Halloween

Demons of Darkness Vs the Light of the World

Nature comes alive in the month of October with the vibrant colors of a magnificent rainbow splashed across the landscape with a brilliance that only the Father of Lights could have created. No artist or camera can truly capture the pure beauty and symmetry of the handiwork of an omniscient and mighty God (Psalm 19:1). As we gaze upon this spectacular array of breath-taking beauty, shining forth with all the grandeur of heaven, can we deny the presence, the divine hand of our great provider? His fingerprints can be seen across the sky, the earth and the sea in awesome splendor. Truly all creation must bow before such a wondrous God!

Sadly, in the midst of such beauty we find the ugliness of sin, wrenching from the heart of mankind his faith and hope in a merciful and loving God. Instead we must face the reality of a world crushed under the weight of the principalities and powers of darkness (Ephesians 6:12). Despite all the wonders that God has provided for our benefit, we tend to desire the infatuating lure of evil, saturating our soul with the sinister world of death and destruction, especially during the month of October when the mind turns to the horrors of Halloween. This “seemingly” harmless time of candy, costumes and childish pranks extols and glorifies the world of the satanic, and without the slightest hesitation we invite Satan into our presence through the rituals of this depraved holiday.

What lies behind the history of Halloween? Should we be concerned about its pagan origin? Should our casual attitude that it is a relatively “innocent “ time of fun and fantasy excuse its intense fascination with the occult, a modern day tool of the New Age philosophy? The activities of Halloween, the making of charms, divining the future, the practice of magic and dealing with unclean spirits or demons are explicitly forbidden to mankind (Deuteronomy 18:10-12). Even “trick or treat” is a pagan ritual based on appeasement of the wondering spirits of the dead, and the jack o’lantern represents an eternally lost soul. The bible specifically states that we should not have fellowship with devils (1 Corinthians 10:20). Could this interest in witchcraft and the black arts be another ploy by Satan to deceive God’s people as we edge ever close to the end of time? Is he using every technique and tactic imaginable to draw mankind further from truth by blinding them to the danger, the error of tampering with the forbidden deeds of darkness. 1 Thessalonians 5:5 states that we are children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. To whom are we paying homage on Halloween when the emphasis is on death with such symbols as coffins, tombstones, skeletons, skulls and crossbones, ghosts, mummies and graveyards? Even if only in fun, should we have any fellowship with the works of darkness? Or as children of a glorious God should we reprove them, refusing even to touch the edges of such abominations (Ephesians 5:11)?

The problem may be that we have become desensitized to the seriousness of the realm of witches, warlocks and demons. Movies such as Halloween, Friday the 13th and Goosebumps focus on the deeds of the dark world glorifying an attitude of fear and terror. Those who oppose Christ cast spells, denounce churches and families and perform blood sacrifices. Are we sending a message to our children that these ghoulish practices are acceptable in the name of fun? The bible states that we should abstain from the appearance of evil (1 Thessalonians 5:22). Can we honestly deny that virtually all the symbols of Halloween are evil? Do we worship our creator in the beauty of His holiness (Psalm 96:9), conveying to those around us that the Lord God Almighty reigns in all the earth? God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all ( 1 John 1:5). How then can the God of light be glorified if we choose to walk with the lord of darkness and all that portrays the evil he perpetrates? It is these innocent flirtations with the ways of sin, touching even lightly its borders, that eventually overshadow us with a callous, indifferent attitude. In this Satan delights. Danger lurks at every turn, Satan waits ever so patiently for just the right moment, just the right situation, to whisper his words of approval, his insidious words of deception. It takes diligent, concerted connection with our Savior to win the battle that rages for our soul. We cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of devils and not provoke God’s jealousy (1 Corinthians 10:21,22).

What is wrong with Halloween? Everything! It has no redeeming qualities. To shrug it off as merely a time of fun and games is to give Satan glory. What fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness, light with darkness? What harmony can their be between Christ and Satan, truth and error, wherefore come out from among them and be separate and touch not the unclean thing says the Lord (2 Corinthians 6:14-18). God repeatedly forbids His children to participate in demonic activities as the following scriptures attest: check for yourself and make your own decision. Deuteronomy 18:9-14; Exodus 7:11,12; Exodus 22:18; Leviticus 19:26,31; Leviticus 20:6,27; 1 Chronicles 10:13,14; 2 Kings 21:5,6; Isaiah 2:6; Jeremiah 27:9,10; Zechariah:10:2; Malachi 3:5; Acts 8:9; Acts 16:16; Acts 19:19; Galatians 5:16-21; 2 Timothy 3:8; Revelation 21:8; Revelation 22:15. Read and understand God’s condemnation of this activity. Dare we take so lightly these workings of Satan with such warning from God’s Holy Word?