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Halloween and the darkside A Christian perspective

As we are going through the life of Christ one of the issues we see over and over again is Jesus dealing with the devil and demons. We will be looking at head on who is Satan this next wend. Night as we have landed on Eze. 28 where we discover who Lucifer was and is .. where he came from and where he is going. This is a very approate time as today is Halloween. what does the bible say about these issues, TURN TO Ephesians 5:1-17 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1 Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma. 3 But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints; ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

the bible does speak about how we are to live.. NOT NAMED AMONG YOU. don’t do it..

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4 neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. 5 For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. 6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. 7 Therefore do not be partakers with them. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Partakers - 4830 συμμέτοχος [summetochos /soom·met·okh·os/] adj. From 4862 and 3353; TDNT 2:830; TDNTA 286; GK 5212; Two occurrences; AV translates as “partaker” twice. 1 partaking together with one, a joint partaker. 1A of something. 1

adj adj: adjective TDNT Theological Dictionary of the New Testament TDNTA Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, Abridged in One Volume GK Goodrick-Kohlenberger AV Authorized Version 1Strong, J. (1996). The exhaustive concordance of the Bible : Showing every word of the text of the common English version of the canonical books, and every occurrence of each word in regular order. (electronic ed.) (G4830). Ontario: Woodside Bible Fellowship.

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partake

PARTA'KE, v.i. pret. partook; pp. partaken. [part and take.]

1. To take a part, portion or share in common with others; to have a share or part; to participate; usually followed by of, sometimes less properly by in. All men partake of the common bounties of Providence. Clodius was at the feast,but could not partake of the enjoyments. 2. To have something of the property, nature, claim or right. The attorney of the duchy of Lancaster partakes partly of a judge, and partly of an attorney general. 3. To be admitted; not to be excluded. 2

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8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), 10 finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. ( this is what we want) 11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

have … fellowship with – sugkoinoneo (“with” + “fellowship”) – to this word comes from the word koinoneo, which means to come into communion or fellowship with, to become a sharer, be made a partner. The word “communion” is translated from a form of this word, communion is where we “share” together in the bread and the juice. Paul wrote,

expose – elegcho – to convict, refute, to expose; to find fault with, admonish, reprove; to call to account, show one his fault, demand an explanation; to rebuke in such a way so as not just to inform the other person they did a bad thing, but for them to actually be convinced themselves of just how wrong they were, for them to experience the conviction of sin. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

12 For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

this  is  so  true  of  Halloween  in  some  circles    

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13 But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2 Noah Webster’s 1828

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A  surgeon  has  to  have  light  if  he  is  to  operate.  

We  were  painting  some  of  the  classrooms  yesterday  and  it  was  very  important  to  open  up  the  blinds  and  let  in  the  sunlight.  Without  the  light,  it  was  hard  to  see  some  of  the  spots  that  you  might  have  missed.  

As  a  believer,  we  open  ourselves  to  God’s  light  so  we  can  see  the  areas  that  He  wants  to  work  on.  

Walking  in  the  “light”  means  you  have  nothing  to  hide  because  everything  is  exposed.  

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14 Therefore He says: “Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead, And Christ will give you light.” ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The point is this, if you’ve been “asleep” in the “dark”, it’s time to wake up and let Jesus shine His light on you.

Jesus said,

(John 12:36 NKJV) "While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light." …

“Wake up!” says Paul. “Look what’s happening in your lives.” I know of young men who could have turned this world upside down for the Lord. I

know of young guys who could have really made a mark for the kingdom. But because they weren’t awake to what the Word of God says concerning filthiness, coarse jesting, uncleanness, fornication, and pornography, they’re ineffective to this day. 3

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15 See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

3Courson, J. (2003). Jon Courson's Application Commentary (1255). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.

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circumspectly – akribos – exactly, accurately, diligently, carefully

Paul has been telling us how we are to “walk”, that road trip we’re on.

(Eph 4:1 NKJV) I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called,

 

We  mentioned  then  that  to  “walk  worthy”,  in  context,  meant  that  we  were  to  walk  in  unity  with  other  believers.  

(Eph 5:2 NKJV) And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.

 

Live  your  life  in  a  manner  characterized  by  sacrificial  love,  laying  down  your  life  for  others.  

(Eph 5:8 NKJV) For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light

Live  as  a  light  to  the  world.  Live  as  if  every  moment  of  your  life  was  being  done  in  the  open,  in  the  sunlight,  maybe  even  being  broadcast  for  the  whole  world  to  see.  

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16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

redeeming – exagorazo – to redeem; to buy up for one’s self; We don’t necessarily buy with money, we buy with the choices we’re going to make.

time – kairos – Wuest: “time as regarded in its strategic, epoch-making, seasonable, opportune seasons.”

we look for opportunities that we have..

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17 Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

unwise – aphron (“not” + “mind”) – This is a different word than the one used in verse 15, which simply meant “not wise”. This word means “without reason; senseless, foolish, stupid; without reflection or intelligence, acting rashly”.

understand – suniemi – to set or bring together; to put (as it were) the perception with the thing perceived; to set or join together in the mind; i.e. to understand: reflective thinking. This is perfect for our study today, DON’T BE PART OF THE EVIL OF ANY HOLIDAY !!!!! Is that what you doing ?? STOP IT.. As we look at Halloween , we could also look at Easter , or Christmas. We can look at them through very legalistic eyes. But is there a difference between offering a Cat to Satan and dressing up and knocking on doors for candy. **DON’T DEMONIZE EACHOTHER.. we like to do this, in the early church they fought over all kinds of thing, you cant read the letters of Paul and not see how they fought .. but we also do today.. if you go trick or treating or not, first lets not demonize each other. We are so good at that.. my views have changed on a lot of things. I was very legalistic

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- with Halloween I don’t want to spend a ton of time on the history of it. You can go to the internet and read all about it. We will all agree it comes from a very pagan background. ** Halloween only came to America in the early dating first part of 1900’s and some date it to the 1940’s. what it is today in America has its roots in pagan practice however I have to say again is this what you are doing ?? Read on for history

History of this holiday to understand this Holiday we must take it back to several years before Jesus. 200 B.C. at that time the Celts inhabited what is now France, Germany, England, Scotland and Ireland. Celtic priest were called druids. These people were eventually conquered by the Romans. Must we know about the Celts we find from Caesar and the Roman historians.

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In this information we must be careful. Remember they were hostile toward these groups of people. It is like having Hitler and the Ss men write for us what the Jews believed. Caesar and Tacitus certainly tell tales of Human sacrifices of the Celts, but Nora Chadwick points out in her book “ the Celts “ that “ it is not without interest that the Romans themselves had abolished human sacrifices not long before the Caesar’s time, and references to the practice among various barbarian people have certain overtones of self-righteousness. There is little direct archeological evidence revenant to Celtic sacrifice.”4 The only Historical record or reference to Celtic Human sacrifice as described is from Julius Caesar in his justification of why we have to conquer there people . ( at this point we need to leave alone the idea of human sacrifice ect. ) Celtic religion, presided over by the Druids presents beliefs in various nature deities and certain ceremonies and practices that are similar to those in Indian religion. As in Hinduism, the druids also believed in reincarnation, specifically in the transmigration of the soul. Which teaches that people may be reborn as animals. These Celtic people lived in northern France and the British Isles, they engaged in occult arts, worshipped nature, and gave it supernatural, animistic qualities, Certain trees of plants, such as oak an mistletoe were given great spiritual significance. Interestingly, fully ninety percent of the worlds sometimes mysterious “Crop Circles “ lie within the geographical proximity of the ancient and probable druidic ruins of Stonehenge. (interesting ) The Druids as they are today , are a very secret society, they do not write down there rituals but they have been passed down to us from generation to generation. That is why they are hard to track. The roots of Halloween go back to the Celts, there were six significant fire ceremonies during the year. The greatest of these were Beltane, the first of May, and Samhain, the last day of October. “ the feast of Samhain, ( meaning summer’s end ) , marked both of the dead and the Celtic new year. This time of the year, half - between the autumnal equinox and the winter solstice, was a time of decay and death on the earth. Samhain ushered in the darkest and most barren time on the year, a time fraught with ghosts, witches , demons , and fairies. “fire rites, during which Human and animal sacrifices were made. Were performed in the belief that they protect the crops and flock from demonic influence. 5 some of the Celts believed that when people died, they went to a land of eternal youth and happiness called Tir Nan Og. They did not have the concept of heaven and hell that the Christian church later brought into the land. The dead were sometimes believed to be dwelling with the fairy folks, who lived in the numerous mounds or sidhe ( Pron. “Shee” ) that dotted the Irish an Scottish countryside. Samhain was the new year to the Celts. In 4 the origins of Halloween. By Medium Rowan Moonstone,Pg.4 ( Article on file ) 5 Halloween Trick or treat, William Dankenbring. Pg. 3, ( Article on file )

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the Celtic belief system, turning points, such as the time between one day and the next, the meeting of the sea and shore, or the turning of one year into the next was the most potent of these times. This was the time when the “veil between the worlds” was at its thinnest, and the living could communicate with their beloved dead in Tir Nan Og. The Celts did not have demons and devils in their belief system. The Fairies, however , were often considered hostile and dangerous to humans because they were seen as being resentful of men taking over their lands. On this night they would sometimes trick humans into becoming lost in the fairy mounds, were they would be trapped forever, after the coming of Christians to the Celtic lands, certain of the folks saw the fairies and those angles who had sided neither with God or with Lucifer in their dispute, and thus were condemned to walk the earth until Judgment day.6 * they had a belief that the ‘veil’ between the living and the dead was at it thinnest on this day, thus you could communicate with the dead . * there was also a belief that Samhain ( lord of death) gathered all the souls of those who had died in the past year. These souls had been confined to the bodies of animals to atone for their sins. They were then sacrificed on October 31. Alto this is not without debate. writings of Wicca Rowan Moonstone says this “ there is no such deity as Sahain, Druid god of the dead, the Great god Sam, myth seems to have come from col. Vallency’s book in the 1770’s before the reliable translates of the extant Celtic literary works and before the archaeological excavations. I’ve spent several years trying to trace the Great god Samhain, and I have yet to find seminal source for the same, the fist reference seems to be from Col. Vallency in the 1700’s and then Lady Wilde in her book “Mystic Charms and superstitions” advances the ‘Samhain, lord of the dead” theory. Vallency , of course was before the work done on Celtic religion in either literature or archaeology, Wilde, on the other hand , gives no refercece in her book, claiming it to be first-hand field work ( not) I have no problem to Christians being theologically opposed to Samhain, what I absolutely refuse to tolerated is sloppy and improper scholarship” 7 Encyclopedia Brittannica and Americana list Samhain as the lord of death, contrary to Celtic scholars, and list n references, the world book lists as its sources several children’s books hardly that one could consider scholarly texts and of course, themselves sighting no references. 6 the origins of Halloween, Pg. 2 7 Origins of Halloween Pg. 9

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COMING INTO THE CHURCH According to tradition - Pope Gregory the Great decided to incorporated the Druid’s holiday into the churches. He made the proclamation “ they are no longer to sacrifice beasts to the devil, but they may kill them for food to the praise of God, and give thanks to the giver of all gifts for his bounty, “ pope Gregory 3 moved the church festival of October 31st. to November 1st and called it all Hallows or All saint’s day. Pope Gregory 4 decreed that the day was to be a universal church observance, the term Halloween comes from All Hallows eve. 8 In 601AD, Pope Gregory made an important directive. He announced that Christian missionaries were to take a new tack when attempting to convert pagans to the Christian religion. Christian missionaries he said, where possible, should incorporate the beliefs, festivals and sacred sites of pagan beliefs into the Christian religion. This directive meant that the important Celtic festival of Samhain had to be marked in a Christian manner. In the year 609AD, All Saints Day was officially designated a Church feast, which was celebrated in May and was later moved to November by Pope Gregory in 835AD. The Christian Church may have intended that people would spend their time praying for the souls of the dead on an important holy day. However, the fact that this was a day off from work gave many people even more of an excuse to celebrate Halloween with more excitement and excess than ever. In the eleventh century, a further festival was added to the church calendar; All Souls Day on 2 November. The three festivals of All-Hallows Eve, All Saints and All Souls were together known as Hallowmas.9 The idea seems to be that the church has always wanted to remember those who have died, and thus we should remember those who gave there life for JESUS.. it was easy to try to ‘reach’ the unreached by using there holidays however the true meaning of remembering the past got lost along the way.. You cant read HEB. 11 without knowing that we ought to tell the story of the heros of our faith. Globally last year (2009) 146,000 Christians were put to death because of there faith. No one , except Christians said anything10 And for every Christian killed, there are many more who have been arrested, sent to prison or labor camp, or tortured. The vast majority of these incidents are never reported. They take place in secrecy, in areas out of reach to Western observers.

8Halloween : kids treat of pagan trick ? from the battle cry Pg. 1 ( copy on file ) 9 http://www.suite101.com/content/halloween-in-medieval-times-a71922 and Rowling, Marjorie, Life in Medieval Times [Perigree,1973] 10 http://wonkette.com/412472/perhaps-this-is-rick-warrens-revenge

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More Christians have DIED for their faith this century than in the previous 19 centuries combined. 11 So it really is something we need to remember and tell there stories ------------- We are all in agreement that the history of Halloween is very dark.. now lets take some of the images of the holiday and look at them. More than just trick and treating or pumpkins ect. You can easily cross a line by getting to close to it. With the movies out there for Harry potter, twilight ect.

Look as some of the movies out, not just harry potter, twilight, ect.

Exodus 22:18 (NKJV) “You shall not permit a sorceress to live. Sorceress - KJV – Witch - practice sorcery

Leviticus 19:31 ‘Give no regard to mediums and familiar spirits; do not seek after them, to be defiled by them: I am the LORD your God.

TURN TO : Leviticus 20:6; Leviticus 20:27 – DEUT. 18:9-14 Isaiah 8:19 And when they say to you, “Seek those who are mediums and wizards, who whisper and mutter,” should not a people seek their God? Should they seek the dead on behalf of the living? The New Testament teaching about the occult is clear. Acts 8:9-24, the story of Simon, shows that occultism and Christianity don't mix. Acts 8:9–24 (NKJV)

9 But there was a certain man called Simon, who previously practiced sorcery in the city and astonished the people of Samaria, claiming that he was someone great, 10 to whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, “This man is the great power of God.” 11 And they heeded him because he had astonished them with his sorceries for a long time. 12 But when they believed Philip as he preached the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were

11 Source: In the Lion's Den by Nina Shea

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baptized. 13 Then Simon himself also believed; and when he was baptized he continued with Philip, and was amazed, seeing the miracles and signs which were done.

14 Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them, 15 who, when they had come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. 16 For as yet He had fallen upon none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

18 And when Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles’ hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money, 19 saying, “Give me this power also, that anyone on whom I lay hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”

20 But Peter said to him, “Your money perish with you, because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money! 21 You have neither part nor portion in this matter, for your heart is not right in the sight of God. 22 Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you. 23 For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity.”

24 Then Simon answered and said, “Pray to the Lord for me, that none of the things which you have spoken may come upon me.” The account of Elymas the sorcerer in Acts 13:6-11 reveals that sorcery is violently opposed to Christianity. Paul called Elymas a child of the devil, an enemy of righteousness and a perverter of the ways of God. Acts 13:6–11 (NKJV)

6 Now when they had gone through the island to Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew whose name was Bar-Jesus, 7 who was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man. This man called for Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God. 8 But Elymas the sorcerer (for so his name is translated) withstood them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith. 9 Then Saul, who also is called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him 10 and said, “O full of all deceit and all fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord? 11 And now, indeed, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you shall be blind, not seeing the sun for a time.”

And immediately a dark mist fell on him, and he went around seeking someone to lead him by the hand. In Acts 16, at Philippi, a fortune-telling girl lost her demon powers when the evil spirit was cast out by Paul. The interesting matter here is that Paul refused to allow even good statements to come from a demon-influenced person. TURN TO: Acts 19 shows new converts who have abruptly broken with their former occultism by confessing, showing their evil deeds, bringing their magic paraphernalia, and burning it before everyone

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Acts 19:19 Also, many of those who had practiced magic brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted up the value of them, and it totaled fifty thousand pieces of silver. This is who they were , NO MORE THERE WAS A CHANGE WHAT ABOUT GHOSTS Are there Ghosts, spirits of departed people that come back and haunt.. hummm This is a real topic for today, with the popularity of Ghost hunters and programs like that. I don’t believe these guys have a clue what they are messing with .. “Recent surveys reveal that nearly one in four Americans claims to have encountered an apparition” 12 I already hit on this topic on a Sunday morning not long ago. We discovered that the disciples believed in Ghosts, it was a common belief – the disciples are in a boat and see Jesus come talking to them on the water. And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear [Matt. 14:26]. This is the picture: Our Lord is up there on the mountain, and He sees the disciples in the storm, toiling and rowing, as Mark’s record has it. Then He comes to them in the fourth watch. When they see Him, they say, “It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.” Somebody is going to say, “Well, they were superstitious.” Yes, there may have been a certain amount of superstition in them, but what would you think if a man came to you walking on the water? Many years ago over in Tennessee a fellow said, “I didn’t believe in ghosts either until I saw one!” And that is the position of the disciples. They had never seen a spirit before, but they think they are seeing one now! 13 Ghost - 5326. φάντασμα phántasma; gen. phantásmatos, neut. noun from phantázō (5324), to make to appear. An apparition, a specter, a spirit, or a phantom (Matt. 14:26; Mark 6:49). 14

This word is used here and in mark in the same context..

12 Encountering Haven and the afterlife – James l. Garlow pg. 198-199 13McGee, J. V. (1997, c1981). Thru the Bible commentary. Based on the Thru the Bible radio program. (electronic ed.) (4:85). Nashville: Thomas Nelson. gen (genitive) 14Zodhiates, S. (2000, c1992, c1993). The complete word study dictionary : New Testament (electronic ed.) (G5326). Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers.

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They thought He was a ghost (phantasma, a water phantom). Mark explained that

they responded this way because they all saw Him (not a hallucination by a few) and were terrified. 15

They were troubled (ἐταραχθησαν [etarachthēsan]). Much stronger than that. They were literally “terrified” as they saw Jesus walking on the sea. An apparition (φαντασμα [phantasma]), or “ghost,” or “spectre” from φανταζω [phantazō] and that from φαινω [phainō]. They cried out “from fear” (ἀπο του φοβου [apo tou phobou]) as any one would have done. “A little touch of sailor superstition” (Bruce). 16 Belief in ghosts or disembodied spirits was common on a popular level in antiquity, even though the idea of ghosts contradicted popular Jewish teachings about the resurrection from the dead.17 The lilin, or night spirits, were thought extremely dangerous, especially to night travelers (Alexander 1980:30–31); many pagans also believed that spirits of those drowned at sea never could descend to the realm of the dead, but wandered endlessly above the waters (Ach. Tat. 5.16.1–2).18

It's very obvious from this example that the disciples believed in ghosts. If they had no idea what a ghost was, why would they assume they were seeing one?

15Walvoord, J. F., Zuck, R. B., & Dallas Theological Seminary. (1983-c1985). The Bible knowledge commentary : An exposition of the scriptures (2:131). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books. 16Robertson, A. (1997). Word Pictures in the New Testament. Vol.V c1932, Vol.VI c1933 by Sunday School Board of the Southern Baptist Convention. (Mt 14:26). Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems. resurrection *Resurrection. Although some scholars earlier in the twentieth century derived the idea of Jesus’ resurrection from Greek mystery cults, it is now widely understood that early Christian belief shared little in common with the Mysteries’ myths, which simply reenacted a seasonal revivification of fertility. Rather, Jesus’ resurrection was rooted in a Jewish hope, which in turn was rooted in notions of God’s covenant, promise and justice from early in Israel’s history. Most Palestinian Jews believed that God would resurrect the bodies of the dead (at least the righteous, and many believed also the wicked), at the end of the age (Dan 12:2). There was, however, never any thought that one person would rise ahead of everyone else; thus Jesus’ resurrection, as an inauguration of the future kingdom within history, caught even the disciples by surprise. 17Keener, C. S., & InterVarsity Press. (1993). The IVP Bible background commentary : New Testament (Mt 14:26). Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press. Ach. Tat. Achilles Tatius Clitophon and Leucippe 18Keener, C. S. (1997). Vol. 1: Matthew. The IVP New Testament commentary series (Mt 1:1). Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press.

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So its clear from this scripture that the disciples had knowledge of ghosts and believed in them, to some degree.

Now when Jesus saw this and knew they were afraid because the disciples thought they had seen a ghost, wouldn’t he have corrected them and said something similar to…

“Don’t be silly men, ghosts are not real”

But what DID Jesus say at his resurrection

Luke 24:36–43 (NKJV) 36 Now as they said these things, Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them, and said to

them, “Peace to you.” 37 But they were terrified and frightened, and supposed they had seen a spirit. 38 And He said to them, “Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts? 39 Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.”

40 When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet. 41 But while they still did not believe for joy, and marveled, He said to them, “Have you any food here?” 42 So they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish and some honeycomb. 43 And He took it and ate in their presence. While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you."

They were startled and frightened, thinking they had seen a ghost.

He said to them, "Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have."

When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, "Do you have anything here to eat?" They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate it in their presence.

Jesus acknowledges the existence of ghosts and even had to eat something in front of his disciples before they fully believed that he was not a ghost himself.

Keep in mind that this passage was written by Luke, a physician and scientifically minded. If any of the gospel writers had questioned this idea, it would have been him. Yet he was the one who chose to include it in his account.

Remember, there are good and bad ghosts/spirits.

1 John 4 Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

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1 Samuel 28:8 Saul disguised himself, putting on other clothes, and at night he and two men went to a woman. "Consult a spirit for me," he said, "and bring up for me the one I name." But the woman said to him, "Surely you know what Saul has done. He has cut off the mediums and wizards from the land. Why have you set a trap for my life to bring about my death?" Saul swore to her by the LORD , "As surely as the LORD lives, you will not be punished for this." Then the woman asked, "Whom shall I bring up for you?" "Bring up Samuel," he said. When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out at the top of her voice and said to Saul, "Why have you deceived me? You are Saul!" The king said to her, "Don't be afraid. What do you see?" The woman said, "I see a ghost coming up out of the ground." "What does he look like?" he asked. "An old man wearing a robe is coming up," she said. Then Saul knew it was Samuel, and he bowed down and prostrated himself with his face to the ground. Samuel (the ghost) said to Saul, "Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?" "I am in great distress," Saul said. "The Philistines are fighting against me, and God has turned away from me. He no longer answers me, either by prophets or by dreams. So I have called on you to tell me what to do." Samuel said, "Why do you consult me, now that the LORD has turned away from you and become your enemy? The LORD has done what he predicted through me.

Proverbs 2:18 For her house leads down to death and her paths to the spirits of the dead.

Luke 16:27 A man calling out from hell He answered, then I beg you, send Lazarus – (deceased) to my father's house, for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment. Abraham replied, They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them. No, father Abraham, he said, but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent. Abraham said to him, If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the sleep of the dead.

Isaiah 14:9 The grave below stirs up to meet you at your coming; it rouses the spirits of the departed to greet you, all those who were leaders in the world; it makes them rise from their thrones, all those who were kings over the nations.

(The below scripture explains that a demon did not know whom these exorcists were and became greatly angered at being confronted and asked to leave. The demon basically said to these men “I know Jesus and I have heard about Paul… but who the hell are you?” I can testify to the this superhuman strength of the possessed – Shannon)

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Acts 19:13 Some exorcists who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, "In the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out." One day the evil spirit answered them, "Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you?" Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding.

Also -Mark 5:1, Mathew 12:43, Luke 4:31 ----------------

For those who say there are no ghost – I would have to say they are wrong. Now are they your long dead uncle, I would be skeptical of that – yet as a child of God like these other things we are have come out of all this..

leviticus 19:31 'Do not turn to mediums or seek out spiritists, for you will be defiled by them. I am the LORD your God.' Leviticus 20:27 "Men and women among you who act as mediums or psychics must be put to death by stoning. They are guilty of a capital offense." Deuteronomy 18:10-13 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. 1 Chronicles 10:13-14 Saul died because he was unfaithful to the LORD; he did not keep the word of the LORD and even consulted a medium for

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guidance, and did not inquire of the LORD. So the LORD put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David son of Jesse. 2 Chronicles 33:6 He [King Manasseh] sacrificed his sons in the fire in the Valley of Ben Hinnom, practiced sorcery, divination and witchcraft, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the eyes of the LORD, provoking him to anger. 1 Corinthians 10:20-21 No, not at all. What I am saying is that these sacrifices are offered to demons, not to God. And I don't want any of you to be partners with demons. You cannot drink from the cup of the Lord and from the cup of demons, too. You cannot eat at the Lord's Table and at the table of demons, too. 2 Corinthians 11:14-15

But I am not surprised! Even Satan can disguise himself as an angel of light. So it is no wonder his servants can also do it by pretending to be godly ministers. In the end they will get every bit of punishment their wicked deeds deserve.

1 Timothy 4:1 The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. What are these “Ghost” teaching those who are talking to them.. there is no Judgment, it does not matter what you believe about God we all go to the same place. Christian is Narrow, ect. Satan is a master lier. So is his demons. They can masquerade as your grandmother very easily.

But we are a little bit off the topic. Halloween , -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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Trick or Treat - one of the common pagan beliefs was that the spirits of those who died during the previous year could not go to their “final resting place “ until they were properly prepared with possessions, wealth, food, and drink ( either for themselves or to pray the god who ruled the next world ) until then , their spirits wandered where they had lived and died. A common Samhain tradition was to placated the spirits and send them off on a one- way trip to the nether world by “treating” them . If a spirit was not “Treated” well , it would “Trick “ or haunt , those who had neglected preparing it for leaving this world. Carving pumpkins People greatly feared these spirits and thought that the spirits would harm and even kill then If the sacrifices they gave did not appease them. They carved demonic faces into pumpkins or large turnips, placing a candle in them to keep the evil spirits away from there homes. 18th century Irish folk myth with some variations the basis of the Jock o lantern is as follows: There was a stingy drunkard of an Irishman named Jack; who tricked the devil into Climbing an apple tree. Then jack quickly cut the sign of a cross into the trunk of the tree, thereby preventing the devil from climbing down, Jack made the devil swear that he wouldn’t ever come after Jack’s soul again or claim it in any way. However, this did not stop Jack from dying and when he did he was not allowed into heaven because of is life of drinking , being tightfisted and being deceitful. And because of the oath the devil had taken Jack was to allowed into hell either. “but were can I go ?’ asked Jack . “Back were you came from ?” replied the Devil, the way back was windy and dark. The Devil, as a final gesture, threw a live coal at Jack straight from the fire of Hell. To light his way and to keep it from blowing out in the wind jack19 put it in a turnip he was eating. Ever since jack and his Lantern has been traveling over the face of the earth looking for a place to rest.” In Scotland a turnip was used for a Jack- o - lantern - the name is probably derived from that for a night watchman 20 Ducking for apples apples was originally of sacred and symbolic significance, have become games played by children.

19 Origin of Halloween Pg. 15 20 Encyclopedia Britannica vol. 11 pg. 15

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Apples were put in a tub of water and those who succeeded in extracting either of them with his mouth without using his teeth, or in pinning one of the apples with a fork, was destined to have lucky year.21 Folk tradition tell us of many divination practices associated with Samhain. Among the most common were divination’s dealing with Marriages, weather, and the coming fortunes for the year. These were performed via such methods as ducking for apples, and apple peeling. Ducking for apples was a marriage divination, the first person to bite into a apple would be the first to marry in the coming year. Apple peeling was a divination to see how long life your life would be. The longer your the unbroken apple peel, the longer your life was destined to be. Another tradition in Britain, Halloween was thought to be the most favorable opportunity for divination concerning marriage, luck , health and death. It was the only day in which the help of the devil was invoked for such purposes. Young women sowed help seed on plowed land at midnight on Halloween, repeating the formula, “ Hemp seed I sow, who will my husband be, let him come and mow “ 22 Christian response So, should a Christian celebrate Halloween? I have to ask the question , what are you doing ?? Is there anything evil about a Christian dressing up as a princess or cowboy and going around the block asking for candy? No, there is not. Are there things about Halloween that are anti-Christian and should be avoided? Absolutely! Haunted houses whould be a good example, Glorifying evil for sure. Protect your kids from this kind of thing.. ask yourself WHAT AM I DOING.. If parents are going to allow their children to participate in Halloween, they should make sure to keep them from getting involved in the darker aspects of the day. If Christians are going to take part in Halloween, their attitude, dress, and most importantly, their behavior should still reflect a redeemed life

Philippians 1:27 Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ,

There are many churches that hold "harvest festivals" and incorporate costumes, but in a godly environment. There are many Christians who hand out tracts that share the Gospel along with the Halloween candy. The decision is ultimately ours to make. But as with all things, we are to incorporate the principles of Romans 14.

21 Encyclopedia Britannica vol. 11 pg. 15 22 Encyclopedia Britannica vol. 11 pg. 15

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Don’t cause someone to stumble. We can’t allow our own convictions about a holiday to cause division in the body of Christ, nor can we use our freedom to cause others to stumble in their faith. We are to do all things as to the Lord. when evaluating this holiday one clear principle must be to refrain form any participation that would either compromise one’s faith or bring dishonor to the Lord Jesus. Another good principle is to look for ways to become positive, Christ - honoring voice in the midst of secularism and paganism. Each Christian must be persuaded in his own conscience about how he approaches Halloween.