"Trick or Treat" is an expression that will be repeated thousands of times all over the nation this time of the year. Of course the goal is for a child (youth or adult) to receive a treat of something sweet like candy. The observance of what we call Halloween dates back to the middle ages in Europe. There was a belief (and a fear) that on the eve of All Saints (Hallows)Day (November1st), droves of evil spirits would roam the land in an attempt to disrupt peoples’ lives. For that reason people would make scarecrows, scary faces, etc. and place them on the boundary of their property and on the outside of their houses in an effort to scare away the evil spirits. Since this happened on the evening of All Hallows (Saints) Day, it was known as Hallows Evening. Eventually the two words blended together into Hallowe’en or simply Halloween. The literal meaning of Halloween is the evening before the day we celebrate all the saints or holy ones. That brings up the question of evil spirits. Are there such things as evil spirits? The Bible says there are evil spirits (sometimes referred to as demons) and that Satan (the Devil) is their leader. Satan and the spirits that follow him are waging war against God. Often they try to influence people to join their cause against God. Sometimes they succeed. However, they will ultimately be judged and cast into a place called the lake of fire from which there is no escape. They will be bound there forever. "Trick or Treat?" The Devil is the one who tries to trick people into turning away from God. The most horrible thing that could happen to a person is to discover that they had been tricked by Satan and his demons into rebelling against God. That rebellion will only lead to death and hell God, on the other hand, has a fantastic "treat" in store for all persons who turn from evil and follow Jesus.