[Darris McNeely] It's the end of October and once again Halloween is upon us. This second largest celebration and holiday in the United States - second only to Christmas - is now upon us as we look around at the stores, in our neighborhoods. We see people dressed up as witches, as ghosts, as all kinds of demonic figures. And we're hearing and seeing once again all the trappings of this holiday. Don't kid yourself. There is something real, spiritual behind the Halloween celebration. This is not just a party. This is not just an excuse to get drunk and to engage in all types of partying and revelry. This is not at all anything having to do with God, the Bible, or Christianity - even though you will see All Hallows Eve on a Christian calendar, a church calendar. There is nothing Christian about it, but there is something very spiritual.

[Steve Myers] That's right. It's related to spiritism rather than anything that's spiritual, biblically speaking. And so God tells us we are not to have anything to do with that. So oftentimes we'll kid ourselves and say well it's fun, and what about the parties, and what about the candy, and what about the kids, and we overlook the seriousness of this evil spirit behind all of this.

[Darris McNeely] Even one of our own technicians here at Beyond Today was lamenting the fact that he had to take away the innocence from his own daughter in having to explain why people have these blowup witches in the midst of their lawns and understanding exactly what is behind that and what it begins to do into a young mind. There is something spiritual and it's something God tells us to stay away from. In 2 Corinthians chapter 6 in the New Testament, the Apostle Paul warns Christians, "Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?" (2 Corinthians 6:14). Halloween celebrates the darkest of all activities, the inter-mingling of the dead so to speak with the living and as the living try to engage with the dead on that evening it is dancing with the dark side as we've termed it. It is delving into a very, very dark period. He also says, "What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever?" (2 Corinthians 6:15). And so God makes through Paul here some very strong warnings against involving ourselves with such an activity as Halloween.

[Steve Myers] And I think we have to ask ourselves, can we really mix these things together? Because that's normally what it comes down to - well, I don't get into all that evil stuff you might think. I just look at the celebration, and the fun, and the enjoyment, and the candy, and those things. And yet, God's word is clear. He says you cannot mix them. You cannot mix light and darkness. They don't go together. So how much of this celebration can you mix with your beliefs as a Christian? You see, God's word is plain.

[Darris McNeely] You know, you go on to what it says here in 2 Corinthians 6 and it reads in verse 16, Paul asks, "What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said, 'I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God and they shall be My people'" (2 Corinthians 6:16). You know, I have to think this week, even as we tape this and we're watching this huge storm system move up the New England coast, the northeast part - portion of North America. And we see this catastrophe that is unfolding before our eyes and I wonder as people call out for God's help and intervention, if at some point something even greater, some greater catastrophe takes place and we call out to God and He doesn't answer, I wonder if something like Halloween and the custom that dances with the dark side might be a reason God would say, "You're not My people. I'm not walking among you because you're not walking with Me when you do something like this."

[Steve Myers] This is the time of year I think we do have to step back and look at ourselves. And how much have we allowed the darkness to intermingle with what we're striving to live as lights? We know they don't go together. So we've got to get out of the darkness because they don't go together and live in the light.

[Darris McNeely] Don't kid yourself. There is something spiritual in the Halloween celebration, but it's not anything you really want to be a part of. God says stay away from it - it's dealing with darkness.

[Steve Myers] That's BT Daily. We'll see you next time.