Thought for November 1: To the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.

Today lots of people go to the graves of their beloved. Most of the time of the year they think not about them, but near the end of October they start worrying about graves to be cleaned and think about the dead and ghosts.

Yesterday children came along the doors singing “trick or treat” and last weekend and this weekend many Halloween marches or Halloween walks are presented to the folks by many organizations.
Several people love the mystery which surrounds these autumn months. Some find the Halloween events a great way to close out October and a great way to usher in November.

Zombie 5 — Through Manchester, a cacophony of shrill screams echoing through the streets – some sort of distorted zombie parade. – Manchester’s Walking Dead

Strange that in many so called Christian countries the Church family minions are encouraged to take part in those heathen festivities and rites. Strange also that several grown-ups take on childish attitudes and cloth themselves in spooks, skeletons, monsters and ghosts. For lots of people Halloween or Samhain like celebrating other festivals they love seems a good excuse to make a lot of fun and to enjoy special food. They do not seem to see how this pagan festival and other heathen feasts (like the coming up Saint-Nicholas, Yule Festival of light and Christmas) go in against the Will of God.

A lot of people who call themselves Christian do forget that lovers of God should not learn the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven (Jeremiah 10:2-4). The many festivals man made himself to find an excuse to do things which surpass the ‘normal’ are customs which are in vain or even by going in against the Will of God may bring people further away from God.

Yesterday we read Daniel 9 were we got an example of how we should direct ourselves to God and find our refuge by Him and not by witches, ghosts or other gods. Many people react negatively to those who do not want to join all the festivities around Halloween, All Saints and All Souls. They laugh at those Christians who prefer not to partake at those worldly festivities.

After All Souls, on November the 3rd we shall read chapter 12 from the book of Daniel, where there is a warning what shall happen when the times come to an end.

⁴But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased. (Daniel 12:4 ASV)

In yesterdays reading we learned how the prophet Daniel sighed forward a Messiah who would come to the world to save it from the curse of death. Today we see lots of people who love more to put their hopes in all those man-made feasts and have no interest in that Messiah or in God. In that reading we also came to hear we should be very careful with those people around us. We should not as such trust all of our neighbours or even relatives, for all of our relatives may act deceitfully or at times could be cheaters, and several people who we consider to be friends could go about with slanders. (Daniel 9:4).

To real followers of Christ open humiliation from people whose remarks can feel like sharp arrows, making us ashamed. (Daniel 9:8-9; Jeremiah 9:8-9) It can well be in the past we also partook in such events. Though we have to know we can trust the righteousness of the Most High Elohim, Him being a loving and forgiving God.

People should know that coming closer to the end times it becomes more important to obey the voice of the Lord our God by walking in His laws that He gave us through His servants the prophets. Also having the Messianic Scriptures we have the Gospel giving us enough information how to live according God’s Will.

To become a brother or sister in Christ you have to do the Will of God. (Matthew 12:50) We should also try to get others to come to see that for what we pray in the Lord’s Prayer, asking that God’s Kingdom will come and that God His Will take place [11] on earth as in heaven. (Matthew 6:10).

Though we can find that lots of people do not know any more what to believe and how righteously to behave, they’re running to and fro, trying out all sorts of things, we should tell them that

God’s will is that all sorts of men should be saved

Therefore, we should make use of those coming at our doors for Halloween to witness about the Greatness of the Divine Creator, the Elohim Hashem God. Also these days when people talk about going to the graveyard we can talk about the position of the dead and about the hope we may carry by the grace of salvation.

Preceding

Days of madness with big bonfires, parades, and dressing up in costumes as saints, angels and devils

Today’s thought “prepare the roads for yourself and divide for the way to peace with Cities of Refuge” (May 02)