1. Grace Fellowship Church www.GraceDoctrine.org Pastor / Teacher James H. Rickard Thursday, October 30, 2008

2. Memory Verse Gal 5:16, “Walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.”

3. The Origins of Halloween

4. A. Halloween's Origins 1. The Celts were pagan nature worshippers who had many gods, including the sun, which they believed, commanded their work and rest times.

5. 2. They observed their New Year on Nov. 1, marking the end of the harvest and summer (season of the sun), beginning of the cold, dark winter ahead (season of darkness).

6. 3. It was known as Samhain (Sow-in), a reference to the pagan “lord of the dead”.

7. a) God tells us about Samhain in Heb 2:14. Satan was the lord of the dead. (See also John 8:44; Rom 1:21-28; 2 Cor 4:4; Gal 4:8-10; Rev 12:9.)

8. b) Today, Jesus Christ is Lord of the Dead! Rom 14:9; Rev 1:18.

9. Being “between” seasons or years, Samhain was considered a magical time, when the dead walk among the living and the veils between past, present and future may be lifted in prophecy and divination.

10. B. Cultural and Religious Influences 1. Celts and Druids

11. a) Samhain was lead by the Druids who were members of the priestly and learned class. Druids combined the duties of priest, judge, scholar, and teacher.

12. b) They were polytheistic and animistic (the worship of nature and/or the dead).

13. c) They believed the spirits of the dead revisited their earthly homes on that evening and wanted to make contact with them for guidance and inspiration.

14. 2. Roman influence a) Upon conquering most of Celtic territory, they incorporated two Roman festivals, Feralia and Pomona Day.

15. b) Feralia - Feb 21, designed to honor the dead. c) Pomona Day - Nov 1, honored Pomona, the goddess of fruit, trees and fertility. Her sacred symbol was the apple.

16. 3. The Catholic Church a) Moved the honoring of martyrs from May to Nov.

17. b) Pope Boniface IV, in A.D. 609-10, declared Feralia to be Christian and they were now just to honor dead “saints” - All Saints’ Day.

18. c) Pope Gregory III, 731- 741, broadened “the festival to include all saints as well as all martyrs”

19. d) Pope Gregory IV (827- 844) extended the festival to the entire church and became known as All Hallows Day, while Oct 31 became All Hallows Eve and, eventually, Halloween.

20. In A.D. 988, they instituted "All Souls’ Day", to commemorate all the faithful departed, those baptized Christians who are believed to be in purgatory - Nov 2.

21. In 1517, Martin Luther chose Halloween night to post his ninety-five thesis on the door of the church in Wittenberg, Germany!

22. C. Halloween Customs and their Ancient Roots

23. 1. Ghosts: Samhain was the festival where the Gates between the Worlds were open wide and departed friends and family could cross over in either direction.

24. 2. Skeletons and Skulls: Samhain was the time to cull the livestock for winter and thus became imbued with symbolism of these annual deaths.

25. 3. Jack-o’-lantern: Celtic mythology of Stingy Jack and his deception of the Devil, used turnips and rutabagas; pumpkins are the American tradition.

26. 4. Black cats: Celts believed the lord of the dead would place the souls of those who were bad into animals, especially cats, verses being placed in new born babies.

27. 5. Witches / Sorcerers: As diviners, they were consulted on the best divination night of the year, Samhain.

28. See discussions on witches; Ex 7:11; 22:18; Deut 18:10; 1 Sam 28:7f; 2 Chron 33:6; Jer 27:9; Dan 2:2; Mal 3:5; Gal 5:20; Rev 18:3; 21:8, 15.

29. D. Engulfed in False Doctrines

30. 1.The Celts worshipped nature, the creation, rather than the one true God, who created nature and everything in it. Rom 1:21-25

31. 2. They trusted the sun, as their god, to provide them with enough harvest crops to get them through the winter, rejecting God as their Provider. Mat 6:25-33

32. 3. Put their trust in “sacred bonfires” to protect them from evil spirits, instead of trusting God as their Protector. See Satan's counterfeit, 2 Cor 11:14-15; Psa 18:2-3, 29-31, 47-48

33. 4. Believed in the immortality of the soul, a false doctrine of Satan, Gen 3:1-5; Rev 12:9.

34. 5. There is no spending eternity in Purgatory, or some other humanly-devised in between place: Ezek 18:4, “Behold, all souls are Mine…the soul who sins shall die.”

35. See God’s viewpoint; Jer 10:2-6; 30:4-7; Lev 18:3, 18:24-30; 26:3-39; John 10:10; 2 Chron 36:15-16; Ezek 22:26; 24:13-14.

36. 1 Cor 6:12; 10:23, “All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered by anything…. All things are lawful, but not all things edify.”

37. Grace Fellowship Church Thursday, October 30, 2008 Tape # 08-078 The Origins of Halloween Jer 10:2-5; Mat 6:25-33; Rom 1:21-25 Jer 10:2-5; Mat 6:25-33; Rom 1:21-25 James H. Rickard Bible Ministries 2008