© 2007 The Flaming Torch, All rights reserved.
In First Samuel chapter 28, we read of how King Saul was afraid of the Philistines pursuing him to where "his heart was greatly trembled" (vs. 5). He was previously tormented of evil spirits before that made him terrified. These evil spirits would torment King Saul with feelings and sensations of horror and fright.
David was even summoned to play his music so as to drive away these demonic spirits and give peace and comfort to King Saul. The fear of man bringeth a snare. The devil is our enemy out to ensnare and trap us in his web and cage of fear.
King Saul knew of the law of God and the nation of Israel would not permit the practice of witchcraft. Yet out of fear, he resorted to a witch for help. To escape detection so as to avoid trouble, he disguised himself when he came to her house. This of course is deceit.
King Saul consulted this witch in hopes to conjure up the dead. This is necromancy which is strictly forbidden by the law of Moses. An image of the late prophet Samuel was summoned and projected and foretold of King Saul's untimely death. Yet before Saul left, the witch persuaded him to leave with a little food.
In this short passage we read of the entire essentials that compromise modern day HALLOWEEN. We see how that fear pressured Saul into a custom forbidden by God but practiced by Satanists (vs. 5). We see that it all took place at night and that a costume was required (vs. 8). We also learn of a strange preoccupation and infatuation with the Dead (vs. 11).
We see how that ghosts and spirits can be envisioned, illuminated, and projected to be seen with human eyes (vs. 12- 13). We also see that tragic, unfortunate, evil consequences by engaging in this dark practice can and do transpire (vs. 17- 19). And how can we forget, the part about this disguised guest receiving a morsel of food or a "treat" (vs. 24-25)?
If we can learn anything at all from history, it is that man does not learn from history. History traces the origin of Halloween back to at least the Dark Ages of Europe to an ancient religion of the Druids, a religion so evil that even Rome forbade its practice. Yet today this dark celebration of the Druids is still alive and well, but practiced under a false guise of "fun and games".
Colossians 2:8 teaches us that we are to beware of vain, deceitful, worldly traditions. Druids would have the local simple minded superstitious townspeople in a terrible grip of fear. They would dominate, control, and manipulate people with their own reign of terror. Druids told of the powers of the spirits that could infilter pain, poverty, or death and got all of the people to believe them.
They would then act as the Shaman or Talisman, like a local witchdoctor or medicine man. They put on a facade of looking out for their spiritual safety and well being. Like a spiritual redeemer, the townspeople put their trust in the Druids who told them that their powers can be used to protect them from evil spirits. When in reality, the Druids merely used the people's confidence as a means to coerce them into complying with their sinister selfish demands.
The Druids, like all covens of witches and warlocks who still practice Satanism today, held to earthly, corporeal, physical properties of nature. Like alchemists, they deemed sacred the basic elements of nature and matter. Druids worshiped the creation and paid no regard to the Creator. For the word of God states that the elements of nature should not be holden to for they are not a permanent structure and shall vanish away in time. (See verses of scripture Col. 3:1-2, 1:17, I John 2:17, Isa. 51:6, II Peter 3:10). They looked for wisdom and power into the stars and believed in a formula as to how to predict and manipulate the future through astrology. Astrophysics, metaphysics, and the supernatural were areas that Druids derived their powers from.
They worshiped Satan as their lord of the underworld or nether parts of the earth. They believed in the earth as having a mysterious personality and deified it as a powerful force as a medium whereby they could worship Satan; that this medium was female and acted as the channel by which the Druids could reach, worship and receive power and instruction from Satan.
This is from whence we coin the terms "Mother Nature" or "Mother Earth". They used various properties of matter and material of creation to formulate spells in their practices. Plants, animals, rocks, blood, herbs, etc. were used and believed to have powers. Yet Druids also believed in the atmospheric changes and times of the seasons to predict and control the future.
According to witchcraft, the highest most sacred days of the year are the four days that directly correspond with the cycles of the lunar calendar. Yearly solstices and equinoxes are the days satanists kept sacred and holy and believed to conjure hordes of evil spirits to do their sinister bidding. (Col. 2:16).
Yet out of these four days, the single most high and holy sacred day of all would be the grandest of all celebrations on the evening of the great festival of Samhain or October 31. Is it not coincidental that the Roman Catholic "All Saints Day" is held November 1, the day after Halloween - the very festival of Samhain observed by the ancient Druids?
Eastern customs were employed such as beliefs of reincarnation to which the Druids believed that the dead came back to life and walked on this eerie night. Yet it is a blasphemous perversion of the Christian belief in the true resurrection. This is when the dead in Christ are resurrected in a better, glorified, immortal body.
In Druidism the dead are raised as horrifying creatures of the night. As hideous monsters, decaying corrupting skeletons, etc. These receive not glorified bodies, but grotesque ones, not immortal but inhuman ones like werewolves, vampires, and walking dead zombies such as Frankenstein.
That the lord of the dead - Satan - opened up the door into the spirit world to which Druids would worship most intensely in hopes to conjure as many spirits as they could. All to cast spells and carry out their demonic influence in this corporeal world. This is where the emphasis of death comes from on that night. Death symbols such as coffins, tombstones, skeletons, skulls and crossbones, ghosts, mummies, graveyards, zombies, ghouls, and vampires have continued to be common Halloween decorations.
This night was a celebration of the beginning of Winter. For this season was interpreted as associated with death and darkness due to the daylight growing noticeably shorter and the nights longer. The hordes of hell were thought to roam the earth in a wild celebration of darkness and death, all in honor of Sanhain - pronounced "sa-win", almost like "Satan"!
The only thing the superstitious townspeople knew to do to protect themselves on such an occasion was to masquerade as one of the demonic horde, and hopefully blend in unnoticed among them. This is how Halloween evolved to masquerading as devils, imps, ogres, and other ugly horrible demonic supernatural creatures.
However, the true origin of Halloween's custom of a disguise or mask can be traced as far back as the Druids themselves. They dressed up with hooded cloaks like the Ku-Klux-Klan so as to never reveal their true identity. They went out into the village that evening to receive all of the people's valuables that they were told by the Druids would appease the evil spirits and spare them from destruction.
Sometimes the gifts would be as simple as fruits, nuts, and vegetables. Other times it would be money or jewelry. But when the satanic order required it, this innocuous practice would go horribly awry. The Druids would pick a certain home to which they were privy to a beautiful damsel that resided in that household and attempt to gain custody of the naive maiden through deceit.
The Druids would state their absurdly shrewd demand for the household's daughter all to appease the powerful influential evil spirits. That, as the Druids explained, would certainly destroy their home if not satisfied. Needless to say, the poor young girl found only to her surprise that she was in anything but safe company. The Druids would abuse, torture, and finally drain her blood as a sacrifice for their sinister ritual all in celebration of their evil, wicked, yet sacred hallowed evening of Samhain.
Notice the formation for the two words, hallowed and evening. When shortened to hallowed even, it can be easily coupled to hallowe'en, from whence the title, "HALLOWEEN", is born.
If this certain home would not be swayed by the threats and fears of the Druids and that their beautiful virgin daughter was not released, the Druids would then implement a secret code of carnage as their "trick" of vengeance. The Druids set a hollowed out gourd or pumpkin carved with a man's face depicting eyes, nose, and a mouth and then placed it outside the door of the disobedient household. A burning candle was set within it and the Druids pretended still to look out for the people's general welfare.
The Druids gave them the false security that the strange glowing face was a charm that acted as a sentinel and might protect them in warding off evil spirits when the spirits came to summon their household. When, in reality, the Druids used this devised "Jack-O-Lantern" as their own demarcation tool to identify that home as one that did not comply and one that deserved to be burned with a torch later that night. This sinister celebration is the origin of a third common word to which we know today as "bonfire".
With all the sacrifices, house, and bodies being torched in flames that night, the term "bonfire" gets its meaning from "bone-fires" which that satanic night became known for. And the "Jack-O-Lantern", in effect, was a picture of a damned soul engulfed in the flames of hell. And for the townspeople, the choice was simple: to accept the Druid's deception or play their game and give them what the Druids want. The idea of, "Give us an offering to the gods, or you'll be sorry." Hence the phrase, "Trick or treat!"
Whenever anyone participates in demonic customs, they are playing with the Devil and the consequences can be deadly. Such as the case with King Saul in our original text. In I Chronicles 10:13- 14, the Lord slew Saul for consorting with a witch. In Deut. 18:9-14, God strictly forbids any occultic or paranormal activity.
In Exodus 22:18, we are told of God to not even allow a witch to live. Isaiah 47:11-14 states, "Therefore shall evil come upon thee; thou shalt not know from whence it riseth: and mischief shall fall upon thee; thou shalt not be able to put it off: and desolation shall come upon thee suddenly, which thou shalt not know. Stand now with thine enchantments, and with the multitude of thy sorceries, wherein thou hast laboured from thy youth; if so be thou shalt be able to profit, if so be thou mayest prevail. Thou art wearied in the multitude of thy counsels. Let now the astrologers, the stargazers, the monthly prognosticators, stand up, and save thee from these things that shall come upon thee. Behold, they shall be as stubble; the fire shall burn them; they shall not deliver themselves from the power of the flame: there shall not be a coal to warm at, nor fire to sit before it." Leviticus 20:27 states that the possessed or wizards are to be put to death. Satan's wisdom in James 3:15-16 is said to be earthly, sensual, and devilish. Therefore, as stated in 8:19-22, spiritists who consult the dead in the earth are foretold to find nothing but trouble and darkness.
There is a growing preoccupation with the subject of death. It has always been the greatest fear of man. It is unknown for no one has been there for any significant period of time to return and tell about it, with the exception for Jesus Christ of course. The Devil holds people in fear of the thought of dying. He keeps the thought of death lingering in our minds to keep us under lock and key in bondage to his control through fear and terror.
In an attempt to break the "fear-barrier" of death, many young foolish extroverted enthusiasts have become dare-devils, as if to tempt Satan himself! Trying to tempt and try the stronghold of Satan, many have overdosed on the thought of death. Endeavoring to cheat death and show the Devil that he cannot snare them and refuse to be afraid of him anymore, many of today's youth have risked and hazarded their lives all to show off to Satan that he cannot bully them around.
Yet the Devil sees this and gives them a special reward for their effort, as if he is pleased that they are brave enough to even try. Satan offers them an incredible high or rush, an intense sensation of euphoria through pushing their fears to the limit. To the enthusiast's surprise, this demonic reward of pleasure is found to be very short lived, that it is highly addictive and requires more and more feats of daringness and risk to achieve and hit the peak of exhilaration.
The poor enthusiasts in an attempt to cure the age old fear of death then become addicted to the feeling and rush of adrenaline from scaring themselves beyond normal states of consciousness. It is an ill-gotten gain, a desire or lust that is psychologically unhealthy. With a high thrill of an adrenaline surge, there is a quick rush of rapid heartbeat and pressure. Like a drug addict's desperate need of a quick fix of heroine or cocaine. People are crazed with the sensual lust and temptation of fear and infatuated with fright.
People today are obsessed with the thrill of what horror shows and films can do to their senses. They are fooling around with their God given innate feelings and altering their states of fear. Enthusiasts are heightening their fears with supernatural virtual realities, like a sorcerer's drug just for a great thrill that is neither normal nor natural. They lose their sense of euphoria quickly and resort to higher stimuli to gain the rush and thrill of fear. Hence, they need more and more graphic scenes of blood and gore to hit their adrenaline button.
This all fits into Satan's oldest trick in the book. That of fear as an instrument or tool of manipulation, control and bondage. The Bible states in II Timothy 1:7 that God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. Inordinate phobias and a preoccupation with death do not constitute a sound mind but a psychological malady.
I John 4:18 states that perfect love casteth out fear because fear hath torment.
A man living in fear suffers extreme torment such as what David spoke of in Psalms 55:4-6 where he experienced the terrors of death, fearfulness, trembling, and horror. Job stated in Job 7:14-15 that "Thou scarest me" to the point that he said, "my soul chooseth death". In
Job 3:21 he stated that he longed for death. Rev. 9:6 foretells of men during the Tribulation seeking death. Yet God refutes this dark obsession in Leviticus 19:26-31 stating that horoscope readers and the preoccupation with the dead is defilement. In Numbers 19:16 God states that a preoccupation with the dead is uncleanness. And in 106:28-29 it is written that a preoccupation with the dead provoke God to anger. This is why Jesus stated in Matt. 8:22, "Follow me and let the dead bury their dead." "For God is not the God of the dead but of the living." (Matt 22:22.
Undeniably, the entire fascination of fear with all the connotations of death is not from God, but from the Devil. It is not healthy, spiritual, or even positively beneficial in any way. It is a booby trap with no way out. Evidently, it must have its appeal but eventually serves to enslave its victims.
No one becomes an alcoholic or drug addict over night. Its grip and hold takes over subtly with time. Just as there is a fascination of fear with today's youth, so too is there a gradual infiltration of the Devil's manipulation with the rulers of the world's system today.
The devil is working extremely hard and has gained dominance in every major corporation, conglomerate, and syndicate. He is behind all new age ideas and the cause of the world dropping old fashioned conservative principles. The world is becoming increasingly wooed into a state of sympathy and affection for radically liberal, left-wing practices. Homosexuality, abortion, drugs, anti-authority, euthanasia, and even witchcraft is being condoned, tolerated, and accepted by the world today. It is as if the more perverted you are today, the more you are applauded. The Bible states that the whole world lieth in wickedness and that Satan is the god of this present evil world.
It is Satan's agenda to dull and deaden the innate God given senses of scruples, ethics, and morals. Today's mentality amongst the youth is rooting for an "anything goes" philosophy. Youth today cannot even blush anymore. Satan is just merely setting up the key players of influence in this world, all to get the general consensus mentally ready to welcome with open arms the future introducing of the long awaited Anti-Christ.
It is no wonder that he is behind every media channel known to man. Whether TV, radio, or printed publication and even now on the Internet. Satan has his hoofed foot in every door. All the major television and movie production companies, all the major music industry labels, even the top news/broadcasting syndicates are demonically controlled.
In Ezekiel 28:2-19 it alludes to Satan as being a powerful shrewd businessman through the economy of the entire world's trading. In 6:10-13 it teaches that Satan has a stronghold at the top of all the world's systems. In II Cor. 4:4 it states that the god of this world is out to blind people's minds from the truth. In 18:23-24 it says that by his sorceries were all the nations deceived. And in Acts 13:6-12 who but a sorcerer is perverting the truth and hindering the faith. In Acts 16:16-18 we see Satan in the backdrop voting in favor of the truth, but only to counterfeit, undermine, and eventually sabotage the true gospel. For we know that in II Cor. 11:14 Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. All the major corporations and the world's producers are releasing into the eyes and ears of the public, material and merchandise that has been demonically altered. Sabotaged to contain and possess powers of familiar evil spirits to corrupt the lives and minds of all unsuspecting consumers and patrons. This all to manipulate the thought patterns of the world today and to break down the human mental defense mechanisms of the mind. For if Satan can gain control of the mind he can push his blasphemous superman on us - namely, the Anti-Christ.
Yes, the Devil also has a cunning strategy that is directed towards children. Satan knows that if he can undermine the philosophies and ideologies of the youth, they can carry his corrupt seeds implanted in their fresh young minds into adulthood. Hence, having a whole new generation that is much easier to coerce. Notice how that the old dragon, Satan, is getting children today infatuated with dinosaurs! He has long replaced the wonderful glorious story of Christ's resurrection with Easter bunnies and eggs.
Satan is in the process of attempting to force his image of the beast onto all the inhabitants of the world today. It is his main goal to eventually control all the minds of the world. To rob them of free thought, reason, logic, and ultimately religion. The Devil is on his way towards gaining the entire world's allegiance, worship, and trust.
He intends for all the world to bow down to his own false prophet, preaching a universal one-world religion of sorcery and seduction, in the not so distant future. He has already taken the Bible and prayer out of the children's public schools in the 1960's. He has long taken Christ out of Christmas, replaced by a big red elf named Santa (rearranged can spell out "Satan"). And for all we know, Jesus Christ could very well have been born n October 31.
To coerce is to nullify individual will or reason. The Devil is out to first desensitize, then to destroy. This is one of his greatest strategies. The Devil also has nasty way of creating smoke screens to hide and obscure his sneaky wicked maneuvers. In order to conceal his shady dealings, he throws a rock in a distant bush to make heads turn the other direction so he can be free from any detection. "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour." (I Peter 5:8).
Frequently in the Bible, mankind is represented by the number eight. There were all of eight souls that were saved n Noah's ark. Eight days of age for circumcision. King David was Jesse's youngest and eighth son. Eight portions are to be given to human industry in Ecc. 11:2. Jesus was transfigured with Moses and Elijah eight days after His sermon in Luke 9:28. Even in Genesis chapter three, God was concerned about man's lost condition and was calling out his name, but man was hiding from God in verse number eight.
Gen. 3:14 tells us that the Devil's curse was to eat dust all the days of his life. Man was made of the dust of the earth, and it is the Devil's main meal and menu to hunt and devour the souls of men. For the Devil's diet consists of a dusty dinner of human beings for his staple food. And in the eighth verse of Peter, chapter five, we see how the Devil is out to devour you and me. Much more in Rev. 13:18, we see the phrase, "the number of a man". This number which is six hundred three score and six, when multiplied its three digits (666) together we find the sum total 216 as a perfect derivative of the number eight.
Yet the lion's procedure in seizing his victim in I Peter 3:8 requires the use of distraction as a ploy. The lion roars and causes the prey to be alarmed, startled, and to move. He gets his prey all riled up so that the animals would hear his roar and detect the sound's location and whereabouts so as to avoid it. Yet the lion has his female lions helping him and they then move in on the prey's fearful reactions.
The Devil today is using the same scare tactics to manipulate the crowds to set them running. For all his demonic cohorts are there to channel them like a cattle drive finally to corral them into domination, bondage, and slavery, and yet all through fear. We are moved by fear and Satan uses this to detour his victims into a sinister system of spells and seduction, all for slavery.
The Devil knows no one in their right mind would volunteer to bow down and become his slave. That is too obvious. So he tranquilizes his victims with worldly lusts. Rendering his victims' minds into a drunken stupor of mush. Intoxicated on the many sights, sounds and pleasures this world has to offer, to the point that they can be coaxed into anything with their guard down and their logic cord unplugged.
Sorcery is hypnotism via the use of drugs. Many Christians are inebriated on the wonders of the world and go after it again and again until they burn out like zombies. Much like moths attracted to a candle and flying around the flame until they are consumed. Satan is the master of illusion, pretense, hallucination, deception, lies, and fraud. Jesus said that he is the father of all lies. For all we know, he is probably behind all of the supernatural phenomena today such as UFO's, angels, statues weeping, etc.
He is also a control freak and is very subtile and cunning. The Devil sneaks up on his victims and catches them unawares into his trap. He uses the element of fear to coerce his prey into his net. Once caught, you are then at his mercy. You become his plaything to use and abuse. Like a toy to play with or destroy at will. He is Abbadddon in the Hebrew and Appollyon in the Greek, which means, "the great destroyer". Hell and destruction are never full (Prov. 27:20), so, too, the Devil is never satisfied with enough souls to torment, for he knows he has but a short time to wreak havoc and chaos, carnage and destruction.
In Eph. 2:2 the course of this world is being directed by Satan, "according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the CHILDREN of disobedience." In it alludes that Satan has set appointed times of striking whereas his hour is the power of darkness.
Romans 12:1-2 teaches us to not be conformed to the wicked ways of the world. Romans 1:12-13 states to cast off the works of darkness, knowing the time. In Heb. 2:14-15 it states that the Devil holds CHILDREN in the fear of death under bondage. In Rev. 12:9 it is Satan that deceiveth the world. In Thes. 2:8-12 it is predicted that Satan shall appear with all power and signs and lying wonders. For it is the beast that doeth wonders and miracles in Rev. 11:11-15. Your adversary is the Devil and he is anti-Christ. And all those who oppose Christ are known to organize on Halloween to observe Satanic rituals, cast evil spells and incantations, oppose churches and families, perform sacrilegious acts, and to even offer blood sacrifices to Satan. Last year newscasters in numerous cities warned their viewers to guard their animals on Halloween night.
Dogs and cats are thought to be the most often sacrificed animals on Halloween, and many S.P.C.A. centers will not allow black cats to be adopted until after Halloween is over. In rural communities it is not uncommon for farmers to awake to find the mutilated remains of their farm animals (cows, calves, chickens, even horses) that were ritualistically slaughtered in Satanic sacrifices.
The practices that accompany such sacrificial rites are almost too revolting to believe. The drinking of animal or human blood and urine, the digestion of entrails and organs, orgiastic rituals, substance abuse, and something becoming more frighteningly common across the nation - human sacrifice.
The 700 Club interviewed several people last Halloween (many of which were teenagers) who actually participated in or witnessed human sacrifices while involved in Satanism. No one scoffs at such stories anymore, as police departments around the country have had to scurry to develop a whole new field of investigation dealing with the gruesome reality of Satanic sacrifices.
On another recent 700 Club testimony, one man said that it was while he was out trick-or-treating on Halloween night as a boy that he had a profound psychic experience. One that led him on an occult odyssey that kept him bound and oppressed for dozens of years. Halloween participation led him into deeper forms of occultism, until he was swallowed by it.
Vandalism and wanton disregard for the property of others is common on Halloween night, as even normally well behaved children are driven by unseen forces to destructive behavior. Police officials everywhere report great increases in such activities as Halloween. Worse yet, are the horrifying accounts of poisoned candy and fruits sabotaged with razor blades and needles. Such threats are so real that many hospitals offer free x-rays of Halloween treats in order to prevent children from being harmed. Who but Satan could inspire such monstrous actions?
God's CHILDREN should not be suffered anymore to be carried by Satanic craftiness and demonic influence as stated in Eph. 4:14. Do not allow Satan to get an advantage of our children, be aware of this demonic devices as indicated in II Cor. 2:11. Jer. 10:2-3 states that we should not learn the ways of the heathen for their customs are vain.
Eph. 5:11 tells us to have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but reprove them. For the mistress of witchcraft in Nahum 3:6 is out to sell and recruit nations and families to the Devil. Prov. 9:18 says that her guests are in the depths of hell. And Rev. 2:24 commands those who have not known the depths of Satan. Prov. 2:18 says that her house sinks down into death and the dead. 18:21 warns us to not allow our children to pass through the demonic fires.
This Satanic system as spoken of in Rev. 18:2-4 is become the habitation of devils and the hold of every foul spirit, and God commands His children to come out of her clutches and to receive none of her plagues. For the Son of God came to destroy the works of the Devil as found in I John 3:7-8. God's truth shall make you free and can recover the captives out of the snare of the Devil as written in II Tim. 2:23-26 and in John 8:32, 36.
II Cor. 10:3-5 it tells us that the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God, to the pulling down of Satan's strongholds. Praise God, one day they shall look upon the Devil narrowly and say, "Is this the man that made the earth to tremble?" 14:9-17. For he shall be brought in to heaven's courtroom for all to see his judgment by God. And he shall find out that there is a grave stiff penalty for causing God's righteous children to go astray, as stated in Prov. 28:10.
In summary, Satan is like a Halloween mask for he is the master of disguises. He is the man of sin, the man of a thousand faces. And from its beginning, Halloween is best summed up by one word - deception, of which the Devil is the father. A false-face was Judas Iscariot, the man of perdition. He did not appear to be a threat at first, but deceived almost everyone and in the end was found to be a traitor.
The book of Revelation tells of the Anti-Christ ushering in a false sense of peace and security at a time when people will be exchanging gifts. Like the fabled Trojan horse, the Devil is trying to sneak his way into the families and homes of the world today through his craftiness. And the world has gullibly swallowed down hook, line, and sinker the whole trick of Halloween. It is a ploy, a subterfuge, a smokescreen covering up something dangerously evil. It appears childlike in innocency, but is really a rattlesnake in disguise. BEWARE!
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© 2007 The Flaming Torch, All rights reserved.
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