Halloween And Trunk Or Treat

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It is written:

Romans 14:5-10-One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. 6  He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it. He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he who does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks. 7  For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself. 8  For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. 9  For to this end Christ died and rose and lived again, that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living. 10  But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.

Recently, I was asked by a friend and sister in Christ to investigate the topic of “Trunk Or Treat.”

Of course, this immediately raises lots of questions.

What connections does Trunk Or Treat have to Halloween?

While we are on the subject, what exactly is the origin of Halloween?

Is Halloween demonic, and if so, why?

Should Christians participate in any of these events?

Let’s study.

It would seem that a good place to begin our investigation rests in learning about the origins of the holiday known as Halloween. This is usually celebrated on October 31. During this time, children dress up in different costumes and go around neighborhoods to “trick or treat” for candy.

Yet where did Halloween actually originate?

In point of fact, many are not aware that Halloween is mentioned in the Bible!

Ken Johnson tells us:

“We have seen that after the flood Noah commanded the observance of the equinoxes and solstices to practice repentance, have family fellowship, and study prophecy. See the chapter on Equinoxes and Solstices. The date the Flood came was set aside to remember God will not always tolerate sin and to remember the water and fire judgments predicted to come upon the earth. Genesis records the exact date of the Flood began. “And it came to pass after seven days, that the waters of the flood were upon the earth. In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened. And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights.” Genesis 7: 10-12 According to the Dead Sea Scroll calendar, the seventeenth of the second month would be Iyar 17th, which would fall in mid-April to mid-May. If we use the Pharisee calendar, the date of the Flood would be placed in the autumn. It would be Cheshvan 17th, which falls in our mid-October through mid-November. The seventeenth would fall around October 31st. Today, most pagan groups celebrate it on the full moon closest to October 31st. As far back as anyone can remember it was the “day of the dead.” But the pagans turned it into as celebration of idolatry. When you walk into a store in October and see all the Halloween decorations, remember if there was no flood judgment there would be no Halloween. The fact that Halloween exists is a testament to the fact of God’s judgment of sin! Jeroboam After the united kingdom split into Judah and Israel, Jeroboam, the king of the northern kingdom of Israel, did not want his people going to the Temple in the southern kingdom of Judah. Jeroboam said: “If this people go up to do sacrifice in the house of the LORD at Jerusalem, then shall the heart of this people turn again unto their lord, even unto Rehoboam king of Judah, and they shall kill me, and go again to Rehoboam king of Judah.” 1 Kings 12: 27 So Jeroboam recreated the calf idols that the Israelites made when they first left Egypt. Jeroboam also recreated the ancient festival of the full moon of the eighth month, (or the full moon of October) called Halloween, to be celebrated in Israel in place of the Feast of Tabernacles. “Whereupon the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold, and said unto them, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem: behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. And he set the one in Bethel, and the other put he in Dan. And this thing became a sin: for the people went to worship before the one, even unto Dan. And he made an house of high places, and made priests of the lowest of the people, which were not of the sons of Levi. And Jeroboam ordained a feast in the eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, like unto the feast that is in Judah, and he offered upon the altar. So did he in Bethel, sacrificing unto the calves that he had made: and he placed in Bethel the priests of the high places which he had made. So he offered upon the altar which he had made in Bethel the fifteenth day of the eighth month, even in the month which he had devised of his own heart; and ordained a feast unto the children of Israel: and he offered upon the altar, and burnt incense.” 1 Kings 12: 28-33 Notice in verse 30 it says that “this thing became a sin.” Observing the date of the Flood and honoring God with repentance is not a sin, but to turn the observance into paganism with calf idols turns it into a sin.” (Ken Johnson Th.D., Ancient Origins of Modern Holidays, 1246-1281 (Kindle Edition): biblefacts.org)

So, the origin of Halloween would seem to be the date that the Flood began. It was later celebrated as a holiday reminding mankind of the horror of sin. The Jewish history book known as the book of Jubilees tells us that there were four holidays when the descendants of Noah were to remember the Flood, and one was on our calandra date of October 31, ie, Halloween.

“22. For I have written in the book of the first law, in that which I have written for thee, that thou shouldst celebrate it in its season, one day in the year, and I explained to thee its sacrifices that the children of Israel should remember and should celebrate it throughout their generations in this month, one day in every year. 23. And on the new moon of the first month, and on the new moon of the fourth month, and on the new moon of the seventh month, and on the new moon of the tenth month are the days of remembrance, and the days of the seasons in the four divisions of the year.[ vv] These are written and ordained as a testimony forever. 24. And Noah ordained them for himself as feasts for the generations forever, so that they have become thereby a memorial unto him. 25. And on the new moon of the first month he was bidden to make for himself an ark, and on that (day) the earth became dry and he opened (the ark) and saw the earth. 26. And on the new moon of the fourth month the mouths of the depths of the abysses beneath were closed. And on the new moon of the seventh month all the mouths of the abysses of the earth were opened, and the waters began to descend into them. 27. And on the new moon of the tenth month the tops of the mountains were seen, and Noah was glad. 28. And on this account he ordained them for himself as feasts for a memorial for ever, and thus are they ordained.” (Ken Johnson Th.D., Ancient Book of Jubilees, 33-35 (Kindle Edition): Biblefacts Ministries)

Over the centuries, Halloween deteriorated into a pagan holiday which spread throughout the world.

Johnson goes on to tell us:

“Martin Luther In the AD 800′ s, the Pope started a mass to be said for all the martyred saints. This was called “All Souls Day” and was held on the first of November. The night before was called All Hallow’s Eve. In time the name changed to All Hallow E’en, and finally to Halloween. The focus changed from remembering God’s judgment to remembering the Christian Martyrs. The medieval church started teaching that the bones of the saints were holy, and if you paid great amounts of money, you could touch them and possibly be healed. Then the church started selling other fake relics, and eventually indulgences. If you bought an indulgence, you could go out and sin, because it was paid for in advance. So, if you died, you would still go to heaven. All these things would take place on Halloween. This twisted mixture of Christianity and paganism so outraged one godly man, that he vowed he would change it or die trying. On the Halloween of 1517, Martin Luther nailed 95 theses to the door of the Wittenberg church to protest these and other Roman Catholic dogmas. This marked the date of the beginning of the Protestant Reformation. The Druids The ancient Druids kept records of their beliefs, but Roman history records that Caesar ordered all druid records destroyed in much the same way that Alexander the Great ordered the records of the Georgians destroyed. It was mainly from their vile religious practices. Most of what we know about the ancient Druids comes mainly the oral traditions from Ireland or from others who wrote about them. In Ireland today Halloween is still known as “oidhch Shamhna” or “Vigil of Samhain.” The pagan priesthood of the Druids in Ireland and northwestern Europe believed that Samhain (Sa-ween as it is pronounced), the Lord of the dead who controlled the underworld, would gather together all the souls of those who died that year to purge them of their sins. He did this by transmigrating their souls into the bodies of certain animals for a time, a type of Purgatory, before they could go to Druid heaven. He could also be coaxed into giving a lighter sentence by the gifts and prayers of living relatives. It is interesting how similar these ideas were to the problems Martin Luther had with the medieval church. Some of the paganism said to be associated with the Druids were: Bonfires Bonfires (anciently called Bone Fires) were a form of divination, used to predict what was to come in the following year. A human being or animal was placed in a large wicker basket and burned to death. The pagans believed that the way the victim died and the form of the charred bones, like tea leaf reading, would tell the future for the next twelve months. Black Cats Black cats were supposed to be familiars (spirits who possessed animals and worked with Druids). Jack-O-Lanterns On Halloween night Druids were said to sacrifice humans to demons to gain more magical power. Jack-o-lanterns were originally made out of turnips, but in America the pumpkin came to be used. These would be used for lanterns. The candle was made partially from the fat of the human victim. Each Jack-o-lantern seen means a loved one had been sacrificially murdered. Trick or Treat On Halloween night the people would set food outside to placate the spirits who were always hungry. If you didn’t treat them with something they liked, they might be angry and punish (trick) you. Ghosts, goblins, fairies, demons, sprites, and spirits were just some of the beings Druids thought they could contact. Some were supposed to be good; while others were evil. Modern Satanism and Witchcraft In the USA, Halloween did not become popular until the mid-1800s when large groups of Irish and Scottish immigrants introduced their specific customs for celebrating Halloween. In 1965 the Satanic bible was first published. Four years later, in 1969, the first church of Satan was formed. With the revival of old Celtic style witchcraft in Missouri and North Carolina, Satanism and witchcraft has been on the rise in the USA. Witchcraft and sorcery are very real. The number of occult-related murders has been on the increase in this country for more than a generation. One of the most celebrated occult dates is Halloween. On college campuses and universities today, Anton LaVey’s Satanic bible often outsells the Bible itself! Nullifying Halloween We should always be on guard against true paganism creeping into the church; but likewise be on guard to anti-pagan hysteria dividing the body of Christ. Most of the traditions associated with Halloween are pagan in origin. We should nullify them. There is one thing to think about. If nothing in the traditions of Halloween were pagan, they would be allowable. But every other holiday honors something good: America’s independence, Jesus Christ’s birth or sacrifice for us, mothers and fathers, etc. Halloween is the only holiday that celebrates evil and focuses on fear. The attitude taught by this holiday is not God honoring. It is “if you do not give me what I want, I will destroy your property.” As Christians we should always focus on honoring God and not evil.” (Ken Johnson Th.D., Ancient Origins of Modern Holidays, 1284-1342(Kindle Edition): biblefacts.org)

It is here that we should touch on the relevance of the Flood Legends to our study.

After the Flood, the descendants of Noah remembered the terrible judgment of God and preserved the basic facts of it within the traditions and histories of their peoples.

For example:

“Whole volumes of books could be written if we put every account into one volume. Many accounts are nearly chapter-length in duration! So instead, here are excerpts and recounts from a few shorter examples from various parts of the world to “whet your appetite.” Aztec Legend of the Flood A man named Tapi lived a long time ago. Tapi was a very pious man. The creator told Tapi to build a boat that he would live in. He was told that he should take his wife, a pair of every animal that was alive into this boat. Naturally everyone thought he was crazy. Then the rain started and the flood came. The men and animals tried to climb the mountains but the mountains became flooded as well. Finally the rain ended. Tapi decided that the water had dried up when he let a dove loose that did not return. 14 Hawaiian Legend of the Flood Hawaiians have a flood story that tells of a time when, long after the death of the first man, the world became a wicked, terrible place. Only one good man was left, and his name was Nu-u. He made a great canoe with a house on it and filled it with animals. In this story, the waters came up over all the earth and killed all the people; only Nu-u and his family were saved. 15 Chinese Legend of the Flood Another flood story is from China. It records that Fuhi, his wife, three sons, and three daughters escaped a great flood and were the only people alive on earth. After the great flood, they repopulated the world. 16 Miao Legend of the Flood So it poured forty days in sheets and in torrents. Then fifty-five days of misting and drizzle. The waters surmounted the mountains and ranges. The deluge ascending leapt valley and hollow. An earth with no earth upon which to take refuge! A world with no foothold where one might subsist! The people were baffled, impotent and ruined, Despairing, horror stricken, diminished and finished. But the Patriarch Nuah was righteous. The Matriarch Gaw Bo-lu-en upright. Built a boat very wide. Made a ship very vast. Their household entire got aboard and were floated, The family complete rode the deluge in safety. The animals with him were female and male. The birds went along and were mated in pairs. When the time was fulfilled, God commanded the waters. The day had arrived, the flood waters receded. Then Nuah liberated a dove from their refuge, Sent a bird to go forth and bring again tidings. The flood had gone down into lake and to ocean; The mud was confined to the pools and the hollows.” There was land once again where a man might reside; There was a place in the earth now to rear habitations. Buffalo then were brought, an oblation to God, Fatter cattle became sacrifice to the Mighty. The Divine One then gave them His blessing; Their God then bestowed His good graces. 17 Tanzania Legend of the Flood Once upon a time the rivers began to flood. The god told two people to get into a ship. He told them to take lots of seed and to take lots of animals. The water of the flood eventually covered the mountains. Finally the flood stopped. Then one of the men, wanting to know if the water had dried up let a dove loose. The dove returned. Later he let loose a hawk which did not return. Then the men left the boat and took the animals and the seeds with them. 18” (Ken Ham, Bodie Hodge, A Flood of Evidence: 40 Reasons Noah and the Ark Still Matter, 33-35 (Kindle Edition): Green Forest, AR: Master Books)

When we investigate the Flood Legends around the world (of which there are more than three hundred), we find amazing corroboration of the Bible text. Yet, in addition to that, we learn that many of these legends tie together various rituals, religious beliefs, ceremonies, and acts of worship that mirror the Deluge, while also aligning with the date of Halloween.

Consider:

“The works of Faber, Sir W. Jones, Hi slop, Sir G. Wilkinson, and others have indisputably proved the connection and identity of the religious systems of nations most remote from each other, showing that, not merely Egyptians, Chaldean s, Phoenicians, Greeks and Romans, but also the Hindus, the Buddhists of China and of Tibet, the Goths, Anglo-Saxons, Druids, Mexicans and Peruvians, the Aborigines of Australia, and even the savages of the South Sea Islands,’ must have all derived their religious ideas from a common source and a common centre. Everywhere we find the most startling coincidences in rites, ceremonies, customs, traditions, and in the names and relations of their respective gods and goddesses…The force of this argument is illustrated by the fact of the observance of a great festival of the dead in commemoration of the event, not only by nations more or less in communication with each other, but by others widely separated, both by the ocean and by centuries of time. This festival is, moreover, held by all on or about the very day on which, according to the Mosaic account, the Deluge took place, viz., the seventeenth day of the second month—the month nearly corresponding with our November. The Jewish civil year commenced at the autumnal equinox, or about September 20th, and the seventeenth day of the second month would therefore correspond with the fifth day of our month of November; but as the festival was originally, as in Egypt, preceded by three days’ mourning, it appears to have been put back three days in countries where one day’s festival only was observed, and to have been more generally kept on November 2nd. Mr Halliburton says:—” The festival of the dead, or feast of ancestors, is now, or was, formerly observed at or near the beginning of November by the Peruvians, the Hindus, the Pacific Islanders, the people of the Tonga Islands, the Australians, the ancient Persians, the ancient Egyptians and the northern nations of Europe, and continued for three days among the Japanese, the Hindus, the Australians, the ancient Romans and the ancient Egyptians. “Wherever the Roman Catholic Church exists, solemn Mass for All is said on the 2nd November, and on that day the gay Parisians, exchanging the boulevard for the cemetery, lunch at the graves of their relatives and hold unconsciously their ‘feast of ‘Faber, Pagan Idolatry, book iii. chap. vi. vol. ii.; North American Indians. A general summary of these traditions has also been collected by Sir H. H. Ho worth in his work, The Mammoth and the Flood. ancestors’ on the very same day that savages in far-distant quarter n of the globe observe, in a similar manner, their festival of the dead. Even the Church of England, which rejects All Souls as based on a belief in purgatory and as being a creation of Popery, clings devoutly to All Saints.”‘ Again, with reference to the Peruvian festival of the dead, Mr Halliburton writes:—” The month in which it occurs, says Rivers, is called ‘A ya Marva, from ‘Aya,’ a ‘corpse,’ and ‘Marva, ‘carrying in arms,’ because they celebrated the solemn festival of the dead with tears, lugubrious songs and plaintive music, and it was customary to visit the tombs of relations, and to leave in them food and drink. It is worthy of remark that this feast was celebrated among the ancient Peruvians at the same period and on the same day that Christians solemnise their commemoration of the dead —2nd November.”2 Again, speaking of the festival of agriculture and death in Persia, Mr Halliburton says, ” The month of November was formerly called in Persia ‘the month of the angel of death.’ In spite of the calendar having been changed, the festival took place at the same time as in Peru ;” and he adds that a similar festival of agriculture and death, in the beginning of November, takes place in Ceylon.3 A like ceremony was held in November among the people of the Tonga Islands, with prayers for their deceased relatives. 4 The Egyptians began their year at the same time as the Jews, and on the seventeenth day of their second month commenced their solemn mourning for Osiris, the Lord of Tombs,5 who was fabled to have been shut up in the deep for one year like Noah, and whose supposed resurrection and reappearance was celebrated with rejoicing.6 The death of the god was the great event in Paganism, as we shall explain later, and all the religious rites were made to centre round it. In Mexico ” the festival of the dead was held on the 17th November, and was regulated by the Pleiades. It began at sunset, and at midnight, as that constellation approached the zenith, a human victim, says Prescott, was offered up to avert the dread calamity which they believed impended over the human race. They had a tradition that, at that time, t lie world had been previously destroyed, and they ‘”The Year of the Pleiades,” by R. G. Halliburton ;—from Life and Wort at the Great Pyramid, by Smith, vol. ii. pp. 372-73. • Ibid., p. 388. J Ibid., p. 390 « Ibid., p. 387. 5 Ibid., pp. 382-391. * Help, Two Babylons, p. 138; Plutarch, De I tide et Stride, vol. ii. p. 336. D. dreaded that a similar catastrophe at the end of a cycle would annihilate the human race.” * In Rome the festival of the dead, or ” Feral,” called ” D ii Manes,” or ” the day of the spirits of the dead,” commenced on February 17th, the second month of their year. In more ancient times, the ” festival of the spirits,” believed to be the souls of deceased friends, was called “Lemuria,” and was held on May 11th. This also was the seventeenth day of the second month of the year at that time; for the old Latin year commenced April 1st, which month consisted of thirty-six days, so that May 11th was exactly the seventeenth day of the second month.2 A feast called the “Anthesteria ” was also celebrated at Athens on February filth-13th, in honour of Bacchus, who was identical with the Egyptian Osiris, and there can be little doubt that it referred to the same event, the time being transferred to the second month of their year. A similar variation in the period of the festival occurred sometimes in more modern times, but by far the most general period among the majority of nations is the beginning of November.” (John Garnier, The Worship of the Dead: Or, The Origin and Nature of Pagan Idolatry and Its Bearing Upon the Early History of Egypt and Babylonia, 206-271 (Kindle Edition): Miami, FL: HardPress)

Adding all of these facts together, we see:

• That Halloween ties back to the Bible in that it marks the day that the terrible Flood of Noah’s time began, and it was also the date when the wicked king of Israel instituted a day of pagan worship in the land, which then “became” a sin;

• That October 31 was one of four holidays remembered originally by Noah’s descendants as a day of repentance in remembrance of the Flood;

• That the influence of paganism (a result of “doctrines of demons” as Paul wrote to Timothy in 1 Timothy 4:1) turned Halloween into a celebration and honoring of the dead that in many ways then became a corrupted form of worship, and yet which retained powerful similarities to the Deluge.

With all of these things in mind, what should we think about Halloween and Trunk Or Treat?

I humbly suggest the following thoughts.

First, there is no doubt about the connections between the date of Halloween and the circumstances of the history of the Bible (both in relation to the Flood, and the idolatry of king Jereboam). It is also likely the case that Halloween was originally a day when the families of the world remembered the Flood as a day of repentance before the Lord, yet later became a form of pagan worship.

Since Halloween has both a dark history and a God-honoring one, we should be cautious to ban anything “Halloween-related” to the category of “automatically evil.” Instead, perhaps we should see it in the same spirit as is suggested in the book of Jubilees: as a day of honoring God through repentance.

Some may object that because Halloween does have a strong pagan background, it should be avoided, and that Christians should not participate in any way with such. I do see (and respect) my neighbors point of view. Indeed, if we are talking about encouraging a person to actively involve themselves in paganism and seek demonic activity, I would agree.

After all, Paul was very concerned when the Christians in Galatia were abandoning Christ and were returning to their pagan worship.

He wrote:

Galatians 4:8-11-But then, indeed, when you did not know God, you served those which by nature are not gods. 9  But now after you have known God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements, to which you desire again to be in bondage? 10  You observe days and months and seasons and years. 11  I am afraid for you, lest I have labored for you in vain.

Paul is concerned here because the Christians were again involving themselves in the paganism of beings which really “are not gods.” Instead, these beings are “weak and beggarly elements.” That phrase translated as “elements” comes from the Greek word stoicheia . This word referred to beings that were “elemental spirits.” Other translations bring this out for us.

Galatians 4:3 (LEB)-So also we, when we were children, we were enslaved under the elemental spirits of the world.

The TEV translates this as “the ruling spirits of the universe.”

Why the differences in translation?

Stoicheia was used by the Gentiles and the Jews long before the time of Christ to have reference to certain demonic spirits in our realm, which it was believed inhabited and interacted with the basic “elements” of the world (i.e., air, water, earth, and fire).

Arnold documents:

“The interpretation of stoicheia as personal spiritual entities is the most compelling view. Consequently this interpretation has commanded the consent of the majority of commentators in the history of the interpretation of the passages.12 This view is based partly on the widespread usage of stoicheia for astral spirits in the second and third centuries A.D. (and probably before). The word was used, for instance,, in the Greek magical papyri in connection with the Zodiac: “I conjure you by the 12 stoicheia of heaven and the 24 stoicheia of the world in order that you would lead me to Heracles.”13 It is important to realize that not only pagans used this word to refer to spirits, but Jews also used this word in that sense. The Jewish Testament of Solomon, written during the Roman Imperial period, includes five references to stoicheia as spirit beings. In the following passage the stoicheia are linked with the kosmokratores (cf. Eph 6:12):…These terms further reflect the wide array of vocabulary in reference to spirit beings, shared by Jews and Gentiles alike. Paul drew from this reservoir of terminology with which his readers would be readily familiar…Rather, he lumped all manner of spirits together, affirmed Christ’s superiority, and encouraged believers to be prepared for their hostile intentions and attacks by reminding his readers of their past ability to enslave.” (Clinton Arnold, Powers Of Darkness: Principalities & Powers In Paul’s Letters, 54 (Kindle Edition); Downers Grove, Illinois; InterVarsity Press)

So, these Christians to whom Paul is writing here were actually knowingly going and taking part in pagan worship.

Is that what happens when children go out in our day and age to go get candy on Halloween?

Do the children know about the pagan gods and goddesses that led to the Flood when they are dressing up and going “trick-or-treating?”

Obviously, most don’t.

As such, unless there is an underlying desire to engage in witchcraft or paganism, I don’t personally believe that it is sinful for a child to observe Halloween.

That being said, I don’t much appreciate children being encouraged to dress up as devils, witches, sorcerers, serial killers, vampires, etc. Why? Simply because the. Bible teaches that there is an element of truth in all of these categories, and we are not to imitate or have fellowship with them (as Paul clearly teaches in Galatians 4:11; cf. 1 Corinthians 10:19-22; Ephesians 5:11; 1 John 5:20). I would encourage parents to have their children dress up in costumes that do not mirror the devil or things connected with spiritual wickedness.

Second, I am also aware that Halloween is in our day and age (as it was in times past) a “high day” on the Satanic calendar for human sacrifice.

One researcher documents:

“In the occult system, the number 6 = man, the number 7 = divine perfection or god, and the number 13 = rebellion against authority and depravity. So, in the occult or satanic world, the number 13 represents the state of man’s having reached divine perfection, self-achieved perfection, and illumination. (2) Divisions of the occult calendar: Winter Solstice–13 weeks–a minor Sabbath in the occult world that starts with December 21-Yule December 21–22 (winter solstice–a human sacrifice night) February 1–2–Candlemas /Imbolg (Groundhog’s Day) a human sacrifice night February 14–Valentine’s Day Spring Equinox–13 weeks-a minor Sabbath in the occult world (no human sacrifice) March 21-22-the goddess Ostara (Easter is the first Sunday after the first new moon after Ostara–another human sacrifice night April 1–All Fool’s Day–exactly 13 weeks since New Year’s Day! April 19-May 1–Blood sacrifice to the Beast. Fire sacrifice is required on April 19 April 30–May 1–Beltaine Festival (Walpurgis Night). This is the highest day on the Druidic Witch’s Calendar. May 1 is the Illuminati’s second most sacred holiday (after Samhain). Human sacrifice is required. Summer Solstice–13 weeks–when the sun reaches its northernmost point in its journey across the sky June 21–22–summer solstice–June 21 is Litha (occult human sacrifice night); the solstice ends July 31–August 1 (occult human sacrifice night) July 31–August 1–Lughnasa–Great Sabbat Festival–one of the Illuminati’s human sacrifice nights Autumnal Equinox–13 weeks–minor Sabbath–no human sacrifice September 21–22-Mabon is September 21–a night of human sacrifice October 31–Samhain (or All Hallow’s Eve as designated by the Catholic Church) is also the Satanist’s highest day of human sacrifice. (3)” (J.R. Terrier, Halloween – History of Its Hidden / Secret Origins (Traditions of North America and the Western World Book 2), 60-84 (Kindle Edition): NTIS)

Some may scoff at such taking place in our day and age, and yet the facts demonstrate that this abominable practice continues to occur. Some individuals that I have personally worked with over the years as a Gospel preacher have been witness to such things. As offensive as such a concept is, there is ample evidence to document it.

In fact, one investigate journalist spent years studying the subject. To his shock and sorrow, he learned that human sacrifice does indeed still occur in the world-including right here in America. His book (Human Sacrifice: A Shocking Exposé of Ritual Killings Worldwide) sheds disturbing light on the matter.

Consider this sample:

“JUNE 2005: LONDON. A confidential Metropolitan Police report was leaked to BBC Radio Four’s Today program. The 86-page document, a product of a ten-month investigation, suggested that children were being trafficked from Africa and sacrificed in the United Kingdom. It also gave examples of children being murdered because their parents and carers believed them to be possessed by evil spirits. The report was commissioned by the police following the death of Victoria Climbié (the eight-year-old girl brought to Britain from the Ivory Coast who had the “Devil” beaten out of her by her great-aunt) and also because of concerns over other so-called faith crimes. One section of the report stated: People who are desperate will seek out witchcraft experts to cast spells for them . . . For a spell to be powerful it required a sacrifice involving a male child unblemished by circumcision . . . Boy children are being trafficked into the UK for this purpose . . . Specific details were not forthcoming as the belief was that they would be ‘dead meat’ if we tell you any more.…FEBRUARY 2006: BULAND Shahar, Northern India. In a gruesome case of human sacrifice, a woman and two of her sons were arrested for the murder of a seven-year-old boy called Akash. The boy had gone out to play but didn’t return. His family and other villagers promptly mounted a search, but this proved fruitless. Later a neighbor, called Subhadra, told the dead boy’s father that someone had left Akash’s body at her home. No one believed her and a confession was beaten out of her. It turned out that Subhadra had been having nightmares and one of her sons had “abnormalities,” as she put it. So she consulted a tantrik (psychic/ sorcerer) for help. He told her that the only effective cure would be to offer a sacrifice. That was enough for Subhadra and two of her sons, who promptly kidnapped Akash and viciously murdered him. Prem Vati, the victim’s mother, said: “My son was brutally killed. His nose, ear and neck was cut.” Villagers said that Subhadra’s brother was known to be a tantrik and that he had been jailed the previous year for involvement in a human sacrifice case. “They must have offered [Akash] as a human sacrifice under the guidance of her brother,” said a neighbor. Subhadra and her two sons are now in jail. But police continue to search for her husband, brother and two other sons, all of whom are on the run. BBC reporters visited the jail where Subhadra and her sons were being held. The prison warden told them of over 200 cases of child sacrifice in the region over the last seven years. APRIL 2006. NEWS comes in that South Africa’s occult-related crimes unit has quietly been disbanded. According to a police spokesman, the unit, which once numbered fifty-two officers, was closed because the number of reported crimes was too low to justify its existence. The unit’s founder, Colonel Kobus Jonker, however, described the closure as “unbelievable,” stating that in 2000 alone the unit had dealt with three hundred ritualistic and muti-related crimes and that the number is “definitely increasing.” Anthony Minnaar, a professor of criminal justice studies at the University of South Africa, had similar concerns: “Because it is often done in secret and the bodies disposed of down a mineshaft or similar, the incidence is much higher than is reported.” Some of the 800 to 900 children reported missing in South Africa every year are likely to have been murdered for muti, he added. DECEMBER 2006: ADAM is finally laid to rest in a quiet child’s plot in a London churchyard. Four police officers stood watch as a small pastel blue coffin decorated with teddy bears was lowered into the ground. Will O’Reilly, now a detective chief inspector, read a eulogy. He drew on words from the Bishop of Stepney, who had compared the child—whose identity still remains a mystery—to an unknown soldier. “Like the unknown soldier, his death should not be in vain,” he said. “Some resulting good must be his epitaph.” A month earlier Scotland Yard detectives revealed that they were “close to a breakthrough” on the case. Apparently an informant—a Nigerian man living in Britain—had provided them with vital new information that officers believed would help them bring Adam’s killer to justice. Nearly a year on there has been no further news on their progress. DCI O’Reilly, however, remains determined to solve the case. “We owe it to Adam to find his killer,” he says. JANUARY 2007: A man claims he fled his native Nigeria for Ireland after two of his children were killed due to his refusal to take part in human sacrifice rituals. Uzoma Iroegbu didn’t want to take over his late father’s kingship because to do so would have involved ceremonies that included ritual killing. As a result, both he and his family were threatened, and then two of his sons were killed. A Catholic priest helped Iroegbu and his wife flee Nigeria. Their three remaining children were left in the care of relatives. Iroegbu and his wife are currently applying for asylum. MAY 2007: POLICE reinforcements had to be rushed to a remote part of Papua New Guinea after officers clashed with a shadowy cult accused of beheading villagers and offering them as sacrifices. Several people were reported killed and many injured in gun battles between police and members of the cult, based in the mountains of Morobe province on the north coast. The killing continues . . .” (Jimmy Lee Shreeve, Human Sacrifice: A Shocking Exposé of Ritual Killings Worldwide, 316-318 (Kindle Edition): NewYork, NY: Skyhorse Publishing)

The idea of a “Trunk Or Treat” is a good one, in my personal opinion. The notion of allowing and encouraging children to participate in a night of fun in a safe place and with safe people (maybe even in a church setting where they may learn about Jesus, or be given a New Testament or Bible, or a pamphlet, etc.) seems a great alternative to some of the darker elements of Halloween.

Finally, it is equally important to remember to have grace with each other and to avoid extremes. One of my favorite passages of Scripture about this is from Paul’s letter to the church of the Philippians.

He tells them:

Philippians 4:5-Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.

The word “gentleness” used here is translated as “moderation” in the KJV. It is an interesting word that bears study. When we examine the word and its’ word family, we discover that it has the idea of (among other things) avoiding extremism by instead striving for and embracing balance in our views and lifestyles.

“This word group 2533 had a long history (from Homer onwards) and described ‘a balanced, intelligent, decent outlook in contrast to licentiousness’.” (Peter T. O’Brien, The Epistle to the Philippians (The New International Greek Testament Commentary), 12011 (Kindle Edition): Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company)

Let’s have grace with each other as we consider these sometimes controversial and difficult subjects.

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit, be with you all. Amen.