The crappiest sign of all

Where's my pooper scooper?
Toronto, ON
June 2010

About this photo: We're slowly saying goodbye to Thematic Photographic's signs theme. I'm stretching things a bit with this one, only because I laughed out loud when I first saw it. If you've got a sign you'd like to share, it's not too late to go here and do just that. New theme hits the site later tonight.

I often like to play the contrarian. I take few things at face value, and never miss an opportunity to question why things are the way they are.

Which is why this sign brings me such joy. I can see both sides of the issue: As a homeowner, I appreciate signs like this. I hate having scofflaw dog owners litter my lawn with ickies simply because they were too lazy or inconsiderate to clean up after their pets. As a dog owner, I want to do my part to treat my neighbors with respect and kindness. I don't want their dog's poo (thanks, Mike Rowe) on my lawn any more than they want my dog's in return.

But upon seeing this sign, the hooligan in me zeroed in on the Mack Truck-sized gap in this argument. Namely, that the bylaw specifically mentions pet excrements (gotta love that word) but says nothing about the human variety. I wish I could be around - with a camera, of course - on the day that someone decided to test the theory.

(No worries, though, as it wouldn't be me. My wife wouldn't be pleased.)

Your turn: With signs - and polite ones, at that - all around us, why do folks still not clean up after their dogs? Let's wonder together, shall we?

Part 14 - "The Iron Giant" signaling the Beast agenda

The Iron Giant movie presents us with a remarkable series of lessons about the workings of pharmakeia, the Greek word in Revelation 18:23 translated sorcery, sorceries, magic spell or drug spells. In recent posts I presented how a particular lie was introduced with pharmakeia. Dean had told nine year old Hogarth the following while he was overstimulated with espresso: "You are who you choose to be." I've explained the lie and how it was carefully packaged and delivered. Now, consider what role it plays in the movie and whether it's worthy of the special packaging and special delivery. 

Adding some necessary back-story here, the iron giant robot's programming was damaged somewhat during an incident at a power station, where Hogarth found him and "saved his life." One facet of his programming was reset so the robot appears in kind of a child-like state where he can learn and be reprogrammed. His self-defense response remains, which betrays his purpose. The fact that the iron giant had been designed and programmed as a robotic weapon eventually becomes rather obvious to Dean and Hogarth.

When the government agent is finally able to convince the military that the robot is real and a legitimate threat that needs to be destroyed, the ensuing battle brings the movie to a climax. The military, influenced by the deranged agent, is bent on destroying the iron giant, whose self-defense program and superior weapons technology is making the ultimate outcome of the battle obvious. If it were to continue, the threatening military forces would surely be destroyed, resulting in enormous collateral damage. This doesn't appeal to Hogarth. When the military finally decides to escalate and use their weapon of last resort, a nuclear (assumed) missile is launched, targeting the iron giant's location. Hogarth and everyone else in the area appear to be doomed. The giant could easily escape and leave everyone to die while he destroys the forces of the aggressor. However, he has integrated Dean's aphorism into his programming. He had been made as a weapon to destroy mankind. He chooses to become something else. "I am not a gun!" is his testimony! So, evaluating the situation, he flies up into the heavens and intercepts the missile, saving everyone. He is blown to bits, thus sacrificing himself to save mankind.

The iron giant's sacrifice is very noble, an admirable deed associated with great love. This is an allegory pointing to the sacrifice of the only begotten Son of God. The iron giant is indeed like Christ but as a substitute; antichrist.

Y'shua, "when he suffered, he threatened not" (1 Peter 2:23) but, in stark contrast, the iron giant's self-defense program was definitely in play.

Y'shua made a key decision before his sacrifice. "Not my will but thine be done," he said as he prayed in Gethsemane. He had options and the ability to choose. The iron giant modeled this. Operating on the premise of, "You are who you choose to be," he decided, "I am not a gun." While Y'shua chose to fulfill the purpose to which he was appointed, the iron giant chose to rebel against the purpose to which he was appointed, which must have been, as "a gun," to destroy (or, perhaps, since this is never declared in the movie, through the threat of destruction merely bring mankind into subjection). The true savior of man did and does save, achieved through obedience and the subjection his own will. The false savior of man presumes to do so through disobedience, exerting his own will.

There is another angle here, looking forward instead of back in time, and this is the threat that justifies the special packaging and delivery effort that was facilitated by pharmakeia. When Y'shua returns, he'll come as "a gun," destroying the work of the enemy. When He does, he will NOT choose to not be "a gun." When he comes, the iron giant and those who side with him will suffer wrath.

19) And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.
20) And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.
21) And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.
Revelation 19:19-21

The rider on the horse will come as "a gun" and will not repent of executing the sentence of judgment.

Those the Beast deceives, who take the mark, perhaps based on the premise that they can later change their minds and choose to un-mark themselves, will have taken the bait and surely swallowed and set the hook. When the line is reeled in, they'll side with the "iron giant" Beast in the campaign against the true Messiah and his forces. Will they suppose, in their delusional state, that the Messiah will show mercy in that day that is appointed for wrath?

You see, the iron giant version is a lie. It presents a false savior and a false hope of the kind that leads to destruction. Instead of promoting obedience to our Creator's "programming," which leads us to get to know Him and love Him and follow Y'shua's example of submission even unto the death of this body of flesh, it promotes the opposite. Instead of the spirit of Christ it promotes the spirit of antichrist.

If you know people who might yet be persuaded to repent of their rebellion and turn from the ways of the great city Babylon, such as this movie may be a useful example. But, all that is really necessary is the Lord's word in your mouth. Pray and do as the Lord leads. I pray that the Lord will bring forth laborers into His harvest field. Time is short. Our opportunities will soon look very different, my friend.

Larry King retires. World yawns.

So Larry King has announced he'll end his show, Larry King Live, later this year. I'm sorry to sound negative, but he is, and will forever be, the penultimate example of someone who has overstayed his welcome.

I felt immense sadness watching him in recent years, as he had been reduced to a pale shadow of a respectable interviewer. He pandered, he soft-pedaled, he let 800-pound elephants stay precisely where they were.

At the very least, his impending departure will open up some room for new talent. Given the state of television and, more specifically, of CNN itself, the sad reality is most of us will never even notice or care. Another dinosaur exits stage left.

Your turn: Will you miss Mr. King? Who should replace him? Why?

Misc items of note

9 Years In, U.S. Finally Tries to Get a Grip on Warzone Contractors - Which suggests that it is understood how that doesn't really matter in the bigger picture.


The Daniel 8 clock is ticking.
ME war tensions mount over Gaza-bound "enemy ships." Hizballah pledges reprisal
CIA's Panetta: Iran has enough uranium for 2 bombs


I believe this phenomenon is genuine - Ball of light Wiltshire - but beware the hoaxers. Olivers Castle Crop Circle Hoax (Is It Real) Where there's fire, there's smoke. ;)

I recommend this insightful blog post, Bitter as Wormwood, on New Wineskins by ultraguy. Some comments: Like ultraguy, I suspect the re-emergence of the Picasso was no mere coincidence. See how the BP mandala resembles the absinthe flower. Also, about the Green Goddess, I see parallels with the emerald tablet of Hermes, the holy grail, the philosopher's stone, white powder gold, etc. These all appear to reference the alchemical transformation of DNA ultimately to be fulfilled in the mark of the Beast. I think the green color theme points back to the green-skinned Osiris and the serpent-tree of knowledge of good and evil in the garden. The revival of absinthe appears to be a Nephilim sign like so many others, a portent of the coming Beast and a facilitator of his coming.


Since I've been writing about drug spells, you might appreciate this perspective.

---

Different drug problem - attributed to Randy and Melanie Bordelon

The other day, someone at a store in our town read that a Methamphetamine lab had been found in a old farmhouse in the adjoining county and he asked me a rhetorical question,“Why didn’t we have a drug problem when you and I were growing up?”

I replied, I had a drug problem when I was young:
I was drug to church on Sunday morning.
I was drug to church for weddings and funerals.
I was drug to family reunions and community socials no matter the weather.
I was drug by my ears when I was disrespectful to adults.
I was also drug to the woodshed when I disobeyed my parents, told a lie, brought home a bad report card, did not speak with respect, spoke ill of the teacher or the preacher, or if I didn’t put forth my best effort in everything that was asked of me.
I was drug to the kitchen sink to have my mouth washed out with soap if I uttered a profanity.
I was drug out to pull weeds in mom’s garden and flower beds and cockleburs out of dad’s fields.
I was drug to the homes of family, friends and neighbors to help out some poor soul who had no one to now the yard, repair the clothesline, or chop some firewood, and if my mother had ever known that I took a single dime as a tip for this kindness, she would have drug me back to the woodshed.

Those drugs are still in my veins and they affect my behavior in everything I do, say, or think. They are stronger than cocaine, crack, or heroin; and, if today’s children had this kind of drug problem, America would be a better place. God bless the parents that drugged us.

Part 13 - "The Iron Giant" signaling the Beast agenda

In this post I'm expanding on how the antichrist vehicle The Iron Giant reveals the working of pharmakeia. In the previous post I presented the lie introduced while Hogarth was in a drug induced state, one of several in the great city Babylon's arsenal of demonic weaponry as the races of men continue to fall under her spell in this season leading up to the revealing of the man of sin. There are other elements related to this scene that provide further insight into Satan's devices.

Found alongside the chemical component of pharmakeia there is often another, an audio component. Music frequently complements the drug component in the enchantments of the great city Babylon because together there is synergy. One powerfully enhances the effects of the other. (See Pharmaceuticals - The Sorceries of Babylon, Musical Enchantment section) I suspect the two scenes I've identified as exhibiting the use of pharmakeia are the only scenes with native music content. I can't say for sure without watching the whole movie again to verify it, but, regardless, both drug scenes definitely have this musical content.

There are basically two kinds of audio content in movies. One kind is native to a scene, internal, what the characters might hear. The other, characters wouldn't hear, but is added to enhance the experience for those watching the movie. When the native kind is music, one of the ways you can tell it apart from external soundtrack music is by considering the camera and microphone together as an observer's eyes and ears. If the audio and video are related as appropriate to the movement and placement of an observer, the music is native to the scene. This is how you can identify the coco-lax and espresso scenes as having music playing for the characters while the drugs are working to facilitate and cloak the gambit.

When we first see Hogarth and Kent at the Rexall Pharmacy they are inside, seated at the counter, being viewed from outside through the window. We hear some softly muted jazz. When the "observer" moves (@ 44 minutes 14 seconds into the movie, if you're searching) inside the pharmacy we hear the volume of the music jump accordingly, revealing that the music is being played inside. A similar shift takes place in the espresso scene (@ 39 minutes 0 seconds into the movie). During the set-up for the scene we're shown Dean's Hi-Fi and his extensive jazz record collection, which helps call it out to our attention.

The synergy as the drugs and music work together is really no small matter. The Iron Giant has been shown in this blog to be very finely crafted with occult symbolism. The pairing of the drugs and music accompanying the evil deed and the evil lie is consistent with the high level of craft I've pointed out in the movie's promotional poster, the naming of Hogarth, the design motifs, plot elements, etc. Satan has been working the art of deception for a very long time, and he's got it down.

You may consider that we've got the "wine" and song, but where's the women? We've got the drugs and "rock 'n roll" but where's the sex? These three are the big three in the devil's combo pack, after all. Well, the "daughters of men" are right in view! The coco-lax/jazz ploy was working Kent Mansley as the target of control. The espresso/jazz ploy was working Hogarth as the target of control.


Early in this series I showed how the name "Hogarth" had to have been carefully chosen to add layers of appropriate meaning to the character. I perceive meaning in the names of the supporting characters in the pharmakeia scenes too.

Kent Mansley signifies "Man." *Man*sley. He's the target in the coco-lax ploy as man is the target of Satan's devices. He is the movie's antagonist and the government agent, representing "The Man." Anti-establishment types beginning in the early 50s were all about "sticking it to The Man." Mansley is the unreasonable, irrational and actually deranged (insane) authority figure, a bully against whom rebellion is easily justified and encouraged. Hogarth always gets the upper hand in confrontations with Mansley.

In contrast, there's Dean McCoppen. Mc*Cop*pen. While Hogarth gives Mansley no respect, Hogarth gives Dean some respect as might be due an older brother. McCoppen as "the Cop" is accorded more authority than Mansley.

Consider some dialogue that prefaced the espresso scene.

Hogarth: "Look, you're not going to call my Mom, are you? She doesn't know I'm out."
Dean: "Don't worry, kid. Look, it's not my style to report a guy to the authorities."

McCoppen has this power over Hogarth and exercises this authority as it pleases him. He's obviously anti-establishment, against "The Man."

His first name, "Dean," alludes to the iconic actor James Dean. One of his signature movies (1955) is titled, "Rebel without a Cause." Dean Mc"Cop"pen is really all about rebellion and lawlessness. His living quarters feature a poster of Jack Kerouac, "beat poet" and immoral iconoclast.

The incongruity in naming the anti-authority figure McCoppen is consistent with how the James Dean imagery (angry and violent) clashes with the yin yang (symbol on his bathrobe) hippy artist imagery. This establishes cognitive dissonance, effectively subverting rational filters so the lies are more likely to pass with acceptance.


There's one more element to address before I conclude this post. When lies are introduced, especially with pharmakeia involved, they don't have to be rational. In fact, I believe the lie is better received if it is irrational. If you analyze the dialogue in the espresso scene, Dean dropped the big lie as an irrational response to what Hogarth had been saying. If "You are who you choose to be" was actually legitimate advice offered to Hogarth to help him solve a problem, it completely missed the mark!

Hogarth had explained his situation in detail. The problem was that his Mom moved him up a grade in school to give him a challenge, so his classmates are generally a year older and more physically mature, bigger. All the "big mooses" want to pound him and steal his lunch money. That's the problem. Hogarth reveals their perception of him when he refers to himself as, "a shrimpy dork who thinks he's smarter than them." He makes it very clear that it's not his perception of himself.

So how does it help Hogarth deal with this situation by telling him this? "Look, its really none of my business kid, but, uh, who cares what these creeps think, you know? They don't decide who you are, you do. You are who you choose to be!" Hogarth didn't care what they thought of him. He cared that they stole his lunch money. Hogarth didn't think of himself as a shrimpy dork. Deans response was a lie, delivered with the aid of pharmakeia, and, given the context, quite irrational.

Pharmakeia. This is how it works.

Fallout boy

Comforting thought
New York, NY, November 2009

It's been a quiet few days here at Written Inc. thanks to a crazy little bug that flattened me midweek and kept me there until the weekend. I'm not back to my usual self, but at least I'm somewhat vertical again. So it's back to the keyboard I go.

I remember seeing this sign (see here for our latest Thematic theme - surprise, it's signs) and thinking how outdated it all seemed. Didn't we end the Cold War decades ago? Would our kids even understand what this meant if they came across it?

Then I remembered where I was; in a place where the dust from the fallen towers had not long ago blanketed these very streets, and where a war of sorts had presented itself right in the heart of this city. The source and type of threat had changed over the generations, but I guess we'll always want to know that shelter is never really that far away.

Your turn: What's it like in one of those shelters? Let's imagine, shall we?

Part 12 - "The Iron Giant" signaling the Beast agenda

In the previous post, I presented one of two scenes from The Iron Giant animated feature that relate to pharmakeia, the Greek word for drug spells, enchantments and sorceries featured in Revelation 18:23. There was nothing particularly subtle about that drug ploy, but the scene I'm about to address is very subtle. While the drug use is obvious, the role it plays in the movie plot is not.

The scene presents nine year old Hogarth subjecting himself to the influence of a drug. The drug of choice is caffeine. While under the influence he hears a philosophical maxim and accepts it as truth. This is passed on to the iron giant and subsequently becomes the key to the salvation of the lives of men at the climax of the movie. I believe this is a lie that will induce many to accept the mark of the Beast!

As the story goes, Hogarth visits the scrap yard where he is trying to hide the iron giant. He has not yet told Dean McCoppen, the proprietor, about the iron giant. While there, Hogarth persuades Dean to make espresso for him, which Dean describes as like coffee-zilla. The effect on Hogarth as he drinks it is played up with humor as the caffeine buzz make him pace about and talk really fast. When he chatters on about how his peers at school view him, it's in this state of over stimulation that the cool and calm hipster passes on his philosophy. Hogarth stops pacing and sits down across from Dean. "Is there any more coffee?" (See image on right.) Here's Dean's response, delivered while Hogarth gives him his full attention.

"Look, its really none of my business kid, but, uh, who cares what these creeps think, you know? They don't decide who you are, you do. You are who you choose to be!"

"You are who you choose to be." Really? No. That's a presumptuous and arrogant statement that shows utter disregard for the sovereignty of God!

13) Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit."
14) Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.
15) Instead, you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that."
16) But as it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil.
James 4:13-16

Does that support Dean's philosophy? Does vapor need to be empowered?

31) Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;
32) And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
33) They answered him, We be Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free?
34) Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.
35) And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever.
36) If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
John 8:31-36

If you simply are who you choose to be, what need is there of being free, of continuing in Y'shua's word? Is there no value in knowing the truth?

Certainly, there are choices some can make in life that don't run afoul through boastful arrogance. There is at times a range of options that are fully within the Lord's will. Could Hogarth be something other than "a shrimpy dork who thinks he's smarter than them," which is the immediate context of the delivery of the aphorism. Perhaps. Extending that further, could he be a doctor or a lawyer? Eventually, possibly. Could he be Miss America? Could he be a Navajo or a Watusi? Well, no. Even where there may be options, there are still limits.

Are the children targeted as the cartoon's audience likely to analyze the statement like I've done? No, they generally just accept it at face value. They won't understand how to assess real limits, and they are encouraged to boast in their arrogance, which is evil. This same maxim, by the way, is taught in our government schools.

Given that the movie is a clever set-up for the mark of the Beast and that the ultimate goal of pharmakeia is to facilitate the serpent's procreative scheme, let's consider the maxim in that context.

If you are who you choose to be, you can accept the mark now and enjoy the perceived benefits. Then, later, if you change your mind you can reject the mark, choosing to be an unmarked person. If you really are who you choose to be, why not? The problem here that is that Hogarth couldn't choose to be a Watusi, and no one choosing to accept the mark, after receiving it can repent of it. No one so marked can choose to become an unmarked person. Will some have this philosophy in mind when they are offered the mark and make their big decision? Oh yeah.

And, that all presumes one actually has the option of rejecting the mark, which will NOT be the reality for many. If one continues in life boastfully following what is presumed to be their own "self-directed" plans, they are in truth sinning and, as a servant of sin, are therefore not free. How then will they (you?) decline the mark of the Beast when it's offered?

In the NIV, 1 John 5:19 is rendered, "We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one." This is well put, because the Greek word keimai here means "lies in the power of the evil one, i.e. is held in subjection by the devil."

The freedom most think they have is an illusion. Of this, I am absolutely convinced. To get a better grasp of the really important subject at hand I highly recommend doing a word study on exousia, meaning, "power of choice, liberty of doing as one pleases." If you already have but it was some time ago, you may be surprised at what insight you'll glean as you take another look.

This movie is really an excellent resource for teaching about pharmakeia, and this scene in particular which really lays it out for us. The Revealer of Secrets Y'shua is so generous to open this up for us, exposing the handiwork of the deceiver!

More to follow, Lord willing!

Part 11 - "The Iron Giant" signaling the Beast agenda

In this eleventh post on the animated feature, The Iron Giant" (1999 - Warner Brothers) a very key feature of the Beast agenda is brought to the fore. According to the Bible, drugs factor significantly in how the great city Babylon deceives.

and the light of a lamp will not shine in you (the great city Babylon) any longer; and the voice of the bridegroom and bride will not be heard in you any longer; for your merchants were the great men of the earth, because all the nations (ethnos) were deceived by your sorcery (pharmakeia).
Revelation 18:23

The working of this sorcery, or, enchantment that is pharmakeia is modeled for us in two notable scenes. In one, the nine year old boy, Hogarth, drugs his opponent in a successful bid to elude him so he can carry out his activity in secret. In the other, he subjects himself to the influence of a drug, and while under the influence hears a philosophical suggestion he accepts as truth. That philosophy, which is true on one level, is later stretched into a lie that becomes the key to the salvation of the lives of men at the climax of the movie. That same lie will induce some to accept the mark of the Beast, presuming that one can repent of it when, in truth, one cannot!

If you're new to the series, what you'll read here might seem far-fetched, so, do yourself a favor and start at the beginning. You may even want to begin at the end of October 2009 and work your way forward. If you've been following the series but haven't yet read the recently updated version of Pharmaceuticals - The Sorceries of Babylon, you may find your foundation for this vital subject lacking. That study was updated and expanded as a supporting adjunct to this series and for this post in particular.

The scene where Hogarth drugs his opponent takes place in a Rexall Pharmacy, a classic 50s drugstore with a soda fountain. Hogarth is there, accompanied by Kent Mansley, a government agent who has attached himself to Hogarth in an effort to discover the whereabouts of the iron giant. Hogarth is hiding the iron giant and wants to lose Kent so he can go visit the giant at the secret hideout.

In a bid to shake Kent, Hogarth acquires the drug of choice and administers it to the agent on the sly. The drug is coco-lax, a laxative, and the plan is to get away when the effects of the laxative force the agent to use the restroom. The ploy is successful and Hogarth evades the agent to carry out his plan in secret.

Ethically, of course, this is not the kind of example you want your children to model; practicing deceit, using drugs to manipulate people. In the movie, Hogarth lies frequently, threatens and bullies to get his way, is nearly always disobedient to his mother and disrespects all those in authority. Yet, he is the protagonist and Kent, the antagonist, and so this ploy is justified. But, no, not really. This kind of presentation is how you train up people in lawlessness.

If you have read the adjunct study about pharmaceuticals you probably understand the reason why the Rx symbol is featured in the drugstore imagery. It is a silent inducement, rendered 'recipere' or 'recipe' in Latin and meaning, "take thou." This is fulfilled by the lawless Hogarth as he employs pharmakeia to exert his will.

The Rx symbol also signifies the Beast and the mark of the beast as the eye of Horus. During the scene in the pharmacy, the "camera" pans past a pyramid that reveals what's really being sold here. Attached to the capstone is a sale sign. We're being sold the Beast, a message I've pointed out over and again, signaled in this antichrist promotional vehicle in a wide variety of ways!

In the first pharmakeia scene there is nothing particularly subtle about the drug ploy. In the next, it's very subtle because, while the drug use is obvious, its role in the implantation of the lie is not.

To be continued - Lord willing!

Short circuit

Three years?
London, ON, March 2010

About this photo: Thematic Photographic is covering the "Signs of our times" this week. If you've got a memorable sign in your archives or in your mind, head here. Otherwise, read on.

I don't know a whole lot about electrical industry best practices. So I'm not entirely sure if three years is an appropriate interval to check the poles, wires, transformers and related scary-looking equipment that keeps our day-to-day lives ticking. But as I stood below this electrical pole on the edge of an otherwise abandoned industrial park road, it struck me as an awfully long stretch of time.

I'd feel better if Inspector 12 - or whoever he/she is - returned before long and updated the little plaque here.

Your turn: Should I be calling the electrical inspection teams in or should I just let it go?

Random news of interest

Naked woman steals cars, leads officers on chase What kind of thing motivates such behavior? Who's in control?

Magnitude-5.0 earthquake reported in Canada Matthew 24 - earthquakes in divers places

Absinthe could be legalised in France after 100-year ban "Absinthe, the mind-bending green spirit said to have inspired Vincent van Gogh, could be legalised in France almost a century after being deemed a public menace." Pharmakeia - oh-la-la

Now scientists read your mind better than you can * Scan predicted 75 percent of behavior
My take? Yet another tool with potential for exercising control over people.

Three Christ statues vandalized at Sandy cemetery Again, this is really not a good time to be an idol (or an idolater). Just ask Touchdown Jesus.

In the midst of the noise, this is still the biggest threat I see on the horizon, in light of insight I've been given about Daniel 8. My take - a setup for a "perfect storm." Saudi Arabia has deniability.
Saudi Arabia gives Israel clear skies to attack Iranian nuclear sites
Israel denies Saudis gave IDF airspace clearance for Iran strike
Saudi Arabia Denies Media Reports It Has Allowed Israel To Use Its Airspace

You'll find an interesting dialog in the comments on the previous post. Pray as led.

Thematic Photographic 103 - Signs of the times

The President will see you now
London, ON, March 2010

We're surrounded by signs that govern virtually every moment of our waking day. Some might say we're over-signed, that we're governed by a nanny-state mentality that doesn't give us credit for thinking our way down the grocery aisle or around the street corner.

We'll leave those arguments for another day, because it's not like debating the prevalence of signs will ever actually reduce their numbers. Like dandelions, they're with us for the long haul. That doesn't mean we can't have some fun with them, though. So I've chosen "Signs of the times" as our Thematic Photographic theme for the next week because I wanted everyone to have plenty of opportunity to participate and plenty of opportunity to isolate this rather visible slice of the urban landscape.

In my own case, I hung around the hotel lobby for a while before I realized the President of the Entire Free World wasn't going to show up anytime soon. My mistake.

Your turn: Pick a sign, any sign. Take a picture of it. Post it to your blog. Paste a link to it in a comment here. Repeat as often as your poor camera will tolerate. Click here for more background on how Thematic Photographic works.

Earthquake strikes Canada...world stops

Looks like a quake measuring around 5.0 on the Richter scale with an epicentre just north of Ottawa has given Canadians a whole lot of nothing to talk about.

The earth shook 1:41 p.m. and was felt in and around Montreal, Toronto, Vermont and even here in London. No injuries and no appreciable damage beyond some bags of lentils in an Ottawa convenience store and the pride of an NDP wonk whose press conference was scuttled by the tremor.

I was on my way home from work when it hit - I thought my car was being blown around by the wind at a red light. I'm nursing a worsening cold, and also thought I was simply feeling loopy.

Moment of perspective: unlike Haiti, Chile, Indonesia etc., we all lived to tell the tale. Life goes on...won't be long before the real news of the world - the stuff that matters - returns to its usual rightful place in our individual and collective lives.

Back to my tea and juice regimen. Begone, nasty cold.

Little balls

It's not Parkay
London, ON, Jun 2010
[Click photo to embiggen]

As I look back at more than a few years of photography, I realize I seem to gravitate toward transient locales, where lots of people pass through for a relatively brief period but rarely actually stay for any appreciable length of time. The airports, hotels, beaches and roadways of my photographic life seem to have become adult playgrounds, the kinds of places where I can be myself without worrying too much about what anyone else thinks.

Sure, I get more than my fair share of furrowed eyebrows. After all, a grown man hunched over the butter ball bowl at the hotel breakfast buffet table will always stand out from the crowd. But that's part of the experience for me. As much as I want to bring home a picture worth sharing, I also relish the opportunity to plant seeds of uniqueness in the minds of absolute strangers.

If my little acts of public herd-breaking make even one person think twice about the difference between survival and living, then it's all worth it.

Your turn: A time when you reached out to a stranger. Please discuss.

One more thing: As much fun as we've had playing with shapes, the week is drawing to a close. As such, this will be our last geometric-themed entry (click here if you still have some shapes you're itching to share.) New theme launches tonight (Wednesday) at 7:00 Eastern.

Strange light from above

In the round
London, ON, June 2010
[Click photo to embiggen]

About this photo: We're slowly winding down Thematic Photographic's celebration of the world of geometry. I probably have a shape or two left in me before posting the new theme tomorrow (Wednesday) at 7 p.m. ET. If you do, too, click here to kickstart the festivities.

There's something to be said for staring up when everyone else is looking ahead. You get the occasional - or not-so-occasional - stare and even the odd scowl, especially when you raise your camera and start shooting.

I understand the stares, but the scowls confuse me. I guess sheep don't want anyone else deviating from the herd.

Your turn: Do you conform or not? Why/why not?

Two more "Bob Dylan" videos posted

Two more "Bob Dylan" reverse speech videos have been posted to YouTube.

Bob Dylan went to the "Crossroads" - Speech Reversals

Bob Dylan's Bargain - Speech Reversals

So it came about whenever the evil spirit from God came to Saul, David would take the harp and play it with his hand; and Saul would be refreshed and be well, and the evil spirit would depart from him.
1 Samuel 16:23

What does the devil want with musicians? It works both ways!

Both of these new video posts feature clips about the bargain Bob Dylan admits making to get where he is, considered one of the industry's most influential. A striking testimony about that event has been presented (in yesterdays blog post and associated video) from an early recording of "Hey Mr. Tambourine Man," his first number one hit song. In it, when one of the title lines, "Hey Mr. Tambourine Man," is played backwards, I hear, "My new real master's Satan - yeah!" One of the new videos shows Bob being interviewed by Ed Bradley on 60 Minutes, in 2004. The other is more recent, and he refers to the deal he made as having gone to the crossroads. (Obviously, he "turned left" when he got there.) In that one you may perceive, if you watch closely, how his facial expressions are matched to his "reverse speech content" more than his "forward speech content."

In these videos, I play Bob Dylan's testimony backwards and share what I hear. You might be suprised to learn that he actually offers more insight about the matter through reverse speech! If you're already on-board with the amazing reverse speech phenomena, however, it won't surprise you at all.

Here's the script of the clip: Bob Dylan went to the "Crossroads." (Tip: The first line of each pair is the reversal. Underneath in parens is the normal)

Assured is hero. Can't you see I'm Nairf?
(He'd been to the crossroads!)

I'm high - I have acts to do - High, Yeah
(Hey eh, where's this guy been? You know.)

Scared to know how this'll pay in-His god help
(went back to Minneapolis and on like)

On then they - heir no-no
(One one night, and then uh)

High - shhhhhhhhhhhhhht - Feel no hate
(You know like - scheeeeeew - you know)

Pleased, give that
(that big deal.)

They name us little Saul
(crossroads and made it)

Please, no one wants that
(That's when I went to the)




Here's the transcript (forwards) of the featured portion of the interview from 1984:

Ed Bradley: Why do you still do it? Why are you still out here?
Bob Dylan: Well it goes back to that destiny thing. And how I made it, to bargain with it you know - a long time ago and I'm holdin' up my end.

Ed Bradley: What was your bargain?
Bob Dylan: To get where um I am now.

Ed Bradley: Should I ask who you made the bargain with?
Bob Dylan: Heh heh heh - With with whi whi well you know with the the chief guh ch-chief commander.

Ed Bradley: On this earth? Uhm uhm uhm
Bob Dylan: And in this earth and in uh in then in a world we can't see.



Here's what I hear, the featured reversals from that clip.

And an error, gut figures, now that I wised-up
(I do but I don't take it for granted.)

And yes, insight that it's god so guile
(Well it goes back to that destiny thing.)

Presumed he god - was demon
(And how I made it, to bargain with it)

And now I out the door - pneuma
(I'm holdin' up my end)

Lying Maat, Maat - Hero Vegas
(to get where un I am now)

He is, thank you, we're one of them and if they are ascend in it
(And in this earth and in uh in then in a world we can't see.)


Neither of the videos posted today has commentary included within. (Excepting a brief sequence of images featuring Bob Dylan's branding imagery and Horus.) I've left miscelaneous observations and commentary for this post.


Let's consider the song, "Hey Mr. Tambourine Man." This song was written by Bob Dylan in 1964, beginning in February, after partying in New Orleans during Mardi Gras, completing the work around March or April on his return to New York. It was his first #1 on the music charts. It appeared on his album "Bringing It All Back Home" in 1965. In addition to what I already noted within the video, I found the manner of presentation on the original album noteworthy. "Mr. Tambourine Man" was positioned as song #8. A meaning of the number 8: "new beginning" (See "Olympic Ceremony Symbolism" on TheOpenScroll.com). The song titled "Gates of Eden" is the title of the song #9. The number 9 signifies the triple helix DNA transformation associated with the mark of the Beast. The advent of the Beast is what I believe is referred to by the "Tambourine Man" lyric, "In that jingle jangle morning I'll come following you," purported to be borrowed from a Lord Buckley recording. This line speaks to me of the "resurrection morning" and corresponding "third day resurrection" themes that the mark of the beast transformation counterfeits. As for the lyrics of "Gates Of Eden" I don't doubt that Cain would have understood completely.


Bob Dylan made a bargain with the devil in the 60s. He confessed in 2004 that he had made a bargain to get where he is today, and that he was still touring heavily in 2004 (and continues to this day) because he was holding up his end of the bargain. Did anything happen prior to 2004 that made the bargain null and void? Let me state plainly that these videos are not intended to question whether Bob Dylan ever confessed Jesus as Lord and believed God raised him from the dead. The point is to provide insight into what's going on behind the scenes. The focus here is upon whom he now serves. There is no judgment of Bob here, which belongs to the Judge Himself, but there is a matter of discernment that is commanded in the scriptures.

So, did anything happen prior to 2004 that made the bargain null and void?
No.

Was Bob "saved" or "born again" in the late 70s?
Perhaps. Perhaps not. Some historical testimony suggests yes, some no.

I cannot speak to whether or not Bob Dylan knows Y'shua HaMashiach as his savior. I can present evidence that reveals just exactly who Bob is serving as he holds up his end of the bargain, which has not been nullified.

Consider what Bob was inspired to write in 1979. Note, he is right about there being only two options.

But you’re gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You’re gonna have to serve somebody
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody

So, who does Bob serve, the devil or the Lord? Aside from the witness of his life, the logo is the sign. He serves the god identified as Horus.

Symbols conceal from those who can't interpret them, yet reveal to those who can. Open your eyes and look around you. Those who use symbols prey upon the ignorant. Just ask the Pope. Or Hitler, uh, nevermind - he's dead, so, how about his replacement, Obama? Or Lady Gaga?

"Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves."
Matthew 10:16


From "Rolling Stone" magazine
(Kurt Loder interviewing Bob Dylan - 1984)

Kurt: "People have put various labels on you over the past several years: “He’s a born-again Christian”; “He’s an ultra-Orthodox Jew.” Are any of those labels accurate?"
Bob: "Not really. People call you this or they call you that. But I can’t respond to that, because then it seems like I’m defensive, and, you know, what does it matter, really?"

Kurt: "But weren’t three of your albums — Slow Train Coming, Saved and Shot of Love — inspired by some sort of born-again religious experience?"
Bob: "I would never call it that. I’ve never said I’m born again. That’s just a media term. I don’t think I’ve been an agnostic. I’ve always thought there’s a superior power, that this is not the real world and that there’s a world to come. That no soul has died, every soul is alive, either in holiness or in flames. And there’s probably a lot of middle ground."

Kurt: "What is your spiritual stance, then?"
Bob: "Well, I don’t tink that this is it, you know — this life ain’t nothin’. There’s no way you’re gonna convince me this is all there is to it. I never, ever believed that. I believe in the Book of Revelation. The leaders of this world are eventually going to play God, if they’re not already playing God, and eventually a man will come that everybody will think is God. He’ll do things, and they’ll say, “Well, only God can do those things. It must be him.”"

Kurt: "You’re a literal believer of the Bible?"
Bob: "Yeah. Sure, yeah. I am."

Kurt: "Are the Old and New Testaments equally valid?"
Bob: "To me."




Here's a few very pertinent passages of scripture that pertain to the above transcript. These are not addressed personally to Bob. See the example and learn from it. And, "if the shoe fits, wear it."

19) Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.
20) But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
21) Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?
22) Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?
23) And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.
24) Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.
25) Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way?
26) For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.
James 2:19-26

Bob Dylan happens to be serving a liar. This is not an anti-Bob message, but anti-Bob's antichrist Lord Horus. Don't follow his example or accept his deceitful philosophies. Practice discernment. Hear what people do over what they say. Become symbol savvy. Obey and serve the only begotten son of the Most High God, who died and rose again, never to die again - Y'shua.

32) Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in
heaven.
33) But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven
Matthew 10:32-33

Seasonal slash of light

Windowed light
Richmond Hill, ON, June 2010

About this picture: It's geometric week here at Written Inc., and we're sharing any image with a shape in it. Yes, I know, I really need a life, but humor me, will ya? If you'd like to play along with Thematic Photographic, click here.

I'm easily distracted by out-of-the-ordinary visuals, so when, in the middle of a conversation, my eyes begin to wander a bit, most folks who know me realize it isn't because I'm being rude. Typically, something's caught my eye, and I'm simply, almost subconsciously, exploring it with my eye and wondering whether or not it's worth a picture later on.

Which is exactly how I discovered this stretch of wall beneath a window in the corner of the living room. In any other circumstance, it would be as ordinary as it gets. But with the mid-morning, last-day-of-spring sun streaming through the blinds covering an adjacent window, it became almost magnetic.

Well, to me, anyway. So I shot it.

Your turn: How do you like to welcome in summer?

Another video post: Bob Dylan: "Hey Mr. Tambourine Man" = ???

Another reverse speech video has now been posted to YouTube.

Bob Dylan: "Hey Mr. Tambourine Man" = ???

One featured clip is from an interview with Ed Bradley on 60 Minutes (2004). Bob Dylan candidly confesses to making a bargain to get where he is. His claim is validated by playing one of his early recordings backwards, where we hear striking testimony about the deal struck.

Bob Dylan: "Hey Mr. Tambourine Man" = "My new real master's Satan - yeah!"

This is less a warning to others that might be tempted to follow in Bob Dylan's path than to give those pause who have rejected the reality of Satan and his rule over cultural icons like Bob. There's not a lot of commentary in this post, but plenty to think about.

Here's the transcript of the featured portion of the interview:

Ed Bradley: Why do you still do it? Why are you still out here?
Bob Dylan: Well it goes back to that destiny thing. And how I made it, to bargain with it you know - a long time ago and I'm holdin' up my end.

Ed Bradley: What was your bargain?
Bob Dylan: To get where um I am now.

Ed Bradley: Should I ask who you made the bargain with?
Bob Dylan: Heh heh heh - With with whi whi well you know with the the chief guh ch-chief commander.

Ed Bradley: On this earth? Uhm uhm uhmBob Dylan: And in this earth and in uh in then in a world we can't see.

If you've followed Bob Dylan, you know Bob adopted a "Christian" identity in the late 70s and is presently most closely associated with conservative Judaism (Chabad Lubavitch). What god or gods is the enigmatic Robert Allen Zimmerman (aka Bob Dylan, who had his Bar Mitzvah in May, 1954) serving, if we accept that he is holding up his end of the bargain?

In 1997, Bob told David Gates of Newsweek the following: "Here's the thing with me and the religious thing. This is the flat-out truth: I find the religiosity and philosophy in the music. I don't find it anywhere else. Songs like "Let Me Rest on a Peaceful Mountain" or "I Saw the Light"—that's my religion. I don't adhere to rabbis, preachers, evangelists, all of that. I've learned more from the songs than I've learned from any of this kind of entity. The songs are my lexicon. I believe the songs."

If we accept that he believes the songs, should we believe what the symbols that he has chosen for his branding conceal and reveal?

On right, from November, 2005, a concert in Balogna.


"Horus, an ancient Egyptian falcon headed-deity. Horus was usually depicted wearing the double crown of kingship, but also appeared in a fully falcon form, among others." (Wilkinson, Richard H. (2003). The complete gods and goddesses of ancient Egypt. London: Thames & Hudson.)

Is the identity of "Mr. Tambourine Man" revealed in Ezekiel 28?

From verse 13:
"...the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created."

11) Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,  12) Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.  13) Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created.  14) Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.  15) Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.  16) By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.  17) Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee.  18) Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee.  19) All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more.
(Ezekiel 18)

Days of our fathers

Tomorrow morning, I'll wake up and it'll be Father's Day. And as much as I enjoy having our kids excitedly bounce into our room in the morning, I can't shake the overwhelming feeling that this entire thing is a crock.

Right on, folks, I'm a curmudgeon.

I'm under no illusion that days like this are anything more than manufactured excuses designed to sell stuff. For weeks now - well, essentially since Mother's Day wound down - stores everywhere have fallen over themselves coming up with new ways to market the same old stuff:

• Wouldn't Dad love to cook eggs in this teflon-coated, high-tech frying pan? (Um, yes, but my wife's perfectly happy to share hers with me.)
• Let Dad burn his own movies with this DVD burner! (Only if they're legally purchased.)
• Dad deserves only the very best golf ball cleaner on the market! (Have they ever seen me play golf?)

I've never been comfortable with the forced nature of these so-called celebrations. Society more or less expects us to acknowledge the day in some tangible, material way, and heaven forbid we fail to meet expectations. Consider me not a fan. I like my celebrating to be genuine and spontaneous, thank you very much.

Today also reminds me that, in this year of firsts, it's my first Father's Day without my own father. Not that I needed a reminder in any form - it's with me every waking moment of every day - but having to face it down within the additional context of an artificial, commercially-driven excuse of a day is something I could just as easily live without.

So when tonight turns into tomorrow, I'll count the minutes until our munchkins come bouncing into our bed and begin to color the day happy. And as it should always be, nothing else will matter beyond that moment of indescribable joy. If we're lucky, they'll do the bouncing thing again tomorrow. Because connecting with dad - or anyone else in your family, for that matter - shouldn't need a special day.

Mosaic shapes

Tectonic plates
Komoka, ON
August 2009

About this photo: Thematic Photographic's latest theme is "Geometric", and it doesn't get more geometric than this. Whatever shape(s) you've got floating around your photo archives - or if you're looking for an excuse to get out and shoot some new ones - we hope you'll share 'em here.

We were at our friends' house for dinner, and the evening sun was washing the patio with soft, golden light. Sitting around as the last of the chicken made its way off the BBQ, I found myself entranced by this bowl. The contradicting shapes - angular glass embedded in rounded mortar - were too neat to pass up.

So I didn't. Which meant my wife got to deliver her time-honored speech about why her somewhat obsessive husband insists on cracking out the SLR at the dinner table.

Good thing she likes me.

Your turn: What's the most inappropriate time you've ever taken a picture? Or witnessed someone take a picture?

Thematic Photographic 102 - Geometric

Behind Door #2...
Toronto, ON, August 2008

I've chosen a relatively simple theme this week because, frankly, I've got a lot on the go and I just can't handle any more complexity than I've already got. As we segue into summer here - or winter on the other side of the planet - we've all got enough to think about, so this week's Thematic Photographic theme gets us back to base principles for a bit.

"Geometric" is all about shapes. Whatever shapes you've got, I'm hoping you'll share 'em over the next week. As you can see from my kickoff photo, I'm feeling somewhat square tonight. Bowling does that to me, I guess. Tomorrow may yet bring something rounder...I'm still mulling that one over. What shapes do you want to explore?

Your turn: Post a geometric-themed pic to your blog. It could be a new pic, or one you've had hanging around for a while. Post a link to it in a comment here, then feel free to visit other participants. Much learning, sharing and happiness will ensue. For more background on how this crazy little weekly photo obsession of mine works, please click here. Can't wait to see what y'all come up with.

Me, the BlackBerry Tablet, and the CBC

Most days, I'm an unassuming husband, dad and data geek, commuting by bike to my office across town. It's a pretty cool existence, and for most folks, it would normally be enough.

But "enough" isn't always enough for me. Sometimes, I get calls or e-mails from producers, editors and reporters in faraway places. And suddenly my unassuming existence becomes a little less unassuming for a bit.

I had one of those moments on Tuesday evening. A reporter for the Wall Street Journal - Stewart Weinberg, who I've spoken to often in recent months - had published a piece on Research In Motion's plans for future BlackBerry devices and, most notably, a tablet-like machine to counter Apple's iPad. The CBC, Canada's public broadcaster, wanted to know if I wanted to chat about it on TV.

Before long, I was cruising through my neighborhood, on the way to the studio on the local university campus. I carried my bike into the studio, stashed it in a darkened corner just out of sight of the camera, changed into my presentable-television clothes, and sat down in the chair.

I spoke with Dianne Buckner and Kevin O'Leary, and the interview aired on The Lang & O'Leary Exchange. If you'd like to see it, click here for the June 15th show, then slide forward to about the 47-minute mark.

When I was done, I got back on the bike and cruised back to the house - and back to my normally unassuming suburban life. Some days, I really do have to pinch myself.

Zeus - 1 / Touchdown Jesus - 0

Most folks have heard the news about the burning of the 62 foot tall "Touchdown Jesus" in Monroe, Ohio late in the evening Monday June 14. (see video) The evangelical Christians are generally sad and the pagans and atheists, etc, are generally glad. Me, I might be amused except for it being a serious prophetic sign. What does it mean? I will begin with the second commandment, which, as you may have noticed, appears frequently in this blog.

You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth.
Exodus 20:4

Take a look at this picture of the statue before it was struck by lightning and burned. By what argument does Touchdown Jesus not qualify as such a likeness? The statue qualifies, the cross qualifies, and the label "INRI" qualifies! While there's a lotta qualifin' - there's a whole lotta justifyin'! This is not "rocket surgery," or "brain science," folks. Ask any child young enough to still think for themselves and honest enough to speak their mind. Do you see how this image itself is even high in the sky (in heaven above) and "on the earth beneath" AND "in the water under the earth"?

And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?
Luke 6:46

The Lord our judge will have the last word on this matter of idolatry and spiritual adultery. Those who identify themselves as the "Solid Rock Church" or with such as them should be familiar with that verse, since a solid rock is the very subject of the verses that follow it.

46) And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?
47) Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like:
48) He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock.
49) But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.
Luke 6:46-49

While my Lord Y'shua is the solid rock, it's those who hear His sayings AND DO THEM who found their houses upon it, not those who hear His sayings and build and honor graven images like Touchdown Jesus, the cross and the titular label INRI.

What does it mean that lightning struck and burned the idol to the ground? Such a thing not too long ago would have been referred to as an act of God. Calling it so doesn't make it so, but the question is, was this the handiwork of the Lord God? I believe so, that this is truly a sign of judgment!

For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?
1 Peter 4:17

There's no question that this event is recognized as occurring "at the house of God," which was even damaged by the flaming idol torched by the lightning. With the image of Jesus posed as a referee signaling a touchdown, doesn't it speak to you of Y'shua as the one exercising His authority to make a judgment?  This call isn't signaling a touchdown for the saints, though.

I believe the sign is that the Lord's mercy upon those who claim and feign obedience is now being withdrawn. This sign was very evident to those who see with their physical eyes, striking the graven image and destroying it, bringing judgment against the symbol that stood in flagrant rebellion against His command. So much for the fate of graven images, eh? See this and recognize a prophetic sign. Most folks won't read this blog. You are. This is for you.

Now, I'd like to consider another facet of the sign. On the news article published by The Sacramento Bee the popular reader comment is fitting, which simply reads: "Zeus wins." You remember Zeus, right? Thunderbolt god, had his Pergemonon Altar "throne of Satan" moved to Berlin and honored by Hitler and Obama, got the getaway car featured outside the med center in NCR.com's old "soul capture" marketing scene - ringing any bells yet? Right, yeah, the Olympic star. So, the picture is, Zeus hurls a thunderbolt at his arch nemesis, Touchdown Jesus (TJ), at the big game in the stadium and ZZZZZZZZZZZZZAAAAAAP! TJ goes up in flames. Zeus wins. Pagans rule. Jesus people are losers. That's a popular take on it. It may sound silly to some, but pagans get stuff, they are not generally stupid, and this kind of thing speaks to them. We do well to let it speak to us, but hear what it really means. The saints will be given over for serious abuse. VERY. SERIOUS. ABUSE. It has always worked this way. Check your Bible history.

Here's another facet of the sign. That TJ was like Jesus Barabbas, a substitute Jesus. Yes, the antichrist Beast. Take another good look at TJ. The revelation of Y'shua HaMashiach came to apostle John and he ...and saw a beast rise up out of the sea... (Revelation 13:1). Touchdown Jesus is now a blackened steel skeleton. The fire revealed him as the man of steel (Superman - arms in the sky - "Up up and away!") and exposed his skeleton, the hidden man of bones; both, symbols of the Beast! Search this blog for superman and then for bones and see the background for this symbolic meaning.

On a final note, one article noted, "The lightning strike set the statue ablaze around 11:15 p.m. Monday, Monroe police dispatchers said." I suspect the time was 11:11, because signs are precise and rich with detail. When Obama signed the infamous "health reform" bill he used 22 pens, 11 from each of two boxes. Why? the legislation was a pretext for bringing death, for fulfilling Satan's depopulation and repopulation agendas. The infamous events of 9/11 were heavily marked with "11" features. You see, "11" is the number representing grass (gematria) and flesh, symbolic of the frailty and temporary nature of man in our present physical bodied state.

A voice says, 'Cry out!' And I said, 'What shall I cry?' All people are grass, their constancy is like the flower of the field.
Isaiah 40:6

For, 'All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall,'
I Peter 1:24

What I'm going to testify here about the 11+11 (or 22) relates to many similar signs. Whether the lightning struck at exactly 11:11, I don't know, but whether it did or not, the meaning of 11+11 is evident. Two is the number meaning division. Two elevens signifies dividing the flesh, separating, cutting, which brings it to death, the flesh and the life of the flesh passing away. The fiberglass and foam flesh of TJ was burned away. Such an end as that is what comes at the cross, not at some altar facing a graven image cross like the one labeled INRI, but the cross assigned to you by the Lord Himself. Do you die daily, like the apostle Paul? Are you taking up your cross, accepting the sacrifice of YOUR life? If not, what response should you hear when you cry out, Lord, Lord?

Pardon me, Karla Homolka

I've got some pretty black-and-white perspectives on justice, namely the fact that it simply doesn't exist in more cases than we could ever want to admit. Take Karla Homolka, who along with then-husband Paul Bernardo kidnapped, raped, tortured and murdered schoolgirls Leslie Mahaffey and Kristen French in 1991 and 1992, respectively. The two also raped and murdered Homolka's teenaged sister, Tammy, in 1990.

What makes an unimaginably bad situation worse is the fact that Karla Homolka cut a sweetheart deal with authorities in exchange for testifying against Bernardo. She plea bargained to a manslaughter charge and was sentenced to 12 years in prison. Later, the discovery of a videotape of the crimes made it abundantly clear that she was far more than a passive participant, and she was hardly cowering under the thumb of monster.

She was released from prison in 2005 and has since skipped from community to community, moving when local residents find out this cretin is in their midst. She was back in the headlines this week when it became apparent that she could be on the verge of being pardoned for her crimes. National outrage quickly prompted the federal government to announce it would be introducing legislation to make it much more difficult to seek pardons.

Which is my long-winded way of wondering how freakishly inhuman souls like Homolka can ever be truly pardoned, and why we even grant them this right. It's the major-crimes equivalent of saying sorry and letting bygones be bygones. It doesn't work that way in my book, and I do hope there's a greater sense of justice for folks like Homolka in some future world. Because this world seems to make it all too easy for them to get away with murder.

Your turn: If the justice system is anything but just, what comfort can society offer the French and Mahaffey families, and others like them? Why do victims seem to get such short shrift so frustratingly often?

Same corner, at night

Crossroads
New York, NY, November 2009

About this photo: We continue to explore the "night light" theme. If you'd like to do the same, click here for more Thematic Photographic goodness.

There's something to be said for returning to scenes you've shot before and reshooting them under different circumstances. Night-vs-day contrasts are among the simplest, and given my general inability to sleep well when I'm away from home, seemed to work out pretty well on this particular trip to the Big Apple.

While this photo doesn't quite mimic the composition of the day shot (click here for that one), it overlaps just enough that between the two of them, I'm taken back to the same place high above a New York street corner to a time when perspective was precisely what I was looking for.

Your turn: This picture was taken 19 minutes after midnight. Where were all these people going?

Man transformed into a hybrid serpent being - the crop sign of June 12, 2010

WOW! Another crop sign has appeared at Walbury Hill, near Combe, Berkshire, UK that is yet another clever signaling of the approach of the Beast and the mark of the Beast! The frequency of the appearance of such signs and the variety of forms in which they are being delivered is just remarkable! There will simply be no excuse for not having recognized the warnings as the Lord continues to expose the meaning of these signals. In this post you'll see a variety of related symbols, some of which I've presented in previous posts.

The Walbury Hill crop sign resembles a question mark "?" as the expression of an enigma. This is, after all, presenting one of the great secrets of the ages. The form resembles an ouroboros, a circular serpent representing the "endless" serpent life of Satan and his seed, more specifically in the infinity symbol version. The circles on one level represent eggs and the portion external to what appears as a single large egg, as serpent-headed sperm.

Within the sign appears the yin yang and the 69, the fusion of the opposites and union of the heavenly male and earthly female. The yin yang is further repeated within the central circle, patterned by the lay of the crop. The central three circles represent the triple helix DNA of the transformation.

There are a total of 23 circles, signaling the 23 chromosomes provided by each contributor in the sexual union pictured. (23+23+23=69) The sequence begins with the small circle, winding toward the serpent's head, signaling man becoming a hybrid serpent being (like a Scarlet snake). That the distinctive set of final circles numbers six speaks to me of this entity still being man, though yet integrated with the serpent.

The eighteenth circle in the sequence pictures three concentric rings, which presents 18 as the sum of 6+6+6, the number identified in Revelation 13 with the Beast. This circle has a dot in the middle, which, as the male bindu within female circles, speaks of the procreative union of the sons of god with the daughters of men. Each of the circles that follow the eighteenth suggest the cell division that follows a conception. These each resemble "alien" faces.

The site of this "man transforming to serpent" sign is a field near the highest point in South East England, Walbury Hill (974 ft). The location may speak of this sign's high and exalted purpose. The farmer in whose field this sign appeared has denied visiters to the site permission to enter, which is relatively rare. This may speak of the Lord (Y'shua, of the harvest field) generally denying access to the secret meaning.

I looked around the Crop Circle Connector site at this crop sign's pages and found some of the community observations to be of interest. Someone overlaid the crop sign image over one of the Sun from June 13 and saw a resemblance, commenting that it looked like cell division and multiplication. Indeed! Another overlaid the crop sign over the geography of New Orleans and the Mississippi River delta (in the current news due to the BP oil flow disaster) and saw a resemblance. Another compared it to a sign from July 28, 2002 and presented evidence to support his observation that "seems to show Quetzalcoatl the “Feathered Serpent” returning to Earth." Given that the revelation of the lawless one that is the appearance of the serpent-man Beast will be recognized by some as Quetzalcoatl's return, such an interpretation seems quite appropriate.

This author of the article on the articles page notes that the 18th circle showing the triple set of concentric rings "have been associated in the past with “spacetime wormholes”." This too is perfectly fitting with what I perceive about the transformation scenario, where the demonic antichrist spiritual entities will be released from captivity back into our realm through an open dimensional portal for subsequent hosting in newly prepared bodies.

Take the hint. Don't be one of those hosts. Your hope is in the true Messiah alone.

Welcome, travellers

Lit-up trusses
London, ON, March 2009

A few years back, the powers-that-be in the burg we now call home decided our 70s-era leaking box of an excuse for a train station just didn't cut it anymore. So they scheduled an implosion and an accompanying block party to herald another major upgrade to the downtown landscape.

The new station (link, another link) turned out to be a perfectly scaled delight, a pleasant and efficient gateway to the city, and a far more comfortable place to transit than, say, an airport. To this day, every time I pass through it, I try to ensure I have a camera because I want to remember what it feels like to be here.

On this trip through, I was on my way home after a long, productive day in Toronto. After a quiet two hours rolling through the southern Ontario countryside, I strolled into the station and looked up. Although I knew this place so well, the ceiling seemed different this time. Indeed, some thoughtful soul saw fit to turn basic reflected lighting into a subtle show of color.

Cool.

Your turn: Why the small surprises seem to matter most. Please discuss.

Pharmaceuticals - The Sorceries of Babylon

I'm blessed to announce a significant updating of the study titled Pharmaceuticals - The Sorceries of Babylon, now posted on The Open Scroll! Thank you Lord Y'shua! This updating reflects what amazing things I've been learning recently about the role of pharmakeia as the end of the age draws nigh. Do you know what the Rx symbol means? You might be surprised - or not!

and the light of a lamp will not shine in you (the great city Babylon) any longer; and the voice of the bridegroom and bride will not be heard in you any longer; for your merchants were the great men of the earth, because all the nations (ethnos) were deceived by your sorcery (pharmakeia).
Revelation 18:23

This work comes as an adjunct to the series on the animated feature movie "The Iron Giant," which I hope to continue soon, Lord willing.

Earlier today, I was exploring more of the augmented reality presentations I introduced in yesterday's post. It's easy to recognize the three strands as windings when it is animated for us. The NCR.com presentation's triple helix windings were very expressive, while it lasted, but their animated presentation has since been changed. However, in a way similar to NCR.com's, the strands are animated in several of the Total Immersion promo videos. Here's one example. Total Immersion - Beyond Reality Watch this video to see one example of the technology in use to directly further the Nephilim scheme leaning people toward the mark of the Beast. Total Immersion - Outdoor Marketing The consensus of some who were engaging with the interactive presentation was, "I felt like a vampire." There's a sign.

Walking alone on a dark New York street

5-storey walkup
New York, NY
November 2009

The scene: It's a late night in early November. I'm at my cousin's wedding in New York City. It's been six weeks since my father passed away, and we've brought my mother here, our first family event since losing him. On the one hand, it's a happy occasion we all very much need. On the other hand, my wife and I find ourselves being there for my mother and others when the tears begin to flow.

After a while, I find the experience a bit exhausting, so I step outside for a quick walk around the corner. I bring my camera because you just never know.

And sure enough, I find a sliver of refuge in my lens, a piece of near-forgotten vertical architecture that could never exist where I come from. I crouch down on the sidewalk - well, as much as I can crouch in my suit - and try to compose the low-light shot. The sickly yellow street light seems to add a mournful dimension not only to the scene above, but to my mood. Still, I take some comfort that I've found a quiet moment out here, and know it's only a matter of time before I'll have to face life once more.

Sure enough, my BlackBerry vibrates mere seconds later with a text message from my wife wondering where I've gone. I turn around and head back in, hoping the next tears we see are joyful ones.

Your turn: Who lives here?