SRA Revealed in Daniel 11, Part 3: Meeting Shame, the First King
This is the third article in my series on satanic ritual abuse as revealed in chapter 11 of Daniel. Our study of Daniel has been a tropological study where all things are viewed as being inward rather than outward. In this way we learn about the soul and spirit, their interaction with each other and also the spirit realm.
We have seen thus far in Daniel 11 that abuse often begins in the womb or at birth. Nothing in all of nature is as helpless as a newborn human baby. (And, I might add, nothing is as precious.) Only someone filled with demons from hell could harm such a tiny, adorable little creature; but, sadly, it happens a lot. If one is born into a satanic family (whom the community often regards as upright, moral people), one will be subjected to hell on earth with nowhere to turn for help. Jesus is close to such little ones and he helps them form a safe place inside where no one else, not even demons, can intrude. This is a spiritual place they can enter through their mind.
As a result of this and other factors involved in SRA, a survivor of such abuse has a sensitivity to spiritual things that others don’t have. Ministers/counselors helping such people, if they are aware of this, will be wise to give the Lord free reign to minister directly to the abused person through that person’s own spirit that is open to God in a way the minister’s might not be. (This has been a brief summary of some of my teaching on verse 1 of Daniel 11 in my first article in this series.)
The next verse (Article 2) revealed that little ones who are subjected to such severe abuse dissociate in their efforts to escape. Dissociation is a function enabled by demons. Whenever we minister to persons for dissociation we must also deal with the demons. The will be shown in detail later in Daniel 11.
Perpetrators want their victims to split (dissociate). They know that the more a person splits, the more demons they will have. Demons are powers and the perpetrators want to store as much power as possible in their victims so they can access these powers for their own use via rape. As a result of all this abuse, the survivor forms an identity based on shame. This briefly summarizes my article on Daniel 11:2 and leads us to the next verse.
Dan 11:3 And a mighty king shall stand up, that shall rule with great dominion, and do according to his will.
This king is a ruler of darkness in the inner world of the abused person and is, therefore, a demon. Paul says in Eph 6:12, “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” This ruler of darkness according to verse 2, as revealed in article 2 of this Daniel 11 series, is shame, and he is the strongman. He does according to his own will as he rules unopposed in this human soul. This corresponds to Jesus’ teaching about demons in the New Testament:
When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace (Luke 11:21).
This demon of shame is truly a ruler of darkness in the soul of an abused person. There is no one to oppose him when a little child lives in a family where its basic needs for love, security and acceptance are not met. However he will not remain unopposed for long as our next verse in Daniel 11 will reveal. But for now, he is supreme ruler.
Shame always rules in the life of someone who has been abused. Little children believe that the abuse is their fault. The following is my paraphrase of how one writer, John Bradshaw, explains the inception of shame…We are all born having a fear of death and a fear of abandonment. The only persons who are able to protect us from these fears becoming a reality are our caregivers…most often our parents. To the child, the parents are their god. If their parent does something wrong, the child protects himself by believing the parent is perfect and can do no wrong. If the parent were flawed, the child’s protection would not be secure. So in order to feel safe, the child blames himself for the parents’ sins. Thus he internalizes their sins. The child grows up with an identity based in shame. He doesn’t remember some terrible thing he did that he can repent of and get on with life because this kind of shame is not rooted in true guilt. This is a kind of shame that causes a person to feel deep in their inner being that they are substandard, defective or bad, and there is nothing they can do about it. It is just who they are. This perception controls their whole outlook on life and all relationships.
So we see here in this verse in Daniel that shame is the ruling demon in this person’s life and that it came in through abuse very early in life. We cannot merely cast out the demon of shame and have this person be free from their feelings of defectiveness. Shame is entwined in their identity, and we can’t cast out a person’s identity.
Demons have a legal right to be in a person either through the person’s sins…unforgiveness, revenge, etc…or the lies they believe. If we cast them out without dealing with the reason they are there in the first place, they just come back in. There are many false beliefs supporting a shame-based identity, and these lies have to be removed and replaced with truth based on a relationship with Jesus Christ. This takes place over time. The Bible tells us who we are. In a relationship with Jesus, he quickens his Word to us and loves us into accepting a new identity based on his truth. A church body of loving, accepting believers is also important in helping us know who we are in Christ. Gradually, little by little, we discard parts of the old identity until we no longer believe any of those lies. Somewhere in this process, the demon of shame leaves.
So how does one find this kind of loving, accepting church where they can be nurtured into wholeness in Jesus Christ? Read on!
The House Church
We have found that the safest place for a survivor of satanic ritual abuse to find the love and acceptance they so desperately need is in the house church. Actually, it is the safest place for any true believer today. In small, open, sharing, caring groups, any one attending with evil motives will be exposed. Countless times in our decades of ministry in the denominational churches, there were people who appeared to be our friends and faithful members who went behind our backs and complained about us to some superintendent over us in an attempt to drive us out of ministry. The enemy will send his people into the churches to try to discourage the pastor and drive him out. This seems to work well for them because we have had many ministerial friends who went through devastating church experiences and then left the ministry. Quite frankly, my husband and I would have left also but God wouldn’t permit it. We had no choice. Our decision to remain has born fruit but not without severe labor pains. We are now where God ultimately planned for us to be all along…leading house churches.
It is difficult for a denominational pastor to allow Jesus to be the head of the church when those over him in the hierarchy hold different ideas of what church should be. If denominational leaders believe a successful church is measured by the number of people attending and the amount of money they bring in, then the pastor feels obligated to meet those goals established by the denomination. (“Nickels and noses” is what we always called it.)
If the pastor is under the gun to produce the numbers, then he will find it difficult to follow the Lord’s leading for the development of that church body. Jesus sets high standards and those standards often offend people in the church. Jesus said,
Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division: For from henceforth there shall be five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three. The father shall be divided against the son, and the son against the father; the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother; the mother-in-law against her daughter-in law, and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law (Luke 12:51-53).
It all boils down to this, when we choose to follow Jesus all the way in everything he asks us to do, we will be offensive to those around us who want to accept the status quo. Bingo! There go your “nickels and noses.” People get upset and leave your church to attend someone else’s. We found in our years of pastoral ministry (40 years) that the only way to build a large church was to slack off in what God was calling us to. (I say this only for our situation and not as a criticism of all large churches.)
You can imagine the effect my ministry to SRA persons had on our churches. Some people left because they were afraid of satanic cults. Some left because they read Internet articles saying there is no such thing as SRA…just a bunch of hysteria and false memories. (Those are always the first to come up when one does a search on SRA.) In their minds we were deceived. Some left because they were in the enemy’s camp and were fearful of being discerned. And then there are always those who leave because others are leaving.
There is no doubt about it, if a pastor or his wife begins seriously ministering to SRA persons, their church will lose members. We had a church where people left in groups, but God was leading us all the way. He would show us our church as being a tree. Then he would say to us, “I’m getting ready to cut off a few branches. Don’t get discouraged. I’m perfecting my church. I am building the Body to be what I want it to be. You are following me and doing what I called you to do.”
Several times groups left until all that remained was a handful of people who were deeply in love with Jesus and ready to sacrifice all to follow him. Would you be surprised if I told you they were mostly SRA people?
Buildings cost a lot of money to maintain and heat (especially in the brutal winters of Western New York State), so we reached the point where we could no longer keep it going financially. There was no doubt God was leading us into the house church movement.
God finally got the Body he wanted. The numbers aren’t important. Our church is a very safe place where everyone is committed to be all Jesus is calling them to be. He is truly the head of this church.
Most of our people are abused. They are casting off their old shame-based identities and learning together that they are deeply loved, extremely valuable people. And…my husband and I are also learning this about ourselves. Without the constant demands of financial responsibilities for a building or a need to look successful to our overseers, we are free to be what Jesus called us to be.
I have detoured quite a ways from my text about the demon of shame ruling in the souls of abused people, but it is my hope that our experience will be an encouragement to others who may be fearful of allowing SRA ministry or SRA persons into their churches for fear of losing their denominational standing or their church building. Those things truly are not necessary to be the church–in fact they can be a hindrance.
If you would like to be in a house church begin praying about it. Do Internet searches in your area. Ask friends and neighbors if they know of one. If you can’t find one, start your own. The early church didn’t have worship leaders and sound systems. They didn’t hear a prepared sermon every time they met, although the apostles preached when they came through town. My husband has written a book you might find helpful entitled The Last Church Standing which is available on this site.
The church in its present form with buildings, pulpits and choirs or professional musicians didn’t begin until the fourth century when the Roman emperor, Constantine, declared everyone was to be a Christian. He had buildings built and ushered in the concept of professional clergy.
Jesus said, “…where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” You and a few friends who are sincerely seeking a relationship with Jesus can meet in a home to share the scriptures, pray and worship together. Get involved in each other’s lives, support and encourage one another in the Lord and you will become a house church. Read the New Testament to see what a true church is supposed to be and then work at becoming that church.
When we gather together with Jesus in our midst and become his Body on this earth, shame will have to go. It is a process, but little by little the Lord will use us in relationship with one another to help us understand that we are valuable and loved. In this way, the old shame-based identity will begin to dissipate and a new identity in Christ will become a reality. It takes time and commitment, but it is God’s plan and he will do the work in us if we are faithful to him and to each other.
