Part 1: All Souls Day- Let us know the truth...and let it make us free! 😈🚫🔄
I am going to go ahead and let you know that these two articles will be long, but I will not apologize for that, as it is a subject that is deep and wide, and one that desperately needs to be discussed in our churches, and indeed throughout all of Christianity. Consider it a type of teaching on some things that need to be exposed and rejected within our culture. Yes, I discuss this often. Why? I am passionate to see God's people come out of bondage, come out of compromise, and stand in their place in the Kingdom. There has never been a time it was more needed. For those who will read and understand these truths, I believe they will begin to understand why it is now time for a NEW REFORMATION! It is in knowing the truth, that we are made free. We can not hold on to something just because it is a tradition of men, but must allow the Lord to break off the things that are not of Him. We must be rooted and grounded in His truth and His word, being led by His Spirit. The Lord is dropping a plumb-line within His church, and calling her to arise from her complacent and slumbering place! Let the true CHURCH arise and take her place in His Kingdom! #ANewReformation #500Years #AllSoulsDay #AllSaintsDay #Halloween #LetTheTruthBeTold As we come up to the 500th Anniversary of the Protestant Reformation, which is next Tuesday Oct. 31st, I would like to share some truths that have gotten lost in many parts of our "protestant" Christianity. In this season, let us not forget what many of these forefathers of our faith fought, and even some died for. Let us remember these "saints" who have gone on....by NOT celebrating what they fought to be freed from. Specifically, since Oct. 31st is coming up next week, which is celebrated in our culture as "Halloween", let us discuss how we as protestants began to celebrate this day. Several Christians, and even leaders, have tried to excuse participating in this "holiday", by saying that it is actually rooted in an old "Christian" practice known as "All Saints Day" and/or "All Souls Day. Many say that Halloween is not rooted in paganism, but is actually an old Christian belief, since even the word itself most likely is derived from "All Hallows Eve" (All Saints/Souls Day was known as All Hallows Day). Well, to be frank, that is a lie of the enemy to help keep the Church from realizing what she is actually doing when she celebrates this day. I would like to clear up a bit of a misconception and deception about these particular days known as All Saints Day and All Souls Day. Yes, Halloween is somewhat connected to these practices...but "Christian" they are not, at least not true Protestant Christianity anyway. And since we are in a time of celebrating the Protestant Reformation, I thought it would be a good time to discuss some of the things they broke away from. First of all, let me say that All Saints Day and All Souls Day were and are primarily days to honor the dead in Catholicism. Although it has become something that some protestant churches adopted throughout the centuries, it was mostly the liturgical churches that did so. Most protestant churches, who tried to keep some of the old Catholic traditions, attempted to reform the practice to make it a time to remember all the loved ones who had passed, and a way to remember that we will all be resurrected from the dead one day at the last trumpet. However, that did not truly work, as it was so steeped in mysticism and paganism, that the paganism eventually took over. It has always been a practice that was rooted in Catholicism, and before that was rooted in paganism. It was not something that was grounded in scripture, but was simply a tradition of men. As protestant Christianity has evolved, many believers began to realize that this was not something that we needed to be celebrating, especially since it was so entangled with Halloween, and other such festivals of pagan origin. Specifically, Puritans and many other early American believers would never have dreamed to celebrate something such as All Souls Day or Halloween. It was not until the mid 1800's, when Irish Catholics came to America by the thousands, that the practice of celebrating All Souls Day & Halloween were reintroduced, and then accepted as a part of American culture. Of course, many of these Irish immigrants were also very used to the Samhain celebrations that were celebrated throughout Celtic culture, so much of it was second nature to them, and they simply mixed it with their religious beliefs...an unholy mixture for sure. As we have progressed even further, and especially since the Holy Spirit began to be poured out in greater measure within Christianity in the 20th century, many spirit-filled believers knew and saw the dangers of celebrating these "traditions" that were rooted in paganism. Somehow this understanding, along with many others, has been lost within many spirit-filled and Charismatic circles within the last 30 years, as a more "open" and relevant culture began to take precedence in our churches and ministries. I believe this truly grieves the heart of the Father, as He has seen His children go in a way that will take them further from His Spirit, and not closer. All Saints/All Souls Day/Halloween is not a practice or belief that we should embrace, any more than we believe in purgatory, or many of the other beliefs that the Caltholic Church adheres to. This is part of what Martin Luther fought so hard to protest against...specifically, the beliefs that are not rooted in the word of God! Let me be clear here in saying, that I love our Catholic brothers and sisters in Christ, and truly believe that some of them are "Christians" in the basic sense of the term. However, as a protestant Christian (Baptist, Pentecostal, Charismatic, and any other form of Christianity other than Catholic), I do not believe in nor accept many of their practices that I know are not congruent with scripture. So, lets discuss All Saints Day & All Souls Day, and find out where they came from and what they mean? You can find all of this info on Wikipedia as well as several Catholic websites. Let's read a few excerpts I took from them: "All Saints' Day" is said to commemorate the Saints in Heaven, while "All Souls' Day" is a commemoration of the faithfully departed and is observed primarily in the Catholic Church. Its origins date back to European folklore related to customs of veneration practiced worldwide through events like the Mexican Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos) and/or the Chinese Ghost Festival. Historical scholar James Frazer, suggests that November 1st was chosen because it was the date of the Celtic festival of the dead (Samhain). "In the 9th century AD, Western Christianity shifted the date of All Saints' Day to November 1st, while November 2nd later became All Souls' Day. Over time, Samhain and All Saints'/All Souls' merged to create the modern Halloween." "In the Catholic Church, "the faithful" referenced on All Souls Day refers specifically to baptized Catholics; On this day in particular, Catholics pray for the dead. All souls is a day Catholics offer prayers for those souls in purgatory. To remember the departed, many cultures also prepare meals for the souls of the dead, light candles or leave flowers on relatives' graves, and some anoint tombstones with holy water or pour milk over them." This is something that is celebrated in many cultures throughout the world. Now let's look at some of these practices. Why would they pray for the dead, you may ask? Because they believe they may be in "purgatory" awaiting to be released to either heaven or hell, and they believe their prayers for them may actually help them make it on into heaven. This is not scriptural at all. Why would they prepare a meal for someone who is dead? Well, this goes back to the Celtic Samhain festival, and the belief that during this time, the boundary between this world and the "otherworld" could more easily be crossed. They are basically opening up to interaction with their dead loved ones, and opening up contact with them. This is also the reason that necromancers, spiritualist, and mediums, celebrate this time more that other times. I had a (supposedly) former psychic/necromancer tell me just last year, that this time of year was always much more "open" for her, and much easier for her to contact her "spirits". She said it just came so easy this time of year. And you wonder why it is not something we should have any part of? It is time to change our mind about what we allow and participate in. It is time for us to know what these things are really about, repent and turn from them! Please be looking for Part 2 to this article tomorrow...