Jesus People Podcast – Episode 38

Guest: Riaan Swiegelaar
Host: Ryan Miller
Date: September 29, 2025
Episode Title: Former Satanic Leader on What Happens to Your Neighborhood During Halloween
Theme: Spiritual Warfare, The Reality of the Demonic, and How Christians Should Respond in These Times

Episode Overview

In this gripping and candid episode, Ryan Miller welcomes back Riaan Swiegelaar, former head of the Church of Satan in South Africa, for a deep dive into spiritual warfare, the unseen battles intensifying in modern culture, and the infiltration of the occult into everyday practices. With Halloween approaching, Riaan shares chilling firsthand insights on what happens in neighborhoods during this season—from the spiritual significance of Halloween to the dangers behind seemingly innocuous practices. The episode pulls no punches, offering practical counsel and urgent calls to spiritual vigilance for Christians.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Spiritual Reality Behind World Events

• Host Ryan & Riaan discuss current world division and spiritual warfare
  • Ryan notes, “It doesn’t seem like it’s left versus right... it feels like the kingdom of God versus the kingdom of death and darkness.” (01:13)
  • Riaan references Revelation, emphasizing that intensified evil and persecution is part of biblical prophecy, but spiritual opposition will continue to escalate:
    “The very reason we see an increase on attacks and darkness is because the enemy and demons know that their time is also running out.” (02:55)

2. Persecution and Spiritual Attacks on Christians

• Ryan shares personal experiences of spiritual warfare, referencing his wife’s health, other Christian leaders in the hospital, and the recent assassination of Charlie Kirk.
  • “There are all these Christians charging the gates of hell for the Kingdom of God right now that are being attacked, and they need prayer.” (07:05)
  • Both agree the intensified attacks are evidence of a desperate demonic strategy in the last days.

3. The Satanic View and Spiritual Significance of Abortion

• Riaan details the overt connection between Satanism and abortion:
  • Describes how the Satanic Temple in the U.S. operates abortion clinics and even offers satanic rituals for women undergoing abortions (08:25).
  • “It is probably one of the most satanic things you can do because it is a direct rebellion against life, which is from God. And it is a blood sacrifice in its very definition.” (09:02)
  • Ryan summarizes, “If the enemy could kill God he would, but he can't. So he kills what’s most precious to God—his children, and the most innocent of those children.” (10:27)
• Riaan shares accounts of abortions performed during satanic rituals, emphasizing that participants are “not free and you are not in control... you are under the influence of the demonic.” (11:14)

4. Halloween: Not Just Harmless Fun

• Riaan pulls back the curtain on Halloween’s true nature from a former Satanist’s perspective.
  • Quotes Church of Satan founder Anton LaVey: “I want to thank Christian parents for allowing their children to celebrate the devil one day of the year.” (17:18)
  • Explains Halloween is the most important satanic holiday, associated with the highest rate of human sacrifice annually (17:40).
  • Riaan warns that the seemingly innocent act of decorating for Halloween “becomes one big satanic ritual for that whole neighborhood.” (18:50)
    • “In a neighborhood or area where there are homes set up [for Halloween], that's already a hotspot for demonic activity... anybody, whether they’re Christian or non-Christian, that have open doors... will be affected.” (19:39)

5. How Christians Should Respond Practically and Spiritually

• Riaan provides clear steps:
  • Ensure your own right standing with God—“not self righteous, but in righteous covenant.” (21:15)
  • Engage in “serious prayer” for your neighborhood and those participating in occultic celebrations.
  • Use the authority in Jesus’ name to claim territory—“Say, I break the influence of the devil in the name of Jesus.” (21:36)
  • Riaan testifies, after practicing powerful occult rituals, nothing compares to “the name of Jesus and the blood of Christ” (22:30).
• “We sometimes forget our authority and we forget our identity in Christ—and we shouldn’t, especially in times like this.” (23:18)

6. Personal Testimonies of Deliverance and Authority

• Ryan and Riaan recount supernatural obstacles and spiritual warfare that have tried to shut down these conversations—including persistent tech issues whenever discussing spiritual authority.
• Riaan shares a transformative moment when God instructed him to surrender his firearm and trust fully in God’s protection:
  • “If you are obedient, you will be safe.” (25:35)
  • “You can’t really kill a Christian.” (27:35)
• The point: Death holds no fear for those surrendered to Christ; martyrdom, suffering, and opposition only serve the spread of the gospel.

7. Curses and the Limits of Witchcraft

• Riaan reveals he once orchestrated 8,000 Satanists to curse a Christian (his now ministry partner!), yet nothing happened to her because she was “in righteous standing with God” (29:43).
• “No curse will affect you or touch you [if your covenant is solid].” (32:36)
• Powerful moment: “How many curses do you think we have at the moment flying around us that we are not even aware of because we are covered, man, in the blood of Jesus.” (33:14)

8. Idolatry in Christian Culture: Yoga, the Enneagram, and New Age Practices

• Riaan is direct: “Yoga is extremely demonic.” (37:52)
  • He explains the spiritual roots—each pose honors Hindu deities.
  • “You are literally posing... a form of worship to foreign gods.” (39:20)
  • “You cannot sit at one table and drink from a cup from another table.” (39:49)
  • Clarifies: “Exercise/stretching is not the same as yoga... But in its roots, it’s worship to foreign gods.” (42:19)
  • Warns about other practices entering the church—Enneagram, manifestation techniques, etc.—that open spiritual doors and compromise Christian authority (e.g., spiritual experiences in churches causing widespread spiritual oppression—46:20).

9. Urgent Call to Repentance and Discernment

• Riaan laments that “80% of Christians don’t have discernment, backbone, or actually hear the voice of God” because they don’t spend time with Him (42:19).
• Emphasizes grace is always available:
  • “When I am convicted of something, I repent and there’s grace and I close those doors. And that grace is available to everybody.” (48:11)
• The church must wake up:
  • “Wake up, body of Christ. Wake up, church.” (47:07)
• Open doors, hidden sin, pride, and compromise rob believers of authority and allow demonic influence to operate (49:03).

10. Living Out Spiritual Victory

• The conversation concludes with exhortation to walk free from fear, offense, and hiddenness, actively repenting, standing firm in gospel identity, and covering one another in prayer.
• Ryan:
  • “If you see a Christian leader pop up on social media... just pray the blood of Jesus over them. The demonic is attacking right now and we need prayer covering.” (52:25)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “One of the biggest lies that Satanists believe... is that you are in complete control of your life and you are your own God. Meantime, you are in complete bondage.” – Riaan (00:00)
• “When the enemy comes in like a flood, the Lord will rise a new standard against him.” – Riaan quoting Isaiah (05:36)
• “Halloween is the highest day on the satanic calendar... the night with the most human sacrifice on the whole planet.” – Riaan (17:40)
• “God told me: If you are obedient, you will be safe. And I immediately drove to the nearest police station, handed in my firearm... Since that day, I haven’t felt that fear.” – Riaan (25:35)
• “You can’t really kill a Christian. We’re already dead. The flesh already died.” – Ryan & Riaan (27:35)
• “No open doors, no curse will affect you or touch you.” – Riaan (32:36)
• “You cannot sit at one table and drink from a cup from another table.” – Riaan on mixing Christian faith and occultic practices (39:49)
• “Wake up, body of Christ. Wake up, church.” – Riaan (47:07)
• “It is so easy to just repent... and that grace is available to everybody.” – Riaan (48:11)

Timestamps for Important Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | |-------------|---------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:00 | The lie of autonomy in Satanism | | 03:38 | Evidence of spiritual warfare intensifying globally | | 08:25 | The satanic roots and reality of abortion | | 17:15 | The true spiritual nature and effects of Halloween | | 19:39 | How celebrating Halloween opens demonic influence in neighborhoods | | 21:15 | Steps for Christians to protect themselves and their homes | | 25:35 | Riaan’s personal testimony: “If you are obedient, you will be safe” | | 29:43 | Orchestrating mass curses—why they do not work on the righteous| | 37:52 | Condemning yoga and similar “covert” occult practices | | 42:19 | Root causes of Christian compromise and how to get free | | 47:07 | The church’s urgent need to wake up and repent | | 52:25 | Exhortation for prayer and closing in spiritual covering |

Concluding Exhortation & Tone

The episode is bold, unfiltered, and steeped in urgency. Riaan’s tone is at once compassionate and commanding; he speaks with authority from lived experience, offering both warnings and hope in Christ. Listeners are challenged to lay down fear, examine their lives for compromise, and wield their God-given authority with prayerful confidence.

Above all, the gospel is supreme: grace is always available for those who repent and come under the blood of Jesus.