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Death in Salem

The young woman’s afflictions were terrifying. She suffered horribly. Her friends watched and could do nothing to help her.  Her name was Margaret Rule and Cotton Mather became deeply involved in her case. He wrote that her joints would be “strangely distorted”, those are his words. She would be pinched by invisible hands and black and blue marks would immediately appear. Wounds as though from invisible needles would appear, then disappear in a few minutes. At times she would be burned as though sulphur had been poured on her. Blisters were raised on her skin that her friends tried to treat with oils. Most of these wounds would disappear in two or three days. Mather says it looked like she was forced to drink invisible liquid. He wrote, “She would sometimes have her jaws forcibly pulled open whereupon something invisible would be poured down her throat. We all saw her swallow and yet, we all saw her try all she could that she might not swallow. She would cry out as of scalding brimstone poured into her and would be so monstrously inflamed that it would have broke a heart of stone to have seen her agonies.” (An Account of the Sufferings of Margret Rule)

In dealing with all of these manifestations in the Puritan community, almost every modern writer has been locked into a naive materialist narrative where the only acceptable explanations must be physical or psychiatric. When those are patently nonsense, they fall back on the argument that all of the witnesses were either primitive religious bigots or liars.  This is both ignorant and dangerous because it refuses to accept a mountain of anomalous evidence, not only from the late 1600s but through all of history to our own day. Such people are enslaved in a confirmation bias. Every piece of evidence is viewed through the narrow lens of predetermined materialist beliefs.

In the case of Margaret Rule, there was one phenomenon that literally rose above all others. It was levitation. Cotton Mather reports about this, “Once, her (invisible) tormentors pulled her up to the ceiling of the chamber and held her there before a numerous company of spectators, who found it as much as they could all do to pull her down again.”  Mather knew that even in his day such a claim would be seriously questioned, so he had eye witnesses record and sign statements.  Here is one of them.

It is from a man named Samuel Ames, “I do testify that I have seen Margaret Rule, in her afflictions from the invisible world, lifted up from her bed wholly by an invisible force, a great way towards the top of the room where she lay. In her being so lifted, she had no assistance from her own arms or hands or any other part of her body, not so much as her heels touching her bed or resting on any support whatsoever. And I have seen her thus lifted when not only a strong person hath thrown his whole body weight across her to pull her down, but several other persons have endeavored with all their might to hinder her from being so raised up, which I suppose several others will testify as well as myself when called unto it. Witness my hand. End of statement.”  And this is only one of several.

Now tricks of levitation have been performed for centuries, especially in India. As a mentalist and a past member of the Academy of Magical Arts at the Magic Castle in Hollywood, I know quite a number of ways to create the illusion of floating.  I do not know of any method that would work under the conditions described, in a private bedroom, with no physical contact for hidden support, surrounded with witnesses and with people trying to hold the person down including a strong individual throwing himself on top of her. 

We are left with only three alternatives, either the people are lying, the written record of the event has been corrupted, or this was a supernatural manifestation.  According to Cotton Mather, there were many witnesses and he was responsible for getting their statements. There is no reason to believe that they were lying or that the record has been corrupted.  From what Mather wrote, eventually Margaret Rule was delivered from her affliction.

Clear evidence points to the fact that the vile manifestations among the Puritans were supernatural and of evil origin. I contend that they overwhelmed the colony because the spiritual power and authority of the Puritan church had been corrupted by disobedience and delusion. The ultimate display of this corruption was demonstrated in the witchcraft trials themselves.

The horror began with a Puritan minister named Samuel Parris who became a central figure in the trials.  He had purchased a black, female slave named Tituba who came from Barbados.  Like her ancestors, Tituba had learned occult secrets long before the evil fool, Reverend Parris, purchased her. She brought dark spirit worship into his home and promptly corrupted Parris’s own children. Then she whispered terrifying revelations which made the good Reverend drag her to the magistrates.

Tituba had alarming news. She stated that there were covens of witches in Massachusetts who were under the direction of a man in black who lived in Boston. She admitted to being a witch and told the magistrates that she and other witches attended meetings in spirit form with this man, who gave them orders to hurt the children of Salem. When a society has been based on a delusion for many years, it’s ripe for the ultimate delusion, a conspiracy.   Does that sound strangely 21^st century? A conspiracy is what Tituba gave the Puritans like QAnon and other such theories, gives the syncretized Christians of today.

Cotton Mather wrote this, “We have been advised by some credible Christians yet alive that a malefactor accused of witchcraft as well as murder and executed in this place more than 40 years ago, did then give notice of an horrible plot against the country by witchcraft and a foundation of witchcraft then laid, which, if it were not seasonably discovered would probably blow up and pull down all the churches in the country. And we have now with horror seen the discovery of such a witchcraft. An army of devils is horribly broke in upon the place which is the center and, after a sort, the firstborn of our English settlements and the houses of the good people there are filled with doleful shrieks of their children and servants, tormented by invisible hands, with tortures altogether preternatural.”

It was the perfect delusion, a supernatural conspiracy, plotting against Christian churches to destroy Christianity and replace the worship of God with the worship of Satan. And who was responsible for this plot? The witches. And where had they focused their murderous violence?  On the New Jerusalem, Salem, the firstborn of all the holy English settlements, the City on a Hill.  To Mather, the conspiracy had begun 40 years earlier in the 1650s instigated by an unknown man, a witch and murderer, whom he fails to name. Gossip is the food of conspiracies. What did this communicate to all the Puritans of New England? We are in extreme physical danger. Murderous witches are everywhere and they are well organized. Our only hope is to find and destroy them. And we don’t know who all of them are.  A witch could be your next door neighbor, someone you’ve known all your life or even someone living under your own roof. You can’t trust anyone.

The trials were a nightmare of evil.  Accusations of witchcraft against innocent, Christian people came from children who themselves were supernaturally afflicted. The accused were dragged into the court and interrogated in front of a jury. What was the ultimate damning evidence that would get a person sentenced to death?  In the middle of interrogation by a prosecutor, a child accuser in the courtroom would suddenly fall down in a seizure shrieking that the spirit of the accused, sitting in the dock, had left their body and was attacking them right there in front of the jury. This became known as spectral evidence and was allowed by the judges. Over and over, spectral evidence was used to convict and sentence innocent people to die. Any serious Christian who studies the Bible, knows that Jesus called Satan the father of lies.  So, based on their actions, if you believed the children might be demonically possessed, wouldn’t it be possible that all their accusations could be coming from the Prince of Liars? If you are a Puritan judge, of course not. You believe everything. Why?  Because you are under the control of Satan.  Even Cotton Mather and his fellow ministers began to strongly object to the use of spectral evidence.  But it was too late.  In Puritan New England, truth had been traded for a lying delusion long ago.

When it was all over, in the years immediately following the trials, many people’s eyes were opened and there was great sorrow. I’m going to share part of the long, tragic statements signed by all twelve of the men who comprised the witchcraft jury, “We whose names are underwritten, being in the year 1692, called upon to serve as jurors in court at Salem on the trial of many who were suspected of witchcraft, confess that we were not capable to understand nor able to withstand the mysterious delusions of the Powers of Darkness and Prince of the Air. But were prevailed to take up such evidence against the accused as, on further consideration, we justly fear was insufficient. Whereby we fear we have been instrumental, to bring upon ourselves and this people of the Lord the guilt of innocent blood. We do therefore signify to all and especially to the surviving sufferers our deep sense and sorrow for our errors in the condemning of any person. And do hereby declare that we were sadly deluded and mistaken, and are much distressed in our minds and do therefore humbly beg forgiveness. And we pray that we may be considered as being then under the power of a strong and general delusion. We do ask forgiveness of you all, and do declare that we would none of us do such things again for the whole world. Praying you to accept this in way of satisfaction for our offense and that you would bless the inheritance of the Lord that He may be entreated for the land.” Signed by the 12 jurors.

A strong and general delusion.  But the foundation of that delusion had been established at the beginning of their colony.  What happened to the great City on a Hill, the New Jerusalem that John Winthrop and his followers tried to establish? Now, over 300 years later, according to the most recent survey, the states in the United States that are the least Christian, the least religious of all, are Massachusetts, Connecticut and New Hampshire. Descendants of the leading Puritans became the wealthy families of New England. Money and power have been their god.

In Romans 6:1, the Apostle Paul asks a vital question:  Should we sin so that grace may abound? His resounding answer was, God forbid. Yet here in America right now and for almost 50 years, millions of Christians led by local and national leaders, many of whom are proving to be spiritual wolves, have been making the same fatal error as the Puritans. They have synchretized the Christian faith with a political philosophy in search of governmental power.  They have targeted people as the source of all evil in America and desperately want their destruction. Why?  Just like the Puritans, to protect America and assure that it remains a “Christian” nation. All over again, they use evil to cast out evil.

The tragic horror of the witch trials did not happen overnight. There were clear steps that led directly to them and the synchretized American Christian church of the 21^st century is walking that path again.  There are six steps on the road to destruction.

Step 1. Believe corrupted theology. Call your community Christian but disobey the command of Jesus who told his followers to go into all the world and preach the good news about Him, making disciples, not establish a Christian nation. Instead, of viewing the native populations as a mission field, almost all the Puritans viewed them as the Devil’s spawn.  Today, millions of American Christians view those who politically oppose them, not as a mission field, but as servants of Satan who stand in their way of making America a great Christian nation again.

Step 2. To promote and protect your corrupted theology, combine religious and governmental authority.  Make no distinction between them. Government must become an extension of religious institutions controlled by religious people who all believe the same false theology. This gives you the means and authority to isolate, silence, and even physically destroy all of your enemies if necessary. Today the syncretism of governmental power, to include the police and military, with a fake Christianity is exactly what millions deeply desire. We saw evidence of it in the January 6 insurrection where both military and police personnel were involved.  It is the diseased heart of so-called Christian Nationalism, which has other names including, Dominionism and the Seven Mountain Mandate. That’s the theological aberration that states Christians must take physical control in seven major areas of American culture in order to fulfill the will of God and bring in the End Times.

Step 3. Spiritualize the accumulation of wealth and power convincing yourself that both are necessary to advance God’s Kingdom and are evidence of His blessing. Center all wealth and power in only a few religious and political celebrities. Make certain these people collude at the highest levels. This assures unity of spiritual and governmental leadership which is vital in shepherding ignorant, human sheep who admire money, power and celebrity as the only true evidence of God’s Presence. These wolf leaders are to be blindly followed no matter the moral condition of their lives because it is clear by their fame, wealth and false promises that they are God’s anointed. Obviously, God prefers to travel in Lear jets.

Step 4. Have no accountability for these elite leaders. After all, God has established them, so why should their decisions be questioned? Label anyone who does question them as God’s enemy.  When decisions lead to disaster, instead of questioning a leader’s evil purposes, commands and actions, teach people to search for scapegoats who are easy targets. Think like the Puritans. What is the cause of America’s decline?  Who has dimmed the light of our city on a hill? Not the fear, disobedience and materialistic corruption of a church that thinks entertainment is worship.  Blame the liberals and progressives. It’s their fault.

Step 5.  Do as little real biblical instruction of the people as possible. When it is absolutely necessary, make certain that all Bible teaching supports steps 1-4. Ignore any biblical teaching that opposes a thirst for wealth, celebrity and power.

Step 6. Spread conspiracy lies everywhere to create a cauldron of fear and anger with which to control the masses.  Focus the fear and anger on scapegoats. In that way, real evil can be concealed.

What is the result of these six steps?   Enslavement to Satan and his wolves. A church that becomes an instrument of darkness and evil.  With no spiritual constraints, every kind of violence will increase just as we are seeing in America right now. That includes supernatural attacks and evil spirit possession. All of which will be viewed by a deluded church as proof that their delusion is true. Into this burning vortex, far greater and more evil manifestations are coming.

So where does this leave us? If you see the truth of what I have been saying, what should you do?  First, with great sorrow, pray for America.  Our future is very dark. Then, cleanse your life. Repent of known sin including wrong attitudes and values.  Don’t make the Puritan mistake of hating and fearing people. Absolutely surrender every area of your life to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Pray fervently. Study His word the Bible every day. Find the remnant of people who actually do love and serve Jesus.  Then do the work of His Kingdom.  Show God’s love to the poor, the needy and the stranger.  Take the message of Jesus’ death on the cross to pay the penalty for our sin to everyone you can.  Live out His message of love.  And don’t hate synchretized Christians. Pray for them. Without repentance, their future is very dark.

Finally, do not be afraid no matter what you see. Great evil is returning in power, but Jesus is with you. My friend, time is running out. If you believe in Jesus look up and be ready. Our King is coming. For his faithful servants, there will be joy in the morning. If you haven’t met Jesus yet, now is the time.  He is waiting for you and loving you.

To conclude these episodes about the Puritans, I’ve kept one story for the end. And it is just as tragic as the Witchcraft trials, if not more so. Among the Puritans in 1645 there was a pastor named John Eliot who believed that they were not doing right in dealing with native populations.  He knew they should be taking the message of Jesus to them.  This he and a few others proceeded to do as missionaries.  And they were successful.  There were natives who came to know Jesus as their Savior.  Eliot established a string of little villages he called praying towns. Natick east of Boston was one of them. It consisted of English style homesteads and a meetinghouse where the native Christian residents were taught to read and write in their own language of Massachuset, using letters from the Roman alphabet. The first Bible printed in the colonies was printed in that language. In these little towns Puritans and natives worshiped together as God’s children.

But then came King Philip’s War, which I talked about in the last essay. On October 30 of 1675, enraged Puritan forces stormed these little towns, taking captive all the native believers in Jesus. These they shackled and dragged to island concentration camps where they were incarcerated never to return home.  One Puritan woman mocked them as “Praying Indians.” In those camps, many native Christian brothers and sisters died of starvation, exposure and lack of medical care.  Those who lived, were sold as slaves.  The Satanic Puritan attitude about Native people established the American attitude toward native tribes that would continue for over 200 years. Such heartbreaking tragedy and it began with a delusion.

I think it’s fitting that I leave you with the last words of eight of the murder victims of Salem. They speak truth and sorrow that we need to hear.

Martha Cory: I am an innocent person. I never had to do with witchcraft since I was born. I am a Gospel woman.

Susannah Martin: Amen. Amen. A false tongue will never make a guilty person.

Elizabeth Howe: If it was the last moment I was to live, God knows I am innocent.

Mary Esty: The Lord above knows my innocency as at the great day will be known to men and angels. 

George Jacobs, Sr: Well, burn me or hang me, I will stand in the truth of Christ.

Rebecca Nurse: I can say before my Eternal Father I am innocent and God will clear my innocency.

John Procter, Sr: The people being enraged against us by the delusion of the devil, we know in our consciences we are all innocent persons.

And finally, John Willard: I fear not but the Lord in His due time will make me white as snow.

Go Deeper With Coleman Luck

Do you want to know more about syncretized Christianity in the United States today and how it started? Coleman was there and tells the inside story. Click on the image below to purchase his book, “The Curse of Conservatism.”