What happens when the spiritual battles described in Scripture begin to look less like ancient history and more like the world unfolding around us?
No. 1 New York Times bestselling author Jonathan Cahn and Pastor Billy Crone are sounding the alarm about the reality of spiritual warfare, sharing two dramatically different encounters with darkness that point to a much larger biblical battle.
In a recent episode of the Bearded Bible Brothers, the two men discussed demonic activity, Satan’s attempts to deceive humanity and the power of Jesus Christ to overcome the enemy.
For Cahn, that battle became intensely personal aboard American Airlines Flight 618.
“I knew I was going to be attacked that week,” Cahn revealed, explaining that his wife and members of his congregation had been praying before the incident.
What he did not anticipate was a physical confrontation thousands of feet above the ground.
As Charisma previously reported, Cahn was involved in a frightening encounter with a passenger who became increasingly hostile during their conversation about Jesus. In the new interview, Cahn described the man’s dramatic change in behavior after he began sharing evidence of God’s reality.
The situation escalated when the passenger allegedly grabbed Cahn around the neck and later attempted to seize his computer, which contained his writings, including material connected to his book The Altar of Pergamon.
To order Jonathan Cahn’s new book, The Altar of Pergamon, visit Amazon.com.
Cahn connected the experience to Ephesians 6:12, which describes the believer’s struggle against spiritual powers rather than flesh and blood.
“So now I’m wrestling with a principality and flesh and blood and I’m in a high place. I’m 30,000 ft up,” Cahn said.
Cahn’s account was one part of the larger spiritual warning.
Crone, who has previously shared his testimony of leaving Satanism and the occult behind, described how his pursuit of supernatural power nearly destroyed his life.
“My first prayer was a prayer to Satan,” Crone recalled.
He described experimenting with occult rituals, New Age practices and what he believed was demonic possession before experiencing a radical encounter with Jesus Christ in 1993.
But Crone also connected Satan’s activity to a much older battle, one he believes reaches back to the earliest chapters of Genesis.
“And then there goes your Nephilim, the hybridization of mankind. And he almost made it down to about eight people, and God had to hit a restart. So, he lost,” Crone said.
His interpretation connects the Nephilim to Satan’s attempt to interfere with God’s promise in Genesis 3:15, which Christians understand as pointing toward the eventual victory of Jesus Christ.
As Crone pointed out, the enemy’s strategy did not end there. He discussed how Satan continues to work to lead people away from the gospel while attempting to corrupt the church through false teachers and spiritual deception.
Recalling the moment he surrendered his life to Christ, Crone said he fell to his knees and prayed, “Jesus Christ, would you please save me and forgive me?”
What followed, he said, was instantaneous.
“Just like that, exactly like the Scripture says, from darkness to light, it was a nanosecond.”
Ultimately, we must remember to do more than recognize the enemy’s schemes. We must look toward the cross and remember that the victory belongs to Jesus Christ.
Abby Trivett is a writer and editor for Charisma Media and has a passion for sharing the gospel through the written word. She holds two degrees from Regent University, a B.A. in Communication with a concentration in Journalism and a Master of Arts in Journalism. She is the author of the newly released book, The Power of Suddenly: Discover How God Can Change Everything in a Moment. For interviews and media inquiries, please contact [email protected]. Learn more about Abby at abbytrivett.com.
