Satan’s Tricks are no Treats
Ph 4:8, 9
Jason Murphy
10/30/02
Last year, after a very difficult message, I had some people testify they learned some things about Halloween they didn’t know. I hope to provoke the same response this year.
This is the season for death, fear, gore, murder, idolatry, lust, and all manner of immoral thoughts and activities.
Our text challenges us to think on things true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of a good report and praiseworthy.
Halloween and its activities are not praiseworthy. Halloween is the Witch’s New Year’s Eve. It’s one of the 2 most honored days of Satanist.
Is this something Christians should want to promote if real witches and Satanist are promoting it?
Witch’s and Satanist love Halloween. They get a lot of media coverage and it promotes their beliefs into mainstream society.
The best part about it is it pushes its belief’s all under the guise of innocent fun. The kids in the costumes, the trick or treating for candy. It’s all for fun.
But the Bible says, “Do not marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light (2 Cor 11:14).”
Satan is a master at deceiving people into doing things that seem innocent and look fun.
That’s how he deceived Eve in the garden. What was so bad about eating the fruit? It was wrong because God said, “Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall you touch it, lest ye die (Gen 3:3).”
But Satan came along and said, “Ye shall not surely die (Gen 3:4).”
Satan placed an appearance of innocence and fun upon what God said was unclean.
The Bible still commands Christians, “come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch NOT the unclean thing; and I will receive you (2 Cor 6:17).”
Satan has convinced Christians to go along with every secular activity the world comes up with.
Halloween is not innocent. Halloween Emphasizes Death.
January 6, 1988 Ann Landers wrote, “Parents must tackle violence."
The parent wrote, "I heard something today that made my hair stand on end. I hope you will deal with it in your column because it is a symptom of a problem that warrants deep concern. Last October, the teacher of a fourth grade class asked her students to write a short essay on what they would like to do most to celebrate Halloween. Eighty percent of her 9 year-olds expressed the wish to `kill somebody.’”
That is not innocent fun. That is the power of satan at work in the minds of children. This letter was right on target.
All parents ought to be concerned. Halloween is desensitizing our children by glorifying violence, death, mutilation and gore.
Consider the "Nightmare on Elm Street", "Halloween", and "Friday the 13th" films.
They are popular eye candy at Halloween parties. Who or what inspires the actors in horror films?
Robert Englund, who plays mass murderer Freddy Krueger in the "Nightmare on Elm Street" series, says he draws his inspiration from the late Ted Bundy, who raped and murdered more than 28 women.
Englund told Slaughterhouse magazine, "I just read an article on Ted Bundy, so a lot of my imagery is based on him."
Halloween places such an emphasis on murder, gore, violence, and fear.
The Bible proclaims that, “God has not given to us the spirit of fear but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind (2 Tim 1:7).”
It emphasizes witchcraft and spirit worship. But the Bible says, “thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of others (Deut 18:9).”
“There shall not be found among you any one that makes his son or daughter to pass through the fire, or that uses divination, or and observer of times (fortune tellers), or an enchanter, or a witch. Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer (Deut 18:10, 11).”
Harry Potter is back again this holiday season. Harry Potter literally teaches spells.
But I say again God was the Potter (Jer 18) before Harry ever came along.
I wonder what it will take to get Christians to wake up to the reality that Halloween isn’t innocent.
Right now in Detroit, Michigan Devil’s Night is going on.
That’s right; Devil’s Night is the night before Halloween and continues its rampage through Halloween.
Devil’s night is nothing but a night of Arson. People’s homes and belongings are being set to fire right now as we speak.
Over 157 fires were set in Detroit alone on Halloween of 2000.
Maybe we think Halloween is innocent because we close our ears to such realities. We don’t want to hear about the truth about Halloween because we will have to change our behavior.
Ask police officers of major cities in America and they will tell you that graveyard desecration is becoming a big problem on Halloween. That’s not innocent.
Not long ago a pumpkin was dropped from an overpass onto a passing car below. It crashed through the driver’s window and killed her.
All for a “good laugh.” That’s not innocent fun.
Witches and Satanist worship demon god and perform immoral acts throughout the year and especially Halloween.
Many Satanists have confessed to animal sacrifices and human sacrifices on Halloween. Animals and people will be killed tomorrow night because of satanic influence.
National Evangelist Dave Benoit often speaks on the occult and Satanism.
He shared that one mother found a diary called, “The Book of Shadows” in her son’s room.
She flipped through the pages and found the words, “Last year I stole a car at Halloween and ran over a kid and killed him. This year at Halloween I plan to do the same thing.”
The words he wrote in his diary were true. He is now incarcerated.
You may say, “My children just go and get candy. They aren’t involved in those things.”
When I was younger one Halloween I was invited to go have some fun with my friends. We went and were smashing pumpkins on people’s porches.
We rolled peoples yards with toilet paper and other mean pranks.
Then, my friend pulled from his backpack a bottle of glue. He took off the top and started inhaling the fumes.
He asked me did I want to try it. I said, “Sure.” I did and my head starting swimming. I started seeing double and got “high” off sniffing glue.
I did something that I would have never done or even thought of because of something that started out as so-called fun pranks.
Seemingly innocent things often lead to things much worse.
I didn’t have Christian parents to warn me, or a church to tell me the realities of Halloween. I wasn’t taught about the truth of satanic influence.
I was told we are wrestling, “against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of darkness of this world, and against spiritual wickedness in high places (Eph 6:12).”
If you don’t teach your children to stay away from it now they aren’t going to stay away when they can get into serious trouble.
Paul said, “Abstain from all appearance of evil (1 Thess 5:22).”
Halloween is more than just the appearance of evil. It is evil.
Halloween is a day that honors Satanism, witchcraft, demons, death, fear, idolatry, and immorality; everything God’s Word stands against.
I don’t have any desire to enter into the worship of false gods nor honor the devil. I hope after considering this message you will agree and decide NOT TO CELEBRATE HALLOWEEN.
Let’s practice Ephesians 5:11, "...have NO fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove (expose) them."
Christ is not honored by celebrating Halloween. The Bible teaches this and my family knows this and agrees.
Candy was sharing with some people about Halloween and getting candy.
Amber was standing there and said, “I don’t care about going trick or treating because I get to go to Hallelujah Night and play games and be with my friends.”
Amber has never been trick or treating. There are alternatives to Halloween. We are having Hallelujah Night!!
We have been given a choice. “I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life that you and your seed may live (Deut 30:19).”
We have to choose. We cannot straddle the fence. Jesus said, “No man can serve two masters (Matt 6:24).”
He also said, “A house divided cannot stand (Matt 12:25).”
We have a choice to choose light over darkness.
Wherever there is darkness we should provide a light. Well, Halloween is full of darkness so we are providing light through Hallelujah Night.
This is what Romans 12:21 teaches. "Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good."
Explain to your children why you are not celebrating Halloween. Tell them you are Christians and you will celebrate All Saint’s Day.
Tell them Halloween doesn’t glorify God and that you are going to celebrate God at Hallelujah Night.
Halloween is a strategic time for the church to send a clear message to the world.
First of all, we don’t have to do what you are doing in order to have fun. Second of all, we will not be deceived. Halloween is not innocent.
Since we are given the choice to participate in something that will glorify God why would we still choose to be involved in Halloween?
Parents, don’t let your children guilt you into participating in Halloween. It’s your job to teach your child even when they throw a tantrum because they can’t get it their way.
Proverbs 22:6 says, “Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it.”
Parent’s it’s your job to teach your children to have biblical convictions. You are to TEACH them.
Why can’t we go trick or treating? Because we are Christians and we would rather go to Hallelujah Night and play games and celebrate Christ.
But all the other kids are going trick or treating. First of all, not all the other kids are going.
Second, that is a bad reason to let your kids go. If you do that they will be following other kids into trouble the rest of their youth.
They will grow up giving in to all kinds of peer pressure. Our kids should be leading and influencing instead of being influenced.
When the Bible says, “Train up a child” it means to sit and instruct them in what is right.
Since we have a Christian alternative to Halloween there is no reason, except for greed, that Christians should participate in Halloween.
I hope your desire is that of James, "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you." (James 4:7-8).
Halloween we can show we are resisting the devil. And Hallelujah Night we can show we are drawing nigh to God.
