Halloween - The Devil in Disguise
Posted: Sunday, October 03, 2010
by Mark Parsec
Wordcasters
Halloween is right around the corner. It is a time of festivals, celebrations and trick-or-treaters. But, it is also a time of ghosts and goblins, monsters and demons, witches and warlocks, black cats and big black spiders. We are all familiar with the frightening, freaky and eerie aspects of Halloween, but few of us understand the historical significance of this occasion or the spiritual implications of the event.
What we today observe as Halloween finds its origin in the most ancient customs and traditions of primitive peoples. You see, the people of antiquity were keenly aware of the changing seasons, but most especially the fluctuation in the transit of the sun through the sky. When the Fall season arrived, and the days grew shorter and shorter, and the nights grew longer and longer, the ancients knew there was a battle in the heavens between the forces of Light and Dark.
What modern civilizations observe as the Fall Equinox… the day when the hours of sunlight and the hours of darkness are equal, 12 hours of day and 12 hours of night… the ancients saw as a foreboding omen. For them, the Fall Equinox could mean only one thing… darkness was coming into the world… the season of the Night. A season when all of the forces of darkness would emerge… demons, ghosts, evil spirits and the monsters of the deep… to harass and plague mankind. And they feared that the Sun would slowly diminish and fade away, never to return… ushering in the end of the world.
In their effort to resist the darkness and all of the evils associated with it, the ancients would build sacred fires to preserve the light and pass it on. The fire would be sent by torch from home to home where families would kindle candles they had prepared in hollowed out gourds and pumpkins to serve as make-shift lanterns… jack-o-lanterns. They believed these lanterns, filled with light, would surely scare off the demons of the night.
When Christianity spread across the world, the fears and superstitions of primitive peoples were replaced with the hope that Christ had come to forever conquer the forces of darkness and that He was the Light and the Life of men. The custom of kindling sacred fires to engage in the battle between Light and Darkness was replaced by a call to prayer and the invitation for Christ and all the saints to bring light into the darkness. The midnight hour of the Fall Equinox was transformed from a time of fear and foreboding to a time of faith and hope for all the saints… All Saints Eve. It became a holy occasion or hallowed event… Hallowed Eve or Halloween.
Jack-O-Lanterns were intended to scare off evil.
Between the spread of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the advent of the incandescent light bulb, the fears of primitive peoples have been all but vanquished from the majority of mankind. Nowadays, people laugh and consider cute, the little children dressed up as ghosts, goblins and demons.
People minimize evil and think it is cute.
They say the pendulum of history swings both ways. From the days when primitive people saw evil spirits behind every rock and bush we have progressed to the opposite extreme where people say, “There is no such thing as ghosts. There is no such thing as demons. There is no such thing as the Devil or Hell or Hades.”
It would seem that somewhere along the way modern civilization has lost touch with reality as it is expressed in the Word of God. For many people seem to have forgotten one important fact, that even the primitive peoples understood… There is a battle of Light and Darkness going on in this world… a war between the forces of good and evil, God and the Devil.
Yet, too many people and even some “Christians” will tell you that there is no Devil and that evil is nothing more than a figment of your imagination. But, I am here to tell you today that the Devil is very real and he is the source and cause of every evil in the world.
The Devil will not cease to exist if we do not believe in him. In fact, he probably takes great pleasure in those who do not believe in his existence because then he can have his way with them without them ever knowing the source of their suffering and misery. Every soldier knows the advantage of stealth and camouflage. And our enemy, the Devil, is the master of deception and disguise. In fact, the Bible tells us that he can transform himself and even appear as an angel of Light (2 Cor 11:14). And he will, because the Devil doesn’t want to scare you… he wants to woo you. He wants to divert your eyes from the Lord. He wants to improperly persuade you, erroneously encourage you, cunningly court you, illegally entice you and falsely flatter you. He’ll appear as your best friend. To women he’ll come as a handsome and charming man. To men he’ll appear as a beautiful and desirable woman. To others he’ll appear as a doctor, lawyer, employer, teacher, real estate agent or even as a priest or a pastor. He wears countless masks and his persistence never fails.
Is your sweetheart the devil in disguise?
A wise man once said, “Know your friends, but know your enemies even better.” So, if we want to know who the Devil is and what his tactics are, we need to turn to the Holy Bible.
The Word of God teaches us that Satan is an angel, a powerful heavenly being, meaning that he was created to exist in the spiritual dimension. As such, Satan was created full of wisdom and beauty and as an archangel or covering cherub (Ez. 28:11-19). His job was to stand behind the throne of God and to cover it. But, the sin of pride entered into him and he embarked to exalt himself above all other angels and to even become like God himself (Is. 14:12-17)
Subsequently, Satan turned against God and incited one third of the angels of heaven to rebel against the Lord. Consequently, Satan and those angels who followed him were cast down out of their place in heaven. Thus, we refer to them as fallen angels. Yet, to this day, the Scriptures describe Satan and the fallen angels as the determined enemy of God and of human beings.
It would take a manuscript of encyclopedic length to elaborate upon the character, nature and tactics of Satan. We can, however, get a general idea as to the Devil’s disposition by reviewing some of the names and titles that the Bible applies to him…
Abaddon (the Destroyer) - Rev. 9:11
The Accuser - Rev. 12:10
The Adversary - 1 Peter 5:8
The Angel of the Bottomless Pit – Rev. 9:11
Apollyon (the Destroyer) – Rev. 9:11
Beelzebub (Lord of the House of Demons) - Mt. 12:24
Belial (The Worthless or Lawless One) - 2 Cor. 6:15
The Devil (Slanderer or Accuser) – Mt. 4:1
The Evil One – Mt. 13:19
The Father of Lies – Jn. 8:44
The God of this World – 2 Cor 4:4
The Great Dragon – Rev. 12:9
Murderer – Jn. 8:44
Satan (Adversary) -
The One Who Leads the Whole World Astray – Rev 12:9
The Prince of Devils – Mt. 12:24
The Prince of the Power of the Air – Eph. 2:2
The Prince of This World – Jn. 14:30
The Ruler of Darkness – Eph. 6:12
The Serpent – Gen. 3:4
The Spirit at Work in Those who are Disobedient – Eph. 2:2
The Tempter – Mt. 4:3
Unclean Spirit – Mt. 12:43
The Wicked One – Mt. 13:19
How would you like to put those labels and titles on your resume or calling card? The problem is that Satan does not introduce himself by name and title. He is subtle, deceptive, cunning and sly. He wants you to believe that he is someone other than who he really is. He wants you to believe that he will help you, comfort you, make you feel better, make you happier, richer, wiser, sexier or more powerful. When in fact, he will strip away your dignity and destroy your hope in Christ.
So, when Satan comes against us how are we to recognize him? When he comes masquerading as Prince Charming, Sleeping Beauty, King Midas, Wonder Woman or our Knight in Shining Armor, what are we to do?
In recent history, airports have been using various machines to scan people and their luggage prior to them boarding airplanes. These machines can see into and through people and objects with ultra-sound and x-ray technologies. Terrorists in disguise, who would otherwise sneak on board a flight with the intent of using weapons or bombs to cause harm and destruction, are identified and apprehended.
The Gospel of John 1:1-5 tells us that…
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
You see, the battle between the Light and the Dark, good and evil, God and the devil, has continued throughout all of history. The Bible tells us that Jesus is the Word. That He is the Life and the Light of men. And the light of His Word shines into the darkness of people’s lives just like the substance penetrating technology of ultrasound and x-ray. In other words, there is no costume or disguise that can conceal the truth of someone’s character from the Lord.
Regarding this, Hebrews 4:12-13 tells us…
For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.
Now, that’s Good News! That means that you and I have access to the technology that can reveal Satan and his weapons when he comesagainst us in his various disguises to trick or treat us. And that’s no High Tech… it's the Highest Tech. But, it’s simply the Word of God. Yet, in addition to the Word of God, by which we should measure all things, He has given us His Holy Spirit, which He promised would lead us to all truth.
So, if you are concerned that somebody may be deceiving you… If you feel that Satan is coming against you in the form and the costume of another person… then put that person to the test of the Word of God. Talk to them about God’s Word and see how they respond. Quote the Word of God to them and see if they squirm. Tell them that Jesus Christ is Lord and that He is risen from the dead, and see how they act. Pray with them and see what they do. And then, ask the Lord to shine His Light into the darkness and show you the truth by the power of the Holy Spirit and you will discover that the Lord can pull the mask off the Old Lone Ranger and unveil Satan to protect you from the cunning and sly deceptions of the Master of Disguise.
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Top-level comments on this article: (2 total)The battle continues unabated between Darkness and the Light with many souls caught in the crosshairs; belief in Jesus the Christ is simply not enough as even unclean and bestial demons believe in Him.One must, as Jesus is reputed to have said, pray constantly, incessantly.Halloween and its culturalcelebration of the Darkness always forgets that we should also be reminded of the celebration of the Heavenly Light; after All Hallows Eve(Halloween) is All Saint's Day, a classic religious reminder that after cleansing the Darkness from us, we must invite the Light in to stay.A splendid article suitable for all seasons.Many thanks,Paul SchroederHi Paul,
Thank you for your comments. Great observation. The Scriptures say, "...even the demons believe in Him and tremble."
In the Light,
Mark
Good article Mark, I stay in trouble [with family mostly] because I don't "celebrate" Halloween. I don't like it at all and I will be so glad for it to be over. I don't really know any Christians who don't enjoy it but then they enjoy a lot of other things that I don't enjoy. I am trying to ignore this holiday until it goes away.
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