When reading Mathew 27:3-5, some Christians must ask the questions, “Did Judas repent of sin, or did he indeed go to hell?

Bill Wiese, author of “23 Minutes in Hell,” says to the latter, “Most certainly.”

Matthew 27:3-4 (MEV) reads, “When Judas, who had betrayed Him, saw that He was condemned, he repented and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, “I have sinned in that I have betrayed innocent blood.”

“Yes, he (Judas) most certainly did go to hell, and yes, he most certainly could have been saved,” Wiese says in this recent video. “If Judas would have simply repented and turned to God, the Bible tells us that every person, regardless of what they’ve done, can repent and be saved. Great people of the Bible have committed murder, adultery, idolatry, lied, stole, acted cowardly and more.

Wiese says Judas did not experience true repentance, however.

“If he would have turned to God and repented, then he would have been saved,” he says. “But regarding Judas in Matthew 27:3, he repented only to himself. He knew he had sinned, as it says in verse 4, but he didn’t confess his sin or repent to God. A person can feel remorse to themselves, but not actually repent for their sin against God.

“Second Corinthians 7:10 says ‘For godly sorrow works repentance unto salvation, but the sorrow of the work works death,'” Wiese explains. “The sorrow Judas experienced was a worldly sorrow that only brings death.”

For more on this teaching, watch this short video from Bill Wiese.{eoa}

Shawn A. Akers is the online editor at Charisma Media.

The ongoing trial of Pastor Lee Dong-hwan from the Korean Methodist Church (KMC) has ignited a significant debate within the Korean Christian community. Rev. Lee’s involvement in blessing LGBTQ+ individuals at a pride festival has resulted in his suspension and subsequent legal actions.

Adherence to Traditional Doctrine

Traditional Christian teachings hold that homosexuality is contrary to God’s design for human relationships, as outlined in the Scriptures. It is within this theological framework that the Korean Methodist Church and other traditional Christian denominations prohibit same-sex blessings and marriages. These rules are established based on their interpretation of biblical passages that address human sexuality.

The Discipline of the Church

The KMC, like many other Christian denominations, operates under a set of doctrines and discipline guidelines. These rules provide a framework for ethical conduct and adherence to biblical teachings. Pastor Lee’s participation in the blessing ceremony for LGBTQ+ individuals was deemed a violation of these established rules, leading to his suspension and subsequent disciplinary actions.

Doctrinal Integrity

The indictment against Pastor Lee is based on the KMC’s commitment to uphold its doctrinal integrity and prevent actions that could be seen as endorsing or sympathizing with homosexuality. The KMC’s stance reflects the belief that true love and compassion are expressed through adherence to God’s commandments, even when such adherence may be difficult or counter to prevailing cultural norms.

Seeking Doctrinal Clarity

From a traditional Christian standpoint, the interpretation of scripture plays a vital role in guiding one’s beliefs and actions. The disagreement surrounding the phrase “agreeing or sympathizing with” highlights the need for continued dialogue and study within the church. The ongoing trial should serve as an opportunity to explore the theological implications and engage in discussions aimed at seeking doctrinal clarity.

Maintaining Unity

While the trial of Pastor Lee has sparked controversy, it is crucial for Christians with traditional values to approach this issue with love, humility, and a commitment to biblical truth. In the midst of differing opinions, the focus should remain on fostering unity within the body of Christ and seeking the guidance of the Holy Spirit in addressing complex matters.

The trial of Pastor Lee Dong-hwan presents a challenging situation for the traditional Korean Christian community as it navigates the intersection of biblical teachings and contemporary social issues. From a traditional perspective, the case underscores the importance of upholding established doctrines while engaging in respectful dialogue and seeking a deeper understanding of God’s Word. {eoa}

Shawn A. Akers is the online editor at Charisma Media.

The city of Amsterdam is abuzz with excitement as thousands of Christian leaders from around the world have gathered for the highly anticipated Amsterdam2023 global conference. This monumental event aims to herald a new era of evangelism, igniting a passion to share the life-transforming message of Jesus Christ with every person on earth.

As the Empowered21 (E21) Global Council convened, work groups such as the Global Evangelist Alliance (GEA), Global Prayer Alliance and NextGen Network came together to develop strategic plans, driven by the Great Commission’s call.

In a landmark moment, “Global Network of Spirit-Empowered Scholars” was launched under the capable leadership of Dr. Wonsuk Ma and Opoku Onyinah as co-chairs. This prestigious group of scholars embarks on a journey of scholar consultation, resource development and the publication of books aimed at deepening understanding of the Spirit-Empowered movement.

They are also committed to rigorous academic research, shedding light on the movement’s history and achievements. One of their first efforts is the creation of a comprehensive compendium, encompassing over 130 plenaries and workshop sessions from the Amsterdam2023 conference. Within 24 hours of its launch, more than 160 scholars from around the globe have already registered, demonstrating the resounding support and interest in this groundbreaking initiative.

Oral Roberts University’s Center for Spirit-Empowered Research will serve as the host for this network, with Dr. Ma at the helm as the director. Dr. Billy Wilson, President of ORU and Empowered21 Global Chair, expressed his joy and emphasized how the network brings to fruition the vision of Dr. Vinson Synan from the Society of Pentecostal Studies, who recognized the need for a practical theology to underpin the Spirit-Empowered movement.

This annual conference will serve as a hub for scholars worldwide to connect, engage in consultations, find fellowship and receive encouragement. The network also aims to build a deeper and broader knowledge base of the movement while enhancing its understanding and articulation to the world.

The Empowered21 Global Prayer Alliance, a key component of the conference, unveiled a crucial aspect of their EveryONE initiative. Believers from every corner of the world are encouraged to dedicate just five minutes each day to pray for five individuals by name who have not yet encountered the life-transforming message of Christ.

Director Brian Alarid shared the remarkable news that over 500 million people have already been lifted up in prayer through this collective effort. The alliance’s vision extends to ensure that every person on this planet will be prayed for by name by the year 2033.

In another significant development, the Global Council launched the Global Worship Alliance, placing renowned Australian worship leader Darlene Zschech as its chair. Dr. Wilson shared Zschech’s dream of uniting worship leaders from diverse backgrounds and cultures worldwide. Through this powerful initiative, they aspire to reclaim worship as a ministry for the kingdom, setting an example of excellence, integrity and familial unity within the worship industry.

An encouraging report highlighted the impact of the EveryONE Initiative Fund, which underwent a year-long “beta test” phase. During this time, the fund allocated two million dollars to support 56 evangelistic projects in 50 countries, resulting in nearly 500,000 individuals responding to the gospel message.

Ministries committed to innovative strategies in areas such as digital evangelism, church planting and mass evangelism are invited to apply for funding assistance through this initiative, which will officially launch at Amsterdam 2023. {eoa}

Shawn A. Akers is the online editor at Charisma Media.

For one historic Presbyterian church in San Francisco, Isaiah 5:20 is a glaring reality.

The verse warns, “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil; who exchange darkness for light, and light for darkness, who exchange bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.”

By hosting an all-ages “Drag Queen Bible Story Hour,” Calvary Presbyterian Church brought blasphemy and shame into the house of God last Sunday. The nearly 200-year-old church’s services featured drag performers speaking to audience that included young children.

While it was a first for the church, LGBT advocates Rev. Jane Spahr and Rev. Victor Floyd welcomed the drag queen performers with open arms.

“We’re hoping to offer a little balance to all of the hateful rhetoric that is out in the country and especially from churches and politicians who are using churches and using trans people as their props,” Floyd told a local NBC affiliate television station.

On top of its deplorable actions inside the sanctuary, the church’s Facebook page boldly proclaimed, “For the gift of Drag Queens, O God, we give you thanks!”

A Facebook post from the church on June 18 read in part: “… We thank God for the great diversity present in this world and hold to the truth that each and every one of us is created in God’s image and loved by God.”

The Blaze reported that the service included a drag queen read from the Old Testament book of Exodus, with children situated at the front of the sanctuary near the altar. Drag queen “Flamy Grant,” an apparent reference to Christian pop singer Amy Grant, played guitar while leading the congregation in the hymn, “Be Thou My Vision.”

But clearly this type of service is not God’s vision for His church.

Floyd told the local media outlet that Calvary Presbyterian Church has held a pre-Pride service in the past.

It is not surprising that Calvary Presbyterian has carried its actions so far.

The Christian Post reported that Spahr is a self-described lesbian who has advocated for gay ordination into the Presbyterian USA as far back as 1993 and was convicted by a denominational PCUSA commission in 2010 for violating her ordination vows by conducting same-sex marriages.

In 2015, PCUSA approved an amendment to its constitution and changed its definition of marriage to include same-sex couples after the Supreme Court struck down all state bans on same-sex marriage and legalized it in all 50 states.

The media also reported that the church has advocated for using third-person pronouns for God and even has a banner hanging above the church entryway which reads, “GOD: the original they/them.”

Many churches across the country are embracing drag queens and their popularity among the LGBTQ community, despite what it says in Deuteronomy 22:5, “A woman must not wear man’s clothing, nor is a man to put on a woman’s clothing. For all that do so are abominations to the Lord your God.” {eoa}

Shawn A. Akers is the online editor for Charisma Media

Are you feeling weary and wonder if your troubles will ever end? Do you worry that you’ll never be healed? Today can be your breakthrough day to overcome the stress, worry and anxiety that consumes your life. Marilyn Hickey has overcome these strongholds to be free from their destruction, and she believes you can, too.

When sin came into the world, part of the curse was sweat and stress. Genesis 3:19 says, “By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.” But Jesus came and took the curses so you don’t need to carry stress, worry, and anxiety. In John 19:30, Jesus said, “It is finished.” The curse was finished, so we can have His rest.

God wants us to rest and be refreshed in Him. In Genesis 2:3 the Bible tells us that on the seventh day when creation was finished, man’s first full day on the earth with God was a rest day. And in Matthew 11:28, Jesus says “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.”

Do you wake in the night and worry? In 1 Peter 5:7 we’re told to cast all our care upon Him because He cares for you. Marilyn believes you should set aside time to look to God, rest in God, and expect the miraculous. Isaiah 11:10 tells us that His resting place shall be glorious. There is a place where we have to turn our worries over to God and rest in Him. God didn’t say to chew our nails or have a nervous breakdown, He said that rest in faith is glorious.

The devil is restless. He wanders around looking for who he can attack. When we get restless and uptight, we’re getting into the devil’s territory. God doesn’t want us there. He wants us full of miraculous faith. The devil wants us restless because if we are, we’re not focusing on faith. The devil goes about like a roaring lion, but you what? He isn’t even a lion, he’s a pretender.

You have the Word of God to anchor you and bring you through to victory by walking in faith. Remember, faith can move mountains.

Marilyn Hickey founded Marilyn Hickey Ministries more than 45 years ago with God’s vision to cover the earth with the Word. Marilyn co-hosts a daily television program, Today with Marilyn & Sarah, reaching a potential viewing audience of over 2 billion households worldwide. Marilyn communicates deep biblical truths in a way that is understandable and practical for everyday life. Visit .

Sarah Bowling is on a mission to connect every one with the heart of God while loving those who are overlooked, excluded, and ignored.  Led by Holy Spirit and anchored in the Word, Sarah seeks to inspire all to know the unconditional and transformational love of God in our daily lives. A Bible teacher, author, international speaker, and a global humanitarian, Sarah also co-hosts a daily television program, Today with Marilyn & Sarah

The first Sunday night of mass deliverance at Global Vision Bible Church in Tennessee, Pastor Greg Locke admits he was more than a bit nervous. Locke and his church staff had never done a service like it previously, and he simply didn’t know how many people would show up or how they would execute it.

But now, almost a year and a half later, Locke says Holy Spirit is working in mighty ways and “tens of thousands” of people have been ministered to for deliverance and healing during 73 Sunday evening services. The word got out quickly, and Locke says people from all over the world have come to receive the miraculous works of God at their church in Mt. Juliet.

“I don’t know another church in the world that does that a deliverance service every single week,” Locke told Charisma News’ John Matarazzo during a recent interview. “It’s mind-blowing to me. I tell my wife, eventually people are going to quit coming, and every single week they just keep showing up … keep showing up … and keep showing up.”

Locke says he and his staff were “forced into mass deliverance” because of how many people began showing up for the services in a tent outside the church. He says that services would sometimes go from 10:30 a.m. on Sunday until 2:30 a.m. Monday.

And after getting some sleep and doing a Bible study in a local hotel, he returned to the church and “100 to 150 people had slept in the parking lot” in their vehicles, and they were standing in line for deliverance.

“It was the most uncontrollable growth you can imagine,” Locke says. “It was mushroom growth. Big on top, small on the bottom. And we didn’t have a deliverance team then. But now we’ve got a great team of people that are praying and laying hands on folks.”

Locke says he consulted YouTube, of all places, to find some help to guide he and his staff through the deliverance services. He found videos of a preacher named Win Worley, a Baptist pastor in the late 1960s and 70s who cast out evil spirits and effectively waged war for the body of Christ against Satan and his kingdom.

“It was kind of like Derek Prince, but on a bigger scale,” Locke says. “I said, ‘Wow, I need to figure out how this guy formulated this.’ And so we wrote a manual and started doing mass deliverance, only because we could not keep up with the demand and still can’t to this day.

“On that first night, we only wanted about 120 people there. I didn’t know the first thing we were doing and I was scared to death. But 160 people showed up and I wasn’t going to turn them away. Now, we’ve had as many as 3,000 people on a Sunday night during our deliverance conferences. But we now keep it a lot smaller because it can get wild, wild west and we only have so many workers. Now we try to do about 300 to 500 people (on Sunday nights).”

Locke says the deliverance services are predictable at first, but when demons begin to manifest and the Holy Spirit starts doing its work, you never know what’s going to happen next.

“We’ll worship for a few minutes. I get up and do some repentance [calls], to get people to start forgiving those in their life they need to forgive and, ‘pow,’ right out of the gate, those demons will start manifesting. But here’s the interesting thing about that. What I love even more than the 72 (now 73) straight weeks, but we have created such an atmosphere. The Lord has given us such an authority and such an anointing for deliverance ministry that now it’s almost every single service, demons are flaring up.

“And it’s not just Sunday night anymore. But now, on Sunday morning, we’re having to pull people aside because in the middle of my preaching, they just can’t handle it. Demons are beginning to manifest right there in the service.”

And it begins to happen, Locke says, when people start driving into the parking lot.

“The moment that gravel starts crunching under their tires, they are in full-blown spiritual orbit,” Locke says. “Right there on the spot. We have to get them into the tent and get them with a deliverance worker.”

Locke says there is little doubt the anointing of the Holy Spirit shows up every week. It’s one of the factors that led to the production of the hit movie, “Come Out in Jesus Name,” which debuted earlier this year in theaters across the nation.

“The difference between influence and anointing in deliverance and healing ministry is this: In Matthew chapter 7, the influencers stand before Jesus and say, ‘did we not cast out devils?’ Locke says. “Didn’t we write bestselling books? Didn’t we do amazing things in your name? And Jesus said, ‘Yeah, but I never knew you.’

“They had influence, but no anointing. It’s not about the person, it’s about the power that’s in the name of Jesus. And there’s a lot of people that have churchy influence, but they don’t have the anointing of the Holy Spirit. … The difference between influence and anointing is the anointed people are doing it for the glory of God. But Jesus is going to separate them. I’m not interested in being an influencer. I’m interested in being a humble, walk in the fear of the Lord, anointing man of God. There is a difference.”

And that is exactly why the deliverance services at Global Vision Bible Church produce fruit each and every week. {eoa}

Shawn A. Akers is the online editor at Charisma Media.

Dr. Billy Wilson says the times we are living in right now are very unusual. So much so, the leader of Empowered21 says it may be unlike any time in Christian history.

Wilson, also the president of Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma, says the next decade will show if the church is really set on doing its biblical job of The Great Commission. In conjunction, some kingdom leaders believe that can be accomplished by 2033.

“This is a time where a unified commitment is going on across the kingdom of God to bring the gospel where it has never been brought before in our generation,” Wilson told CBN News. “Our big vision is that every person on Earth would have an authentic encounter with Jesus Christ through the power and presence of the Holy Spirit by Pentecost 2033.”

A strong group of global kingdom leaders met recently in New York City and agreed on a commitment that Wilson says will make the next 10 years the most “significant decade of Great Commission effort in the history of the church.

It all begins with a conference called Amsterdam 2023: A New Era of Evangelism. The event is a three-day conference and a “one-day stadium experience,” beginning Wednesday, June 21 and running through Saturday, June 24. I will be held at Amsterdam RAI and Olympic Stadium.

“Together, I believe we can make that happen,” Wilson says of reaching the world with the gospel by May 2033. The gathering in Amsterdam will serve as a launching pad as this evangelistic effort takes off with 160 leaders from more than 120 nations.

“I believe Amsterdam has the potential to be the most significant Christian gathering of our lifetime,” Wilson told CBN News. “I know that sounds amazing, but I really believe it because we’re focusing on the right thing, together, across the body of Christ.”

If one person can reach one other person, Wilson says, then that effort can go viral and be an exponential explosion of the Good News of Jesus Christ, the likes of which may seem unfathomable but not impossible.

Remember, He is the God of the impossible.

“So, I can’t reach everyone by myself, but I can reach one,” Wilson says. “And in that conversion, in that one person knowing Jesus, (is) the potential of multitudes. The woman of Samaria was just one person, but in her conversion was a whole group of people that would come to Jesus. The demoniac of Gadara and Decapolis was just one person, but when he got saved, a whole region opened up to the ministry of Jesus.

“The theme of Amsterdam is everyone, but with a focus on reaching every single person.”

Multitudes of kingdom leaders will attend the phenomenal four-day event, including Bethel Redding’s Bill Johnson; Senior Pastor of New Season Church and President of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference Samuel Rodriguez; evangelist and author Christine Caine, Pulse Ministries president and evangelist Nick Hall, direct of the International Association of Healing Ministries Jean-Luc Trachsel; founder of the Dunamis Movement Teo Hayashi; President and CEO of Christ for all Nations Daniel Kolenda; and many more.

The four main objectives of the conference are to:

• Collaborate with believers from around the world about the Great Commission.
• Innovate new ways to reach more people with the gospel.
• Experience the power of the Holy Spirit.
• Inspire you to have a greater vision of God’s heart for the world.

That all folds into one audacious goal: Take the news of Jesus to every person on earth.

Shawn A. Akers is the online editor at Charisma Media.

History books show that President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, declaring “that all persons held as slaves” within the rebellious states “are, and henceforward shall be free.” It’s the reason that all people in America—not just African Americans—should celebrate Juneteenth today (June 19) with joy and gratitude to God.

But few may be aware of the fact that some slaves, many of them in Texas, did not receive word for another two years that they were freed by Lincoln’s bold act. The Civil War raged on for two more years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed.

During a recent interview on Charisma News with Pastor John Amanchukwu, Bishop Patrick Wooden Sr. of the Upper Room Church of Christ in Raleigh, North Carolina, says that while Lincoln’s declaration might have taken place in 1863, everyone should mark and celebrate the date in 1865 when “all of the slaves were free.”

“Until all of us are free, none of us are free,” Wooden tells Amanchukwu, a contributor for TPUSA Faith. “At that time, of course, they didn’t have television and they didn’t have radio or the internet, so the word got to them—about 250,000 people—when it got to them, two years later.

“About 2,000 troops had to show up and to give them the word to places like the Galveston Bay area,” Wooden adds. “And to know that many people were freed during that time, I think it is worth celebrating, worth noting. We lost over 600,000 lives in the civil war to slavery. Half of those lives were fighting to end it, so I don’t think we celebrate this enough—the blood, the treasure and all that was spent to bring that wicked practice to a close.”

Wooden even praises President Joe Biden’s efforts in June 2021 to recognize Juneteenth as a federal holiday.

And, Wooden says, the church too should recognize this hallowed day, although it should not be more celebrated than Jesus Himself.

“It’s not the birth of Jesus, and it’s not Christ dying on the cross,” he says. “But as people of African descent, I think it’s celebratory to recognize those last African Americans who didn’t know they were free. I think it also should be celebrated in a manner that doesn’t divide us. I think Caucasian brothers and sisters should join in this celebration, because they also died [in the Civil War]. Their blood was shed on the battlefield to help free African Americans from enslavement.”

Juneteenth indeed is cause for joy and celebration, but Amanchukwu asks Wooden if he believes the federal holiday is being weaponized by groups such as Black Lives Matter to further accelerate racial tensions in America and to keep Blacks marginalized in the past.

“What’s sad is that today, everything now has become racial,” Wooden says. “Everything now is about race. What happened with Juneteenth is a historical fact. It should be dealt with as such. But to use it as a wedge issue, the way BLM used it—and by the way, aren’t you glad that we’re part of a church at least on a local level who was never fooled by BLM?

“We never put Black Lives Matter slogans up, even though Black lives do matter,” he says. “But then so do white lives, blue lives, all lives. We weren’t fooled by that organization. And, we warned you that this organization was not what it was cracked up to be. They told the people what they were all about. It certainly wasn’t for the welfare of African Americans.

“That President Biden signed it into law, I applaud him for that,” Wooden says. “I don’t necessarily applaud his motives. It was done as a wedge issue. It was done to say, look, this particular party, the Democrats, are for Blacks getting ahead, whereas the other party wasn’t. But I think it has gotten lost that Martin Luther King’s birthday celebration was signed into law by Republican Ronald Reagan. So, it should not be a wedge issue. It should not be, now that it’s a law, where the majority of the citizens of our country feel no need to celebrate at all and the minorities shouldn’t use it to throw it into the majority person’s face. It’s part of American history, as it should be. We should make sure that it celebrates America and the greatness of Americans.”

For the rest of this compelling interview with Bishop Patrick Wooden Sr., click here. You won’t want to miss it. {eoa}

Shawn A. Akers is the online editor at Charisma Media.

Following suit with the Anheuser-Busch Corporation and retail giant Target—along with other iconic global companies—the Los Angeles Dodgers’ celebration of drag queen “nuns” on “Pride Night” Friday, June 16, met the wrath of conservatives—and thousands of protesters—who simply have had enough.

The Dodgers were set to present to the group, The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, a Community Hero Award for their “community work” prior to the Dodgers’ game with the San Francisco Giants.

What they encountered was the anger of thousands outside the stadium hours before game time. The ceremony was held before an almost-empty stadium.

Founder of the LA Dream Center, Pastor Matthew Barnett tweeted, “The @Dodgers tonight have made it clear that the faith community means nothing to them. This isn’t questionable judgment, it’s open defiance of their core audience.”

The @Dodgers tonight have made it clear that the faith community means nothing to them. This isn’t questionable judgement it’s open defiance of their core audience.

— Matthew Barnett (@MatthewBarnett) June 17, 2023

The Dodgers did not post anything about the ceremony on the team’s Facebook page.

The repercussions of these companies’ “woke” ideals has been ongoing in recent weeks and months. Anheuser-Busch has lost more than $26 billion in market value since it featured transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney as a marketing partner in early April.

The Daily Mail reported that Robert Barron, a Catholic Bishop in Minnesota and a former auxiliary bishop in Los Angeles, told his 240,000 followers on Twitter that the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence “can only be described as an anti-Catholic hate group,” and he urged a boycott of the Dodgers going forward.

Barron tweeted: “I’m a big baseball fan. I’ve even thrown out the first pitch at a Dodgers game. But I’d encourage my friends in LA to boycott the Dodgers. Let’s not just pray, but make our voices heard in defense of our Catholic faith.”

The Daily Mail also reported that “thousands of religious activists held a ‘prayerful procession’ outside Dodger Stadium to respond to a call for a ‘prayerful response to the Dodgers’ godless decision to honor blasphemous, Christ-mocking ‘Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence.'”

Catholics for Catholics, the Phoenix-based organizers of the protest, urged participants not to bring children because “We do anticipate hostility from anti-Christian protestors.” However, there was no violence during the event.

One woman even held a blue sign that invoked the name of late Dodgers Hall of Fame broadcaster Vin Scully, a devout Catholic, that read, “Vin is sad.”

Earlier in the week, a group of bishops from across the country asked Catholics to pray that day “as an act for the blasphemies against our Lord we see in our culture today.

“This is not just offensive and painful to Christians everywhere, it is blasphemy.”

The Dodgers’ actions have drawn the ire of several conservative media outlets, but also from popular secular commentators.

Cultural commentator Joe Rogan recently said to his massive podcast audience, “So, we’re seeing that now where we never saw that before, where people are going ‘Enough! Enough! Stop shoving this down everyone’s throat.'” {eoa}

Shawn A. Akers is the online editor at Charisma Media.

Troy Black isn’t kidding himself, and he isn’t trying to put one over on believers or the prophetic community.

The author and prophet says he knows it sounds crazy, but on April 24, he heard a prophetic word from God, and the power of God came over him and the Holy Spirit began to speak to him. Indeed, the YouTube video proclaiming this prophetic word was posted over a month ago.

Then, it was reported on Fox News Digital and Charisma News that late on April 30 and early-morning on May 1, a family in Las Vegas, Nevada, saw what they believed to be a crash landing by a UFO and a “tall, skinny alien creature with greenish color.” The family described it as “no joke” and “terrifying.”

Las Vegas police officers who responded to the 911 call interviewed three witnesses that night and found them to be “sober and credible. A renowned journalist also interviewed the family and “didn’t detect a hint of a hoax.”

Black says he “got this impression from the Lord” that a UFO would crash-land in Nevada—specifically in Nevada—a one-man spaceship, he says, like you would see in a kids’ cartoon.

“I saw a vision of “a UFO—or a flying saucer”—crash-landed and sticking up out of the dirt in a desert area “that had small shrubs, small desert bluffs or mountains” in the background,” Black says in a recent video. “That was the prophetic message that I shared, and you go watch that video to verify that it was April 24th when I shared it.

“Six days later, this is what happened that came out in the news six days later,” he adds. “This article is from 8 News Now in Las Vegas, and it’s titled, ‘100 Percent They’re Not Human. Witness details alleged encounter in Las Vegas.’

“This was released on June 8, so this was about a month and a half later, after this incident,” Black says. “But they are talking about an event that happened on or near midnight April 30 and reported about May 1. So, it was only six days after I shared that original video.”

Again, Black is aware of how all of this sounds to the natural mind.

“I know people are watching this and thinking, ‘Well, this sounds nuts,'” he says. “We see a lot of different UFO reports happen in the Las Vegas area, and it’s not uncommon, but this is what I believe has happened here. This is prophecy being fulfilled six days later, after I shared that video—very accurate, a UFO crash landing in Nevada.

“Here’s what I believe God was not saying in that,” Black adds. “I don’t believe God is saying, ‘OK Christians, you all need to be scared of aliens; you all need to be concerned. Here’s something that’s concerning Me, and you all need to be concerned.’ God is absolutely not saying that. Why? Because we have not been given a spirit of fear but of power and love and a sound mind, the Holy Spirit, as believers.

“So, what is God saying through this?” he asks. “I believe this is what God was saying. He knew what the headlines were going to be. He knew this was going to be a big, breaking news story. He knew what people were going to be saying about it, so therefore, ahead of time, He said, ‘Hey, I already know what people are going to say before they ever come out and say it’ … whether this is real aliens, whether it’s just a demonic thing, whether it’s a conspiracy, whether it’s one big grand hoax. To be honest, I don’t know, and that’s my perspective on this.

“But I do know what God said ahead of time, and I know that He knew what people were going to be reporting on, and He knew that this was something that was going to come out in the news,” Black explains. “That’s why He gave me that word ahead of time and asked me to share it publicly.”

You can watch the original video from April 24 on Troy Black’s YouTube channel. And on that same video, Black shares with believers seven attributes of a real encounter with God. {eoa}

Shawn A. Akers is the online editor at Charisma Media.