The DeGRAFF FREE WILL BAPTIST CHURCH
State Route 235/ 100 East Miami Street
DeGraff, Ohio 43318
Phone: (937) 585-4463
James R. Roby, Pastor
The Truth About Halloween
by Pastor James R. Roby
Every Halloween, horrible reports flood the news of little children biting into “treats” containing razor blades, straight pins, ground glass, cyanide, etc. Some unsuspecting children have their first experience with drugs through their Halloween candy. All too often, we hear of robbery, looting, burning, rape and even murder linked with this so-called “holiday.” It is a sad but true fact, however, that the above-mentioned physical dangers are eclipsed by even more serious spiritual dangers connected with Halloween observance! TO THE BORN AGAIN CHRISTIAN, anything that glorifies Satan and the powers of the occult must be opposed and deplored. “And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.” (Ephesians 5:11).
Most people are unaware of the evil origin of Halloween. Its history can be traced back several thousand years to a cult of devil worshippers called the DRUIDS. These people worshipped Samhain (Satan), Lord of the Dead, by killing animals and people (especially children) in sacrifice to their evil god. Lesser sacrifices involved torture, pranks, tricks and destruction of property. Druid priests taught the people that Samhain gathered together a host of wicked spirits to cast spells, torment and terrorize those who were uncommitted to him. They taught that the only way to ward off these evil spirits was to offer gifts such as food, valuables and livestock. These terrified families would leave their “treats” in front of their homes, hoping that the demands of the Druid priests would be satisfied and that the evil spirits would be appeased. If so, the priests would “bless” the home by chanting a prayer of protection and by placing a lighted jack-o-lantern or a hollowed-out gourd (with a face carved in it) at the front of the house. They were often lighted by candles made from human fat. This would indicate that the inhabitants of the house had pledged their loyalty to Samhain (Satan) for another year. If someone did not meet the demands of the Druid priests, or if their gifts or treats were unacceptable, the priests would draw a hex (hexagram) on the front door of the house and return later to do some kind of harm to that family. They would often take children or prize livestock, lay them upon a stone altar, cut their hearts out and slit their throats in a bloody ceremony to the devil. At other times, family members or animals would be roasted alive in wicker cages as the Druid priests would chant their praises to Samhain. Many frightened people[ dressed in hideous costumes and roamed the countryside, hoping to deceive the Druid priests into thinking that they were evil spirits.
Today, when our children go out begging for candy, trick or treating, and dressing in costumes, they are actually re-enacting this ancient Satanic ritual. Some would object, “Oh, but that’s not what we mean by it! It may have been that way back then, but not today!” Unfortunately, we in ignorance perpetuate Satanic and witchcraft practices. God is very clear in His Word when He says: “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge...” (Hosea 4:6). We need to realize that Satanism and witchcraft have many adherents in our day...and that this is not just some ancient superstition that died out long ago! In light of the fact that God has always opposed that which is demonic, we must acknowledge that it is not right for Christians to participate in Halloween in any way. It is an abomination to Him for us dress our children up as devils, witches, ghosts and zombies. It is insulting to Him when we place jack-o-lanterns on our porches, thus advertising our loyalty to Satan. God tells us in Jeremiah 10:1-3 that we are not to “learn the ways of the heathen...” and “the customs of the people are vain.” It is impossible to engage in celebrations that began as forms of worship and honor to Satan without it having harmful affects on our spiritual lives.
The fact is that Halloween is a high worship day for Satan. Even in modern times, those involved in witchcraft, devil worship, Wicca, etc. gather on Halloween and engage in all types of perversion and spell casting. (Including animal and human sacrifice!). In fact, Halloween is considered to be the most important day on the satanic calendar. The poison candy, razor blades, drugs found in Halloween “treats” have very often been put there by modern-day Satanists who desire to injure, maim and even kill children. They desire to make kids sacrifices to the devil. This is their little version of “trick or treat.” Many other Halloween related activities like bobbing for apples, spell casting, fortune telling, seances, witches, black cats, etc. have their roots in Satanism and occult practices.
In Deuteronomy 18:9-12, God gives a list of forbidden practices, things that He says are an abomination unto Him. Verse 9 says “thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations.” Notice it wasn’t that they were not to learn ABOUT those things, but they were not to learn to DO them. It is one thing to be aware and informed about Satanism. IT IS QUITE ANOTHER THING TO PARTICIPATE IN THE WRONGDOING! It is a sin for the Christian to be involved in that which God forbids. Let’s look at some of these forbidden abominations...In Deuteronomy 18:10 it says that you are not to make your children pass through the fire. This Druidic practice involved exposing children to fire in order to harm or kill them. They would often burn little children to death in sacrifice to the devil. (See also Jeremiah 3:35 in your Bible). Human injury and sacrifice continues today, even in the United States of America...ESPECIALLY IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, with the highest number of incidents occurring during Halloween. Missing children, murdered children, poisoned children, injured children, drugged children, are all connected with Halloween as THESE RATES SOAR DURING THIS HELLISH DAY!
Also in verse 10 it reads, “there shall not be found among you any one that useth divination, or an observer of times.” Divination refers to fortune telling, crystal ball gazing, tarot cards, tea leaf reading ( a form of bobbing for apples), use of crystals and charms for good luck, etc. These are all practices connected with Halloween and the occult. Another abomination referred to in Deuteronomy 18 is that of “an enchanter” (verse 10). An enchanter is a magician who could conjure up supernatural powers through the use of talismans (objects or animals consecrated for magical purposes). The most popular talismans in witchcraft are black cats, toads/frogs, owls, broom sticks, etc. Witches evoke familiar spirits (demons) to enter the bodies of these animals to use in casting spells and cursing with bad luck. It is common knowledge that witches, black cats, owls, etc. are linked to Halloween. Deuteronomy 18 lists “a witch” as an abominable practice. Witch craft is not an innocent little pretend thing. It is very real and has hundreds of thousands of modern adherents. In Micah 5:12 God promises to “cut off witchcraft out of thine hand.” Have we become so blind and hard hearted that we “ play with” the things that God despises? AND WORSE YET, DO WE TEACH OUR CHILDREN TO DO SO? Are we so cold-hearted that we dress our little daughters up like witches and expose them to the world of evil? In Galations 5:19-21 it lists witchcraft as one of the sins that... “They which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.” Is the Bible true or not? Are we to just pick out the parts that suit us, or is it ALL true? In light of what the Bible says about witchcraft, how can a Christian allow his child to participate in an observance that promotes and makes as harmless a practice which can cost a man his soul? Try as you might, you will never divorce the connection between witchcraft and Halloween. Our loyalties are to the Lord Jesus Christ and we must obey Him, regardless. In Deuteronomy 18, God rebukes the “charmer.” A charmer uses magical ornaments such as certain types of jewelry, symbols, lucky charms, etc. to influence the direction of some man’s life. Also rebuked in this verse is the “consulter with familiar spirits.” Familiar spirits were believed to be disembodied spirits come back from the dead. They are also called ghosts, zombies, poltergeists, and spirit guides. We read about this kind of thing in 1 Samuel 28:7 where Saul goes to the witch of Endor and has her call up what was assumed to be the spirit of Samuel. Of course, we know from the Bible that it is impossible to contact the dead. What really appeared to Saul was a demon spirit impersonating Samuel. God says in Leviticus 19:31 “Regard not them that have familiar spirits...to be defiled by them.” and in Leviticus 20:6 “And the soul that turneth after such as have familiar spirits...I will even set my face against that soul, and will cut him off from among his people.” The truth of the matter is that dead people do not roam the earth as ghosts, poltergeists and zombies. It is utterly impossible to contact the dead. When a person dies, he goes immediately to Heaven or Hell, based on whether he knows Jesus Christ as His Lord and Savior or not. It must be noticed, then, that Halloween is saturated with the idea that dead, half-decomposed corpses come out of the grave and roam the earth. God calls this AN ABOMINATION. Many modern-day Halloween costumes are based on this very thing...even as the costumes were used in the Druidic ideas of worshipping the Lord of the Dead. God also condemns the practice of “the wizard” in Deuteronomy 18:11. A wizard is a sorcerer, magician, and male witch. This practice has resurfaced in recent years thanks to the popular occult games like Dungeons and Dragons. Halloween’s founders were in every sense of the word wizards, the Druid priests. Wizards are responsible for what we know as Halloween today. Another practice forbidden in Deuteronomy 18:11 is “necromancy.” Necromancy is the ability to conjure up the spirits of dead people and communicate with them. This is seen in methods such as seances, spiritualists, automatic writing, table tipping, channeling, etc. Many haunted houses, some even sponsored by churches, will feature rooms and scenes where someone comes up out of a grave or casket. This is totally unscriptural.
One can clearly see that the abominations of Deuteronomy 18 (and others throughout the Bible) and Halloween go hand in hand. They are irretrievably intertwined. Deuteronomy 18:12 sums things up well when it says, “For ALL that do these things are an abomination unto the Lord.”
“Neither give place to the devil.” (Ephesians 4:27).
“Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve Him in sincerity and truth; and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the Lord. And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: BUT AS FOR ME AND MY HOUSE, WE WILL SERVE THE LORD.” (Joshua 24:14-15).
“No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one and love the other; or he will hold to the one and despise the other.” (Matthew 6:24).
It is plainly obvious from the scriptures that Halloween observance is displeasing to God. The choice is yours. It is all up to you. Will you serve God, or the spirit of this world? Will Jesus be your Lord, or will you flirt with the things of Satan? There is an alternative to Halloween. HIS NAME IS JESUS!
