Beware the Weekend!

You heard me right, beware! Those things that go bump in the night aren't always when you suspect they are. So it's Halloween weekend and All Saint' Day follows on November 1. But there is more amiss that you may not be aware of so let's have a look.

Halloween

I'll not delve into the origins of the second most popular holiday in the world since others have done so already. We know it as a time for young people to wear costumes, attend parties, have spooky fun and go trick-or-treating.

Halloween is not a big celebratory event everywhere, however, as some observe All Saint's Day instead.

Whatever your preferences, we should approach either/or with extreme caution. Check all treats carefully before consuming them. if you're out at night, bring a flashlight, walk in groups (never alone!), maintain adult supervision at all times, and refrain from alcohol consumption for safety's sake.

Solar flare

Were you aware of the breaking news regarding a large solar flare reaching Earth on Halloween? It's true! Strange timing, don't you think?

Scientists believe we could lose electricity this weekend (not unusual for us in the #Philippines!). Parts of South America have already lost power. Solar flares "can endanger astronauts in space, interfere with satellite communications signals and affect power grids on Earth" (Malik, 2021).

"More chaos [is] reportedly on the way" (Paul, 2021). According to the author, "Space weather forecasters at Spaceweather.com said that the CME is racing towards Earth. at 1260 km/s (2.8 million mph). It is predicted that it may strike the Earth by Saturday or Sunday."

"Earlier this month, Express.co.uk spoke to space weather expert Professor Mathew Owen, from The University of Reading about the damage the geomagnetic storms might cause. And he warned that the worst case scenario is that we could see a global power outage lasting days. 

This time with a G-3 level storm, stronger than the G-2 storm earlier this month, we could be in for a real shock" (Paul, 2021).

Follow the link (Paul citation) below for more information.

I'm not really concerned right now. But I am prepared with candle, charged phones, and a flashlight. Additionally, we have food and water. 

Spirits

Well, should we also worry about ghosts? Absolutely not! There's no such thing as ghosts. How do we know this? God speaks about this very issue.

"For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing, and they have no more reward, for the memory of them is forgotten. Their love and their hate and their envy have already perished, and forever they have no more share in all that is done under the sun" (Ecclesiastes 9:5-6, ESV).

Note the underlined portion of the verse. This means that dead people on longer have any involvement in the things that happen on the earth. So don't sweat it, let it.

On the other hand, demons are free to roam the earth and do so as we live. Demons, as spirit beings, have the capacity to take full possession of a physical body, but not a believer's body.

This is why nobody should involve themselves in any occult practices. These consist of (but not limited to) such things as: Jewish mysticism , Gnosticism, Alchemy, Astrology and Horoscopes, Numerology, Tarot cards and reading, Quija boards, involvement with Satanism, Wicca, paganism, and Divination.

Jesus

Trust in the Creator Jesus (John 1:1). He is our Provider and Protector. It is true that faithful people die at the hands of evil people, but death was conquered by Jesus on the cross.

"And which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel" (2 Timothy 1:10, ESV).

Death is a temporary state for us who believe. "Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. For we live by faith, not by sight. We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord" (2 Corinthians 5:6-8, NIV).

So do not fret, and do be anxious for nothing, as we who trust in Christ know full well that God is in control this weekend and forevermore.

References

Malik, T. (2021). Huge solar flare could supercharge northern lights on Halloween. Space.com. Retrieved from https://www.space.com/northern-lights-on-halloween-from-solar-flare-october-2021

Paul, J. (2021). Solar storm: NASA warns 'significant' flare set to batter Earth: 'Direct hit on Halloween'. Express UK. Retrieved from https://www.express.co.uk/news/science/1513313/solar-storm-nasa-warning-significant-sun-flare-earth-direct-hit-halloween-aurora

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