Halloween and Demons

By Michael Griego on October 30, 2026 • ( 0 )

Demons are such fun, right? It’s only Halloween. Don’t be a killjoy. The masks are finally coming off on what’s really going on in the spiritual realm. ◊

It’s curious how magic spells and witchcraft and spirits abound in modern children TV shows and movies for all ages. Looks like a concerted effort by key influencers in powerful places to corrupt a distracted society.

The topic of the Devil is almost a joke for many, but it certainly is normalized in the foisting of demons and witchcraft throughout the culture.

And many Christians go right along with it as harmless fun with a wink and a nod. After all, we believe in Jesus and the Bible so what’s the problem?

Jesus is good; Satan is bad. God is love, and He protects us from evil and goblins. Right?

Comfortable with Spiritual Warfare
What’s more palatable for many Christians is to refer to the whole matter as Spiritual Warfare and acknowledge the existence of good and dark forces seen and unseen but not really that crucial to everyday life. Like believing in Star Wars and Darth Vader and the Force. God is like the Force. A good Force, and evil is like the Dark Side and all the bad characters.

It makes sense, and sounds Biblical. We cheer for good to win. And most of the time it does. And we pray for good, not bad. So what’s the real problem?

We Christians really do believe in the spiritual realm. Actually, do you really believe in the Devil? Can you explain it to a non-Christian in terms other than Satan rebelled somehow from God and how he and other spiritual beings now torments us in this life? And that Jesus had power over them and that now they fear the name of Jesus.

Yes, we believe it’s a spiritual battle and Jesus wins. And we win because we believe in Jesus. And, in fact, the battle and war has been won,

Amen.

What About Cosmic Warfare?
We see in Genesis 1 “in the beginning” that God creates the earth, the stars, life, and all of this universe’s dimension as we see it, including Man, made in God’s own image (Genesis 1:26). But have you ever really taken notice of the fact that an enemy of God, the Serpent, was present in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve?

And that’s already in Genesis Chapter 2.

Indeed, there is something going on here prior, perhaps in another dimension far, far away, in which opposing forces are already at work, even war in some cosmic rebellion extended to the earth.

Recent works over the past couple of decades by Michael Heiser¹(The Unseen Realm) and Dale Moreau²(Theological Voice) are connecting the dots that link Old Testament and New Testament passages that have long been ignored by pastors and Christian congregations alike that take us to strange places.

What emerges is a 4-part picture that has been largely lost to the Western church:

Supernatural Cosmic Rebellion – three distinct supernatural rebellions that have disordered God’s holy creation at every level.
Disembodied Spirits – a finite group of disembodied spirits with a specific and identifiable origin.
Concealed Strategy of the Cross – a fresh perspective on the cross of Jesus, a cosmically decisive event in the history of the universe,
Church Proclamation of the Gospel – the primary instrument of spiritual warfare is not a deliverance technique but the proclamation of a gospel whose advance the powers of darkness cannot survive.³

I will address each of these 4 topics in upcoming Biblical Viewpoint posts in more detail.

In the meantime, in the midst of the popular Halloween holiday, here are some basics on the Devil.

Is the Devil an Epic Myth?
The mythic image we have of the red devil with horns and a pitchfork is actually a myth. It does not come from the Bible. Many tie the imagery more to Pan of Greek mythology. It was the epic poem by Englishman John Milton in 1667, Paradise Lost, which described Lucifer’s expulsion from heaven. And we get that name, Lucifer, from the Latin translation of Day Star as referenced in Isaiah: ⁴

How you have fallen from heaven, Day Star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations! You said in your heart, “I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.” But you are brought down to the realm of the dead, to the depths of the pit. (Isaiah 14:12-15)

So if this is all real and not a myth, how are we to respond?

We Are in a Spiritual Battle
As the Bible does attest, Satan exists and was created by God as an angel (Matthew 15:41) and was blameless until his rebellion against God (Ezekiel 28:12-15). Because of his rebellion (and others), he and a legion of angelic beings have become a powerful force of evil in the world.

Kenneth Boa refers to Satan as the prince of the world system – his forces surround the earth…he influences the changing philosophies and politics of this planet.⁵ His names reveal his evil practices: devil, slanderer, evil one, destroyer, tempter, accuser, deceiver, murderer, liar, and father of lies.

As you review these other attributes of Satan and anti-God forces, consider the impact on your own life:

He opposes the person and program of God (Isaiah 14:14)
He conceals his identity by disguising himself as an angel of light and counterfeiting the truth (2 Corinthians 11:13-15)
He deceives the nations (Revelation 20:3)
He works against the hearts of the unsaved (Luke 8:123)
He inspires spiritual counterfeits – false religions and false prophets (1 John 1:18, 22; 4:3)
He promotes the pursuit of the occult for hidden knowledge and power (Deuteronomy 18:9-13)
He implants wicked thoughts and plans into people’s minds (John 13:2, Acts 5:3)
He can inflict disease and death (John 2:1-7), Acts 10:38, Hebrews 2:14)

Can one be possessed by demons? The Bible does not use the term “demon possession.” The Greek word daimonizomenoi means “to be demonized” which allows for different degrees of demonization, ranging from influence to oppression to control.⁶

Thus, all people are targets for the forces of Satan and evil beings. They can assault our minds, thoughts, and influence our emotions, and weaken our wills, injecting deceptive, accusing and condemning thoughts and attitudes that are opposed to the truth of Scripture (2 Corinthians 10:3-6, 11:3). We can be oppressed by obsessive thoughts and behavior, even enslaved to irrational impulses and behavior. Most severe, as seen in several Jesus’ encounters, is demonic activity that dominates the mind, speech and behavior.

Yes, the battle is real, but the war has been won. And most of us, Christians included, are not seriously prepared for the fight, nor fully understand the larger story. Thankfully though, we have been given authority and victory in this spiritual battle (Matthew 10:1; Luke 9:1; 10:19).

Because of the cross of Christ, Satan is a defeated foe (John 12:31). Our spiritual weapons: prayer, the Word of God, and our union with Him through the Holy Spirit (Colossians 2:9-15) actually equip us to be “rescued from the domain of darkness and transferred to the kingdom of His beloved Son” (Colossians 1:13).

And so, enjoy Halloween, but be wise. It’s high-time to seriously engage, with Godly strength and confidence, an enemy that is real, insidious, treacherous, and highly dangerous.

But you’re on the winning side.

Do you believe in the Devil? I certainly do.
_______________________________
You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that–and shudder. – James 2:19

¹ The Unseen Realm, Recovering the Supernatural Worldview of the Bible, by Michael S. Heiser, 2015, Lexham Press, Bellingham, WA.

² Theological Voice, in Substack.com by Dale Moreau, https://dalemoreau.substack.com/p/the-powers-of-darkness?utm_source=publication-search

³ Ibid

⁴ Daily Dose of Bible Knowledge, Randy Peterson, David Baker, David deSilva, David Howard, Craig Wansink, West Side Publishing, Lincolnwood, IL, 2009, p.57.

⁵ Conformed to His Image, by Kenneth Boa, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, MI, p. 327.

⁶ Ibid. p. 344.