Shia LaBeouf is not hiding from the mess of his life.

In a wide ranging Channel 5 interview with Andrew Callaghan filmed in New Orleans, the actor spoke openly about a recent Fat Tuesday arrest and the fallout that followed. He also described what repentance looks like in real time, not as a clean public relations reset but as a man owning his sin and trying to walk forward with God.

“I got some contrition on my heart,” LaBeouf said early in the conversation. “It’s not nice to hurt people ever. It’s … lame. People got hurt. I got to deal with that. I’mma deal with that in full. I’ll eat it all. It was on me.”

He did not present himself as a finished product. He described himself as being “in the middle of something” and learning while the consequences still hang in the air. Still, his language kept circling back to the same anchor: God is involved.

“God’s involved, bro,” he said later. “I’m learning my lessons. I’m on my path.”

Contrition after the chaos

LaBeouf acknowledged the reality of what happened during Mardi Gras, including the public embarrassment and the legal process, while insisting he is not looking for excuses. He repeated that the blame sits with him.

“My behavior is dirty, ugly, disgusting,” he said. “So I got to eat it.”

In the middle of that honesty, he also spoke about what happens when a man stops defending himself and starts confessing. He described the first steps of making things right in language familiar to anyone who has walked through repentance and restitution.

“You got to make amends,” he said. “First thing you got to do is you got to say what you did. Then you got to say how it’s never going to happen again. And then you got to show and prove.”

Repentance is not a vibe. It is a turning from the old, and embracing the new.

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If you met Jesus face-to-face

Callaghan asked LaBeouf what he would say to Jesus if he could meet Him.

“I wouldn’t say [__],” LaBeouf replied with tears welling up in his eyes. “I’d kiss Him. I’d just kiss His feet. I wouldn’t say nothing.”

That answer cuts through the noise. It points to reverence, surrender and the kind of humility pride cannot fake. It also reflects something LaBeouf returned to throughout the interview: faith is not a brand for him. He described it as a relationship.

“I’m in a full-blown love affair with Jesus,” he said. “And I believe what I believe.”

For the believer who has stumbled, that posture matters. The enemy pushes shame that says, “You have ruined everything.” The gospel answers with the cross that says, “Come home.” Jesus is not waiting for a perfect speech. He is worthy of worship from a heart that finally yields.

How he says he hit bottom

LaBeouf also described a moment he called his personal breaking point.

“I put a gun in my mouth,” he said. “I was ready to kill myself, blow my brains out, writing letters.”

He said he did not go through with it because of his mother and because of a call from someone connected to the recovery world.

“She kept me alive that night,” he said of his mother. He also described a man from the program who called and told him to talk in the morning, a moment that “bought me the night” and kept him alive.

That is what hitting bottom can look like. It is the end of self confidence. It is the moment a person realizes sin does not just stain the surface. It kills. And yet even there God reaches.

LaBeouf’s story also comes with an important reality. He is still clearly finding his way and growing in his faith. Like any new or returning believer he would benefit from discipleship and guidance from mature Christians who can help ground him in Scripture and accountability.

Every believer starts somewhere. Every Christian who now walks faithfully with the Lord once had to take that first step away from the old life.

The Christian walk is not about instant perfection. It is about turning from who we were and choosing the narrow path Jesus described. We stumble. We fall. But the grace of God keeps calling us forward.

LaBeouf’s honesty about repentance and brokenness serves as a reminder that no one is too far for God to reach. The same Jesus who receives a broken man on his knees also gives strength to stand up again.

If you are struggling with sin, relapse, shame or the weight of your past, keep your eyes on Jesus. Repentance is not the end of your story. It is the beginning of freedom.

James Lasher, a seasoned writer and editor at Charisma Media, combines faith and storytelling with a background in journalism from Otterbein University and ministry experience in Guatemala and the LA Dream Center. A Marine Corps and Air Force veteran, he is the author of The Revelation of Jesus: A Common Man’s Commentary and a contributor to Charisma magazine. For interviews and media inquiries, please contact media@.

Reports circulating in secular media about U.S. military briefings referencing the Bible are revealing a striking moment in the national conversation about faith, war and prophecy.

A recent article from the British outlet The Mirror reported that some U.S. military commanders referenced biblical passages when discussing the ongoing conflict with Iran. According to the report, some noncommissioned officers claimed commanders spoke about events in the Middle East through the lens of Scripture, including references to the Book of Revelation and the concept of Armageddon.

The article placed heavy emphasis on complaints submitted to the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, reporting that more than 110 grievances were filed by troops across dozens of units and installations.

The numbers tell a different story when placed in proper context.

The U.S. armed forces consist of more than two million service members across active duty and reserve components. The complaints represent a tiny fraction of the total force.

At the same time, military recruitment numbers have surged under President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth after several years of historically low enlistment during the Biden administration. The renewed interest in service has followed a return to clear mission focus, patriotism and traditional values inside the armed forces.

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Scripture has long spoken about the geopolitical importance of the Middle East and the role of nations in events surrounding the end of the age. References to prophecy, Armageddon and the return of Jesus Christ are part of the biblical narrative that has existed for thousands of years.

What stands out in the current moment is that secular news outlets are now repeating that language in their own headlines and reporting.

The Mirror itself referenced phrases such as “Armageddon” and the “return of Jesus Christ” while describing the claims made by military personnel. Even while attempting to criticize the use of faith inside the military, the outlet ended up amplifying the very prophetic language found in the pages of Scripture.

The result is remarkable. Major media publications are now broadcasting biblical vocabulary to a global audience while covering events unfolding in the Middle East.

Headlines across the world are echoing concepts that Christians have read in the Bible for generations.

The moment serves as a powerful reminder that God remains active in human history and that His Word continues to shape how the world understands the times in which it lives.

James Lasher, a seasoned writer and editor at Charisma Media, combines faith and storytelling with a background in journalism from Otterbein University and ministry experience in Guatemala and the LA Dream Center. A Marine Corps and Air Force veteran, he is the author of The Revelation of Jesus: A Common Man’s Commentary and a contributor to Charisma magazine. For interviews and media inquiries, please contact media@.

As tensions rise between the United States, Israel and Iran, a newly circulated “doomsday map” is drawing attention for its chilling projection of what a large-scale nuclear strike on American soil could look like.

The Daily Mail reported that the US and Israel have launched “one of their most aggressive military operations in decades,” dramatically escalating tensions in the Middle East and raising fears of retaliation.

“To help visualize that threat,” the outlet wrote, “a newly circulated map models the potential devastation, showing how a large-scale nuclear attack could impact major population centers across the country.”

According to the analysis, “up to 250 million Americans, roughly 75 percent of the population, could be killed if key cities along the East Coast, West Coast, Midwest and South were targeted.”

The projection shows vast portions of California, most of the Eastern Seaboard and key Midwestern regions covered in severe radioactive fallout. Major metropolitan areas including New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Houston and Washington, DC, would likely be hit first.

“That is because losing such cities would cripple the US economy, leadership and workforce,” the report explained.

Survivors in affected areas would be forced to shelter in place for more than three weeks to avoid lethal radiation exposure. The map indicates only limited regions such as western Texas, parts of Nevada and areas of Michigan and Wisconsin would avoid immediate obliteration in the initial blast zones.

But even those areas may not remain safe. The report warns that “even those regions could become uninhabitable in the nuclear winter that scientists warn would follow a large-scale exchange.”

Military installations would also be prime targets. The article notes that “more than 100 military facilities would likely be prime targets,” including ICBM silos in Montana, Colorado, Wyoming and North Dakota, along with NORAD in Colorado and the Pentagon.

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John Erath, senior policy director for the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, told Newsweek, “Any nuclear war or weapons detonation would be bad for everyone. Nowhere is truly ‘safe’ from fallout and other consequences like contamination of food and water supplies and prolonged radiation exposure.”

While Iran does not currently possess nuclear weapons, the report emphasized that analysts warn escalation involving nuclear-capable states could have catastrophic global consequences.

The projections are sobering. The scenarios are serious. But fear is not the answer.

Scripture tells believers that God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power, love and a sound mind. The Bible lays out clearly how the end times unfold and reminds us that history is not spiraling out of control. It is moving toward a sovereign conclusion.

In uncertain times, the call is not panic but faith. Stay watchful. Stay prepared. And above all, stay joyful in the Lord.

James Lasher, a seasoned writer and editor at Charisma Media, combines faith and storytelling with a background in journalism from Otterbein University and ministry experience in Guatemala and the LA Dream Center. A Marine Corps and Air Force veteran, he is the author of The Revelation of Jesus: A Common Man’s Commentary and a contributor to Charisma magazine. For interviews and media inquiries, please contact media@.

A massive locust swarm that recently engulfed a highway in the Western Sahara Desert near Boujdour, Morocco is drawing comparisons to scenes straight out of the Book of Exodus.

On Feb. 24, drivers traveling through the desert were suddenly overtaken by what Fox Weather described as “a massive swarm of locusts engulfing the road.”

Video footage shows cars pushing through a thick cloud of insects, with “thousands of them hurling themselves against passing cars and sometimes even obstructing the view.”

Drivers in the Sahara plowed through massive swarms of locusts, with insects covering the road and crashing against vehicles near Boujdour. 🦗

— AccuWeather (@accuweather) February 26, 2026

The scene looked less like a routine weather event and more like something ancient and apocalyptic.

Reports indicate that the swarm did not remain confined to the desert. Some of the insects were reportedly blown by wind toward the Spanish islands, including Lanzarote and Tenerife. Officials there stressed that the locusts “don’t yet pose a direct threat to the public,” but acknowledged the potential for “serious agricultural damage.”

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has issued several critical updates in early 2026 regarding the growing desert locust outbreak, underscoring the seriousness of the situation.

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According to the FAO, even a relatively small portion of a swarm is staggering in scale. “Just a single square-kilometer of a swarm of desert locusts can contain up to 80 million adults, with the capacity to consume the same amount of food in one day as 35,000 people,” the agency said.

That level of consumption can devastate farmland in a matter of hours. As vegetation is stripped away, the consequences ripple outward, leading to economic impacts and environmental damage. Crops disappear. Livestock lose grazing land. Communities that depend on agriculture face uncertainty.

Compounding the threat is the insects’ rapid reproduction. Females lay eggs quickly, allowing populations to expand at an alarming rate if conditions are favorable.

The FAO, which has extensive experience tracking desert locust populations, continues to support countries in managing what it calls a “destructive agricultural pest.” But the images coming out of Western Sahara are a sobering reminder of how quickly nature can overwhelm modern infrastructure.

For drivers caught in the swarm, it was a startling and surreal moment. For farmers and officials watching the outbreak spread, it is a warning that the destructive power of locusts is not merely a story from Scripture, but a present-day reality with the potential to reshape entire regions.

James Lasher, a seasoned writer and editor at Charisma Media, combines faith and storytelling with a background in journalism from Otterbein University and ministry experience in Guatemala and the LA Dream Center. A Marine Corps and Air Force veteran, he is the author of The Revelation of Jesus: A Common Man’s Commentary and a contributor to Charisma magazine. For interviews and media inquiries, please contact media@.

As unrest ripples across the Middle East following the death of Iran’s Ayatollah Khamenei, Pastor Greg Laurie is urging believers to see more than political upheaval. He says this is a moment to watch, to pray and to remember that Christ is coming.

In a recent message, Laurie said the Ayatollah’s death has sent “shock waves throughout the Middle East and indeed around the world.” Yet inside Iran, many are celebrating.

“Many of them are literally dancing in the streets and celebrating because the hope is that there will be a new day in the great nation of Iran,” he said.

A Church Growing Under Pressure

Laurie noted that while the regime has cracked down on protesters and persecuted Christians, the church continues to grow.

“Some estimates say there are as many as 1 million Christians in Iran today,” he said, expressing hope that the number will increase.

He called on believers to pray not only for political change but for spiritual awakening. “Yes, we want to see a revolution, but more than a political revolution, we want to see a spiritual revolution, a Jesus revolution.”

Persia and Its Prophetic Past

Laurie reminded listeners that Iran was once known as Persia. “Don’t forget that the book of Esther unfolds in Persia,” he said, recounting how Esther intervened to save the Jewish people. He also pointed to Cyrus the Great in the book of Daniel, who helped the Jews return to Jerusalem.

“Persia has a rich history,” Laurie said.

That history, he added, connects to Bible prophecy. In Ezekiel 38, a northern power called Magog marches against Israel, and Persia is listed as an ally. While many associate Magog with modern-day Russia, Laurie cautioned against setting dates.

“When will that happen? We can’t really be sure,” he said. “But any turmoil in this part of the world should cause us to pay attention.”

Prophecy Is Meant to Prepare

Laurie quoted Jesus’ words: “When you see these things begin to happen, look up for your redemption is drawing near.”

“I know this can all be very frightening, but Bible prophecy is not given to scare us, but to prepare us,” he said.

As far as he can see, the next event on the prophetic calendar is the rapture of the church. Laurie described it as the moment believers are “caught up” to meet the Lord, noting the term comes from the Greek word harpazo.

After the rapture, he said, the Antichrist will emerge, followed by the seven-year tribulation, the battle of Armageddon, the second coming of Christ and the 1,000-year reign known as the Millennium.

Watching and Praying

“Jesus is coming,” Laurie said. “So let’s be watching and let’s be ready.”

He urged prayer for both Iran and Israel and asked believers to focus on the spread of the gospel.

Take comfort in knowing that God is at work and redemption is drawing near.

James Lasher, a seasoned writer and editor at Charisma Media, combines faith and storytelling with a background in journalism from Otterbein University and ministry experience in Guatemala and the LA Dream Center. A Marine Corps and Air Force veteran, he is the author of The Revelation of Jesus: A Common Man’s Commentary and a contributor to Charisma magazine. For interviews and media inquiries, please contact media@.

A new study reported by the Daily Mail claims that interbreeding between Neanderthals and modern humans was largely sex biased. According to the report, “the pairings were mostly between male Neanderthals and female homo sapiens.”

Researchers say these encounters occurred between 45,000 and 50,000 years ago. They examined genomes and found that in modern humans, Neanderthal DNA is “unusually rare on the X chromosome.” Scientists call the missing regions “Neanderthal deserts.”

“Along our X chromosomes, we have these missing swaths of Neanderthal DNA we call ‘Neanderthal deserts,’” Dr. Alexander Platt said.

For years, researchers claimed those gaps existed because certain Neanderthal genes were biologically “toxic” and removed by natural selection. Now they are shifting their explanation. “Mating preferences provided the simplest explanation,” Dr. Platt said. He added that interbreeding may have been sex biased “due to the right combination of being more attractive or simply less repulsive.”

Look carefully at what is being described.

Two distinct beings. Separate origins. A dramatic divergence. Then repeated encounters marked by unequal unions and selective breeding patterns. Researchers admit the data “do not give any insight into whose opinion mattered on the subject, or which of the parties were making the choices.” Another expert acknowledged, “We of course assume that mating was consensual,” but added that “a sad fact of the ancient world may suggest that this was far from the truth.”

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This is not a story about evolutionary romance. It is the modern scientific retelling of Genesis 6.

Scripture declares that the sons of God took wives from the daughters of men and that the result was the Nephilim. The earth became filled with violence and corruption. The Book of 1 Enoch and the Book of Giants expand on this account, describing fallen angels who transgressed divine boundaries and produced hybrid offspring that defiled humanity’s bloodline.

Today’s researchers use the language of genomes and chromosomes. The Bible uses the language of fallen angels and Nephilim. The vocabulary differs. The event does not.

The Daily Mail report also references additional research suggesting Neanderthals “likely engaged in kissing during their existence,” citing evidence of shared oral microbes and statistical modeling. Combined with the genetic data, scientists conclude there were multiple encounters and selective unions.

“We knew that there were at least several times when the two groups met and interbred,” Dr. Platt said. “What we’re learning now is that that process of interbreeding may have been selective, and that men and women did not participate in it in exactly the same way.”

Selective and repeated.

The scientific community insists that “roughly 600,000 years ago, the ancestors of anatomically modern humans and their closest related species, the Neanderthals, diverged.” That framework rests on evolutionary theory.

The biblical record presents a different foundation. Humanity was created in the image of God. Corruption entered through rebellion. The flood came as judgment upon a world that had crossed spiritual and biological boundaries.

What scientists call Neanderthal DNA is the physical residue of that rebellion. What they label “Neanderthal deserts” are genetic scars left behind after a catastrophic cleansing. The patterns they observe are not random evolutionary quirks. They are the lingering evidence of the Nephilim and the work of fallen angels in the pre-flood world.

The parallels are direct. Distinct beings. Hybrid offspring. Corrupted humanity. Judgment.

The laboratories are not uncovering a new chapter of human evolution. They are rediscovering the biblical account of the Nephilim, written not only in ancient texts but in the human genome itself.

James Lasher, a seasoned writer and editor at Charisma Media, combines faith and storytelling with a background in journalism from Otterbein University and ministry experience in Guatemala and the LA Dream Center. A Marine Corps and Air Force veteran, he is the author of The Revelation of Jesus: A Common Man’s Commentary and a contributor to Charisma magazine. For interviews and media inquiries, please contact media@.

The winds of war are blowing over Jerusalem.

That is how Pastor John Hagee opened his sermon as tensions escalate in the Middle East. He declared that what is unfolding between Israel and Iran is not just another conflict. It is prophecy moving forward.

“As we gather here this morning in peace and security, the winds of war are blowing over the ancient city of Jerusalem and the Middle East,” Hagee said.

He made it clear that this is a defining moment for Israel and for the United States.

Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem

Hagee turned to Psalm 122 and called on believers to obey the command of Scripture. “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. May they prosper who love you.”

He reminded the church that God blesses those who stand with Israel. “He that keepeth Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps,” he said.

Hagee thanked God for military victories over Israel’s enemies and for leaders who stand with the Jewish state. He described Iran as the head of a terror network that funds and directs violence through its proxies.

His message was direct. Peace will not come through appeasement. It comes through strength.

Peace Through Strength

“America must have peace through strength,” Hagee said.

He recounted decades of attacks tied to Iran, from the 1979 hostage crisis to the bombings in Beirut and the Oct. 7 massacre in Israel. He said weakness invites aggression. Strength restrains it.

Hagee praised decisive leadership and declared that courage, not compromise, preserves peace.

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God’s Operation Fury

The sermon’s central focus was biblical prophecy.

Hagee pointed to Ezekiel and described a future invasion of Israel led by Russia and joined by other nations. “God will put a hook in their jaw and drag them into Israel,” he said.

He outlined the biblical account of divine judgment. An earthquake will strike. Confusion will cause armies to turn on one another. Fire and brimstone will fall from heaven.

“The world will know that the God of Israel is God,” Hagee said.

He warned that Scripture declares God will curse those who curse Israel and defend His covenant people.

America Under Warning

Hagee broadened the message to the United States.

Quoting Haggai, he said, “I will shake all nations.” He declared that America is not exempt.

He pointed to national sin, abortion and moral decay. He quoted Psalm 33:12. “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.” He added, “All nations that forget God will be turned into hell.”

Hagee said 9/11 did not produce lasting repentance. He called for national confession and a return to righteousness.

The Power of Prayer

Hagee closed with a call to spiritual action.

He told the story of Daniel influencing empires through prayer and King Hezekiah watching God destroy 185,000 Assyrian soldiers in one night.

“One man knocked out 185,000 warriors. Why? Because one man dared to pray,” he said.

He quoted 2 Chronicles 7:14. “If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray, then will I hear from heaven and I will heal their land.”

Hagee’s final declaration was a charge to the church.

“The victory is going to be won in the supernatural,” he said. “Let God arise and let His enemies be scattered.”

To view Pastor John Hagee’s full sermon, click here.

James Lasher, a seasoned writer and editor at Charisma Media, combines faith and storytelling with a background in journalism from Otterbein University and ministry experience in Guatemala and the LA Dream Center. A Marine Corps and Air Force veteran, he is the author of The Revelation of Jesus: A Common Man’s Commentary and a contributor to Charisma magazine. For interviews and media inquiries, please contact media@.

About a third of practicing American Christians now say the spiritual advice they receive from artificial intelligence is just as trustworthy as advice from a pastor. That is not speculation. It is data.

According to new research from Barna Group, and reported by The Christian Post, 30% of U.S. adults “somewhat” or “strongly” agree that spiritual advice from AI “is as trustworthy as advice from a pastor.” Among Generation Z and millennials, that number rises to 39% and 40%, respectively. Even 34% of practicing Christians agree.

Researchers noted that AI is “influencing everyday spiritual habits.” Four in 10 Christians say AI has helped them with prayer, Bible study and spiritual growth. More than 41% of Protestant pastors report using AI for Bible study preparation.

Daniel Copeland, Barna’s vice president of research, said, “Though the majority of practicing Christians remain the most cautious about embracing AI as a spiritual tool, their views are shifting and remain largely uninformed by their pastor.” He added, “There’s a real opportunity here for pastors to disciple their congregants on how to use this technology in a beneficial way.”

The views of many believers are shifting quickly.

We are watching authority migrate. For centuries, spiritual counsel flowed from Scripture, prayer and shepherds entrusted with the care of souls. Now a growing number of believers are comfortable receiving guidance from algorithms.

Pastor Ray Miller of First Baptist Church in Abilene, Texas, warned against technology becoming “another type of idol pulling at our attention.” He said, “Often, people turn to AI because they do not have another human being or pastor or priest to turn to, and it becomes convenient.”

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Convenience reshapes habits. Habits reshape trust.

Scripture describes a coming global system in Revelation 13 in which economic participation is tied to a mark. Whatever form that future system takes, it will require normalization and widespread dependence on digital systems.

Control does not arrive overnight. Systems become useful before they become necessary. They become trusted before they are mandated.

This is not an argument that AI is the mark of the Beast. It is an observation about trajectory. When believers instinctively turn to machines for spiritual clarity, something deeper is forming.

Ray Miller described AI as part of “a technological revolution unseen in human history since the advent of the printing press.” He asked, “What does it mean to be human, to be made in God’s image in an age of digital AI?”

That question cannot be outsourced.

The church must respond not with fear but with formation. Believers must be discipled into Scripture, prayer and discernment that cannot be downloaded.

The mark of the Beast will begin with misplaced trust long before it appears as policy.

James Lasher, a seasoned writer and editor at Charisma Media, combines faith and storytelling with a background in journalism from Otterbein University and ministry experience in Guatemala and the LA Dream Center. A Marine Corps and Air Force veteran, he is the author of The Revelation of Jesus: A Common Man’s Commentary and a contributor to Charisma magazine. For interviews and media inquiries, please contact media@.

Spiritual warfare is not a fringe idea tucked away in obscure passages of Scripture. It is a present reality that plays out in pulpits, prayer meetings and sanctuaries every week. The Bible warns that the enemy disguises himself and seeks to infiltrate what God is building.

In an era when many churches avoid hard conversations about the supernatural, one pastor is sounding a direct and urgent alarm.

In a recent message, Pastor Vlad Savchuk of HungryGen Ministries did not soften his words. “The truth about witches in your church,” Savchuk began. “What if I told you not everyone who sits in the church is there to worship Jesus?” He made clear the goal is not paranoia or a “witch hunt in the body of Christ,” but the restoration of something he believes has been neglected. “We don’t wrestle against flesh and blood,” he said. “We do wrestle against spiritual powers.”

Savchuk outlined five warning signs of what he calls occultic influence operating inside churches. He repeatedly emphasized that these are patterns of behavior and fruit, not quick labels to assign to struggling believers.

1. Drawn to Power, Not God’s Presence

The first sign, Savchuk said, is a fixation on power rather than intimacy with God.

“They don’t love Jesus, they love power,” he said.

He described an obsession with manifestations but not with the fruit of the Spirit or transformation. Such individuals are “interested in codes and secrets, especially revelations, but they’re not interested in Scripture.” They seek influence and proximity to leaders and prayer teams.

Savchuk pointed to Simon the sorcerer in Acts 8 who “saw power and wanted to buy it.” He challenged viewers with a diagnostic question: “Does this person hunger for holiness or do they hunger for control and power?”

He clarified that Christians should desire God’s power, but said, “Our main hunger is for the presence.” When the pursuit of influence eclipses the pursuit of righteousness, he warned, that is a red flag.

2. Resist Repentance but Crave Platform

The second sign involves a refusal to repent combined with a strong desire for visibility and authority.

“When the word is preached, broken people repent,” Savchuk said. “Often occultic influence reacts to the word of God when it’s preached with irritation when conviction is present, offense when correction is given, anger when they are confronted and refusal to submit to leadership or any sort of accountability.”

He described a pattern where individuals “still want to be seen. They still want to lead and they still want access,” but resist correction.

“Witchcraft and the occult will never submit and they will never correct their behavior when they’re confronted, and repentance is not on the radar,” he said. “Control is, influence is and access is.”

Savchuk warned that authority without accountability is dangerous in any church environment.

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3. Operate Through Whispering and Division

Savchuk’s third sign centers on division sown through subtle conversation.

“Dark demonic influence loves to plant seeds,” he said. Those seeds often sound like, “Did you hear what the pastor said?” or “God showed me something about them,” and he noted, “It’s always destructive.”

Rather than confronting issues biblically, he said such individuals “will recruit emotionally.” They “don’t bring solutions. They always bring suspicions.”

Savchuk warned that if the enemy cannot stop a church with persecution, “he will seek to stop the church with division.” Whispering campaigns and emotional alliances can quietly fracture a congregation from within.

4. Attach to Spiritual Leaders and Intercessors

The fourth sign is an unusual desire for proximity to leadership and spiritually sensitive areas of the church.

Referencing Acts 16, Savchuk noted that the demonized girl “didn’t follow just any Christian. She followed Paul.” He described this as “close proximity.”

“Occultic influence comes to monitor what God is doing, gather information and intimidate sensitive people,” he said.

Such individuals may show heightened interest in “who is on the worship team, who is on the deliverance team, what the pastor is planning and who has the influence.” He warned that the motive is not love for the church but “they love leverage and they love that access.”

“Not everybody who says, ‘These are the servants of the Most High God,’ the source is God,” Savchuk said. Leaders must practice discernment even when the language sounds spiritual.

5. A Spiritual Cloud of Confusion or Heaviness

The fifth sign is more atmospheric but no less serious.

“There is usually a spiritual cloud around this person,” Savchuk said, describing confusion, heaviness and intimidation.

“When occultic influence is near, you will notice sudden mental fog during worship or around that person,” he said. He also described “heaviness and distraction around the time when it’s a time to go to the altar” and fear that seems to paralyze the room.

He cautioned that “not every strange moment is a witch. Not every manifestation is demonic.” However, he drew a firm line: “Things that constantly induce confusion, fear, control and distractions from Christ, that is a red flag because the Holy Spirit exalts Jesus. He doesn’t distract us from Jesus.”

Savchuk urged churches not to panic or accuse recklessly. “If you start labeling people witch without evidence, you actually become a weapon in the hands of the enemy,” he said. Discernment, he added, is patient and rooted in love. Confrontation should involve leadership, documentation of patterns and a goal of repentance and deliverance, not humiliation.

This is not light subject matter. Scripture repeatedly warns that darkness attempts to infiltrate what God is building. Savchuk’s message is a reminder that spiritual warfare is not theoretical. It is active. Churches that neglect discernment risk becoming vulnerable to manipulation and division. But congregations grounded in prayer, holiness and the Word of God need not fear.

As Savchuk put it, when the church is full of God’s presence, “witchcraft will try, but it cannot dominate the atmosphere.”

James Lasher, a seasoned writer and editor at Charisma Media, combines faith and storytelling with a background in journalism from Otterbein University and ministry experience in Guatemala and the LA Dream Center. A Marine Corps and Air Force veteran, he is the author of The Revelation of Jesus: A Common Man’s Commentary and a contributor to Charisma magazine. For interviews and media inquiries, please contact media@.

An Iranian missile warhead fell less than a kilometer from Jerusalem’s most sacred ground over the weekend, landing just meters outside the Old City in what authorities described as a narrowly avoided catastrophe. Police confirmed the discovery of the warhead and additional explosive materials at a site dangerously close to the Western Wall and the Temple Mount.

The incident unfolded early Saturday morning, as reported by The Times of Israel, when “an explosion was heard and smoke was seen rising from a site just west of the Old City,” shortly after the latest armed conflict with Iran began. The apparent impact site was the Sultan’s Pool outdoor events venue, located just dozens of meters from the Old City walls and under a kilometer from the Temple Mount.

Police and sappers searched the area and located the warhead from what they described as an Iranian ballistic missile, along with “incendiary and explosive materials” scattered nearby. The warhead was later neutralized by sappers from the police’s Jerusalem District.

Video footage released by police suggested the missile may not have struck the site directly, but could have first been intercepted by Israel’s missile defense systems, with fragments falling to the ground. Authorities did not elaborate further on the nature of the impact.

The proximity to Jerusalem’s most revered holy sites heightened the gravity of the event. The Old City is home to the Western Wall and the Temple Mount, the holiest sites in Judaism, as well as the al Aqsa Mosque and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.

Jerusalem District Police Commander Dvir Tamir underscored the danger in a statement. “Yesterday, we received further proof that from the enemy’s perspective, all targets are legitimate, and if that warhead had deviated by a few hundred meters, it is very possible that a very serious hit would have occurred, especially if one of the holy places had been hit while it was full of worshipers and visitors,” he said.

A direct strike on the Temple Mount would set the world on fire. The Mount stands at the center of biblical prophecy and functions as the centerpiece of God’s prophetic time clock. Any significant damage to that site would not remain a local conflict. It would reverberate across nations, religions and governments.

Such a strike could fundamentally alter the status quo surrounding the Mount. In the aftermath of devastation, calls to assert greater control over the site or to advance preparations for Temple restoration would intensify. The Mount has long stood at the crossroads of faith, politics and prophecy. A missile impact there would accelerate already volatile dynamics and could trigger global unrest.

Scripture warns repeatedly about deception and about the schemes of the devil in the last days. When events unfold around Jerusalem with such precision and proximity to its holiest ground, discernment is essential. This is not a moment for spiritual complacency.

The warhead that fell near the Old City serves as a stark reminder of how close the region stands to a flashpoint that could transform history overnight. Whether intercepted or deflected, its fragments landed within sight of the stones that have carried the prayers of generations.

This is a season that demands watchfulness. The times require clarity, conviction and a firm understanding of what Scripture says about the days in which we live.

James Lasher, a seasoned writer and editor at Charisma Media, combines faith and storytelling with a background in journalism from Otterbein University and ministry experience in Guatemala and the LA Dream Center. A Marine Corps and Air Force veteran, he is the author of The Revelation of Jesus: A Common Man’s Commentary and a contributor to Charisma magazine. For interviews and media inquiries, please contact media@.