NEWS BLOG

This time of year the question always comes up, should I just ignore the fact that the pagan festival Halloween is fast approaching or should I address it and risk the fact that some of you will not like me so much after this . . . I decided that I cannot ignore such a blatant Satanic invasion of the minds of Christians that has many Christians saying “WHAT’S WRONG WITH THIS HARMLESS FUN TIME”.  What’s wrong with dressing our kids up and allowing them some fun as they go trick or treating.

You know me, friends, I am all for fun. I am always ready for a party. . . But not a HALLOWEEN PARTY. Since coming to America  I have been surprised by the number of Christians who get involved in the Halloween celebrations, who see this as just harmless fun. 

So today, I am going head-on against the devil and his most wicked day of the year, and if you disagree with me, then disagree. I hate the Devil, hate his lies, and am going to show him up whenever I can. All I ask is that you listen this morning and then make your mind up as to whether Christians should ever be involved in this pagan festival. I want to ask today, “Why you would ever want to be tied  into Satan who is a liar, a deceiver?  He is a loser and destined for the caverns of the damned together with anyone else who lines their lives up with him.” 

Did you know that more animal and humans are sacrificed to Satan  on Halloween than any other day of the year?  Did you know that babies have been planned and born to women around this day so that the new born babies can be sacrificed that night?

Let me talk firstly about THE ORIGINS OF HALLOWEEN.

Halloween has its origins in Britain and goes back many centuries.

Halloween was a Celtic festival celebrating SAMHAIN, lord of death and evil spirits.  The Druids observed the end of Summer by making sacrifices to Samhain.  The Celts believed that the 1^st of November was a day of death because the leaves were falling off the trees, it was getting darker earlier, and temperatures were dropping.   They believed that the Sun God was losing its strength and that SAMHAIN Lord of death was overpowering him. It was believed that on the Eve of 1^st of November that SAMHAIN would gather all the Spirits of those who had died in the previous year so that he had greater strength to overpower the Sun God of summer. Therefore the Druids led the people in sacrificing to Samhain in order that all these spirits would not harm them.  They would sacrifice horses, cats, black sheep, and human beings all in order to appease Samhain . . . HALLOWEEN HAS ALWAYS BEEN A CELEBRATION OF DEATH.                 
 

THE ORIGIN OF TRICK OR TREAT

The druids would go from house to house asking for animal or humans to be sacrificed in order to appease the Spirits.  Those who gave were promised prosperity, and those who refused were cursed or threatened.

People were told that these wandering spirits called up by Samhain would get hungry as they wandered about.  If you set out a treat, they would not trick or curse you. Did you know when you give candy out at your door to trick or treaters you are, in effect, giving a sacrifice to a false God?
 

THE JACK- O-LANTERN

The candle lit pumpkin originated as a signal to mark out farms and houses that were sympathetic to the Satanists and therefore deserving of mercy when the terror of trick or treating of the night began.  The World Book Encyclopedia says, “the apparently harmless, lighted pumpkin face of the Jack-o-Lantern is an ancient symbol of a damned soul.”

COSTUMES  

They originated with terrible Druid death rites.  As people, animals and humans screeched in agony while they were being burned alive, the observers would dress up in costumes of animal skins and heads.  They would put the costumes on and jump through the flames in hope of warding off evil spirits.
 

HOUSE OF HORRORS

Count Dracula was a real person and lived back in the 1400s.  He was a demented maniac who massacred at least 100,000 men, women, and children.  He invented a plan to rid his country of the burden of beggars, handicapped, sick and aged.  He invited many of them to a feast at one of his palaces and fed them well, got them drunk, and then asked them, “Do you want to be without care and lacking nothing?” They all yelled, “Yes”.  Dracula ordered the palace boarded up and set it on fire.  That tragic event was the original house of horrors.

WHAT IS THE CHRISTIAN’S RESPONSE TO ALL THIS?

Interestingly, your forefathers recognized the evil of Halloween.  The pilgrim fathers banned Halloween right up until 1845.  Then, it was the Irish that flooded the nation at the time of the Irish Potato famine. They brought Halloween with them, and it gradually spread throughout the country.

In looking at the Christian’s response, let me ask, “Whose side are we on anyway?

Satan is the ultimate trickster. The Bible recognizes that fact  2 Corinthians 11:14 And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light.(NKJ)
 

SATAN IS A DECEPTIVE LIAR

The most tragic fact of Halloween is the total deception of the whole event.  To treat it as if it’s just harmless fun is to make believe that we have no real enemy in Satan, that evil is good, and that as long as it’s only one night a year, then it’s okay.  And Christians seem to have taken the lie and deception - hook, line and sinker.

Friends listen -  there are witches out there and they look to increase their chances of their evil being able to operate.  They love Halloween because they know that on this one night of the year, the mass of the population almost validate their evil.  The resistance to calling up spirits (which are demon spirits) to cast spells and to carry out ritual, sexual, occult abuse on children and adults is made easier and stands more chance of working, BECAUSE THE RESISTANCE AGAINST THEM IS LOWERED AND THEY HAVE MORE FREEDOM TO OPERATE.

I want to ask sincere lovers of Jesus - DO WE REALLY WANT TO AID SATAN, DEMONS, WITCHES and the LIKE? Do we really want to be a part of lowering the resistance to evil and demonic activity? Do we really want our kids involved in and being made to believe that, “Well it’s all fun. It’s only one night of the year.” When, in fact, we are playing right into Satan’s hands and perpetuating what is against God and what GOD HATES. Listen friends, GOD HATES HALLOWEEN.  

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY.

Deuteronomy 18:9 "When you come into the land which the LORD your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abominations of those nations.10 "There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer,11"or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead.12 "For all who do these things are an abomination to the LORD, and because of these abominations the LORD your God drives them out from before you.

Then look at this portion of scripture:

II Kings 17:17 And they caused their sons and daughters to pass through the fire, practiced witchcraft and soothsaying, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke Him to anger.18 Therefore the LORD was very angry with Israel, and removed them from His sight; there was none left but the tribe of Judah alone.(NKJ)

Friends,  how do you think God feels when we cause our kids to think that such a wicked evil festival Halloween is just harmless fun?  How do you think God feels when we make our kids think that things that have their roots in evil, murder and false God worship are alright and harmless?

How do we stand when we line ourselves up with these scriptures:

Ephesians 5:11 have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.(NKJ)

1 Corinthians 10:14   Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.(NKJ)

2 Corinthians 6:16 And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they shall be My people."17 Therefore "Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you."18 "I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty."(NKJ)

I think that you can see that the Christian response should be a very clear avoidance of any thing associated with Halloween.

However, having said that, we should also have A RESPONSE OF LOVE.

Remember that those who are taken up with the Halloween holiday are trapped in deception and don’t even know that they are involved in something so evil. Our response to people who do not know Jesus, do not understand the depth of the deception of Satan must be loved and shown respect.

You may say well what “would you do if you were invited to a Halloween party?” I would be polite and thank them for the invite, but decline it and offer an explanation that would be,  “For me the whole Halloween event is not based on the beliefs that I live for.”  I would plainly tell of how I love Jesus Christ and that Halloween is based around the practices and beliefs of the very one who is an enemy of Christ and Christian belief. I would say, “I would love for you to come to a party at our house some time that can be a night free from all the trappings of Halloween.”

What I am saying is in refusing to go to a Halloween event, don’t be obnoxious,  prudish, and don’t devalue the person because they may be involved in the Halloween event. Remember God loves them and so should you.  Pray that God will open their eyes to the truth.

Now let me close with one last point. Halloween is a night of darkness, gloom, and evil can I ask DO YOU KNOW THE GOD OF LIGHT AND LIFE?

You may be reading this today and the thought of God and Satan has never really crossed your mind.  The thought of God having an enemy named Satan or the thought that we are all on one side or another has never crossed your mind either.

Perhaps the thought that there is a HEAVEN and there is a HELL,  has not been something you have thought seriously about.  But there is a heaven and a hell, there is a God and Satan, friends and the trick of Satan is to seek to get you to believe that God and heaven and hell and even himself are  just fiction and that God is not real, Satan is not real, there is no Heaven or Hell.

You may have thought, “I don’t believe this stuff this preacher is on about.”  The devil laughs at you, friend. That is exactly how he wants you to think.

Friends, God loves you.  We get so adamant against things like this because we are not playing religious games.  We believe that there are evil powers; we believe that there is a war going on between God and Satan.

We cannot live as if these things are just fun, just harmless.  Friends, I do not want to give Satan an inch. I don’t want to give witches any power.  I don’t want to give any thought that there is no harm in things that have their roots in evil and sin.

We believe that you should change sides, friends.  You may say, “Well, I don’t feel I am on the devil’s side. I don’t feel that I am against God.” Well, let me ask you this. “Do you know without a shadow of a doubt that you are a child of God?”  Can you point to a day when you admitted the fact of being a sinner?  Have you ever asked Christ to forgive your past and to give you a fresh start?

He is the Lord of Life and Light. He wants to bring you out of Darkness into light.  He wants to give you light in your life.

We live in a dark world, a world fooled and deceived by Satan.  Things he promises will fill our world with light, fail, and we are left wandering in a darkness of soul that at times becomes unbearable. After promising us that in darkness and deceit we will have friends, he leaves us wandering in the darkness of loneliness and despair and sin.

Listen friends, Jesus knows the darkest things of your life and he promises that there will be a judgement day and your darkest secrets will be revealed and will damn you to the caverns of the damned.

 Luke 8:17 "For nothing is secret that will not be revealed, nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to light.(NKJ)
 

LISTEN FRIENDS, JESUS IS THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD.

John 8:12 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life."(NKJ)

John 1:5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.  ( COULD NOT PUT IT OUT)

This is our experience who were once in darkness:

Isaiah 9:2 The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined.(NKJ)

Did you know that God wants to bring YOU into light?  He wants to light up your life. Listen to what God says to you in Isaiah 60:

Isa 60:1-2 Arise, shine; for your light has come! And the glory of the LORD is risen upon you.2 For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; but the LORD will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you.(NKJ)                                                      

He wants to bring you out of Darkness into His glorious light. He wants to give you a life of light on earth and to spend eternity in light.

Now the Bible says that the LIGHT OF JESUS EXPOSES THE DARKNESS IN PEOPLE’S LIVES . . . THAT CAN FEEL UNCOMFORTABLE. None of us like the unseen things of darkness in our lives exposed, but he only does it, friends, to bring us in to light and into freedom.

You know friends that one of the glorious things about heaven will be . . . no darkness.

Rev 22:5 There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever.(NKJ)

Is that your destination, friends, or are you destined for the outer darkness?

Matt 25: 30 talks of “the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

This October 31^st, while a mass of Americans celebrate darkness, death, and evil WILL YOU COME OUT OF DARKNESS TO THE LIGHT OF JESUS?

Will you pray this prayer with me now? 

Lord Jesus, thank you for defeating the power of darkness on the Cross of Calvary.  I choose to accept you as my Lord and Savior now.  Please forgive me for the wrongs I have done, and fill me with Your love.  Thank You for loving me.  Amen.                                                      

Christian, will you make a bold stand and say I will now not support evil and death? I will not give demons and witches power? I will walk in light and oppose darkness. 

Let’s pray.

Father, thank you for Your overwhelming love and power that defeats the powers of darkness.  I pray You will speak clearly to the hearts of those who love you, who call you Lord, who are called Christian to stand firmly, bravely against the powers of evil disguised as Halloween.

I pray for those who are just now walking out of darkness.  Surround them with Your love.  Keep them safe from evil, and prove Yourself mighty in their lives, Almighty God.