Teach All Nations Ministries
Life Application Bible Study
Halloween & demons
Excerts from: http://www.exposingsatanism.org/halloween.htm
DEMONS
DEMONIC CHARACTERISTICS
What does the Bible say about demons?
BIBLE READING: Matthew 8:28-34
KEY BIBLE VERSE: “What do you want with us, Son of God?” they shouted. “Have you come here to torture us before the appointed time?” (Matthew 8:29, niv)
Demons are fallen angels who serve Satan. Demon-possessed people are under the control of one or more demons. Demons are fallen angels who joined Satan in his rebellion against God and are now evil spirits under Satan’s control. They help Satan tempt people to sin and have great destructive powers. But whenever they are confronted by Jesus, they lose their power.
These demons recognized Jesus as God’s Son, but they didn’t think they had to obey him. Just believing is not enough (see James 2:19 for a discussion of belief and devils). Faith is more than belief. By faith, you accept what Jesus has done for you, receive him as the only one who can save you from sin, and live out your faith by obeying his commands.
The fate of demons is sealed. The Bible tells us that at the end of the world the devil and his angels will be thrown into the lake of burning sulfur (Revelation 20:10). When the demons asked if Jesus had come to torment them “before the appointed time,” they showed they knew their ultimate fate.
The goal of demons is destruction. When the demons entered the pigs, they drove the animals into the sea. The demons’ action proves their destructive intent—if they could not destroy the men, they would destroy the pigs. Jesus’ action, by contrast, shows the value he places on each human life.
BIBLE READING: Mark 1:21-28
KEY BIBLE VERSE: The people were all so amazed that they asked each other, “What is this? A new teaching—and with authority! He even gives orders to evil spirits and they obey him.” (Mark 1:27, niv)
Demons are powerful, but limited. Evil spirits, or demons, are ruled by Satan. They work to tempt people to sin. They were not created by Satan—because God is the Creator of all. Rather they are fallen angels who joined Satan in his rebellion. Though not all disease comes from Satan, demons can cause a person to become mute, deaf, blind, or insane. But in every case where demons confronted Jesus, they lost their power. Thus God limits what evil spirits can do; they can do nothing without his permission. During Jesus’ life on earth, demons were allowed to be very active to demonstrate once and for all Christ’s power and authority over them.
Demon possession can be similar to mental illness. Many psychologists dismiss all accounts of demon possession as a primitive way to describe mental illness. Although throughout history mental illness has often been wrongly diagnosed as demon possession, clearly a hostile outside force controlled the man described in Mark 1. Mark emphasized Jesus’ conflict with evil powers to show his superiority over them, so he recorded many stories about Jesus driving out evil spirits. Jesus didn’t have to conduct an elaborate exorcism ritual. His word was enough to send out the demons.
JESUS AND DEMONS
How did Jesus confront demons?
BIBLE READING: Mark 3:7-12
KEY BIBLE VERSE: Whenever the evil spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, “You are the Son of God.” (Mark 3:11, niv)
Jesus confronted demons without compromise. The evil spirits knew that Jesus was the Son of God, but they refused to turn from their evil purposes. Knowing about Jesus, or even believing that he is God’s Son, does not guarantee salvation. You must also want to follow and obey him (see James 2:17).
Jesus warned the evil spirits not to reveal his identity as Messiah because he did not want them to reinforce a popular misconception. The huge crowds were looking for a political and military leader who would free them from Rome’s control, and they thought that the Messiah predicted by the Old Testament prophets would be this kind of man. Jesus wanted to teach the people about the kind of Messiah he really was—one who was far different from their expectations. Christ’s kingdom is spiritual. It begins not with the overthrow of governments, but with the overthrow of sin in a person’s heart.
BIBLE READING: Luke 8:26-39
KEY BIBLE VERSE: Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” “Legion,” he replied, because many demons had gone into him. (Luke 8:30, niv)
Jesus confronted demons with absolute authority. These demons recognized Jesus and his authority immediately. They knew who Jesus was and what his great power could do to them. Demons, Satan’s messengers, are powerful and destructive. Still active today, they attempt to distort and destroy people’s relationship with God. Demons and demon possession are real. It is vital that believers recognize the power of Satan and his demons, but we shouldn’t let curiosity lead us to get involved with demonic forces (Deuteronomy 18:10-12). Demons are powerless against those who trust in Jesus. If we resist the devil, he will leave us alone (James 4:7).
BIBLE READING: Luke 9:37-45
KEY BIBLE VERSE: Even while the boy was coming, the demon threw him to the ground in a convulsion. But Jesus rebuked the evil spirit, healed the boy and gave him back to his father. (Luke 9:42, niv)
Jesus’ authority over the demonic continues today. As the disciples came down from the mountain with Jesus following the transfiguration, they passed from a reassuring experience of God’s presence to a frightening experience of evil. The beauty they had just seen must have made the ugliness seem even uglier. As our spiritual vision improves and allows us to see and understand God better, we will also be able to see and understand evil better. We would be overcome by its horror if we did not have Jesus with us to take us through it safely.
DEMONS TODAY
How are demons present today?
BIBLE READING: Ephesians 6:10-18
KEY BIBLE VERSE: Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. (Ephesians 6:12, niv)
The enemy is unseen, but the battle is real. In the Christian life we battle against rulers and authorities (the powerful evil forces of fallen angels headed by Satan, who is a vicious fighter; see 1 Peter 5:8). To withstand their attacks, we must depend on God’s strength and use every piece of his armor. Paul is not only giving this counsel to the church as a whole, but to all individuals within the church. The whole body needs to be armed. As you do battle against “the powers of this dark world,” fight in the strength of the body of Christ—and remember, its power comes from the Holy Spirit.
The enemy is unseen, but the struggle is personal. These enemies who are not “flesh and blood” are demons over whom Satan has control. They are not mere fantasies—they are very real. We face a powerful army whose goal is to defeat Christ’s church. When we believe in Christ, these beings become our enemies, and they try every device to turn us away from him and back to sin. Although we are assured of victory, we must engage in the struggle until Christ returns because Satan is constantly battling against all who are on the Lord’s side. We need supernatural power to defeat Satan, and God has provided this by giving us his Holy Spirit within us and his armor surrounding us. If you feel discouraged, remember Jesus’ words to Peter: “On this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it” (Matthew 16:18).
Is Halloween a TRICK or TREAT?
Most absolutely a TRICK. It is Satan's objective to get all to worship him. God tells us to not have any thing to do with this.
Peter I 5:8 Be sober, be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking some one to devour.
1Thessalonians 5:22 Abstain from all appearance of evil.
1Timothy 4:1 Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of demons.
If you are a professing Christian, you have no reason to be part of this holy day of Satan. Don't use the old cop out "well every body does it". No everybody is not doing it. God will hold you responsible for what you do this Halloween. Will you go ahead and participate in it? Or will you pass along the word and let someone know what the real meaning is.
Halloween, All saints day, All hallows eve or All souls day is a festival. It was held to honor the Samhain the so called "lord of death". It was a Druidical belief that on the eve of this festival Samhain, lord of death, called together the wicked spirits that within the past 12 months had been condemned to inhabit the bodies of animals.
It was a pagan belief that on one night of the year the souls of the dead return to their original homes, there to be entertained with food. If food and shelter were not provided, these evil spirits would cast spells and cause havoc toward those failing to fulfill their requests.
Sacrifices were offered on this night to the dead spirits because it was thought they visited their earthly dwellings and former friends.
There was a prevailing belief among all nations that at death the souls of the good men were taken possession of by good spirits and carried to paradise; but the souls of the wicked men were left to wonder in the space between the earth and the moon, or consigned to the unseen world. These wandering spirits were in the habit of haunting the living...But there were means by which ghosts might be exorcised.
To exorcise these ghosts, that is to free yourself from their evil sway, you would have to set out food and provide shelter for them during the night. If they were satisfied with your offerings, they would leave you in peace. If not, they were believed to cast an evil spell on you.
In modern day Satanism and Witchcraft covens, this is the day when Satan himself comes to "fellowship" with his followers. Many changes have occurred over the centuries, but one thing ha stayed the same, the practice of giving an "offering" has stayed the same. Oh we do it under the name of fun but what is the real meaning? Is it still the same as in the old days? I say the answer is YES.
The Christian Connection
The celebration in the Roman Catholic Church, which was later to merge with Samhain, was known as All Saints' Day. All Saints' Day originated in the 7th century when the Pantheon at Rome was wrested from the barbarians, made into a cathedral, and renamed the Church of the Blessed Virgin and All Martyrs. Thus, from honoring "all gods" (which is the meaning of the Greek word "pantheon") the Pantheon became the center for glorifying all saints.
This day that honored all the "hallowed" saints was first observed on the evening of May 13, and was known as the All hallows festival. The day was officially authorized in 835 by Pope Gregory IV after it was moved to November 1 to coincide with Samhain. It began on the evening of October 31, which was called All Hallows Eve.
Thus, without forcing the pagans to drop their pagan practices and accept Christianity, the Roman Catholic church merely made room to accommodate the barbarians.
Just as it confiscated the pagan Pantheon for its own uses, this church incorporated the customs of Samhain to further its mission to convert the known world to Catholicism.
The two celebrations made strange bedfellows: one in respect of evil spirits, the other honoring "saints."
Nevertheless, the joining of the two celebrations produced a hybrid of beliefs about what was supposed to happen in the spirit world. Souls in purgatory appeared as witches and toads to persons who had wronged them. Halloween fires took on a new meaning and now were used to comfort souls in purgatory as people prayed while holding burning straw in the air.
Even the idea of trick-or-treating by evil spirits took on an acceptable church flavor: costumed children went around on All Souls Day offering to fast for the departed souls in return for money or an offering.
As the Celts converted to the new religion, they did not forget their stories of the dead traveling to the afterworld on Halloween. Rather, exhibitions of this night became more evil and the observance adopted even more malicious overtones.
Where do Witches, Black cats and Jack-O-Lanterns fit in?
In America it's a pumpkin, but in Europe it was often a turnip, large beet, potato, rutabaga or even a skull with a candle in it. The fearsome face of the jack-o-lantern was representative of the god of the dead, Shamin, who would drive off less powerful evil spirits abroad that night. As glimmering lights flickered over an English marsh or an Irish bog, people imagined dead souls had returned to earth. They would place the jack-o-lantern on posts and in windows to ward off the spirits of the dead on Halloween.
The word jack-o-Lantern is an abbreviation of "Jack of the Lantern." Jack is another name for joker or Satan. In the Irish tale, a man named Jack was fond of playing tricks on the devil. Annoyed, the devil tossed Jack a burning coal from hell. With the coal in his "lantern" Jack was condemned to walk the earth forever searching for rest.