The person who said that ignorance was bliss was apparently very ignorant of the evil that spreads in the presence of ignorance. Through ignorance, we have in America and in the church taken part in something that is pagan in origin and substance, and breaks the commandments on idolatry… and not thought twice about it. You will suffer to the extent that you compromise with evil. And Halloween is the grand-daddy of all compromises in the church today. Read the following with an open mind, and pray that the Spirit of Truth will lead you into all truth.
It is important for you to understand that I am not trying to throw stones at the ancient Celtic peoples of the British Isles, or the church for creating a compromising holiday to accommodate this heathen unholy day, or you if you have celebrated it in the past. But it is my intention to reveal the truth and reprove the unfruitful works of darkness, and show how Scripturally we are not to have fellowship with this. If you know the truth, it will make you free. We are destroyed by a lack of knowledge.
The main scripture comes from 1 John 1:5-7 – “This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.”
THIS IS THE MESSAGE… AND IN THIS BIBLE BELT AREA, WHERE PEOPLE CLAIM CHRISTIANITY LOUD AND CLEAR… IN THIS PLACE, THERE IS A TIME OF YEAR WHERE CHRISTIANS ACT LIKE PAGANS AND NEVER THINK TWICE ABOUT IT… HALLOWEEN.
I realize that there have been heathen contaminations into our Christian Holidays such as bunnies and Easter eggs in Easter or the Passover… and ornament trees in Christmas… but Halloween goes far beyond this… this is based on a pagan high day of evil spirits and the evil dead.
The Word tells us that if we have fellowship with Him, then we will walk in the light and not the darkness… Jesus Christ is the Light and in the Light… and there’s a problem when we willingly compromise with darkness. We are called to walk in the light! Ephesians 5:8-11 – “For ye were sometimes darkness, but now [are ye] light in the Lord: walk as children of light: (For the fruit of the Spirit [is] in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove [them].”
One thing that this message is designed to do besides enlightening you and exposing that which is hidden, is to reprove the unfruitful works of darkness. Just because that you have been innocent in not knowing the evil of the things of Halloween does not mean that those things are innocent… they will draw demons to your home and cause spiritual problem. Ephesians 4:27 – “Neither give place to the devil.”
Don’t give him place… when you do things that were used in worshiping demon spirits and that is the reason that they were designed, and it is obviously evil, then you are inviting demons to come on in.
The word place means an opportunity or any space at all… don’t give an inch, he will take a mile!
An Obvious Truth: If you are entertained deliberately by the things of Satan, don’t be surprised when he gets an advantage of you. Don’t be surprised when other sins are born from the giving into iniquity… for giving into idolatry and demon inspired practices is iniquity… and it will curse your home.
And before you get angry at the messenger, understand that this is a Bible based message:
Romans 3:4 – “God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.”
LETS LOOK AT WHAT IS BEHIND THESE CUSTOMS (YOU CAN FIND IT IN ANY GOOD ENCYCLOPEDIA), AND THEN WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS ABOUT IT.
Halloween started as the Druid festival of Samhain (pronounced som-wain). He was the evil god of the evil dead and the underworld to the druids. They believed their sun god Bel died on that day only human sacrifice of innocent blood would bring him out of the clutches of Samhain or Saman.
SAMAN was what we call today the grim reaper, a living dead skeleton character with a sickle. They believed that the evil dead and wicked spirits were released on October 31, and it is the highest day even today among Wiccans and other witches, and even among Satanists (some who claim it’s Satan’s birthday… funny, how would they know that?).
DRUIDS – ancient pagan priesthood is one of the main sources of modern day witchcraft (Wicca). In Ireland it was Feile na Marbh, the Feast of the Dead (in Scotland, he is called Muck Olla). The Druids believed that the souls of the dead returned to their former homes to be entertained by the living. Suitable food and shelter was provided for them on this day. The Samhain celebrations included nuts, apples, skeletons, witches, and black cats. Samhain was supposed to call together all wicked souls who died within the past year that had inhabited animals’ bodies for their misdeeds.
In the “Vigil of Samhain”, the Druids would come and collect offerings from the people to both keep each home safe from the evil spirits, and to assure that Bel or Muck Olla would return from the underworld.
TRICK OR TREAT – The Druids would collect offerings, be it food, cattle, or perhaps a child for sacrifice from each home. If that home did not donate to the priests, they would hex you. They would draw a hexagram (six pointed star within a circle) on your door, and cast a spell so that demons would come curse your home or in other words, hex you!
If you happen to have been into Heavy Rock in the 70’s, the band Led Zeppelin (and I point this out just for reference) had an album called Zoso (which according to legend is the hound of hell that guards the gates of hell). On the cover was this old man with a lantern with a hexagram in the lantern. This is the sight (minus the hexagram) that you might have seen in the Vigil of Samhain, for this is what a Druid priest would look like as he came to your home to demand tribute. You can judge for yourselves if they meant that symbolism or not, but I can still remember that from my much younger days – the old Druid on that cover.
We call Halloween by its modern name because of the compromise of the Roman Catholic Church long ago. I am not throwing stones at any church group because frankly, people in most denominations today celebrate Halloween. But in this time, there was only the Catholic Church, and they were trying to get the Celtic people of the British Isles into the Catholic Church. So instead of presenting the Gospel and revealing the evil of this idolatrous festival, they invented All Saints Day for November 1 where you remembered the Saints. And the day before that is All Hallows Eve or Halloween. They did it to bring a pagan people with a pagan religion into the church.
It was a compromise that goes against the New and Old Testament teaching on idolatry and having part of false religions. They corrupted themselves to get numbers in their churches… bad foundation. It is a lesson that we must learn that any house built upon the sand will fall when the storms come. We must be built upon the sand, and that is why we must renounce our pagan background (if we have one) and repent and turn from the evil old way, and unto the Living Way… the Lord Jesus Christ!
Pope Gregory IV in 834 established it in the Catholic Church… but it is much, much older… druids.
Changing its name to something “Christian like” did not make it holy!
1 Corinthians 10:20-22 – “But I [say], that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils. Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord’s table, and of the table of devils. Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he?”
Deuteronomy 4:24 – “For the LORD thy God [is] a consuming fire, [even] a jealous God.”
Actually, our founding fathers had outlawed Halloween until 1845, when the Irish Potato Famine brought Scottish and Irish immigrants into the country, and they brought with them the “old” religion… Druidism.
The holiday was created to bond non-believers, in fact pagans, with Christians. 1 Corinthians 6:14 – “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness wit unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness?”
THE SYMBOLS OF HALLOWEEN – AND WHAT YOU ARE REALLY DOING.
TRICK OR TREAT – We already looked at. If you didn’t give an offering for the gods, the druid priests would trick or hex you. They might kill your bull, or call for demons to destroy your family.
JACK-0′-LANTERNS – In this country it’s a pumpkin, but in much of Europe it is a turnip or even a skull with a candle in it. The face is supposed to be the face of death. It is a carved image of the pagan god Saman. The World Book Encyclopedia says, “The apparently harmless lighted pumpkin face of ‘Jack-O-Lantern’ is an ancient symbol of a damned soul.” It’s name comes from an old legend about an evil old man named Jack who was too evil to enter hell (played tricks on the devil), and he could not enter heaven, so he was doomed to walk in darkness with his lantern until judgement day. My 1999 Interactive World Book used almost the same wording as the older World Book.
But the face (of the Jack-O-Latern) was that of Saman the Lord of Death himself. It also used to mark the farms and houses of those who were sympathetic to the satanic Druids, so they would be merciful to them when October 31 came. Do you want to be sympathetic to the Devil? Do you want an idol symbolizing an evil god of death lit up in front of your house?
You have no problems condemning people who have Buddhas or other idols in their homes, yet each year we carve one with our own hand and set them out in an ancient ritual to appease the god of death.
Exodus 20:4-5 – “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness [of any thing] that [is] in heaven above, or that [is] in the earth beneath, or that [is] in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God [am] a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth [generation] of them that hate me;”
1 Peter 2:9 – “But ye [are] a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light:”
Since God has called us out of darkness, it does not make since for us to bring the darkness back into our homes. How can you be a light, if you are mixing your called out life with the occult?
I know that the kids will be disappointed… but do you really want to do something to invite demons and break a commandment? Is our need to conform to this world so great that we will shut our ears to the truth and offend God instead? John 14:15 – “If ye love me, keep my commandments.”
Point to Ponder: I have had people come to me and ask, why can’t we pray in our house? And why is it there is such a spirit of discord and it seems like the kids are so rebellious and we can’t put our finger on the problem”. And then you find that their entertainment includes demonic movie watching, unmonitored MTV, music that if we listened to the words, we would never let our kids listen. And we wonder why… because if there are things that give honor to Satan and demons, then you are opening a spiritual door… and it is a lot harder to get rid of demons once we have done something to make them welcome, than to get our homes infested with them to begin with.
Halloween is one of those things that really perplexes me. I was raised in a Christian home, and I wasn’t allowed to do a lot of things traditionally that really aren’t covered in the Word of God (kind of traditional in some ways). Yet once a year, we dressed up in a ceremony that has given demons glory for over 2500 years. We act like pure pagans and laugh with our kids and don’t think twice about it. And in the rural area that I was raised, it was called the devil’s night or hell night because there was so many pranks (cutting trees down in front of traffic for example) and violence happening. It really is something to ponder. The blinders came off of my eyes as I really started seeking the face of God.
DRESSING UP IN COSTUMES: In the festival of Samhain, the Druids would build a huge New Year’s bonfire, November 1st being their New Year. And would burn alive people and animals would sacrifice them alive and watch for omens in the death struggles of their victims. The people would dress up in costumes made of animal heads and skins. Then they would dance and sing as the victims were being killed, probably to represent physically to the people the evil spirits they were so afraid of. Then they would travel from house to house in these costumes in this bizarre ritual.
Halloween is a day of fear, death, and darkness. These are the exact opposites of what we are in Christ Jesus. So, why do we observe this diabolical day? Now, maybe you think that dressing up for Halloween is harmless? You are observing an evil, satanic ritual for controlling demons that goes back at least 2500 years.
2 Corinthians 4:4 – “In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.”
When you act out a ritual that involves either mocking or fooling demonic spirits, you are having fellowship with devils or demons. It is a dangerous practice. Now, some might say let’s have a Hallelujah Party and dress up as Bible characters. You are still commemorating this day of the dead when people dressed up as evil spirits. It is another form of the church compromising with a pagan high day. That is how the name got changed from Samhain to Halloween to begin with.
BLACK CATS -The cat was sacred to the Druid and they believed that the cats held the reincarnated souls of the wicked dead. Black cats especially were evil and holders of particularly evil spirits. Witches were said and still do that cats hold their “familiars” – familiar spirits. They were a part of Samhain. Cats are the chief totem (idol) in Wicca.
GHOSTS AND SKELETONS – There is an inherent quality of death in everything to do with Halloween. There are no ghosts as in people who come back from the grave. However, there are familiar spirits who impersonate the dead. And Saman looked like a skeleton, the grim reaper, and is the spirit that represents the evil dead and the underworld. It’s his day.
WITCHES ON BROOMS – Witchcraft today on the most part takes much of its practices from the traditions started in Babylon long ago, and seen in the Druid priesthood of Europe. The symbol of the witch on the broom is a real, although a stupid sounding ceremony. It is a fertility ceremony in which the Wiccans jump in the farmer’s fields as high as they can to teach the crops how to grow. It’s a pagan thing.
HALLOWEEN TODAY IS CELEBRATED STRONGLY THROUGHOUT MUCH OF THE WORLD BY OCCULTISTS. WICCANS TO SATANISTS REVERE THIS DAY OF EVIL.
On the 700 Club around 8 or 9 years ago, I heard one former Wiccan… turned Satanist… turned born again Christian said that he was first affected by demons as a pre-teen boy trick or treating on Halloween. He said some local witch in the area was calling for demons to affect the children in the neighborhood.
This is not child’s play. This is the most evil high day in occultism, and it does not need the church’s help in promoting it.
1 Thessalonians 5:22 – “Abstain from all appearance of evil.”
…
Isaiah 5:13 – “Therefore my people are gone into captivity, because [they have] no knowledge: and their honorable men [are] famished, and their multitude dried up with thirst.”
2 Corinthians 2:11 – “Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.”
Are we gone into captivity because Satan has made this day look so innocent and fun ? If you will hear, you will have knowledge for God does not desire you to be ignorant of his devices.
2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1 – “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? Or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in [them]; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean [thing]; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.”
What communion do we have with darkness? What concord do we have with the devil? It is evil, and if we are of the light, then we will find something else to do on Halloween. We will stand against the evil. We will be counted in the war against Satan. And we will stand for Jesus Christ in this wicked generation!
1 Peter 5:8-9 – “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.”
Because of my own background, I have a particular hate of the occult. No one had to tell me to destroy the things in my life that were obviously connected with witchcraft or occultism. Jesus Christ in me was the true light – the light of life – and His Spirit burned within me new desires. And my desire for the demonically inspired things died, as my old man died. And one of the things that amazed me that I had never considered wrong was Halloween. I was raised in a Christian home and every year we observed this unholy day (unholiday if you will). It wasn’t until that Jesus rescued me that it became really obvious to me just how evil this is.
Every time that I have delivered either a teaching or preaching that included exposing Halloween, there have been both parents and kids that have risen up against it. But it has never been my intention to bring controversy for controversy’s sake. But we are to expose the unfruitful works of darkness for what they are. I put it to you that evil is still evil, even if we tell ourselves it’s just for fun. And poison still kills, even if it is sweet. Someone told me once that some folks kill dogs and puppies with antifreeze (truly cruel). The thing is that they lap up the antifreeze because it has a sweet taste. But in a little while, they are dead. The enemy of our souls is putting out his own sweets, and the more that we eat, the more spiritual poison gets in our lives. I put it to you that we are weakened as Christians when we compromise with evil. And when we take the devil’s poison in us deliberately, then we are hurting ourselves and our families. I pray that you allow the Holy Spirit to speak to you, and share this with someone else. I thank all those who helped in this word and pray it helped you.
by Pastor James Coldiron
October 5, 2000.
Delivered on October 1, 2000 at the Monticello Church of God in Monticello, Kentucky
Some materials researched, collated and originally copyrighted (c) 1995 by Pastor James Coldiron. All Biblical references in this particular article is in the KJV. Although my work is generally copyrighted, please be free to copy and use this material to help educate others.
Posted on 10-15-13 on https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=564910586914773&set=pb.436004819805351.-2207520000.1384821916.&type=3&theater
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