As time goes on, Halloween seems to become a bigger and bigger holiday, and more and more Christians seem to participate. But is that okay? There isn’t anywhere in the Bible that says, “Thou Shall Not Celebrate Halloween.” Yet something about this holiday seems to give some Christians the heebie-jeebies. Is Halloween evil? Join Reverend Kenny Yates as he searches scriptures for answers to the big question, Can Christians Celebrate Halloween?
The origins of Halloween are in the occult, specifically the pagan festival of Samhain. Therefore, why are Christians celebrating this pagan festival? Because if it is pagan, then it isn’t of God. If it isn’t of God, then it is evil. Therefore, why are Christians celebrating and participating in Halloween if it’s evil?
14 Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?15 What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? 16 What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 17 Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you, 18 and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.”
2 Corinthians 6:14-18
Recap:
John Ramirez’ Five Reasons Christians Shouldn’t Celebrate Halloween:
1. Legal Rights 2. Eternal Mistake 3. Important Satanic Holiday 4. Grieves Holy Spirit 5. Demonic Candy and Costumes
How We Got Rid of Unwanted Spirits
How exactly did we get the demonic spirits out of our home? An entire night of prayer and worship as we walked throughout the home, anointing the different rooms and doorways with anointing oil. We also spoke scriptures of protection and peace over each room as we had our worship, such as Psalms 23, John 14:27, Isaiah 41:10, Philippians 4:7, etc.
As time goes on, we’ve noticed a shift in our culture. Things that were once weird, taboo, odd, creepy, dangerous, scary, evil are now normal, fun, empowering, inspiring, progressive, and positive. Things of the Occult once hid in the shadows, but now they have made their way to the forefront, making their presence known to all. Casting spells on the President is applauded instead of appalled. Marching as the Whore of Babylon is empowering instead of destructive. Playing the Ouija Board is an enlightening game for young children, instead of a dangerous door opener to the demonic. Witchcraft has been brought to the forefront and normalized in our society.
The Occult and all of its practices are becoming accepted more and more throughout our society, but does it matter? Are all practices of The Occult dangerous? Aren’t some White Magic? Isn’t that okay? Can’t Christians partake in some of these practices? Join ArieRashelle as she dives into some of the practices of The Occult, searching for answers.
Revelation 9:21 Matthew 24 Acts 16:16-18 2 Kings 21:6 Matthew 7:13-14
More Information on The Occult in The Bible?
The Occult in The Old Testament
Horoscopes
10 You felt secure in your wickedness; you said, ‘No one sees me’; your wisdom and your knowledge led you astray, and you said in your heart, ‘I am, and there is no one besides me.’ 11 But evil shall come upon you, which you will not know how to charm away; disaster shall fall upon you, for which you will not be able to atone; and ruin shall come upon you suddenly, of which you know nothing. 12 Stand fast in your enchantments and your many sorceries, with which you have labored from your youth; perhaps you may be able to succeed; perhaps you may inspire terror.
13 You are wearied with your many counsels; let them stand forth and save you, those who divide the heavens, who gaze at the stars, who at the new moons make known what shall come upon you. 14 Behold, they are like stubble; the fire consumes them; they cannot deliver themselves from the power of the flame. No coal for warming oneself is this, no fire to sit before! 15 Such to you are those with whom you have labored, who have done business with you from your youth; they wander about, each in his own direction; there is no one to save you.
Isaiah 47:10-15
The LORD is speaking to Babylon in this verse, telling them that all the things they thought would protect them, give them power, and take them to the next level, would actually be their downfall. The LORD even taunts them, saying, “Stand Fast in your enchantments and your many sorceries… perhaps you may be able to succeed… let them stand forth and save you, those who divide the heavens, who gaze at the stars, who at the new moons make known what shall come upon you…” Babylon’s sin isn’t just doing witchcraft, but also dividing the heavens and gazing up at the stars for things to be revealed to them. Does that sound like anything familiar? Maybe Horoscopes? Horoscopes are read daily by many people, including Christians, yet that would be one of the main things that incur the wrath of God upon Babylon. Are we incurring the wrath of God upon ourselves when we read our horoscopes?
Child Sacrifice
27 Then he [the king of Moab] took his oldest son who was to reign in his place and offered him for a burnt offering on the wall. And there came great wrath against Israel. And they withdrew from him and returned to their own land.
2 Kings 3:27
“If I had not had that abortion, I’m pretty sure there would have been no Fleetwood Mac,” she said. “There’s just no way that I could have had a child then, working as hard as we worked constantly. And there were a lot of drugs, I was doing a lot of drugs … I would have had to walk away.
“And I knew that the music we were going to bring to the world was going to heal so many people’s hearts and make people so happy,” she continued. “And I thought: you know what? That’s really important. There’s not another band in the world that has two lead women singers, two lead women writers. That was my world’s mission.”
Today we don’t sacrifice our children on a direct alter outside. We don’t burn them in a fire. We murder them while they are still in our wombs. During the time of the Old Testament Prophets, they murdered their children to win a battle, gain control of other nations, world dominance, etc. Today, we murder our children for the sake of a band making music. Let me be very clear on this; there is no difference between murdering a baby outside of the womb and murdering a baby inside of the womb. The baby is a baby no matter where it is, no matter how small it is, and no matter how little anyone thinks of it. The baby is a human life, and to end that life is murder. Period.
If those of the Old Testament murdered their children and a spirit responded, when we murder our children wouldn’t those same spirits respond? If so, then wouldn’t abortion then be witchcraft? We sacrifice our children so that we can gain something that WE deem is more important. There is no reason to murder an innocent life. This is indeed witchcraft alive and well in our society. The only difference is we’ve painted it as healthcare and a civil right. Instead of throwing them in a fire, where everyone can hear their screams and their cries, we tear them limb from limb in the mother’s womb so no one can hear them cry and no one can see them try to squirm away. While the ancients were honest in their murder and called it for what it was and still is, child sacrifice, we’ve called it, Abortion.
The Occult in The New Testament
We all know the story of the Seven Sons of Sceva, they were Jewish Exorcists who heard of Paul and the miracles he was doing. So, they began invoking the name of Jesus, saying, “I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims.” But the evil spirit responded, “Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?” And the man, whom the evil spirits were in, overcame them all, leaving them to run out of the home naked and wounded. But we often ignore what happened next.
17 And this became known to all the residents of Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks. And fear fell upon them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was extolled. 18 Also many of those who were now believers came, confessing and divulging their practices. 19 And a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted the value of them and found it came to fifty thousand pieces of silver. 20 So the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily.
Acts 19:17-20
This story led to those who had recently been practicing witchcraft or magic arts to not only give up that lifestyle but burn their books in the sight of all. Keep in mind those books weren’t cheap either, to give you a little idea of what they were worth, depending on the type of piece of silver, they could be worth anywhere from $5.5 million to $1.5 billion. Either way, those books were worth a lot of money, yet they saw the difference between right and wrong, and they burned their books and repented. If they, 2,000 years ago, saw a problem with magic arts and Christianity, why don’t we in today’s world? Why don’t we see the problem with mixing The Occult and Christianity?
The Occult Conclusion
You can’t have your cake and eat it too. Neither can you have The Occult and Christianity, for what does light have in common with darkness? Choose today whom you shall serve, for tomorrow, is promised to no man. Today is the day of Salvation. Those who practiced magic arts, The Occult, saw the Truth could not be paired with a lie and repented. Nothing has changed; the Truth still cannot be paired with a lie. If you would like to accept your free gift of Salvation, all you have to do is repeat this prayer,
“Dear Jesus, please forgive me of my sins and cleanse me of all unrighteousness. I accept Your free gift of Salvation and declare You as LORD of my life. Thank You for dying on the cross to save me. Thank You for Your forgiveness. In the Name of Jesus, I pray, Amen.”
Are Ghosts Real? What happens if you die and have unfinished business? Is that it? Or does your soul then roam the Earth trying to complete its life? Maybe they had a violent death and can’t go into the light. Do you haunt the place of your death? Do you haunt the people you once knew seeking help or justice? Are ghosts in the Bible? Join ArieRashelle as she strives to answer the long-old question, Are Ghosts Real?
1 Samuel 28:8-14 Isaiah 8:19 Matthew 14:16 Luke 24:37-39 Luke 16:22-23 Deuteronomy 18:10-12 1 Samuel 16:14-16 Revelation 12:7-8 1 Kings 22:19-23 Job 2:7-8
Are Ghosts Real?
Ghosts In The Bible
8 So Saul disguised himself and put on other garments and went, he and two men with him. And they came to the woman by night. And he said, “Divine for me by a spirit and bring up for me whomever I shall name to you.” 9 The woman said to him, “Surely you know what Saul has done, how he has cut off the mediums and the necromancers from the land. Why then are you laying a trap for my life to bring about my death?”
10 But Saul swore to her by the Lord, “As the Lord lives, no punishment shall come upon you for this thing.” 11 Then the woman said, “Whom shall I bring up for you?” He said, “Bring up Samuel for me.” 12 When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out with a loud voice. And the woman said to Saul, “Why have you deceived me? You are Saul.” 13 The king said to her, “Do not be afraid. What do you see?” And the woman said to Saul, “I see a god coming up out of the earth.”
14 He said to her, “What is his appearance?” And she said, “An old man is coming up, and he is wrapped in a robe.” And Saul knew that it was Samuel, and he bowed with his face to the ground and paid homage. 15 Then Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?” Saul answered, “I am in great distress, for the Philistines are warring against me, and God has turned away from me and answers me no more, either by prophets or by dreams. Therefore I have summoned you to tell me what I shall do.”
1 Samuel 28:8-15
25 And in the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea. 26 But when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear. 27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.”
Matthew 14:25-27
More Info on Hauntings
To clarify, we, the HoldToHope Family, do not believe that hauntings are done by ghosts, but instead by the Demonic/Satanic Realm. That would include Demons, Beasts of The Field, Angels, and other spirits. We do not believe that a soul or spirit roams the Earth due to unfinished business or deals with the Devil. We believe that after a person dies, their soul/spirit goes straight to either Heaven or Sheol (Hades).
During the video we asked the question can God be an accessory to sin? We believe that God cannot and is never an accessory to sin. We do believe, however, that God allows spirits as well as other people to tempt people into committing a sin. Just as it was not God who was tormenting Job, but it was Satan. Even though God allowed it to happen, He did not orchestrate it, nor was He a part of it. Same with the lying spirit in the mouth of the prophets. God allowed the spirit to lie to the prophets, deceiving Ahab, and ultimately bringing His downfall. If this was not enough explanation for this subject, let us know in the comment section below, and we will dedicate an entire video to this question. Until next time, God Bless
We all often wonder what happens when we die. It’s common for people to wonder about the afterlife. Eternity is a difficult concept to grasp. Do we all spend eternity in Heaven with God? Do we spend eternity somewhere else? Do we become ghosts? Do we roam the Earth if we have unfinished business? Does everyone go to a better place? Does the Bible actually give us an explanation? Join ArieRashelle as she searches the Bible for the answers to these questions in her video What Happens When You Die?
22 The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried, 23 and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. 24 And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’
25 But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. 26 And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.’ 27 And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father’s house— 28 for I have five brothers—so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’
29 But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’ 30 And he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ 31 He said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.’”
Luke 16:22-32
What Happens When You Die?: Eternity
Eternity With God
1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
Revelation 21:1-4
Eternity In Hell
5 And He who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also He said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” 6 And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. 7 The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son. 8 But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”
Revelation 21:5-8
What about the rest for those who won’t die, but are raptured?
Those who go up in the rapture receive their rest during the Millennial Reign of Christ.
4 Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. 5 The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection.
Revelation 20:4-5
Now how can we be so sure? Keep in mind, the rapture and pre-first resurrection has already happened, this is the first official resurrection referring to the rest given to those who go through Tribulation and do not take the mark nor worship the beast or its image.
As explained in the video above, rest refers to a time of peace without temptation or suffering. This would be that time for those who went through the Great Tribulation because the Devil or Satan is chained up for the full thousand years.
1 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. 2 And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, 3 and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be released for a little while.
Revelation 20:1-3
So the Millennial Reign of Christ is the rest for those who went through The Great Tribulation, which would include those who were raptured up. For more on the rapture and when it occurs, check out our Rapture video. Until next time, God Bless.
For more on the Millennial Reign of Christ, click our Creation Story pic below!
