Come Out From Among Them: What Torah Says About Halloween

Halloween is almost here, and social media is buzzing. Some believers say stay away. Some say it's harmless. Others say it's fine as long as we bring it into the church and call it a "fall festival" or "trunk-or-treat." But can we take something unholy and make it holy just by renaming it?

In this teaching, Mikha'el sets the origin stories aside and lets the Scriptures speak. We walk through the Torah's commands to Israel not to walk in the ways of the nations, then through the warnings of the prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Hosea, Amos and Micah), and land on Paul's call in 2 Corinthians 6: "Come out from among them and be separate."

Along the way:

- Avodah zarah (Hebrew, "foreign worship" or "strange service"): the term for any idolatrous practice.

- Kadosh (Hebrew, "set apart" or "holy"): what it means to belong to Yehovah, and why separation from forbidden worship is one expression of holiness.

- Belial and anomia (Greek, "lawlessness," literally "without Torah"): what fellowship does Yeshua (Jesus) have with lawlessness?

- One law for the native-born and the stranger. These commands were never "just for Israel."

- Why "the building sanctifies it" has no Scripture behind it.

Whether you're settled on this or still wrestling with it, we pray this blesses you and helps you walk in the light.

Scriptures in this episode

- Leviticus 18:1–5, 18:24–30

- Leviticus 19:26, 19:31

- Leviticus 20:6–7, 20:26–27

- Deuteronomy 12:1–5, 12:29–31

- Deuteronomy 18:9–14

- Isaiah 1:21–29; 2:6–8; 44:9–20; 57:3–13; 65:2–7; 65:11–12; 66:3–4

- Jeremiah 2:5–13; 3:6–10; 7:9–11; 7:17–20; 10:1–16; 11:9–13; 17:1–4; 19:4–6; 32:29–35; 44:15–25

- Ezekiel 6:3–7; 8:3–18; 14:1–8; 16:15–22; 20:27–32; 36:16–18; 44:23

- Hosea 2:5–13; 4:6–10; 4:12–14; 4:17–19; 9:10; 10:1–8; 11:1–2; 13:1–4; 14:1–3

- Amos 2:4–5; 3:14; 4:4–5; 5:21–27

- Micah 1:5–7; 3:5–7; 5:12–14

- Song of Songs 2:15

- 1 Corinthians 6:12, 10:23

- 2 Corinthians 6:14–18

- Revelation 12:17, 14:12

> "Do not become unevenly yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness and lawlessness? And what fellowship has light with darkness?" (2 Corinthians 6:14, TS2009)

> "Therefore, “Come out from among them and be separate, says יהוה, and do not touch what is unclean, and I shall receive you." (2 Corinthians 6:17, TS2009)

> "And they are to teach My people the difference between the set-apart and the profane, and make them know what is unclean and clean." (Ezekiel 44:23, TS2009)

> "Do not do as they do in the land of Mitsrayim, where you dwelt. And do not do as they do in the land of Kena‛an, where I am bringing you, and do not walk in their laws." (Leviticus 18:3, TS2009)

*Scripture quotations from The Scriptures (TS2009), copyright Institute for Scripture Research. Used by permission.*

A few small corrections

In the flow of teaching, a couple of references came out a little differently than intended. The passage on the cakes for the queen of heaven is Jeremiah 7:17–20, and the verses about those who keep the commandments and hold to their faith in Yeshua are Revelation 12:17 and 14:12. The Halloween quote around 36 minutes blends language published by the Church of Satan and The Satanic Temple, two separate groups. Also, our email is the weekly Monday Meditation, and you can sign up at https://torahawakenings.com.

Chapters

00:00 Intro

00:23 Welcome and what's new at Torah Awakenings

01:10 The Halloween buzz: "fall festival," "trunk-or-treat," and rebranding

03:16 A different angle: letting the Tanakh speak for itself

05:03 How does Yehovah see paganism? Avodah zarah

05:58 Leviticus 18: Don't walk in their laws

09:28 Divination, mediums, and being kadosh (Leviticus 19–20)

12:07 Deuteronomy 12: Don't even ask how they served their gods

14:59 Deuteronomy 18: Abominations to Yehovah

17:04 The prophets' warnings: Isaiah

19:14 Jeremiah

22:12 Ezekiel

24:25 Hosea

26:14 Amos

27:20 Micah, and why Israel went into exile

29:16 The holy and the profane (Ezekiel 44:23)

30:21 2 Corinthians 6: "Come out from among them"

31:36 Separate vs. holy, Belial, and lawlessness

34:46 Is God in it? Trunk-or-treat and the four walls

36:07 What Halloween means to those who celebrate it

37:21 Final thoughts: Can you say yes to God on this?

38:45 "Why don't you do a teaching on that day?"

40:34 Closing and blessing

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Shalom, and Yehovah bless you.

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