Do you ever feel like Halloween and other holidays are “creeping up” earlier every year? These observances are based on false pagan customs that present very real dangers. Is there a “ghoul free” alternative your family can enjoy, based on the true biblical Holy Days in the Bible?
Last year, my family moved into a new house. It was an exciting and hectic few weeks of transition. The excitement of a new home and a new neighborhood was dampened, however, when we discovered ghosts—more than one, actually, along with a resident witch, and even a werewolf. All joking aside, of course, there weren’t any real ghosts or monsters, but you’ve probably guessed it by now: Halloween decorations.
Earlier Every Year
Perhaps a “ghost” or “goblin” inhabits your neighborhood too, courtesy of neighbors who seem to have been eagerly anticipating the holiday all year long. Labor Day is barely behind us when the Halloween “season” goes on display in stores across America, as well as on decorated front lawns, for weeks that feel like months.
It seems that the creepy things of the night come out earlier and earlier each year. Recent years have presented a challenge for my wife and me, as our daughter is now old enough to notice what’s normal and what isn’t. The first time she saw a skeleton, she was terrified. For better or worse, she has begun to get used to them—sort of. We walked into a store one morning and she yelled “Eww!” upon seeing a witch. Good job, kid! (We didn’t teach her that.)
Her reaction brings up a good question: Is Halloween just harmless fun and a good outlet for kids’ imagination? A better question is, what does the Creator God have to say about the subject?
A Real World of Real Dangers
God, who does not change (Malachi 3:6), warned ancient Israel not to seek out the spirit world, or to have any part with it (Leviticus 19:31; Isaiah 8:19). There is a very real, fallen, evil, and dangerous spirit world that can influence human beings in terrible ways if we choose to interact with it. It is a world that Bible-believing Christians are clearly told not to toy around with. The Apostle Paul identifies these wicked spirits as our enemies (Ephesians 6:11–13). They are led by the “ruler of this world,” Satan the devil (John 14:30; Ephesians 2:2). His deception is twofold. Halloween piques the interest of some just enough to trick them into experimenting with the occult and allowing demons into their lives. For most, though, it seems like “harmless fun,” because it is not real to them. Deceiving people this way is one of Satan’s tactics. As the saying goes, “The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist.”
A Ghoul-Free Alternative!
And yet Halloween exists, every year seeming to creep up further on the calendar and parade itself in stores, public celebrations, and lawns. Even amidst the pandemic this year, we won’t be able to avoid obvious signs of it all around us. Thankfully, we in God’s Church have the blessing of God’s own Holy Days. When millions around us are celebrating Halloween, we will have recently returned to our homes after observing the Feast of Tabernacles and Last Great Day—Holy Days free of goblins and ghouls! How blessed we are to have had our minds opened to keeping the true Holy Days given by our Creator God!