Sermon Delivered 10/26/03
Let me ask you a question. What do you think of when you hear the date October 31st? Most people will answer Halloween! But, that is NOT what is important about October 31! Halloween has its roots in paganism. Halloween is a religious celebration day, but most certainly it is not a Christian day!
Ralph Linton in his book Halloween Through the Centuries, says “The American celebration (of Halloween) rests upon Scottish and Irish folk customs which can be traced in a direct line from pre-Christian times. The earliest celebrations were held by the DRUIDS in honor of Shamhain, lord of death, whose festival fell on November 1st.” Another source goes on to expand this by saying, “The Celts considered November 1st as being the day of death because the leaves were falling, it was getting darker sooner and temperatures were dropping. They believed their sun god, was loosing strength because Samhain, lord of death, was overpowering him. Further, they believed that on October 31st Samhain assembled the spirits of all who had died during the previous year. They had been confined to inhabit animals’ bodies for the past year as punishment for their evil deeds. On the eve of the feast of Samhain, October 31st, they were allowed to return to their former homes to visit the living. Supposedly to protect these people, Druid priests led the people in diabolical worship ceremonies in which horses, cats, black sheep, oxen, human beings and other offerings were rounded up, stuffed into wicker cages and burned to death. This was done to appease Samhain and keep the spirits from harming them.”
The late George Douglas adds some interesting information when he says “Many of Halloween’s customs are derived from the ancient Baal Festivals. Other customs originate from the taking of omens from the struggles of victims in the fires of druidic sacrifices.” (The American Book of Days, by George William Douglas revised by Helen Douglas Compton).
Probably the best documentation as to whether Halloween is a pagan religious celebration day comes from their own testimony. When asked “Does anyone today celebrate Samhain (Halloween) as a religious Holiday?” a major witches’ organization responded, “Yes, many followers of various pagan religions, such as Druids and Wiccans (witches), observe this day as a religious festival. They view it as a memorial day for their dead friends…. It is still a night to practice various forms of divination concerning future events. (from Cult Watch Response, October 1988, Vol. 1, No. 1).
I was in Salem Massachusetts in the early 1990’s. I had been invited there to do some radio programs on the exposing the occult nature of Halloween. While I was there a witch from Salem had a an article in the Sunday People magazine acknowledging that Halloween is a witchcraft holiday. She said, “Salem is a mecca, especially around Samhain. It’s our holiday, our New Year’s and a lot of witches come here from all over the world.”
Wearing grotesque costumes has its origin in pagan worship. You will recall that their superstition taught evil spirits roamed on Halloween. They believed that the only way these people could escape being attacked was by assuming disguises and looking like the evil spirits themselves.”
Now, just by chance if you had forgotten to dress up or could not fool the evil spirits by dressing in animal skins or other disguises, there was a way to exorcise them. People were to set out a TREAT of food and fruit, and provide the wandering spirit with shelter for the night. If the demon spirit was satisfied with your TREAT, it was believed that he would not TRICK you by casting an evil spell on you thereby causing havoc. This is the origin of Trick or Treat.
I discovered the pagan origins of Halloween in 1980 and have not celebrated Halloween since then. Why? Because the Bible says, “And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.” Ephesians 5:11. Further, it says, “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” 1 Corinthians 10:31.
In reality, Halloween, a day with pagan roots, has been used to cover-up perhaps the most important day of Western civilization, which also happened on October 31st! This day was an emancipation day, a day when the lies and superstitions of the Roman Catholic Church were boldly uncovered. What I am talking about is the event that took place on October 31st 486 years ago. On that day in 1517, Martin Luther posted his Ninety-Five Theses on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany.
His beginning paragraph said…
“Out of love for the truth and from desire to elucidate it, the Reverend Father Martin Luther, Master of Arts and Sacred Theology, and ordinary lecturer therein at Wittenberg, intends to defend the following statements and to dispute on them in that place. Therefore he asks that those who cannot be present and dispute with him orally shall do so in their absence by letter. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.”
- Two example of his 95 Theses are:
- They preach mere human follies who maintain that, as soon as the coin rattles in the strong box, the soul flies out of purgatory.
- The indulgence of the Pope cannot take away the smallest daily sin, as far as regards the guilt, or the offence.
So what were indulgences? The Catholic Church taught that you could buy the forgiveness of sin from the church or that you could buy the release from Purgatory for someone. In that era, when the Bible was kept from the people, the Catholic Church deceive many people into believing the lies that they taught, such as the existence of Purgatory and the effectiveness of indulgences, and swindled them out of their hard earned money. I recently walked through the massive and beautiful edifice of St. Peters in Rome and could not help but think of the that fact that it was built by the sale of indulgences. (Woodcut from 1500’s by Jorg Breu the Elder)
Historians mark the posting of Luther’s Ninety-Five Theses October 31st, 1517 as the beginning of the Reformation.
So, what was the Reformation? In short, the Reformation was the great rediscovery of the Gospel, the good news of Salvation by grace through faith. The establish church had kept the common people ignorant of the truths of God’s Word and manipulated them with contrived superstitions for a thousand years during the period called the Dark Ages.
What motivated Luther to post 95 Theses? He wanted people to know the truth of salvation by grace through faith in Christ. He remembered his struggle to free himself from his own sinfulness. Let me give you a brief synopsis of his struggle.
When he was in college, he and a friend were walking and a storm came up. Lightning struck and killed his friend Alexis. Luther cried out to in prayer to Saint Anne to save him, promising to become a monk. He lived and so entered the Augustinian Monastery. While rummaging around the in library he came across a Latin Bible and the works of John Huss which he read intently. He read of salvation by grace through faith. But this was in conflict with the teachings of the Church! He redoubled his efforts to earn his salvation by torturing himself for his sins by fasting, praying, and whipping himself. But this was all fruitless. He came into contact with Dr. Johann Von Staupitz who told him of the sin-remitting grace of God and redemption that only comes through the Blood of Christ. They read the Latin Bible together and thought deeply on the Bible’s of free grace of God.
Luther made one last attempt to atone for his own sins. He went to Rome in 1510 and while climbing the 28 stairs of Pilate’s Staircase on his knees to do penance and gain some indulgence he clearly hear a voice like thunder say the – “The just shall live by faith.” (see Romans 1:17; Galatians 3:11). This changed the direction of his life. He preached against indulgences. He wrote a book called Concerning Christian Liberty, which that taught the priesthood of every believer (see 1 Peter 2:5,9; Revelation 1:5-6). He taught that every Christian had the right and duty to approach God for himself without the aid of human priests. This put him at odds with the Catholic Church! Leo X issued a decree calling for Luther’s works to be burned and for him to appear in Rome and recant or be burnt. His response was to burn the decree. He was called to Worms to be tried for heresy. On April 17th, 1521 he appears before the ecclesiastical court and Dr. Eck shows him his books and asks if he recants. Luther says –
“I cannot submit my faith either to the Pope of to the Councils because it is clear as day they have frequently erred and contradicted each other. Unless therefore, I am convinced by the testimony of Scripture…I can and will not retract. Here I stand…I can do no other. So help me God, Amen!
Luther would have been convicted and burned as an heretic had it not been for a poster that appeared on the walls of the chamber stating that there were 400 knights and 800 men-at-arms ready to take vengeance if Luther is harmed. The Diet (council) rules that he may hold his opinions, but that he must do it quietly.
As he leaves to make his way back home, he is kidnapped by friends and taken to Wartburg Castle for safety. He is disguised as a knight and called Junker (knight) Georg. There at the Wartburg he translates the 2nd edition of Erasmus’ Greek New Testament into German in 11 weeks. It is issued September 1522 and spreads like wildfire across Germany. The light of God’s Word shattered the darkness of the Dark Ages and the iron grip Rome hand on Western Europe. There is an old saying that goes “Erasmas laid the egg and Luther hatched it. William Tyndale hatched the English Egg. He translated the 3rd edition of Erasmus’ New Testament into English in 1526, thus bringing to an end to the ignorance and superstitions of the Dark Ages and the Roman Catholic Church’s iron grip on the minds of the people.
The Bible says “The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.” Psalms 119:130
While we certainly do not hold to Luther’s beliefs on sprinkling babies, communion and various other things, I can say, he was used of God to reintroduce Salvation by grace through faith in Christ alone and translate and print the Bible, from a good text, into the language of the people. Tyndale meant with Luther when he was a fugitive and likely received his counsel in preparing his English version of the New Testament. Tyndale was martyred in October 1536 at Vilvoorde after he had lead his jailer and family to the Lord.
I must say I find it strange that most American Christians celebrate Halloween, a holiday with pagan roots on October 31st rather than Reformation Day, a day which forever changed papal Rome’s domination of religion in the Western world. October 31st was the Declaration of Independence from Roman dogma, tradition and superstition and a return to the biblical Gospel. I would urge you to REJECT HALLOWEEN, THE GREAT COVER-UP.