Not For You | Bishop Kyle Searcy | 10.29.23

NOT FOR YOU

I. The Historical Roots of Halloween

Halloween finds its origins in pagan practices, specifically the Celtic festival of

Samhain. Though modern celebrations may seem detached from these origins, the

spiritual world doesn't operate on the same linear timeline as we do. Connections

and doors, once opened, may remain so.

1. Samhain: Halloween's deepest roots are in the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain

(pronounced "SAH-win"), which marked the end of the harvest season and the

beginning of winter. It was believed that on the night of October 31st, the veil

between the living and the spirit world was at its thinnest, allowing spirits and

fairies to cross over into the world of the living. During Samhain, the Celts would

light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off these spirits.

 marked the end of the harvest season

 Belief thin veil allowing spirits to cross over

 Celts light fires and wear costumes to ward off the spirits

2. Roman Influence: As the Romans expanded their empire, they began to

assimilate various Celtic customs. Two Roman festivals became intertwined with

Samhain: Feralia, a day in late October to commemorate the passing of the dead,

and a day to honor Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit and trees. The apple, a

symbol for Pomona, might be the origin of the Halloween tradition of bobbing

for apples.

 Romans adopted Celtic Customs and mixed them

 Feralia a day to commemorate passing of the dead

 Pamona Roman goddess of fruit trees

 Christian Influence:

 Spread of Christianity into Celtic lands by the 9th century.

 November 1st designated by Pope Gregory III as All Saints' Day.

 October 31st became All Hallows' Eve, later shortened to Halloween.

II. ALL HALLOWS EVE/DAY

All Hallows' Eve is the evening before All Hallows' Day, also known as All Saints' Day.

The term "hallow" is an old word for "saint," and "eve" refers to the night before.

Hence, All Hallows' Eve means the evening before the day of all the saints. This day

is celebrated on October 31st and is more commonly known today as Halloween.

Historically, All Hallows' Eve marked the beginning of a three-day observance

dedicated to remembering the dead, including saints (hallows), martyrs, and all the

departed faithful. This three-day period is sometimes referred to as Allhallowtide,

consisting of:

1. All Hallows' Eve (October 31st) - Halloween

2. All Saints' Day (November 1st) - A Christian holiday commemorating all saints,

known and unknown.

3. All Souls' Day (November 2nd) - A day to pray for the souls of the dead,

especially those in purgatory.

a. Attending Mass or Church Services: The most fundamental way of observing

All Saints' Day for many Christians is by attending church services. Specific

readings, hymns, and prayers focused on the saints are typically included.

b. Lighting Candles: In many cultures, candles are lit in memory of the saints.

Some people also light candles for deceased loved ones, linking All Saints'

Day with the commemoration of the faithfully departed.

c. Visiting Graves: Especially in Catholic and some Anglican traditions, it's

customary for people to visit the graves of deceased loved ones, leaving

flowers and lighting candles. While this practice is more closely associated

with All Souls' Day (November 2nd), it often begins on All Saints' Day in many

cultures.

d. Special Prayers: Prayers are offered to saints as intercessors, asking for their

guidance and protection. There might also be prayers thanking God for the

witness of the saints.

e. Fasting and Feasting: In some Christian traditions, people fast during the eve

of All Saints' (i.e., on Halloween) and then feast on All Saints' Day itself.

f. Processions: In certain places, processions are held where people march,

sing hymns, and carry images or relics of saints.

g. Ringing Church Bells: In some cultures, church bells are rung in

remembrance of the dead.

h. Art and Iconography: Churches and homes may be decorated with images,

icons, or statues of saints. These serve as visual reminders of the holy lives

that the saints led and their special status in the Christian tradition.

i. Special Liturgical Colors: In many Christian denominations, white is the

liturgical color for All Saints' Day, symbolizing purity, holiness, and victory

over death.

j. Folk Traditions: As with many religious holidays, various folk customs have

become associated with All Saints' Day in different cultures. For instance, in

some parts of Europe, children go door-to-door on All Saints' Day (rather

than Halloween) to ask for food or money in exchange for prayers for the

dead.

DUE TO COMMERCIALISM AND AN A NEVER-ENDING STRATEGY OF SATAN TO

DECEIVE AND ATTRACT WORSHIP IT HAS MORPHED INTO WHAT IT IS NOW

III. Biblical Warnings Against Witchcraft and the Occult

The Bible warns us consistently about engaging with the spiritual world outside the

boundaries God has set.

1. Exodus 22:18: "You shall not permit a sorceress to live."

2. Leviticus 19:26: "You shall not eat anything with the blood, nor shall you practice

divination or soothsaying."

3. Leviticus 20:6: "And the person who turns to mediums and familiar spirits, to

prostitute himself with them, I will set My face against that person and cut him

off from his people."

4. Leviticus 20:27: "A man or a woman who is a medium, or who has familiar

spirits, shall surely be put to death; they shall stone them with stones. Their

blood shall be upon them."

5. 1 Samuel 15:23: "For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, And stubbornness is as

iniquity and idolatry."

6. 2 Kings 21:6: King Manasseh "made his son pass through the fire, practiced

soothsaying, used witchcraft, and consulted spiritists and mediums. He did much

evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke Him to anger."

7. Isaiah 8:19: "And when they say to you, 'Seek those who are mediums and

wizards, who whisper and mutter,' should not a people seek their God?"

8. Acts 19:18-20: “And many who had believed came confessing and telling their

deeds. Also, many of those who had practiced magic brought their books

together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted up the value of

them, and it totaled fifty thousand pieces of silver. 20  So the word of the Lord

grew mightily and prevailed.”

9. Deuteronomy 18:10-12: "There shall not be found among you anyone who burns

his son or his daughter as an offering, anyone who practices divination or tells

fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer or a charmer or a medium or a

necromancer or one who inquires of the dead, for whoever does these things is

an abomination to the Lord."

10. Galatians 5:19-21

Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication,

uncleanness, lewdness, 20  idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies,

outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21  envy, murders,

drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also

told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the

kingdom of God.

IV. WHY GLORIFY SATAN OR HIS AGENTS

1. Eve in the Garden of Eden - In Genesis 3, Satan (in the form of a serpent) tempts Eve

to eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, leading to the Fall of Man.

2. Job - In the Book of Job, Satan challenges Job's faithfulness to God and, with God's

permission, brings great suffering upon him, taking away his wealth, health, and

children.

3. Judas Iscariot - In the New Testament, particularly in Luke 22:3-4 and John 13:27, it is

mentioned that Satan entered Judas, leading him to betray Jesus.

4. The Woman with the Spirit of Infirmity - In Luke 13:11-16, Jesus heals a woman who

had been crippled for eighteen years. He indicates that she has been bound by Satan.

5. The Man with the Legion of Demons - In Mark 5:1-20 and Luke 8:26-39, Jesus

encounters a man possessed by a "legion" of demons. After a confrontation, Jesus

allows the demons to enter a herd of pigs, which then rush into the sea and drown.

6. The Boy with an Unclean Spirit - In Mark 9:14-29 and Luke 9:37-43, Jesus heals a boy

possessed by a spirit that has rendered him mute and often throws him into fire or

water.

7. The Thief – In John 10:10 he is the theif that only comes to steal kill and destroy.

8. His End is in the Lake

Rev 20:10

  The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the

beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever

and ever.

Matthew 25:41

  “Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into

the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels.

V. YOUR AUTHORITY IS WHY YOU CAN’T PLAY WITH THIS

.

Gen 1:28

  Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the

earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the

air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.

Subdue – Subjugate, Violate

Ps 115:14-16

May the LORD give you increase more and more, You and your children. 15 May you be

blessed by the LORD, Who made heaven and earth. 16 The heaven, even the heavens,

are the LORD’s; But the earth He has given to the children of men.

Psalm 8:4-6

What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him? 5

For You have made him a little lower than the angels, And You have crowned him

with glory and honor. 6 You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your

hands; You have put all things under his feet.

1. The Three Ways Your Authority is Manifest

a. Agreement

b. Words

c. Prayer

1 Tim 4:1-2

Look at 1 Timothy 4:1-2, “Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times

some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and

doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own

conscience seared with a hot iron.”

VI. AS BELIEVERS WE DEAL WITH DEVILS INSTEAD OF ENTERTAINING THEM

1. We resist them.

James 4:7: "Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from

you."

2. We give them no place.

Ephesians 4:27: "... nor give place to the devil."

1 Peter 5:8-9

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring

lion, seeking whom he may devour. 9  Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that

the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.

3. We subject them to us.

Luke 10:17-20

Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to

us in Your name.” 18  And He said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.

19  Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all

the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. 20  Nevertheless do

not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your

names are written in heaven.”

4. We cast them out.

Mark 16:15-17

And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.

16  He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be

condemned. 17  And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will

cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues.

VII. TEACH YOUR CHILDREN TO BE DIFFERENT

Matthew 5:13

“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be

seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot

by men.

Eph 5:11

And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose

them. 12  For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in

secret.