America is getting darker. Christians have felt it for some time, but now even some of the nonreligious crowd is noticing it. A shadow creeps across the nation, breeding chaos, confusion, and unmitigated wickedness.

Some want to fight the encroaching corruption with legislation, others with innovation, but Rick Burgess, BlazeTV host of the spiritual warfare podcast “Strange Encounters,” says those kinds of solutions treat only the symptoms, not the disease.

Underneath the rampant degeneracy permeating American institutions and culture is the root of all evil, and until we look it in the face, our country will continue to slide ever deeper into a pit of despair.

On this episode of “Strange Encounters,” Rick discusses America’s spiritual predicament, including the possibility of demonic portals in the U.S., with Tom DiMarco, author of the recently published book “The Only Way Out: A Brief Look at the Driving Forces Behind Today's Chaos and the Only Person Who Can Save Us.”

Rick regularly encourages his audience to engage in what he calls “spiritual housecleaning,” meaning to examine what you’ve brought in or allowed to come into your home. Some things — like Halloween decorations, occult or witchcraft-related objects, and even media or content that promotes darkness — can be invitations of welcome to demonic forces.

But it’s not just individual Christians who need to engage in spiritual housecleaning. The nation at large is in desperate need of it too.

One item in America’s “house” deserving of scrutiny, says DiMarco, is Freemasonry — the world's oldest fraternal organization.

Although it’s presented as a brotherhood promoting charity and personal improvement, DiMarco paints a more complicated picture.

“There's lower levels of the Masons, and it's basically a men's club ... they do a lot of good things, but there's levels, and as you climb up the levels, you get to a point where you're sworn to secrecy,” he says, citing claims of ancient deity worship among some Masonic circles.

The symbolism woven into some of America’s most prestigious monuments is another point of contention, says DiMarco. He points to the Washington Monument and the Capitol building as primary examples.

He explains that the Washington Monument is an “obelisk,” a tall, four-sided pillar tapering to a pyramid top that translates literally to “Baal’s shaft” — a phallic fertility symbol tied to pagan worship of Baal, who the Bible associates with child sacrifice.

The U.S. Capitol building's dome, he argues, represents ancient pagan symbolism tied to a “fertility goddess” (the rounded shape designed to mirror pregnancy).

He further claims that inside the dome's "belly" — in the Rotunda's central fresco, “The Apotheosis of Washington” — six ancient gods are depicted, including figures symbolizing the god of war under names like Astarte, Ishtar, and Isis, whom he says evolved into the modern "Columbia" (as in District of Columbia), with Masonic influence in the naming and design.

On top of that, DiMarco claims that the man George Washington appointed to oversee the initial setup of the federal territory, Daniel Carroll (a wealthy aristocrat with alleged Masonic ties), set up the layout of Washington, D.C.'s monuments and buildings so that, when viewed aerially from the White House, it forms a pentagram — a five-pointed star often associated with occult or Satanic symbolism.

He argues that “the monuments are the compass and the square — the symbol of Freemasonry.”

Even our Statue of Liberty, he says, is modeled after a pagan goddess, “now named Columbia.”

“The second commandment, you know, specifically tells us not to build these things,” says DiMarco. “I think they become portals. They're areas where it's a gateway for these [demonic] beings to gain strength.”

He and Rick say that in ancient Israel, idolatry (worshiping other gods through idols, high places, Asherah poles, Baal altars, etc.) and adopting pagan practices were seen as direct violations of the covenant with God. The Bible repeatedly shows that these practices led to divine judgment — exile, defeat, or curses — while removing them via repentance, destruction of the idols, and returning to exclusive worship of Yahweh were often prerequisites for God's restoration, blessing, protection, and deliverance.

They suggest that if America wants to see “a reign of peace,” like the one brought about by the “good kings” of Judah, we have to follow their steps and remove idols and pagan altars.

“As long as these things are here, we will have war,” says DiMarco.

To hear him unpack his portal theory, watch the full interview above.

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