A SHORT BIBLE STUDY - SHOULD CHRISTIANS OBSERVE HALLOWEEN? On Thursday evening, October 31, millions of Americans - even many Christians - will participate in the nations second-most lucrative holiday of the year: HALLOWEEN. It is the occasion for parties, pranks and children requesting treats or threatening tricks. Many dress up as zombies or ghosts, or masquerade in other bizarre costumes and eerie disguises. WHY? They dont know. They just do it because thats what others are doing. But should Christians celebrate this obviously pagan festival? It is clear that Halloweens symbolism is based on darkness. But how did our Western society some up with such a bizarre holiday? History shows that ancient pagans performed mystical rites and ceremonies in honor of the dead on their New Years Eve (October 31). This celebration helped preserve the false doctrine of the immortality of the soul - that the dead arent really dead. Years ago, Halloween was simply the evening celebration in anticipation of All Saints Day - November 1 - in honor of the lord of the dead. This was actually in honor of the devil, NOT GOD. The Holy Bible reveals that God isnt the God of the dead, but of the living: But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, saying, I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? GOD IS NOT THE GOD OF THE DEAD, but of the living (Matthew 23:31-32). Nevertheless, the Halloween tradition has been made to last indefinitely and further popularized through commercialization. God and TRUE Christianity stand for the exact opposite of death and darkness - for light and life: In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. (John 1:4-5). No matter how much of a joke we make it out to be, Halloween is simply Satan, the devil, worship. It is, in actual fact, connected with rank of idolatry and demonism. The overtly heathen (non-believer) practices of Halloween - and even the pagan customs associated with certain other supposedly religious holidays, such as Christmas and Easter - worked themselves into professing Christianity down through the annals of history and are still being celebrated today, with most people giving no thought whatsoever to their origin and few doing anything about it once they learn of it. There are certain celebratory days, however, that worship the great God - days He instituted within the ancient nation of Israel that are still to be kept in our modern society. Many passages in the Holy Bible show us that Jesus and the entire New Testament Church kept the same annual feast days that God of the Old Testament commanded His chosen people Israel to keep forever (Leviticus 23:1-36). Gods holy days are much more meaningful and fulfilling than all of the worlds traditional holidays put together. How many so-called Christians today have even so much as heard of Gods feast days? Their observance is plainly commanded in the Holy Bible. In the 23rd chapter of Leviticus, God clearly orders His people to observe the weekly Sabbath as well as all of His commanded annual feasts. In three places, He commands that these feasts of the Lord be observed for ever (Leviticus 23:21,31,41). Unfortunately, most professing Christians wittingly or unwittingly overlook Gods clear commands today and choose instead to cave in to the pressures put on them by society and Satan the devil, who is actually the god of this world: Whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them (2 Corinthians 4:4). Satan, holding the whole world captive to his sinful ways. Jesus said Himself: And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrine the commandments of men (Mark 7:7). It takes real, living FAITH in God Almighty to overcome the tendency to conform to societys traditions and ways. But too many today, it seems, lack FAITH. Too many tend to be people-pleasers, rather than trying to please God. This worlds society and its customs are based on human nature - which is to say, on Satans ways - and are completely opposite to Gods ways! Go along with the crowd, and you are stumbling along with the other dumb sheep to the slaughter! Why try to please men? Why not strive instead to honor and respect our great God by obeying His plain instructions to keep His weekly and annual festivals?: For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments, and His commandments are not burdensome (1 John 5:3). The word keep conveys the idea of constant obedience. IDOLATRY: Idolatry is a term for worship of an idol or a physical object such as a cult image as a god, or practices believed to verge on worship, such as giving honor and regard to created form. DEMONISM: The belief in demons or false gods. CULT IMAGE: Cult image, or idol, is a human-made object. DEITY: In religious belief, a deity is a supernatural being, and who may be thought of as holy. divine, or sacred. Some religions have one supreme deity, others have multiples deities of various ranks.
Posted on: Wed, 16 Oct 2013 22:20:54 +0000
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