Out of Darkness

Exodus 20:1–6 ESV

1 And God spoke all these words, saying, 2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 3 “You shall have no other gods before me. 4 “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5 You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.

The Dark Side of the Supernatural

Tell a little bit of your story.

Explain how it’s real.

When it comes to making a choice on whether to participate in Halloween, based on biblical teaching, I to urge you to stay away from Halloween traditions.

Halloween’s symbolism and activities today, though technically removed from their ancient practices, continue to retain the underlying associations for which they were intended.

What Is Halloween?

In the book entitled, The Facts on Halloween.

The research that was found revealed.

In AD 835, Pope Gregory IV designated November 1 as All Saints’ Day, or All Hallows’ Day (the term hallow refers to saints). The night before November 1, October 31, was known as All Hallows’ Evening. How did we get the term Halloween? Look at the name “All Hallows’ Evening.” If we drop the word “all,” the “s” on Hallows’, and the “v” and “ing” on evening, the result spells Halloween.

Long before the church gave this name to the evening before All Saints’ Day (a celebration in remembrance of saints and martyred saints), it had been celebrated in various ways in many places around the world. The book Every Day’s a Holiday accurately observes that Halloween “probably combines more folk customs the world around than will ever be sorted out, catalogued and traced to their sources.”

It is generally agreed by historians that Halloween came to take the place of a special day celebrated by the ancient Druids. The Druids were the educated or priestly class of the Celtic religion. The Celts themselves were the first Aryan people who came from Asia to settle in Europe.

The Celts taught that on their New Year’s Eve (our Halloween) ghosts, evil spirits, and witches roamed the earth. In order to honor the sun god (Belenus) and to frighten away evil spirits who allegedly feared fire, large bonfires were lit on hilltops.

In Lewis Spence’s The History and Origins of Druidism we read, The outstanding feature of Samhain was the burning of a great fire.…Samhain was also a festival of the dead, whose spirits at this season were thought of as scouring the countryside, causing dread to the folk at large. To expel them from the fields and the precincts of villages, lighted brands from the bonfire were carried around the district…Divinations for the fate of the individual throughout the new year were engaged in.

For the most part, then, our modern Halloween appears to trace its initial origin to the practices of the ancient Druids at their winter festival on October 31.

It’s not just about the origin of the holiday that makes it wrong, it’s because it literally promotes and praises darkness!

Talk about all of the crazy rituals that take place on Halloween!

And over 85% of people in America celebrate every year!

What Is the Occult?

Religious writers often use the word occult, but what does it mean?

According to the Oxford American Dictionary, occult can be defined as1. secret, hidden except from those with more than ordinary knowledge.

2. involving the supernatural, occult powers. The occult [involves] the world of the supernatural, mystical or magical.

In everyday usage, occult usually is used to refer to spiritual practices that focus on secret knowledge gained through personal experience or attempts to communicate with spirits.

The term is used in reference to everything from ancient earth religions to modern conversations about ghosts and hauntings.

Anton LaVey - The founder of the church of Satan and the author of the satanic bible once famously said, “I’m glad Christians let their kids worship the devil at least one night out of the year.”

Many satanic groups also consider Halloween a special night in part because Halloween “became the only day of the year in which it was believed that the devil could be invoked for help in finding out about future marriages, health, deaths, crops, and what was to happen in the new year.”

Though they are two different religious movements, contemporary witchcraft and Satanism share certain characteristics.

While they are distinct entities and modern witchcraft and Wicca deny the existence of Satan, there remains clear biblical precedent that the devil is the spiritual source of power behind the beliefs and practices of witchcraft, Satanism, and other similar movements.

Former witch Doreen Irvine observes, “Witchcraft of the black kind is not far removed from Satanism…Black witches have great power and are not to be taken lightly…They [may] exhume fresh graves and offer the bodies in sacrifice to Satan.”

The Genesis 3 Worldview:

The enemy tries to make sin look innocent.

The enemy wants to portray Halloween to be a harmless and innocent day for your kids.

Why? Because he wants to trap them early.

And parents are often giving their kids over to Satan and the forces of darkness without even realizing it.

So is wearing customs ok for halloween?

Talk about the little mermaid and customs.

And black panther.

There is a lot of symbolism to witchcraft and satanism.

Let’s look at Genesis 3.

Genesis 3:4–7 ESV

4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.

Did you catch it is verse 7!?

The put on clothes!

Their identity was changed!

That’s exactly what the devil wants to do to you!

Especially on Halloween!

He not only wants your soul, but he wants your identity!

He also wants your worship.

The deep rooted behind the sin of Halloween is essentially idolatry.

What Is Idolatry?

Idolatry - Trusting, serving or giving worship to something that is not God. Also: Idolater; Idols; Image Worship.

Idolatry from The Lexham Bible Dictionary:

IDOLATRY (פֶּסֶל, pesel). The worship of images made to represent Yahweh or any other deity.

Idolatry in the Old Testament:

The Old Testament bans the worship of any images or idols (Exod 20:4–6, 23; 34:17; Lev 19:4; 26:1; Deut 4:15–19, 25; 5:8–10). Despite repeated prohibitions against making idols, the people of Israel worshiped idols throughout the Old Testament. In the Old Testament, “statue” (צֶלֶם, tselem), “image” (סֶמֶל, semel), “molten image” (מַסֵּכָה, massekhah), and “likeness” (תַּבְנִית, tavnith) function as synonyms for “idol.”

Exodus 20:3–6 ESV

3 “You shall have no other gods before me. 4 “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5 You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.

Leviticus 19:4 ESV

4 Do not turn to idols or make for yourselves any gods of cast metal: I am the Lord your God.

Psalm 16:4 ESV

4 The sorrows of those who run after another god shall multiply; their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out or take their names on my lips.

Psalm 115:4–8 ESV

4 Their idols are silver and gold, the work of human hands. 5 They have mouths, but do not speak; eyes, but do not see. 6 They have ears, but do not hear; noses, but do not smell. 7 They have hands, but do not feel; feet, but do not walk; and they do not make a sound in their throat. 8 Those who make them become like them; so do all who trust in them.

What do they become?

Spiritually Dead.

And as worthless as Idols.

Jesus said that they did not have eyes to see and ears to hear.

Those that did not repent did not receive the message of the gospel, nor were they able to comprehend the truths about the kingdom realm.

Thus fulfilling the prophecy in the book of Isaiah.

Isaiah 6:9–10 ESV

9 And he said, “Go, and say to this people: “ ‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’ 10 Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and blind their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.”

Paul also quoted the book of Isaiah in the while witnessing to the Jewish community in Rome.

Acts 28:28–31 ESV

28 Therefore let it be known to you that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will listen.” 30 He lived there two whole years at his own expense, and welcomed all who came to him, 31 proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance.

It’s even in the book of Revelation!

Look what John has to say about this!

Revelation 9:20 ESV

20 The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands nor give up worshiping demons and idols of gold and silver and bronze and stone and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk,

The Works of the Flesh (Idolatry)

Idolatry is a worship of demons and idols.

But it is also a worship of the sin nature

A refusal to deny the lust of the flesh

Talk about John Bevere’s book “Killing Kryptonite.”

Colossians 3:5 ESV

5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.

Galatians 5:19–21 ESV

19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, 21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

You Must Flee from Idolatry!

1 Corinthians 10:14 ESV

14 Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.

2 Corinthians 6:17 ESV

17 Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you,

1 John 5:21 ESV

21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols.

It’s All About Covenant.

God is a covenant making, covenant keeping God.

Covenant from The Lexham Bible Dictionary

COVENANT (בְּרִית, berith; διαθήκη, diathēkē). A sacred kinship bond between two parties, ratified by swearing an oath.

Another way to define covenant is a promise.

Genesis 9:11 ESV

11 I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.”

Exodus 19:5 ESV

5 Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine;

Talk about 2018.

Talk about Job’s covenant with his eyes.

Talk about God’s heartbreak and how he revealed it to Jeremiah.

If Christians celebrate Halloween they are in a sense committing adultery and Idolatry.

John Ramirez once said, when he was asked if Christians should celebrate Halloween; and I quote. “I don’t know why Christians would go and cheat on God.”

Ephesians 5:11 ESV

11 Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.

Exposing Halloween

Since the last quarter of the nineteenth century, Halloween has been regarded as a time “for working charms, spells, and divinations.”Christians should not indulge in such practices, as God says in the Bible:

Deuteronomy 18:10–12 ESV

10 There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer 11 or a charmer or a medium or a necromancer or one who inquires of the dead, 12 for whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord. And because of these abominations the Lord your God is driving them out before you.

In New Orleans, “the Voodoo Museum usually offers a special Halloween ritual in which people may see true voodoo rites.”

In Salem, Massachusetts, a Halloween festival occurs from October 13 to 31 and includes a psychic fair.

The explosive growth of the Harry Potter children’s book series and the related popularity of similar books and films has also increased cultural acceptance of such pagan beliefs.

The enemy wants you desensitized!

5 Major Reasons Why Not to Participate in Halloween.

Who might be influenced? - If we innocently align ourselves with something that has been and continues to be connected with spiritual evil, can we be certain we will never be affected? In merely participating in Halloween, are we ignorantly involving ourselves in practices that dishonor God and associating ourselves with all he hates? Historically, how can we ignore the facts that indicate Halloween is the very day that the dark powers have chosen for themselves as special above all others—from the ancient Druids to modern Druids, witches, and Satanists?

Mimicking evil practices? - Most people think that imitating these things on Halloween is innocent since we do not believe in the original practices or intent. However, the Bible repeatedly shares with us not to imitate the evil practices of the surrounding sinful culture. For example, when 3 John 11 says, “Do not imitate what is evil,” it means to not copy it or act it out. A.T. Robertson’s Word Pictures of the Greek New Testament points out that the Greek word for “do not imitate” (mé mimou) is the present middle imperative of prohibition, meaning, “do not have the habit of imitating.” It comes from mimeomai, which means a mimic or an actor. This Scripture seems to teach that we are not even to mimic, act out, or copy the ancient practices of Halloween. Wouldn’t this also apply to the current activities of the holiday? Isn’t participation a form of imitation? And doesn’t our participation say something to others?

Giving credence? - In partaking of Halloween, do we help, even indirectly, publicize what may be the single most important day in the world of the dark and evil spirits? By our participation, do we give at least some credence to the celebration of evil simply because we participate in a day that originates in the world of evil spiritual practices?

Exposing our children? - Can we, even indirectly, be setting up our children to become familiar with the practices of spiritual darkness? Isn’t it true that even if our own children are dressed in positive and innocent costumes, they are in the midst of other people (children and adults) who are dressed up as witches, sorcerers, the devil, demons, ghosts, and other dark themes? It is impossible for our children to avoid this. Could this exposure cause some of our children to feel comfortable exploring occult areas in the future? When our children ask us why kids dress up in costumes and why they trick or treat, wondering where such practices came from, can we give them any other answer that is not tied back to non-Christian, occult, evil practices?

So how about the dark side? - Isn’t it also true that, besides getting lots of candy, many children enjoy Halloween for the “trick” aspect of it, fascinated with scaring other people? In extreme cases, young people even use the excuse of Halloween to participate in vandalism and arson. In this sense, aren’t they imitating the ancient evil spirits that Samhain released on Halloween Eve? Do we want our children involved on this particular night when others are out to cause fear or destruction?And aren’t many other children secretly fascinated by the scary and evil side of Halloween—witches, ghosts, demons, goblins, graves, dead bodies, and other forbidden things? Is this in harmony with what we read in Philippians 4:8—“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things”? When the apostle Paul tells us we are to be imitators of God, and of him as he is the imitator of Jesus, can we be imitators of God and godliness when we imitate the practices of spiritual darkness on Halloween night? If the apostle Paul lived today, what do you think he would say about Halloween?

Conclusion: Out of Darkness:

1 Peter 2:9 ESV

9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.