Halloween Is For Posers

As I came home last night after TLC Book Discussion/Bible study, I  noticed in our neighborhood, there were a few straggling youngsters in bizarre costumes, yelling out Happy Halloween as they were loading into cars ending a night of “Trick-o-Treating”. I had been out all evening so I missed out on the Disney Princesses, Power Rangers, Blue Men, Zombies, Vampires, and other assorted costumers all out celebrating Halloween.  As I sat down this morning to read my notes from our discussion and write my thoughts on Chapter 6, in light of the Halloween mayhem from the night before, one particular passage jumped out at me from our study.

In Idol Lies (by Dee Brestin) Chapter 6 discussion questions, Day 5, Number 9A, we were asked to describe what happened on earth at the moment when Jesus died on the cross.

Matthew 27:50–54 (NASB95)

⁵⁰ And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. ⁵¹ And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth shook and the rocks were split. ⁵² The tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; ⁵³ and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection they entered the holy city and appeared to many. ⁵⁴ Now the centurion, and those who were with him keeping guard over Jesus, when they saw the earthquake and the things that were happening, became very frightened and said, “Truly this was the Son of God!”

Halloween decorations around my neighborhood and across the country are made up of fake plastic tombstones, polyester spider webs, mannequins with sunken eyes, dark gaunt faces with fake blood, missing limbs, torn clothes and fake injuries depicting the “walking dead” or zombies, and other man created phony attempts of creating fear. I couldn't help but think how these phonies are designed by Satan or the world or both, to make people scared of the unknown and in a ghoulish way put out the idea that we may not really die.  In contrast we see from this passage above that when God chose to bring people back from the grave, the purpose was not terror for the sake of fear itself.  No, He was getting the attention of the whole world concerning the death of His son on the behalf of all mankind and declaring His unlimited power over earth and death.   

Hollywood, Halloween and man-made attempts of showing the dead coming back to earth are designed to strike fear, give unwholesome thrills and leave the viewers with unanswered questions that seem to point to an unavoidable doom.  However, when God tore the veil of the temple in two, SHOOK the earth, split boulders, ripped open tombs and brought saints (believing ones) back to life in whole recognizable bodies so that they walked around and appeared to people in Jerusalem, there was no question as to Who was in Charge, and what the answer was and is to the real fear that this kind of power display provokes.  The centurion and others with him proclaimed the answer, “Truly this was the Son of God!” 

Even the most realistic horror film of Hollywood can never duplicate the amazing power God has over death. So I say Halloween is for Posers; when someone is truly brought back to life, only God can do it and He does it perfectly: no missing parts!

John 3:16 (NASB95) ¹⁶ “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.