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learn what is pleasing to the Lord.
Take no part
in the unfruitful works
of
darkness,
but instead expose them
[by letting your light shine]. For it is
a shame even to speak of the things
that they do jn secret [let alone to
participate in them]" (Ephesians
5:7-12).
Counterfeit Days
Yery few seem to realize that Hal–
loween and the other religious
' 'Christian" holidays are actually
counterfeits that have been subtly in–
troduced to take the place of the holy
days God instituted. (For a complete
explanation of the days God or–
dained, write for a free copy of our
booklet
Pagan Holidays- or God's
Holy Days-Which?)
The holy days of God are listed in
Leviticus 23. These are the days that
were observed by Jesus, the apostles,
and the early New Testament
Church. Shortly after the death of
the apostles, however, the keeping of
these days was discontinued by a de–
veloping great counterfeit religious
system-a system which ultimately
brought in its own sacred days adapt–
ed from heathen religions.
Jt
seems, in fact , that throughout
history roan has continually sought to
replace that which God originally
gave for man's good with that which
is inferior and a corruption of the
truth. Halloween is a classic example
of such a counterfeit.
Someofthe before-mentioned feast
days God established (see Leviticus
23:24, 27, 34) fall in the seventh
month of the sacred calendar, at a
period which varíes slightly from year
to year but centers on early October.
Ancient Israel was ordered to observe
these God-ordained days. But instead
of keeping the feasts of God in the
seventh month, King Jeroboam or–
dained his own feast onemonth later
(1
Kings 12:27-33). This counterfeit fes–
tival , in tbe middle of the eighth
montb, was approximately equivalent
timewise to Halloween today!
A provable connection? No. But
the point is, God rejected the inferior
substitute that was made for some–
thing He had instituted- and re–
jected the whole people because they
had rejected Him.
There is a lesson in that for us.
The
PLAIN TRUTH October/November 1979
A clergyman recently jolted the
readers of a magazine well respected
in mainline Protestantism, saying
that Halloween is " thoroughly, utter–
ly, totally pagan: the worship of the
dead, the placating of evil spirits, the
honoring of the Lord of the
Dead.... " But then he added,
"1
don't think you can simply take it
away from tbe cbildren without put–
ting something in its place."
What could be better-for chil–
dren and adults, too-than restoring
the observance of God's holy days
according to His instructions? Better
than Halloween, Christmas, Easter
or any of the other humanly devised
substitutes. '
·
During the early part of October,
while commercial advertisements be–
gin to prepare people for yet another
Halloween , the members of the
Worldwide Church of God observe
the Feast of Tabernacles, one of
God's Festivals. They enjoy them–
selves in good, clean fun at sorne of
the most beautifullocations on earth,
while rejoicing in light and truth,
learning how to give and share-the
exact opposite of the "get" mentality
of death-oriented Halloween obser–
vance-and preparing themselves for
the soon-coming world tomorrow.
Once a person properly keeps the
days God has commanded, he realizes
what cheap, inferior, meaningless sub–
stitutes are the religious holidays of the
world.
lf
you haven't yet experienced
them, you ' re really short-changing
yourselfand yourchildren. You'remiss–
ing something good.
What ls "Hallowed"?
God commands us to hallow His holy
days-which include both weekly and
annual Sabbaths (Ezekiel20:20).ln the
world tomorrow al! peoplewill be taught
to hallow God's Sabbaths (Ezekiel
44:24). (Request our free booklet
Which Day ls the Christian Sabbath?)
The word "hallowed" means "regarded
as holy or sacred."
At thestart ofthisarticle thequestion
was asked: "What is so 'hallowed' about
Halloween?" The answer is nothing.
Absolutely nothing. But the setting of
the sun at the beginning ofone ofGod's
holy and sacred Sabbaths ushers in a
truly meaningful and hallowed eve–
ning. o
Sex-a controversia! subject
from time immemorial-has
been labeled as everything from
"a necessary evil"
lo
a panacea
for almost everything. Sex has
been stigmatized and sensation–
alized; yet today's sexual revolu–
tion has not brought human hap–
piness and well-being. Now you
can understand the reason why.
Our free booklet titled
ls Sex
Sin?
reveals the God-ordained
purpose of sex. The booklet is
not pornographic, and it isn't a
sex manual. lnstead, it is a frank
discussion on what the Bible
says about sex and marriage.
No young adult or married cou–
ple should be without this knowl–
edge. lt is written for adult minds
but is a handy reference tool for
parents when discussing !he
subject with their children . lt
shows how you can achieve a
balanced viewpoint and counter
wrong values. To receive your
free copy, just use the Literature
Request card in this issue or
wrjte to
The Plain Truth
at the
address nearest you.
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