Acts\n19:18, 19: \u201cAnd many that believed came, and confessed, and shewed their\ndeeds. Many of them also which used\ncurious arts brought their books together, and burned them before all men: and\nthey counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Whether\nor not Christians should celebrate Halloween can be a very controversial topic.\nSome Christians celebrate Halloween simply by dressing up in a costume and\nhaving fun, seeing it as innocent and harmless. Other Christians are equally\nconvinced that Halloween is a satanic holiday established to worship evil\nspirits and promote darkness and wickedness. So, who is right? Is it possible\nfor Christians to celebrate Halloween without compromising their faith? For the Scriptural answers, we examine:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dealing with our specific\ntext, exorcism in ancient times drew on the belief that names had special\npowers, for they expressed the essence of the one named. Jewish exorcists were highly regarded in\nancient times because pagans believed they had access to unique names of a\npowerful entity. The use of \u201cseven sons\nof Sceva\u201d of Jesus\u2019 name suggests that Paul had succeeded in convincing the\npopulation that Christ\u2019s name should be held in awe \u2013 but had not penetrated\nthe darkness of many who saw no difference between the Gospel and magic, an\ninteresting point in relation to our own cultural perception.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The victory of the demon\nover the seven sons increased the pagan population\u2019s awe of Paul and his\nmessage. The fact that many did truly\nbelieve is shown in the public burning of thousands of dollars worth of books\non magic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At\nCorinth, many of the Christians came from among those who have been involved in\nthe grossest of sins (1 Corinthians 6:9-11); and so it was here, that\namong the Christians were many who had been involved in the black arts of\nmagic. Upon beholding the truth, however, they forsook their evil ways. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In relation to our time,\nAll Saints Day is observed on November 1 by the West (primarily by the Roman\nCatholic Church). In Eastern rite churches, it is observed on the first Sunday\nafter Pentecost. Its purpose is to commemorate the lives of all saints and,\nbased on the belief of the communion of the living and the dead, to ask for\ntheir intercession before God.
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\nAll Saints Day is also called All Hallows. Halloween is celebrated the day\nbefore, or specifically the evening before All Saints Day. The word \u201cHalloween\u201d\nis a derivative of \u201cHallows Eve.\u201d The emphasis on spirits, goblins, witches,\nand other dark images came about from the supposition that the dark forces were\nespecially active just before All Saints Day in order to hinder the prayer for\nthe dead that would be offered the next day. The practice of trick or treating\ndates back to the Middle Ages when poor people would go door to door begging\nfood in exchange for their prayers for the dead.
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\nWhile the Bible teaches that the dead in Christ are alive, it nowhere teaches\nus to ask for their intercession. Rather, it urges Christians to come boldly\nbefore the throne of grace (to God) knowing that we have a great High Priest,\nJesus Christ, who ever lives to make intercession for us (Hebrews 4:14-16,\n7:24-25). We are to depend upon Christ alone for salvation (Acts 4:12) and upon\nHim alone for grace for Christian living after salvation. The Bible speaks of\nChrist as being our one mediator between God and man (1 Timothy 2:5).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Is there\nsuch a thing as ghosts? The answer to this question depends on what precisely\nis meant by the term \u201cghosts.\u201d If the term means \u201cspirit beings,\u201d the answer is\na qualified \u201cyes.\u201d If the term means \u201cspirits of people who have died,\u201d the\nanswer is \u201cno.\u201d The Bible makes it abundantly clear that there are spirit\nbeings, both good and evil. But the Bible negates the idea that the spirits of\ndeceased human beings can remain on earth and \u201chaunt\u201d the living.
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\nHebrews 9:27 declares, \u201cMan is destined to die once, and after that to face\njudgment.\u201d That is what happens to a person\u2019s soul-spirit after death\u2014judgment.\nThe result of this judgment is heaven for the believer (2 Corinthians 5:6-8;\nPhilippians 1:23) and hell for the unbeliever (Matthew 25:46; Luke 16:22-24).\nThere is no in-between. There is no possibility of remaining on earth in spirit\nform as a \u201cghost.\u201d If there are such things as ghosts, according to the Bible,\nthey absolutely cannot be the disembodied spirits of deceased human beings.
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\nThe Bible teaches very clearly that there are indeed spirit beings who can\nconnect with and appear in our physical world. The Bible identifies these\nbeings as angels and demons. Angels are spirit beings who are faithful in\nserving God. Angels are righteous, good, and holy. Demons are fallen angels,\nangels who rebelled against God. Demons are evil, deceptive, and destructive.\nAccording to 2 Corinthians 11:14-15, demons masquerade as \u201cangels of light\u201d and\nas \u201cservants of righteousness.\u201d Appearing as a \u201cghost\u201d and impersonating a\ndeceased human being definitely seem to be within the power and abilities that\ndemons possess.
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\nThe closest biblical example of a \u201chaunting\u201d is found in Mark 5:1-20. A legion\nof demons possessed a man and used the man to haunt a graveyard. There were no\nghosts involved. It was a case of a normal person being controlled by demons to\nterrorize the people of that area. Demons only seek to \u201ckill, steal, and\ndestroy\u201d (John 10:10). They will do anything within their power to deceive\npeople, to lead people away from God. This is very likely the explanation of\n\u201cghostly\u201d activity today. Whether it is called a ghost, a ghoul, or a\npoltergeist, if there is genuine evil spiritual activity occurring, it is the\nwork of demons.
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\nWhat about instances in which \u201cghosts\u201d act in \u201cpositive\u201d ways? What about\npsychics who claim to summon the deceased and gain true and useful information\nfrom them? Again, it is crucial to remember that the goal of demons is to\ndeceive. If the result is that people trust in a psychic instead of God, a\ndemon will be more than willing to reveal true information. Even good and true information,\nif from a source with evil motives, can be used to mislead, corrupt, and\ndestroy.
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\nInterest in the paranormal is becoming increasingly common. There are\nindividuals and businesses that claim to be \u201cghost-hunters,\u201d who for a price\nwill rid your home of ghosts. Psychics, s\u00e9ances, tarot cards, and mediums are\nincreasingly considered normal. Human beings are innately aware of the\nspiritual world. Sadly, instead of seeking the truth about the spirit world by\ncommuning with God and studying His Word, many people allow themselves to be\nled astray by the spirit world. The demons surely laugh at the spiritual\nmass-deception that exists in the world today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Let\u2019s take a look at what the Bible has to say about such things.
1. The Bible never speaks of hauntings. Rather, when a person dies, the spirit of that person is goes to one of two places. If the person is a true believer (not one who merely knows about Jesus, but one who has established a living relationship with Christ through faith), his spirit is ushered into the presence of Christ in heaven (Philippians 1:21-23; 2 Corinthians 5:8) and he will be reunited with his body (after it has been transformed into an immortal body at the time Christ \u201csnatches\u201d away his own from the coming judgment upon the earth at the time of the rapture [1 Thessalonians 4:13-18]). If one is not a believer in Christ and does not have his name written in the Lamb\u2019s book of life, his spirit is put in a place of torment (Luke 16:23-24) called hell, to await his sentencing for his works in what is called the \u201cgreat white throne judgment.\u201d
At that time he is also reunited with his body and is cast into eternal torment in the lake of fire (Revelation 20:10-15). But whether a person is a believer or an unbeliever, there is no returning to our present world to communicate and interact with people, even for the purpose of warning people to flee from the judgment to come (Luke 16:27-31). There are only two recorded incidents in which a dead person interacts with the living. The first is when King Saul of Israel tried contacting the deceased prophet Samuel through a medium (or witch), contrary to God\u2019s command. God allowed Samuel to be disturbed long enough to pronounce judgment upon Saul for his repeated disobedience (1 Samuel 28:6-19). The second incident is when Moses and Elijah interacted with Jesus when he was transfigured in Matthew 17:1-8.
2. Scripture speaks repeatedly of good and bad angels moving about unseen (Daniel 10:1-21), but also as interacting with living people at different times, even to the point of evil spirits actually possessing people (dwelling within them and controlling them (see Mark 5:1-20, for example). Good angels, on occasion, appear to people as well (Acts 5:17-20; 12:3-11). The four Gospels and the Book of Acts are filled with many incidents of demon possession and of good angels appearing and aiding believers. Angels, both good and bad, can cause unusual natural and supernatural phenomenon to occur (Job 1-2, Revelation 7:1; 8:5; 15:1; 16).
3. Scripture repeatedly shows that demons know things of which the people around them are apparently unaware (Acts 16:16-18; Luke 4:41). Because these evil angels have been around a long time, they would know facts that those living limited life spans would not. Because Satan has access to God\u2019s throne at the present (Job 1-2), the demons may also be allowed to know some specific events that pertain to the future, but this is speculation.
4. Scripture speaks repeatedly of Satan being the father of lies and a deceiver (John 8:44; 2 Thessalonians 2:9) and that he also can disguise himself as an angel of light. Likewise, those who follow him, whether human or otherwise, do the same (2 Corinthians 11:13-15).
5. Satan and demons have great power (compared to humans) (again see Mark 5:1-20; Acts 19:13-16), even to the point where Michael the archangel trusts only in God\u2019s power when dealing with Satan (Jude 1:9). But Satan\u2019s power is nothing compared to God\u2019s (Acts 19:11-12; Mark 5:1-20, etc.) and God is actually able to use Satan\u2019s evil intent to bring about His good purposes (1 Corinthians 5:5; 2 Corinthians 12:7).
6. God commands us to have nothing to do with anything that smacks of the occult, devil worship, or involvement with the spirit world through the use of mediums, s\u00e9ances, Ouija boards, horoscopes, tarot cards, channeling, etc. He considers all of these an abomination (Deuteronomy 18:9-12; Isaiah 8:19-20; Galatians 5:20; Revelation 21:8), and those who involve themselves in such things invite disaster (Acts 19:13-16).
7. The example set by Scripture in dealing with items that pertain to the occult (books, music, jewelry, games dealing with the occult, and other occult objects) is to confess the involvement with such as sin and burn the items (Acts 19:18-19).
8. The main source of release from the power of Satan is through salvation through the believing of the gospel of Jesus Christ (Acts 19:18; 26:16-18). And if one will not believe the Word of God, there is no other source of the truth they will believe, even if it came from one who rose from the dead (Luke 16:31). If one attempts to get rid of Satan and his evil angels\u2019 involvement in his life without this, it is futile, as one merely leaves an empty dwelling place for even worse demons to return to in the future (Luke 11:24-26). But when a person comes to Christ for the forgiveness of their sin through His shed blood, the Holy Spirit comes to abide and remain until the day of redemption (Ephesians 4:30). The other main weapon would be simple prayer in total dependence upon God, even as Michael the archangel exemplified in Jude 1:9.
In view of the multitude of passages dealing with involvement of the unseen demonic world with the present world\u2014in contrast with the two recorded incidents involving interaction between the living and those who have died\u2014and considering that the dead cannot visit the living without permission and that permission is not lightly given (Luke 16:27-31), it would seem best to understand ghosts, hauntings, spirit helpers, voices at s\u00e9ances, etc. (besides those which are the mere illusions created by charlatans) as the work of demons. Sometimes these demons may have no intent to conceal their nature, and at other times they may seek to deceive by appearing as human spirits in order to generate credibility for the lies they seek to spread and the confusion they seek to create.
Again, God states it is foolish to try to consult the dead on behalf of the living or to consult with those who say they have an inside track on the future when instead one can actually consult with the wisdom of the living God (Isaiah 8:19-20). And if God considered the occult practices of contacting the spirit world for wisdom or guidance for the future an abomination worthy of judgment in Moses’ time (Deuteronomy 18:9-12), then God who does not change considers it so today (Malachi 3:6; Hebrews 1:12) and those who ignore this do so to their own hurt. Lastly, again, the largest weapon in God\u2019s arsenal for freeing people from Satan\u2019s kingdom is the good news of Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Acts 19:18, 19: \u201cAnd many that believed came, and confessed, and shewed their deeds. Many of them also which used curious arts brought their books together, and burned them before all men: and they counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver.\u201d Whether or not Christians should celebrate Halloween can […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[533],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n