"Saw III" made $34.3 million this weekend, the best opening yet for the gory horror series. Today's Wall Street Journal reports on the movie phenomenon. The low-budget "Saw" made $18.3 million over Halloween weekend two years ago; "Saw II" made money last Halloween. I haven't seen any of the "Saw" movies, and plan to keep things that way, so I'll have to trust the Journal's description: "the movies follow the horrific schemes of psycho killer Jigsaw, who stages elaborate, bloody games to test the moral fiber of his victims." We can expect "Saw IV" next Halloween. I can hardly wait.

Why are horror movies so popular? The economics are one reason: they're cheap to make and easy to franchise. But humans have always been fascinated with vicarious suffering, from ancient Greek tragedies to modern drama. And there's something about the occult which repulses and attracts us at the same time.

We need to know that the subject is more real than any movie. In our Halloween series we have seen that demons are real, and that they are evil and unclean. A third fact is crucial: demons are stronger than we are. Mark 5 describes a demon-possessed man, and says that no one could bind him with a chain (v. 3). Fragments of their attempts lay all around the tombs, stark reminders of the impotence of human ability against the forces of darkness. You and I cannot defeat their temptations in our ability. But we don't have to.

Fourth, demons always seek to destroy: "Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones" (Mark 5:5). Imagine the scars running over his body, the blood caked on his filthy clothes and in his matted hair, the wild eyes and foaming mouth and shaking hands. This is what the demons have done to him. Later they kill the herd of pigs they occupy as well. They ruin whatever they touch. They are cancer of the soul--always destroying what they possess.

Fifth, these footsoldiers of the devil are after us. If you have not made Jesus your Savior, they want to keep you from God. If you do belong to Jesus, Satan is doing all he can to keep you from winning the battle for the souls of others. As the parable goes, a Christian and nonbeliever were walking down the road when Satan appeared before them. The non-Christian hid behind the believer and said, "Protect me! He's after me!" But the Christian smiled and said, "No, it's me he's after. He's already got you." Demons want to tempt us to sin, ruin our witness, corrupt our lives.

What do we do to defeat them? Let's continue on Halloween.

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