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MYS413: The 1928 Earling Exorcisms were documented in a booklet called Begone Satan — but that wasn’t the full story.

In 1934, a secret manuscript was written by Fr. J. Bunza, based on Father Theophilus Reisinger’s own German account. It was never meant for public circulation. And what it reveals about the Earling case goes far beyond anything in the published account.

According to the manuscript, “Emma’s” (aka “Anna”) possessions didn’t end in 1928. They continued for years. During those years, Emma reportedly received visions of Jesus, the Virgin Mary, and heavenly figures — and those visions escalated into sweeping apocalyptic claims.

The manuscript asserts that St. Michael the Archangel himself confirmed the Earling exorcisms were the cosmic battle described in Revelation 12: the war in heaven between Michael and the dragon. Billions upon billions of demons were cast into the abyss. The Pope’s very freedom was secured because of them.

But that was only the beginning. The manuscript goes further, claiming that Jesus himself gave Father Reisinger a specific mission — to warn the world about the Antichrist, who had already been born in Palestine, possessed by the spirit of Judas Iscariot from conception. The Antichrist would reign during three days of literal darkness. A figure known as the Great Monarch would lead Christendom during this final conflict. The manuscript even named a candidate: Otto von Habsburg, young heir to one of Europe’s most storied Catholic dynasties.

Every one of those prophecies failed. The Antichrist never reigned. Otto never became king. The Three Days of Darkness never came.

Jimmy Akin and Dom Bettinelli work through the manuscript’s claims systematically — evaluating the hoax theory, examining mental illness frameworks, and scrutinizing each preternatural element (xenoglossy, detection of relics, Father Steiger’s car accident, the reported vomiting, possible levitation) in detail. Then they examine what the failure of every specific prophecy tells us about the manuscript’s authenticity.

Whatever happened in Earling, the secret manuscript’s predictions didn’t match reality. That failure may be the most revealing thing in the entire case.

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Links for this episode:

• Begone Satan! (annotated & illustrated)
• The Social Science Study of Exorcism in Christianity
• Joseph Laycock’s book The Penguin Book of Exorcisms
• Joseph Laycock’s book The Exorcist Effect
• Fr. Vincent Lampert interview
• Jimmy Akin on the “three days of darkness”
• Otto von Habsburg

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Chapter Markers

• 0:00 – MYS413
• 0:11 – Previously …
• 1:21 – Intro
• 3:30 – Recap
• 5:56 – The Secret Manuscript
• 9:04 – Difference from Begone Satan
• 12:40 – Visions of Apocalypse
• 22:10 – Antichrist
• 26:58 – Three days darkness
• 28:26 – The Great Monarch
• 33:09 – Signs in the sky and judgment
• 42:10 – After the judgment
• 46:05 – Thank you to Patrons
• 46:34 – Sponsor: The Grady Group
• 46:55 – Theories
• 48:11 – Reason Perspective: Hoax?
• 54:00 – Mental illness?
• 59:14 – Arguments for an against
• 1:09:31 – Preternatural events?
• 1:11:51 – Unconscioous awareness of things
• 1:13:56 – Xenoglossy
• 1:17:18 – Sensing blessed items
• 1:23:12 – Knowing about the car accident
• 1:27:55 – Speaking without mouth movements
• 1:28:57 – Copious vomiting
• 1:32:10 – Levitating
• 1:38:22 – Faith Perspective
• 1:41:01 – Possessed by human spirits?
• 1:43:20 – Demons and angels?
• 1:46:46 – Bottom Line
• 1:47:51 – Further Resources
• 1:48:33 – Mysterious Feedback from #402 Hitler’s Marriage and More Weird Questions
• 1:54:10 – Your mysterious feedback
• 1:54:48 – Thank you to Oasis Studio 7
• 1:55:31 – Next Time: Ancient Christian Ghosts
• 1:55:55 – Follow the show
• 1:56:06 – Show notes
• 1:56:13 – Become a Patron
• 1:56:21 – Sponsor: Rosary Army and School of Mary
• 1:56:46 – Outro

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