Archive for October, 2014
WICKED CELEBRATION OF DEATH AND HELL=HELL-OWEEN.
Posted in Articles, BIBLE, English Posts, GOSPEL, tagged CELEBRATION, DEATH AND HELL, WICKED CELEBRATION on October 31, 2014| Leave a Comment »
THEY THINK ITS SO CUTE TO TEACH FEAR TO THEIR CHILDREN, AND ENCOURAGE THEM TO DRESS IN ALL KINDS OF WICKED COSTUMES OF VAMPIRES, WITCHES, GHOSTS, AND DEVILS.
FINALLY, BRETHREN,
The Only Good Found On Halloween
Posted in Articles, BIBLE, English Posts, GOSPEL, PICTURES, tagged Halloween on October 31, 2014| Leave a Comment »
For Christians, is Halloween a trick, or a treat?
Posted in Articles, BIBLE, English Posts, GOSPEL, MARTURII-MEMORII, tagged christian liberty, discernment, fall festival, Halloween on October 31, 2014| Leave a Comment »
HALLOWEEN
Posted in BIBLE, English Posts, GOSPEL, tagged Halloween on October 31, 2014| Leave a Comment »
HALLOWEEN
Halloween
“Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.” 2 Corinthians 6:14-18
Source: Let God Be True!
Hallowe’en: The eve of All Hallows’ or All Saints’ Day celebrated the last night of October. In the Old Celtic calendar the year began on November 1, so that the last evening of October was the night of all the witches, which the Church transformed into the Eve of All Saints.Source: The Oxford English Dictionary.
1. The Druids invented the earliest Halloween celebrations. They were an order of Celtic sorcerers. The Bible condemns all sorcery and sorcerers (Rev. 21:8; 22:15).
2. November 1, the first day of the Celtic year, was a feast day to Samhain, lord of the dead, by the Druids. But the Christian God is the God of the living (Mark 12:27)!
3. The jack-o-lantern, large fires, and apple bobbing also come from superstitious paganism, as most any encyclopedia will prove; but God condemns the use of religious practices from unbelievers (Deut. 12:29-32; Jer. 10:1-2).
4. The only cultures and societies that masquerade religiously as evil characters around fires at night are patently pagan, God-rejecting, devil-worshipping nations, which Christians are to entirely reject (Lev. 18:24,28; Deut. 4:6; 9:5; 12:29-32; 18:9,14).
5. When God wrote the laws for Israel, all witches and any related persons were to be put to death, for He strongly hates anyone seeking to devils and witchcraft rather than to Himself (Ex. 22:18; Lev. 19:26,31; 20:6,27; Deut. 18:9-12; I Chron. 10:13-14).
6. God specifically commanded His people not to learn the dark customs of the nations around Israel, including all forms of witchcraft(Lev. 18:1-4; Deut. 12:1-4,29-32; 18:9-12).
7. The idolatrous practices of pagans are devil worship, no matter what the worshipper thinks or intends (Lev. 17:7; Deut. 32:17; II Chron. 11:15; Ps. 106:35-39; I Cor. 10:20).
8. The holy God condemns any observation of the religious traditions and customs of unbelieving pagans, even if you are doing it as a Christian to Him (Deut. 12:29-32).
9. The Catholic Church whitewashed the pagan customs with a new name to keep their pagan “converts” happy. But Jesus Christ declared that church to be the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth (Rev. 17:1-6; II Thess. 2:9-12; I Tim. 4:1-3).
10. The worshippers of God are to come out of Roman Catholicism by special warning from heaven (Rev. 18:4), and the celebration of Halloween as a non-pagan tradition is clearly and concisely traced directly to the Roman Catholic church. [The holidays celebrated by modern-day North America are the direct result of the efforts of the Catholic church – beginning in the Third century – to bring pagan beliefs and rituals into the church in an effort to attract pagans. This includes Easter, Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Shrove Tuesday, Ash Wednesday, Lent, and many other Catholic customs and traditions.]
11. Halloween is an evil day originating with unbelievers and infidels, based on blackness, darkness, night, unrighteousness, and infidelity, which Christians should separate from and not even touch, if they want to be God’s children (II Cor. 6:14-18).
12. Christians burn anything that has to do with witchcraft, for they are commanded not to touch any unclean thing (Deut. 7:25-26; Acts. 19:13-20; Gal. 5:20; II Cor. 6:14-18).
13. Halloween is a worldly religious celebration of pagan origin, and Christians are not be conformed to this world, but rather to be transformed (Rom. 12:1-2).
14. When a devil or sorcerer meets God, he knows he is helpless; and one day God will cast all devils, sorcerers, and witches into the Lake of Fire (Ex. 7:11-12; 8:18-19; 9:11-12; Mark 1:24; 5:7; Rev. 21:8; 22:15).
15. The disciples of Jesus Christ and sons of God are to walk as children of light, not as the children of the darkness of this world (Acts 26:18; I Thess. 5:4-8).
[Related Article: The Sedgefield Community]
16. God’s true followers value His precepts on all subjects and hate any idea, opinion, or practice to the contrary (Ps. 119:128; Is. 8:20; II Tim. 3:16-17; I Tim 6:3-5).
17. Halloween is popular with the world, which is evidence that it is an abomination to God (Luke 16:15). Friendship with the worldmakes God your enemy (James 4:4).
18. If you must have Halloween, God has offered you a simple alternative. Become a great celebrator of Halloween and reject Christianity, because He cannot stand you polluting His name with your hypocrisy (Ezek. 20:39; Hos. 4:17; Amos 4:4-5).
19. The past lives of Christians had enough excess and sin to cover a lifetime, so there is no need to participate in this worldly, wicked, and pagan celebration (I Pet. 4:3-5).
20. Christians do not threaten “trick or treat” to anyone for any reason, so parents should not endorse such profanity (Gal. 5:14; Eph. 4:31-32; I Thess. 5:15; James 2:8), and neither do Christians deceive others with masks, even for a joke (Prov. 26:18-19; Rom. 13:13).
21. Paul condemned a compromising brand of Christianity that loves pleasure more than God and has a form of religion without authority or true discipleship (II Tim. 3:1-5).
22. The blessed God of heaven seeks worshippers to worship Him in spirit and in truth, according to the apostolic faith once delivered to the saints (John 4:23-24; Jude 1:3).
Abbreviated History and Customs of Halloween
“Hallowe’en. The eve of All Hallows’ or All Saints’ Day celebrated the last night of October. In the Old Celtic calendar the year began on November 1, so that the last evening of October was ‘old years’ night’, the night of all the witches, which the Church transformed into the Eve of All Saints.”
Source: The Oxford English Dictionary (Second Edition)
“Hallowe’en or All Hallows Eve, the name given to Oct. 31, as the vigil of Hallowmass or All Saints’ Day, now chiefly known as the eve of the Christian festival. It long antedates Christianity. The two chief characteristics of ancient Hallowe’en were the lighting of bonfires and the belief that this is the one night in the year during which ghosts and witches are most likely to wander abroad. History shows that the main celebrations of Hallowe’en were purely Druidical, and this is further proved by the fact that in parts of Ireland Oct. 31 is still known as Oidhche Shamhna, ‘Vigil of Sama’. This is directly connected with the Druidic belief in the calling together of certain wicked souls on Hallowe’en by Saman, lord of death.”
Source: Encyclopedia Britannica (14th Edition)
“The Druids, an order of priests in ancient Gaul and Britain, believed that on Halloween, ghosts, spirits, fairies, witches, and elves came out to harm people. They thought the cat was sacred and believed that cats had once been human beings but were changed as a punishment for evil deeds. From these Druidic beliefs come the present-day use of witches, ghosts, and cats in Halloween festivities.”
Source: World Book Encyclopedia (1959 Edition)
“The American celebration rests upon Scottish and Irish folk customs which can be traced in direct line from pre-Christian times. Although Halloween has become a night of rollicking fun, superstitious spells, and eerie games which people take only half seriously, its beginnings were quite otherwise. The earliest Halloween celebrations were held by the Druids in honor of Samhain, Lord of the dead, whose festival fell on November 1.”
Source: Halloween Through Twenty Centuries (by Ralph Linton)
“It was the Celts who chose the date of October 31 as their new year’s Eve and who originally intended it as a celebration of everything wicked, evil and dead. Also during their celebration they would gather around a community bonfire and offer as sacrifice their animals, their crops, and sometime themselves. And wearing costumes made from the heads and skins of other animals, they would also tell one another’s fortunes for the coming year.
The celebration remained much the same after the Romans conquered the Celts around 43 A.D. The Romans did, however, add a ceremony honoring their goddess of fruit and trees and thus the association with apples and the custom of bobbing for them.”
Source: World Book Encyclopedia (Quoted in the Atlanta Journal on 10/16/1977)
“In the A.D. 800’s the church established All Saints Day on November 1 so that the people could continue a festival they had celebrated before becoming Christians. The mass that was said on this day was called Allhallowmas. The evening before became known as All Hallow e’ven or Halloween…. It means hallowed or holy evening.”
“Jack-O’-Lanterns were named for a man called Jack, who could not enter heaven or hell. As a result, he was doomed to wander in darkness with his lantern until Judgment Day.”
Source: World Book Encyclopedia (1959 Edition)
“Customs and superstitions gathered through the ages go into our celebration of Halloween, or ‘Holy Eve’, on October 31. The day is so named because it is the even of the festival of All Saints, but many of the beliefs and observances connected with it arose long before the Christian Era, in the autumn festivals of pagan peoples…. Even after November 1 became a Christian feast day, honoring all saints, the peasants clung to the old pagan beliefs and customs that had grown up about Halloween…. Our Halloween celebrations today keep many of these early customs unchanged.”
Source: Compton’s Encyclopedia (1978 Edition)
THE TRUTH ABOUT HALLOWEEN
Posted in Articles, English Posts, GOSPEL, tagged Celtic new year, demonic god of death, Druids, festival, Halloween, pumpkins on October 31, 2014| Leave a Comment »
THE TRUTH ABOUT HALLOWEEN
There are many versions of halloween. This is one of them.
Do some major Deliverance on yourself for ever celebrating halloween. Burn any left over halloween stuff in your home. Don’t even open your doors to pass out “tracts”. If you do, then you are celebrating this unholy day.
No matter what you think of halloween, know that it is the very highest satanic holy day. As a Christian, you should not be observing it in any way, especially IN your church. The catholic church is responsible for this day to be placed in the church.
Halloween has never been a Christian holiday, and it has no place in the life of a born again Believer in JESUS CHRIST. In fact, it is an abomination to God, and we should take our stand firmly against it. As we look at its history, we find that its roots go deep into heathenism, paganism, satanism and the occult; and its modern expression is no better.
HISTORY OF HALLOWEEN
Celtic New Year
October 31 is the most important day in the satanic year. [It is known as the devil’s birthday.] It marks the Celtic new year. It was the end of the growing season. It became a festival of death. On this day, the god of the Celtics was to have called up the spirits of the wicked dead who had died during the past year. At the same time, other evil spirits arose and went about the countryside harassing the people. On October 31, the Celtics expected to be harassed by ghosts, evil spirits and demons; and it was no fun and games to them. They would light bonfires to guide the spirits to their own town and to ward off evil spirits.
DRUIDS
The Celtics had priests called druids. On October 31, the druids went from house to house demanding certain foods, and all those who refused were cursed. The people were tormented by means of magic. As they went, the druids carried large turnips which they had hollowed out and on which they had carved demon faces as charms. Each one was believed to contain the demon spirit that personally led or guided that priest: his little god.
DIVINATION
Those who practiced fortune telling and divination found that this was the night that they had the most success. They called upon satan to bless their efforts. One form of divination was to put apples in a tub and bob for them. The one who first successfully came up with one without putting them in his teeth was to have good luck throughout the year. They would then peel the apples and throw the peeling over their shoulders and then quickly look around. They expected to see a vision or an apparition of the one they were to marry.
SACRIFICES
These things happened several centuries before CHRIST. Sacrifices were made to the gods, especially the god of death – Samhain (pronounced Sah win). Sacrifices all the way from vegetable to human were offered. This went on and on, and, in some parts of the world, still goes on today.
8th CENTURY
In the 8th century, the Pope, in an effort to get the people to quit the festival of Sam hain, invented All Saints Day (Nov. 1). This was an attempt to get the people to turn away from the horrible observance of Sam hain. All Saints Day was intended to honor the martyrs of the Roman persecutions. It did not work! It never works to Christianize a pagan holiday. The holy and the profane do not mix.
THE MIDDLE AGES
In the Middle Ages, there was a great revival of satanic practices and witchcraft and magic – like there is today. During this time the belief developed that witches traveled on broomsticks to the black Sabbaths to worship satan on October 31. They were guided by spirits in the form of black cats. The Druids worshiped cats believing them to be reincarnated evil people.
CHURCH INVOLVEMENT
This festival of death has survived all the efforts of the church to stamp it out. The church is joining the opposition by celebrating this festival.
All Saints Day became All Hallows Day. Hallow means holy or sacred. October 31 is the evening before All Hallows Day and came to be called in the western world all hallows evening and then all hallows een. Een is an abbreviation for evening. Finally, the word was reduced to the way we have it today, Halloween. That’s where the name came from, and even if it is called all hallows evening, it has nothing to do with Christian faith, and it never did.
MODERN HALLOWEEN
Now let’s look at the present day celebration of Halloween. Isn’t the whole theme one of darkness, death, fear, threats, destruction and evil? There are witches, broomsticks, bats, owls, ghosts, skeletons, death, and monsters. You dress up your children as demons and witches and ghouls and monsters and werewolves and send them out into the street in the darkness to reenact the Druids’ practice of demanding food from people under threat of tricks (or curses) if they don’t comply.
You take, not a turnip, but a pumpkin and carve demon faces in it and decorate with it.
At Halloween there will be apple bobbing, divination, fortune telling, haunted houses, candles lit and spirits called up. There will be seances and ouija boards in the name of fun and excitement. There will be sacrifices of dogs, cats, rats, chickens, goats and even humans!
You say, “Well, we don’t take it seriously.” But the devil does and so does God. Particularly this is true when the Church which He purchased with His own precious blood builds houses of horror in its fellowship halls so that the little lambs who have been entrusted to its care can be terrified and opened up to invading spirits of fear and torment and confusion.
How this must Grieve the Lord!
Scriptural References:
Hosea 4:6; Ezekiel 44:23; Deuteronomy 18:9-14; 7:25-26; James 1:27; II Corinthians 6:14; I Corinthians 10:19-23; I Thessalonians 5:21-23; Philippians 4:8.
The following was taken from the PENSACOLA NEWS JOURNAL on October 24, 1994 in the children’s section called “Chalk Talk”:
Vocabulary – Costume (Kas toom): The style of dress, including accessories, of a certain country, period or profession.
Druid (droo id): A member of a Celtic religious order in ancient Britain, Ireland and France.
Halloween (Halo ween): The evening of Oct. 31, which is followed by All Saints’ Day.
Samhain (Sa man): The demonic god of death worshipped by the Druids.
-
When and where did the customs that eventually evolved into Halloween begin?
-
Three hundred years before JESUS was born; among a group of people called the Celtics who lived throughout the British Isles, Scandinavia and western Europe.
-
Who started it?
-
A secret society of priests and pagans called the Druids, who served the demonic god of death — Samhain.
-
How did the custom begin?
-
Each year on Oct. 31, the Druids celebrated the eve of the Celtic new year with the Festival of Samhain.
-
What did the Druid priests do during the festival?
-
They would go from house to house demanding all sorts of foods to offer to Samhain. If the village people would not give them the foods, they would speak a curse over the home. History claims then that someone in the family would die within a year. This was the origin of “trick or treat.”
-
Where did the Jack-O-Lantern come from?
-
When the Druids were going house to house seeking food for Samhain, they would carry a large turnip that had been hollowed out. A face was usually carved on one side and a candle was placed inside to provide light as they walked from house to house. The Druids believed a SPIRIT inhabited the turnips and helped the Druids carry out their spells. The name of the SPIRIT eventually became JOCK.
-
How did pumpkins come to be used and where did the name Jack-O-Lantern come from?
-
When the practice came to America in the 18th and 19th centuries, turnips weren’t that prominent, so the pumpkin was substituted. JOCK became Jack, who lives in the lantern or Jack-O-Lantern.
-
Where did the name Halloween come from?
-
During the ninth century, the pope declared Nov. 1 be called All Saints’ Day and would be set aside to honor all the martyred saints of the Catholic church. Oct. 31 became the eve of All Saints’ Day. The Mass said on All Saints’ Day was the Allhallowmas. Over the years, the evening before All Saints’ Day became known as All Hallow’s Eve, All Hallowed Eve, All Hallow E’en and finally Halloween.
-
Where did the tradition of dressing in costumes come from?
-
In Ireland, during the festival of Samhain, children would dress like IMPS and fairies to lead the ghosts and goblins out of town after the Feast of Samhain. In England, after All Saints’ Day was created, children would dress in each other’s clothes and go door-to-door begging for soul cakes.
Here is a letter that can be sent to “Letters to the Editor”. It is 200 words long.
“HALLOWEEN, TRICK OR TREAT?
You can call a duck a horse, cow, cat, etc., but it is still a duck. You can call what you do a “fall festival”, “alleluia party”, etc., but you are still observing halloween, even if you dress up as bible characters. Halloween is the highest satanic holy day of the year.
On October 31st, the high priest of all witch covens are required to make a human sacrifice. God condemns witches and everything to do with them. The head of the first satanic church said, “a witch is a witch”, when referring to black and white witchcraft. All their power comes from the devil.
People think it’s funny to scare people to “death”. II TIMOTHY 1:7 says, “For God has not given to us the spirit of fear…”. So guess who is scaring you?
Tell your children the truth about halloween. Revelation 21:8 says liars won’t make it to heaven. Then, parents, you will be doing your job as the high priest of the family like you are suppose to be. If you open your doors to pass out tracts, you are still observing halloween. Why don’t you pass them out another time?
Stop being worldly, Christians.”
The following article came from THE CLARION-LEDGER of Jackson, Mississippi on July 13, 1996:
“CHURCH’S HELL HOUSE GOING NATIONWIDE WITH HOW-TO KITS
Arvada, Colo. — A controversial Halloween spectacle called Hell House, dramatizing real-life horrors from abortion to teen suicide, is being marketed nationwide.
The Abundant Christian Life Center, which produced last year’s Hell House, is SELLING how-to kits to CHURCHES around the country for $149. For another $15, the CHURCHES also can get the compact disk of Hell House’s awful sounds.
The CHURCH has spent about $10,000 marketing and producing the kits.
‘God allowed this to happen for His glory and honor,’ said the Rev. Keenan Roberts, youth pastor and the writer-director of Hell House. ‘And we needed to cultivate it and share something with such a radical impact. We want to shake other cities like we did Denver.’
More than 5,000 people saw Hell House during the five nights it was staged last October. At $5 a head, the CHURCH took in $25,000 last year and made a $17,000 profit.
Supporters say the gory dramatization, which included a ‘funeral’ for a person who died of AIDS, a simulated abortion, and hell, was necessary to reach a sinful world.
But others call Hell House nothing more than a MONEYMAKING SCHEME that preaches hatred and intolerance.”
The following booklet came from Pat Holliday, Miracle Outreach Ministries, 9252 San Jose Blvd #2804, Jacksonville, Florida 32257
Spirit of Halloween
“For Rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft,” 1 Sam. 15:23,
WITCHCRAFT – SATANISM
Witches are for Halloween or for superstitious primitives in seventeenth century Salem. That seems to be the “modern” outlook sophisticated skepticism and a knowing smile when it comes to witchcraft.
And yet Time’s recent cover story would indicate that witchcraft is not a thing of the past. Satan is not dead. Young people by the thousands are probing seriously the mysteries of “the other side,” from seances to Satan worship. Leading universities report over-enrolled courses on witchcraft . . . occult book sales have doubled in three years . . . most American high schools have their campus “witches and warlocks” . . . And occasionally the headlines shatter our complacency with the terror of Manson-style violence.
Halloween is celebrated by children in the United States. This issue is becoming debatable inside of Christian circles because of the rise of the occult in America.
Witchcraft-Satanism revivals and their obvious tie with pagan holiday causes Christians to question if the church should participate in Halloween.
Children are in costumes and masks with Halloween pumpkins of ‘Jack O’ Lanterns’ name for (Will Wisps) an ancient symbol of a damned soul, too long considered harmless fun, and innocent pranks.
Halloween is celebrated masquerading as Church fund-raising bazaars decorated with black cats and witches; skeletons, scarecrows, haunted houses, bats, vampires and dummies in coffins. It should not be integrated with the holiness of the scared house of God. It’s wicked and brings curses, (Deut. 11-36, 28.)
Some see it as evil and will have nothing to do with the celebration; others as harmless fun partake fully: costume parties, Halloween decorations and ‘trick-or-treat. Still others try to find a “middle” approach, allowing trick-or-treat and masquerades, but as “Bible characters” instead of demonic and occult figures.
Some Churches are now seeing the influence of its fruit. One cannot deny the occult-metaphysical nature of Halloween is not in line with the Christian in character. Despite this clear contrast, Christians defend their complicity in the holiday asserting their “liberty” in Christ from the bondages of “legalism,” declaring it is only innocent fun! God never gave us liberty to engage ourselves in evil!
“Learn not the way of the heathen . . . for the customs of the people are vain,” (Jeremiah 10:2-3).
“And what concord hath Christ with Belial or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? For ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate,” (II Corinthians 6:15-17).
THE SPIRIT WORLD
The Bible clearly teaches that there is both a natural, material world as well as an invisible and spiritual world. The domain of physical human beings is the physical world, whereas the “heavenlies” are people or occupied by spirit beings. Among these spirit beings there are two classes, the good and the evil.
In the Scriptures, both holy and unholy spirit beings are designated as angels (Revelation 12:7). Unusually the unholy angels are referred to as demons, translated in the King James Version as devils.
They are called seraphim, cherubim, angels, principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this age, (Ephesians 6:12), thrones, dominions (Colossians 1:16), fallen angels (2 Peter 2:4), spirits in prison (I Peter 3:18-20), demons, seducing spirits (I Timothy 4:1).
There are an “innumerable company of angels”, (Hebrews 12:22). They are referred to as “mighty angels” but they are not almighty (2 Thessalonians 1:7). One angel destroyed 185,000 of the Assyrian army in a night (2 Kings 19:35),. One angel rolled away the stone from the tomb of Jesus and one angel will bind Satan and cast him into the “bottomless pit”. They are glorious beings according to Luke 9:26 and they seem to posses great knowledge but they are not omniscient — all know. The angels are “all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister (serve) for them who shall be heirs of salvation” (Hebrews 1:13-14). They are also responsible for ‘taking vengeance on them that know not God and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ’ (2 Thessalonians 1:7-8).
The chief of the fallen angels is an archangel who has at least forty names given in Scripture. Some are proper names, others are descriptive. For example, in Revelation 12:10 he is called the “accuser of the brethren”. He is called “that old Serpent”, (Revelation 20:2), indicating his guile, Lucifer, “Son of the Morning”, (Isaiah 14:12), his title when he fell. Devil means “accuser or slanderer”, and it is of Greek origin (Revelation 12:9). Satan means “adversary or resister”, and is of Hebrew origin; “Apollon”, means “destroyer”, the term ” Dragon”. speaks of his power. He is also called “Prince of devils.” (Matthew 9:34), “Prince of this world”, (John 12:31), “Belial”, is implied to be his title in II Corinthians 6:15. In II Kings 1: 2, 6, 16, he is referred to as “Beelzebub”, implying a prince of demons. As Dr. Lewis S. Chafer says, “In power, prominence and importance, Satan appears in the Bible second only to the Trinity.”
Two of his most powerful names are:
” The prince of the power of the air”, (Ephesians 2:2) and ” the god of this world”, (age) (2 Corinthians 4:4).
Satan’s origin is shrouded in mystery. There are two passages of Scripture to explain his origin. Ezekiel 28:11-19 and Isaiah 14:12-17.
Dr. Chafer points out the “Demon influence, like their activity, is prompted by two motives: both to hinder the purpose of God for humanity, and to extend the authority of Satan. They therefore, at the command of their king, willingly cooperate in all his God-dishonoring undertakings. This influence is exercised both to mislead the unsaved and to wage an increasing war against the believer,” (Eph. 6:12).
Derek Prince writes, “Today, by divine providence, the veils of convention and carnality are once again being drawn aside, and the church of Jesus Christ is being confronted by the same manifest opposition of demon power that confronted the church of the New Testament. In these circumstances, the church must once again explore the resources of authority and power made available to her through the truth of the Scripture, the anointing of the Holy Spirit, and the Name and the Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.”
The Bible warns: “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour,” (I Peter 5:8).
He is after you, your family and your children!
THE BATTLE TODAY
No one can dabble in the occult and come away unshackled. It is not harmless games and fun. Occult involvement whether done innocently or not, is disobedience to God’s Word. When people ignore God’s warning and enter a forbidden realm, they witness spiritual phenomenons. The Devil does have supernatural power. However, everything he does for people, he requires payment. The result of occult involvement causes oppression, depression, confusion, delusion, and physical ailments of all sorts. We are warned not to be ignorant of Satan’s devices in (II Corinthians 2:11).
Playing with the occult has become very attractive to Americans. Every where you go, you will witness occult activity. It is blatant. Psychic and astrologers are using 900 numbers. Occult themes are being worked into many television programs. Talk shows are featuring astrologers, divinatory, clairvoyants, scientologists, Satanists, witches, psychics, crystal gazers, dream analysis, yoga, reincarnations, hypnotists, fortune-tellers, spiritualists, parapsychologists, numerologists and New Agers. Even Disney World is deeply involved in the promotion of the occult.
“Many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an Antichrist. Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. If there come any unto you and bring not this doctrine receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds,” 2 John 7.
Michael Harper writes these encouraging words: “These wicked beings can suggest evil, but cannot coerce the will of another creature. They may spread snares and device to ruin the children of God, but cannot compel any other being to comply with their designs, nor can they employ God’s creation other than as He decrees. They have never been able to defeat God, and actually God uses them as instruments to correct the erring Saints. See Luke 22:31-32; I Corinthians 5:5; I Timothy 1:20.
Someone has remarked that Satan is like a monkey wrench which the Lord uses to tighten up loose nuts! Be of good cheer, saints of God! Satan is severely limited and all his bluster and bluff about “all power” is sham. Our God is still on the throne and He rules! Hallelujah! Remember you choose to participate with the wiles of the devil. You are also called to educate your children concerning his games. “Success for the Christian will depend in a large measure on recognizing the work of the devil and knowing how to defeat and expel him from every situation…” says Michael Harper.
ALL HALLOWS EVE
Halloween or ALL HALLOWS’ EVE, was originally a festival of fire for the dead and the powers of darkness. It is the evening of 31 October, the night before the Christian festival of Hallows’ or ALL SAINTS DAY.
All Hallows’ Day commemorates the saints and martyrs, and was first introduced in the 7th century. Its date was changed from May 13 to November 1 in the following century, probably to make it coincide with and Christianize a pagan festival of the dead. All Souls’ Day in the Roman Catholic calendar is November 2. It is marked by prayers for the souls of the dead.
Before the coming of Christianity, the pagan Celts in northern Europe held two great fire festivals each year, Beltane on the eve of May 1 and Samhain on the eve of November 1 to mark the beginning of summer and winter. These dates have no connection with the equinoxes or solstices, or with sowing and reaping, but seem to date from very early times when Celtic society depended heavily on cattle for subsistence. Samhain marked the beginning of winter and was the time when the cattle were brought in from pasture to spend the winter under cover. It was also the beginning of a new year. Because the Celtic day started at sunset, and ran to the following sunset. The festival began on the eve of November 1.
Bonfires on high hills were a blatant feature of The Old Halloween rites, though in England they have been gradually transferred to November 5 to mark the arrest of Guy Fawkes. In the 1860’s a traveler in Scotland counted 30 fires on the hilltops between Dunkeld and Aberfeldy, each with a circle of people dancing round. Down to the end of the 19th century, fires blazed on the hills in Lancashire on the eve of All Hallows. In north Wales every family built a bond fire and each person threw into the ashes a white stone which he had previously marked. Prayers were said round the fire and next morning if a stone was missing, it was thought that its owner would die before he saw another Halloween. The same belief existed in the Scottish Highlands and many forms of fortune telling were a traditional feature of Halloween – probably because it was the Celtic New Year’s Day and so a suitable time for predicting the events of the coming years.
In Aberdeenshire and Buchan in the 19th century, boys collecting fuel for the bonfire would ask for ‘peat’ to burn the witches. When the fire was lit, the boys danced round it shouting “Fire! Fire! Burn the witches.” When the fire died down, the ashes were scattered and when the last spark had gone out, the cry went up into the ominous darkness. “The devil takes the hindmost” and they all ran for their lives. In Wales ‘the cropped black sow’ would take the hindmost.
All Hallows’ Eve was a night when the dead stalked the countryside. Offerings of food and drink were put out for the ghosts. They passed by to the west always, the direction of the dying sun at sunset.
The fairies could also be seen moving from one fairy hill to another with the music of bells and elf horns. They were sometimes identified with the dead.
Darker and colder creatures still roamed through the night on Halloween – demons and hobgoblins, witches who straddled broomsticks or shank bones, flew in the sieve or eggshells, or rode on coal-black horses. The fires helped to keep them off and at Balmoral in Queen Victoria’s time the effigy of a hideous old witch was ceremoniously burned on a bonfire at Halloween.
The guisers went from house to house, singing and dancing. Their bloodcurdling masks and grotesque costumes may have been meant to keep evil at bay or, more likely, were some visible representations of the ghosts and goblins that lurked in the night. The masks have now been transferred to the children who, in the United States, visit the neighbors for the food-offerings which once belonged to the dead – or play tricks akin to the legendary destructiveness of witches and imps abroad on this night.
“When thou art come into the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abomination of those nations,” (Deut. 18-9).
MASKS
A very popular Halloween custom is the wearing of masks, (false faces) such as, witches masks, devil masks, cat masks, bat masks, monster masks, and the list goes on. People hide behind all sorts of ‘masks.’ Some hide behind ‘hats’ and still others, including many of today’s youth, and others, hides behind dark sunglasses.
From earliest times, people all over the world have worn masks for all sorts of reasons . . . droughts, epidemics, or other disasters. They hoped that the demons who had brought the disaster would see the mask and think they were demons, too, and be frightened off. In imaginative primitive societies, a mask was more than a means of changing one’s appearance; it was a link with the world of the spirits, a channel by which men could tap the forces of the supernatural. The wearing of a mask was believed to change a man’s identity and personalities, for the assumed appearance was believed to affect the wearer’s inner nature and to assimilate it to that of the being represented by the mask.
During the middle ages, witches often put on masks or smeared their faces with soot and paint. People of nobility attending a witch’s Sabbath would always arrive ‘masked.’
Masks can be divided into two categories, the religious and the profane. Masks are worn by the dancers in the religious ceremonies of West African Tribes. The theater of ancient Greece is an example of the secular use of the mask. The use of the masks enabled actors to double and triple the number of parts they could play during any one performance.
Protection against supernatural dangers is a function of masks worn in certain ritual situations, such as at funerals. This is done ‘in order to avoid recognition by the souls of the dead.’ Masks are sometimes worn by ‘warriors’ to symbolize a superior power by identifying themselves with this force. While there are civilizations where the mask plays an important role in ritual activities, there are regions of the world where the wearing of a mask is unknown.
Masks are worn in some initiation ceremonies of certain organizations. The wearer of the mask partakes of the power of the divinity or spirit which the mask symbolizes. Thus, the wearer of the mask is believed to be elevated above the common mass of the uninitiated.
PAGANISM OCCULT
History traces to the ancient religion of the Druid, a religion so evil that Rome forbad its practice. The American Peoples Encyclopedia explains, “The origin of Halloween customs antedate Christianity. The Druids (members of pagan orders in Britain, Ireland and Gual) Festival of Samhain. It was a night of ghosts and faeries, in which bonfires were built and futures were foretold and witches rode through the sky.”
Superstitions linking cats with reincarnation made them special objects of notice on Halloween. Numerous legends surrounded the holiday, but two significant things supposedly occurred on that night:
First, it was believed that the dead would rise out of their graves and wander the countryside, trying to return to the homes where they formerly lived. Frightened villagers tried to appease these wandering spirits by offering them gifts of fruits and nuts. If not placated villagers, feared that the spirits would kill their flocks or destroy their property. This the origin of our present day Trick-or-treat! In a custom born out of superstition, and pagan superstition at that!
Also, it’s a blasphemous perversion of the Christian belief in the Resurrection, in a glorified, immortal body. In Druidism, the dead are raised as horrifying creatures of the night, hideous monsters, decaying skeletons, vampires, etc., they received not glorified bodies but grotesque ones; not immortal bodies but inhuman ones.
Second, Samhain was the supreme night of Demonic jubilation. This was a celebration of the beginning of ‘Winter and Darkness,’ as day light grew noticeably shorter, and night lengthier. The hoards of hell would roam the earth in a wild celebration of darkness and death, all in honor of Samhain! The poor mortal forced to travel on such a night! The only thing the superstitious people knew to do to protect themselves on such an occasion was to masquerade as one of the demonic hoard, and hopefully blend in unnoticed among them! This is the origin of Halloween masquerading as devils, imps, orgres, and other demonic creatures.
STATEMENT WITCHES IN MODERN TIME
Bats . . . Brooms . . . Witches . . . Ghouls . . . Ghosts . . . Goblins . . .
. Skeletons . . . Jack o’ Lanterns . . . every type of gory, ugly thing that can be imagined and people dressed as creatures of the world of the dead or the unknown world of hobgoblins and devils.
The modern sophisticate, who does not realistically face the evil and danger surrounding this time of year, may say, “Witches are for Halloween. It is a time for children to visit the neighborhood to get candy and apples. There is no harm in celebrating Halloween with its witches and devils.” To some, ‘witches’ are figments of the imaginations of the superstitious seventeenth century Salem primitives.
If witches are for Halloween – a thing of the past, then why are so many young people and older ones alike being swept into the grips of Satan by ‘dabbling’ in those things which relate to him? 5
Anyone informed about witchcraft would tell you that there are certain rituals and spells that can only be cast on Halloween night. That is the night when the “veil” believed to separate the living from the dead is thought to be the thinnest and futures are easier and more accurately foretold by diviners.
Those who oppose Christ are known to organize on Halloween to observe Satanic rituals, to cast spells, to oppose churches and families, to perform sacrilegious acts, and to even offer blood sacrifices to Satan. Last year, newscasters in numerous cities warned their viewers to guard their animals on Halloween nights.
Dogs and cats are thought to be the most often sacrificed animals on Halloween. In rural communities it is not uncommon for farmers to awake to find the mutilated remains of their farm animals (cows, calves, chickens, even horses) that were ritualistically slaughtered in Satanic sacrifices. The practices that accompany such rites are almost too revolting to believe-the drinking of animal (or human) blood and urine, the digestion of entrails and orgiastic rituals, substance abuse becoming more frighteningly common across the U. S., as is human sacrifice.
Paulus Grillandus said of the practice of witchcraft: “Those witches who have solemnly devoted themselves to the Devil’s service, worship him in a particular manner with ceremonial sacrifices, which they offer to the Devil, imitating in all respects the worship of Almighty God, with vestments, lights, and other ritual observance, so that they worship and praise him, just as we worship the true God.”
THE HALLOWEEN WITCH
If you thought Halloween was a time for cornstalks, pumpkins, apples, and apple cider – a time for children dressed in cute costumes of witches, goblins, ghosts or devils to knock at you door call “trick or treat,” you had better wise up. There is more to Halloween . . . much more! Halloween is not children’s play. It is an abomination in the eyes of God!
The Halloween Witch is a strange-looking female in black cloak and peaked hat riding a broomstick along with her symbolic cat. Her name is derived from the Saxon word wica, which means “wise one.”
Artists of the Middle Ages often showed witches preparing to fly off to one of their Sabbaths. It was believed that angels and devils were supposed to be able to fly, so it was easy to believe that witches, too, could fly. The broomstick, originally made from a stalk of the broom plant with a bunch of leaves at the head, was said to be used by poor witches who went on foot. The broom or pole was used to vault over brooks, streams or thorny patches. Due to its use as an indoor cleaning tool, the broom became the symbol of women. Before setting out for a Sabbath, witches would rub ‘Sacred’ ointment called ‘unguent’ into their pores. One ingredient in the ointment confused the mind. Another speeded up the witch’s pulse. Still, another numbed the feet. This gave them a feeling of flying. If they had been fasting, the ointment seemed to make them feel even giddier. Bat blood was another ingredient in that ointment. In England, during initiation ceremonies, new witches were sometimes blindfolded, smeared with the unguent, then placed on a broom.
The pealing of church bells was believed to be a defense against aerial witches. In the Slav countries people used to fire muskets at the clouds, screaming as they did so, “Curse, curse Herodius, thy mother is a heathen damned of God,” while others laid scythes and bill hooks on the ground, edge upward, to assure that the witches would not have a safe landing.
The black of a witch’s cloak reminds us that Halloween is a “festival of the dead.”
TRADITIONS OF WITCHES
Trick and Treat is the fun time of many unsuspecting children and adults, but the “trick” is really on the one who is playing right into the trap of the devil. Halloween is a day of celebration for the devil and his worshipers.
The cauldrons are boiling; potions are brewing; the yule logs are blazing; the forces of Satan are in their height in rituals and ceremonies. The powers of the demonic world are loosed and they are running around crazily seeking bodies to enter.
Real witches held high revels on All Hallows’ Eve and this was one of the ways in which they preserved pagan customs. The witches of Aberdeen in 1596 said that they had danced round the market cross at midnight on Halloween and also round an old grey stone at the foot of the hill at Craigleuch, the Devil himself playing music before them.
MODERN WITCHES HAVE KEPT UP THE TRADITION
In 1963, for instance, a journalist watched the Halloween festivities of a coven of witches at St. Albans. The high priestess, naked except for a string of beads and watched by the other 12 members of the coven, drew a circle on the ground with the point of her magic knife. A candle burned in each quarter of the circle, with a fifth candle on an altar in the middle. The reporter did not reveal the details of the ceremony but he did record a remark of the high priestess. “We are not anti-Christian, she said, we just have other means of spiritual satisfaction. It’s hard to describe that satisfaction.” 12
WITCH GIVES INSIGHT TO MODERN RITUALS
Rev. Irene A. Park, gives insight to modern rituals. Secret ceremonials, rituals, obligations and covenants are being kept by cultists and Satanists on particular days and nights. Multitudes are gathering in worship, prayer, and sacrifices to the god of the world, Lucifer.
Family spirits gather like a family reunion or holiday celebration in the natural or earthly realm; only these are the demon spirits of the departed dead that gather for rituals and sacrifice, (not ghosts but devils). Some of the demon spirits gather for rituals and sacrifice, some of the demon spirits present at the celebration come from embodied living clans or tribal members, (demons who lived in these people while they were alive).
These are the ones that are vying for the powers. Some come just to celebrate the traditional gathering and festivity’s.
Sometimes the assignments that the demon spirits receive bring about rebellion in the supernatural Satanic realm. The spirits want to continue to control the area they are in, whether body, nation, society, system or whatever control they received for their obedience to Satan. They do not want to be dislodged. They like to continue to embody members of the same family; they prefer humans but will settle for animals.
Millions of people are vying for power, supernatural powers of evil to work curses, hexes, spells, power to manipulate, controlling power over lesser forces of darkness and power to control this present world system!
A reformed witch once told me that vying for power meant that a supernatural battle ensues between the other covens. Whosoever demonstrated the greatest power won the control of certain areas, such as seas, cities, etc. Satan would give the witch a part of all illegal finances collected in her area. For instance, Laura Cabot has political control over Salem, Massachusetts and maybe over the entire state. Recently when Jeff Fendhold visited her occult book store, within thirty seconds the policemen were on the scene driving police cars with the symbols of a flying witch on the side. Then the Attorney General of that state called Jeff saying that he was wanted by the law for “harassing witches!”
Christians had better wake up and begin old time prayer meetings for this nation!
Dr. Parks writes, “Many of the people are saturated in demonology with demonic spirits and are already in control of government establishments, militaries, religious organizations, financial systems, educational institutions, etc. These spirits are superior and receive their origin in Satan and are under the powers of the familiar spirits (spirit guides) that work divination and will only impart power to those totally yielded to obedience and in every obligation required by Lucifer.
Witches, druids, wizards, magicians, sorcerers, pagans of every breed are in high mass, tribe and clan leaders are calling a reunion in the supernatural realm. These are Sabbaths to the worshipers of Satan, “people in the occult,” and they take these days very seriously.
Christians should begin to pray for their families, church leaders, and cover the children with the blood of Jesus and the protection of God during these days. There is no question that human sacrifices are occurring. Bind the powers of darkness and lose the power of God according Matt. 18:18. (There are more than two million children missing every year. Many too young to run away. At least 7,000 are found dead every year).
Dr. Parks says, “The highest Sabbath mass is the eve of October 31. This a time of proclaiming powers for control and leadership in the Satanic realm world systems. There are blood sacrifices offered up to the god of Baal worship, the sun god Ra, and to the goddess of fertility Diana.
Christians should begin their defensive spiritual warfare weeks before Halloween. Witches begin their preparation on the 18th day of October.
“On the 18th day of October, faithful followers of evils spirits gather for 13 days before the eve of Halloween of Sabbath. During this time they offer sacrifices (human or animal) to the god of the spirit world, Satan. These sacrifices are to obtain spiritual power. All the followers must give a blood sacrifice; some give their own blood, others offer an animal’s blood, the more power they want, the greater the sacrifice.
“There is every conceivable type of orgy happening from the 18th until 31st October. Disembodied spirits loosed from the bodies of animals are being vied for by spiritualists, witches, druids, wizards and Satan worshipers. All of the corrupt evil wickedness and vile filth one could imagine is happening. Something is happening in the open, but most of the spiritual activity is well guarded from every corner of the earth at the command of the Lord Druid. “And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.” Ephesians 5:1, 11.
HOW TO BECOME BORN AGAIN
Accept God’s Word that He loves you and wants to give you an abundant life.
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life,” (John 3:16.) “I am come that they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly,” (John 10:10.)
-
Accept God’s word: that you are a sinner; and this separates you from God: that you must truly repent or “turn away” from sin. “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” (Rom. 3:23). “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord . . . ” (Rom. 6:23.) “But God commendeth His love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us,” (Rom. 5:8.)
-
Accept that Jesus Christ is our only contact with God. “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6). “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus.” (2 Timothy 2:5).
-
Receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord by your personal invitation. “But as many as received Him to them gave he the power to become the sons of God,” (John 1:12). “Behold I stand at the door and knock; If any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come into Him . . . ” Christ speaking (Revelation 3:20.)
Do you feel Jesus moving in your heart right now? This is how He knocks. Jesus wants in!
Will you receive Christ right now? You can be saved in seconds! Open the door and Pray:
Dear Father, I’m a lost sinner. I repent. Please forgive me and come into my heart and save me. Thank You for saving my soul! In Jesus’ name, Amen.
If you are backslidden, say the same prayer. The Lord loves you and will forgive you.
Obedience is the practical acceptance of the authority and will of God, including both the inward glad submission and the outward expressing of actions, reactions, words and thoughts.
Disobedience is evidence of rebellion and distrust in God, preference to self will and the lack of surrender to and desire for the will of God in all things. God expects obedience (Deut. 11:26-28). To choose Christ is to choose obedience, (John 14:15, 21). To become disobedient is to sin or rebel against God’s expectation and rights ( I Sam. 15:22,23)
“Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse; A blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you this day: And a curse, if ye will not obey the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside out of the way which I command you this day, to go after other gods, which ye have not known,” (Deut. 11:26-28).
Sources: Pat Holliday, Ph.D., Solitary Satanist, 9252 San Jose Blvd., Jacksonville, Florida, 32257. Systematic Theology, Vol. 2, Lewis S. Chafer, copyright 1947 by Dallas Seminary, Dallas TX, pg. 33. Expelling Demons, Derek Prince Publ., Ft. Lauderdale, Fl., 33302, Explaining Spiritual Warfare, Ed Roebert, Sovereign World, P.O. Box 17, Chichester, W. Sussex PO206YB, Nuprint Ltd, Station Rd. Harpenden, Herts AL 5 4SE. Roberta Blankenship, Escape from Witchcraft, Zondervan Books, Grand Rapids, Mi., 49505,Richard, Cavendish Editor, Man Myth ” Magic, An illustrated Encyclopedia of the Supernatural, All Hallows’ Eve, p. 67, Raith Word Publications, P. O. Box 496, Arabi, La., 70032; Irene A. Parks, Seven Pagan High Masses ” Halloween, Tampa, Fla., ” The Witch That Switched, Halloween and Satanism, Phil Phillips and Joan Hake Robie Starbust Pub. P. O. Box 4123, Lancaster, Penn. 17604.
The following comments were received from another ministry.
Bonfires: The original word is bone fires. The bones of the sacrificed animals or humans said to appease Satan and endue his followers with heightened powers. Brooms for witches, wiccans, etc: Were and are used as part of a coven ceremony to heighten sexual frenzy and evoke more demonic powers. Pumpkins on porches with candles: Pumpkin on porch showed the people in the house has appeased evil spirits by giving of food, etc. Candle in it showed the people had not given anything. A member of their family was taken for sacrifice in the bone fire, while inward parts, usually fatty parts were put in the center of the hollowed out gourd with a wick in it. This appeased the gods of the druids and cursed the people in the house.
Sacrifices: The most pleasing sacrifice to Satan is something pure. The highest is a child, preferably newborn. Next a virgin, next an animal.
Prayers on Halloween Eve: Christians not informed about warfare and the power of the blood of Jesus are primary targets. Every curse imaginable is loosed this night with heightened power to bring them to pass. Some are immediate curses, some are curses that are spread out through the year, and some are “specialized curses”. Terror and fear are always sent with each curse to the victim.
Most holidays are paganistic: Easter (goddess of fertility), Christmas (many pagan and idol things). The one totally dedicated to Satan and his followers is Halloween.
JESUS IS THE DELIVERER
DON’T STOP HERE! SEE OUR INDEX FOR MORE ARTICLES.
PASTOR PAT HOLLIDAY FREE BOOK
http://www.miracleinternetchurch.com/the-body-of-christ/halloween-pagan-witchcraft-part-1
THE BLOOD OF JESUS CLEANSES YOU FROM ALL SIN AND GUILT (1 JOHN 1:7). JESUS IS THE DELIVERER!!
END-TIME DELIVERANCE MINISTRY DEMONBUSTER.COM
DELIVERANCE MANUAL
OUR MAIN PAGE IS AT http://www.demonbuster.com
NO DEMONS ALLOWED
THERE IS NO HATE, MALICE, RACISM, ETC. ON THIS SITE. THESE ARE SINS IN THE EYES OF GOD, AND ARE ALSO DEMONS. THE BIBLE MAKES IT CLEAR THAT SIN CANNOT GET INTO HEAVEN.
ARE YOU DANCING WITH DARKNESS ?
Posted in Articles, BIBLE, English Posts, GOSPEL, tagged Celtic, Christians, demons, Druids, Halloween, idolatry, New Age, Ouija boards, paganism, Samhain, Satan, the Occult, Witchcraft on October 31, 2014| Leave a Comment »
Are You Dancing with Darkness?
An Invitation to the Occult?
Halloween – 1997
Author: Chuck Missler
Source: Koinonia House-Update
This is always a difficult time for Christians, especially those with children. It has been suggested that for a Christian to be asked to celebrate Halloween is like asking a Holocaust survivor to celebrate Hitler’s birthday!
It is also a dangerous time for some, since many of the seemingly “harmless” involvements associated with Halloween can also be “entries” for the occult, and can prove very tragic for the unwary.
Pagan Background
In ancient Britain and Ireland, the Celtic festival of Samhain was observed on October 31, the end of summer. November 1 was the new year for both Celtic and Anglo-Saxon calendars and was one of the most important and yet sinister calendar festivals of the Celtic Year.
Settling in northern France and the British Isles, the Celtic people engaged in occultic arts and worshiped nature, giving it supernatural, animistic qualities. (Much like our Federal government is attempting to enforce today.)
The ancient Druids were the learned priestly class of the Celtic religion. Many of their beliefs and practices were similar to those of Hinduism, such as reincarnation and the transmigration of the soul, which teaches that people may be reborn as animals. The Druids believed that on October 31, the night before their New Year and the last day of the old year, Samhain, the Lord of Death, gathered the souls of the evil dead who had been condemned to enter the bodies of animals.
The Druids also believed that the punishment of the evil dead would be lightened by sacrifices, prayers and gifts to the Lord of Death. (This begins to reveal the strange link between this holiday and the non-Biblical concept of purgatory.)
The souls of the dead were supposed to revisit their homes on this day, and the autumnal festival acquired a sinister significance, with ghosts, witches, hobgoblins, black cats, fairies, and demons of all kinds said to be roaming about. It was the time to placate the supernatural powers controlling the processes of nature.
And, on October 31, 1517, Martin Luther drove a stake into the heart of many of the prevailing non-Biblical concepts by nailing his famous 95 theses to the Castle Church door in Wittenberg, Germany, which started the movement known today as the Reformation-the single most important event in modern history.1 Appropriately, he did this on Halloween.
Modern Halloween Traditions
In early American history, Halloween was not widely practiced until the 20th century, when it was introduced by the Irish Catholic settlements. Gradually, Halloween became a secular observance, and many customs and practices developed. The carved pumpkin may have originated with the witches’ use of a skull with a candle inside to light the way to coven meetings.
Since 1965 UNICEF, an agency of the United Nations, has attempted to incorporate into the Halloween observance the collection of money for the United Nations Children’s Fund. This exploitation by the ungodly United Nations of this pagan holiday seems strangely appropriate.
The Occult is Increasingly Popular
Halloween is, for many, a “crossover” involvement in which innocent games can lead to serious entanglement with real witches, neo-pagans, New Agers, and other occultists.
2 A common pastime is the use of a Ouija board to attempt to contact ghosts or spirits that are believed to be roaming about. This can lead to serious consequences including demon possession.
3 Demons have a vested interest in Halloween because it supports the occult, and it also offers novel and unexpected opportunities to control and influence people.
Forms of the occult can include mediums, channelers, clairvoyants, psychics, spiritists, diviners, mystics, gurus, shamans, psychical researchers, Yogis, psychic and holistic healers, astral travel, astrology, mysticism, Ouija boards, Tarot cards, contact with the dead, UFOs, and thousands of other practices which almost defy cataloging.
Occultism includes Satanism, astrology, Kabbalah, Gnosticism, theosophy, witchcraft and many forms of serious magic. It includes activities seeking the acquisition of “hidden” things-which are expressly forbidden by God in the Bible.
The Biblical View
Halloween practices can open the door to the occult and can introduce forces into people’s lives that they are not equipped to combat.
4 There is genuine power in the occult, but it is demonic power
.5Any serious study of Biblical demonology will reveal Satan as the power behind false religion, witchcraft, idolatry and the occult.
6 The Word of God makes it clear that these are all to be shunned as dangerous. There were many superstitions and false concepts in ancient Israel about which the Bible is silent. However, occultism, in any form, was punishable by death! Why?The spiritual power and reality behind idols involves demons.
7 The Bible commands us to shun occult practices. Mediums and spiritists are expressly prohibited.
8 Nowhere are such practices acceptable.
Your Protection
Intellect alone is insufficient. “If it were possible, it would deceive the very elect.” This is another example of the necessity to truly understand the Armor of God as outlined in Ephesians 6. This brief review was excerpted from our featured briefing package, Halloween: Invitation to the Occult?
[Related Article: Blending Witchcraft and Christianity]
End Notes
1. Manuscript by his son D. Paul Luther preserved in the library at Rudolstadt, quoted by F.W. Boreham in A Bunch of Everlastings or Texts That Made History, Judson Press, Philadelphia, 1920, p.20.
2. See Encyclopedia of New Age Beliefs, Harvest House, Eugene OR, 1996.
3. The case studies underlying William Blatty’s The Exorcist indicate that the trouble all began with a child playing with a Ouija board.
4. Russ Parker, Battling the Occult, Inter-Varsity Press, Downer’s Grove IL, 1990, p.35.
5. Isa 47:9; Mt 24:24; Acts 8:7; 13:6-11; 16:16-19; 19:18-20; 2 Cor 4:4; Eph 6:7-11, 22; 2 Tim 3:8.
6. Deut 32:16,17; Ps 106:35-40; Acts 16:16-19; 1 Cor 10:19-21; 2 Thess 2:9, 10; 1 Tim 4:1f.
7. 1 Cor 10:20; Ps 106:37.
8. Lev 19:31; Deut 18:10, 11, 14 2 Chr 33:6.
Sources
– Missler, Chuck, Signs in the Heavens, The Mysteries of the Planet Mars Halloween: Invitation to the Occult? (briefing packages), Koinonia House, 1991-6.
– Ankerberg, John, and Weldon, John, The Facts on Halloween, Harvest House, Eugene OR, 1996. A key reference for this article.
– Sykes, Egerton, Who’s Who in Non-Classical Mythology, J.M. Dent, London, 1993.
– Patten, Donald Wesley, Catastrophism and the Old Testament, Pacific Meridian Publishing Co., Seattle WA, 1995.
– Encyclopedia of New Age Beliefs, Harvest House, Eugene OR, 1996.
– Also the video, Halloween: Trick or Treat, Jeremiah Films, Hemet CA
This article was originally published in the
October 1997 Personal Update NewsJournal.
10/31/2014
Link: about.me/gideonsword
http://pilgrimpassing.com/2014/10/31/are-you-dancing-with-darkness/
THE RAPTURE FORUMS
Posted in Articles, BIBLE, BOOKS, English Posts, tagged THE RAPTURE FORUMS on October 27, 2014| Leave a Comment »
How Some Christian Leaders Deceive
|
Rock of Offence is a “not-for-profit” Internet-based Biblical research and public
educational project of the owner. It is not a church or religious organization and
has no paid staff and no building or offices. We are not a commercial business.
We do not solicit money or ask for monetary “offerings” from the public. This project
is referred to as “a Bible-based ministry”. Yet, it receives no monetary support that
traditional religious organizations require. We do not receive any money, revenue
or financial benefit from advertisements or products found or displayed on any website
hyper-link, which is included on this website or webpage. We receive no compensation of
any kind from any groups, individuals or corporations mentioned on this website/webpage
or its hyper-links. The information found on this website is offered only as the opinion
of the author. Unfortunately, we do not personally know you or have all the required
information about your specific situation. For that reason, the comments and opinions
offered on this website are never to be substituted for the advice of a licensed professional.
All visitors should seek the guidance of a minister or professional counselor familiar with
you and your family before making any important personal decisions about your life. All
Scripture quotes in our research articles and commentaries are from the King James and
the New King James versions of the Bible unless specifically noted. Due to the non-profit
research and educational nature of Rock of Offence, we qualify under Title 17 U.S.C.
Section 107 of the “fair use” clause for copyrighted materials. For this reason, any
copyrighted work on this website is provided under the “fair use” provision without
profit or payment for non-profit research, educational and discussion purposes only. This
provision of U.S. Law can be viewed at:
http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml
http://www.rockofoffence.com/norapture.html
Copyright © 2013 Rock of Offence
Most recent revision May 2014
http://www.superfish.com/ws/userData.jsp?dlsource=qvvnhhg&userid=NTBCNTBC&ver=2014.10.24.16.24https://www.superfish.com/ws/co/register_server_layer.html?version=2014.10.24.16.24
OSWALD CHAMBERS BĂTÂND LA UŞA LUI DUMNEZEU-GANDURI ZILNICE
Posted in Articles, BIBLIA, MEDITATII, TRADUCERE, tagged BĂTÂND LA UŞA LUI DUMNEZEU, OSWALD CHAMBERS on October 4, 2014| Leave a Comment »
OSWALD CHAMBERS
BĂTÂND LA UŞA LUI DUMNEZEU
OCTOMBRIE
-
Doamne, ia-mă în planurile Tale şi foloseşte-mă pentru slava Ta. Cu privire la Colegiul acesta, fie ca nici o exaltare a noastră să nu împiedice ceea ce lucrezi Tu. Corectează-ne măsura şi sensibilitatea până va fi uşor să-Ţi împlineşti planurile prin noi.
-
„Dacă îşi ascunde El faţa, cine poate să-L vadă?” (Iov 34:29). În zilele astea de aşteptare sunt atât de puţine semne că Tu ai fi cu noi. Nu te rog pentru vreun semn vizibil al succesului, dar caut sentimentul binecuvântării şi a aprobării Tale.
-
Doamne, n-am nici o indicaţie despre căile Tale prin detalii vizibile, dar aştept ca minunile Tale să se vadă curând. Cât de liniştit şi cât de liber sunt, chiar dacă nu înţeleg ce faci.
-
Doamne, Te slăvesc pentru bucuria vieţii mele de aici – pentru dragostea soţiei şi a copilului, pentru studenţi, pentru darurile Duhului Sfânt. Ce minune a bucuriei şi a binecuvântării strălucitoare este locul acesta.
-
Doamne, Dumnezeule Atotputernic, dă-mi astăzi înţelepciune ca să mă închin Ţie aşa cum se cuvine şi să-Ţi fiu plăcut Ţie. Descoperă-mi-Te din ce în ce mai mult în plinătatea şi frumuseţea Ta.
-
Doamne, ce minunat este să mă gândesc la Tine! Dar oare când inima mea doritoare va fi acaparată întru totul de Tine? Parcă sunt paralizat de propria mea micime şi îngustime şi păcătoşenie.
-
Cu siguranţă, Doamne, că nu am nevoie de mai multă confirmare a adevărului cuvintelor Tale cu privire la inima umană; dacă va fi voia Ta, nu vreau să ştiu mai mult despre aceasta. Vreau să ştiu mai mult despre Realitatea măreaţă şi plină de har a Răscumpărării Tale.
-
„Iată, acestea sunt doar marginile căilor Sale… Dar tunetul puterii Lui cine-1 poate înţelege?” (Iov 26:14, RV) Atât de multe dispoziţii rătăcitoare plutesc prin sufletul meu; nu am nici înţelepciune, nici pricepere cu privire la lucrurile legate de Tine până ce Tu nu îmi luminezi întunericul.
-
Doamne, situaţia prezentă apasă la maxim asupra conştiinţei mele în dimineaţa asta. Fă ca mintea mea, simţirile mele, întreaga mea natură să dorească ceea ce ai rânduit Tu pentru mine, ca astfel să ştiu că am făcut ce trebuie.
-
„Curăţeşte-mă de greşelile ascunse. Fereşte-1, de asemenea, pe robul Tău de păcate ale mândriei” (Psalmul 19:12b, 13a- RV). O, să cunosc cum Tu manifeşti în mine pacea şi puritatea Ta!
-
Doamne, Te slăvesc pentru faptul de a mă simţi bine în dimineaţa asta. Te laud pentru revelaţia adâncă a Răscumpărării! Străluceşte peste noi toţi cu o rază neumbrită.
-
Doamne, cuvintele robului Tău rostesc a mea adâncă rugă –
Aştept de la Tine, Dumnezeul meu, tandreţea
Pe care-n nici un om n-o pot găsi,
Nici inima n-o plănuieşte, nici poate a o-nchipui.
-
Doamne, sporeşte-mi siguranţa că exist în conştiinţa Ta, şi nu că Tu exişti în a mea. „Căci în toată lumea nu este nimeni în afară de Tine, Dumnezeul meu, nu este nimeni în afară de Tine.”
-
Doamne, vin la Tine în dimineaţa asta cu un simţământ de cădere spirituală. Curăţeşte-mă prin harul Tău şi restabileşte-mă în locurile cereşti, în Cristos Isus.
-
Doamne, fă să se dovedească faptul că voi fi „ca un pom sădit lângă un izvor de apă” (Psalmul 1:3), aducând roadă lui la vreme.
-
Doamne, Te slăvesc că Tu eşti şi că înfaptuieşti voia Ta desăvârşită în şi prin viețile oamenilor.
-
Doamne, lasă-mă să Te văd deplin şi nestingherit astăzi. Păstrează un interval luminos între Tine şi mine ca să văd calea pe care trebuie să merg.
-
Doamne, dă-mi discernământ şi inspiraţie pentru lecţiile de azi, în special pentru discuţia despre „Sufletul Creştinului” din după-amiaza asta. Binecuvântează ziua şi fă-o să strălucească de puterea Ta.
-
O, Doamne, trebuie să predic în Numele Tău astăzi. Să vorbesc despre „Dumnezeu este dragoste” (1 loan 4:8)? Să o fac fără inspiraţia Ta cea mare şi fără puterea Ta răscolitoare? Nu, Doamne fereşte!
-
Doamne, în ce mare nevoie sunt! Ce slăbiciuni pândesc în locuri ascunse şi distrug întreaga mea fiinţă! O, Doamne, mă îndrept spre Tine. Ce mult am nevoie să-mi dau seama că despărţit de Tine nu pot face nimic!
-
Doamne, Iţi mulţumesc pentru cuvântul din dimineaţa asta –„Domnul îl susţine cu mâna Lui” (Psalmul 37:24, KJV). Ah, Doamne, Tu îmi vorbeşti, într-adevăr, cu apăsarea mâinii Tale.
22.0, Doamne, redă-mi bucuria unică a prezenţei Tale şi fă-mă al Tău şi din Tine în locul acesta. Parcă sunt nepotrivit pentru altceva, decât numai să nădăjduiesc în Tine., Arată-mi un semn spre bine” (Psalmul 86:17, Bucureşti 2001), o, Doamne.
-
„Nu te vei teme de ei; căci Domnul, Dumnezeul vostru este Cel care va lupta pentru voi” (Deuteronom 3:22, RV). Doamne, acest cuvânt a venit la mine insistent în timp ce citeam în dimineaţa asta. Privesc în întregime laTine!
-
Doamne, străluceşte asupra mea astăzi, atrage-mă, condu-mă în toată frumuseţea scopurilor Tale divine; atinge-mi simţurile ca să văd căile Tale şi să-mi găsesc plăcerea în ele.
-
O, Doamne, vin la Tine cu un simţământ copleşitor de uscăciune şi lipsă spirituală. însufleţeşte-mă, o, Doamne, pentru Numele Tău! Nu vreau să mă jelesc înaintea Ta, ci vreau să fiu umplut cu Duhul Tău.
-
Doamne, cu laudă şi adorare vin la Tine în această dimineaţă de duminică. Te binecuvântez pentru asocierea înălţătoare a vieţii şi a creşterii mele cu ziua de Duminică.
-
Doamne, azi fii Dumnezeu, mare, bun, plin de viaţă şi libertate; vino cu har şi putere. Te slăvesc pentru frumuseţea dimineţii.
-
Doamne, Iţi mulţumesc pentru somnul nopţii trecute; Te binecuvântez că Tu nu dormitezi, nici nu dormi, ci ne păzeşti şi ziua, şi noaptea.
-
Doamne, la Tine vin. Dă-mi un flux minunat din viaţa Ta până când gândirea mea, imaginaţia mea şi vorbirea mea vor fi în întregime din Tine. Ce măreţ ai reînnoit duhul meu şi mi-ai redat bucuria mântuirii Tale!
-
Doamne, ce cuvinte puternice în „Lumina zilnică” din dimineaţa asta: „Fii tare şi curajos! Nu te teme, nici nu te înspăimânta, pentru că Domnul Dumnezeul tău este cu tine oriunde vei merge” (Iosua 1:9, Bucureşti 2001) Amin! Aleluia!
-
Îți mulţumim că nu există „La revedere”. Te rugăm ca Pecetea şi Cununa Ta să fie peste noi toţi până Te vom vedea faţă în faţă.
ZIUA ISPASIRII -YOM KIPUR
Posted in Articles, BIBLIA, Romanian Posts, Uncategorized, Video Files, tagged Prophecy in the News, Yom Kippur, Ziua Ispășirii on October 4, 2014| Leave a Comment »
Ziua Ispășirii – Yom Kippur
Dupa Sarbatoarea Trambitelor putem citi despre urmatoarea Sarbatoare a Lui Adonai , in Vaikra ( Levitic ) 23: 26-32“ Domnul a vorbit lui Moshe si a zis : In ziua a zecea a acestei a saptea luni , va fiZiua Ispasirii: atunci sa aveti o adunare sfanta , sa va smeriti sufletele , si sa aduceti Domnului jertfe mistuite de foc. Sa nu faceti nicio lucrare in ziua aceea , caci este Ziua Ispasirii, cand trebuie facuta ispasire pentru voi inaintea Domnului, Dumnezeului vostru. Oricine nu se va smeri in ziua aceea , va fi nimicit din poporul lui. Pe oricine va face in ziua aceea vreo lucrare oarecare , il voi nimici din mijlocul poporului lui. Sa nu faceti nicio lucrare atunci. Aceasta este o lege vesnica pentru urmasii vostri , in toate locurile in care veti locui. Aceasta sa fie pentru voi o zi de Shabat, o zi de odihna , si sa va smeriti sufletele in ziua aceasta.; din seara zilei a noua pana in seara urmatoare , sa praznuiti Shabatul vostru.”
“ Caci in ziua aceasta se va face ispasire pentru voi , ca sa va curatiti: veti fi curatiti de toate pacatele voastre inaintea Domnului. Aceasta sa fie pentru voi toti o Zi de Shabat, o zi de odihna , in care sa va smeriti sufletele. Aceasta sa fie o lege vesnica.” ( Vaikra 16: 30-31 ).
Ziua Ispasirii ( Yom Kippur , in Ebraica ) , este cea de-a zecea zi a lunii Tishrei ( Septembrie / Octombrie ) si este ultima Zi din cele Zece zile de penitenta infricosatoare ; este considerata, totodata, cea mai solemna Zi din calendarul evreiesc. Intre evrei persista credinta ca tuturor acelora, care n-au fost suficienti de buni ca sa fie inscrisi in Cartea Vietii in timpul Sarbatorii Trambitelor , li se mai ofera sansa celor 10 zile de cainta, dupa care soarta lor va fi pecetluita. De aceea intreaga Zi de Ispasire trebuie sa se consume in rugaciune si in post negru. Pentru ca este o Sarbatoare foarte solemna si trista , Ziua Ispasirii mai este numita simplu : Ziua aceea !
Postul este una dintre cele mai serioase porunci pentru o asemenea zi. Torah afirma de cateva ori , “ Aceasta sa va fie o lege vesnica : in luna a saptea , in a zecea zi a lunii , sa va smeriti sufletele ,sa nu faceti nicio lucrare , nici bastinasul , nici strainul care locuieste in mijlocul vostru.” ( Levitic 16: 29 ) sau “ In ziua a zecea a acestei luni a saptea , sa aveti o adunare sfanta , si sa va smeriti sufletele ; atunci sa nu faceti nicio lucrare.” ( Numeri 29: 1 ). Cuvantul de ordine pentru aceasta zi este “ lepadarea de sine “ care, tradus in practica , ar coincide cu postul si marturisirea pacatelor.
-
Semnificatia istorica a Zilei Ispasirii
Mijlocirea preoteasca
In vechime marele preot intra in Sfanta Sfintelor ca sa faca Ispasirea pentru pacatele poporului. De Ziua Ispasirii , marele preot avea de indeplinit o ceremonie mai speciala, pentru ca el trebuia sa mijloceasca, intr-un fel unic , pentru profanarea Templului si pentru profanarea unei intregi natiuni.
Cheia acestei ceremonii consta in semnificatia darului de jertfa; trebuia sa se ofere un vitel si doi tapi , un sacrificiu triplu pentru o vina multipla, din care nu era exclus nimeni, nici macar Cohen ha Gadol . Prima data trebuia sacrificat vitelul pentru a indeparta nelegiuirea din Sanctuar, datorata faptelor imperfecte ale marelui preot – deci era vorba despre o ispasire a preotului si a casei lui ( acesta nu putea intra oricum in Sfanta Sfintelor ) : “ Aaron sa-si aduca vitelul lui pentru jertfa de ispasire , si sa faca ispasire, pentru el si pentru casa lui.” ( Levitic 16 : 6 ) . In al doilea rand unul dintre tapi era ales ca sa fie sacrificat pentru a indeparta din Sanctuar toate nelegiuirile poporului : “ Sa ia cei doi tapi si sa-i puna inaintea Domnului , la usa cortului intalnirii. Aaron sa arunce sortul pentru cei doi tapi : un sort pentru Domnul , si un sort pentru Azazel. Aaron sa ia tapul care a iesit la sorti pentru Domnul, si sa-l aduca jertfa de ispasire. “ ( Levitic 16: 7-9 ). In al treilea rand , al doilea tap , cel pentru Azazel, era dezlegat si trimis sa rataceasca in pustie, el purtand marca tuturor nelegiuirilor poporului ( de fapt marele preot transfera, pe acest animal, toate pacatele si vinovatiile poporului ) : “ Iar tapul care a iesit la sorti pentru Azazel , sa fie pus viu inaintea Domnului , ca sa slujeasca pentru facerea ispasirii , si sa i se dea drumul in pustie, pentru Azazel.” De aceea, inainte ca tapul sa fie trimis in pustie, marele preot isi intindea mainile peste capul lui si marturisea faradelegile poporului, oricate ar fi fost acestea. El media de fapt transferul pacatelor de la om, la animalul socotit de-acum ca fiind blestemat. Iata de ce Torah subliniaza ca : “ Tapul acela va duce asupra lui toate faradelegile lor intr-un pamant pustiit ; in pustie sa-i dea drumul.” ( Levitic 16: 22 ).
Sa vedem acum care este semnificatia cuvantului Azazel.Termenul ebraic pentru constructia adjectivala tap ispasitor este a z a z e l . Pacatele poporului, si implincit vina ca stare constienta si inconstienta, erau asezate asupra tapului ispasitor ( expresia este destul de cunoscuta si in limba romana , pastrand aproximativ aceeasi semnificatie ). In fapt, tapul Azazel izgonit in pustie este o imagine a lui Satan care a fost predestinat – prin razvratirea sa initiala – unui iaz de foc incins : “ Si fiara a fost prinsa. si impreuna cu ea , a fost prins proorocul mincinos , care facuse inaintea ei semnele , cu cari amagise pe cei ce primisera semnul fiarei, si se inchinasera icoanei ei. Amandoi acestia au fost aruncati de vii in iazul de foc, care arde cu pucioasa.” ( Apocalipsa 19 : 29 ).
Haideti acum , repede sa aruncam o privire in interiorul ceremoniei propriu-zise, descrisa asa cum am vazut in Levitic 16: 7-10 . In Levitic 16 : 8, primul sorti este pentru Adonai – “ La Adonai “ , si al doilea sorti este pentru Azazel – “ La Azaael.”Marele preot lua cei doi sorti , unul marcat cu “ La Adonai “ si celalalt cu “ La Azazel “ , si ii arunca deasupra capului fiecarui animal, pecetluindu-le soarta. Era considerat un semn bun, daca sortului “ La Adonai “ ii revenea mana dreapta a marelui preot. Acest lucru insemna ca Dumnezeu era de partea poporului si ii primea cu multumire jertfa. ( Se stie – din nefericire – ca 40 de ani inainte de distrugerea Templului din Ierusalim, in anul 70 d. Ch, sortul “ La Adonai “ a fost tinut, incontinuu, de marele preot in mana stanga – consemnat in Talmud : Yoma 39a. ). La fiecare eveniment anual, pacatele oamenilor erau asezate peste tapul ispasitor ( Levitic 16 : 21-22 ), insa in cei 40 de ani, inainte de daramarea Templului, lucrurile s-au schimbat , sortul “ La Adonai “ nu a mai cazut in mana dreapta a marelui preot , ci in mana lui stanga.
-
Semnificatia spiritual- mesianica a Zilei Ispasirii
Ziua Judecatii si Separarii
Cu riscul de –a repeta unele lucruri pe care le-am mai afirmat in alte comentarii si articole – insa repetitia este mama studiului ( a intelegerii ) – trebuie sa mentionez ca Dumnezeu ne-a dat aceasta ceremonie a aruncarii sortului, din timpul Zilei Ispasirii, pentru a ne invata cum va judeca EL popoarele pamantului , inainte de Imparatia Mesianica. Popoarele vor fi judecate in functie de cum s-au raportat – fiecare dintre ele – la poporul Israel. Toate popoarele care l-au dispretuit si l-au urat pe Israel – adica toti oamenii cu atitudini anti-semite – vor fi socotite c a p r e si vor sta la stanga Judecatorului Suprem. Toate popoarele care l-au iubit pe Israel, care l-au incurajat si l-au ajutat sa se ridice cand era cazut in drum, vor fi o i l e adevarate, si ele vor avea dreptul sa intre in Imparatia Mesianica sau in Mileniu . Yeshua a vorbit destul de transant despre aceasta atitudine in Matei 25 : 31-46 . Mantuitorul a fost Darul Tatalui pentru noi , marcat de la bun- inceputul intregii Sale Lucrari cu Sortul “ La Adonai “, pentru ca acesta a fost de fapt intregul Plan de Mantuire : pacatele intregii lumi – trecute, prezente si viitoare – au fost asezate pe Umerii Lui (“ V-am invatat inainte de toate , asa cum am primit si eu , ca Christos a murit pentru pacatele noastre , dupa Scripturi; “) – 1 Corinteni 15: 3 . In continuare 1 Ioan 2: 2 ( “ EL este jertfa de Ispasire pentru pacatele noastre ; si nu numai pentru ale noastre, ci pentru ale intregii lumi.” ) si Isaia 53 : 4-5 ( “ Totusi , EL suferintele noastre le-a purtat , si durerile noastre le-a luat asupra Lui , si noi am crezut ca este pedepsit , lovit de Dumnezeu si smerit . Dar EL era strapuns pentru pacatele noastre , zdrobit pentru faradelegile noastre. Pedeapsa care ne da Pacea a cazut peste EL, si prin ranile Lui, suntem tamaduiti.” ) arata, in continuare, spre Jertfa unica si irepetabila a lui Dumnezeu.
Si tot despre aceasta ceremonie , inca un lucru mentionat in Mishna. Cu ocazia Zilei Ispasirii se obisnuia ca o panza rosie – impregnata cu sangele animalului sacrificat – sa fie legata la usa Templului , inainte ca tapul sa fie alungat in pustie. De fiecare data bucata de panza isi schimba culoarea, din rosu intens in alb stralucitor , de indata ce tapul isi gasea sfarsitul in pustie , vestind in acest fel ca Dumnezeu le acceptase evreilor sacrificiile, si ca pacatele lor fusesera iertate. Aceast ritual se bazeaza pe textul din Isaia 1: 18 (“ Veniti totusi sa ne judecam , zice Domnul. De vor fi pacatele voastre cum e carmazul , se vor face albe ca zapada ; de vor fi rosii ca purpura , se vor face ca lana “ ). Mishna insa ne relateaza ca timp de 40 de ani inainte de distrugerea Templului , panza – niciodata in acesti ani- nu s-a mai albit.
Spiritual vorbind semnificatia Zilei Ispasirii este cat se poate de benefica. In vechime aceasta era Ziua cand se curata Sanctuarul si intreaga natiune, de orice impuritate. Numai in aceasta Zi – o singura data pe an – marele preot avea voie sa intre in Sfanta Sfintelor. Sangele celor trei jertfe – ale vitelului si ale tapilor – era pentru ispasirea nelegiuirii preotului si a intregii lui case, si pentru ispasirea pacatului intregului popor, de la mic la mare , de la tanar, la batran ( Levitic 16 : 29-34 ).
Dumnezeu le-a poruncit israelitilor sa sacrifice un animal, pe care sa-l considere un substitut pentru propria lor sentinta de condamnare la moarte. Principiul viata pentru viata sta la baza sistemului sacrificial din toate timpurile. Torah permitea un pret de rascumparare in bani , dar numai in cazul in care omul respectiv era intr-o culpa mai usoara ( de exemplu cand proprietarul unui bou trebuia responsabilizat de omorul cauzat de propriul lui animal , v . Exod 21 : 28-32 ) .
Yeshua Ha Mashiach, Fiul lui ADONAI a murit pe cruce ca un substitut al nostru, deoarece noi, intreaga umanitate pierduta, meritam moartea; cu totii am pacatuit impotriva Legii si Autoritatii Divine, de aceea numai EL, Dumnezeu Adevarat din Dumnezeu Adevarat , putea plati intregul pret al rascumpararii noastre inaintea lui Dumnezeu -Tatal ( Marcu 10: 45 : “ Caci Fiul Omului n-a venit sa I Se slujeasca , ci EL sa slujeasca , si sa-Si dea viata rascumparare pentru multi ! “ ) . Pretul rascumpararii s-a invartit in jurul celor 30 de arginti cu care Iuda si-a vandut Invatatorul ( Matei 26 : 14-16 ). Treizeci de arginti erau pretul de rascumparare pentru o vina indirecta in vechime (v. Exod 21 : 32 ) . Numai in cazul unei hotii, sau a unei crime nu se putea face ispasirea ( Exod 22: 1-2 , Numeri 35: 31 ) . Iata de ce pentru Satan nu intra in discutie niciun fel de ispasire ( Ioan 8 : 34 ). Argintii ( sau siclii ) erau pretul consolator minim pentru o varsare de sange , insa numai varsarea de sange putea face Ispasirea ( Levitic 17 : 11 : “ Caci viata trupului este in sange. Vi l-am dat ca sa-l puneti pe altar , ca sa slujeasca de ispasire pentru sufletele voastre , caci prin viata din el face sangele ispasire” ).
Cuvantul grecesc h i l a s m o s se traduce prin “ impacare “, “ impaciuire” , si are acelasi inteles cu ebraicul k a p h a r , care de obicei se traduce prin “ ispasire “ (Romani 3 : 23-25 : “ Caci toti oamenii au pacatuit si sunt lipsiti de Slava lui Dumnezeu. Si sunt socotiti ne prihaniti, fara plata, prin Harul Sau , prin rascumpararea care este in Christos Isus . Pe EL Dumnezeu L-a randuit mai dinainte sa fie, prin Credinta in Sangele Lui, o Jertfa de Ispasire – Hilasmos , Kaphar – ca sa-Si arate neprihanirea Lui…” ) .
Asadar scopul Zilei Ispasirii a fost, si este, sa ne indrepte ochii catre Yeshua , Marea noastra Ispasire. Pentru ca Legea – care este un lucru bun si de netagaduit , ea- dandu-ne constiinta pacatului si fiind o umbra a lucrurilor ce vor sa vina – nu ar fi putut niciodata, alaturi de aceste sacrificii ritualice, care se oficiau an dupa an , sa ne faca sa ne apropiem de Dumnezeu intr-o stare perfecta. Trebuia o Jertfa mult mai mare si mai desavarsita, o Jertfa care sa Il doara pe Dumnezeu Insusi ( Evrei 10: 1-10 ). Intotdeauna Ziua Ispasirii ne va evalua relatia noastra cu Salvatorul si Mantuitorul sufletelor noastre. Aceasta Zi este, de asemenea, o ilustrare perfecta a evenimentelor viitoare , cand Adonai va judeca lumea cu dreptate, fara nicio partinire. Pentru noi, toti cei care ne-am ascuns in Sangele Lui sfant , nu va va fi decat BINE . EL, care este CREDINCIOS preaiubitilor Sai, ne-a sigilat deja in Cartea Vietii Mielului ! Glorie in veci , TATALUI, FIULUI si SPIRITULUI SFANT !
(Prezentare de Otniela -Daniela Onu)
Postată de Creştin ProIsrael
Reblogged from http://crestinproisrael.blogspot.ro/2014/10/ziua-ispasirii-yom-kippur.html
Prophecy in the News
PITN: Day of Atonement
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Q41V2K0xtI
Yom Kippur Drill
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQxhDU1wTAw