never been turned down for a job interview because of my race.

But I have black and Hispanic friends who have experienced racial cruelty. I've listened to their pain. I put myself in their place. I crawled into their skin.

When will we stop being afraid of each other?

Jesus attacked the root of racism when He told the story of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10. He taught us that God's love requires us to stop and show compassion to people who are not from our racial background. His parable shocked his Jewish audience because Jews hated Samaritans and didn't want to go anywhere near them.

Yet in His parable Jesus put a Samaritan in a positive light. He smashed the ugly stereotypes and challenged racial pride. Then, when He ascended into heaven, Jesus told His disciples to take the gospel to Samaria (Acts 1:8)—a reminder that Christians must never let racial divisions stop them from advancing the kingdom of God.

It's true: Encoded in the Great Commission is a direct command to cross racial lines. That means we really are not obeying Christ's most serious mandate if we stay in our segregated safe zones. Christianity is not fully authentic unless it is multiracial.

Atticus Finch was right. The only way to eradicate racism is to fight it with love. Politicians will make speeches and propose laws, and protesters will demand stricter gun control and police reform. But the stronghold of American racism won't crumble until Christians get serious about building real friendships with the people we once hated or feared. 

J. Lee Grady is the former editor of Charisma. You can follow him on Twitter at leegrady. He is the author of several books including 10 Lies the Church Tells Women, 10 Lies Men Believe, Fearless Daughters of the Bible and The Holy Spirit Is Not for Sale. You can learn more about his ministry, The Mordecai Project, atthemordecaiproject.org.

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End-Times Persecution Is Here: Russia Just Banned Evangelism and China Has Torn Down Thousands of Crosses - MICHAEL SNYDER CHARISMA NEWS

Chinese President Xi Jinping makes a speech at the celebration of the 95th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China. (REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon)

End-Times Persecution Is Here: Russia Just Banned Evangelism and China Has Torn Down Thousands of Crosses

 7/13/2016 MICHAEL SNYDER  CHARISMA NEWS

We always knew this was coming. For years, the horrifying persecution of Christians in the Middle East has made headlines all over the globe, but now we are seeing very disturbing examples of government-sanctioned persecution literally all over the planet.

As you will read about below, Russia just banned virtually all types of evangelism outside of a church or religious site. And China has been tearing down thousands of crosses and has been demolishing dozens of churches in a renewed crackdown on the growth of Christianity in that nation. Overall, there are 53 countries that now have laws that restrict the Christian faith according to one recent report. When are we going to wake up and realize what is happening?

When I heard about the new law that was just passed in Russia, I was absolutely stunned. I was in Moscow just a few years after the Berlin Wall fell, and the people were very eager to hear about the Christian faith which had been brutally repressed under the Soviet regime for decades.

Sadly, Russia has now decided to revert back to the old Soviet ways. This new law, which Vladimir Putin wanted, represents almost a complete and total ban on sharing the gospel.

The law, which will come into force on July 20, will prohibit evangelism anywhere outside a church or religious site – including private homes and online – and those in breach of it will be fined. Only named members of religious organisations will be able to share their faith, and even informal witnessing between individuals is forbidden.

According to the New York Times, this ban also includes "preaching and praying" that is done outside the boundaries of "officially recognized" religious institutions.

In recent years, I have defended Russia in many of my articles. But there is no defending this.

This new law is the single worst thing that Russia has done since the collapse of the Soviet Union, and they should be utterly ashamed of themselves.

Meanwhile, government officials in China have launched a renewed crackdown on Christians as the underground church continues to grow like wildfire.

According to some reports, the government has torn down more than 2,000 crosses in Zhejiang Province alone in recent months.

More than two thousand crosses have now been forcefully removed from churches as part of a government campaign to regulate "excessive religious sites".

The nation's leadership launched the crusade to eradicate Christianity in the coastal province of Zhejiang almost two years ago.

Several members of the public have since been arrested for attempting to halt the government's crude attempt to suppress the Christian faith.

But sometimes government officials don't stop there and decide to tear down an entire church. In fact, since the beginning of this year, at least 49 churches have been destroyed in Zhejiang Province. Just recently, one group of believers defied the government and returned to their destroyed church to hold a worship service.

Christian worshipers gather to worship among the ruins of their demolished church, defying the Communist Chinese government anti-Christian drive. These congregants in China' Wenzhou, Zhejiang province conducted a prayer service despite their church building demolished by the government officials.

Zhuyang Church, which was a government-sanctioned church, was routed as a part of an unprecedented church demolition drive. On May 20, the church was demolished by about 100 government officers took down the church building authorized despite the fact that it had the government authorization to operate.

The church member said that the only reason the official could provide for church' demolition was that the church was "transforming the villages in the city."

But even the churches that have been left standing in Zhejiang Province are also feeling the pain of the crackdown. According to China Aid, there is a new law that is forcing many churches "to turn over all of their tithes and donations to state authorities."

The communist government of China's Zhejiang Province is enforcing a new law that demands numerous churches to turn over all of their tithes and donations to state authorities.

According to a nonprofit Christian organization dedicated to serving the persecuted Church in China, the officials of Pingyang County in Wenzhou are compelling members to give all of their churches' income to state authorities.

"The government officials will interfere with church affairs, managing our donations and some large-scale projects," a source told China Aid.

For so long, most Americans have considered the Chinese government to be our friend, but that is not true at all. The communist Chinese are a corrupt, wicked regime that has always been deeply anti-Christian. Anyone that believes otherwise has simply been deluded.

Meanwhile, the persecution of Christians continues to intensify in many parts of Africa. Just recently, a mother of seven children was "hacked to death" by Islamic radicals in Nigeria for openly preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ.

A Christian mother of seven was hacked to death by suspected Muslim radicals in Nigeria and her mutilated body was discovered in a pool of blood along with a Bible and megaphone she used to preach every morning.

According to local reports, 41-year-old Eunice Olawale, a pastor at the Redeemed Christian Church of Nigeria and an evangelist, was murdered in the early morning hours on Saturday while she was out evangelizing near Nigeria's capital of Abuja.

Olawale's husband, Olawale Elisha, told local media that his wife had left their home around 5 a.m. Saturday morning to preach in the neighborhood but she never returned home.

Ever since the first century, Christians have been martyred for publicly preaching the gospel, and we were warned that this kind of terrible persecution was coming in the last days.

Of course Christians in the Middle East don't exactly need to hear about "the coming persecution" because they have been living it for many years. Christians are being tortured, beheaded and crucified by radical terror groups such as ISIS, and in other areas of the Middle East, the persecution is being imposed on a national level by the government. For instance, just check out what is happening right now in Pakistan.

"The government of Pakistan has announced plans to force Islam on young people by making Quranic study compulsory for all school and college students, which is contrary to the country's constitution and the Islamic precept that there should be no compulsion in religion. This is the latest escalation of the country's bias against Christians, other minority faiths and non-believers," said Peter Tatchell, Director of the human rights organisation, the Peter Tatchell Foundation.

"Pakistani Christians, including children, are at risk of kidnapping, forced marriage and forced religious conversion to Islam. Some are also victims of blasphemy charges, which carry the death penalty. There are regular violent assaults on Christian families, homes, shops and churches.

The persecution of the end times is here.

All over the planet, the Christian faith is under assault. In the Western world, we may not have to face much violent persecution just yet, but our faith is relentlessly mocked, ridiculed and demonized on television, in the movies and on the internet. Laws that are anti-Christian in tone and substance are regularly being passed, and many of our top politicians are not even pretending to be fair to us any longer.

Just like in much of the rest of the world, we are starting to discover that there is a great price to be paid for following Jesus Christ.

In Matthew 16, Jesus told us that if anyone would choose to follow Him, that individual should "deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me."

Are you ready to take up your cross?

The persecution of Christians is only going to get worse in the years ahead, and in order to make it through what is coming, we need to be ready to give up everything for Him.

Michael Snyder is the founder and publisher of End Of The American Dream. Michael’s controversial new book about Bible prophecy entitled "The Rapture Verdict"is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com.

Draw closer to God. Experience the presence of the Holy Spirit every month as you read Charisma magazine. Sign up now to get Charisma for as low as $1 per issue.

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UN Resolution: Akin to the Holocaust Denial? - SHAWN A. AKERS CHARISMA NEWS

The Temple Mount in Jerusalem (Wikimedia Commons )

UN Resolution: Akin to the Holocaust Denial?

7/13/2016 SHAWN A. AKERS  CHARISMA NEWS

Is the Temple Mount in Jerusalem even Jewish? It may sound like an absurd question to some, but it's an issue the United Nations' Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization intends to settle with a vote during its 40th annual meeting in Istanbul, Turkey over the next week.

Considered by Jews as the holiest place in their religion, the Temple Mount is the site of two ancient Jewish temples built by King David. However, it is overseen today by Arabs who are looking to sever any Jewish claim to it and who desire to continue their quest to delegitimize the state of Israel.

The resolution, as reported by israelhayom.com, calls for a return to the "historic status quo" for the Temple Mount. The meeting in Turkey began Sunday and will run through July 20.

Non-Muslims are allowed to visit the site during restricted hours and under careful monitoring, but they are not allowed to pray during that time. Breakingisraelnews.com reports that "Arabs claim that Israel is attempting to change the status quo following an increase in the number of Jewish visitors to the Temple Mount. Breakingnewsisrael.com's report says, "the United Nations document repeatedly refers to Israel as the 'occupying power' and accuses it of causing damage to the site, carrying out illegal excavations and preventing the Jordanian Waqf, which has jurisdiction over the Temple Mount, from making repairs and renovations."

In April in Paris, UNESCO adopted a resolution that ignores Jewish ties to the Temple Mount and the Western Wall area in Jerusalem's Old City. The Jerusalem Postreported in April that UNESCO referred to the Temple solely as al-Aska Mosque/al-Haram al Sharif and the Western Wall as al-Buraq Plaza.

Israeli Foreign Ministry Director General Donald Gore sent a scathing letter to the head of UNESCO recently demanding it to reject the "deliberate one-sided resolution," israelhayom.com reported.

"Today, it is Israel that defends religious freedom for all of the great faiths—Judaism, Christanity and Islam—against the intolerance sweeping the Middle East region," Gore said in the letter. "(The resolution) is full of distortions and is totally disconnected from reality on the ground. We urge you to oppose this effort to distort history, that will offend the members of the Jewish and Christians faiths and undermine the credibility of UNESCO in the future." 

Draw closer to God. Experience the presence of the Holy Spirit every month as you read Charisma magazine. Sign up now to get Charisma for as low as $1 per issue.

Has God called you to be a leader? Ministry Today magazine is the source that Christian leaders who want to serve with passion and purpose turn to. Subscribe now and receive a free leadership book.

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Texas Receives the Prophet's Blessing - Lana Vawser. Mantles of Glory Ministries with Karla Shrake

A Prophetic Newsletter                            www.MantlesOfGlory.org By Karla Shrake July 12, 2016

Click here to subscribe to  The Lion Roars Newsletter:

"And the Lord Roars from Zion... And utters  His voice from Jerusalem."  Joel 3:16 "The Lord utters His Voice before His Army;  Surely His camp is Very Great, For Strong is he who Carries out His Word."  Joel 2:11

Texas Receives the Prophet's Blessing By Karla Shrake / Mantles of Glory Ministries July 12, 2016 "He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward..."   Matthew 10:41. We Welcome Prophet Lana Vawser: In the prophetic timeline of heaven there are windows of divine favor and blessing.  Our gracious heavenly Father has chosen the month of July in this year of 2016 to send one of His servants, a vessel of honor, apostolic prophet from Australia, Lana Vawser.  And on behalf of Texas, its leaders and citizenry, we declare that this 'sent one' is welcomed, honored and favored as she travels to and in our state.           We Receive the Fullness: On behalf of five-fold ministers, the apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers and evangelists, we decree that she is welcome in her role and authority as an apostle/prophet in our state.  We decree a welcoming and receiving of the prophetic word(s) God has put in her heart to release in our midst.  And we receive the full scope and depth of the vision and authority God has given her regarding not only the state of Texas but also for our country.          We Receive Humility and Purity: On behalf of Texas we receive and embrace the exhortation and challenge of the Lord through Lana to higher standards of purity and humility for the Body of Christ in general and especially for its leadership.             We Receive the Prophet as a Woman: On behalf of Texas and the leadership of the Body of Christ, we decree that she is received and honored fully and completely not only as a prophet, but also in her role as a woman prophet.           We Receive Hope and Renewal and its Price Tag: On behalf of Texas we honor prophet Lana Vawser as a divine messenger of hope and renewal for the Body of Christ and even for our country.  And with that we also receive and embrace the price tag, the personal and corporate adjustments and corrections that are necessary to bring about true Godly character, transformation and genuine victory.          We Receive the Australian Connection: Furthermore we decree she, her husband and team are received and honored as Australians, as the Lord has chosen to send not just any prophet, but an Australian prophet.  We decree that all of what our heavenly Father desires is welcome and established between our two countries and especially between its veteran and senior leadership, including apostles and prophets.  We decree a new joining and partnering between the two for the glory of His name and we decree that the bridge and networking now greatly accelerates according to the blueprint of heaven.  For such a time as this the two nations receiving greater strength and clarity of purpose in overcoming strategies for the last days as key players on the global scene.  And more specifically we decree the God-appointed relationship between Texas and Australia to flourish in all its aspects.             Let us join together in the power of unified corporate prayer:         "Heavenly Father we give thanks to You for shining upon us with Your favor, in sending Your servant Lana Vawser, her husband and team.  We humble ourselves and prepare our hearts to receive the fullness of all You desire to do in our midst.  We thank You for using her to raise up a standard of hope over our country and its future.  But we realize and embrace that Your blessings and victory require our meeting the conditions - the conditions of obedience, of humbling and cleansing our hearts and stirring our faith to seek You as never before."         "Oh Lord we know You sent Your prophets long ago when Your people Israel were oppressed and their lives and future were hanging in the balance.  And even so we understand that our beloved America now hangs in the balance.  So we now stir and shake ourselves into being sober and alert to receive the holy shift that You desire to release through Your servant Lana in this critical hour of human history."  "Texas and the Dallas-Ft. Worth region shall NOT miss this divine opportunity and blessing!  And we reject all dullness in ourselves and in the regional atmosphere that would cause these gatherings to be religious business as usual.  We receive even now fresh fire from heaven, the awakening of our hearts as Godly hope is rekindled and established so that we may be able to lay hold of the new season."          "We entreat you Holy Spirit please come into the Dallas-Ft. Worth area during these gatherings and afterwards.  Forgive us Father for grieving and limiting Your Spirit in this region in our homes, churches, seminaries, schools, commerce and government.  We as local, regional and state-wide believers cry out 'come Lamb-Lion and lose Your HOLY ROAR and ignite us once again!  We decree Texas is burning with holy fire!''           "Awaken and release the womb of both the DFW region and the entire state of Texas to bring forth her God-destiny to be a dwelling place/hub of the abiding presence of Your Spirit.   Raise up many training centers that honor the moving of Your Spirit, and grace us to prepare the harvest net for the deluge of precious souls soon coming into the Kingdom.  We agree in the power of corporate unity that as it is in heaven in Your heart Abba, so it is being established on earth in all these issues, and it is sealed in the Lamb's name and precious blood," amen.

A Prophetic Word to this Generation

Our heavenly Father is opening the storehouses of heaven and releasing a greater anointing that has been reserved for this generation.   Empowered by the spirit of Elijah these mantles will bring restoration, including to those who wear them and to their households.  Written in a prophetic style, this book brings fresh perspective and strong encouragement to its readers.  As you move through the pages of "Mantles" the Holy Spirit will unveil, stir and establish more of your own unique calling and mantle. For more information, go to: www.MantlesOfGlory.org

How One Jewish Prayer Revealed 2016 is a Time of Prophetic Fulfillment By Ariella Mendlowitz - BREAKING ISRAEL NEWS

How One Jewish Prayer Revealed 2016 is a Time of Prophetic Fulfillment

By Ariella Mendlowitz   BREAKING ISRAEL NEWS July 13, 2016

“And there shall come forth a shoot out of the stock of Jesse, and a twig shall grow forth out of his roots. And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD.” Isaiah 11:1-2 (The Israel Bible™)

Photo: Shutterstock.com

Hiding within the most important prayer of Jewish liturgy, known as the Shemonah Esrei (Hebrew for “Eighteen blessings”), lies a once-concealed message that explicitly outlines the detailed process of the messianic era, said Israeli Rabbi Yaacov Haber during a recent lecture in the city of Ramat Beit Shemesh.

What’s more, current events, particularly since the founding of the State of Israel, have highlighted the undeniable truth that humanity finds itself wedged in the very era for which it has endlessly prayed.

The Shemonah Esrei is recited three times daily by Orthodox Jews around the world. During his lecture, Rabbi Haber demonstrated how different parts of the prayer relate to the messianic process.

Rabbi Yaacov Haber (Photo: Wikimedia)

The part of the service called “Sound the great shofar and gather the exiles” (Teka B’Shofar Gadol) is closely related to the coming of the Messiah. It is widely held that during the messianic era, the Jews who had been scattered throughout the world during the period of exile will be called home by the “sound of the shofar” and will return to live in the Jewish homeland of Israel.

With organizations such as Nefesh B’Nefesh and Shavei Israel working tirelessly to bring home the scattered people of Israel, “How can anyone deny this is happening in 2016?” Rabbi Haber wondered.

The section of the liturgy called “Restore our judges” (Hashiva Shofteinu), taught Rabbi Haber, represents the return of Jewish sovereignty. Of the many curses God put upon the Jews during the time of exile, falling under foreign leadership is one of the most difficult. When Jews live in lands not their own, by default they live under the rulership of a non-Jewish government, sometimes making it difficult to hold on to their Judaism.

Hashiva Shofteinu holds that the messianic process will reverse the curse and restore Jewish sovereignty in the land of Israel. Certainly the fact that the State of Israel is run by a Jewish government with an openly Jewish prime minister is evident that the prophecy has indeed come to fruition, said Rabbi Haber.

The meaning of the prayer’s phrase “May all wickedness perish” (V’lamalshinim) is clear: As the world grows increasingly closer to welcoming the Messiah and the Third Temple, the evil in the world will eclipse ever so swiftly. While terror against the good still reigns, it is indisputable that those carrying out wicked activities are carrying out such murderous acts against each other.

Hamas’ declaration that it would deliver capital punishment in the form of public executions against criminals and ISIS’s recent brutal killings of its own fighters prove an overall decrease in the amount of wickedness in the world.

The next part of the prayer, “For the righteous ones” (Al Hatzadikim), touches on respected elders. Though exile brings with it a mindset where the tzadikim (righteous leaders) are often disrespected and not held to any degree of importance, the era of Messiah will rectify all that and will see a renewed appreciation and reverence for those whom God cherishes, Rabbi Haber explained.

With lists such as “America’s Most Influential Rabbis” or the devoted manner in which the students speak of their scholars, it’s incontestable that the period of Al Hatzadikim is taking place before our very eyes.

It is at this point, Rabbi Haber maintains, where humanity currently finds itself, waiting with bated breath for the next stage in the process.

The last paragraphs of the shemonah esrei address glorifying Jerusalem, the building of the Third Temple, restoring God’s splendor, offering prayers of gratitude for His miracles, and of course, an eventual era of peace in the Land.

Thus, concluded Rabbi Haber, the evident truth is that 2016 is so much more than a world of iPhones, celebrities and political scandal. Rather, the seeming chaos happening in every moment is truly the next step towards ushering in the long anticipated era of the Messiah.

Do Demons Exist? Watch a Demon-Possessed Model Manifest a Spirit During Live Television Interview - MICHAEL SNYDER CHARISMA NEWS

Do Demons Exist? Watch a Demon-Possessed Model Manifest a Spirit During Live Television Interview

 7/12/2016 MICHAEL SNYDER  charisma news

Do demons really exist? If you are not much interested in spiritual matters, this may seem like a very odd question to you. Perhaps up to this point the only encounters you have had with "demon possession" have been in Hollywood horror movies.

The topic of "demons" just doesn't come up a lot in our highly secularized society today, and even in most churches people don't really want to talk about it even though the Gospels are full of stories of Jesus casting out demons. The things that you are going to read about below are quite disturbing. Before the internet, most people were simply not going to be exposed to these types of things because they weren't about to pop up on the evening news or during prime time television programs. But today, thanks to YouTube, things that happen to ordinary people on the other side of the planet can quickly go viral and be spread all over the planet.

For example, the first incident that I want to share with you comes from Thailand. Just recently, a Thai model named Thippawan "Pui" Chaphupuang was being interviewed on live television when she bizarrely began manifesting a Thai spirit known as a "pop."

Thirteen minutes into the interview, Thippawan "Pui" Chaphupuang, announced that a "pop" — a cannibalistic spirit in Thai folkore — had come to possess her.

Pui then slipped into Pop as the host asked the 'ghost' questions as to why it continued to possess the young woman.

According to an Internet translation, the host asked Pop: "Why can't you leave her?"

To which, the spirit replied in a strange voice: "Someone sent me here!"

The entity appearing to possess Pui's body refused to say who had sent it and demanded pigs' blood as the woman writhed around and shrieked, strangely.

According to Wikipedia, a Phi Pop is "a malevolent female spirit that devours human entrails." And if you are familiar with the first five books of the Bible, then you probably already know that the blood of a pig would be considered highly unclean to eat. You can watch a YouTube clip of this model's extremely strange behavior as this spirit manifests right here.

Of course, this kind of thing is not just happening in Thailand. All over the world, accounts of demonic spirits manifesting seem to be getting much more common.

This next incident that recently popped up in the international media comes from Chile.

Disturbing footage has emerged online showing the moment that a "possessed" young woman appears to smile sinisterly after she is told she is dead during a bizarre exorcism session.

The "possessed" woman is shown at the beginning of the video holding a conversation in the Spanish language with a woman dressed in a white robe and wearing a long necklace.

The woman in white appears to be acting as a priestess or exorcist of a religious or spiritual cult, and the young woman is consulting her for solution to a spiritual problem.

You can view video of that incident right here. But I want to warn you that all of these videos are quite disturbing and should not be viewed by young children or anyone that is particularly sensitive to these things.

In central Argentina, people riding a bus became extremely alarmed recently when a woman started vomiting, rolling her head around, and uttering things "in a deep, masculine, demonic voice."

Bus passengers must have thought they were on the road to Hell when a woman became 'possessed' by a demon during a routine journey.

The bus was travelling through the city of San Luis in central Argentina one night when a female passenger began exhibiting some alarming symptoms.

Another passenger began filming on a phone as the woman's head lolled around and she began speaking in a deep, masculine, demonic voice.

What would you do if you found yourself in a similar situation? If you would like to see video of that incident, you can do so right here. There are certain individuals, such as occult expert Bill Schnoebelen, who have been dealing with these sorts of things on a regular basis for decades, but most people have never personally encountered someone manifesting an evil spirit, especially if they don't go to church.

Another incident that made international news reports recently comes from Mexico.

The child, named Said, left his family fearing for their lives after he appeared to have been taken over by a devil.

In the clip, the boy sits in a chair, making strange, throaty noises – as though his voice has been distorted by a machine.

It is believed the incident took place in Montemorelos, in Mexico.

I could go on and on, but I think that you get the point.

Demonic spirits are actually manifesting on a regular basis all over the world, and I anticipate that this will continue to increase in frequency and intensity as we get even deeper into the period of time the Bible refers to as the last days.

Here in the United States, we can see evil at work all around us as well. I wanted to mention the following story today, because it is a perfect example of just how sick and twisted we have become as a society. It turns out that a male high school rowing coach in Michigan was secretly filming female students in the locker room while they were changing.

A high school rowing coach in Michigan stands accused of hiding a camera and filming female students changing in a locker room.

Timothy W. Vallier, 30, was arrested Friday after a student discovered a camera with videos of female rowers undressing, WOOD-TV reported.

The camera was inside a Ford Explorer used by Vallier, the Rockford Public Schools men's rowing head coach.

'We saw this video camera on the floor of the explorer,' schools Superintendent Mike Shibler told WOOD-TV.

'So you know curious teens right — she said I picked it up and started looking at what was on it.'

How sick do you have to be to do something like that?

Unfortunately, just about every kind of evil that you can possibly imagine is growing rapidly in the United States today, but very few people seem alarmed by our stunning descent into evil and depravity.

As a society, we have rejected the truth and we have embraced the darkness, and the consequences of this are becoming quite evident.

But even though we are steamrolling toward oblivion as a nation, most Americans are still in denial.

Most of us still believe that everything is going to turn out OK somehow.

Sadly, if you play with fire, you are going to get burned, and it looks like our country is going to have to find that out the hard way.

Michael Snyder is the founder and publisher of End Of The American Dream. Michael’s controversial new book about Bible prophecy entitled "The Rapture Verdict"is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com.

Draw closer to God. Experience the presence of the Holy Spirit every month as you read Charisma magazine. Sign up now to get Charisma for as low as $1 per issue.

Has God called you to be a leader? Ministry Today magazine is the source that Christian leaders who want to serve with passion and purpose turn to. Subscribe now and receive a free leadership book.

Prophetic Word: This Is Your Time to Diversify and Multiply - CHUCK PIERCE CHARISMA MAGAZINE

Prophetic Word: This Is Your Time to Diversify and Multiply

 7/12/2016 CHUCK PIERCE  charisma  magazine

Be alert and don't miss your portal of opportunity. (Flickr )

We war with the prophetic words that are sent from heaven. These words cut through the atmosphere! The words from the Lord reform the earthly blueprint that our enemy is developing to conform us to his will (Rom. 12:1-2).

These words transform our mind to think like God. These words reveal the will of God for our lives!

Here is a word that came forth in June:

"Stretch out your hand, for there is a new cord of measurement that I am putting in your hand. You have measured one way the boundaries for your life, but now I'm measuring another way. I am giving you an enlarged, elongated cord that will set a new course for the direction that I have for you.

"Many of you have had words from years ago, and you saw that word come to be, but it took ages and ages and ages. This is the day that I am speeding up My anointing and My agreement between heaven and Earth. There's an anointing of the ages coming down; an anointing of the ages.

"As the Ancient of Days, I am releasing wisdom and understanding over My people. The prophetic movement and the healing movement are about to join hands in a way that this Earth has never seen.

"I am giving you a new portion of strength and boldness for this hour. I have laid it before you, so step, step, step into the boldness, into My strength and into the timing. In stepping in, you will see doors open that have been closed to you for years. I am the One going before you to open the doors. Be bold and strong, for I have called you into this season to rise up as warriors in My kingdom.

"I am putting a cord in your hand—even like those who have been snakes around you. Like Moses, you will now reach down and pick it up, and it will become your new rod of authority which will stretch beyond what you've known."

Diversify and Multiply!

Three weeks ago when the Lord said, "Gold," I shared to watch the gold market carefully. The Lord is now showing me something new that was coming in waves, and how this is our time to diversify and multiply. This is a key time to listen very carefully, and to move beyond standard routines or expectations so that you can hear what He's saying this very week.

"Those who are willing to listen in a new way will begin to understand why He is directing you the way He's directing you, and how He is setting the course for what He's calling you to do. To diversify is to change something so that it is multifaceted and what you have been doing is different and composed of distinct or unlike elements or qualities! Diversity balances! To multiply is to increase greatly in number.

"There is a portal that's coming down on your path this week. This portal is in front of you, and if you're not seeing with the eyes of faith, then you are going to miss it. This is a season to not hesitate. Even as I am calling you to diversify and multiply, if you hesitate you'll miss your moment. Even in investments—if I tell you to invest in something new, you'd better jump in and not miss your moment. I will keep you from losing what you would have lost if you'd waited one moment too long.

"Make sure you don't take your old into the new. Let Me navigate through you when you get in that new place. Let Me teach you how to move with Me in precision. Do not take the old with you into the new, for I will use you to unravel, decode, and move a system out of its place. Don't take the old into the new with you, apart from Me.

"My glory is moving in a multifaceted and multicolored way, so train and ask Me to train your eyes to begin to see the multi-facets of glory as it begins to move."

We say, "Father, that where our eyes have been trained to see one way, that You are now aligning our eyes and You are aligning our senses to the multifaceted glory of who You are."

"Do not look at what I called you to see as the world sees it! A jawbone is not just a jawbone! A slingshot is not just a slingshot! A rock is not just a rock in this season! I have opened up a portal over you to see into a diverse spiritual realm. There is nothing you're not going to be able to hear or see, if you want to hear and see. I'll remove the ceiling and I'll cause that which has held you in the past to be dealt with, so you can take off in the future." 

(Prophetic words by: Jessica Rana, Chuck Pierce, Marty Cassady, Raymond Banks, Janice Swinney, Melinda Richardson, Tobias Lyons, Melinda Richardson, Robyn Vincent, Michelle Hadley, Kerry Hansher, Keith Pierce, Rebekah Faubion)

Charles D. "Chuck" Pierce is the author of Interpreting the Times Redeeming the Time and Time to Defeat the Devil.

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