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Where you aware that Israel of old did as the churches of today do concerning Halloween? Halloween is a day the Pagan holds dear. Scriptures states plainly that Israel too joined themselves with the Pagan feasts on the border of Canaan. Isaiah saw this as an abomination unto God, for the prophet states plainly that "When they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead?" Isaiah 8:19
"This same belief in communion with the dead formed the cornerstone of heathen idolatry. The gods of the heathen were believed to be the deified spirits of departed heroes. Thus the religion of the heathen was a worship of the dead. This is evident from the Scriptures. In the account of the sin of Israel at Bethpeor, it is stated: "Israel abode in Shittim, and the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab. And they called the people unto the sacrifices of their gods: and the people did eat, and bowed down to their gods. And Israel joined himself unto Baalpeor." (Numbers 25:1-3.) The psalmist tells us to what kind of gods these sacrifices were offered. Speaking of the same apostasy of the Israelites, he says, "They joined themselves also unto Baalpeor, and ate the sacrifices of the dead" (Psalm 106:28); that is, sacrifices that had been offered to the dead.
The deification of the dead has held a prominent place in nearly every system of heathenism, as has also the supposed communion with the dead. The gods were believed to communicate their will to men, and also, when consulted, to give them counsel. Of this character were the famous oracles of Greece and Rome. The belief in communion with the dead is still held, even in professedly Christian lands..." -Patriarchs and Prophets p 684
This is no different than the Pagan feast of Halloween. Does not Halloween honor the dead? And where you also aware that the Lisbon Earthquake on November 1, 1755 found many ready for death in their Roman Catholic churches worshipping the dead on "all saints day" the day after Halloween? I wonder how many in those churches were "praying for the dead" when they died that day?
"The Lisbon Earthquake, which occurred on November 1, 1755, is the most notable earthquake in history." -Nelson's New Loose-leaf Encyclopedia (Book Productions Industries Inc.), art. "Earthquake."Says Sir Charles Lyell, "A violent shock threw down the greater part of the city. In the course of about six minutes, 60,000 persons perished. The sea first retired and laid the bar dry; it then rolled in, rising 50 feet or more above its ordinary level... The area over which this convulsion extended is very remarkable." -Principles of Geology (11th ed., 1872), vol. 2, pp. 147, 148.
Encyclopedia Britannica (1945) estimates the deaths at a lower figure, but says the effects of the quake were felt from Scotland to Asia Minor and the distinctive feature of the Lisbon Earthquake was the agitation of inland lakes and streams far beyond the disturbed area -For instance, Italy, Switzerland, Great Britain, Sweden, and Norway felt the effects. (Articles "Lisbon" and "Earthquakes".)
Halloween- What
is it to us?
This article is from this weeks TEMKIT - the entire issue is
found on site here-
http://www.temcat.com/temkit_23.htm
1Co 10:20,21 "But I say, that the things which the
Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not
that ye should have fellowship with devils. Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord,
and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the
table of devils."
With
the loving approval of their parents, children dress up in weird costumes and
play pranks on Halloween night--little realizing that for over a thousand years
this one evening in the year has been specially dedicated by spirit mediums and
witches to the worship of Satan.
Halloween has
nothing to do with Christianity. It is a festival which no one-child or
adult-should have anything to do with. We need to better understand the origins
of Halloween and its dangers.
October 31st was
celebrated by the Druids with many human sacrifices and a festival honoring
their sun god and Samhain, the lord of the dead. (Both are really Satan) They
believed that the sinful souls of those who died during the year were in a place
of torment, and would be released only if Samhain was pleased with their
sacrifices.
Irish records tell of the fascination the Catholic monks had with the powerful Druids, and Druids soon became important members of their monasteries. Pope Gregory the Great decided to bring the Druids' holiday into the church.
Pope Gregory III moved the church festival of October 31st to November 1st and called it All Hallows or All Saints' Day. Pope Gregory IV decreed that the day was to be kept by the church. The term Halloween comes from All Hallows Eve.
The founding fathers of America refused to permit the holiday; because they knew it was a pagan holiday. Halloween was not widely celebrated in the U.S. until about 1900. In the 1840's there was a terrible potato famine in Ireland which sent thousands of Catholic Irish to America. They brought Halloween with them.
The modern
custom of going from door to door asking for candy goes back to the time of the
Druids. They believed that sinful, lost souls were released upon the earth by
Samhain for one night on October 31st while they awaited their judgment. They
were thought to come to the houses of the living. People greatly feared these
spirits and thought that the spirits would harm and even kill them if the
sacrifices they gave did not appease Samhain. They carved demonic faces into
pumpkins or large turnips, placing a candle in them to keep the evil spirits
away from their homes.
Yet such
teachings did not help the people. Throughout Europe, on this one night of the
year, it soon seemed as if all the devils came out! Indeed, that was the hidden
meaning of Halloween, and the wild excitement and orgies of the people on that
night seemed to fulfill it. We are seeing more and more attention paid to this
holiday every year. Why? Because people are moving further away from God and His
Holy Spirit is being withdrawn from the earth. They fool themselves into
thinking they can be saved by Jesus and yet celebrate with the devil! We either
are 100% the Lord's, or we aren't His at all.
The Druids believed that on Halloween, ghosts, spirits, fairies, witches, and elves came out to harm people. These evil creatures must be placated with offerings of food. The Celts would go with their children to one another's house to gather food for the devil gods. This is the most dangerous "holiday" in the year. For long ages, Halloween has been a night especially dedicated to satanic agencies.
Every October 31
we see the clearest evidence of that fact. Vandalism on a major scale now
plagues our cities on that night. A few years ago, Detroit alone experienced
three days of riots, arson, and mass destruction. For three days children and
adults seemed possessed, and the city seemed out of control.
Should we today celebrate this pagan night, which every witch, clairvoyant, wizard, and spirit medium will tell you is the outstanding occult night in the year? It may seem like fun and games. You may be saying now, but we do not worship the devil and I see nothing wrong with it.
Well, don't
forget that it is still "Satan's Holiday." Even if you are not 'serious' about
it, Satan is! And He plays for keeps. If we take part in something that is
Satan's, the holy angels cannot protect us, and he can take over our lives. If
we take part in a Satanic holiday, we ARE WORSHIPPING SATAN whether we think so
or not!!
Few people realize how very dangerous it is to dabble in spiritualism. It may seem like innocent fun, but is it? Lets look at what God's Word says about it:
"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. There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee." Deuteronomy 18:9-12
The widespread problem of harmful substances such as razor blades, drugs, poisons, needles, etc. being placed in the Halloween treats is no accident. Testimonies of several ex-Satanists show that children killed and injured by the "treats" are sacrifices to Satan (or Samhain). Satanists throughout the world continue to perform human sacrifices on Halloween. Also many pets are tortured and killed, it is too horrible to even write about!
Is this something you want to participate in?
I am going to be honest with you about this. If you really have given your heart to Jesus and want to be in heaven with Him and the holy angels, how can you still want and enjoy the things of the devil, which represent death and destruction? Stop and look at the kind of things done on Halloween, it all glorifies death and ugliness. Satan is the source of these things. Think of some of the horrible masks used on this night- would you want to really look like that? Just follow Satan and you will end up like that. Do you really want to be dead? Death and misery is all Satan will ever bring to his followers.
Jesus represents Life and beauty, goodness and happiness. Satan only brings to us death, fear, pain and misery. Is it really fun to be scared? No, the Bible says 'Fear hath torment'. 1John 4:18. Dear readers, if Halloween still has any influence in your life, pray for forgiveness and ask Jesus to help you to see it as He sees it. The true Christian will hate every thing to do with this evil holiday! =^..^=
"When a man who is honestly mistaken hears the truth, he will either quit being mistaken or cease to be honest!"
-Author unknown
"Truth is Truth"
"TemCat" =^..^=
temcat@castle.on.ca
Beside Still Waters
http://www.temcat.com/
TEMKIT for
children-
http://www.temcat.com/temkit.htm
Some will actually seek civil FORCE to revel in sin!
Church's anti-Halloween flier upsets family
Files police
complaint: 'I have every right to decorate my
home'
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted: October 21, 2005
1:00 a.m. Eastern
© 2005
WorldNetDaily.com
An Indiana family upset by an anti-Halloween
church flier filed a complaint with police.
Dalene Gully of
Ellettsville told Indianapolis television station WRTV-TV she was offended by
the flier placed outside her home by the House of Prayer Church of
Bloomington.
"I started reading it, and I was very, very upset
by it. I found it very accusatory and very threatening," Gully
said.
The church's pastor, Larry Mitchell, said the church did not
intend toupset the family but sought to warn people that Halloween is not
harmless fun.
"Halloween is not fantasy," Mitchell told WRTV.
"We're training up our children, and obviously this lady was trained up in
this. Halloween seems like it is taking just as much prominence as
Christmas."
The family filed a complaint with the Ellettsville
Police Department,but Mitchell said he would have preferred they come to him
first.
Gully said the incident prompted them to install an alarm
system.
"This is my home, and I like Halloween," she said. "If I
want to decorate my home, I have every right to decorate my home."
THE BIBLE and
HALLOWEEN
"Test all things;
hold fast to what is good. Abstain from every form of
evil." 1 Thessalonians 5:21 - 22
author unknown
Halloween is a religious day, but it is not Christian. Tom Sanguinet, a former high priest in Wicca has said: "The modern holiday that we call Halloween has its origins in the full moon closest to November 1, the witches' new year. It is a time when the spirits (demons) are supposed to be at their peak power and revisiting planet earth. 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."
Day of
Death
Halloween has strong
roots in paganism and witchcraft. It began as the Druid festival of Samhain.
The Celts considered November 1st the day of death, because, in the
Northern hemisphere, this was the beginning of winter, the leaves were falling,
it was getting darker earlier, and temperatures were dropping. They believed
that their sun god was losing strength and Samhain, the lord of death, was
overpowering the sun god. The druids also taught that on 31 October, on the eve
of the feast, Samhain assembled the spirits of all who had died during the
previous year to return to their former home to visit the living.
Human and Animal
Sacrifices
On Halloween, for
thousands of years, druid priests have conducted diabolical worship ceremonies
in which cats, horses, sheep, oxen, human beings and other offerings were
rounded up, stuffed into wicca cages and burned to death. These human and
animal sacrifices were apparently required to appease Samhain and keep the
spirits from harming them.
Trick or
Treat
To obtain these
sacrifices, druid priests 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 threatened and cursed. This is the origin of
"trick or
treat."
Jack-O-Lantern
The Jack-O-Lantern
has its origin in the candle-lit pumpkin or skull, which served as a signal to
mark those farms and homes that supported the druids' religion, and thus were
seeking the "treat" when the
terror of Halloween 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."
Dance of
Death
While people and
animals were screaming in agony, being burnt to death, the druids and their
followers would dress in costumes made of animal skins and heads. They would
dance, chant and jump through the flames in the hope of warding off evil
spirits.
House of
Horrors
One of the popular
heroes of Halloween, Count Dracula, was also a real person. Dracula lived from
1431 to 1476. During his six year reign, Count Dracula massacred over 100,000
men, women and children in the most hideous ways. He devised a plan to rid his
country of the burden of beggars, the handicapped, the sick and the aged by
inviting them to a feast at one of his palaces. He fed them well and got them
drunk. Then he asked them: "Do you want to
be without cares, lacking nothing in the world?" When his guests
yelled: "Yes!" Dracula ordered
the palace boarded up and set on fire. No one escaped this original "house of
horror."
The Word of
God
"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. 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, or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who
calls up the dead. 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. You shall be blameless before the Lord your God, for these nations which
you will dispossess, listened to soothsayers and diviners; but as for you the
Lord your God has not appointed such for you." Deuteronomy
18:9 - 14
". teach my
people the difference between the holy and the unholy, and cause them to discern
between the unclean and the clean." Ezekiel
44:23
"My people are
destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I will
also reject you from being priests for Me; because you have forgotten the Law of
your God, I will also forget your children." Hosea
4:6
"Train up a child
in the way he should go, then when he is old he will not depart from
it." Proverbs 22:6
"That whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone was hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depths of the sea. Woe to the world because of offenses! For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes!" Matthew 18: 6 - 7
"Let love be
without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is
good." Romans 12:9
"Therefore, let
us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the Armour of
Light." Romans 13:12
"You cannot drink
the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the Lord's
Table and of the table of demons." 1 Corinthians
10:21
"Do not be
unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has
righteousness with lawlessness? What communion has light with darkness? And
what accord has Christ with Belial? For what part has a believer with an
unbeliever? And what agreement has the
"And have no
fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness but rather expose
them." Ephesians 5:11
"Finally,
brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things
are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things
are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy
- meditate on these things." Philippians
4:8
"Now the Spirit
expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the Faith, giving heed
to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies and hypocrisy,
having their own conscience seared with a hot iron." 1
Timothy 4:1 - 2
"Therefore,
submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from
you." James 4:7
"Pure and
undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and
widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the
world." James 1:27
"Beloved, do not
imitate what is evil, but what is good. He who does good is of God, but he who
does evil has not seen God." 3 John 11
Participating in
Paganism
Instead of
participating in paganism, walking with Wicca, being in harmony with Halloween,
having our children celebrate cruelty, and dabbling in a day of death, we should
focus our family and congregation on celebrating Reformation Day this 31
October.
Reformation Day Vs
Halloween
It was on 31 October
1517, that Dr. Martin Luther nailed the 95
Theses on the door of the Slosskirche (castle church) in
Every Bible
believing Christian should celebrate the Reformation. No Christian should have
part in celebrating the occultic Halloween.
We are in a
spiritual world war. Cruelty to animals, vandalism and even murders occur with
far greater frequency during Halloween. Every Halloween many thousands of
animals, and even people, are sacrificed in satanic rituals worldwide, while
millions of other people, including well meaning Christians, participate in
Halloween celebrations. Halloween is a prime recruiting time for witches and
Satanists. Many people have testified that they were introduced to the occult
at a Halloween party. Halloween is very religious, but it is not
Christian.
"Do not be
overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." Romans
12:21
Choose
Life
This 31 October,
take a stand against Halloween by mobilising your family and congregation to
celebrate the Reformation, and to engage in spiritual warfare, earnest prayer,
praying the Psalms, and sharing the Gospel with our friends and neighbours,
particularly those who may be unthinkingly participating in this occultic
celebration of divination, necromancy, human sacrifice and cruelty to animals.
"Finally, my
brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole
Armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities,
against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against
spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the
whole Armour of God, that you may be able to stand in the evil day, and having
done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth,
having put on the Breastplate of Righteousness, and having shod your feet with
the preparation of the Gospel of Peace. Above all, taking the Shield of Faith
with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.
And take the Helmet of Salvation, and the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word
of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being
watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the
saints." Ephesians 6:10 - 18