I greet you in the wonderful name of Jesus Christ. May His Holy Spirit speak into your spirit through this letter.
We are on the eve of one of the worst satanic festivals, namely Halloween. As I listen to people talking, many of them Christians, and watch the programs and advertisements on TV, I hear and see about upcoming Halloween parties.
Looking at God’s word, the Bible, I realize that what was written years ago is still applicable today. It is written in Isaiah 5:13 “Therefore my people are gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge: and their honourable men are famished, and their multitude dried up with thirst.” Taken into captivity means, being led away in chains!!!
God’s people are still being taken captive and the shocking part is they are going willingly. They are not willing to listen and has got an attitude of I don’t need to know!!
God says in Hosea 4:6 “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.” What a stern warning!! “You will not be a priest for ME and because you choose to be un-
We must realize that our God, the creator and only redeemer, is not our playmate. HE is a God of love and through love gave us, His children, guidelines for life. If we choose His way, His promises are for us. But if we choose to live by another’s rules, He cannot protect and help us, and we will be taken captive by the enemy!!!
God clearly states in Deuteronomy 18:9 “When thou art come into the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations.” and confirms it in Jeremiah 10:2 “Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen ,,,” We are not to follow in the ways and customs of the heathen nations. Who are heathen nations, you ask? Heathens are anyone not believing that the only way of salvation is by accepting Jesus Christ as Savior, not believing and confessing that Jesus Christ, as God, became flesh, was crucified and was resurrected on the third day. If we don’t believe this then we will be classified as heathens by God. It is Jesus as Savior and only Him. Definitely not Jesus and …. (Mary, Ancestral spirits, Lucifer, Myself, New Age, and we can carry on with the list.) Acts 4:12 confirms this “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”
Now let us have a look at the deception of Halloween. I see so many people trying to Christianize heathen practices.
Jesus said in Matthew 12:33 “Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit.” Let us have a look at the “tree” and roots of Halloween! Then we can decide upon the “fruit” of this tree.
Halloween comes from “ALL HALLOWED EVE” with the roots in Druid demon worship. It is known as the feast of the dead, SHAMHAIN. They believed that time stood still and the souls of the dead walked upon the land. God said in Hebrews 9:27 “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” No soul of a dead person can come back. These “souls” are demons of Satan impersonating people.
Gifts were left outside houses to ensure that no harm comes to the household. Psalms 91:11 states the following: “For He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.” If we need protection let us remind God of His promise. No gifts can protect us against evil spirits.
Yellow ribbons were tied around oak trees as prayers to the sun to have their children spared. Jesus said in Matthew 18:6, Mark 9:42 and Luke 17:2 “It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.” Jesus himself is looking after our children. So let us live according to His word thus enabling Him to guard over us and our children!!
Where does the “bonfire” comes from? Druids chose certain children to be offered on “bone-
What about the “TRICK or TREAT” you ask? If gifts weren’t given to the Druids, a “trick” followed –
In 2 Timothy 1:7 God says “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” So who uses fear? Satan of course! God does not kill people!! Jesus said in John 8:44 & 45 “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not.” God is speaking in Ezekiel 18:32 “For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord GOD: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye.” We do not serve a God that kills. May I ask you something? Will you kill your children? NO!!! We will never do that! So why will our heavenly Father kill His children? So many of God’s children are killed because we are in a spiritual war! We choose, so many times by ignorance, to open doors for Satan and he is the killer.
Now what about my previous celebrations of this day and my accepting these parties and celebrations as “harmless” fun? It is written in Act 17:30“And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent.” If we repent God will forgive. He says in Hebrews 10:17 “And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.” But warns us in Ephesians 4:27 “Neither give place to the devil.” We cannot carry on in our previous ways.
Let us make a choice today! God asks us to choose in Deuteronomy 30:19 “I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live.” Do you see Father’s love, even in this choice? He even recommends what we must choose “therefore choose life”. BUT you and I must make the choice.
If you want to make that choice today, please pray with me.
“Father God, I come to you in the name of Jesus Christ. I accept Jesus again as my Lord and Savior and confess that I believe that He died for me and was resurrected. Lord Jesus, please come into my heart and save me!
Father, I repent today that I was ignorant of Your commands and ask for forgiveness. I gratefully accept Your forgiveness and pray that You will enable me to discern between right and wrong. Please fill me with Your Holy Spirit and empower me to stand up for You.
I also pray for those involved in this Satanic feast and ask that you will send angels into those places where rituals are performed. I ask that your children will see Halloween for what it really is and will turn away form it.
I ask in Jesus Name that You will set up Your angels around us to protect us and our loved ones. I state as it is written in Jos 24:15 “…but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”
I ask and declare this in the name of Jesus Christ.
AMEN”
Be blessed in the name of Jesus Christ.
Cobus van Heerden
PS: On our web download section of the website, you will find a free video download regarding Halloween.
OTHER INFORMATION REGARDING HALLOWEEN:
Halloween Origins and Customs
History traces Halloween back to the ancient religion of the Celtics in Ireland. The Celtic people were very conscious of the spiritual world and had their own ideas of how they could gain access to it –
Their two main feasts were Beltane at the beginning of summer (May 1), and Samhain (pronounced Sah-
“During this interval the normal order of the universe is suspended, the barriers between the natural and the supernatural are temporarily removed, the sidh lies open and all divine beings and the spirits of the dead move freely among men and interfere sometimes violently, in their affairs” (Celtic Mythology, p. 127).
The Celtic priests who carried out the rituals in the open air were called Druids, members of pagan orders in Britain, Ireland and Gaul, who generally performed their rituals by offering sacrifices, usually of crops and animals, but sometimes of humans, in order to placate the gods; ensuring that the sun would return after the winter; and frightening away evil spirits.
To the Celtics, the bonfire represented the sun and was used to aid the Druid in his fight with dark powers. The term bonfire comes from the words “bone fire,” literally meaning the bones of sacrificed animals, sometimes human, were piled in a field with timber and set ablaze. All fires except those of the Druids were extinguished on Samhain and householders were levied a fee to relight their holy fire which burned at their altars. During the Festival of Samhain, fires would be lit which would burn all through the winter and sacrifices would be offered to the gods on the fires. This practice of burning humans was stopped around 1600, and an effigy was sometimes burned instead.
Blending of Paganism with Christianity
When Christianity spread to parts of Europe, instead of trying to abolish these pagan customs, people tried to introduce ideas which reflected a more Christian world-
By A.D. 43, Romans had conquered the majority of Celtic territory. During their rule of the Celtic lands, Roman festivals were combined with the traditional Celtic celebration of Samhain. The Romans observed the holiday of Feralia, intended to give rest and peace to the departed. Participants made sacrifices in honour of the dead, offered up prayers for them, and made oblations to them. Another festival was a day to honour Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit and trees. The symbol of Pomona is the apple and the incorporation of this celebration into Samhain probably explains the tradition of “bobbing” for apples that is practiced today on Halloween.
As the influence of Christianity spread into Celtic lands, in the 7th century, Pope Boniface IV introduced All Saints’ Day, a time to honour saints and martyrs, to replace the pagan festival of the dead. It was observed on May 13. In 834, Gregory III moved All Saint’s Day from May 13 to Nov. 1 and for Christians, this became an opportunity for remembering before God all the saints who had died and all the dead in the Christian community. Oct. 31 thus became All Hallows’ Eve (‘hallow’ means ‘saint’).
Sadly, though, many of the customs survived and were blended in with Christianity. Numerous folk customs connected with the pagan observances for the dead have survived to the present.
In 1517, a monk named Martin Luther honoured the faithful saints of the past by choosing All Saints Day (November 1) as the day to publicly charge the Church hierarchy with abandoning biblical faith. This became known as “Reformation Day,” a fitting celebration of the restoration the same biblical faith held by the saints throughout church history.
Trick-
Some trace the origins of present day “trick-
The problem was… if the souls of dead loved ones could return that night, so could anything else, human or not, nice or not-
Others trace “trick-
In many parts of Britain and Ireland this night used to be known as ‘Mischief Night’, which meant that people were free to go around the village playing pranks and getting up to any kind of mischief without fear of being punished. Many of the different customs were taken to the United States by Irish and Scottish immigrants in the nineteenth century, and they developed into ‘trick or treat’.
Halloween Comes to America
Traditional Halloween symbols (witches, black cats, pumpkins, candles, masks, parties and pranks) appeared in the U.S. during the late 1800’s. In 1848, millions of Irish emigrants poured into America as a result of the potato famine. With this sudden influx of people, the holiday of Druidism found its new home on alien shores. “Proudly Celtic, they called Halloween Oidche Shamhna (`Night of Samhain’), as their ancestors had, and kept the traditional observances” [Common Boundary, Sep./Oct. 1993, p. 31].
The Jack-
Pumpkins were cut with faces representing demons and was originally intended to frighten away evil spirits. It was said that if a demon or such were to encounter something as fiendish looking as themselves that they’d run away in terror, thus sparing the houses dwellers from the ravages of dark entities. They would have been carried around the village boundaries or left outside the home to burn through the night.
Bats, owls and other nocturnal animals, also popular symbols of Halloween, were originally feared because people believed that these creatures could communicate with the spirits of the dead.
Black cats have religious origins as well. Black cats were considered to be reincarnated beings with the ability to divine the future. During the Middle Ages it was believed that witches could turn themselves into black cats. Thus when such a cat was seen, it was considered to be a witch in disguise.
Witches and witchcraft are dominant themes of the holiday. Witches generally believe themselves to be followers of an ancient religion, which goes back far beyond Christianity, and which is properly called ‘Wicca’. Witches are really just one side of a modern revival of paganism –
To witches, Halloween is a festival of the dead, and represents the “end and the beginning of the witches year. It marks the beginning of the death and destruction associated with winter. At this time the power of the underworld is unleashed, and spirits are supposedly freed to roam about the earth; it is considered the best time to contact spirits” (Halloween and Satanism, P. Phillips and J.H. Robie, 1987, p. 146).
The apostle Paul said Witchcraft is one of the acts of the sinful nature and those who practice it will not inherit the kingdom of God (Galatians 5:16-
Divination
The various activities traditional to Halloween are mostly associated with the idea of obtaining good fortune and foretelling the future. Samhain was a time when it was customary for the pagans to use the occult practice of divination to determine the weather for the coming year, the crop expectations, and even who in the community would marry whom and in what order.
- The idea behind ducking, dooking or bobbing for apples seems to have been that snatching a bite from the apple enables the person to grasp good fortune. Unmarried people would attempt to take a bite out of an apple bobbing in a pail of water, or suspended on a string. The first person to do so was believed to be the next to marry.
- Samhain is a time for getting rid of weakness, as pagans once slaughtered weak animals which were unlikely to survive the winter. A common ritual calls for writing down weaknesses on a piece of paper or parchment, and tossing it into the fire.
- There used to be a custom of placing a stone in the hot ashes of the bonfire. If in the morning a person found that the stone had been removed or had cracked, it was a sign of bad fortune. Nuts have been used for divination: whether they burned quietly or exploded indicated good or bad luck.
- Peeling an apple and throwing the peel over one’s shoulder was supposed to reveal the initial of one’s future spouse.
- One way of looking for omens of death was for people to visit churchyards, because the spirits of those who were going to die during the coming year were thought to walk around the churchyard during this night.
Should Christians adopt such practices?
Can we borrow pagan customs and superstitions of ancient peoples and “Christianize” them?
As believers, we are called to “Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil. [1 Thessalonians 5:21-
Is Halloween just another innocent holiday that doesn’t harm anyone? Is it really just childish fun? Vandalism and wanton disregard for the property of others is common on Halloween night. Even normally well-
Should the church be compromised by accommodating itself to the culture?
“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” [Romans 12:2]
“For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial?” [2 Corinthians 6:14, 15]
When America and the world celebrates the Festival of Samhain and the powers of darkness by masquerading as evil creatures or decorating our homes, schools, businesses and churches with occult symbols, Satanic power is glorified.
The sort of practices celebrated on Halloween are what defiled the ancient nations [see Leviticus 18:24-
Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the LORD, and because of these detestable practices the LORD your God will drive out those nations before you. You must be blameless before the LORD your God. The nations you will dispossess listen to those who practice sorcery or divination. But as for you, the LORD your God has not permitted you to do so. [Deuteronomy 18:10-
As an alternative to the celebration of evil and death, Christians should rather do what Christians are supposed to do every day and that is shine the light of Jesus Christ. We should emphasize the Christian influences and strive to make Hallow’s Eve a celebration of the acts of God through his people the saints. We should make it a day when acts of charity instead of vandalism and hatred abound. A day that emphasizes the light of Christ instead of the darkness of evil. A day when people meditate on the acts of Godly people instead of ghosts and goblins.
While you may have participated “all in fun,” be assured, Halloween is serious business for Satanists and witches. Those who oppose Christ are known to organize on Halloween to observe satanic rituals, to cast spells, to oppose churches and families, to perform sacrilegious acts, and to even offer blood sacrifices to Satan. While some may say, “But we only do this in fun…we don’t practice witchcraft,” those things that represent Satan and his domain cannot be handled or emulated “for fun”. Such participation places you in enemy and forbidden territory and that is dangerous ground.
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.” As evil prevails, Americans have embraced an evil day of Satan, with the pranks of ‘would be’ hoodlums, combined with ‘demon faces’ on pumpkins, clothing of ‘death’ being worn, and calling it fun. When Christians participate in Halloween, it sends a message to children that witchcraft, demonism, Satanism, and the occult are something fun, entertaining and harmless.
Many years ago, C.S. Lewis wrote that one of Satan’s most deceptive tactics is to convince people that he doesn’t exist. Apparently he has done a good job in his deception. Sadly, many people think of the devil as no more than a symbol of evil: like Santa Claus, he is just a fictional symbol. Many people today also do not think of witches as real people who practice magic, but simply as imaginary figures who represent the supernatural world and everything that is ‘spooky.’
Recognizing this pagan holiday gives the false impression that what is actually lethal is innocuous. Some children develop a fascination with the supernatural which leads them later into more sinister occult practices. It’s the spiritual equivalent of painting a loaded gun to look like a toy and giving it to child to play with.
It is the kind of celebration that encourages kids like the 16-
How some people can defend this kind of activity as just another innocent holiday that doesn’t harm anyone is beyond me.
Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. (John 3:19-
Acceptance of the Supernatural
Central to Satan’s goals is the widespread acceptance of the supernatural, including the occult, on the part of North Americans, accompanied by a great revival of spiritism all over the world.
Over the last 30 or so years, the occult has moved into the mainstream of America –
Indeed, Halloween has taken root in America. Americans spend $21 million on Halloween candies yearly second only to Christmas in total sales. Halloween is the Number 1 season for selling humorous greeting cards. In North America, some 25 million cards are sold annually. (Peter Smith, “By the Numbers,” The Toronto Star, 2002-
Halloween is the third-
Increasingly the curriculum in many public schools is becoming a primer in occultism. Impressions, a curriculum used in many school districts instructs teachers and students in how to cast spells. One teacher’s manual reads, “Tell the children that a magician has cast a spell on some children. Have them work in pairs to write the magic spell the magician used. Have each pair write another spell to reverse the first spell. Have them chant their spells.”
About 16,000 school districts use the Pumsey the Dragon curriculum, by Jill Anderson. Many of the relaxation techniques used are identical to those used in hypnosis. Another curriculum called Duso the Dolphin employs relaxation techniques and sends hypnotized youngsters off on guided fantasies to a place called Aquatron.
Satanism has become a phenomena that crosses the city limit into the rural areas of our nation. It is reported there are some 6000 witches, and approximately 10 million people are involved in the occult. However, it is very difficult to establish how many actually participate. These individuals are involved in a wide variety of activities from simply casting spells to human sacrifice. The news wires carry story after story about young children being kidnapped, only to be found later as victims of some bizarre ritualistic crime.
As satanic involvement among our youth increases, we begin to see the primary goal of such activity. According to Scripture (2 Cor. 4:4; Rev. 12:9), Satan’s goal is to deceive man by blinding him to the truth of the gospel and to receive worship for himself (Matt. 4:9; Isa. 14:12-
It has become clear that the primary goal is to alter an individual’s values and turn him against himself, his beliefs, family, God and society.
“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” (1 Peter 5:8)
Young satanists believe the strong will rule with Satan. Once an individual becomes involved, they often make a pact with Satan. They commit themselves to a future date when they will take their own lives by suicide. They believe if they submit themselves to Satan in death, they will come back in another life as a stronger being and rule with him forever. According to recent statistics, fourteen young people a day take their own lives.
Recently, a California skateboard manufacturer used a package enclosure similar in appearance to a gospel tract to encourage purchasers to sell their souls to the devil. The brochure titled, “Let’s Make a Deal” has a smiley-
What’s wrong with Halloween?
It does not have even one single redeeming virtue. It is custom born out of pagan superstition. It is a demon-
Wake up Christian! This is the night of evil and those who love the Lord Jesus Christ should have nothing to do with it.
We are all accountable for our choices and decisions. Ignorance is no excuse. The choice is up to you. Have you been involved in this satanic holiday? Do you struggle with giving it up because “it’s just fun” and an innocent opportunity for children to dress up and collect candy? Don’t take my word for it. Let God show you what he would have you do. You might begin by praying the following:
Father in heaven I come to you in the name of Jesus Christ to confess that I’m a sinner. I’m sorry! Please forgive me. I believe with all my heart that Jesus Christ is Your Son and that You raised him from the dead. I believe that Jesus Christ died for my sins and that I might be saved. Each and everyday Father I turn my will and my life over to Your care, and may Your Holy Spirit lead and guide me in all the things I think , do and say. I’m Yours and You are mine. Father, please use me that I might help others come to know and love Your Son Jesus Christ. Thank you for saving me. Amen
By The Jeremiah Project