The Confessionals

How do you know the spirit speaking to you is telling the truth? In this episode, Tony sits down with Larry Ragland to examine spiritual discernment and the danger of entities that mix truth with deception. They discuss false voices, NHI, testing supernatural claims through Scripture, and why discernment requires more than simply trusting an experience because it feels good or sounds convincing. The conversation ultimately turns to salvation, evangelism, and the responsibility Christians have to recognize deception and point people toward the truth of Jesus Christ.

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What does it look like when God calls you to something before you fully understand what you’re being called into? Tony looks back at the path that led him to start The Confessionals. At first, he thought he was simply following a call to podcast. Over time, the stories he heard began to collide with experiences of his own. The deeper he went, the harder it became to dismiss what was happening. Strange encounters became personal. Spiritual warfare became real. What once felt like curiosity began to look like preparation. That journey ultimately forced Tony to confront a mu...

What if the Queen of Heaven, Lilith, and Jezebel weren’t just myths, but ancient powers preparing for their final battle? In this gripping interview, Becca Greenwood exposes shocking revelations about demonic principalities, spiritual warfare, and the dark forces hidden throughout history. From Lilith’s night terrors and Jezebel’s bloodline to the resurgence of goddess worship and supernatural encounters, this conversation tears the veil off unseen realms. Prepare for a journey into the deepest confrontations between light and darkness.

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What’s happening at the suspected Noah’s Ark site in Turkey? Tony sits down with the lead investigator of the Durupinar site for an exclusive interview about the latest developments and the ongoing search for Noah’s Ark.
Slingshot Nation, we’re switching things up today. Tony had an opportunity to go straight to the source and talk about the news coming out of Turkey, so we’re bringing that conversation to you in place of our usual format. What are investigators reporting, what could it mean, and how close are we to getting answers about this mysterious...

Could something ancient still be hiding in the mountains of East Tennessee? Tony Merkel talks with Tabitha about her family’s encounters with the mysterious White Thing and her father’s story of witnessing the excavation of an enormous skeleton. As they dig deeper, the conversation begins to connect these strange accounts to the history of the land and the unsettling stories that have been passed down through generations. Tabitha explains why she believes these experiences are more than just local folklore and why certain places in the region seem to carry something unusual about them. The deeper they go...

What happens when spiritual warfare becomes something you can actually see and fight on the other side? Tony Merkel sits down with Jade to explore his extraordinary experiences in the Second Heaven, where he describes dark strongholds and terrifying encounters with Dogman entities during battles that feel every bit as physical as our own reality. Jade reveals what he believes is happening beyond the veil and why these encounters may have implications for the spiritual warfare taking place here. But when he ventures deeper into this hidden realm, he encounters something far more massive and disturbing than the Dogmen.<...

In Episode 597: Fort Polk Dogman, Gabriel shares his encounter with a mysterious creature while he was in the military in 2010. The encounter took place during a training mission in a remote area known as "The Box" inside Fort Polk, Louisiana. Gabriel and his sergeant were tasked with harassing a fake military base during the night, but Gabriel was left alone after his sergeant went back to retrieve a forgotten radio. As he waited alone in the woods, he described feeling a sudden eerie silence in the natural sounds, and he noticed strange occurrences, including a pulsating red light and...

The latest UFO disclosure drop may be connecting dots that have been sitting in plain sight for decades. We dive into newly released UAP material involving strange craft encounters, unexplained injuries, warp-drive concepts, wormholes, government contractors, and the $22 million program connected to Skinwalker Ranch—where researchers investigated everything from UFOs and orbs to poltergeist activity and Bigfoot-like creatures.

But what if these stories aren’t separate at all? We examine reports of massive cloud-like UAPs, government research into breakthrough propulsion, Bigelow-linked programs, and the possibility that the most important data has never been made public. From Skinwalker Ranc...

Can Christians have demons, or does salvation mean demonic influence is no longer possible? In this powerful conversation, Tony Merkel sits down with evangelist Ben Hughes to explore Christian deliverance, spiritual oppression, the Holy Spirit, and the supernatural power of God. Ben shares his dramatic conversion story, his first encounters with deliverance, and what he says he has witnessed after decades of ministry; including demons leaving Christians, miraculous healings, and lives radically transformed by Jesus.

The conversation also tackles one of the biggest questions facing the modern Church: Does Jesus still heal today? Ben recounts stories of...

What could make a man abandon everything he believed and risk his life to follow Jesus? Tony Merkel sits down with Steve Kang to hear his incredible journey from a radical Buddhist upbringing to becoming a passionate follower of Christ. After a devastating spiral led to a life-threatening crisis, Steve says he experienced the terrifying reality of Hell before his life took a dramatic turn toward Jesus. His transformation would eventually take him into underground churches in China, where he witnessed Christians risking everything for their faith. This is a powerful story of redemption, radical faith, and what it...

In episode 678: The Dark Recruitment, Ross sits down in studio for a gripping conversation that will take you deep into the unsettling and mysterious realms beyond our everyday reality. Ross joined us in studio a month prior to this recording to share a battle he's had since he was merely 2 years old. His story was dark and full of very dramatic twists and turns, but things took a turn while discussing portals. Ross became visibly uncomfortable and made Tony aware that there was a dark entity attached to Ross that despised him. At that moment Tony shut off the...

Something strange is happening at the top of the AI industry.

OpenAI’s Sam Altman, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, and xAI’s Elon Musk are suddenly sounding similar warnings about the pace of advanced AI development. At the same time, former OpenAI and Anthropic employee Jacob Coxon is raising alarms about the race toward artificial superintelligence.

In this episode of Slingshot Nation, Tony, Jack, and Derek break down the AI 2027 scenario, self-improving AI, the global race with China, government systems like Sentient, and the growing concern that AI may soon advance faster than anyone can cont...

Can something follow a family for generations without anyone fully understanding what it is? Tony Merkel sits down with Kathryn to unpack a disturbing encounter at her parents’ home that turned an ordinary night into a terrifying confrontation with something she couldn’t explain. What happened next forced her to confront the reality of spiritual warfare and ultimately discover the power and protection found in Jesus Christ. As they dig into her family’s history, the more it appears her encounter may not have started with her.

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How deep can someone go into witchcraft before there seems to be no way back? Jenny Joy joins Tony Merkel to share a disturbing journey through childhood trauma, occult practices, demonic encounters, and an underground witchcraft temple that pulled her deeper into darkness. Even after coming to Jesus, Jenny says the spiritual battle was far from over, leading to a series of intense deliverance experiences that exposed just how much torment had followed her for years. Her story moves from terrifying encounters and spiritual bondage into a fight for freedom, healing, and a completely transformed life. This is a...

Nathaniel Gillis returns to the studio for a mind-bending conversation that tears apart the modern UFO narrative and reframes the phenomenon from the ground up. Drawing from occult history, demonology, biblical scholarship, and firsthand research, Nathaniel argues that what we are seeing may not be extraterrestrial at all, but something far older, capable of manipulating perception, projecting forms, and hiding behind masks humanity has mythologized for centuries. From orbs that shift into apparitions, to physiological “constructs,” to ancient necromancy and Ezekiel’s warning about those who “hunt the souls of men,” this discussion explores the possibility that disclosure is being care...

Is demonic possession becoming more visible in public? In this episode of Slingshot Nation, Tony, Jack, and Derek examine several disturbing recent stories, including Jonathan Cahn’s attack on an airplane, the Lindsay Clancy case, and the shocking Times Square stabbing in New York involving a woman armed with large knives who continued advancing after police deployed Tasers. The guys ask whether these incidents could point to something deeper happening spiritually or whether there are other explanations that need to be considered. The conversation will break down the signs of demonic possession, demonic influence, spiritual oppression, unusual behavior, hostility to...

What if the spiritual war around us is happening in a realm we can’t see? Tony Merkel revisits the incredible experiences of Hunter, Jade, and Caleb, three men whose encounters with the Second Heaven begin connecting in ways that are difficult to ignore. From Dogman and mysterious portals to direct encounters with spiritual warfare, their stories suggest that the supernatural world may be far more active—and much closer to our reality—than most people realize.
As their experiences begin lining up, Tony explores what these encounters could reveal about the unseen battle taking place around us and wh...

Could the truth behind alien abductions be far more disturbing than the public has been led to believe? The Confessionals host Tony Merkel sits down with Karin Wilkinson, author of Stolen Seed, Evil Harvest, to hear her chilling testimony of a lifetime of encounters that began in childhood and eventually led her into what she describes as a hidden underground program. As her memories became clearer, Karin began questioning who these beings really were, what they wanted from humanity, and why she believes the truth is being hidden behind the growing UFO disclosure narrative. Her search for answers ultimately...

In episode 643: Quest For The Ancient Sundial, Brian Jeffrey, from Black Mass Paranormal, joins us in studio to dive into the mysterious and often eerie realm of the paranormal across East Tennessee. He explores unsettling missing person cases like that of Summer Wells and discusses bizarre phenomena such as potential portals and supernatural activities. Brian takes us through personal encounters with inexplicable sounds and sightings in mystifying locales like Black Mountain and Frozen Head. He shares chilling accounts of a shadowy figure, a witch-like presence, and ghostly translucent entities, reflecting on the challenges of documenting such elusive phenomena with...

What happens when entire islands appear, disappear, and leave behind no trace? Today on Slingshot Nation, Tony, Derek, Jack, and Brian (Tony & Jack’s dad) are diving into the mysteries of floating islands, the Philadelphia Experiment, MH370, UFOs, and the possibility that secret technology could be crossing the boundaries between worlds. They’ll also explore strange manuscripts, occult knowledge, supernatural encounters, and the idea that humanity may have gained access to things it was never meant to understand. Could these disappearances be connected, and are we seeing evidence of something moving through the veil?

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Something is shifting, and what happened behind the scenes at The Confessionals has the team convinced the battle is becoming more real. After an intense Second Heaven roundtable, a violent storm moves in as disturbing dreams and unexplained experiences begin unfolding across multiple homes. The timing and similarities are difficult to ignore, leaving Tony and the team questioning just how much spiritual warfare is taking place beyond what we can see. But as the darkness becomes more tangible, so does their understanding of the authority and power found in Jesus Christ. This raw conversation pulls back the curtain on...

What is really lurking in the forests of Land Between the Lakes? Returning guest and retired sheriff Martin Groves joins Tony Merkel once again after sharing some of the most gripping and disturbing Dogman and Bigfoot encounters ever discussed on the show in Episode 514, “Terror In The LBL,” and Episode 538, “Dogman’s Trace Of Death.” Drawing from years of investigating the strange activity surrounding this mysterious wilderness, Martin recounts encounters that seem to blur the line between flesh-and-blood creatures and something far more supernatural. As the conversation goes deeper, an unsettling possibility begins to emerge: what witnesses are seeing in these f...

 episode 672: The Farm Of Terror, Eric Mintel, from Eric Mintel Investigates, shares his extraordinary journey from performing at the White House to exploring the mysteries of the supernatural. He explains the chilling encounters and eerie phenomena that he has documented, from ghostly apparitions and UFO sightings to cryptid investigations. In particular, Eric shares his experiences from his investigations on Lee Hample's property from episode 659: The Beast Of Bray Road, where Lee has encountered this cryptid creature countless times, and has been documenting it for several years. Eric's investigation stories aim to enthrall listeners with firsthand accounts of the paranormal, u...

In this Slingshot Nation, we’re diving into the mystery of what may be hiding beneath our feet. We’ll revisit the legend of Mel’s Hole and ask whether these strange pits could be more than abandoned wells or natural formations. Then we’ll head to Mount Shasta, where a man claims he was secretly hired to dig deep into the mountain without ever being told what his crew was actually searching for. As the stories unfold, we’ll explore whether hidden underground activity, government involvement, and something unexplained beneath the surface could all be connected.

Take Contr...

How deeply have ancient occult practices shaped the strange phenomena people are still encountering today? Tony Merkel sits down with Isaac Weishaupt and Joel Thomas for a conversation that challenges the way we understand the entities operating beyond our everyday reality. They examine the possibility that modern encounters may be connected to spiritual forces and practices that have followed humanity for centuries. As the conversation goes deeper, the familiar idea of extraterrestrials begins to give way to something far stranger and potentially more dangerous. This episode asks a disturbing question: are we witnessing something new, or simply seeing an...

Could the growing UFO disclosure movement be infiltrating the Church with a spiritual deception hiding in plain sight? Tony Merkel sits down with Paul Bock for a powerful discussion about the growing UFO phenomenon and the belief system forming around non-human intelligence. Paul opens up about the controversial pastors meeting and explains the warning he believes the Church urgently needs to hear. The conversation examines whether modern encounters with NHI could connect to ancient spiritual realities and a much larger deception unfolding around disclosure. As interest in contact and UAPs continues to grow, Paul challenges Christians to test these...

On tonight's show, Jeremiah shares the ghostly interactions he has experienced over the last 10 to 15 years- all of which seem to have spawned from one initial event.

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A violent storm. A hotel-wide emergency broadcast. Contaminated water. A gate ripped from its entrance. And unexplained static erupting through the sound system just as Tony prepared to preach about supernatural warfare.
Coincidence? Or was something pushing back?

In this episode of Slingshot Nation, Tony, Derek and Jack unpack the bizarre string of events surrounding Remnant Rising and the moment Tony believes spiritual authority was handed off to him. From suspected spiritual opposition and strange technical interference to past moments when unexplained voices, knocks, and disruptions appeared during The Confessionals, the question becomes impossible to ignore...

The UFO conversation is changing, but are we asking the right questions about what these beings actually are? Tony sits down with Derrick Warfel, author of UFOs and God, for a fascinating conversation about non-human intelligence and the spiritual reality that may be hiding behind the phenomenon. Derrick challenges the popular idea that these beings are simply advanced visitors from another world and makes the case that what we are witnessing may be interdimensional and deeply connected to the supernatural realm described throughout Scripture. They explore alleged abductions and the striking similarities between modern alien encounters and supernatural experiences...

Could the strange phenomena capturing the world’s attention be hiding a much deeper spiritual reality? Tony Merkel sits down with Jae Woodward of WoodwardTV for a fascinating conversation that challenges the conventional explanations surrounding the unexplained. Jae explains why he believes the coming “age of disclosure” could actually become an age of deception, and why some encounters may not be what they appear to be. As the conversation unfolds, Jae connects modern reports with ancient spiritual ideas and explores why deception and perception could be central to understanding the phenomenon. Tony and Jae go deep into a perspective on the...

Episode 26 features Alta and Chad Dillard in Part Two of a two-part show. During their interview, Alta and Chad recall a bizarre night they experienced in the French Quarter of New Orleans when both they and a friend were abducted. After they awakened in their own homes, no one had the same story to tell. BUY ORBDUCTED by Alta and Chad Dillard: https://www.etsy.com/listing/539922009/orbducted-in-the-french-quarter Orbducted Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ORBDUCTED Website: www.theconfessionalspodcast.com Email: theconfessionalspodcast@gmail.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheConfessionalsPodcast Twitter: @TConfessionals Tony's Twitter: @tony_merkel Tony's Instagram: tony_merkel...

On this episode of Slingshot Nation, we dive into the disturbing world of American vampires, beginning with the mysterious death of George Gall and claims that he was sacrificed as part of occult vampire activity. His story was set to be explored in the Netflix documentary "Vampires in the Gem City", but the project was unexpectedly cancelled just before its release date. We connect that case to other strange accounts and encounters recorded on The Confessionals, including James’ terrifying experience from Episode 512, Desert Portal Death Cults. From occult rituals and secret groups to bizarre firsthand encounters, we explore whether th...

Could the spiritual realm be operating around us right now—and most of us have no idea? In this gripping conversation, Tony sits down with Simba to unpack his extraordinary claims of encountering hell, heaven, demonic forces, and the overwhelming power of Jesus Christ. Simba describes a spiritual reality he says completely transformed how he understands prayer, Scripture, eternity, and the unseen battle surrounding everyday life. His message after returning is urgent and unmistakable: heaven is real, hell is real, and there is no middle ground. This powerful Simba’s powerful encounter will challenge what you believe about spiritual warf...

Some wounds can't be seen, but they can shape an entire lifetime. Tony Merkel welcomes Kelly Hawley, who has spent decades helping survivors of extreme trauma find healing through Jesus Christ and Warrior Bride Ministries. Kelly shares why she believes many people have lived their entire lives trapped by fear and hidden emotional wounds that few truly understand. She explains how trauma can profoundly affect the human mind and why genuine restoration begins with Christ rather than simply coping with the past. This conversation explores the hope that exists even in the darkest circumstances and reveals why no life...

Wes from Sasquatch Chronicles hosts a round-table discussion with Brent and Don from Paranormal Portal and Tony from The Confessionals on all things cryptid and paranormal! Join us as we share our thoughts on the crazy stuff!

Please pray for Tony's wife, Lindsay, as she battles breast cancer. Your prayers make a difference!

If you’re able, consider helping the Merkel family with medical expenses by donating to Lindsay’s GoFundMe: https://gofund.me/b8f76890

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The mystery of Loch Ness just got even stranger. With six new Loch Ness Monster sightings this year, reports of intense UFO activity over the loch, and eerie connections to deep water, portals, and the supernatural, we're asking whether these phenomena are all part of the same mystery. Plus, we revisit the growing Black Panther reports from East Tennessee and explore why these impossible encounters keep happening.

If you’re able, consider helping the Merkel family with medical expenses by donating to Lindsay’s GoFundMe: https://gofund.me/b8f76890

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Could hidden prophecies preserved for nearly 2,000 years reveal a deeper understanding of the Bible than most Christians have ever been taught? Tony Merkel sits down with author and researcher Josh Peck for a fascinating exploration of the Dead Sea Scrolls, uncovering why these ancient manuscripts may be more important today than ever before. Josh explains how the Essenes, the Book of Enoch, the Dead Sea Scroll calendar, and overlooked biblical prophecy connect in ways that challenge long-held assumptions while strengthening confidence in Scripture. As the conversation unfolds, they examine how forgotten history, remarkable prophetic patterns, and the preservation of...

What if the evidence for biblical giants is hiding in plain sight? In this episode, Travis Roy joins Tony Merkel to recount the terrifying night he witnessed a massive humanoid sprint across a dark Texas road, an encounter that launched years of investigating giant footprints and ancient mysteries. As his search deepened, Travis uncovered fossilized human tracks that he believes challenge conventional history and raise profound questions about the Nephilim, ancient America, and the biblical record. Rather than relying on speculation, he shares the discoveries that convinced him something extraordinary once walked this land, and why those findings continue...

In Episode 395: The Mysterious Randonautica, we are joined by Josh Lengfelder, the CEO of the Randonautica app! Ever since the Randonautica app was released, we’ve received emails from listeners asking for our thoughts and opinions about it. Some people love the app and enjoy the random adventures that it takes them on, while others feel there is something dark and sinister behind it. Some people have even accused the app makers of foul play. As the app’s founder, Josh discusses Randonautica with us with openness and sincerity, describing the process of the app’s creation by hooking it up...

What if the terrifying supernatural encounter that haunted your childhood was never random? Join Tony Merkel as he sits down with Aron, who shares how years of being stalked by a mysterious, rake-like creature ultimately led him through fear, deception, witchcraft, and a desperate search for truth before he encountered the life-changing power of Jesus Christ. Rather than letting darkness define his story, Aron explains how those experiences became the foundation for a ministry focused on exposing spiritual warfare and confronting the occult through biblical faith. Together, Tony and Aron explore what these encounters reveal about the unseen battle...