Halloween, so what

Proverbs 8:35-36

35 "For he who finds me finds life And obtains favor from the Lord.

36 "But he who sins against me injures himself; All those who hate me love death." NASB

Halloween is only surpassed by one other holiday, Christmas. Why is that, what makes Halloween so big?

It is quite simple; it is the high holy day of death. You can pretty it up and add sweet names to celebrations but that doesn’t change its  meaning.

Halloween is a "religious day" but it is NOT a Christian day. Tom Sanguinet, former high priest in the Celtic tradition of Wicca (witchcraft) said "The modern holiday we call Halloween has its origins in the full moon closest to November 1, the witches’ New Year. It was a time when the "spirits" (demons) were supposed to be at their peak power and revisiting the earth planet." He went on to say, "Halloween is purely and absolutely evil, and there is nothing we ever have or will do that would make it acceptable to the Lord Jesus."

What is the man talking about, you might be asking yourself? Let me explain. The origin of Halloween is the Celtic Festival of Samhain, lord of death and evil spirits. Long before Christ (at least 2000 years), Druids in Britain, Ireland, Scotland, France, Germany and other Celtic countries observed the end of summer by making sacrifices to Samhain. The Celts considered November 1st as being the day of death because the leaves were falling, it was getting darker sooner and

temperatures were dropping. They believed Muck Olla, their sun god was losing

strength and Samhain, lord of death, was overpowering him. Further, they

believed that on October 31st Samhain assembled the spirits of all who had died during the previous year. These spirits had been confined to inhabit animals’ bodies for the past year, as punishment for their evil deeds. They were allowed to return to their former home to visit the lving on the eve (Oct. 31) of the Feast of Samhain. Druid priests led the people in diabolical worship ceremonies in which horses, cats, black sheep, oxen, human beings and other offerings were rounded up, stuffed into wicker cages and burned to death. This was done to appease Samhain and keep spirits from harming them. It is clear to see that HALLOWEEN HAS ALWAYS BEEN A CELEBRATION OF DEATH.

Which brings me to my next point. How were these sacrifices obtained? Druid priests and people would go from house to house asking for fatted calves, black sheep, and human beings. Those who gave were promised prosperity and those who refused to give were cursed and threatened. In addition, it was likely that all of the "wandering spirits" would get hungry. If you set out a treat for them, they would not trick or curse you. Hence we have THE ORIGIN OF TRICK OR TREAT. "Trick or Treat is a reenactment of the Druidic practices. The candy has replaced the human sacrifices of old, but it is still an appeasement of those deceptive evil spirits. The traditional response to those who do not treat is to have a trick played on the. When you give out Halloween candy, you are, in essence providing a sacrifice to false gods. You are participating in idolatry" says the former high priest of Wicca, Tom Sanguinet.

Did you know that even the Jack-O-Lantern has its origin with these pagan practices? In the book Occult Conceit the author says on page 190, "The candlelit pumpkin or skull served as a signal to mark those farms and homes that were sympathetic to the Satanists and thus deserving of mercy when the terror ("trick or treat") of the night began." Further, an old edition of The World Book Encyclopedia says "The apparently harmless lighted pumpkin face of the Jack-O-Lantern is an ancient symbol of a damned soul."

What about COSTUMES? They originated with these terrible Druid death rites also. As people and animals were screeching in agony while being burned to death the observers would dress in costumes made of animal skins and heads. They would dance, chant and jump through the flames in hope warding off the evil spirits.

http://home.computer.net/~cya/cy00061.html (Dark side of Halloween)

Have you ever wondered where the heinous pagan worship rituals of the Druids originated? I have. As it turns out it goes all the way back to Nimrod, who built Babel or Babylon. He conceived a one world government model in rebellion against Jehovah-God and went about to establish a one world government in the land of Shinar (which is today known as Iraq) and institute a pagan worship system that rejected the Lord God Jehovah. The primary false god worshipped was called Baal (Syrian & Phoenician), Bel (Assyrian), Moloch or Molech (Ammonites), Ra or Re (Egyptian) to name just a few. Here is why that is important. The American Book of Days says, "Many of Halloween's customs are derived from the ancient Baal Festivals. Other customs originate from the taking of omens from the struggles of victims in the fires of druidic sacrifices." Alexander Hislop wrote, "The worship of Bel (Moloch) and Astarte was very early introduced into Britain along with the Druids, the priests of the groves. From Bel, the 1^st of May is still called Beltane in the Almanac; and we have customs still lingering at this day among us, which prove how exactly the worship of Bel or Moloch had been observed…" The reference to "lingering customs" refers to Halloween.

http://www.logosresourcepages.org/HalloweenBook/history.htm

This column is extra long since I am much convicted about the celebration of Halloween. No I am not over reacting. You may say that is just the origin no one celebrates Halloween in that manor any more. The references I gave you beg to differ. Do you realize that “Wicca” is the fastest growing religion among the youth?

 Wicca may not be Satan worship and marijuana isn’t crack either but statistics show that the use of marijuana leads to harder drugs. You may also contend that there are no longer animal sacrifices. Explain why most animal shelters won’t adopt out cats (black or white ones especially) before Halloween.

Now you can say that you are not participating in those rituals therefore it doesn’t matter. Do you participate in homosexual activities? Whether you do or not doesn’t make it right.

How about adultery or abortion? Lack of participation doesn’t make it right, it just makes it tolerated. What you tolerate today you will pay for tomorrow.

You could also contend that it isn’t a Halloween celebration, it is a

“Harvest Festival”. Guess what, there is a harvest festival that doesn’t coincide with worship of death. It is called “Thanksgiving”.

What about using it to “evangelize” the lost. If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it’s a duck. Dress-up give out treats and tracts look and act like the world and then tell them that they need to change.

Galatians 2:14b

"If you, being a Jew, live like the Gentiles and not like the Jews, how is it that you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews?

NASU

You can say that Jesus reached out to the sinners and you would be right. HE reached out to me. But ask yourself this, did Jesus get drunk with the drunkards or participate with prostitutes? No, He shared the “Good News” with them and showed them the way.

Yes, I celebrated Halloween as both a child and an young adult until I realized the meaning of what I was doing. Honestly I cannot see how I glorified God while participating in Halloween. My hope is to enlighten people about this not so innocent holiday. What you do with this information is up to you but let the Scriptures ask you a question:

2 Cor 6:14-15

14  Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? 15 Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever?

NASU

May 21st, 2011 Rapture

Matthew 24:36-43 "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.  37 "For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah.  38 "For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark,  39 and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be.  40 "Then there will be two men in the field; one will be taken and one will be left.  41 " Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one will be left.

42 "Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming.  43 "But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into.

I may be presumptuous (since I wrote this prior to the end of May 21st) but I do not believe that the rapture of the church has taken place, yet. Now please don’t get me wrong, I know that the rapture will take place, it just has not happened yet. I am not writing this column to draw attention to anyone’s mistake. I am writing this to encourage everyone not to become lax and think that we have plenty of time to get things right with God before His return. 

We see in Matthew 24 that only God the Father knows the return of Jesus Christ (Son of Man). But it does give us some insight. It will be as the day of Noah.

We see in Genesis chapter five and six that a hundred years passed from the time God called Noah to build the ark till the flood came. In that time we assume that generation after generation saw the building of this massive ship and became curious as to what its purpose was. I believe that Noah told them time and time again that there was going to be a flood that would destroy everything that was not in the ark. And as time went on and the ark took time to build, people began to ridicule Noah and think that it wasn’t going to happen. We do not know that the first rain drop fell with the final blow of Noah’s hammer either. For all we know the ark could have been completed long before the first rain drop fell which made people doubt Noah’s prophecy. The people kept living as they did before the ark not believing that there  was any reason to change and perhaps there were those that thought they should listen and get things right with God but they had plenty of time. Just as God predicted, the flood came and only the ones in the ark were saved.

That is the harm with predicting a specific time for the LORD’s return. People lose faith in the prophecy or they think they have plenty of time. Yes we are given hints as to the time but not the exact time. What would it change for us to know the exact moment that Jesus will return? Would you live differently?

If you would I suggest that you start living differently now. I didn’t know that on Easter Sunday 2011 that I was going to break my shoulder in five places. My point is that no one knows their time on earth. The “Rapture” may not come in our life time or it might, the time is close, but when we pass from this life to the other God’s judgment will be the same. We do not know how much time we have rapture or not.

2 Peter 3:9-10 The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.

10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.

The “Rapture”, end of the earth and the return of Jesus Christ our King will come to be as prophesied at God’s time not ours. I believe that God put it so blunt that no one would know the time so that we would not get caught up in trying to figure it out but to be ready at all times.

If you knew the exact time and date that Jesus would return 

and would change anything in your life before His return, 

Change it now!

Teach or Destroy

by Roger Talbert

James 1:12-17 Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord  has promised to those who love Him. 13 Let no one say when he is tempted, " I am being tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. 14 But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. 15 Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death. 16  Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. 17 Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.

One of the biggest lies which I believe came from Satan that is unintentionally passed on by well meaning Christians is that God allows things to happen in order to see what we are going to do. Now hold on, let me explain before you think that I have lost it. A good lie consists of its majority being true and therefore believable but with a twist. The truth is that God does allow things to happen that can be harmful which we don’t understand why ( which we see in Job’s case) but the twist that makes it a lie is that God wants and /or allows it to see how we react.

                 God is omnipotent… Time has no rule over Him. Revelation 1:8  "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, " who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty ."  God is not only over time but also knows the future. There are over three hundred prophecies fulfilled by the birth, death and the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  The  first prophecy was in Genesis 3:15 at the fall of man which was thousands of years prior to Jesus’ birth. But the prophecies are not confined to Jesus; Jeremiah 1:5  "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, And before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations ." .  Another example is the birth of John the Baptist and still another is that Peter would deny Jesus three times. There are many more examples of God’s knowledge of the future showing that God knows what we are going to do. So why does God allow things to happen that we don’t always succeed at but often fail at?

                God knows what we are going to do but we don’t. God allows things to happen so that we will know how we react in different situations. We conquer some and fail at other times. This is done to teach us our weaknesses, encouraging us to grow, learning from our shortcomings. Once we have failed there is the tendency not to repeat the failure which makes us stronger. It also keeps us humble, reminding us that our salvation was bought with the blood of Christ, and not because you nor I are good enough. It reminds us that we are sinners and that left to ourselves it would destroy us. We cannot save ourselves. This is the purpose of The Law, to show us that we are sinners in need of a Savior.

                Satan is the father of this lie in order to destroy. He takes the blame off himself and puts it on God. Many a person has turned from the Faith because of this. Something happened in their life and they fell but instead of learning form it they listen to that little voice in their head bringing doubt that God is real and that He does care about us. Satan twists the truth around blaming God for evil taking himself out of the picture, dashing all hope. Satan is the destroyer, the father of all lies out to devour us.

                God is the builder and loves us enough to sacrifice His only Son to pay for our sins not to leave us or forsake us but to teach us.

Remember, when you fall

God is there to pick you up

Satan is kicking you while you are down.