Chapter Three – History of Halloween (page

CHAPTER TWO

The Spirit Realm

Witch and ghost make merry on this last of dear October’s days. ~ Author Unknown

I know what I used to be. And today I’m a Christian. I'm not what many would consider a "fundamentalist" or a "legalist". I'm not a right-wing fanatic or a left-wing liberalist. And I'm not crazy.

I’m simply a Christian. Totally born-again, Spirit-filled, and attempting to live a holy life according to the Word of God.

I daily depend on God's Word and upon God's Spirit. I believe God's Word is absolutely alive and sharper than any double edged sword and that it cuts deep to the core of my humanness. And with each severing cut, it cleanses and cauterizes and brings healing. The Holy Bible is the basis by which I weigh all of life and all of my decisions. It's the comparison by which I make my choices. Sadly, not all of my life’s choices have been made according to Scripture - but I wish they had been!

This teaching isn't about MY 'feelings' or MY 'thoughts' on the topic of Halloween. It's not about me judging anyone. This teaching is about God's Word and how it relates to the season we're in - the holiday that we call Halloween. My prayer is that Truth will be revealed and that we’ll stop following our emotions and the traditions and customs of men and opt to follow God whole heartedly.

Even before Halloween was Halloween and before Hollywood and department stores made their fortunes off the holiday - an ancient war raged between evil and good.

You see, there really is a spiritual realm. It's not "another dimension". It's not a virtual world or game, nor is it the sum of creative endeavors from the minds of fiction writers. The spirit realm is a reality. It's a realm that most never see, but some are gifted (by God) enough to peer into. While still others wish they never saw any of it.

That spiritual realm doesn't contain dead (or undead) humans. There are no ghosts. The spiritual realm contains spiritual beings. These beings are and were what we know as angels. Sadly, some of those angels created by God chose not to remain in service to God. They rebelled. Lucifer was one of those angels.

10.

Although said to be beautiful and anointed by God as a guardian angel (Ezekiel 28:1217), Lucifer wasn't content to be "just" a messenger of God – a mere angel. Lucifer wanted more. He wanted to dethrone the most-high GOD and rise to become a god over GOD! His pride and his ambition to set up an unholy allegiance to 'over-throw' God proved to be his downfall (Isaiah 14:12-15) and Jesus was there to see Lucifer fall. Because Lucifer was cast out of God's presence, he took one-third of the angels with him (Rev. 12:4-9). He, with his unholy angels was cast down to rule the earth (Ephesians 2:1-2).

The prince and power of the earth's air is none other than Lucifer - the fallen - the serpent - Satan - Beelzebub (Matthew 12:24-27), the adversary (1 Peter 5:8 NKJV) the devil (Matthew 13:38-39) - a murderer & the father of lies (John 8:44) – and darkness itself (1 Thess. 5:5). Lucifer became known as Satan (or the devil) and the angels who left God to follow Lucifer became known as demons: the 'dark spirits' of the spirit realm. They're not friendly, and they are not little paranormal goblins. These dark spirits are not quirky poltergeists that need to be led to the ‘light’. They are demonic beings that submit to the beck and call of higher ranking evil powers and principalities led by Satan himself.

Don’t be deceived. Demonic beings do have power (Acts 10:38, Hebrews 2:14, 1 Thess. 2:18). Their power is limited - but they do have power. Their greatest power is found in the fact that they have been around since before creation and have observed human behavior all this time. They very well know our ways and our weaknesses and our temptations and they are quite patient in their attempts to tempt and persuade us to fall.

Yet, they don't do well on their own. Their power seems to work best when it has a 'house' to carry it about and do their bidding. (Think of Judas Iscariot - John 13:2.) It doesn’t matter to them who they use, but their hope is to use someone close to us –someone with an ‘in’ to our emotions and who can easily work on our temptations.

This is why evil spirits often find that mimicking something "good" gets them into places where they wouldn't normally be received. Satan assigns demons to gain their way into God's churches and into His people. Once he gets his foot in the door, he's in (Ephesians 4:27) and he begins constructing a stronghold. He thrives on stealing, or killing, and destroying the works and kingdom of God (John 10:10). Until the day he's chained for one-thousand years then released for one final battle (that by the way, he will lose), and ultimately thrown into the lake of fire where he (and the beast and false prophet) will be tormented forever (Rev. 20:2, Rev. 20:7-10), Satan will continue to crawl around and among God's people, creeping into positions of authority and power. While loose on this earth, he will pervert and twist God's Word and ways. If Satan can persuade God's people by planting seeds of doubt among us, if he can cause us to bicker about small things, if he can elevate himself to the choir lofts where he takes the "Blood" out of the songs, and to the Sunday School classes where he replaces Scriptural teaching with "social interaction", and to the pulpits of our churches where he displaces Truth with "feel-good programs", he will then strip the church of her holiness and her power.

11.

This is what we’re seeing happen today. If Satan can 'win' the majority of the corporate Christian church, he will increase his own unholy kingdom right under the noses of God’s people. This will greatly decrease the new converts to so-called Christianity and ultimately it will reduce the flow of the holiness and power of the Bride of Christ on this earth. It doesn't take a Theologian to see Satan’s unholy plan. But it does take discernment to recognize what's going on.

Please understand – from the time of his fall, Satan has had an agenda; he’s had a plan. Part of that plan is for us to be convinced that his unholy hoards of demons are simply our loving relatives and friends who’ve passed on to live in the spirit realm. Lost ones who make desperate attempts to contact us and warn us and counsel us. Playmates for children and adults alike.

Satan is the great deceiver. There are no dead ancestors floating around looking for loved ones. There are no lost souls seeking to connect to us through a gifted spiritwhisperer for one final good-bye before leading them to the light. There are no romantic vampires or undead people roaming the earth in search of lost love or eternal life. No half-dead, tormented werewolves are struggling to avoid ravishing pretty young girls. No zombies limp from the grave to eat the living. The spirit realm is the habitation of the devil, Satan (Lucifer) - and his fallen angels (demons). All ghosts, poltergeists

vampires, werewolves and zombies are demons.

The spirit realm is also is the realm of God's angels. Remember - Satan took one-third of the angels with him. That leaves two-thirds on 'God’s side'. Angels are not former humans. Angels are created beings. They were created by God. They are God's messengers. Angels are no particular gender - although we know two of the chief angels are named Michael and Gabriel. Michael is also known as the great prince (captain, general, master) that stands watch over God's people (Daniel 12:1, Jude 1:9) while Gabriel stands in the holy presence of God (Luke 1:19). Angels can fly (Daniel 9:21) and they can take on the appearance of men (Genesis 19:1-5). They ascend and descend taking our prayers to God and coming back to earth to do His Will (Genesis 28:12). They are mighty and they are warriors (2 Thessalonians 1:6-7, Rev. 12:7). Angels are worshipers of God (Rev. 5:11-13). They rejoice when a human comes to know Christ as their Savior (Luke 15:10). And they will be harvesters of souls in the end (Matthew 13:39).

The spirit realm is ancient - and it's real. It's where unseen skirmishes, battles, and wars take place that try and win and lose the souls of men.

12.