For thousands of years, Damascus has stood as one of the oldest cities on earth, its fate tied to Israel and biblical prophecy. In modern times it has become a center of war, politics and spiritual tension. Recent developments there, according to Pastor James Kaddis, could mark the start of a major prophetic turning point.

Breaking News. Spirit-Filled Stories. Subscribe to Charisma on YouTube now!

Pastor Kaddis said the latest political shift in Syria may carry deep prophetic and geopolitical consequences.

What’s Happening in Syria

According to Kaddis, major changes are taking place inside Syria that could reshape the region’s balance of power:

• New leadership with terrorist ties: Syria’s new parliament is led by Ahmed al-Shara, also known as Julani, the former al-Qaeda commander now ruling through the group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham.
• A controlled election: The recent vote was tightly managed, excluding most citizens and ensuring control by Sunni Muslim males. Only six women were chosen out of 119 lawmakers while Christians, Kurds, Alawites and Druze were almost entirely removed from representation.
• Silencing of minorities: Authorities canceled voting in Druze and Kurdish regions under “security” claims, erasing those communities from political influence.
• Atrocities and persecution: Reports from Reuters and the Associated Press describe mass killings of Alawite and Druze civilians by Julani’s forces. Kaddis said these acts are “hardwiring hatred into their law,” paving the way for greater persecution against Christians and those who support Israel.
• Foreign influence rising: With Bashar al-Assad gone, power has shifted toward Turkey and Russia, increasing instability along the borders of Israel, Lebanon, Iraq and Turkey.

Order Jonathan Cahn’s Newest Book, “The Avatar” on !

Prophetic Implications

Kaddis believes these developments match a pattern described in Scripture, especially in Isaiah and Ezekiel.

“The world just saw something happen in Damascus that will affect the future of the entire region,” Kaddis said. “It’s impossible to ignore. This could be the start of a very prophetic chapter in world history.”

He warned that Syria’s transformation into a state legitimizing terrorism connects to Ezekiel 38’s prophecy of a northern coalition attacking Israel. “We know what’s going to happen when Russia leads a conglomerate of nations against Israel,” Kaddis said. “They will come from the north, and Syria will become the staging ground for it.”

Get your FREE CHARISMA NEWSLETTERS today! Stay up-to-date with current issues, Holy Spirit news, Christian teachings, Charisma videos & more!

He also noted Turkey’s growing ambitions under President Erdogan. “This is another power play by the international community that will benefit Turkey at the expense of Israel,” he said. “The world has changed, and these alliances are forming quickly.”

While the complete destruction of Damascus foretold in Isaiah 17 has not yet occurred, Kaddis said current events show “the prophetic pattern beginning to form.”

A Call to Discernment

Kaddis urged believers to stay spiritually awake and rooted in Scripture. “We need to be on alert,” he said. “You can’t control what’s happening in Syria or Israel, but you can engage in the spiritual war that’s unfolding. Christ could come at any moment, and it’s time to wake up.”

Join Charisma Magazine Online to follow everything the Holy Spirit is doing around the world!

As the Middle East shifts once again, Kaddis said biblical literacy and discernment are essential for understanding the times and preparing for what comes next.

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.

Few things reveal a person’s heart like how they see Jesus. For centuries, His words have shaped lives and nations. Yet today, even His identity is being redefined. Some voices online and in academic circles now argue that Jesus was not Jewish but Palestinian, reshaping history to fit modern narratives. It might sound like a small detail, but it strikes at the very core of who He is and why He came.

When Jesus’ true heritage is blurred, the Gospel itself begins to lose context. His birth, His fulfillment of prophecy and His connection to God’s covenant with Israel are not side notes in Scripture but the foundation of the story of redemption. To change His identity is to change the story.

Breaking News. Spirit-Filled Stories. Subscribe to Charisma on YouTube now!

In a recent episode of the Curt Landry Podcast, Rabbi Curt Landry unpacked why Jesus’ Jewish identity is not just historically accurate but spiritually essential. He outlined several reasons this truth matters and why it is being challenged so strongly today.

1. History Confirms Jesus Was Jewish, Not Palestinian

The claim that Jesus was Palestinian ignores historical fact. The Roman Emperor Hadrian did not rename the region “Palestine” until 135 A.D., about a hundred years after Jesus’ birth. Bethlehem, His birthplace, was part of Judea, a territory belonging to Israel’s tribes. To call Him Palestinian is to rewrite history and disconnect Him from His own people and covenant.

2. His Identity Fulfills Prophecy

Jesus’ lineage traces back to King David, fulfilling the prophecies of the Messiah in the Hebrew Scriptures. Recognizing His Jewish identity confirms that God’s promises to Israel were real and kept. Without this connection, Christianity loses its roots in God’s covenant faithfulness.

3. Denying His Heritage Fuels Replacement Theology

Many of the modern attempts to redefine Jesus’ background grow out of replacement theology, the belief that the Church has replaced Israel in God’s plan. Landry explained that this teaching undermines Israel’s biblical role and distorts the very nature of Jesus’ mission. When His Jewishness is erased, the Gospel is turned into a cultural idea instead of a covenant reality.

4. Understanding His Identity Brings Unity Not Division

Recognizing Jesus’ Jewish identity does not separate people but unites them. Landry described how his ministry works with Jews, Arabs, Druze and Bedouins across Israel to provide humanitarian aid. God’s love reaches everyone, but His promises remain connected to His chosen people. Honoring that truth allows believers from every background to walk together in humility and faith.

5. God Loves All People but Keeps His Promises

The descendants of Ishmael, the Arab peoples, are blessed, but the covenant God made with Abraham continued through Isaac. This is not about favoritism but faithfulness. God does not break His word. Landry said this truth should deepen respect between Jews and Arabs, reminding believers that God’s love and justice coexist.

6. The Attack on Truth Is Spiritual

The battle over Jesus’ identity is not just political or academic. It is spiritual. Landry noted that people often find it easier to believe a comforting falsehood than a challenging truth. But truth carries power because it exposes lies, heals division and brings freedom. That is why the identity of Jesus has become a target. If His truth is erased, the power of His message weakens in the minds of those who follow Him.

Get your FREE CHARISMA NEWSLETTERS today! Stay up-to-date with current issues, Holy Spirit news, Christian teachings, Charisma videos & more!

7. Knowing Who He Is Changes How We See Others

When believers see Jesus for who He truly is, the Jewish Messiah who came to redeem all nations, it changes how they see people. Jesus summed up all of Scripture in two commands: love God and love your neighbor. Seeing Him rightly helps us love. Prejudice fades when faith is rooted in truth.

8. The Church Must Stay Grounded in Scripture

False narratives about Jesus’ identity are finding their way into classrooms, seminaries and even some churches. Landry warned that believers must remain anchored in Scripture and historical fact rather than follow cultural trends or political agendas. The Church’s strength depends on its ability to stay rooted in what is true.

9. A Unified Church Reflects a Unified Messiah

Landry concluded by calling for reconciliation among believers. God is creating “one new humanity” made up of Jews and Gentiles walking together as one body in Christ. Remembering that salvation came through Israel keeps the Church humble and grateful. Jesus’ Jewish identity reminds us that God’s plan from the beginning was unity through His Son, not division among His people.

Join Charisma Magazine Online to follow everything the Holy Spirit is doing around the world!

The Bottom Line

The question of Jesus’ identity is not a matter of labels or politics. It is about truth. Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, descended from King David, fully Jewish and fully divine. To know Him is to understand the God who keeps His promises. His identity is not up for revision, and in a time of confusion, that truth still sets people free.

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.

Christian researcher and filmmaker L.A. Marzulli says the growing wave of government and media revelations about UFOs or UAPs is more than just science fiction. He believes it is a prophetic setup for global deception.

Breaking News. Spirit-Filled Stories. Subscribe to Charisma on YouTube now!

“UFOs are real, burgeoning and not going away,” Marzulli said in a recent video. “Disclosure is happening, folks, and people need to be aware of it.”

Tucker Carlson and the First Rung of Disclosure

Marzulli traces the start of mainstream UFO discussion to Tucker Carlson’s 2017 interview with former Navy pilot Commander David Fravor, who described a “tic-tac-shaped object” moving 50 miles in two seconds. Carlson, who often dismisses UFO topics publicly, surprised many when he aired the interview.

“Tucker stated on the record, well, he doesn’t really talk about UFOs or UAPs,” Marzulli said, noting the contradiction. “But he did. That interview with Commander David Fravor was the first rung on the ladder of disclosure.”

Marzulli said Fravor’s response to Carlson stunned him. “When Tucker asked, ‘In your opinion, what was this object?’ Fravor looked right at the camera and said ‘Whatever this was was not from this Earth.’ I about fell out of my chair.”

Government Whistleblowers and Nonhuman Biologics

Marzulli said disclosure has moved far beyond speculation. He pointed to testimony from former intelligence officer David Grusch before Congress as the “16th rung” on his ladder.

“Not only do we have crash craft,” Marzulli said. “But we have nonhuman biologics that were retrieved from the crash site. Folks, I’m not making this stuff up. Congress is talking about it, and we are up to rung number 23.”

The Coming Great Deception

Marzulli believes the revelations are paving the way for a spiritual deception foretold in Scripture. “You have the so-called extraterrestrial presence showing up with mile-wide craft over the cities of the world,” he warned. “That’s a game changer. That’s the coming great deception in my opinion.”

Get your FREE CHARISMA NEWSLETTERS today! Stay up-to-date with current issues, Holy Spirit news, Christian teachings, Charisma videos & more!

He said the roots of the deception lie in the worldview of evolution. “It all hinges on Darwinism because no one knows our origins,” he said. “The biblical prophetic narrative states that in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God. All things were made by Him. That’s Jesus.”

Marzulli contrasted that with secular scientists and New Age thinkers. “The Darwinists are looking for our progenitors, our creators. They’re looking out there,” he said. “This is why it is the coming great deception. It’s not Marian apparitions. It’s not anything else. This is what’s manifesting. This is what the powers that be are talking about, including your Congress.”

A Warning for the Church

Marzulli urged Christians to remain spiritually alert as the conversation intensifies. “It’s happening. It’s being revealed,” he said. “At some point, there’s going to be a nuclear event, and it creates the greatest climate of fear humanity has ever experienced collectively. That’s when they show up. That’s conjecture in my opinion, but that’s what I truly believe.”

Join Charisma Magazine Online to follow everything the Holy Spirit is doing around the world!

He said his ministry continues to monitor every step. “We are, as far as I know, the only Christian ministry who really keeps an eye on this and informs you when there’s another rung because we’re watching,” Marzulli said. “Now is the time to understand that the dragon has been planning this for hundreds of years, if not longer.”

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.

New Age spirituality is not harmless self-help in church clothes. Steven Bancarz warns that its most dangerous elements hide in plain sight, packaged as wellness, peace and light that “looks good to Christians.”

“Satan wants to keep his identity concealed,” Bancarz said. “The point of coming as an angel of light is that an angel of light looks good to Christians.”

Breaking News. Spirit-Filled Stories. Subscribe to Charisma on YouTube now!

Bancarz’s credibility comes from hard experience. Raised in a Christian home, he became a prominent New Age teacher with a viral platform and significant income before a public conversion to Christ. He says his life then was marked by bondage and deception despite frequent “mystical” experiences. “It’s not everything that it promises. It cost me everything,” he said.

Today Bancarz urges churches to recognize how counterfeit spirituality slips past our defenses. He cites 2 Corinthians 11 and says false peace and false light often mimic the work of the Holy Spirit.

Encounters with Jesus, he says, are “so self-authenticating” that they remove doubt and produce the ongoing inner witness of the Spirit. By contrast, New Age practices offer episodic experiences without submission to Christ or Scripture.

Bancarz’s specific warnings for Christians include subtle entry points that often get a pass because they are marketed as healthy or “spiritual” but not religious. He cautions believers to test practices and language against the Bible and the character of God.

Subtle entry points Bancarz says Christians should watch for:

• Contemplative methods built on a mantra rather than focusing on Christ and Scripture. “You’re kind of just trying to manipulate your own consciousness to self-induce a state of internal bliss and peace,” he said.
• Law of Attraction and “manifestation” that claim your words and thoughts create reality sometimes dressed in pseudo-quantum talk. “Why don’t we just pray to Jesus Christ and trust in His sovereignty instead of trying to manipulate things like a sorcerer would,” Bancarz said.
• Yoga presented as neutral stretching. He argues it is “intrinsically spiritual” and not just exercise.
• Wellness and detox culture that bundles “mind-body-spirit” services, energy healing and guided meditation under a health label.
• Media and children’s content that normalize sorcery symbols and soft-occult ideas. “It’s the more subtle deception that allows Satan to get a foothold in our life,” he said.

Order Jenny Weaver’s New Book, “The Wicked World of Witchcraft” on !

Bancarz says the church’s best defense is a renewed mind and practiced discernment in a healthy local body. “We have to know our Word,” he said, calling biblical illiteracy a growing problem. He also urges believers to develop intimacy with God through prayer, fasting and obedience. “By constant practice we discern good from evil,” he said, pointing to Hebrews 5 and the gift of discerning spirits. Community accountability matters too. “It’s harder to lead a sheep astray if that sheep is with a flock,” he said.

He identifies a second danger in how New Age communities recruit. They offer acceptance, love, community and inner healing “without any moral accountability to God.” The appeal, he said, is powerful because it promises spiritual experiences while removing submission to Christ. “The most deceptive forms of Satan’s tactics are the ones that are going to imitate the attributes of God and the gifts of God,” he said.

Get your FREE CHARISMA NEWSLETTERS today! Stay up-to-date with current issues, Holy Spirit news, Christian teachings, Charisma videos & more!

Bancarz remains a continuationist who affirms the gifts of the Spirit but insists every experience must be anchored in Scripture. “Don’t grieve the Spirit by despising prophecy,” he said while urging believers “not to go above and beyond what is written.”

The stakes, he argues, are pastoral and eternal. New Age ideas do not just sit at the cultural fringe. They seep into classes, feeds and therapy rooms where Christians least expect them. “He’s going to be very sly and very conniving,” Bancarz said of the enemy.

Join Charisma Magazine Online to follow everything the Holy Spirit is doing around the world!

Cling to Christ, test the spirits and keep your Bible open. The New Age promises light and freedom but its counterfeit paths lead to confusion and bondage.

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.

When Robert F. Kennedy Jr. spoke at the “Defeat the Mandates” rally on Jan. 23, 2022, in Washington, D.C., his warnings sounded like the words of a man deeply concerned about liberty. Nearly four years later, they sound like a roadmap for the world we now see forming around us.

RFK Jr: Within five years, satellites belonging to Bill Gates "will be able to look at every square inch of the planet 24 hours a day."

"They're putting in 5G to harvest our data and control our behavior. Digital currency that will allow them to punish us from a distance and cut…

— Red Pill Dispenser (@redpilldispensr) October 22, 2025

Breaking News. Spirit-Filled Stories. Subscribe to Charisma on YouTube now!

“They are putting in place all of these technological mechanisms for control we’ve never seen before,” Kennedy said. “It’s been the ambition of every totalitarian state from the beginning of mankind to control every aspect of behavior, of conduct, of thought, and to obliterate dissent.”

He continued, “The mechanisms being put in place will make it so none of us can run and none of us can hide. Within five years, we’re gonna see 415,000 low-orbit satellites. Bill Gates says his 65,000 satellites alone will be able to look at every square inch of the planet 24 hours a day. They are putting in 5G to harvest our data and control our behavior. Digital currency that would allow them to punish us from a distance and cut off our food supply. Vaccine passports. You have a series of rights. As flawed as our government is, you can still go out and go to a bar, you could go to a sporting event, you can get on a bus or an airplane and you can travel. You have certain freedom, you could get educated, etc., the minute they hand you that vaccine passport, every right that you have is transformed into a privilege contingent upon your obedience to arbitrary government dictates. It will make you a slave.”

Order James Lasher’s New Book, “The Revelation of Jesus” on !

Every part of that speech is aging like prophecy. The infrastructure for total control—digital surveillance, programmable money, and traceable movement—is being woven quietly into daily life. The world is being remade into a system where freedom is conditional and obedience is rewarded. The warning that rights would be “transformed into a privilege contingent upon obedience” has become the reality of modern governance.

Control of the food chain has always been central to control of the people.

Just this week, CNBC reported on the renewed surge in Beyond Meat stock after it was added to a meme-stock ETF. While the financial press celebrated the rebound as a trading phenomenon, the underlying shift is far more consequential. The world’s most powerful institutions are driving humanity toward synthetic, lab-based food sources—replacing what comes from creation with what can be patented, programmed, and controlled.

Get your FREE CHARISMA NEWSLETTERS today! Stay up-to-date with current issues, Holy Spirit news, Christian teachings, Charisma videos & more!

This is not about nutrition or environmental care. It’s about dependency. Whoever controls the supply of food controls the survival of nations. Synthetic food is not grown—it’s manufactured. And manufactured products can be regulated, rationed and restricted with the flip of a switch.

The same digital systems being installed to track money, movement and speech are now being integrated into the global food economy. Satellite surveillance monitors agriculture, artificial intelligence predicts consumption, and climate policy is used to justify limiting production. The goal is not sustainability; it is subjugation.

Join Charisma Magazine Online to follow everything the Holy Spirit is doing around the world!

Kennedy’s words, “It will make you a slave,” were not hyperbole. They were a description of what happens when humanity trades creation for control and freedom for convenience. The mechanisms he described are no longer being built—they’re already operational. The world is quietly submitting to a system that promises safety while tightening the noose of dependence.

We were warned. And if his words were true then, they are urgent now.

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.

There was a time when the Word of God was sacred and untouchable. Today, it’s being rewritten, distorted and marketed to children as a tool for indoctrination. What’s emerging isn’t faith—it’s propaganda dressed in Scripture. “Progressive” publishers are twisting the Bible to fit the culture instead of calling the culture to repentance.

Breaking News. Spirit-Filled Stories. Subscribe to Charisma on YouTube now!

As reported by Fox News, new “children’s storybook Bibles” are being released for “progressive Christians who are turned off by traditional presentations of Scripture.” These books emphasize “diversity, inclusion and social justice,” reshaping the Gospel into something it was never meant to be. “The Just Love Story Bible,” written by Rev. Jacqui Lewis and Rev. Shannon Daley-Harris, claims to teach “a theology of love and justice that we don’t have to unlearn.” That phrase alone reveals their agenda—to replace biblical truth with man-made ideology.

The authors admit they want children to “ask questions and challenge traditional beliefs about God, Jesus, and the biblical narrative.” When discussing the resurrection, Lewis said, “For me, it matters more that children know that love never dies.” That’s not Christianity—it’s heresy disguised as kindness. Daley-Harris added that kids should be told “some of these stories are made-up,” effectively undermining the authority of Scripture from the start.

Order Jonathan Cahn’s Newest Book, “The Avatar” on !

Lewis even bragged that the book portrays Jesus as a “feminist” and eliminates “patriarchy” from the Bible. Beaming Books, the publisher, calls it “an antidote to Christian white supremacy.” To call the Gospel oppressive is not liberation—it’s blasphemy. The Word of God doesn’t need rewriting to satisfy cultural trends. It stands eternal, unchanging and holy.

The corruption doesn’t end there. Fox News also reported that Hodder Faith released a devotional by “the first openly transgender man ordained to the Old Catholic priesthood,” and another devotional removed words like “mother” and “father” to promote “gender diversity.”

Get your FREE CHARISMA NEWSLETTERS today! Stay up-to-date with current issues, Holy Spirit news, Christian teachings, Charisma videos & more!

This is what end-times apostasy looks like. Scripture warned that people would “turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.” That prophecy is unfolding before our eyes. When Christ is reduced to a political symbol and the Bible to a social experiment, the faith itself is under attack.

Join Charisma Magazine Online to follow everything the Holy Spirit is doing around the world!

This is not Christianity. It’s rebellion dressed in religious language. The truth doesn’t need revision—it needs restoration. And every believer must have the courage to call this movement what it is: evil masquerading as enlightenment.

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.

Revivalist Isaiah Saldivar is sounding the alarm on what he calls one of the most deceptive spiritual tools creeping into the church—the Enneagram. In a recent video, Saldivar questioned whether Christians should be using it at all, calling it “demonic” and “completely opposed to the biblical worldview.”

Breaking News. Spirit-Filled Stories. Subscribe to Charisma on YouTube now!

“The Enneagram is a system of personality typing that describes patterns of how people interpret the world and manage their emotions,” Saldivar explained. “It basically describes nine personality types. You’ve heard like you’re a seven, you’re a three, you’re a one.” While the personality chart may seem harmless, he says its deeper roots tell a much darker story.

The Origin Matters

“The devil does not care about your intentions,” Saldivar warned. “You might say, ‘I have innocent intentions doing the Enneagram test,’ but like many people doing Ouija boards, they have innocent intentions. Intentions don’t matter. They could still be an open door.”

Tracing the history of the system, he pointed out its earliest connection to Russian occultist P. D. Ouspensky and his teacher George Gurdjieff, who viewed it as a symbol of the cosmos rather than a psychological tool. The modern Enneagram, Saldivar noted, was later shaped by occultist Óscar Ichazo, who “claimed to have discovered the personality type meaning of the Enneagram when it was taught to him by the archangel Metatron while he was high on mescaline.”

“That’s how he got it,” Saldivar said. “That’s how he got this revelation—from an archangel, a demonic spirit, while he was high.”

Order Isaiah Saldivar’s Book, “How to Cast Out Demons” on !

From the Occult to the Church

According to Saldivar, the Enneagram spread from occult circles into Catholic mysticism and later into mainstream Christianity. “It’s important to note that most Enneagram books can be found in the New Age section,” he said. “There’s other books that have tried to tie Christianity into the New Age movement. It’s a false spirit, guys.”

He pointed specifically to The Sacred Enneagram, a popular book often sold in Christian categories, quoting passages that describe the Enneagram as:

• “A pathway to God.”
• “A sacred map to our soul.”
• “An alive force that finds you.”
• “A tool for reclaiming your true identity.”

“Guys, that sounds demonic,” Saldivar said after reading the excerpts. “That does not sound like a personality type.”

A False Gospel of Self

Saldivar argued that the Enneagram replaces biblical truth with human-centered spirituality. “The Enneagram forces us to wake up,” one passage from the book reads. “It’s a sacred experience and a map to your soul.” Saldivar rejected that message outright: “That’s enough for me, guys, to say let’s stay far away from it.”

He said the Enneagram’s message directly contradicts the heart of the gospel. “Christ is how you find your way home. Christ is the door, not the Enneagram,” he said.

To illustrate the contrast, Saldivar drew a clear line between what the Bible teaches and what the Enneagram promotes:

“This goes against the biblical worldview of Jesus,” Saldivar said. “It goes against the biblical worldview of salvation. It goes against the biblical worldview of dying to self. Instead, it tells you to find yourself. It’s demonic.”

A Warning to the Church

Saldivar cautioned believers not to be deceived just because the Enneagram has been dressed in Christian language. “If you follow preachers that quote this, that get involved in this, they’re probably ignorant,” he said. “I would stop following them. I would stay far away from the Enneagram because of its occult roots, because of the quotes from the book that go directly against the Bible.”

Get your FREE CHARISMA NEWSLETTERS today! Stay up-to-date with current issues, Holy Spirit news, Christian teachings, Charisma videos & more!

He reminded his audience of 1 Thessalonians 5:21—“test the spirits, test everything and hold fast what is good.” The problem, Saldivar argued, is that many Christians see the Enneagram as a harmless alternative to horoscopes, not realizing both have the same spiritual roots.

The Final Word

“The devil comes as an angel of light,” Saldivar concluded. “He comes innocent.” He urged believers to reject the Enneagram and any tool that replaces God with self-knowledge. “Stay away from these tests. They sound innocent. You might think, ‘I’m just a type three, I’m a type seven,’ but if you look at the origins, this is an open door to unclean spirits.”

Join Charisma Magazine Online to follow everything the Holy Spirit is doing around the world!

For Saldivar, the choice is a simple one: “The Enneagram connects you to other sources—demonic spirits. Christ is the only source you need.”

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.

Michael Knowles strongly criticized Canada’s MAID program, calling it a moral disaster that treats human life like a commodity.

In a recent segment of The Michael Knowles Show, he reacted to a National Post story. The story was about an American man receiving a heart from a 38-year-old Canadian ALS patient who ended his life through assisted suicide. This example, Knowles argued, illustrates the unintended consequences of MAID. “Hey, suicide is bad and we shouldn’t open up markets in the organs of the people we’ve encouraged through the law to kill themselves in other countries,” Knowles said.

Breaking News. Spirit-Filled Stories. Subscribe to Charisma on YouTube now!

Knowles argued that assisted suicide breaks the Hippocratic Oath and the biblical command to preserve life. “Assisted suicide kills people. It violates the Hippocratic Oath.” He cited Scripture: “The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away” (Job 1:21), to show life belongs to God.

Order Jonathan Cahn’s Newest Book, “The Avatar” on !

Knowles warned that the MAID program was initially intended for the terminally ill. He said it has expanded to “adults with depression … then it’s teenagers … then it’s the mentally handicapped.” He said this decline was inevitable once killing was accepted as a form of compassion.

Knowles said, “If we eliminate suffering, we end up eliminating life.” He argued that suffering is an inevitable part of life, which builds perseverance and hope.

Get your FREE CHARISMA NEWSLETTERS today! Stay up-to-date with current issues, Holy Spirit news, Christian teachings, Charisma videos & more!

He also condemned the growing practice of harvesting organs from euthanized patients. Knowles noted a direct link between euthanasia and organ harvesting. He said, “The harvesting of the organs is what literally kills the person.” The Bible teaches that humans are made in God’s image (Gen. 1:27), not resources to be harvested.

Knowles rejected self-ownership, saying, “Liberalism says we own ourselves. That’s not true at all,” and denied that autonomy justifies suicide.

Join Charisma Magazine Online to follow everything the Holy Spirit is doing around the world!

Knowles’ warning spotlights a core moral crisis. Making life negotiable erodes every protective boundary for the vulnerable. He urges turning back to the biblical truth that life’s sacred worth comes not from convenience or comfort, but from being created and sustained by God.

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.

The technological future, once heralded as liberating, is revealing itself as a system of control. Recent developments—OpenAI’s ChatGPT Atlas, an AI browser tracking users online, and Amazon’s plan to automate hundreds of thousands of jobs—are not isolated events. They signal a new phase: AI now embeds opaque, pervasive systems of oversight into every aspect of society.

AI shapes daily life. From browsing and communicating to decisions on hiring and firing, it influences both human progress and dependence.

Breaking News. Spirit-Filled Stories. Subscribe to Charisma on YouTube now!

The Digital Web Tightens

OpenAI describes Atlas as a “super-assistant” that learns from a user’s world, recalls past conversations, and performs tasks autonomously. It can remember where users shop, what they read, and what they study, deepening the feedback loop between human behavior and machine learning.

At the same time, Amazon’s growing robotic workforce hints at a world where productivity no longer requires people. While the company denies plans for mass layoffs, internal documents cited by The New York Times suggest automation will replace hundreds of thousands of jobs within the next decade. When combined, these shifts represent more than technological evolution—they are economic and social re-engineering on a global scale.

The Rise of Dependence

The timing of these changes is no accident. As automation consumes more jobs, governments and economists have begun to float the idea of Universal Basic Income (UBI)—a system that promises to replace lost wages with guaranteed government payments. On the surface, it appears compassionate, even equitable. But with digital currencies and AI-driven oversight, such systems could one day monitor, limit, and control how that money is spent.

Order Jonathan Cahn’s Newest Book, “The Avatar” on !

The infrastructure for such control already exists. AI-integrated browsers, such as Atlas, track user behavior across the internet. Robots in companies like Amazon replace workers while collecting data on warehouse activity. Financial institutions are exploring programmable digital currencies that could restrict certain purchases.

Together, these systems make clear that technological progress is not a force for neutrality. Instead, it actively constructs new structures of oversight and compliance that undermine personal autonomy, embedding systemic control more deeply into everyday life.

A Dividing World

The gulf between the ultra-rich technocratic elite and ordinary citizens widens as those who own AI systems accumulate unprecedented control and capital. Meanwhile, workers are being managed and measured by these systems, under the guise of efficiency—masking a deeper reality: as AI enforces control, society is being conditioned to comply.

Get your FREE CHARISMA NEWSLETTERS today! Stay up-to-date with current issues, Holy Spirit news, Christian teachings, Charisma videos & more!

This divide extends beyond finances—it signals a transformation of power. The growth of centralized digital authority, as forewarned by many, risks establishing a system that enforces domination and dependence, where compliance becomes the price of access and autonomy.

Discernment, Not Fear

Yet for those who believe that history is guided by more than human ambition, these technological developments hold deeper spiritual significance. The Bible reminds us that God is sovereign even in an age of rapid change, and these shifts may reflect a wider spiritual narrative foretold in Scripture. They can be seen as signs that Jesus’ return will restore what humanity and technology have disrupted, and that justice will ultimately prevail over the injustices perpetuated by human and technological systems.

In the meantime, we are called not only to avoid fear but also to practice discernment—seeking to understand the spiritual implications of increasing technological control. As technology becomes increasingly invasive and society pursues what it believes is progress, we are challenged not only to adapt but also to remain spiritually alert and deliberate in our choices.

Join Charisma Magazine Online to follow everything the Holy Spirit is doing around the world!

For while artificial intelligence may claim to know everything about humanity, only God truly understands the heart—and it is the state of the heart, shaped by spiritual discernment, that determines whom we ultimately serve. Let this conviction not only bring comfort but also inspire purposeful living, as we trust God’s wisdom above human innovation and hold fast to hope as the future unfolds.

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.

From rockets flying and protests erupting across the globe, Israel has faced attacks on nearly every front—militarily, politically and spiritually. But one of the most egregious assaults isn’t coming from missiles or mobs. It’s the growing claim that modern Israel isn’t the real Israel of the Bible, that today’s Jews are impostors or “Khazarian converts.”

Breaking News. Spirit-Filled Stories. Subscribe to Charisma on YouTube now!

For many in the younger generation, this narrative has taken root online and in fringe corners of social media. But as Mondo Gonzales of Prophecy Watchers explained on the ScarsPodcast, Scripture tells a very different story.

Returning to the Word, Not Conspiracy

“I think the main question we have is the difference between the Israel in the Bible and then today’s modern governed state of Israel,” Gonzales said. “A lot of people today think they’re evil or corrupt, but at the end of the day, what do we do? We go back to the Scripture.”

That, he said, is where every question about Israel must begin and end. Gonzales has spent years studying what the Bible actually says about God’s chosen people, and his research dismantles the false claim that modern Jews are not the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Biblical and Historical Continuity

“I wrote an article covering every place the word Hebrew appears, every place the word Jew appears, and every place the word Israel appears—which is about 2,500 times,” Gonzales explained. “By the end of it, when you look scripturally through the Old and New Testaments, the word Hebrew, the word Israel, and the word Jew are all synonyms. They’re 100% synonyms.”

According to Gonzales, those who argue that modern Jews are not “true Hebrews” are simply contradicting Scripture. The same people God called His own thousands of years ago are the same lineage that exists in the modern nation today.

Refuting the Khazarian Lie

Gonzales also tackled one of the most widespread conspiracy theories circulating online—that the Jews living in Israel today descend from Khazars, an ancient group from Eastern Europe who allegedly converted to Judaism in the 8th century.

“The fact of the matter is we have DNA studies, and these are indisputable,” he said. “The DNA clearly shows that the people living there are the ancient people.”

He added that this scientific confirmation “eliminates the Khazarian theory,” which he called “pretty convoluted.” The genetics trace directly back to the Middle East, connecting today’s Jewish population with the very bloodline of the patriarchs.

A Prophetic Fulfillment in Our Lifetime

Beyond history and science, Gonzales pointed to fulfilled prophecy as perhaps the strongest evidence of Israel’s biblical legitimacy. “God says in Ezekiel 36, 37 and 38 that in the last days He is going to bring back His people Israel to the land,” he said. “From 70 A.D. all the way to basically 1948, the land was desolate. But when God said, ‘I’m going to bring back My people to that land,’ prophetically that happened.”

Get your FREE CHARISMA NEWSLETTERS today! Stay up-to-date with current issues, Holy Spirit news, Christian teachings, Charisma videos & more!

He compared old descriptions of the region—barren and lifeless—to what it is today: a thriving land of innovation and agriculture. “When I look and go, well, prophetically that happened. Those people there, obviously, God said, ‘those are My people.’ So if God said it, that’s enough for me.”

The Covenant Still Stands

While Gonzales acknowledged that the modern Israeli government has corruption and flaws like any other nation, he made clear that those issues do not nullify God’s promises. “Even though we have other lines of evidence—DNA, prophecy—those people that are there, you’re like, ‘These are God’s people,’” he said.

In a world quick to delegitimize Israel, Gonzales’s words serve as a reminder: God’s covenant hasn’t changed. The same God who called Abraham, restored the nation in 1948, and promised their return to the land in the last days is still keeping His word.

Join Charisma Magazine Online to follow everything the Holy Spirit is doing around the world!

Israel’s legitimacy isn’t defined by public opinion or politics. It’s defined by prophecy—and that, as Gonzales put it, “is enough.”

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.