“Oh, isn’t that just a lovely ghost!” “My, what a pretty witch you are!” “What a cute little wizard!” And again the annual march of goblins, ghouls and masked monsters parade through our shopping malls, homes and most significantly, our minds. And again North American society pays open homage to the symbols of – and unmistakably the source of – darkness. For those who think that it’s just a harmless opportunity for kids to have some fun and eat candy, a consideration of the scriptures might be in order.
Ephesians 5:11, 12
“And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.”
If the Scriptures declare that we are not even to speak of evil, it would clearly be an error to openly acknowledge it and display its trappings via the Halloween festival. As the television de-sensitizes us to violence, so rituals like Halloween de-sensitize people to the workings of evil.
Man is made familiar and comfortable with evil so much so that it no longer seems a real menace to people’s lives. Ghosts are made friendly, teenage witches are made pretty and popular and to be a boy wizard is made desirable. Such is the effect of trivializing evil.
The Bible declares that Jesus Christ came to reveal the devil and all his host. He showed how this evil being was after nothing but to steal, kill and destroy. Since Satan was openly made known by our Lord, he has done all he can to go back into hiding. After all, the most effective enemy is one that you don’t know you have.
In the Biblical records the Lord Jesus dealt countless times with men and women affected by evil. He cast out devil sprits and rebuked the work of the devil with the power of God. We are, however, much more modern today and call these conditions psychological problems. We refer people to professionals who cannot even seem to solve their own problems. I guess Jesus Christ was just too primitive to know what he was talking about. Hard to explain then why his so called primitive methods yielded complete success and deliverance for those who came to him. Ever met anyone who was healed by psycho-analysis?
But in these advanced and modern times, we dare not attribute the problems that people have to the working of the devil. After all, witches are cute, ghosts are friendly and devil spirits are only good for rattling chains. The devil has all but succeeded in masking his wiles. Very few even believe that he exists – and that is just the way that he wants it.
For those who choose to read their Bibles, on the other hand, the records are clear. The Lord not only revealed the evil one but he also turned him into an eternal loser. Jesus Christ won the victory over all the devil has tried to do to man since the fall of man in the Garden of Eden. The Scriptures declare that in every category of life, the Lord has triumphed over the adversary. Those who choose to believe on the Lord Jesus share fully in this victory and are no longer under the power and rulership of evil. Those who deny it are open game.
So, as you respond to the doorbell and those familiar cries of “Trick or Treat?” this October, you may want to check who is really behind that mask.