History – Page 34 – Gregory Scott Blog

The History of Halloween

I like history, and since tomorrow is Halloween, I thought you might be interested in how Halloween came to be.

A long, long time ago, in a land far, far away there lived a people named the Celts. The Celts originated in what is now Europe but later migrated to what is today Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and parts of England. They later migrated from Ireland to Boston, Massachussetts where they founded an NBA franchise that would go on to win 17 championships under such greats as Bill Russell, John Havlicek and Larry Bird.

The Celts believed in a spirit called Samhain, meaning “Lord of Death.” At the end of their year (October 31), they believed Samhain came to the earth to collect the spirits of all the people who died during the year and lead them to the afterlife. They also believed demonic spirits roamed the earth.

To appease the evil spirits, or trick them, the Celts would dress up in costumes and masks to look like demons, hoping the real demons would mistake them for one of their own and not destroy their crops or act in other uncivil ways toward them. Apparently the Celts didn’t believe these evil spirits had good eyesight, or maybe they are a lot like people today and didn’t believe what they were celebrating at all.

In the eighth century Pope Gregory III, in an effort to snuff out the pagan celebration, moved All Saints Day from May 13 to November 1, making October 31, “All Hallows Eve.” Unfortunately this was about as effective as the Inquisition.

Later the Irish version of English, as it is, resulted in “All Hallows Eve” being shortened to “Halloween.” In the 1840’s, the Irish brought Halloween with them as they immigrated to the United States.

Today, Halloween is the second biggest holiday in the United States in terms of money spent. Just two years ago, Americans spent $5.1 billion on Halloween, more than Easter, Mother’s Day and Thanksgiving.

So, there you have it. The history of Halloween. If you have any other questions, please direct them to the Celts’s front office in Boston. GS

Why Being A Swell Guy Won’t Cut It

It’s what everybody thinks until they read the Bible: “If I’m good enough the Lord will let me into heaven.”

It’s what I thought before I became a Christian, and it is the default philosophy for just about everyone who thinks they are a Christian but have never read what the Bible says about the subject. On the scale of accurateness though this philosophy is right there with the flat earth society.

There are some good reasons the Lord didn’t set up a goodness standard as the test for eternal life.

First, how would anyone this side of heaven ever know how good was good enough? One could never know whether one had done enough good to have their ticket punched.

Second, it would make us the means to our own salvation. We would, in effect, become our own saviors. While that might seem attractive at first blush, it would actually foster pride, which makes us more self-centered and less good. The means to our salvation would become the means to our own destruction. Our quest for salvation would ensure its failure.

Third, it would create an uneven playing field because people who come from broken homes, are victims of physical or sexual abuse or other dysfunctional conduct, would always start off at a severe disadvantage as a result of something over which they had no control. That would hardly be fair.

It makes sense then that the Bible says to the Christian, “…by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast.” (Eph. 2:8-9).

Salvation occurs by believing on Jesus who paid the price for our sin. It is Jesus who saves, not us. And it happens by grace, i.e., as a gift that is offered to us by God. If it was a result of our good works, we would be able to brag and be full of pride. And, salvation happens on the even playing field of the heart, about as fair a playing field as you can find in a fallen world.

Seems like the Lord knew what He was doing. GS

A Peculiar Pattern In The Book of Daniel

This year I’m doing something I’ve never done: I’m reading the entire Bible through in historical order, the order the events in the Bible happened, not when they were written.

It’s been a fascinating journey, one that has enabled me to see things in the Bible I had never noticed. I made one such discovery last week in the Book of Daniel.

Daniel is a fascinating book for me because it describes broad swaths of world history. There is prophecy pertaining to the Babylonian Empire, the coming Persian, Greek and Roman empires.

There is mention of Nebuchadnezzar, Cyrus the Great and prophecies regarding Alexander the Great and Antiochus Epiphanes IV, major historical figures and objects of study for even secular historians.

It is in the context of this setting and description of historical world-dominating empires that something peculiar emerges regarding the coming kingdom of God.

The Book of Daniel essentially starts with the story of Daniel interpreting the prophetic dream of Babylonian emperor Nebuchadnezzar, which concludes with a description of the kingdom of God, “And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed…it will itself endure forever.” (Daniel 2:44)

Later Nebuchadnezzar, after having an interesting encounter with God, praises Him and states in a written declaration, “His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and His dominion is from generation to generation.” (Daniel 4:3).

Then during the reign of Nebuchadnezzar’s successor, Belshazzar, Daniel has a vision, at the end of which he declares “His dominion is an everlasting dominion which will not pass away; and His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed.” (Daniel 7:14)

After that Darius the Mede ascends to the throne and seeing the miraculous delivery of Daniel from the lions’ den proclaims, “For He is the living God and enduring forever, and His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed, and His dominion will be forever.” (Daniel 6:26).

It’s almost as if God placed this repeating theme of the enduring nature of the kingdom of God in the midst of this book of great earthly kingdoms and rulers to make a point: All these earthly kingdoms, the greatest the earth has had to offer, ultimately were conquered by others, but the kingdom of God will never be left for another people and will endure forever. The Lord even has two non-Jewish earthly rulers proclaim this truth so that we don’t miss the point.

And there is one last point. The enduring nature of the kingdom of God is not merely a result of the promise of an afterlife, but it is a characteristic of the kingdom of God on earth. The kingdom of God has endured and will continue to endure, not only because it offers life after death, but before it. GS

The Story of Seneca

Seneca (Lucius Annaeus Seneca or Seneca the Younger) was a Stoic philosopher and writer who lived during the first century A.D. (3 B.C. – 65 A.D.) just as the kingdom of God was taking root throughout the Roman Empire. Seneca was a respected and influential man in Rome, as is evidenced by his being selected as Nero’s tutor. Unfortunately, Nero wasn’t as good a student as Seneca was a philosopher because as Roman Emperor Nero would initiate the first great Roman persecution against the Christians. One of his sadistic acts was to use Christians as human torches to light his garden parties at the palace.

Seneca, however, was a different story. When Nero seemed intent on killing every possible contender for his throne, Seneca told him, “However many people you slaughter, you cannot kill your successor.” He was a smart guy. He was also well-respected by the Christians, and his writings aligned so often with Christian teaching, many Christians believed Seneca was secretly a Christian.

Seneca’s brother was Gallio, the Roman governor of Achaia who refused the Jews’ request to punish the Apostle Paul for preaching the Gospel in Corinth. (Acts 18:12-17).

With that introduction, here are some quotes from Seneca’s writings, so you can decide for yourself whether a Stoic can sometimes stumble onto truth:

(On discipleship): “…the road is long if one proceeds by way of precepts but short and effectual if by way of personal example.”

“Man’s ideal state is realized when he has fulfilled the purpose for which he was born.”

“A guilty person sometimes has the luck to escape detection, but never to feel sure of it.”

“He needs but little who desires but little. He has his wish whose wish can be to have what is enough.”

“With afflictions of the spirit, the opposite is the case: the worse a person is, the less he feels it.”

How You Respond To Adversity Matters

The first century Stoic writer, Seneca, made this comment about Christians: “In the midst of the flame and the rack, I have seen men not only not groan, that is little; not only not complain, that is little; not only not answer back, that is too little; but I have seen them smile, and smile with a good heart.” Seneca was not a Christian, but he was watching Christians and he noticed a difference.

There is something to be said for style in enduring adversity. I blogged on this point some time ago in relation to the martyrdom of Polycarp. The Apostle Peter said trials give the Christian the opportunity for demonstrating the “proof of your faith.” (I Peter 1:6-7). The quote from Seneca above shows that that proof is not just for the believer but also for non-Christians who are watching.

Next time you are going through a tough time, remember that others are watching you. You are an ambassador for the kingdom of God and it’s King, Jesus. What proof will you give them of the Holy Spirit, who dwells in you? GS