America’s ‘Real Exorcist’ claims he’s seen demons leaping between husband and wife and had his ribs broken by the possessed
Reverend Bob Larson claims he has exorcised more than 40,000 demons and claims that more people are getting possessed than ever before - in fact, demand is so high that he has set up an online exorcism school to train others in the art of casting out evil
BEING thrown across rooms, going head to head with demons and nursing broken ribs is all in a day's work for Reverend Bob Larson, America's busiest exorcist.
The 73-year-old estimates he has dealt with 40,000 'demonic possessions' over his decades-long career, and claims he has even had people try to kill him as he forces evil entities to leave their human hosts - and worryingly, he's busier than ever.
Speaking to The Sun Online, he said: "You never know when somebody walks in to a room what is going to happen.
"I have seen a demon leap from one person to another on many occasions. In cases of a husband and wife, or parent and child, the demon will try and jump back and forth between them.
"I have been assaulted. I had a knife put to my throat once. I had somebody take me by surprise and try and choke me.
"I even had my ribs broken a few years ago.
"It all comes with the job of being an exorcist. You are dealing with angry, rage filled violent people."
Bob first found fame in the US during the Satanic Panic that gripped the States in the 1980s, but is now recognised as an expert on cults and devil worship.
He has authored 33 books on the subject of evil, including Demon Proofing Prayers and Hell on Earth: A Sobering View On What Satan's Up To.
Bob is a very modern exorcist, streaming exorcisms live on Facebook and uploading professionally edited clips to his YouTube channel, clocking up millions of views.
He also offers to exorcise people over Skype - for a fee.
Armed with just his iconic silver Hand-Held Cross of Deliverance - also available on his site for $100 (£75) - and a Bible, Bob forces spirits from hijacked flesh with determination and authority.
Battling evil entities on a day-to-day basis is not for the faint-hearted, and Bob says he has been caught up in some situations that wouldn't sound out of place in a horror film.
While he says that exorcising people in real life takes more than what you see in films and TV, he claims that it is not uncommon for people suffering from demonic possession to have "super human strength."
He said: "Absolutely. I've seen a 6-and-a-half stone woman that six or seven men could not control.
"It's not common but you do see it. When I'm dealing with a case that I know is going to be particularly violent, I make sure I have an awful lot of people, and an awful lot of angels helping me out."
Bob's three daughters now work alongside him as exorcists, and he was glad for their presence at a case they were called out to last week.
The possession turned out to be a very tricky one, and involved the demon almost eluding its expulsion.
He recalls: "We had a guy who was ex- special forces. He was massive.
"One of my daughters was hanging off one arm, and my wife was hanging off the other arm and the man's wife was hanging on to his legs.
"He could have killed us, he totally went off.
Life on the front line of spiritual warfare
- Bob estimates he has performed over 40,000 exorcisms
- Sometimes he sees ten people a DAY
- It's not uncommon for one person to be 'home' to multiple demonic entities
- Armed with his Cross of Deliverance and a Bible, he casts them out and back in to the spiritual world
- He first learnt about possession on a trip to Asia in his twenties
- Two decades ago he became a full-time exorcist
- Bob claims that more people are getting possessed than ever before
- He's now training others how to do the work of God online
- His three daughters are also exorcists and help him in extreme cases
"This was one I didn't anticipate, we were actually there for his wife, but in the middle of the exorcism he turned out to be the bad guy."
It's situations like this that mean that Bob has to take a two-pronged approach to his work.
He said: "There's the practical and the spiritual. Of course there is prayer where you ask for God's help, and ask for God's wisdom to know if the individual has potential for harm.
"Then if there is a history of the person with problems being prone to violence you have to make sure you have adequate muscle available."
The churchman says that the nature of possession means that no two exorcisms are the same, with demons happy to take residence in anyone they can.
Bob explained: "Think of it this way. The devil can't shoot at people but he can be in somebody and get somebody else to start shooting.
"He needs a body, a physical being to bring about his evil.
"Satan is a spirit. He can't rape somebody. He can't bring about a war. But he can be in someone who starts wars.
"It is the physical vehicle to accomplish evil that the Devil needs."
Sadly, Bob says that demons aren't just taking an easy entry to their hijacked physical forms, they are using sneakier means, which can make them easier to be rid of.
Controversially, he believes that many addicts are more than just hooked on alcohol, drugs or gambling, they are possessed.
He explained: "If someone has a persistent addiction, they've been to all kinds of rehab, they've tried everything and they haven't got any better then that is absolutely proof that someone is possessed.
Bob also claims that demons are masquerading as ALIENS in a bid to worm their way in to unsuspecting hosts.
He said: "There are evil spirits who masquerade as aliens to possess people - I come across that all the time.
"They are not extra terrestrial, they are not from another planet. They are simply from the spirit world that envelops the reality in which we live.
"These demons will take on whatever form that causes the human condition to be curious about their existence and use that.
"They appear in different forms in different cultures and aliens is just the latest fascination, particularly in the Western World."
Bob's journey from average Christian to Spiritual Warrior began in his early twenties when he went travelling through India, Asia and the Far East.
Here he was left "intrigued" by how the notion of spirit possession is an accepted fact in other religions, and it made him wonder why it was never discussed back home.
When he returned to the States, The Exorcist was terrifying cinema-goers - and suddenly Bob's life took a new direction.
He said: "People started coming to me, and I realised that I had a gift and I had a choice to walk away from that gift or pursue that gift.
"The reality was there's not that many people willing to help, or who are going to do anything.
"The handful of exorcists available compared to the people who need it is pretty small, so people end up coming to people like me.
"Twenty years ago I finally thought 'that's it, I'm doing this full time'."
To help meet global demand for his services, Bob set up The International School of Exorcism to teach people around the world how to cast out dark entities from people needing help in their own communities.
Speaking proudly about his online course, he adds that 700 hundred demon hunters have graduated in the last few years and are now busy battling bad entities in their own backyards.
He also crosses the US meeting folks who are convinced that there is something ungodly inside them.
This weekend Bob travelled from his base, Arizona's Spiritual Freedom Church of Pheonix to Raleigh, North Carolina for four sessions of ministering and exorcisms spread out over three days.
Hundreds of people gathered to hear him speak and ask for his help, with the congregation captivated by his sermon.
After helping one woman who had been struggling with what she believed was demonic possession, he tenderly held her and reassured her that her life was going to change for the better as he led her gently back to her seat.
With his gentle manner and impressive track record, it's unsurprising to learn that Bob is not only the exorcist of choice for Christians struggling with an unwanted guest, but also people from other religions who are unable to get help and support from their own communities.
He explained: "There are few people who are willing to acknowledge this reality, and fewer still who willing to be interventionist and do something about it."
"This isn't something that you sign up for at the job centre. it's something you have to be called to.
"It's my compassion for people who are suffering that motivates me to keep going.
"On an average day, I see anywhere up to eight or ten clients - and it's not uncommon for one person to need multiple exorcisms in one session.
"I'm doing that almost seven days a week.
"More people are getting possessed than ever before, but also there is more awareness of this type of things than their used to be.
"I'm in touch with other people out there who are involved in this and they're telling me the same thing. It's a new phenomena sweeping the Western world."
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