Abba: "The Visitors"

What a song this is. People with anxiety sure relate to the fear of somebody at their door. I certainly feel anxious at Halloween as I don't want to promote evil through celebrating it.

Listen to this song here.

Halloween, for many, is just for fun. But spiritism is a dangerous thing to mess with. As Isaiah 8:19 (Bible in Basic English) reminds us, "And when they say to you, 'Make request for us to those who have control of spirits, and to those wise in secret arts, who make hollow bird-like sounds;' is it not right for a people to make request to their gods, to make request for the living to the dead?"

We ought to pray for the salvation of such deluded people who want to lead us astray. Look at what Proverbs 28:10 (BBE) says about their fait. "Anyone causing the upright to go wandering in an evil way, will himself go down into the hole he has made; but the upright will have good things for their heritage."

xFurthermore, it's for our protection that we mustn't play with wicked spirits through the Ouija board, tarot cards, and by visiting fortune tellers. As God told his people through Moses in Deuteronomy 18:10-12 (BBE), "Let there not be seen among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter go through the fire, or anyone using secret arts, or a maker of strange sounds, or a reader of signs, or any wonder-worker, Or anyone using secret force on people, or putting questions to a spirit, or having secret knowledge, or going to the dead for directions. For all who do such things are disgusting to the Lord; and because of these disgusting things the Lord your God is driving them out before you."

But some folks will say that playing with the Ouija board is just a game. Oh? Look at Leviticus 19:31 (BBE). "Do not go after those who make use of spirits, or wonder-workers; do not go in their ways or become unclean through them: I am the Lord your God."

Let our visitors be those beloved siblings in Christ who follow him. We read this in 1 John 1:6 and 7 (BBE). "If we say we are joined to him, and are walking still in the dark, our words are false and our acts are untrue: But if we are walking in the light, as he is in the light, we are all united with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son makes us clean from all sin."

If our beloved Master hasn't visited us by Monday, I hope to post about a science fiction song from a group not known for that genre of music.

René Halkett & David J (BAUHAUS): "Nothing"

What a strange song this is. It's hard to imagine no matter, no energy, and no anything. Unfortunately, this track is no longer on YouTube.

There was a time before anything in creation existed. Paul wrote about this time and how things had been planned out in 1 Corinthians 2:7 (Bible in Basic English). "But we give the news of the secret wisdom of God, which he had kept in store before the world came into existence, for our glory;"

We also read how we were chosen before creation by the Lord. Ephesians 1:4-6 (BBE) explains, "Even as he made selection of us in him from the first, so that we might be holy and free from all evil before him in love: As we were designed before by him for the position of sons to himself, through Jesus Christ, in the good pleasure of his purpose, To the praise of the glory of his grace, which he freely gave to us in the Loved One..."

We likewise learn the purpose for our creation in Ephesians 2:10 (BBE). "For by his act we were given existence in Christ Jesus to do those good works which God before made ready for us so that we might do them."

We also understand that there was a time before creation, which is mentioned in Titus 1:1 and 2 (BBE). "Paul, a servant of God, and an Apostle of Jesus Christ, in agreement with the faith of the saints of God and the full knowledge of what is true in harmony with religion, In the hope of eternal life, which was made certain before eternal time, by the word of God who is ever true;"

And lest any one think that only Paul taught the doctrine of Christ's pre-existence, 1 Peter 1:20 and 21 (BBE) reads, "Who was marked out by God before the making of the world, but was caused to be seen in these last times for you, Who through him have faith in God who took him up again from the dead into glory; so that your faith and hope might be in God."

Likewise Revelation 17:8 (BBE) shows that we have our names written in God's book before he created anything. "The beast which you saw was, and is not; and is about to come up out of the great deep, and to go into destruction. And those who are on the earth, whose names have not been put in the book of life from the first, will be full of wonder when they see the beast, that he was, and is not, and still will be."

So if Christ hasn't returned for us by Saturday, I hope to post about how visitors can cause people anxiety.

Alice Cooper: "I'm Eighteen"

This shock rocker wasn't a mere singer. Many of his songs had a lot of thought put into them. This one is particularly relevant to that magic age when a boy morphs into a man. Hear it here:

Adulthood is difficult for a child to adjust to at first. That's why Paul said about spiritual maturity in 1 Corinthians 13:11 (Bible in Basic English), "When I was a child, I made use of a child's language, I had a child's feelings and a child's thoughts: now that I am a man, I have put away the things of a child."

We should also be glad to take responsibility as adults, even if it seems frightening. One great example of this is Jeremiah 1:6 and 7 (BBE). "Then said I, 'O Lord God! see, I have no power of words, for I am a child.' But the Lord said to me, 'Do not say, "I am a child:" for wherever I send you, you are to go, and whatever I give you orders to say, you are to say.'"

By the time we become adults, we should be able to assume the duties of an adult. Sadly, children these days don't have the beneficial correction of Proverbs 22:15 (BBE). "Foolish ways are deep-seated in the heart of a child, but the rod of punishment will send them far from him."

The God-given privilege of an adult is to raise a family. As Christ said in Matthew 19:5 (BBE), "For this cause will a man go away from his father and mother, and be joined to his wife; and the two will become one flesh?"

As adults, married men need the sacrificial maturity to provide for his family. Like Paul wrote in Ephesians 5:25 (BBE), "Husbands, have love for your wives, even as Christ had love for the church, and gave himself for it;"

Furthermore, work is where real consequences happen to lazy people. As Proverbs 10:5 (BBE) explains, "He who in summer gets together his store is a son who does wisely; but he who takes his rest when the grain is being cut is a son causing shame."

If Christ returns for his harvest by Thursday, I won't bother uploading my post about nothing.

Helen Reddy: "Angie Baby"

This was the follow-up song to "I Am Woman" which became a worldwide hit in 1972. Though this didn't chart as high, it still is a great fantasy-story song. Hear it here:

To the unbelieving world, the Bible is akin to fantasy. Historical events like the worldwide flood and the resurrection of Christ seem unbelievable. But God does things which the natural person can't credit.

The ten plagues of Egypt is just one example. I recall a scientist on a CBC science show claiming that each plague was a natural progression from the previous one.

This argument falls apart when the plague of darkness came upon Egypt. Those folks were used to sand storms but this was total blackness, as Exodus 10:21 (Bible in Basic English) shows. "And the Lord said to Moses, 'Let your hand be stretched out to heaven, and all the land of Egypt will be dark, so that men will be feeling their way about in the dark.' And when Moses' hand was stretched out, dark night came over all the land of Egypt for three days;"

Neither can supposedly-educated folks explain how the sun stood still in Joshua 10:12 and 13 (BBE). "It was on the day when the Lord gave up the Amorites into the hands of the children of Israel that Joshua said to the Lord, before the eyes of Israel, 'Sun, be at rest over Gibeon; and you, O moon, in the valley of Aijalon.' And the sun was at rest and the moon kept its place till the nation had given punishment to their attackers. (Is it not recorded in the book of Jashar?) So the sun kept its place in the middle of the heavens, and was waiting, and did not go down, for the space of a day."

Doubters also claim that the apostles made up the stories about Christ. But Peter wrote in 2 Peter 1:16 and 17 (BBE), "For when we gave you news of the power and the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, our teaching was not based on stories put together by art, but we were eye-witnesses of his glory. For God the Father gave him honour and glory, when such a voice came to him out of the great glory, saying, 'This is my dearly loved Son, with whom I am well pleased.'"

If our hoped-for return of Jesus hasn't happened by Monday, I hope to feature a song about coming of age and its difficulties.

Nurse With Wound: "I Was No Longer His Dominant"

What a frightening and sombre piece this is. This British band used the voice of a psychiatrist to present the weirdness of that profession. If you're brave enough, listen to this music here:

One thing psychiatry can't explain is demon possession. In their worldly world view, it's some sort of psychosis.

But we Christians know better and so did Jesus. Matthew 9:32 and 33 (Bible in Basic English) shows how he easily healed people and cast out demons. "And while they were going away, there came to him a man without the power of talking, and with an evil spirit. And when the evil spirit had been sent out, the man had the power of talking: and they were all surprised, saying, 'Such a thing has never been seen in Israel.'"

That man never had to endure endless appointments or meetings with fake deliverance preachers.

Christ also knew who was insane and who was possessed. As Matthew 4:24 (BBE) plainly shows, "And news of him went out through all Syria; and they took to him all who were ill with different diseases and pains, those having evil spirits and those who were off their heads, and those who had no power of moving. And he made them well."

Nobody had to be psychoanalyzed either. Jesus knew each person's diagnosis and healed them accordingly.

Furthermore, the demons knew who Jesus was, and what he was, without being told. As Mark 5:6 and 7 (BBE) plainly shows, the demons were terrified of Christ. "And when he saw Jesus from far off, he went quickly to him and gave him worship; And crying out with a loud voice he said, 'What have I to do with you, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? In God's name, do not be cruel to me.'" This poor man became Christ's first evangelist once he was freed of those devils.

And if our Lord hasn't arrived to cast all demons and the Devil into the lake of fire by Saturday, I hope to post about a woman who others thought was insane, or was she?

Redbone: "The Witch Queen of New Orleans"

This native American group had their first international hit with this song. It was the start of their rise to fame during the early seventies. Hear the song here:

Halloween is thought of by many as a time to dress up as witches, monsters, and other frightening things. What many folks fail to realize is that the Devil and his demons are real.

We see in Scripture how Christ healed physical ailments as well as casting out demons. Luke 8:1-3 (Bible in Basic English) tells us, "And it came about, after a short time, that he went through town and country giving the good news of the kingdom of God, and with him were the twelve, And certain women who had been made free from evil spirits and diseases, Mary named Magdalene, from whom seven evil spirits had gone out, And Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod's chief house-servant, and Susanna and a number of others, who gave him of their wealth for his needs."

But along with Christ's kindness, we see how serious God was about witchcraft. Exodus 22:18 (BBE) bluntly states, "Any woman using unnatural powers or secret arts is to be put to death."

Furthermore, God gives his reason for such an extreme sentence in Leviticus 20:6 (BBE). "And whoever goes after those who make use of spirits and wonder-workers, doing evil with them, against him will my face be turned, and he will be cut off from among his people."

Notice too that whenever Israel forsook the Lord, they worshipped demons who pretended to be gods. As Deuteronomy 32:17 (BBE) states plainly, "They made offerings to evil spirits which were not God, to gods who were strange to them, which had newly come up, not feared by your fathers."

Is it any wonder then that God hates such monstrous wickedness? As Paul wrote in 1 Thessalonians 5:22 (BBE), "Keep from every form of evil."

If Christ hasn't come by Thursday, I'll feature a spooky spoken-word piece based on a psychiatrist's report.

Rez: "80,000 Underground"

This Christian metal band released a fair number of albums during the eighties, much to the delight of Christian rock fans like me. This song is about how a shopping mall was built on a paupers' graveyard. Check it out here.

A time will come when graveyards won't be quiet. As Jesus foretold in John 5:28 and 29 (Bible in Basic English), "Do not be surprised at this: for the time is coming when his voice will come to all who are in the place of the dead, And they will come out; those who have done good, into the new life; and those who have done evil, to be judged."

And make of this what you will. Matthew 27:52 and 53 (BBE) describes a sort of pre-resurrection event. "And the resting-places of the dead came open; and the bodies of a number of sleeping saints came to life; And coming out of their resting-places, after he had come again from the dead, they went into the holy town and were seen by a number of people."

Christ's resurrection is so important that we're commanded to proclaim the future judgement of all people. As Peter said in Acts 10:42 (BBE), "And he gave us orders to give news of this to the people, and to give public witness that this is he whom God has made judge of the living and the dead."

Look also at what Romans 14:10 (BBE) says about those siblings in the faith who wrongly judge us. "But you, why do you make yourself your brother's judge? or again, why have you no respect for your brother? because we will all have to take our place before God as our judge."

Wicked people scoff and they assume there won't be a judgement day. But God owns all humanity, as Ezekiel 18:4 (BBE) shows. "See, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so the soul of the son is mine: death will be the fate of the sinner's soul."

If the glorious resurrection hasn't happened by Monday, I'll share a song about a woman who became famous in New Orleans for her witchery.