The dead who walked

Matthew 27:51-53 (NLT)

51 Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, 52 and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; 53 and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many.

It is unknown who the saints were that arose from their graves and went into Jerusalem where they appeared to many people. “That Jesus Christ, by dying, conquered, disarmed, and disabled, death. These saints that arose, were the present trophies of the victory of Christ's cross over the powers of death, which he thus made a show of openly. Having by death destroyed him that had the power of death, he thus led captivity captive, and gloried in these re-taken prizes, in them fulfilling that scripture, I will ransom them from the power of the grave.”

All Hallows Eve is a yearly celebration that takes place on October 31th. It has also been called Halloween as a contraction of Hallows Evening. It is a time to remember the dead, including the saints, the martyrs and all the faithful departed Godly believers. The traditional focus of All Hallows' Eve revolves around the theme of using "humor and ridicule to confront the power of death.”

Over time Halloween changed as other customs were incorporated. Some believe pagan traditions were allowed to be mixed with Christian celebration so as to incorporate the non-believers into participating in the Christian holidays.

Today we have a mix of many traditions during the Halloween season. There are those who try to keep Christian traditions. There are those who participate in the fun of going house to house asking for candy, which grew out of an ancient English tradition of begging for soul cakes on Hallows Eve in order to pray for the dead of the house. And while many traditions are for fun, we have to be careful to separate the fun from the maliciousness of Satan and his demons.

Halloween has caused many to believe in ghosts and evil spirits, but The Bible infers demons pose as the dead in order to trick and deceive us. However, as in the verses above there have been times when those who had passed away came back to life. The Apostles were witnesses to those faithful to God, had died and then appeared to them. Lazarus arose from the grave and appeared to his friends and family. Christ has the power over death, but Satan and his demons only have the power to deceive us about the truth of death.

So let me wrap up by saying enjoy Halloween and the festivities around it, but avoid anything that does not line up with the word of God. It may be there are times when the image of someone may appear to speak for God, but if that were to happen it is to give glory to God and to comfort whoever may be the witness to such event.