’WHAT IS WRONG WITH HALLOWEEN?"
Thesis: Halloween is a Satanic Holiday!
Material and information taken from the book “Halloween and Satanism” by Phil Phillips and Joan Hake Robie.
TEXT:
II Cor. 6:15-17
What harmony is there between Christ and Belial ? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people." "Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you."
I John 4:18
"There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love."
Introduction:
Ron Ritchie asks us a question today, "Do you believe in the devil, in demons, and demon possession? According to a recent Gallup Poll taken among 1,236 adults and reported a while ago in local papers more than ½ believe in the devil (or 55%, with 8% not sure and 37% why don’t believe the evil one exists). One in ten claim to have talked to the devil. Some 49% believe that people are at times possessed by the devil, and 22% are not sure, leaving 35% of the population who do not believe in demonic possession."
We can say with accuracy that Jesus, Peter, Paul, the disciples and even Legion believed in demons and dealt with them. I challenge you if you are one of the ones that does not believe in the demonic realm to just look around you. Have you noticed the latest movies coming out, the TV shows, the incidents of bizarre things in the paper, serial killers, secular Satanic music, people saying they worship Satan. The list could go on -- just open your spiritual eyes and ears at Halloween. The Satanic realm is present!
I Peter 5:8-9 warns us:
"Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.
We see horror shows everywhere -- which portrays terror, fear, evil, evil as all powerful none of these characteristics are Gods traits. Then who’s are they?
Halloween’s theme is fear and evil wins -- But fear in this scenario is a destructive force. It can cause one to lose their perspective in life to lose hope. This type of fear has caused many destroyed lives. It causes physical, emotional and spiritual illness. It has at times caused one to lose faith in God. It attributes more power to the element feared than to God.
Halloween’s fear and horror shows have infiltrated our society and caused a deterioration of it.
Illustration: Mark’s comment at SHLBC
Phillips states, "Most of us are all cognizant of the fact that fear plays a leading role in television and theater productions. People want to be, ’scared to death’, and are usually not knowledgeable, or don’t care about the ill effects that fear, whether in reality or in "fun", has on our health and general well being."
T.S. - To better understand what Halloween is about lets look at the historical setting of Halloween.
I The Historical background of Halloween
A. Halloween is the celebration of death and was formed to combat All Saints Day on November 1st.
a. Another name for All Saints Day was All Hallows. October 31st was known All Hallows Eve, which was later shortened to Halloween.
b. All Saints Day is a Holy Day observed by the Roman Catholic Church on November St.. It honors All Christian Saints - especially those who do not have days named for them. It was first celebrated on May 13th, A.D. 610, as the feast of All Holy Martyrs, when the Emperor Phicas gave the ancient Roman Temple of Pantheon to Pope Boniface IV as a church. in the year 900 this date was changed to November 1st.
c. Gradually, the feast was extended to commemorate All Saints, in addition to those who had given their lives for their faith in the Roman Catholic Church. All Saints Day is a Holy Day of Obligation, when Catholics are required to attend Mass and to refrain from unnecessary servile work.
B. The pagan celebration of the Horned god during the 7th Century is the practice which contributed to the Halloween ritual.
1. In this magical rite individuals would dance about in a circle, barking and howling at midnight, using a bronze sickle, they would gather herbs. Spells were cast on enemies, also they bewitched individuals by sticking thorns into a wax model of the person.
2. They also brewed love potions and concocted poisons, The skins of snakes, and saliva and intestines of animals were dropped in their brews. The wings and entrails of bats also went into their brews. At the end of the ceremony they sacrificed and ate the animal god.
C. In the tenth century, King Edgar of England admitted that witchcraft was more popular than Christianity. It was then that its followers became known as witches.
1. While All Hallows’ Eve originally had been a strictly Christian holiday, the pagan influence from earlier traditions gradually crept in while the Catholic Church’s influence waned. Soon Halloween became a secular observance, and many customs and practices developed.
D. The 14th Century
1. The 14th century saw the rise of suspicion and occult practices.
a. Philip IV of France is reported to have accused the Order of Knight Temple of heresy.
1. They were accused of worshiping an idol named Baphomet. Baphomet was said to be a head stuffed with a human head, with three faces. One was described as being made of metal and having a face like a human with curly black hair.
b. The Pan emerged from the horned God pagan worship and was said to be a goat-footed deity of the Archadians, and was said to wander through woodlands to glades accompanied by dancing nymphs. He was said to bring the power of sudden terror to animals and men.
c. Witchcraft grew and witches held weekly meetings called Eshats and several times a year they gathered for their Sabbath.
d. May Day, a day celebrating the inauguration of the second half of the Celtic Year and a symbol of rebirth. This celebration in England drew witches who attended and vowed to obey their god, the "Master" disguised as an animal. They worshipped their Master during this May Pole celebration as their source of food and life itself. They consecrated their children to this Horned god. Witch couples were married at these ceremonies. New witches were in doctrinated into their covents. After the ceremony they held jumping dances.
The Puritans opposed celebrations like May Day calling them pagan worship.
e. Magic emerged with early magicians searching for knowledge to control the forces of nature.
f. The Druids
The earliest celebrations of Halloween began among the Celts, who lived more than 2,000 years ago in what is now England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales and northern France. The ancient Druids, in Britain, France, Germany and the Celtic countries celebrated the Vigil of Samhain in honor of their god, Samhain, lord of the dead. Halloween acquired sinister significance with ghosts, witches, hobgoblins, black cats, fairies, and demons of all kinds said to be roaming about the land. Research of the scope and nature of the Celtic traditional lore believed to be possessed by the Druids leads us to believe that the Druids were divided into two groups: one relating to metaphysical speculation and beliefs about the supernatural, and the other dealing with practical knowledge, including that involved in the organization of a calendar.
These pagan Celts believed that evil spirits lurked abut as the sun god grew pale and Samhain grew stronger. By lighting great bonfires on the hillsides, on the Vigil of Samhain, they hoped to scare away the evil spirits of those who had died the previous year. It was believed that on this day the souls of the deal would rise from the grave to haunt those who were living. In order to please Samhain, the Druids held cruel fire rites. Prisoners of war, criminals or animals were burned alive in odd-shaped baskets. By observing the way they died, the Druids saw omens of the future, good and bad. In addition, on this important day all the cooking fires were extinguished in the kitchens around the land. New fires were then lit from the great bonfire to honor the coming new year. By waving burning wisps of plaited straw aloft on pitchforks, people tried to frighten off demons and witches. Just in case waving of burning wisps didn’t work, the Druids also put on grotesque and terrifying costumes. They believed that if you dressed in a horrible enough fashion and went trooping around with the spirits all night, they would think you were one of them and do you no harm.
The Celts believed that when these spirits came to your house, if you did not treat them, they would trick you.
Many of the Halloween legends and customs of today have come from the Celts.
The Druids were thought to be the builders of England’s ’Stonehenge’ to be used as a sun worshipping temple and site for human sacrifice. The date of these days to sacrifice people at Stonehenge was October 31st.
II. Halloween is Practiced Today
Halloween is a pagan, Satanic celebration
1. Halloween is the witches high Sabbath where animal sacrifice along with human is occurring.
2. The witches honor "their Master Satan" and offer him sacrifice.
3. Trick or Treat
a. The modern custom of ’Trick or Treat’ began in Ireland hundred of years ago. A group of farmers went from house to house begging food for the village. Halloween festivities in the name of their ancient gods one being the "Horned god". Good luck was promised to generous donors and threats were made against those who could not give. Thus the ancient pagan traditions continue today as youngsters, masquerading as ghosts, skeletons and demons go ’trick or treating’ - begging in a sense, for food while promising to refrain from all evil deeds.
b. This is one night where children experience the emotion of fear, fantasy and evil
4. Jack-O-Lanterns
a. Is an Irish tale that says that a man named jack was unable to enter Heaven because of this miserliness. He could not enter Hell because he had played a practical joke on the devil. So he had to walk the earth with his lantern until the judgment day.
b. Jack-O-Lantern is an ancient symbol of a damned soul.
c. Fearful of spookers, ghosts, demons - folks began hollowing out turnips and pumpkins and placing lighted candles inside to scare evil spirits from houses.
5. Costumes "Masks"
a. Started because of the belief that demons, ghosts, goblins emerged on Halloween to do evil. Folks started dressing as demons, etc. So as to blend in with the evil spirits on Halloween. They did this believing that if they looked like demons then they would be safe.
6. Symbols of Halloween-- Focus on fear, evil, terror, death
a. Creatures of the night, deception, the strange, the fearful, the evil supernatural, all characterize Halloween, the celebration of death.
b. Halloween promotes everything evil.
T.S. The Bible is repetitious and specific on how to react to evil.
III. The Bible’s view on Halloween and how to deal with evil..
A. The Word of God states.
l. Deut. 18: 10-13 Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, (Deut. 18:10 NIV) or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. (Deut. 18:11 NIV) Anyone who does these things is detestable to the LORD, and because of these detestable practices the LORD your God will drive out those nations before you. (Deut. 18:12 NIV) You must be blameless before the LORD your God. (Deut. 18:13 NIV)
2. Gal. 5: 19-21 The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
3. Witchcraft and Satanism is not child’s play! So don’t play with evil it will burn you and there is nothing good a about it..
B. Can any Christian give any scriptural or even logical reason for participation in, or approval of, that which is unmistakably associated with paganism, devil-worship, and Satanism?
l. I Thess 5:22 "Abstain from all appearance of evil."
2. I Cor. 10:31 "Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God."
IV. What do I do?
A. What you say about Halloween, witches, haunted houses and ghosts may be true. But what do I do on Oct. 31 when my children want to dress up in costumes and get treats.
1. Have an alternative to Halloween have a Hallejuah night which glorifies the Lord and not the devil.
* Share about last night how many kids and the impact of "good" focus on Jesus and the Word.
2. Share with your kids the truth and encourage them to dress in good costumes not evil ones.
3. Be the parent and draw a boundary in love!
* The other night Fox family channel was advertising that this week they are having family "horror" programs on TV that the whole family could sit together and watch.
B. What about school’s emphasis?
1. Oppose Halloween as a religious holiday. Satanism is a recognized religion today have the school ban it.
* Use their phrase "Separation of Religion and State"
* If people complain school boards have to because they separate Christ out of Christmas in school but promote Satan at Halloween.
C. The third thing to do is pray against it and take authority over the evil forces.
1. Ephesians 6:10-18
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
2. Prayer defeats the enemy!
Conclusion:
Today we have established the fact that Halloween is Satan’s celebration of evil. I am always aware of the month of October and how every year I deal with more marriage problems, personal problems, spiritual issues, and disunity problems. I always goes up in Oct. Especially around the end of the month. This activity tells me that Satan and his kingdom is working overtime to pounce on the Body of Christ and society. I believe the activity focuses on the acceptance of evil this time of year which gives the evil one more free reign. I have often heard th phrase it’s Halloween what’s the big deal! Halloween is not "FUN" it’s evil to the core and Jesus wants us to stand against it with his name and power.
We as the warriors in the kingdom of God need to stand against the evil forces at work. We need to avoid it, expose it, condemn it and pray against it. It does make the difference! In reality it means life and death for certain people. Lets promote "Life" not "Death". Lets glorify "Life" not "Death".
