As the shelves of major retail stores make a transition from Halloween to Christmas, I was reminded today of the dangers Halloween represents. While most children and some teenagers dressed up last week to go trick or treating, the naive fail to recognize the spiritual darkness that goes on behind the scenes. When you examine the reality of demonic activity in scripture, this chocolate covered tradition is actually a not so hallow eve.
The most common Greek nouns used in scripture related to demons are daimon, similar to the main character in The Omen movie series and daimonion. When translated into English, these 2 terms both refer to a demon or pagan gods as in Deuteronomy 32:17, 1 Corinthians 10:20-21 and Revelation 9:20. Another Greek noun pneuna refers to a spirit, which is often accompanied with the adjective akatharatos meaning an unclean spirit like Mark 1:26-27 or poneros, an evil spirit which influenced Saul’s behavior in 1 Samuel 16:14-16.
Many churches struggle to communicate a balanced approach in this area, either ignoring demons completely or blaming the devil and his demons for each sin a Christian commits. The purpose of this blog is not to scare people, but to make them aware of the dangers which exist in the spiritual realm, Ephesians 6:12. If Jesus’ first command in Matthew 10:1 to his newly gathered disciples was to take authority over and drive out evil spirits from first century citizens, you would think there would be a sense of urgency in today’s church to do likewise.
However, Satan has convinced vast media outlets and many followers of Jesus that demons are few and far between today. Meanwhile, anyone who speaks of exorcists or encounters with demons are often thrown under the per verbally bus, labeled as crazy, nuts and spiritual wackos. Only those who reside in third world countries or have been part of missionary trips overseas can attest to the clear and present danger that demons present. As demons continue to masquerade as drunk drivers, the insane and murderers, test the Bible for yourself so you won’t be caught off guard. Maybe you too will come to a similar conclusion that October 31st is a not so hallow eve.
by Jay Mankus
ExpressYourself4Him 