Tragedy struck a large concert in Houston on November 5th when many fans at the Astroworld Fest 2021 were trampled and crushed as they rushed forward toward the stage. On the surface, this catastrophe appears to be due to a poorly planned event with a severe lack of security. However, as numerous reports have surfaced, it seems the concert was filled with demonic idolatry and perhaps was intended to be a Satanic ritual.

The headliner for the concert was rap artist Travis Scott. Rumors regarding Scott’s interest in the occult, even Satanism, have long circled social media. Although these rumors cannot be confirmed, the imagery at the concert was undoubtedly demonic. As concert attendees entered the venue, they walked through a giant sculpted head with an open mouth which represented Scott. This image is reminiscent of paintings by Hieronymus Bosch, a painter from the Middle Ages well known for frightening and bizarre scenes of Hell. The stage was an upside-down cross which entered a portal some have compared to the CERN Particle Collider located in Geneva, Switzerland. Inside the portal, a banner hung that said, “See You on the Other Side.”

The imagery did not end with the stage design. During the concert, eight pyrotechnic flames shot off along the stage. There was also a screen with the image of a fiery dragon (others have compared the image to a bird). Even Scott himself wore a t-shirt with graphics of blue human-like figures passing through a door and turning into red demon-like figures. Scott has a long history of using such imagery and hosting violent concerts.

Before the concert even started, fans rushed through the gates, knocking over barriers. The venue was supposed to hold 50,000; however, Houston Fire Chief Samuel Peña stated that as many as 200,000 people may have been present. Scott has encouraged his fans to overwhelm entrance gates in the past. At a Chicago concert in 2015, he had fans rush the gates. In another show, he encouraged a fan to jump from the second-floor balcony, and at that same show, someone pushed a fan from a third-floor balcony, leading to his paralysis. The rapper was charged in 2015 with reckless conduct due to his behavior at Lollapalooza. In 2017 he was arrested in Arkansas for encouraging fans to bypass security. Clearly, Scott has a long history of disregard for safety and security.

When Scott took the stage at Astroworld at 9 pm, the crowd surged forward. Immediately, problems arose as people were compressed together, some falling over, crushed in a sea of bodies. Those in attendance said people were screaming for help. Fans began chanting, “stop the show.” Videos on Tik Tok and YouTube show fans trying to get the attention of security guards, even asking the camera operators to stop the show. One woman fell unconscious directly in front of Scott. He mentioned that the woman needed assistance, but rather than stopping the show, Scott began to chant over the woman as her body was removed. Fans noted they had never heard Scott sing or rap in that manner before.

Not only did Scott ignore the plight of this one fan, but he also ignored his security team when they came to the stage to inform him of the problems. As the crowd cried out for help, Scott said, “y’all know what you came to do.” He also encouraged the group to “put a middle finger up to the sky” and make the “ground shake.” The rapper, using explicit language, called the scene “beautiful” as the emergency personnel removed a victim. Scott has claimed that he did not know what was happening. Yet, the ignored pleas for help and statements from those present indicate that Scott was fully aware of what was occurring. The show continued for an additional thirty minutes as security and emergency personnel attempted to help victims.

Ten people, ranging in age from 9 to 27, have died from injuries they suffered at the concert. Twenty-five people were admitted to hospitals that night, several in cardiac arrest due to compression asphyxia. A field hospital that was set up for the event treated hundreds of others for various injuries. Almost two weeks after the tragedy, some concert victims remain hospitalized.

Attendees have taken to social media, with many saying their Astroworld experience was like being in Hell. One fan said she passed out briefly and felt as if she were on fire. Some of the attendees said they believed that Scott was “the devil” and a human sacrifice. Others have posted videos and claim they can see spirits or demons in the film footage. Although this video footage has not been authenticated, the concert certainly was a place of darkness.

Musicians in the rap and rock genre have often used satanic imagery for shock value. Certainly, Christians do not condone the use of demonic symbolism, even for show. Nonetheless, the events of this concert went well beyond shock value and imagery. While it is unknown if Scott intended this event to be a ritual, the musician’s history and complicit behaviors are suspect. The imagery alone was enough to open the door to demonic activity. Sadly, these events entice young people because of the symbolism and darkness they present.

As many people struggle to understand the events in Houston, we should be sharing the light of the gospel with them. Pray for the people who were injured and for the families of those killed. Especially pray that these people will give their lives to Christ and denounce the evil which they participated in previously. Christians are in the midst of spiritual warfare and must remember Ephesians 6:11-12:

Put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against the flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

As a result of this terrible event, many young people caught a glimpse of evil and Hell. As Christians, we must now shine the light of Jesus Christ into that darkness as Matthew 5:14-16 tells us:

You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

Our light and our praise of Jesus must be strong enough to keep our kids from being enticed into Hell by evil musicians like Travis Scott.

Last month, I shared a few stories from 40 Days for Life, a worldwide pro-life ministry of presence and prayer outside abortion centers. Created Equal, a pro-life ministry based in Ohio, focuses mainly on reaching people in urban areas and on college campuses. But they go to abortion centers too, and as they went about their work, they began to detect a disturbing trend. They were being increasingly harassed by abortion advocates who identified with Satanism. Sometimes the opposition came with violence and fury.

“At first,” said president and founder Mark Harrington, “we wondered if our experience was unique or if there was a legitimate connection between the defense of abortion and Satanism.” So, they started investigating. What they found put an end to any doubt. There are direct parallels between the rhetoric of abortion and the doctrines of Satanism. And there are clear links between the practice of abortion and the practice of Satanism.

On that first point, Harrington explains:

Satanists and abortion supporters both believe in “bodily autonomy.” For the Satanist, defending abortion access is a worthy form of worship because one of their tenets states, “one’s body is inviolable, subject to one’s own will.” The Satanic doctrine of absolute autonomy over one’s own destiny has become the pro-abortion rallying cry of “My body, my choice.”

In the short film, Abortion: A Doctrine of Demons, just released on YouTube, Created Equal has captured the connections between abortion and Satanism–the Satanism espoused by the Satanic Temple, to be specific–which identifies itself as “the primary religious Satanic organization in the world” and which was featured in the 2019 film Hail Satan?.

In Created Equal’s Abortion: A Doctrine of Demons, you will see:

• Abortion defenders honoring Satan: “Hail Satan! Hail Satan,” they shout in the face of the pro-life presence. “You know what? [Satanists] are better than you [Christians] are! They’re better advocates for human life than you are!” “Go f*** yourself! Hail Satan, bro!”

• Satanists promoting abortion defense as “a worthy form of worship”: “They’re doing it, little by little, you know, taking away reproductive rights,” says a young woman presenting the activities of the Satanic Temple. “So, it is our duty to worship through activism. That is the key to the Satanic Temple, what differentiates us from other Satanists.” On the large screen behind her, “Reproductive Rights Campaigns” and “Baphomet Campaigns” are listed as the first and second “Campaigns of Note.” On its website, the Satanic Temple specifically connects abortion-related activism with its religious beliefs.

• An abortionist in scrubs hissing and growling demonically and saying, “I love it! I love it!” about what he does. “I do have a darkened heart. I do, I do. Very much so.”

On the second point, and pressing beyond the rhetoric, from a Judeo-Christian perspective, there are clear parallels between abortion and Satan. Like the original rebellion of Lucifer, the act of abortion is an act of rebellion against the authority of God and the truth of the worth of human life. And while the Satanic Temple doesn’t profess belief in the actual being called Satan, they overtly identify with the Satanic cause of rebellion against God, whom they see as a tyrant:

• “Essentially, we view Satan as a symbolic embodiment of the ultimate rebel against tyranny,” said Harvard-educated Lucien Greaves, co-founder of the Satanic Temple.

• “The Satanic figure in the Bible is one that really inspires rebellion in mankind against the tyrannical God,” said Jex Blackmore, another spokesperson.

Greaves and Blackmore have zeroed in on, and are actively promoting, the essence of Satan–rebellionagainst God–which inevitably leads to rebellion against what God has made, up to and including innocent human life.

Sometimes, we in the pro-life movement do well to let our opposition make our case for us. In this film, Created Equal has done just that: “Many Christians only consider abortion as a political or educational issue,” says Harrington. “However, abortion is a spiritual battle at its core.” He hopes this film will awaken a sleeping church to the spiritual battle in our midst.

Whether or not that will happen remains to be seen. Click here to watch the trailer and here to watch the 20-minute film below. This is the “awokening” that Christians should be provoking.

**Warning: this video includes images that some viewers may find disturbing:

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