EPCOT's Israel Showcase- An Unbuilt Gem

Imagineer Herb Ryman's beautiful Israel pavilion for EPCOT Center deserves to be built. Painted in June of 1982, shortly after the park's grand opening, this piece of concept art captures all the warmth, history, and beautiful architecture the country is known for. You can feel yourself walking down the streets and exploring the courtyards. That's Herb! It even made the infamous list of coming attractions to Epcot. Take a look below.

Back when Epcot was truly forward looking, the Disney Imagineers had great plans for additions that celebrated human ingenuity and culture with a beautiful design plan to keep guests coming in for decades. But greed and lack of vision altered that plan, so now we have Marvel characters, Disney princesses, and friendly fowl replacing  scientific theory, legendary trolls, and Aztec and Mayan culture.

The blueprint for Israel (shown above) has been in circulation for quite awhile, and it shows the expected mix of shops, a cafe or restaurant, and an entertainment venue. Blow the image up and explore a bit! It might make you wish this had come to pass- although it did in a much smaller version for the Millennium celebration. I saw it first hand, and it was quite interesting. 

A photo of Israel at the Millennium Celebration.

In the real world, Israel is under attack from Hamas and with the help of Iran apparently. But don't worry just pray. For whatever reason, the Almighty God has called Israel his chosen people, and He will not let the nation be destroyed. Many nations have tried, some have even conquered the land, but the people endure. And they will do so until the end of time when Jesus returns to earth and brings judgment to both those that love Him and those that do not. I do not know about you, but I do not want to be against anything or anyone God is for! (Is it time to once again crack open that book of Revelation in the Bible's New Testament?) No, everything Israel does is not perfect, but God will judge that too. (Nations are just like people, aren't they?)

In the fake world of Epcot, World Showcase badly needs this Israel addition! It is very Eurocentric, and fleshing it out with a country from the Middle East would be a smart albeit risky move. 

The proposed, delayed and forever not yet announced Brazil addition would be a good place to refresh this half of the park by bringing a new country and culture to explore. It needs more than Ratatouille. (Find out more in these posts with artwork included. Post One. Post Two.) Even if it is only shopping, restaurants and some entertainment, World Showcase needs this, and the "new" Epcot especially.  In a fantasy world geared toward kids and Disney intellectual properties, the roots of World Showcase should not be ignored. But that's just one man's opinion. Is it yours?

Time to Wake Up: BBC's Report- Microchip Implants in Your Hand Turn You into a Human Bank Card

Years back, it was USA Today first reporting the story. Now it's the BBC.  How many times do we have to read about it before we pay attention to what is happening and put it into proper perspective?

 

USA Today reported everyone will be chipped within 50 years, making purchasing easier. (Cryptocurrency will play a part.) It can even be used to store health information and other personal data. You can read the article here.

You can certainly count me in as one many "religious advocates" that wholeheartedly object to humans receiving a computer chip in their body.  Planting microchips under the skin begins the fulfillment of Biblical prophecy. Is this the start of the infamous "Mark of the Beast"written by the Apostle John in Revelation 13: 11-18? Without a doubt! And here's why you should look into it for yourself.

"The Beast out of the Earth
11 Then I saw a second beast, coming out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb, but it spoke like a dragon. 12 It exercised all the authority of the first beast on its behalf, and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed. 13 And it performed great signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to the earth in full view of the people. 14 Because of the signs it was given power to perform on behalf of the first beast, it deceived the inhabitants of the earth. It ordered them to set up an image in honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived. 15 The second beast was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that the image could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed. 

16 It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, 17 so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name.


18 This calls for wisdom. Let the person who has insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. That number is 666."

Skip ahead to Revelation 14 to see why this is the wrong choice:

"9 A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives its mark on their forehead or on their hand, 10 they, too, will drink the wine of God’s fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. They will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. 11 And the smoke of their torment will rise for ever and ever. There will be no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image, or for anyone who receives the mark of its name.” 12 This calls for patient endurance on the part of the people of God who keep his commands and remain faithful to Jesus."

This technology will first be marketed as good. This way, many uninformed people go ahead and choose to be chipped. I mean, if its good for our pets, why not? But then, once a larger segment of the population is willing to go along, things take an evil turn.  

 
The Bible says that in the last days, evil will be called good, and good will be called evil. We are seeing that in many areas of life.

If you think the Bible is just a dusty old book, it is your choice. You are placing an eternal wager. Heaven or Hell is your choice. God offers eternal life through Jesus Christ alone. He himself said he is the only way to Heaven (See the Bible's Book of John, Chapter 14). All through the Bible's Book of Matthew, Jesus talks about Hell as a place for those who reject God's gift. Believe it or not- but I hope you do.

Wars and Rumors of Wars

Russia sends troops to Kazakhstan as Putin continues to force his way into independent nations once under Soviet control. (Is this part of rebuilding the Soviet Union?) And they form some sort of military strategic alliance with China. Things keep heating up in Israel. COVID-19 spreads in new variants. Nations are locking down and needing help. Evil abounds. Free speech is dying under Big Tech. America continues to be divided as never before. Fires in Colorado of epic proportions and tornados of the same size. According to MSN, Elon Musk hopes to implant chips into human brains soon. Persecution of Christians reaches an all-time high never seen before. What is God trying to communicate? Is the time for Jesus returning to judge the earth coming? Some Biblical scholars read the Bible's book of Revelation and Jesus' own words in the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John), assured this is prophetic and may happen in our lifetime. What do you think this means?

(Photograph copyright Abduaziz Madyarov.) 

Lil Nas X Knows Luke 10:18, but Does He Know Revelation 20:7-15?

The immensely popular Old Town Road artist, Lil Nas X, has a new single out, Montero (Call Me By Your Name), but his biggest media splash is over a limited edition pair of altered Nike shoes by his collaboration with a company named MSCHF. These shoes include a drop of blood in the heel, a reference to Luke 10:18, and are aptly named "Satan's Shoes". Isn't that cute? But it's not a joke.

He may be aware of the Luke passage (which actually speaks of Satan's fall from Heaven), but I'd suggest for him to read Revelation 20. This passage tells of his forthcoming judgment. From the Bible:

"The Defeat of Satan

7 And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison 8 and will come out to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle; their number is like the sand of the sea. 9 And they marched up over the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, but fire came down from heaven and consumed them, 10 and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

Judgment Before the Great White Throne

11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. 13 And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. 14 Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15 And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire."

So, as you read for yourself in all of Revelation, Jesus wins and Satan is eternally defeated. Kind of a perfect message for Easter, don't you think? Jesus- always the victor and never the defeated.

Is There Really An "Alien Faith"?

The very odd mail piece arrived, and before I could read the whole thing, I was caught by the phrase "Alien Faith". Thinking "What is this?", I tried to figure it out. 

Was this something from Walt Disney World's Alien Encounter or something more playful, along the lines of Jack Skellington and The Nightmare Before Christmas?

Being a man of faith myself, a follower of Jesus, I was very curious to read the description of this Alien Faith. I photographed the card front and back so you could read it yourself. Tell me what you think.

Is there an alien invasion? Is there really an alien faith? So, so very  interesting in this time and season...

War and the Prophets

War shouldn't be chased after, but be assured, it is inevitable. Are you ready? The Greatest Prophet spoke of this 2,000 years ago:

You will hear of wars and rumors of wars. Make sure that you are not alarmed, for this must happen, but the end is still to come.  For nation will rise up in arms against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these things are the beginning of birth pains.

 “Then they will hand you over to be persecuted and will kill you. You will be hated by all the nations because of my name. Then many will be led into sin, and they will betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will appear and deceive many, and because lawlessness will increase so much, the love of many will grow cold. But the person who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached throughout the whole inhabited earth as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.

Jesus' words recorded in the Bible's book of Matthew 24:6-14 include warnings for those who follow Him and warnings for those who don't. Want to see how it all ends? Read the Biblical book of Revelation...

(Photo copyright AP/Laura Rauch.)

USA Today: "You will get chipped -- eventually"

USA Today is pretty bold and sometimes pretty accurate as well in reporting or foretelling the future when it comes to technology. Now it's reporting everyone will be chipped within 50 years. Don't believe me? Read it here.

Count me in as one of those "religious advocates" that object to humans receiving a computer chip in their body. Planting microchips under the skin of people screams fulfillment of Biblical prophecy. Is this the start of the infamous "Mark of the Beast"written by the Apostle John in Revelation 13: 11-18? I believe so- and so should you.

"The Beast out of the Earth
11 Then I saw a second beast, coming out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb, but it spoke like a dragon. 12 It exercised all the authority of the first beast on its behalf, and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed. 13 And it performed great signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to the earth in full view of the people. 14 Because of the signs it was given power to perform on behalf of the first beast, it deceived the inhabitants of the earth. It ordered them to set up an image in honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived. 15 The second beast was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that the image could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed. 

16 It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, 17 so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name.


18 This calls for wisdom. Let the person who has insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. That number is 666."

Skip ahead to Revelation 14 to see why this is the wrong choice:

"9 A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives its mark on their forehead or on their hand, 10 they, too, will drink the wine of God’s fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. They will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. 11 And the smoke of their torment will rise for ever and ever. There will be no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image, or for anyone who receives the mark of its name.” 12 This calls for patient endurance on the part of the people of God who keep his commands and remain faithful to Jesus."

Of course, this type of technology would first be marketed as good. But then, things change, even the best intentioned technology can also be used for evil. Think about it for yourselves...

Now, think about this, the Bible says that in the last days, evil will be called good, and good will be called evil.

If you think that I am full of it or that the Bible is just a dusty old book, that's fine. It's your choice. But it is an eternal wager you are making. I hope you'll choose wisely by choosing Jesus.

Microchipping People in Wisconsin

Planting microchips under the skin of people? Already happening at this Wisconsin company. Three Square Market has plans. And they won't be the last. 

USA Today reports:

"Welcome to the future? 

A Wisconsin technology company is offering its employees microchip implants that can be used to scan into the building and purchase food at work. Whether or not to get a chip is up to the employee to decide.

Three Square Market, a company that provides technology for break-room or micro markets, has over 50 employees who plan to have the devices implanted, KSTP-TV reported. The tiny chip, which uses RFID technology or Radio-Frequency Identification, can be implanted between the thumb and forefinger "within seconds," according to a statement from the company.

"It's the next thing that's inevitably going to happen, and we want to be a part of it," Three Square Market Chief Executive Officer Todd Westby told the station. 

The company, which is based in River Falls, Wisc., envisions the rice-sized micro chip allowing employees to easily pay for items, access the building and their computers all with a scan of their hand. 

"We foresee the use of RFID technology to drive everything from making purchases in our office break room market, opening doors, use of copy machines, logging into our office computers, unlocking phones, sharing business cards, storing medical/health information, and used as payment at other RFID terminals," Westby said in a company statement. "Eventually, this technology will become standardized allowing you to use this as your passport, public transit, all purchasing opportunities, etc." 

And while microchipping employees may sound like something out of a horror film, the company is partnering with Swedish company BioHax International, which already has many "chipped" employees. 

Employees are not required to get the microchips, and Westby told the station there is no GPS tracking. "

Planting microchips under the skin of people (already happening, see below) screams a fulfillment of Biblical prophecy.  Is this the beginning of the infamous "Mark of the Beast" foretold by the Apostle John in Revelation 13: 11-18?

"The Beast out of the Earth
11 Then I saw a second beast, coming out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb, but it spoke like a dragon. 12 It exercised all the authority of the first beast on its behalf, and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed. 13 And it performed great signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to the earth in full view of the people. 14 Because of the signs it was given power to perform on behalf of the first beast, it deceived the inhabitants of the earth. It ordered them to set up an image in honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived. 15 The second beast was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that the image could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed. 16 It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, 17 so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name.


18 This calls for wisdom. Let the person who has insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. That number is 666."

Makes perfect sense to me that this type of technology would first be marketed and used for good. But then, everything used for good can also be used for evil. 

Just Say No to a Single Global Currency!

It is clear that the actions of each person and those of each country effect others around them. If you've read this blog for long, you know how I feel about treating people well, caring for others, and "being Jesus" to those around you.

There is a clear and strong international movement toward creating a global currency, and the United States needs to refrain from becoming a part of it. (Just think the Euro goes intercontinental, and you get the idea. Something similar is going on in South America as well.) Don't believe me? Check out this website: Single Global Currency.

Or check out this recent article (below) from US News and World Report.

Here's one of the problems it creates: When the world goes this direction, a smaller and smaller group of people will be in charge of what happens to the majority of us living on the planet. We all know "money makes the world go round", and this is where it will all begin. Sounds like the Book of Revelation in the Bible.

One money, one government. Whose values will be embraced and whose politics enforced by this type of dictatorship? Do you want someone else deciding what is an acceptable way for you to live? Not me!

Global Economy -Yes; Global Currency- Just Say No!
----------------------------------------------

From US News and World Report:
March 25, 2009 10:34 AM ET by James Pethokoukis

Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner says he is "quite open" to a massive reduction in the economic power and influence of the United States.

O.K, what Geithner actually said earlier today is that he is "quite open" to China's idea of a global currency system linked to the International Monetary Fund's Strategic Drawing Rights. But it might be pretty much the same thing since the whole point of the embryonic idea is to lessen the influence of the dollar. More from Geithner: "As I understand it, it's a proposal designed to increase the use of the IMF's Special Drawing Rights. I am actually quite open to that suggestion ...[though it should bee seen as an] evolutionary building on the current architecture rather than moving us to a global monetary union."