HALLOWEEN UNMASKED!

by Richard Roberts

Does it send chills up and down your spine when you see all the gruesome Halloween masks that are sold across this country every year? Have you ever wondered if Halloween is really only an innocent childhood ritual—a time to dress your child in a ghost, or goblin, or skeleton costume and take him or her out to trick-or-treat? Or is there a world of darkness hidden behind the "mask" of Halloween?

It's an alarming thing to see the shelves at the local variety stores bulging with Halloween masks, Halloween candy, and toy bats, spiders, witches, ghosts, and goblins. I'm not talking about cute, innocent-looking children's toys. I'm talking about items that are grotesque, gaudy and, in some cases, horrifying. And the manufacturers want you to buy them for your children!

Every year, all across America, parents allow their children to dress up in little masks and Halloween costumes so they can take them trick-or-treating in their neighborhoods. Innocent, trusting children get caught up in the devil's masquerade, all for a piece of candy!

Now you may be saying, "Oh, Richard, don't you think you're overreacting? I mean, what harm could possibly be done by those silly little Halloween practices?" Friend, there is a dark side to life, and the author of that dark side is satan. And nothing about satan is a silly little game!

The apostle Paul put it this way: For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places (Ephesians 6:12). And I Peter 5:8 declares, Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour. Halloween may appear to be harmless fun, but if you open the eyes of your spirit, you may be jolted by what you see!

My wife, Lindsay, was shocked beyond measure when she found out about the real meaning of Halloween. It happened one Halloween night when she was in college. She was driving down the street with a girlfriend, and suddenly, out of nowhere, a man in a Halloween costume leaped out in front of her car. Lindsay had to swerve to keep from hitting him. Afterward she was so upset that she pulled her car off the road and just sat there, shaking like a leaf. That's when her girlfriend began to tell her the truth about Halloween.

When Lindsay heard the girl's explanation, she was skeptical at first. "What on earth are you talking about?" she exclaimed. Now Lindsay was raised in church, and her parents were godly people, but she didn't have any idea about the hidden meaning behind the traditions of Halloween.

And you may be exactly like Lindsay was. Perhaps no one has ever told you about the real origins of Halloween. Perhaps no one has ever explained to you what you're dabbling in when you take your children trick-or-treating or participate in ghost-and-goblin costume parties, haunted houses, and other types of Halloween activities. Well, I believe I can shed some light on what lies behind this celebration of darkness!

I suppose the typical American family believes that Halloween began many years ago when someone cut holes in an old sheet, pulled it over a child's head, and then sent him out with a little paper sack in his hands to ask for goodies from all the neighbors. No doubt many people think, It's only a ritual, and it’s only a costume. Besides, almost everyone in the neighborhood is doing it.

Of course, in recent years we've all been shaken by reports of people who have given children poisoned Halloween candy, apples that contained razor blades, or fruit that had been injected with various chemicals. Thank God those incidents have caused some parents to be more cautious about letting their children trick-or-treat. But many people still have no earthly idea what's behind the traditions of Halloween!

Friend, this holiday didn't just appear out of the blue years ago. And it didn't start when a couple of children pulled sheets over their heads and went from door to door, yelling, "Trick or treat!" Let, me give you the real historical background of Halloween.

It's true that our modern-day name for this holiday came from the name of a Christian celebration, All Saints' Day. It was also known as All Hallows' Day, and it was a day set aside to honor the Christians who had been martyred for their faith. All Hallows' Day was observed yearly on November 1, which meant that All Hallows' Eve fell on October 31. Eventually, the name All Hallows' Eve was simply shortened to Halloween.

Despite the fact that the name was borrowed from the name of a Christian holiday, there is nothing even remotely Christian about the activities that surround Halloween today.

The ancient Druids were actually the first to celebrate this holiday. The Druids were Celtic priests who lived in the area which is now northern Europe, and Halloween was a day when they honored Samhain, their god of the dead. Really, Halloween began as a celebration of the dead.

You see, the Druids believed that on the night of October 31, the souls of the dead slipped out of their graves and came back to haunt the living. As part of their celebrations that night, they left food outside their doors to appease the dead souls they believed were prowling through the countryside. Some believe that practice may have been one of the earliest forms of trick or treating.

The Druids had another custom which also may have been an early form of trick or treating. They masqueraded from farm to farm, parading behind their leader, who was dressed in a long white robe and wore a mask of a horse's head. The farmers were warned that if they wanted the gods to prosper them, they should make generous contributions to the "trick-or -treaters."

In order to keep from displeasing the gods, many farmers gave the masqueraders treats, such as eggs, butter, cheese, corn, or other fresh produce. However, if the farmers refused to cooperate, the trick-or-treaters played a trick on them.

Oftentimes farmers later found their gates left open, their horses stranded at someone else's farm, their carts and farm equipment overturned, their homes bombarded with cabbages, or their chimneys blocked with turf. No doubt most of the farmers gave the masqueraders a treat to avoid becoming the victims of a cruel trick.

Since Halloween was a celebration of death, it was observed in the fall at harvesttime, when the Druids believed the powers of death were growing stronger. They also thought that witches, goblins, ghosts, and evil spirits were more active during the long, dark nights of winter.

On what we now call Halloween night, the Druids disguised themselves in grotesque costumes, hoping the evil spirits would think they were also evil spirits and would leave them alone. For additional protection, they lit huge bonfires to frighten away the wicked creatures of the night. Some people believe that today's jack-o'-lanterns symbolize the bonfires and torches used by the Druids to celebrate their "night of the dead."

Now I'm not talking about some kind of innocent, childlike celebration here, my friend! As part of the Druid Halloween rituals, they offered living sacrifices to Samhain, the god of the dead. Their victims were usually prisoners of war, criminals, or animals, and the Druids believed they could foretell the future by observing the way those who were sacrificed died!

Now that's the story behind Halloween! Believe me, it's not child's play! Halloween was a day that was dedicated to death!

Satan’s High Holiday

If what I've shared with you so far makes the hair on the back of your neck bristle, then you'd better fasten your seat belt before you read what I'm about to say next.

Did you know that Halloween is observed in America today as one of the high holidays of the Church of Satan? And it’s also a major festival for witches. During the week preceding Halloween, satanists and witches are out in droves all across this country. Why, it's their most widely celebrated holiday of the year!

Halloween is not just trick-or-treating—a stick of gum or a piece of candy. It's not just a harmless ritual where people dress up in witch or goblin costumes and tell ghost stories around a bonfire or bob for apples. Halloween is the day the devil thinks he owns! It’s a day when satan thinks he reigns supreme!

Now I'm talking to you straight from my heart. It's up to you if you want to send your precious, God-given child out to trick-or-treat, in spite of the

fact that it's the devil's holiday. But if you do, then you need to understand that you are dabbling in satan's kingdom.

If you're still skeptical about what I'm telling you, then just open your eyes the next time Halloween rolls around. Look at all the toy witches, ghosts, bats, black cats, spiderwebs, and other ghoulish creatures that line the aisles of your local stores. Then flip through the TV channels during the week of Halloween and see how many of the programs feature hideous monsters, murder, gore, and death. Let's not kid each other! Halloween is a time for worshiping the devil!

Oh, don’t let satan spin a web over your eyes! I believe it's time for every Christian to take a stand and say, "It doesn't matter what the Halloween traditions are. My roots are not in the traditions of men. My roots are not in the Druid celebration of Halloween. My roots are in Jesus, the Rock of my salvation!"

I tell you, Lindsay and I aren't going to allow the traditions of men to turn our heads to the left or to the right from God's Holy Word. God is not the author of the traditions of Halloween. God is not the author of the Druid celebration of death. God is the author of a book called the Bible, and the Bible is a book of life, not death!

You may be shaking your head and saying, "Well, Richard, I feel as if I've just rolled off a log! I wasn't aware of what you're telling me. I thought Halloween was merely a holiday when children went out and knocked on doors and shouted, Trick or treat!' I thought it was a scheme the neighborhood came up with years ago to have a little fun." Friend, a satanic ritual isn't fun. It's dangerous. It's demonic. And it can be deadly!

But the good news is that you can refuse to bury your head in the sand. When you see the signs that something is not of God, you can say no to the devil. You and your family can rise up and declare, "We're not going to celebrate satan's high holiday!"

Halloween and the Blood of Jesus

It's a sobering thought to realize how many of the symbols of Halloween are centered around blood. There are little "bloody" toy axes that a child can carry with him as part of his Halloween costume. And there are various bloody monster costumes, and vampire costumes with blood dripping from the vampire's mouth.

Why is Halloween such a bloody holiday? First of all, let me draw your attention to the Scripture in Leviticus 17:11, which says that life is in the blood. Now I believe satan has grasped how important blood really is. Blood is a strong symbol for Christians and satanists alike. I've seen videotapes of satanists drinking human blood during their rituals. But those satanic rituals are a perversion of what God has given us through His Son, Jesus Christ.

You see, the Bible teaches us clearly that someone had to shed blood so that you and I could have eternal life. Hebrews 9:22 tells us, Without shedding of blood [there] is no remission [of sin].

And not just anyone's blood could be shed! It's not the blood that's dripping from a child's toy at Halloween or the blood that's shed by a fictional vampire that can save our souls. It's not the blood that flowed in the rivers of Egypt when Moses called down the plagues upon Pharaoh. (See Exodus 7:17-25.) And it's not the blood of goats and bulls or a sacrificial lamb slain upon Old Testament altars. It’s the blood that was shed by our Savior. Jesus Christ of Nazareth! His blood is the only blood that will never lose its power!

Oh, the blood of Jesus! I'm talking about righteous blood! I'm talking about redeeming blood! I'm talking about justifying blood, sanctifying blood, holy blood. I'm not talking about the blood that's flowing from a vampire's mouth, but the shed blood of Jesus Christ of Nazareth—the blood that washes us white as snow!

What am I driving at here? The Bible says that we can overcome the devil by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of our testimony (see Revelation 12:11). I'm giving you the word of my testimony and the Word of God through this tract, and I’m applying the blood of Jesus to it. I'm telling you that you can be cleansed, and you can be set free BY THE POWER OF HIS BLOOD!

My brother, my sister, maybe you've never known the sweet salvation of the Lord. Or perhaps you've dabbled in things that have endangered your soul. But now your heart is being stirred toward God, and you don’t want sin in your life anymore! Perhaps you once gave your heart to Christ, but now you've drifted away from him. As you're reading my words, you can feel the fire of God's Spirit being stoked in your heart once more. You know that this is your hour! This is your moment! Oh, won't you turn your face toward Heaven as you pray this prayer out loud:

"O God, be merciful to me, a sinner, a backslider. I know I've fallen short of the glory of God. By faith I turn my back on all the things I've dabbled in. I repent of every sin, every wrongdoing, every tool and trapping of the devil in my life. I rebuke, I reject, and I renounce the works of satan. I receive Jesus, the Greater One, as my Lord and Savior, my Baptizer in the Holy Spirit, and the Deliverer of my life.

"From this hour, I'm traveling a brand-new road. Jesus Christ is real in my soul. Lord, I commit to You that I will change my world. I will lift up the Name which is above every name named in Heaven and in earth—the Name of Jesus. IN HIS MIGHTY NAME, I'M GOING THE FULL DISTANCE WITH GOD! Amen."

Friend, if you prayed that prayer and meant it from your heart, the shed blood of Jesus will provide a strong protective covering over your life. The Greater One is alive in your heart by the power of God's Spirit! First John 4:4 declares,

Greater is he [Jesus] that is in you, than he that is in the world.

You don't have to be afraid of the powers of darkness anymore. You have the authority through the Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, the God of every living thing, to rebuke satan's power, and the devil has to flee from you (see James 4:7)!

If you've received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior through this prayer, I hope you'll call the Abundant Life Prayer Group (918-495-7777) and let us know about it. When you do, I have a little booklet I want to send to you entitled How To Live Your New Life.

A Biblical Alternative

Sometimes it's a shock to people's systems when Lindsay and I tell them that we don't allow our little girls to dress in Halloween costumes or go to Halloween parties, and we don't let them trick-or-treat with other children. We strongly believe that hidden behind the mask of Halloween is satanism, witchcraft, demon worship, and demon power. The Word of God says that we, as believers, are not ignorant of his [satan's] devices (II Corinthians 2:11). That means our eyes are open to the devil's ruse!

Friend, I encourage you to go to your local library and find out what the history books have to say about the true origins of Halloween. Go back to the roots of this Druid celebration. If you think it's merely a time to send your child out to carve a pumpkin and have some harmless fun, you'd better think again. Halloween is the devil's day!

Yes, it may appear to be nothing more than a night of fun and games. But remember, satan is a master of disguise. Even though Halloween may seem to be only lighthearted fun, it's really what the Bible calls a strategy of satan (see Ephesians 6:11 Amplified). It's the devil's snare, a deadly trap, and satan wants to get a foothold in your child's life any way he can!

Don't dress your child in a ghost or goblin costume on Halloween. Don't dedicate your child to the devil's day! Instead, I urge you to talk with your pastor about having a "Harvest Party" or a "Hallelujah Party" at your church on Halloween night. Many churches provide fun, exciting, and godly activities as an alternative to the ghost-and-goblin parties and haunted houses which are so popular at Halloween.

I believe you'll find that most children can have the time of their lives if you'll let them dress up as Bible characters, play clean, wholesome games, and give them treats and goodies. Or you may want to let them watch a movie about the life of Christ. If they’re like our little girls, they won't miss the traditional Halloween celebrations one bit!

Halloween Is a Day That's Designed To Give Glory-to Satan

In the world today, many Christians try to straddle the fence with God. As a result, there are those who innocently involve themselves with traditions such as Halloween and things of the occult—things that are not of God—without being remotely aware of the hidden snares and dangers.

Perhaps you've been that way in the past, but now a Holy Ghost light bulb has been turned on in your spirit. If I'm describing you today, then I hope you'll join me in praying this prayer from your heart:

"Heavenly Father, I thank You for opening my eyes, for opening my spirit man, and for pulling back the curtain so I can see the true meaning of Halloween. I understand now that it's a day aimed at giving glory to satan. In the Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, I repent of my involvement in something that points people toward the devil, and I ask You to wash away my sins in the precious blood of my Savior and Lord.

"Lord Jesus, I pledge to lay aside foolish traditions that have nothing to do with the Spirit of God. I pledge to put away the tools of satan's kingdom. I make a decision from the bottom of my heart that I will keep my life on a straight line with Your Word. In the mighty Name of Jesus, my Savior, I dedicate my life to giving glory to God! Amen."

Friend, now that you're informed about the true meaning of Halloween, you can make a powerful change in your life. You can boldly declare, "I'm not going to have a celebration of death in my household! I'm going to have a celebration of life through the living Christ. I'm not going to look to satanists or witches or the traditions of men for guidance. I'm going to look to the Lord and Savior of the universe—Jesus Christ!"

All the Glory Belongs to Jesus!

Every year when Halloween draws near, there's a great celebration in the camp of the satanists. There's a flurry of activity among the witches and those who follow the occult. The people who play with spiritual darkness are deadly serious about giving glory to the devil. Isn’t it time for the people of God to get serious about taking a stand for the Lord?

I believe the body of Christ needs to let the whole world know that the glory does not belong to satan! ALL THE GLORY BELONGS TO OUR LORD AND SAVIOR—JESUS CHRIST!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Richard and Lindsay Roberts

Richard Roberts, son of healing evangelist Oral Roberts, is President of Oral Roberts Evangelistic Association and Oral Roberts University. Richard has committed his life to taking God's healing, saving power to the nations by every available means.

In addition to conducting his powerful miracle healing crusades around the world, Richard hosts two television programs. Something Good TODAY with Richard and Lindsay airs daily, and Miracles Now, with his father, airs weekly. Richard has also written a number of faith-inspiring books, including his own story, He's the God of a Second Chance!

"This ministry is about helping mend people's broken hearts, broken lives, and shattered dreams," says Richard. "My goal is to step into the heartaches of others in order to pray and believe God for miracles that will transform lives!"

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