A Halloween leaflet by Joanne Lily Stark

Here is another way to distribute the Gospel to children in your area. It’s the same life-changing message, packaged in a little different way. In some areas children don’t “trick-or-treat” door to door as much as in the past. This hand-out featuring the Good News might be used at “Trunk-or Treat” events or “Harvest Festival” gatherings.  This little leaflet will come to life as a child adds color to the illustrations.

This leaflet will explain the fall of mankind into sin and why we need a Savior. It begins with the temptation of Eve by a snake (“serpent”) in the Garden of Eden. Admittedly, the account of a talking snake tempting Eve can sound like a fairy tale on the surface, but I believe the Bible account of creation and the fall of man is very literal. Revelation 12:9 refers to Satan as “that ancient serpent . . . who leads the whole world astray.”

I looked to an article called “The Serpent: Answering Six Questions About Genesis 3” on the answersingenesis.org website for some scholarly thoughts on the subject. The article mentions that II Corinthians 11:3 refers to Genesis 3 as a bona fide historical event.

The article also mentions the fact that in Numbers 22:28 there is an account of a donkey speaking. It was the Lord who enabled the donkey to speak to the prophet Balaam. Since the donkey speaking was a supernatural happening, it logically follows that the snake speaking was also a supernatural event. God, angels, and Satan are spiritual beings with supernatural powers. Jesus said of Satan in John 8:44, “When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”  This is consistent with the serpent’s desire to deceive Eve.

Another question the article brought up was why Adam and Eve didn’t seem to think it strange that a serpent was talking. It didn’t really have an answer to the question. I found one plausible explanation in an article called “Why Didn’t Adam and Eve find it strange that a serpent was talking to them?” on the gotquestions.org website. The article suggests that Adam and Eve may have had a different perspective regarding animals than we do. We had childhoods to learn how the world works and the normal behavior of animals, but Adam and Eve may have only been alive for days when the serpent spoke.

There was one other interesting point regarding the serpent in the Answers in Genesis article. Genesis 3:14 tells us that, because the serpent was used to deceive Eve, God said He would make it crawl on its belly from then on. That raises the question of whether the serpent had some sort of legs previously.

I will also mention that the Answers in Genesis article reminds us that the Bible doesn’t really specify what kind of fruit Eve was tempted to eat. It is commonly envisioned as an apple, but the Bible doesn’t really say that it was. Apples are easy to draw and easily recognized by children, so I used apples in my illustration for the leaflet.

 More to The Story

Well, I was just finishing up the final draft of this post—changing a few words and fixing typos. Then I watched Pastor Brett Meador’s monthly Prophecy Update livestreamed from Athey Creek Church on September 4th of this year, 2026. He doesn’t make definite predictions. He just shows us how things are shaping up in relation to the Bible and reminds us to live as if Jesus could come back today. This time, to my surprise, he began his presentation with Genesis 3. How ironic! Pastor Brett’s purpose in addressing Genesis 3 was to warn us to beware of the deceptions of Satan. Deception will be more and more prevalent as we come closer to the return of Christ. [Revelation 12:12 says of Satan: “He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short.”]

Pastor Brett clarified what Genesis teaches us about the pattern of deception Satan typically uses. If you read Genesis 3:1-6 you will see this pattern: (1) He gets you to question what God said; (2) He contradicts what God said; (3) He presents disobedience as enlightenment; and (4) He convinces you that you can define good and evil yourself. So I silently said, “Okay, Lord. The timing of this seems you are showing me that I need to add some more thoughts to this post.” I realized Genesis 3 isn’t just a way to show kids why we need a Savior. It contains a warning for people of all ages to be on their guard against the trickery of Satan.

The pastor quoted from Isaiah 5:20: “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil . . .” [KJV] An example he gave is the transformation of the term “Pro-Abortion.” That term didn’t really sound so good, so it was changed to “Pro-Choice.” Then it was changed to something that had an even more positive sound—“Reproductive Health Care.”

I looked for Scriptures that indicate that the Pro-Abortion stance is against God’s plan. I found Psalm 139:13, in which David said, “you [God] knit me together in my mother’s womb.” In Jeremiah 1:5 God spoke to the prophet Jeremiah, saying “. . . before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” In Job 31:15 Job asks, “Did not the same one [God] form us both within our mothers?” In John 41:44 John the Baptist’s mother told the mother of Jesus, “As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.”

One of the seven things listed as things God detests in Proverbs 6:16-19 is “hands that shed innocent blood.” In Amos 1:13 God said, “For three sins of Ammon, even for four, I will not relent. Because he ripped open the pregnant women of Gilead in order to extend his borders.” In passing on the Jewish civil law God was commanding regarding injuring a pregnant woman, In Exodus 21:23 Moses says, “But if there is serious injury, you are to take life for life.” (To see an argument supporting the belief that “life for life” applied to a premature baby rather than just the mother, pay special attention to the “Summary” in the article called “Is Exodus 21:22 about a premature birth or a miscarriage?” on the hermeneutics.stackexchange.com website.)

The Good News

The good news, as I presented in the Color-Me Poem leaflet, is that Jesus died to pay for our sins. No matter what sins we have committed, including having an abortion or facilitating one, God can forgive. The only sin that can’t be forgiven is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. (See Matthew 12:22-32.) It seems that most Bible scholars believe it is the result of a heart so hardened that the person no longer has the ability to repent.

Satan may say to you: “Did God really say He would forgive all your sins if you believe Jesus died to pay for your sins?” Remember Isaiah 1:18: “ ‘Come now, let us settle the matter,’ says the Lord. ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.’ ” (Though that was written in Old Testament times before Jesus died, all the Old Testament rituals were designed merely to point forward to the sacrifice of Jesus.) Ephesians 1:7 says, “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of his grace.”

Fighting Off Satan’s Deceptions

I decided to review some verses in Scripture that help us in our awareness of Satan’s attempts to derail us. I Peter 5:8 tells us that he roams around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to “devour.” II Corinthians 11:14 warns us that he may appear as an “angel of light”—something that appears good at first glance.

James 4:7 encourages us to “resist” the devil, but how? One answer can be found in Jesus’ example of quoting Scripture to Satan while He was tempted in the wilderness, as recorded in Matthew 4:1-11. The importance of that tactic is reinforced in Ephesians 6:10-17, which instructs us to use “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” to help us “stand against the devil’s schemes.”  That’s another important reason to be familiar with the words of the Bible.

Back to the Halloween Leaflet

All you need to do to create these Halloween hand-outs is to copy them on white photocopy paper, fold them in half the long way and then in half again, and there you have it. If you don’t have access to a printer, an office supply may be able to print them out for you. I hope you will have opportunity to share the Gospel by distributing these or other leaflets.

To see a printable copy of the leaflet, CLICK HERE.

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All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®, Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com

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