Please Take a Moment to Read. Thank You!

The following article will not go over well, because whenever I bring it up, there are those within the church who get upset. I do not mean this article to judge but to inform, because as a pastor and teacher, I need to bring forth what God’s word says.

The Bible says that the men of Issachar understood the times to know what Israel ought to do (1 Chronicles 12:32).

Further, I do not want to be legalistic, because the Bible says that each of us needs to be convinced in their own minds.

The Bible also says, “Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand. One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind.” (Romans 14:4-5)

Hallowed Who? “The Real Story of Halloween”

Halloween is a time where children, both big and small, get all dressed up and have fun. Little Johnny puts on his Batman gear and runs from house to house, laughing with glee at the prospect of more candy. Jennie beams with delight as she enters the night dressed all in black, from the top of her pointy hat to the tips of her boots. And let’s not forget the retailer who also looks forward to this day, especially since Halloween is one of the major retail seasons of the year. So, at first glance, Halloween is a good time to be had by all, just a lot of innocent fun. Or is it?

The origins of our modern-day Halloween celebration was around 835 AD when Pope Gregory IV designated November 1 as “All Saints Day,” or “All Hallows Day,” and the night preceding it, October 31, as “All Hallows Eve,” which later became shortened to Halloween.

The question though is why did the Pope designate this day? Well, the answer involves the custom of the Church to make Christian holidays out of pagan festivals to Christianize nations. You could say that they were trying to inject biblical values into ungodly events.

Long before this day was “Christianized,” the people of Northern France and the British Isles (the Celtic people) celebrated this day as a high holy day and observed it with occultic arts and the worship of Samhain, the lord of the dead.

It was on this night that Samhain gathered the souls of the evil and wicked dead and determined their fate for the coming year. Sacrifices, prayers, and gifts to Samhain would lighten their punishment, and the sacrifices would protect the people from evil who were offering them.

On October 31, it was as if all hell broke loose on the earth as ghosts, evil spirits, and witches roamed about the countryside.

What the Roman Catholic Church did was to change the day from the celebrating the god of the dead to celebrating dead saints. Not much of a change if you ask me, and they injected little godly values into this time of great evil.

The Church, sadly, did little if anything to reform this day for Christ. They simply changed the name to protect the guilty.

The people would wear costumes along with grotesque masks of goblins, and the poor would go from house to house begging for soul cakes with the promise to pray for those in purgatory, along with firewood to build a great bonfire to help rejuvenate Belenus, the sun god’s power, as it waned in the fall and winter months.

Therefore, Halloween is not as cute as it may seem. It is an insidious holiday that veils a genuine horror. This day, October 31, is the most high and holy day for all witches, neo-pagans, and the occult, and the most holy day of Satanism. It is a night where the satanic arts are practiced, including animal sacrifice and worse, far too graphic for this article.

In the “Encyclopedia of New Age Beliefs,” it says that Halloween, since the last quarter of the nineteenth century, is a time “for working charms, spells, and divinations.”

None of this, unfortunately, we never seem to mention this when we talk about Halloween. We are like an ostrich that hides its head in the sand, pretending that it doesn’t exist. We don’t want to give up our cute holiday. But please understand, all those cute little costumes and candy are nothing more than a smokescreen to cover up the horror of what this day is all about.

What should we do?

The Bible tells us we are not to learn or follow the ways of those who don’t follow the Lord God, for their customs are futile (Jeremiah 10:2-3). When the Jewish people entered the Promised Land, the Lord commanded them not to follow in the ways of those who were there before them, and not to practice their customs or follow their gods. They were called to be a separate people, a holy people, a people who would only follow the word of God.

In the same way, the Lord has called the church and those who call themselves “Christians” to be a holy and separate people as well, (1 Peter 2:9). If we are then called to be a holy people and not follow false gods and ungodly customs, then how can we celebrate Halloween, a day given over to Satan, no matter how innocent it may seem to be.

Consider the Apostle Paul’s words. “Who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.” (Romans 1:32)

In his letter to the Thessalonians, Paul tells us to abstain, to abstain from every form of evil (1 Thessalonians 5:22).

Halloween is no trivial or laughing matter to be taken lightly. Halloween and the occult are inseparable, and when we take part in it, we are allowing the cover up and a great evil to continue to be perpetrated upon others.

However innocent Halloween may be at one level, at another level, it loses all innocence.

Side Note: I do not judge any who choose to take part, because I cannot judge the heart. I know that many have a desire to use it to reach out for the Lord, which is admirable, but my question is, are we doing today what the church did back in 835 AD

Instead, I have chosen not to take part. Hopefully and prayerfully, I try to take the path that Joshua talked about. “But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15)

Dennis Lee is Senior Pastor at Living Waters Fellowship,Mesquite, Nevada.He presently has two books, From Here to There: A Journey to Spiritual Transformation,” and “Wells of Living Waters,” He also writes a religious column for a local newspaper entitled, “Rediscover the Bible for Life,” along with daily devotionals and thoughts that he posts on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Living Waters Fellowship’s Website