and let's get started.
Music
Halloween is almost here again,
then it means as Christians we have to ask ourselves again,
is it just a day of harmless fun for the kids
or is it supernatural propaganda from the principalities
and powers that the apostle Paul warned us about.
Welcome to SkyWatch TV for Monday, October 24th, 2016.
2016. I'm Derek Gilbert. Last year at about this time, I produced a series of brief reports on the
most common images, symbols that we see every year at about this time, namely ghosts, witches,
vampires, and werewolves. This year as a primer in the week leading up to Halloween,
I took those analyses and we present them now as one single report.
Ghosts aren't just for Halloween anymore. An entire segment of the entertainment industry has
developed around ghosts, hunting them, filming them, talking to them, and those are just the TV
reality shows. Movies, radio plays, books, tales around the campfire, ghost stories have been around
since at least the dawn of civilization. The ancient Mesopotamians certainly believed that a
person's soul had an existence that continued after death. The epic of Gilgamesh includes an
account of the hero of the tale talking with his dead friend Enkidu. Relatives of the deceased in
Mesopotamia had to leave food and drink offerings for the dead, or those spirits might return to
cause trouble. In the Old Testament, it was understood that the spirits of the dead descended
into Sheol. A place of darkness where both the righteous and the wicked endured a colorless
existence cut off from the living. However, God found it necessary to tell Moses explicitly
that trying to contact the spirits of the dead was forbidden. Apparently, this was a practice that
was common in the ancient Near East. The concept of the ghost was obviously familiar to the apostles.
Jesus' disciples were terrified as he walked toward them across the Sea of Galilee because
they believed he was a ghost. But does that mean ghosts are real? Do the spirits of the dead
really linger on earth, waiting to conclude unfinished business? Well, no. At least not
without special permission from God. There is only one example of what might be an actual ghost
recorded in the Bible. It's in the book of 1 Samuel. The prophet Samuel had died,
and King Saul was facing war with the Philistines who apparently had David and his men fighting on
their side. Saul was desperate for a word from God, but God wasn't talking to him. So the king
disguised himself and went to the medium at Endor. And we read in 1 Samuel 28, the woman said,
whom shall I bring up for you? He said, bring up Samuel for me. When the woman saw Samuel,
she cried out with a loud voice. Now, Scripture doesn't give us any indication that the Elohim
that came up from the earth was anything but the spirit of Samuel. But it's important to note that
the spirit of Samuel appeared only with the permission of God, the assistance of God,
and to pass along a message from God to Saul. It's possible that the medium cried out because
she was shocked to see Samuel instead of the familiar spirit that normally came when she
called out to the dead. Now, what does the Bible say about what happens when we die?
In Hebrews 927, it says, it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment.
Judgment means either being with the Lord or in torment. There is no in between.
Are there spirits on earth? Absolutely. Angels and demons are real. But we humans are not well
equipped to tell the difference between the two. Sometimes, as Scripture tells us, the evil ones
appear as angels of light. The apostle John warned us, beloved, do not believe every spirit,
but test the spirits to see whether they are from God.
You see, spirits can mimic the dead to deceive the living. So the next time you see a television show
with a ghost hunter or a medium and they claim to be getting a message from somebody's late uncle
Fred, please remember, these people are playing with spiritual forces they obviously do not
understand. God warned us not to contact the spirits for our own protection. These spirits
are most probably demons, which means they are most definitely not friendly.
Vampires have undergone a radical makeover. A hundred years ago, everyone knew vampires were
monsters. Today, they're misunderstood. They're seductive, sexy, sophisticated, as likely to be
cast in the role of hero in popular entertainment as not. If you know a young woman, you're probably
familiar with the Twilight saga, which has drawn millions of fans into the story of an awkward
teenage girl, Bella, and her love interest, the painfully handsome, eternally young, 100-something
year old vampire, Edward. Popular television series like True Blood, Buffy the Vampire Slayer,
and Being Human, among others, are the result of a trend that began in the 1970s with the vampire
chronicles, novels of Anne Rice, the transformation of the vampire from monster into hero.
But the fascination with vampires still has a dark side. A vampire subculture within the
goth movement has emerged in the U.S. and Europe. In fact, inspired by a scene in the popular
1999 film Blade, Blood Raves, dances featuring the spraying of simulated blood over the crowd
are planned this year in Amsterdam and New York. The precise origin of the vampire myth is shrouded
in the mists of history. The first recorded use of the word, the old Russian Upir,
Upir, is found in a manuscript of the book of Psalms that was translated into Cyrillic in the
year 1047. However, demonic creatures resembling the modern vampire, evil spirits called Edimu,
were part of the cosmology of ancient Mesopotamia. Our modern concept of the sophisticated aristocratic
vampire stems from the early 19th century. Dr. John Poladori, an associate of Lord Byron,
and Mary Shelley, the author of Frankenstein, published a story in 1819 titled The Vampire.
The villain of the tale, Lord Ruthen, is clearly a precursor of Count Dracula,
the central character of Bram Stoker's 1897 novel, which defined the character and mythology
of the vampire as we know it today. But even in the works of Poladori and Stoker,
the vampire was absolutely evil, a parasite on the body of humanity that was exterminated
only with extreme difficulty and with divine assistance. The most effective weapons against
the vampire as conceived by Stoker symbolize key elements of the Christian faith, holy water
representing baptism, and a sharpened piece of wood representing the cross. Now that is
absolutely appropriate. While we don't know exactly where the vampire myth began, we do know
that God placed special significance on blood, especially human blood, from the very beginning
of creation. When Cain murdered Abel, the Lord said, What have you done? The voice of your
brother's blood is crying to me from the ground, and now you are cursed from the ground which has
opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. When you work the ground,
it shall no longer yield to you at strength, you shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth.
The word blood is used nearly 400 times in the Bible, and in chapter 9 of the book of Genesis,
God made it clear to Noah that blood has a unique property, but you shall not eat flesh with its life,
that is, its blood. And for your life blood, I will require a reckoning. From every beast,
I will require it, and from man. In his novel Dracula, Bram Stoker put the words,
The blood is the life in the mouth of Dracula's victim and servant, Renfield.
In the 1931 movie starring Bella Legosi, the scripture is quoted by the count himself.
Consuming the blood even of animals was absolutely forbidden. How much more than the blood of humans?
As God told Noah, a reckoning is required even from animals that shed the blood of humans.
And yet this has become the stuff of bestselling young adult novels and motion pictures.
Think about this. Jesus Christ shed his blood so that others would have eternal life.
The vampire sheds the blood of others so that he can have eternal life.
That's 180 degrees opposite the life lived by Jesus, and the eternal life that he bought from,
bought for us with his blood. Put simply, the vampire is not a hero. It is the very definition
of antichrist.
As with ghosts, witchcraft, or sorcery, is documented in the oldest records of human history.
The Code of Hammurabi, written about 4,000 years ago, includes penalties for those who cast spells
on other people unjustly. Witchcraft is a very broad concept that differs between cultures,
but in simple terms it's the practice of performing some physical act, a ritual,
speaking a set of words, or inscribing a rune or sigil on an object, to achieve a desired
supernatural result. Magic. And no wonder it's been with humanity since the beginning. I mean,
who wouldn't want to wave a wand or speak a few words and get exactly what you want?
And it makes for good entertainment, from bewitched to American horror story,
from Harry Potter to frozen, from the Wizard of Oz to Maleficent.
And stories about witches and magic always have an audience.
How did humanity learn the art of witchcraft? The book of Enoch suggests that the watchers
who rebelled against Yahweh, the group of 200 who descended upon Mount Hermon, were responsible.
Whether that's literally true or not, Enoch does document for us the belief among Jews during
Old Testament times that the practice of casting spells did not originate with God.
The ancient Egyptians and Babylonians were known for the high status magicians had in their societies.
In fact, archaeologists have learned a lot about the history of the ancient Near East from the
Egyptian execration texts. Names of the enemies of Egypt were inscribed on clay bowls or figurines,
which were then smashed to curse those enemies. A concept similar to sticking pins into a voodoo
doll. The modern English word witch is derived from Old English wicca. The first recorded use of the
word is from the law code of Alfred the Great, King of Wessex, written about the year 890.
Today, wicca is a Neopagan religion developed in the first half of the 20th century and
introduced to the public in 1954. It's a duotheistic belief system that worships a goddess
and a god, typically the moon goddess and a horned god. Although wicca includes a wide range
of beliefs from polytheism to monotheistic goddess worship. Many witches draw a distinction between
black and white magic, the black being the use of supernatural powers for selfish or evil purposes.
However, god makes no distinction between the two, and he's very clear on the subject of witchcraft.
Don't do it. Manasseh, king of Judah, was condemned by god for his many evil practices,
including sorcery. The apostles had their encounters with sorcerers. Simon Magus,
in the book of Acts, amazed Samaria with his magic and was later rebuked by Peter for wanting to
buy the power of the Holy Spirit from the apostles. Paul had his run in with one elimus bargesis
on the island of Cyprus, and in his letter to the Galatians, Paul named sorcery as one of the
sinful practices of unbelievers, and he warned that those who engage in it will not inherit the
kingdom of god. The book of Revelation is even more explicit. Sorcerers are promised a place
in the lake of fire. This may hit uncomfortably close to home for some, or aspects of this
that hit close to home for me. Our daughter read all of the Harry Potter books when she was a kid.
How many of us with children or grandchildren haven't seen the movie Frozen about a dozen times?
I don't mean to be flippant about this, but this is one of those issues where if we take the Bible
seriously, and this is the word of God after all, we may have to make some changes about the type
of entertainment that we enjoy, or even the way that we pray, and it may require some uncomfortable
conversations with our children. I see it's our job to train them up in the way they should go,
and that includes teaching them about God's very clear warnings about witchcraft.
Running a close second to the vampire in young adult fiction in recent years
is the werewolf. Glamorized in movies such as the Underworld series, and especially the Twilight
saga where hunky werewolf Jacob plays the rival to vampire Edward for the affection of the heroine,
the teen girl Bella, the image of the werewolf has been transformed in recent years in much the
same way as that of the vampire. As with vampires, ghosts, and witchcraft, the werewolf or something
like it has been alongside humanity since the beginning of recorded history, and the stories
come from all over the globe. The word werewolf means man-wolf, where is Saxon for man, but there
are references to men transforming into wolves as far back as the ancient Greeks. Historian Herodotus
for example in the 5th century BC mentions a tribe called the Nurei that lived in what is now
northern Ukraine and southern Belarus that reportedly turned into wolves for several days a year.
Greek mythology includes the story of Lycaon who was transformed into a wolf by Zeus for serving
human flesh to the god as a test. Other stories of wolfmen appeared over the next few centuries
in Greek and Roman literature. In Europe, the earliest recorded stories of the werewolf were
from the 11th century, mainly in Germanic cultures. Pagan traditions associated with wolfmen
persisted longest in Scandinavian countries, well into the Viking Age. In the 9th century,
King Herod I of Norway used Ulfethnar, men cland in wolfskins, as berserkers or shock troops,
to unify Norway under his rule. Other Viking chieftains soon realized the value of these troops.
Accounts of the Ulfethnar repeatedly mentioned their boundless rage in battle, biting their shields,
unaffected by fire or swords, blunting their enemies' blades with spells or a glance from their evil
eyes. The Ulfethnar were reputed to channel the spirits of wolves during battle, and they were
closely associated with the chief Norse god Odin. From a Christian perspective, it's not too far
into the realm of speculation to suggest that something demonic was at work in the Ulfethnar.
The berserkers were soon outlawed by Viking leaders and disappeared from history by the 12th
century. But Scandinavian traditions may have influenced beliefs in Slavic cultures to the
southeast, as the Norsemen moved inland and founded what became the modern states of Russia,
Belarus and Ukraine. In the 11th century, Prince Vesislav the Sorcerer was believed to be a werewolf,
as you can see on this 20 ruble coin minted in Belarus in 2005.
Widespread belief in the werewolf myth took hold in Europe in the 15th century,
about the same time that witch trials became more common. The most famous werewolf trial was that
of Peter Stump, a wealthy German farmer called the werewolf of Bedburg. After being stretched on
the rack, Stump confessed to practicing black magic from the age of 12. He said that the devil
gave him a magic belt that allowed him to transform himself into a powerful wolf, and that while he
was in wolf form, he killed an eight, fourteen children and two pregnant women. Stump was executed
appropriately enough on October 31st of 1589, and being the middle ages, his death wasn't pretty.
Now it's possible that wolves, as the most dangerous predator in Europe until the 20th century,
were naturally projected into folklore as dangerous shapeshifters, and the werewolf legend
was used to explain away serial killings. In Central and North America, the power to change
shape was exclusive to sorcerers who were greatly feared. Among the Navajo, shapeshifters were called
skinwalkers, and they were believed to be powerful witches who gained their abilities by breaking
a cultural taboo. The modern image of the werewolf was shaped by the 1941 horror film The Wolfman,
starring Lon Shaney Jr. as the ill-fated Larry Talbot. Talbot was transformed by the bite of a
werewolf, played in the movie by Bela Lugosi, who created the role of Dracula on film. The Wolfman
introduced the idea that werewolves are vulnerable to silver, although Larry Talbot's transformation
did not occur only by the light of the full moon. Most of the werewolf accounts prior to the 20th
century involved the creatures drinking human blood, eating human flesh, or both. As we mentioned
in our report on vampires earlier this week, that's a taboo that God said must never be broken.
Anthropologist Dr. Judd Burton, author of the book Interview with the Giant,
Ethnohistorical Notes on the Nephilim, speculates that the legends of shapeshifters who cannibalized
their victims may have originated with the Nephilim. The book of Enoch records that the
giants who were born of angels and human women oppressed mankind, and whether human subjects
could no longer provide them with enough food, they ate them.
It's not hard to understand why werewolves and vampires have become such popular characters
in entertainment aimed at teens and young adults. It's a time when we were all awkward,
uncomfortable in our own skin. Who wouldn't fantasize about a miraculous transformation
into a being of supernatural strength and power, not to mention good looks?
But whatever the origins of the legend, the werewolf, like the vampire,
is, from a Christian perspective, fundamentally, an abomination.
Obviously, there are other monsters, myths, legends that I could have included as part
of the report on Halloween, mummies, zombies, Frankenstein's monster. But my goal wasn't a
comprehensive report on Halloween, just a brief look at the most common tropes, memes that we see
every year around this time. It's not for me to tell you how to handle Halloween in your home.
You know already, if you've got young children, that you've got a difficult choice to make.
As a Christian, is this something that we should celebrate? I just wanted to present you with
some information that you can use while you make up your mind. This week on Skywatch TV,
an important book and a, boy, if ever there was a guest that we could describe as an expert in
his field, this would be it. Lieutenant Colonel Bob McGinnis, a Pentagon insider, still consults the
Pentagon talking about how technology and the transhumanist movement are changing the way we
fight wars, but also changing what it means to be human. How far do we go in developing technology
to create super soldiers? What are the dangers of artificial intelligence? These are common
themes around here at Skywatch TV because we're talking about technology that is literally,
literally changing what it means to be homo sapiens. And frankly, most of the church is uninformed.
You'll see the program tonight as he discusses his new book, Future War, on the Victory Television
Network that will air at 8.30 tonight down on VTN. Tomorrow, four places, Victory Television Network,
6.30 p.m., also WGGN TV in Sandusky, Ohio, WLLA TV in Kalamazoo, Michigan at 7 p.m., and then
coast to coast at 8.30 p.m. Central Time on the Christian Television Network that's Direct TV
Channel 376, Dish Network Channel 267, and the Glory Star Satellite Channel 117.
Coast to coast twice on Wednesday, 2.30 p.m. Central Time on the Cornerstone Network and then
at 6 p.m. on World Harvest Television that's Direct TV Channel 367, follows the Jim Baker
program. On Thursday, the Victory Television Network again, 6 p.m., down there in Arkansas and
around Memphis, and WLLA TV in Kalamazoo at 6.30. And then Saturday, the Victory Television Network
at 3.30 and WCLF TV in Tampa at 6.30 p.m. Saturday night. You can see a complete listing of dates
and times just updated now at the website, skywatchtv.com, click the link in the top
menu bar that says Channels. The program also available now on demand, the Skywatch TV channel
on Roku. And our Roku channel is where you can also get web exclusive content such as these
daily news updates. But also this week, an interview with Colonel McGinnis. We couldn't fit
into the network television schedule. A second discussion with Colonel McGinnis on the book
Future War, the Transhumanist Movement, and how technology is literally, literally trying to
rewrite the genetic code so that we can create better soldiers. But at what cost? It's the
Skywatch TV channel on Roku, Skywatch TV channel on YouTube, and also skywatchtv.com. Now, if you
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it and the programs themselves. Just click the link in the top menu bar at our website that says
podcast. And we got one week to go in October. Our gift, our thank you for your support this
month very timely. God's Ghostbusters, an anthology of essays from Christians on things that go bump
in the night. Werewolves, vampires, ghosts, demons. We've got them all covered in that book.
Essays from Chuck Missler, Tom Horn, Gary Bates, Rustizdar, many other authors, including yours
truly, will send you a copy of God's Ghostbusters for your donation of any amount during the month
of October while supplies last. For more information and to donate, log on to skywatchtv.com
slash donate. And of course, you can help us out just by clicking your mouse. Click like,
click share, click subscribe if you're watching on YouTube. And this week, my website, DerekPGilbert.com,
an interview with filmmaker Trey Smith. You can watch it. You can listen to it. You'll find the
links at DerekPGilbert.com. If you have questions, comments, or suggestions, please send those to
me, D. Gilbert at skywatchtv.com. And thank you for watching as we keep watch. I'm Derek Gilbert
and this is Skywatch TV. Skywatch TV can help you break through the barriers of space and time
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