Halloween Horror Nights ~ In the Face of Evil

If you’ve driven down I-4 lately, you’ve seen the ghastly image of "Mary, Mary" on the Universal Studios billboards. This unsettling creature is the crux of promotion for Halloween Horror Nights in honor of All Hallows Eve. Truth be told, I’ve never been a fan of that sort of thing. Being scared witless by some ghoulish soul toting a chain saw or some other implement of torture has never entered my mind as a form of entertainment!

Yet our society has an unquenchable morbid fascination with Evil. So much so, demons, the occult, vampire slayers, horror movies and entire theme parks have been turned into a booming business! Topping the scare factor charts are Universal Studios HHN, touted by Amusement Today as "The country’s best Halloween Event." People travel from all over the world for this nearly sold out event and as one guest said while nervously looking over her shoulder, "It’s everywhere, you can’t get away from it." How frightening some souls will wake to that eternity!

The Bible speaks of Angels and of Demons. If you believe in the former, you must believe in the latter and the very real battle for souls being waged around us every day. Originally, Lucifer, better known now as Satan, was the most beautiful of all Angels. His pride and desire to be equal to God got him cast out of Heaven. Along with his prideful self, 1/3^rd of all the Angels joined his rebellion. They were also cast out and by their own doing roam the spiritual realm as demons.

They are not some Hollywood special effect we can nervously laugh off after leaving the theater. They are very real and even called Jesus "Son of the most high God!"  In addition to avoiding evil, God explicitly tells us not to practice sorcery or seek out mediums or spiritualists so we are not defiled by them (Leviticus 19: 26 & 31). The mediums up the road at Casadega can tell you things about your life or people you know with uncanny insight. That information comes from somewhere, but it does not come from God. Our Heavenly Father warns us for our own protection, not to be a killjoy. When we dabble in the dark, we are inviting something unholy into our lives.

Even without seeking, Christians, especially those actively involved in ministry, will encounter many agents of the dark side. We may experience periods of harassment, frightening manifestations or be bombarded with whispers that the Bible is just man made stories to keep the masses in line. False prophets are planting subtle seeds of doubt and distorting the Word of God to their advantage. This is not by accident. The father of lies is a master of his craft and will do whatever he can, including twisting scripture, to keep believers frightened, discouraged and ineffective. All the more reason we must study God’s Word alongside good teachers, who hold to scripture alone as absolute authority. If we are to be kingdom warriors, we must be properly trained and armed, or the battle can go horribly wrong.

In light of this, why would we subject ourselves to Halloween Horror Nights and the like? Why provide Satan an open door for a foothold in our lives?  Rather, trust God’s Word.  It is a faithful compass. " To those, who by persistence in doing good, seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger." (Rom 2:7-8) "Hate what is evil, cling to what is good." (Rom 12:9) "Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things" (Col 3:2), "Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil." (1 Thes 5:21).

If these unsettling billboards do nothing more than remind us to be on guard in the face of an ever-present darkness, then they have served some redeeming purpose.