"Trick?" or "Treat?"

Trick or treat! When said by children, these three words bring back a flood of childhood memories to most adults. Memories of masquerading as vampires, ghosts, witches, ghouls, monsters and fairies. Memories of canvassing the neighborhood, going door to door, shouting those three little words, and watching their bags fill up with all sorts of candies, apples, nuts and other goodies. Memories of parades, parties and playing "tricks," like soaping the neighbors' windows, "decorating" their trees with toilet tissue, or playing "baseball" with their roadside mailboxes.

Yes, hearing the words "trick or treat" from little children can cause adults to wish they were kids again.

"After all," one might reason, "what's so wrong with Halloween?" Most believe that it is just another harmless childhood indulgence—much the way they view Christmas and birthday parties. Many wonder, "What's so wrong with having a little fun?"

Besides teaching children that it is alright to beg for something instead of earning it through work, and also turning them into extortionists ("trick or treat" essentially means "give me a treat or I'll play a trick on you"), Halloween—its spooky costumes, scary jack-o-lanterns, juvenile tricks and colorful parades—may look like clean, innocent fun. But its traditions, customs and practices are rooted in a past far darker, far more sinister and far more demonic than you may realize.

[Definition of pagan - one of a people or community observing a polytheistic religion, as the ancient Romans and Greeks.a person who is not a Christian, Jew, or Muslim. an irreligious or hedonistic person. pertaining to the worship or worshipers of any religion that is neither Christian, Jewish, nor Muslim. of, pertaining to, or characteristic of pagans. ]

The Celts observed their new year on November 1, which marked the end of the harvest and summer ("the season of the sun"), as well as the beginning of the cold, dark winter ahead ("the season of darkness and cold").

From October 31 to November 2, the Celts celebrated a 48-hour festival, the Vigil of Samhain (pronounced "sow-in"). They believed that Samhain, the pagan lord of the dead, assembled the souls of those who had died during the previous year and decided what form they would take for the next year. The souls would either pass on to human bodies or would be condemned to live within animals (the most evil of the bad souls or spirits would take the form of cats). Hoping to coax Samhain into giving lighter sentences, the Celtic worshippers tried to bribe him with gifts and prayers.

The Encyclopedia Britannica says the following: "Samhain (Celtic: `End of Summer'), one of the most important and sinister calendar festivals of the Celtic year. At Samhain, held on November 1, the world of the gods was believed to be made visible to mankind, and the gods played many tricks on their mortal worshippers; it was a time fraught with danger, charged with fear, and full of supernatural episodes. Sacrifices and propitiations of every kind were thought to be vital, for without them the Celts believed they could not prevail over the perils of the season or counteract the activities of the deities. Samhain was an important precursor to Halloween."

On the night of October 31, the eve of the new year, the Celts, after harvesting their crops and storing them for the coming winter, began their festival. First, they extinguished the cooking fires in their homes. Then the Druids (Celtic priests) met on hilltops in the dark oak forests (they viewed oak trees as sacred), and built huge sacred bonfires to frighten away evil spirits and to honor the sun god. Next, the people would burn crop and animal sacrifices to their gods, dancing around the fires as the "season of the sun" passed and the "season of darkness" began. The Celts wore costumes of animal heads and skins, and told each other their fortunes. The next morning, they re-lit their cooking fires from the sacred bonfires, in order to free them from evil spirits—as well as to help protect them during the coming winter season.

"In ancient Britain and Ireland, the Celtic festival of Samhain eve was observed on October 31, at the end of summer. (It) was the occasion for one of the ancient fire festivals when huge bonfires were set on hilltops to frighten away evil spirits...The souls of the dead were thought to revisit their homes on this day, and the autumnal festival acquired sinister significance, with ghosts, witches, hobgoblins, black cats, fairies, and demons of all kinds said to be roaming about. In addition, Halloween was thought to be the most favorable time for divinations concerning marriage, luck, health, and death" (Encyclopedia Britannica).

Now what about Samhain, the so-called lord of the dead? God tells us about "…him who had the power of death, that is, the devil" (Heb. 2:14). Satan the devil was lord, or master, of the dead! The ancient Celts, who thought they were serving God, were deceived into worshipping the god of this world, who is the father of lies and religious deception. We will see that this same being stands behind the modern-day festival of Samhain (Galatians 4:8; Revelation 12:9; 2 Corinthians. 4:4; John 8:44).

We have established that Satan once had the power over death—but he does not anymore. So who is the lord of the dead today? At this point, we need to briefly consider several scriptures.

Notice Matthew 22:31-32, where Jesus answers the Sadducees concerning the resurrection. "But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read that which was spoken to you by God, saying, `I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?' God is not the God of the dead, but of the living." Since the patriarchs are dead and God is only the God of the living—the dead do not serve God (Psalms 6:5, 115:17)—then there must be a resurrection from the dead so that they might live and serve Him.

But in order to make the resurrection possible, "Christ died and rose and lived again, that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living" (Romans 4:9). Christ became the Lord and Master of the dead through His resurrection, and gained the keys of the grave and death (Revelations 1:18). Jesus Christ will resurrect the dead back to life so that they will serve Him and God the Father in the soon-coming world tomorrow.

[Note: There will be two resurrections: Jesus will resurrect those who accepted Him to Eternal Life, but those who did not accept Him will resurrect to go into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:12-15), AND - John 5:29 (King James Version) - And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.]

Satan (aka Lucifer, the devil ) was cast out of heaven onto the earth and Jesus says He saw it:

This is why satan(aka lucifer) was kicked out of heaven (stupid pride in trying to be like the Most High God):

This is satan's plans /schemes/plots/wiles for ALL mankind - he seeks to devour, kill and destroy:

Jesus says satan is a liar and the father of ALL lies:

At the proper time(God's time) Jesus entered the earth to drive satan out. He is a LOSER...a FAILER...a DEFEATED foe:

Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out. John 12:31 (New International Version)

Christ came in order to "destroy the devil's work"

He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work. 1 John 3:8

Just prior to his being crucified, Christ said, "Now the prince of this world will be driven out" Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out. John 12:30-31 (New International Version), and He said, "the prince of this world now stands condemned" - and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned. John 16:11 (satan's doom is in Rev. 20)

Revelation 20:10 (New Internaltional Version) - satan's doom - And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

(King James Version) - And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

(Amplified Version) - Then the devil who had led them astray [deceiving and seducing them] was hurled into the fiery lake of burning brimstone, where the beast and false prophet were; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever (through the ages of the ages).