Reformation not Halloween
by Dr. Ken Matto
(Josh 24:15 KJV) And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.
In this verse Joshua is laying down a mandate to the nation of Israel, that they have the choice of serving the gods of the Amorites, and Joshua may be referencing the gods of the Egyptians, of which their whole army was eradicated when the walls of the Red Sea came crashing down on them. Then Joshua tells them that he and his family are going to serve the LORD. Is not this situation similar to that of ours today? We live in a very pluralistic society and if one wants to become partakers of religion, all they need do is get out the phone book and you will have a plethora of religions available to you. You can then decide to visit a Kingdom Hall, a Mormon church, a synagogue, a mosque, or even a church, and you even have a choice there, a true or false church, depends on how much you want to be convicted. Joshua’s mandate is one that still holds authority today, not only because it is Scripture but because it is sound advice.
Religions are available by the hundreds today but for the true Christian, they do not have that luxury of picking a convenient religion as the unbeliever does. The true Christian serves the Lord God because He has redeemed us, so for us, there are no options, and thank God for that. October 31 is a day that shares two different value systems. The first is Reformation Day when Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses to the door of the church at Wittenberg. It is a day when light finally came to the people of Europe and then spread throughout the world.
(Isa 9:2 KJV) The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined. Europe was completely under the darkness of the Roman Catholic system but when the truth of God began to break through on the scene, then the light of the Gospel began to dispel the darkness and there was nothing Rome and all her demons could do to stop it. If you have never read the 95 Theses of Martin Luther, there is one posted on my site. www.scionofzion.com/95_theses.htmThe second and totally inferior value system that today shares is Halloween. It is the highest day in Satanism and really is a day of adulating Satan. It is a day that has its roots in ancient superstition when people were placed in wicker baskets and burned slowly over a bonfire so the druid priests could prognosticate when the smoke of the person burning would ascend. Halloween is the most evil day of the year yet it is celebrated so widely that it has become the nation’s second largest holiday in terms of people dressing up their homes with the macabre. On this day, we see the glorification of the dead, demons, witches, goblins, wizards, and everything else that is of evil origin. God commands His children to have nothing to do with the evil works of the occult or anything associated with it.
(Isa 47:12-14 KJV) Stand now with thine enchantments, and with the multitude of thy sorceries, wherein thou hast laboured from thy youth; if so be thou shalt be able to profit, if so be thou mayest prevail. {13} Thou art wearied in the multitude of thy counsels. Let now the astrologers, the stargazers, the monthly prognosticators, stand up, and save thee from these things that shall come upon thee. {14} Behold, they shall be as stubble; the fire shall burn them; they shall not deliver themselves from the power of the flame: there shall not be a coal to warm at, nor fire to sit before it.
I wanted to start off this article with the mandate given by Joshua to all the Christians who feel that Halloween is an innocent day just because their children dress up in a costume. God commands us to have nothing to do with the occult, in any manner, fashion, or form. Now to those Christians who feel that it is okay to celebrate this day, let me rename it for you, so you can try and serve two masters today. Hallomation Day or Reforween! Since many Christians will intentionally disobey God and celebrate Satan, they might as well have a holiday name which projects a confused mindset. Those Christians who celebrate this day are trying to convince themselves that mixing Satanism and Christianity is a good and innocent thing.
(John 14:30 KJV) Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me. In this verse the Lord Jesus Christ is telling us that Satan has nothing in Him and, therefore, Satan should have nothing in us. Why do the redeemed of God think it is biblically permissible to revere Satan on this day? It is because Christian parents have put the Bible down, picked up Harry Potter, and allow their children to read it, just like they do in the public schools.(1 Cor 10:21 KJV) Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils. Here is as straight a warning from Scripture that you can get. No person can drink or be partakers of both Heaven and Hell. You are committed to either one. Those who celebrate Halloween and dress their house up with all the Satansim are those who are unsaved. Any Christian who does the same, may be giving evidence that they are not saved. Any Christian who intentionally disobeys God and glorifies Satan will find themselves in trouble. God may choose to remove His restraining hand from your family for a while to show you what evil can do to a family. Keep in mind your children will want to do what the world does. As a Christian parent it is totally on you to be the house watchdog. (Deu 7:26 KJV) Neither shalt thou bring an abomination into thine house, lest thou be a cursed thing like it: but thou shalt utterly detest it, and thou shalt utterly abhor it; for it is a cursed thing.
When there is an intruder in the house, the watchdog should begin barking to not only alert those who live in the house but to scare off the intruder. Unfortunately, many Christians have not taken on the role of watchdog and have allowed anything to come into their homes and families. God describes these people in the following verses. (Isa 56:9-10 KJV) All ye beasts of the field, come to devour, yea, all ye beasts in the forest. {10} His watchmen are blind: they are all ignorant, they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber. Don’t look at these verses and say it just for the clergy, it is for anyone who has been given authority by the Lord. Those who are parents in the home have a God given authority to raise their children and run their home in the fear and nurture of the Lord. Either you are an astute watchdog or you are a dumb dog, which is one that will not sound a warning.
God demands that we know the difference between the holy and the evil in this world. In the Deuteronomy verse, we see that God is warning that we should bring nothing evil into our house because the result may be that we will become like it. Harry Potter and books like it are definitely the type of abominations which should not be in a Christian’s home. If there is someone in the home doing research on it, then those books need to be put away and locked up like a gun after every use, so the children will not have access to them. As a physical gun can end a physical life, the occult can condemn a soul for eternity. Playing with the occult is not something that is cute to God, no matter how adorable your child looks dressed up in an abominable costume. God takes dabbling in the black arts as a very serious infraction of His Holy Word. He gave us the Bible so we would completely understand the evilness of evil and that we would be able to recognize it and stay very clear of it. Many Christians think that celebrating Halloween is an innocent thing when that act of sin is akin to spitting in the face of the Lord Jesus Christ. Who redeemed you, Christ or Satan? Where are you going to live for eternity, Heaven or Hell? Who cares deeply for you, Christ or Satan? Who has chosen to care for you and guide you in this life, Christ or Satan? Who is dedicated to your destruction as a Christian, Satan or Christ? Who will place temptation in front of you so you fall, Satan or Christ? Who will allow a person to look lustfully at your little child, Satan or Christ? My brother or sister, you need to heed the advice of Joshua now. Choose you this day whom you will serve! (10/31/03)