In a recent podcast episode with Isaiah Saldivar, former Satanist Riaan Swiegelaar shared the dark secrets of what really happens inside the Satanic Church.
One of the first things the two discussed was the deception many people face about the supernatural.
“I think a lot of people forget that God really created everything, including the unseen world,” Swiegelaar said. “But a lot of religion…focuses on the physical and forgets that God created us in His image. So, we are actually body, and we are soul, and we are spirit.”
After leaving a church at 21, Swiegelaar left Christianity and became enthralled with New Age concepts.
“After also going to Buddhist retreats and meditation circles…I eventually found my way…to my first psychic reading,” Swiegelaar said. “That really opened the door for a lot of things, and I don’t think a lot of people realize how dangerous that is when we start dabbling in those things. We give the enemy grounds to afflict us in certain ways when we do those things.”
From that point on, Swiegelaar began doing readings, which led to further darkness.
“I actually worked for the devil for 20 years of my life without realizing [it],” Swiegelaar said. “It’s not a path where you wake up one morning, and you decide, ‘I’m going to become a Satanist.'”
As someone who was part of the occult, Swiegelaar saw something very dangerous happening: Christians coming to him for readings.
“So many Christians came to me for astrology charts, for readings, even for rituals, for spells,” he said. “The moment they used to sit down in front of me, the first thing that they would ask me was, ‘Is it wrong for me as a Christian to be here?’ That was the Holy Spirit trying to tell them, ‘you shouldn’t be here.'”
Swiegelaar says even pastors and their wives would come to him. He further noted that while he says he has not seen a Christian possessed by a demon, severe oppression is possible, much of which he says comes from Christians getting into the New Age.
In his testimony, Swiegelaar makes it clear that the line between curiosity and bondage is far thinner than many believers realize. In a culture obsessed with spiritual experiences, energy readings and occult self-help, the enemy doesn’t need to drag Christians into overt rebellion—he only needs them to step just far enough outside the covering of Christ to gain legal ground in their lives.
The allure of “hidden knowledge,” mystical encounters and supernatural empowerment has become one of the enemy’s most effective bait traps for a generation desperate for meaning.
Yet Swiegelaar’s story is ultimately not about darkness—it’s about deliverance. His journey stands as both a warning and a witness: the spiritual realm is real, the warfare is fierce, but Christ remains supreme.
Abby Trivett is a writer and editor for Charisma Media and has a passion for sharing the gospel through the written word. She holds two degrees from Regent University, a B.A. in Communication with a concentration in Journalism and a Master of Arts in Journalism. She is the author of the upcoming book, The Power of Suddenly: Discover How God Can Change Everything in a Moment.
