This part of the interview deals with the breaking up of Malice Mizer and the formation of GacktJOB.

Thanks to amaiakuyume for translating!
DIABOLOS Interview Pt.5

This portion talks about Malice Mizer, and goes a little more in-depth than what we know from Jihaku.

Thanks to amaiakuyume for translating!
DIABOLOS Interview Pt.4

More of YOU and CAINS:FEEL =]

Thanks to amaiakuyume for translating!
DIABOLOS Interview Pt.3

This portion of the interview is about CAINS:FEEL~

Thanks to amiakuyume for translating!
DIABOLOS Interview Pt.2

This was taken after the DIABOLOS Final. In this first part, Gackt talks about his best friend YOU. I love those two <3

Thanks to amaiakuyume for translating!
DIABOLOS Interview Pt.1

GACKT’s

RETURNER ~　闇の終焉

“End of Darkness“

I must say, if I had to choose a way to die, it would be like the armored Gackt of Returner: standing ghostly, alone despite the shadowy samurai thrusting their katana into one another, whilst arrows stab my heart, and murmuring the words “tsuyoku dakishimete…”

That is Gackt’s Returner~ Yami no Shuuen

Before this flurry of releases from pop idol GACKT this spring and summer, his latest single was released June 20th 2007. This single, titled Returner~ Yami no Shuuen [Returner- End of Darkness], produced by Nippon Crown, was released as part of a major project GACKT did with NHK [popular Japanese broadcasting company]. In 2007 NHK aired a period drama called Fu-Rin-Ka-Zan["Wind, Forest, Fire, Mountain"- jp: 不倫火山]. Fu-Rin-Ka-Zan was the battle standard used by the daimyo Takeda Shingen, which quotes chap. 7 of Sun Tzu’s The Art of War: “Move as swift as a wind, stay as silent as forest, attack as fierce as fire, undefeatable defense like a mountain.”

Taking place in the Sengoku period(15th century through early 17th century), the drama is based on Inoue Yasushi’s novel by the same name. Fu-Rin-Ka-Zan depicts the life of Yamamoto Kansuke, who is known as one of Takeda Shingen’s renowned strategists. Need I really say which role the aloof genius secured? Of course Gackt plays the villain, Uesegi Kenshin, and he talks in this really, really deep voice. Deeper than how he talks on talk-shows. Gackt of the endless octaves.

Admittedly, I only watched a few episodes before getting distracted and giving up. The episodes I had access to at the time were without subtitles, and at that particularly unfortunate time, my medieval-Samurai slang Japanese wasn’t so good. That sad point has, to be sure, been remedied.

Returner was released, as I said, in connection to Gackt’s performance in Fu-Rin-Ka-Zan. The song was in fact the OP to the show– I am known to have a rather unbiased opinion concerning the use of Gackt’s music as OPs, but here we have an exception to the rule. If a song was ever perfect for its show, it was a-this-a-one.

Returner begins with the eerie, melodic notes of a shinobue, a Japanese bamboo flute with a high range. Although the flute melody sounds uncannily like the one used in the less-commonly-known plugged-in-version of Mind Forest, it’s obvious to see why Gackt borrowed his own idea: Mind Forest will not begrudge Returner the use of the shinobue melody. The flute adds the perfect touch of traditional Japanese to stirr up the samurai in all of us before launching into heavy metal-style electric guitar. They break, the soft plucking of a harp: Gackt starts singing.

The use of the traditional Japanese flute and moody rock is a marriage in music that I think is truly epic, and Gackt pulls it off perfectly. The ghostly sound of the shinobue creates a flawless image of hopelessness in the face of katana-wielding foe. His beautiful lyrics and the incredible rhythm of the piece are exquisitely dark. Of course, for the first of his singles to reach #1 on Oricon’s weekly charts, this comes as no surprise to those of us who understand this sort of thing.

Aside from the opening flute issue, which really has ceased to be a concern, Returner is a portrait of originality. Although it has otherwise little in common with its preceding album, Diabolos, this single carries on the same ‘tude of Gackt’s darker side, as displayed in the heavy melancholy metal, balladic melody vocal line and the PV.

Interestingly enough, Returner is sung from a formal, likely female, perspective. Instead of the typical informal Japanese Gackt sings in, he uses the masu forms of some verbs, as well as the formal/female watashi and anata [informal male Japanese uses boku and kimi, respectively]. Presumably he sings from the POV of a woman whose lover has gone to war– apparently never to return.

Returner sets the scene for the complementing vocal tracks, Cube and Birdcage. In 2007 Gackt performed a tour: Training Days Live At Drug Party, where many of his classic titles, as well as a self-spoof were performed. Both aforementioned titles are live-recordings from this DP performance.

Low-key, dark, and moody Cube was originally published on the single Kimi no Tame ni Dekiru Koto. A real masterpiece of thought-provoking brooding, Cube somehow holds a sound closer to Western rock than Japanese. The verses are restrained, coming across as slightly flat and depressed. They seem to go on forever before the chorus begins, but once the chorus touches your ears, it will be difficult to escape the clutch of Cube. Along with Emu ~ for my dear, Cube is a real ticket for Gackt’s heart-wrench- bench, a sickeningly addictive and horrifyingly heart-breaking blend of hope and anguish.

In typical Gackt style (and a rather Japanese touch, at that), we are not left gushing bloody tears all over ourselves. Left dying after Cube we flow on into Birdcage, a gentle piece incorporating a lot of acoustic guitar. Although not one of his best, Birdcage is a nice complement to the two heavy and striking pieces we just bravely battled through to great crescendo. Birdcage cools down the thick emotion of its predecessors with soothing acoustic guitar and a mild feeling that will prepare you for a return to daily life.

The single finishes with the instrumental version of Returner.

So? Ready to get pumped? The single is a masterpiece that should not be missed by Gackt fans. New to Gackt? What better place to start than here? Well, I’ll leave you under the pale moonlight, with the soft whisper of cicadas. Tanoshinde kudasai.

For many people, the 4th of July has patriotic signifigance. If you’re Gacktese, like me, then it has patriotic significance for you, too. Yes, one and all, the 4th of July, formerly known as “Independence Day” has been reclaimed all over the world by Jrockers as GACKT’s birthday.

This is actually an incredible thing, because we are celebrating a double-whammy. On Wednesday, July 1st, GACKT concluded his ten year countdown campaign with the releases of FLOWER. Therefor, today we are not only celebrating GACKT’s birthday, but also the ten years of uncomparable, unbeatable, magnificent music that he has created. GACKT is an absolutely stand-alone figure in the world of Jrock, taking names in personality, weirdness, spontaneity, and creativity. For that, Gackt-fans, salute him.

GACKT Camui was born in Okinawa, Japan on July 4th, year unknown. Although Gackt plays a variety of instruments, aside from singing his focus is the piano, which he began playing at the age of 3. He became interested in rock music as a teenager, and studied drums in high-school. This led to the formation of the band Cains: Feel, along with since-then-Gacktjob member YOU.

Sited as a track from a Cains: Feel demo tape: Etude, which was later remastered and released on Gackt’s ballads collection, Love Letter.

Cains: Feel peetered out, and in 1995, Gackt was approached by Mana of gothic Visual Kei band Malice Mizer, which had, until-then, been fronted by vocalist Tetsu. Gackt joined Malice Mizer as their vocalist, pianist, and lyricist, and during that time began vocal training. In 1999, Gackt left Malice Mizer due to power-struggles, and released the first ever Gackt song: Mizerable.

Mizerable, May 1999: Strong vestiges of his Malice Mizer influence remain in his image. These would shortly disappear as Gackt formed his own look.

Video: a very early performance of Mizerable.

In 2000, Gackt released the album MARS, and toured for the album.

Far from being a testing-of-the-waters, MARS was an explosive debut, and considerably one of his greatest to date. MARS was full of incredibly creative pieces, and most of the songs have become “classics”. It would be hard to forget the first time one heard Ares, Asrun Dream, Vanilla, and Oasis.

During this time, Gackt left behind his Malice Mizer influences that were still apparent in Mizerable, and began sculpting his own unique image.

Video: Ares and Asrun Dream opened Gackt’s MARS Sora Kara no Homonsha ~Kaisou~ (MARS 空からの訪問者〜回想〜) tour in 2000.

This post is not meant to be a Gackt Discography or Wikipedia page, so I will not go through each and every album, although it feels dishonorable not to mention them all…Every last one is worth a spot-light of its own. But essentially, now, we’re honoring Gackt by reminiscing on where he came from, and where he’s got by now!

Diabolos booklet, 2005

And to think! All that was 9 or 10 years ago!

It’s hard to believe, isn’t it?

Video: Oasis from the 2004 Sixth Day and Seventh Night tour.

Video: Kimi Ga Matteiru Kara [君が待っているから」 from The Sixth Day and Seventh Night, 2004.

2009.

To conclude, I just want to mention my personal introduction to Gackt:

Vanilla from The Sixth Day~ Single Collection. The first Gackt song I ever heard.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GACKT~!

おたんじょうび　おめでとう

Gacktjob

I would like to credit SawasdeeGackt for all images stamped Sawasdee Gackt. Header photo from the Gackt Crescent Photobook, 2003.  Insert photo from the Diabolos album booklet, released 2005.

This has been Gacktpause, over and out.

Sea of Galilee at sunset

As a minister I am awestruck with the ability to actually read and attempt to comprehend the words of God in sermonic form. I believe it is important to consider the facts surrounding this sermon, and what precipitated its presentation. The fact that we have correlation and independent corroboration of the event with words in Luke 6 only brings more weight to bear on the pastor or minister who is burdened with rightly dividing the Word of truth (2 Tim 2:15). I say “burdened” because it is the heart of men in the pulpit to expound these great truths such that an inability or denial of this outpouring of expositional effort results in anguish (Jer 20:9).

We must preach! We are burdened, therefore, in our hearts to seek, to learn, to find, and to minister the Word of God to all who would come. We must also consider that Christ was the perfect priest, the perfect expositor. Therefore, He had to preach even if it meant physical harm – because to not preach was much worse. We first listen to God, then we respond to the Word ourselves, and then we share what it is we have from God. With God being the focus, then, it would at first blush appear to be a simplified task for Jesus. All our power comes from God, all our ability comes from Him, and all the words in scripture are from Him. It should, therefore in proper faith, be a simple task to expound upon those understandings. For the orator who is not concerned with absolute truth, but simply propounding an idea or concept, that may be true. We find many of these individuals in pulpits all over our country today. They fill the pulpits in churches where the scriptures are turned into political fodder. They fill the pulpits in churches where socio-relational homilies are presented as fact. Churches all over this country require no true exegesis (critical explanation or drawing of truth from the text). These are churches where much eisegesis (personal understanding formed by reading into the text) is performed and passed off for biblical preaching. I have been in churches where the pastor stood in the pulpit and bragged about their work politically to force local ordinances to permit signage for the church. I have seen preachers stand in the pulpit with their bibles opened to a passage and use this the Word of God as an excuse to be an affront to surrounding businesses. Equally, I have seen men stand here in the pulpit reserved for presentation of the Gospel of God, and use the scriptures to justify some form of religious secular racism. All of these individuals would call this preaching the word of God. Truly, I am no master orator. There are many out there far better gifted than I to stand before many and speak. However, the driving force that keeps me here every Sunday is not man, not I, but God. I serve Him and it is His word within me that drives me to stand here every week. For the simple orator, and anyone seeking to gain for themselves the most acclamation, any amount of worldly rhetoric that will accomplish this task is justified.   For the expositor, on the other hand, a passage  preached by the Master Himself–written for us to share with others–this is  truly a humbling experience.  It should bring any mere man to his knees  every week when he seeks to present God’s word, for God’s people, in God’s  house, as God’s servant.

Today we begin a series on the Sermon on the Mount first presented by Jesus Christ of Nazareth almost 2,000 years ago. It is recorded for us in Matthew chapters 5 through 7. Though we will not read the entire passage today, please look there with me now as we begin considering this instruction. I encourage you to make an effort to read this entire passage once a week during our study. This will take some time and the tendency will be to skip over some passages as you walk through this material. This is because of familiarity mostly, and not outward disrespect; however, an honest effort to truly gather all of God’s word must be made in order to accomplish exactly that. Look now with me beginning in Matthew 5.

The passage begins by establishing the setting. Jesus had just finished gathering some disciples to Him in chapter four verses 18-22. Then, in verse 23 through 25, Jesus ministers throughout the Northern Judean region in and around Galilee, which is next to the inland lake so named. The areas we find here labeled “Galilee” and “Decapolis” were actually quite large in the day of Christ. Galilee is an area of some 900 square miles or more. It is the home of Nazareth, Sepphoris, Tiberias, and Capernaum. There were at least 20 such cities in the area, that varied in size. Capernaum is estimated to have housed about 2,000 occupants. Other towns were larger. Sepphoris was originally estimated to be over 24,000, and Tiberias was estimated at over 30,000. All of these estimates have received criticism of exaggeration though.

Regardless, the scriptures report that our Lord ministered in all the synagogues in Galilee, healing and teaching everywhere He went. He traveled throughout the region ministering, as multitudes followed Him. He went on foot and took advantage of the landscape where He could move to the upper parts of valley slopes and minister to those in the valley. Decapolis was at least three times larger than Galilee, or approximately 2,700 square miles. People from this region followed Jesus as well. Jesus did travel in toward Abila and Dion in the northern portion of Decapolis, and toward Philadelphia in the southern end. Our Savior did all His work on foot. If you have maps in the back of your Bible, you normally have a picture of some of the ministry work that Jesus did. These are normally a fair depiction of the travel, because most are based upon the actual cities named in the scriptures. There are estimates that Jesus may have preached this sermon north of the Sea of Galilee in Chorazin, which is just north of Capernaum. The actual location is not given to us though. We do know that many passages identify Capernaum as a place where Jesus ministered frequently. However, there is mention of Decapolis and followers coming from this region in 4:25. If this is the case, the Northern region of Galilee did not border Decapolis, but the Tetrarchy of Philip at the time of Christ. Ultimately, we simply do not know where this oratory was given.

In the opening verses we find that the Lord saw and recognized the needs of many, and He prepared to present the Word of God to them. He first moved to higher ground where the people would be slightly below Him in a valley. In this fashion, the valley worked acoustically to help project His words such that they travel throughout the masses. Our Savior, unlike many men to stand in this pulpit, was relaxed (sat down). Normally, one would say in order to best project your voice, you should stand. Yet here we have the Lord sitting. When His disciples came to Him, He began speaking and teaching them. This is how we begin.

We should look at the body of the sermon. In an effort such as this, to analyze and attempt to contemplate a sermon given by the Savior Himself, it is prudent to take our time and attempt to understand the sermon in its entirety. We should not take this as some exercise to attempt to grasp the meaning of each paragraph, of each sentence of each verse, of each word, until we have taken the time necessary to contemplate the sermon as a whole. I have seen some commentators attempt to title their expositions such as, “The King’s Mandate Revealed”[1] or “Paradigmatic Preaching: The Sermon on the Mount”[2].  I prefer the label that is traditional: “The Sermon on the Mount.” One could say this exposition by the Lord is one of Holy living. It teaches what true Christianity should present in itself.  It teaches character traits and virtues that individuals should see being expressed, and some that true Christians should never manifest.  I would prefer to see this as a spiritual autobiography of Jesus. In actuality – “what did Jesus do,” instead of “what would Jesus do”–the life of Jesus of Nazareth, Christ, the Son of God. This sermon is about His spiritual condition, and how we should be spiritually if we are to be true Christians.

To help us understand the many issues that Jesus covers in these three chapters, I have attempted to identify one word for each section. What I have developed is a list of 10 words that identify the different teachings. Within these words, we will look at their truths more specifically as we study the full passage. In the message today, we only look briefly at each of these words and their affiliated scriptures. I also jotted down a few extra phrases with respect to these words as I read through this tremendous passage. Follow with me.

I. Happiness (5:3-12)

This is a Godly state. This is a state of being that presents us as more  than being merely contented, but as individuals who are fully  concerned about nothing outside the Lord’s will and His desire for our  provision.  This section specifically details the happiness we can achieve in a fully-developed Christian life that is wholly dependent upon the Lord’s goodness, and is completely given to God’s pure love. This section describes an individual who looks at nothing within this world to give it a second thought, if it does not glorify God. This is a list of character traits of people happy about belonging to the Lord. They seek no other master. They watch no other leader. The Christian depicted here, regardless of earthly condition, is happy in the Lord and looking for eternal gifts. This is spiritual bliss.

Are you experiencing spiritual rapture, or worldly misery?

II. Christianity (13-16)

In this section, we could ask the rhetorical, “What are you doing?”  Jesus quickly points out that the Christian is a beacon of light in this world. His or her life is focused upon a proper view of salt – which is used to make a distinction, add a flavor, create a savory taste, or zest to whatever it is added. The Christian life should mark great distinctions between it and the life of the worldly, which surround them. The light described is unique in many ways and provides something which, in darkness, draws unto it people who would seek that very light. It also draws contempt for the light. This contrast is provided and explained in a later set of verses correlated to discernment, when Jesus warns not to discard precious gems of testimony before those who wallow in the mire (7:6). Christian – you are to be distinct, different, unique, and noticeable in your daily exercise as a Christian– not as a heathen.

Do people see you as one of them, or do they see you as one who is unique, a beacon of contentedness, beckoning those who would desire contentedness in their lives. Do they see you as someone with something to offer?

To achieve this level of personal strength and posture, one must first follow Christ Jesus in all He requests.

III. Obedient (5:17-48)

We find obedience next, and we mix in a good measure of submission to make sure it is complete. In this section, we first learn that Jesus comes to fulfill every minute detail of the Law as it is given by the scriptures. He calls these laws “commandments,” and He teaches them. Although He knows the law and upholds it, He approaches things on a new level, calling for the truly content Christian to change their whole attitude concerning our ego and our natural desire to defend and present oneself in a positive light. Jesus demands we simply look at life in a much more active way – suppressing our inner instinct to react vengefully or defensively. Instead, He demands a posture that is much more fitting – consider you position first, where do you stand? We should be obedient to perfection; however, we are imperfect. We should not demand perfection; because we also understand our own position and that no one can actually give it. We should not judge and demand respect, because we are unable to judge or give respect properly. There is much to this teaching.

We also find that we are to operate in the physical world with the mind of God. We look at the world as physical, but consider that we are part of a world that is Godly and not physical. In this, we also find that we can have very inappropriate anger. We need to control our evil and very selfish hearts. We find that we will be held accountable for everything we say. Every vow, just as every sin, is presented and made before the Lord; therefore, every utterance is brought before the Lord for His consideration in our worthiness. Control what you say, control what you intend, control what you contemplate and control how you react.

Do you look at “standing your ground” as a position where you are able to say you are concretely right every time, and therefore have the right to accuse or judge another? Are you perfect, as God is perfect?

Obedience provides great opportunities for us to seek other ways to please God. The primary way in which we do this then is worship.

IV. Worship (6:1-18)

This short section has great wisdom in it. We first find that we should be worshiping God for God, not for man. We worship God because He is worthy of worship. If we worship Him for man, we do not worship God, but man. We desire to impress man with our Godliness, not God with our humanity. True Christians stand for truth and care not for appearances simply for the sake of appearance. True Christians stand for truth and are known for it because that is what their character, their virtue, and their very being present at all times. True Christians, therefore, are Godly men. There is no substitute. No extroverted worship, fasting, or any other show of religiosity will get you one inch closer to heaven. In fact, it will drive you away. Those who practice their own self-centered worship have received what they will get – the praise of men. They deserve nothing else.

We also find that prayer must be first focused upon God in relation to you, your humble needs, and your general humility before God. If you do not display and keep gracious humility in prayer, you fail to see the great majesty of God in your life. Humble yourself before God, for He has deserved this worship. Man has never deserved worship.

How do you operate before man – the same as you do before God? Do men see you as Godly, and, if they do, is it because you are godly before God too? On the  other hand, is it just because your godliness is mere showmanship?

All of these issues deal with heart matters. These are things that we should monitor and consider. We should never choose to ignore the relationship between worship and our hearts.

V. Heart (19-24)

Proverbs 4:23-26 was well-exposited by a preacher this weekend at the men’s retreat. His point in part of the exposition was that the directions we take are part of a path, not just a single event. Our hearts, therefore, exhibit what kind of paths we may take. These paths incur events along the way. The paths in life are deep furrows which are difficult to shift out of, once an individual has chosen one. The believer should, before embarking, contemplate the ultimate outcome of  a path, rather than waiting until one is  part-way down that path.  The question is, Where is your heart? Are you going to look at a path and consider, in the beginning, what your goal is? Will you take a path directed at God’s will, or just any easy or pleasurable path that comes along? The thoughts here suggest we look at things eternally in each path we take. Do not concentrate on the temporal in what you are, what you do, who you see, what your associations will bring. Consider all things, paths, and life decisions with a focus on the eternal destination.  What is your heart and what are you going to put into it through your eyes – a most deceptive thing.

Do you consider what your eyes see? Do you attempt to limit this visual onslaught to that which pleases God? What are you doing to take better and more eternally-focused paths in your life?

Part of the contentedness that the happy believers see and experience in their lives is the provision of–and a specific desire to lean upon– this very basic promise of God.

VI. Provision (25-34)

Why do we experience anxiety? Should we be concerned about the economy? If the Lord has promised to never leave us or forsake us, if the Lord is the one and only God who created all, if we focus upon paths directed at eternal things– why, then, should we even be concerned about our provision? Truly, this section is where the beatitudes are exposited. We find no room in the first 11 verses of this sermon here for a worry-wart Christian. We should not be twisted about the political situation in America. It is not in the most positive condition in which we have ever seen it; but it is more positive than other countries have. Ultimately, though, since our focus is eternal and we have a heart bent toward eternal things, this world is not that important to us. We should not be anxious about each day and the troubles thereof. Instead, we should be concerned about each day and the glories we can give God within it. Why worry, when you have eternal life?

Do you consider yourself your own provider? Where do you get your food? All the food I eat, the money I have, every possession I own is provided by God. No one or nothing else gives it to me.

One might consider the topic of our next section to be very similar to worry/concern–discernment. Why should we exercise any discernment if we are not to be concerned about things? Where is the balance with this scripture and the others we have looked at briefly?

VII. Discernment (7:1-6)

We mentioned this briefly earlier. These are guidelines for our exercising our ability to accuse. This requires that we have a true understanding of the word “judge,” as it is used here. There also must be clear understanding of where you stand in relation to the accusation you might level upon another. A differentiation between discernment and judgment is also in order. They are nowhere near the same thing.  Finally, we will study when it is appropriate to not give away the  pearls of salvation, and what happens if your well-intentioned words are manipulated against you.

Do you exercise discernment concerning where you might go, what you might do, and with whom you might associate?  Do you tell these people why you choose not to associate with them, why you have made this decision?  If you do, how do you go about telling them these things?

To properly exercise all of these things we must first follow our Savior. We find that following Him takes one simple step that is so large it takes you from the realm of the dead in this world, to the realm of the living in heaven. Faith is required.

VIII. Faith (7-14)

We will learn in this section of scripture to love as we should love, by giving. We will learn that few enter and the gate is narrow because it does not have to be wide. We will learn of fruits of testing and the real needs that we have. Jesus teaches from the hillsides of some place around the South side of the Sea of Galilee. Multitudes followed Him in faith and for His teaching with authority. They traveled in the narrow valleys and ravines taking selected paths to destinations that only the Savior knew. They followed Him and He selected paths based upon His mission for the Father. Likewise, we are to pick very narrow, very selective, very protective paths for our lives based upon the faith we have.  Do we exercise faith, therefore, in all we do?  When we focus upon faith, we should do so prayerfully and specifically before the Lord.

You operate on faith that our Savior provided. Your faith should operate such that you know you have His specifically provided salvation. You also operate within these two understandings, that your faith then can continually give you assurance of salvation.  Do you fret, or do you rest in Him?

When we exercise faith, we get closer to Christ, and our God is more pleased with us.  We also gain the attention of one who has nothing on his mind but destruction. The deceiver.

IX. Deceiver (15-23)

False teachers are individuals who are teaching untrue things. They represent themselves as knowledgeable, and may be; yet they purposefully teach things they themselves know cannot be true. Every individual who teaches evolution as fact falls into this category. They are deceivers and the word for slanderer in scripture “diabolos” is a word we use for devil in the Greek. Once again, we receive further exposition on the beatitudes where we read in chapter five verses 10 and 11 that those who are persecuted and slandered are content. There are times when this contentment comes as false prophets attempt to attack you for the truth you represent. We, as believers, must expect the most vicious of attacks from the deceivers concerning our testimony, concerning our work ethic, concerning our families, concerning our beliefs, and concerning our God. This evil produces bad fruit that is evident in its presentation and development.

Are you falling prey to this deception, these false teachers, these wolves in sheep’s clothing? Is your testimony in question because of your response to this teaching?

We can achieve all of these preceding eight conditions, and include the ability to resist all the satanic attacks the  prince of this world can offer–if we only have a good foundation.

X. Foundations

It is true– a good foundation makes for a good house. If we do not set our foundation upon something that is time-tested and true, we may never know the blessedness of those in the first verses of chapter five. All that which we have looked at today is found true–and easily held onto– when we understand that it is a foundation upon God’s Word which lays the ground work for all our success. We must seek first His Word and lean upon His truth. I did not write this book. It was here long before I set foot upon this earth. This book and its beginnings can be traced and do show a trail back to a time when only God could have dictated such things to man. This is the true operating manual for man. This shows God as wise and foundational. These are the footers of our building program. This word of God is where we stand, and we should make no apologies.

To summarize, we first began discussing the happiness that we can have. This happiness is a mark of Christianity that should be evident in our lives. We then considered obedience, and how that obedience shows itself in our worship. Our worship shows our heart and when we can be dependent upon the Lord for all our provision, our heart is beginning to take a shape that is pleasing to our Lord. We then begin exercising discernment concerning to whom we will or will not present the gospel. In this is faith, above all– that first saved us, and now carries us through all the other aspects of this Christian character and virtue. However, we also know that as the world sees more of Christ in us (because we grow and mature in our testimony), false teachers, deceivers, accusers, and wicked ones will attempt to cloud, hurt, and destroy your effectiveness for Christ. We stand, therefore, upon something that can withstand even the most severe attacks of any false teacher:  the Word of God.

When we finish our study on the Sermon on the Mount, I pray your walk with Christ will have grown and your testimony for Him will be clarified. May God bless you today, and may we all seek the truth in Christ in His Sermon on the Mount.

[2] Blomberg, Craig L., Matthew, The New American Commentary, New International Version, Broadman: Nashville, 1992. p 93.

The troubles we face can cause us to fear so we seek to cover them up with our pride and/or bitterness. We try to go it alone when Christ is beckoning us to trust in Him, go His Way, and give our fears to Him. When we refuse to heed His call, it will just be a short time until we are thrown away, given to the devil, since we are working for him anyway. Ironically, our sufferings are far less of a venture and sentence than our poor choices. When we work our lives and church with our corrupt personal power we are in fact abandoning His power and Fruit. Consider this: when we are independent from Christ in our personal lives and in running our churches, we are forsaking and opposing Him. Thus, it is not that much of a stretch or even a job relocation to be a church of Satan, since we are already such a place. But, when we trust in Him, He will give us the strength to endure. When we are faithful, we become beacons of hope and encouragement to others, too. We will become lifesavers, thrown to those who are drowning. Christ will use us in the plights of others as hands to grab on to and pull others up when they are sinking. But, if we are not faithful, there is no outstretched hand, only missed opportunities and an infamy to a community, a life wasted, a church of dysfunction, and a crown of shame instead of a crown of life. God asks us to be conquerors and faithful witnesses to whom and what He is! We cannot do that as a church of Satan!

When we go through the troubles of life, we can either take shelter in Him or seek to go it alone in our fears and pride. When we seek to do His church on our own, we turn it into a church of evil, as diametrically opposed to Christ, as Satan is opposed to Him. We may not be worshipping Satan, but when we run the church by our ways and agendas, we are, in fact, worshipping Satan, because Christ is not only ignored, He is being opposed! Smyrna was a church where people’s agendas were in opposition to Christ‘s. They had sufferings to overcome and learn from, but most chose to run the course their way and tarnish His Way.

Questions to Ponder:

1. Why is Smyrna being praised? Why are they treading on dangerous ground? What caused them to turn out to be a church of bitterness and strife?

2. Jesus is passionately concerned with how and what we do in our churches, and wants to be intimately involved. So, how is He involved in your church? What can be done to invite Him further into your church?

3. How does the fact that Jesus knows your pain and feels your pain help you persevere in times of trials and confusion?

4. How do you demonstrate faithfulness? When we suffer, we may think that Christ is absent, but He is not. He is with us fully. How does this fact strengthen your faithfulness?

5. If this was your church, what could be done to make sure it did not die but be revived to its formerly healthy and vibrant ways?

6. What causes a Christian to become belligerent against Christ and a church to turn on one another, forsaking their call and duty? How does this ruin a church? How can such a church be turned around?

The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 2 Corinthians 4:4

© 2006 R. J. Krejcir Ph.D. Into Thy Word Ministries www.intothyword.org

Introduction

“The Church of Smyrna”

Smyrna is a Greek word for myrrh, a bitter herb used both as an anointing oil and for embalming, and was one of the gifts the wise men brought to Jesus as a young child (Ex. 30:23; Esth. 2:12; Psalm 45:8; Prov. 7:17; Matt. 2:11; John 19:39). The churches of Smyrna and Philadelphia were the only two of the seven that were fully praised by Christ. Even though Smyrna was praised, they were treading on dangerous ground. They were starting to be bitter as their name applies. After facing much persecution, they became belligerent against Christ and turned against one another, forsaking their call and duty. They had the opportunity to learn and grow from their situation, but instead, they chose bitterness and strife. They embraced fearfulness instead of faithfulness.

Like the church of Smyrna, we will all face sufferings and trials. It is not the questioning of them to help us cope, but how we learn and deal with them that help shape our spiritual formation. The trials we face will be used to enrich our own lives and make us a beacon to help others in their trials, too. When we cave in to our fears, we will only be insolvent in real poverty, bankrupted spiritually because of our opposition to Christ as our Lord and Sustainer.

John is grabbing their attention by reminding them (and us) who Christ is and what He has done. He is not just a Savior and/or best Friend; He gives us life, holds our lives, and will judge our lives. He is the One who overcame life and death for our benefit, and when we seek to run His church our way, we embarrass and dishonor Him and His Way. Jesus lived life in purity and sinlessness for our benefit, to enable us to have eternal life and partake in His fellowship. He knows us more intimately that we can imagine and desires that we be in Him and glorify Him fully. Yet, we tend to fill His call with the void of our stubbornness, recklessness, and selfishness. Yet, He is there, guiding us with a beacon that says I know your pain, I felt your pain, I have experienced your pain and I feel your pain now, too. He has taken our pain away. The tribulations we face are not the things that can derail us from Him; rather, they can form us more in Him in maturity and character.

These letters to the seven churches echo the good, the bad, and the ugly in all churches. They are styled similarly to O.T. Prophets and their oracles against the corrupt and the call to repentance, as in “let’s get it right” (Isa. 13-23; Jer. 46-51; Ezek. 25-32; Amos 2-4). Jesus directly challenges them, and us, in how we operate our church, what we doing right, where we are straying, what is heinous about us, and what we can do to get back on track. Christ is here, caring, and is present in our church! He is passionately concerned with what we do and how we do it, and wants to be intimately involved (Matt. 7:20; 10:16; 2 Tim. 2:15; 1 John 4:1).

"Our hearts are desperately wicked, folks, and if there is a way out of something, we will take it."

[This message is part of a series through the book of 1 John, entitled "Salvific Assurance Through Testimony," preached by Pastor Senter].

Last week we looked at a couple of rather difficult verses. We found that we are certainly not  perfect, nor are we supposed to be judgmental ; but we are supposed to be on our guard.  We are supposed to support our brothers and sisters above all. We are supposed to pray for them and help them through their difficult times. We found that if we witness someone committing a sin, and we know that they know the Savior, regardless of how it may “appear” we are to pray for them and ask God to grant them life in their situation. We found that the only sin that does not lead to “death” is the sin of a believer. We found that the only sin that results in “death” is the sin of denying Jesus the Christ, Jesus the Son of God. What we learned was that some people just need prayer in times of strife and struggle. This should not be a time where prayer for salvation is warranted; in fact, regardless of the situation, your soul is confident that is not what is required. Instead, we should support one another in prayer when our brothers and sisters are faced with these great difficulties and confrontations take place in life. There is nothing that says we should not be passionate in our defense of the faith, there is everything that should say we should be loving and determined in our response, especially where a brother or sister in Christ are concerned.

Please look at 1 John 5:18. Today we see John reviewing the basic premise of the epistle. We will support him in this summation by following exactly what he is saying through this epistle as he tells us what we should “know.” We also find here John’s final assault on Gnosticism in this epistle. He again pushes the issue that our spirit’s relationship with God is paramount.

Invincible – when you are young it seems to mature people that young people feel this way. However, as a young person, you really do not think you are  indestructible, you simply do not think about the consequences of your actions.  Honestly, if we considered “what if” for everything we ever attempted, we would probably just do nothing. What if they don’t like me? What if it is not true? What if I am not smart enough? What if I am rejected? What if it is too cold? What if…. Every “what if” question begs an answer. Every answer provides more fodder for “what if.” What we need to concentrate on then is what we know. What we need to consider is concrete facts. What we need to do is look at the things that are “set in stone” so to speak, and provide for us truth in living and life. This is what John opens with in his discussion here. Those living in the truth and being of God are protected from Satan. You might ask, What happened to Job then?  I thought he was “a blameless and upright man” (Job 1:8). No one  can claim to be as blameless as Job, and yet you know what happened to him.  Satan certainly touched Job. In fact, you could easily say that Satan hit Job pretty hard. We will explore how Satan is kept from touching us.

John also makes a statement in verse 19 about knowing we are of God and knowing where the world resides. We should gain an appreciation of what John is attempting to say here too. We find “know” mentioned three times and “the evil one” mentioned twice. We should ask, How is the Holy Spirit using these two words and what do they mean?  Is this actually a reference to the Devil, or does “the evil one” mean something different?

In verse 20, we receive a testimony of various pieces of knowledge. We should break down this verse carefully and discover what it is that John is teaching us when he says, “Son of God,” “Him who is true,” and then, “His Son Jesus Christ,” all in one pregnant verse. What we have to consider is what John is saying to the Gnostic, what is he telling the intellectual. We will find that there is instruction for every sinful person in this complex message. Our hearts are desperately wicked, folks, and if there is a way out of something, we will take it. These lessons, right at the end of this letter, should be great warning beacons to us. We should see ourselves headed for the rocks and these verses are the lighthouse that is about to save our very lives. We had better grasp the fact that our “spirit knows truth, but only within the Lord; all other spiritual claims to truth are temptations of Satan. You think the discussion about spiritual as opposed to intellectual truths gives you license to live an existential life, but it is only knowledge of Christ that gives real spiritual truth.“

Before we get into the serious heart-wrenching and introspective truths, how about a little encouragement?

I. Secure in Him (verse 18)

The first issue we have to tackle then is this first verb – “know.” This is our word “oida,” and we find it used three times in these four verses. Marshall says this is a state of knowledge. [1] Hiebert calls this an intuitive knowledge that we have.[2] This is the spider and the web issue. How does the spider know how to spin the web?  He just knows. In this same way, we know our sin status (verse 18), we know we belong to God (verse 19) and we know the Son of God (verse 20). All three words are the same. They are in the perfect tense, which indicates an activity that is completed or is in a state in perpetuity. It is also in the active form and the indicative mood. The active form is simply something that is seen as taking place. The indicative mood is a statement of fact. John has been specifically talking about believers in Christ Jesus since verse 13. This has not changed. He is still specifically addressing brothers and sisters in Christ, and he is saying it is a fact that we know. Our knowledge came to us some time in our past, but from that moment forward we know. We have known and we will know because we know right now.

When we consider this passage, we are struck by John’s absolutist conditions. In this verse, we find that those who are born of God do not sin and that those born of God are kept by God. The term for “keep” has a military connotation that indicates a guarded or protective attitude.

We can then turn our attention to the word translated “born” and find this term is unique in its usage. The word means to give birth, to bear, and to be the father or mother of someone. It can also be translated with cause. For example, “We bear the pain of our sins,” or “I can only bear so much pressure.” What we find is that this word is used in the perfect tense by John (as it is here the first time in verse 18 ) very consistently indicating believers. In all John’s writings, when he discusses individuals “born of God” and the word “born” is in the perfect tense, it indicates believers. The second time this word appears here is the same word and we find it translated “begotten.” This word is in a different tense which gives strong indication that this is not a believer, this is the Messiah. This one “begotten of God” then is the Son of God Himself.[3]

We should also consider the word translated “the evil one” and what it indicates. There are essentially two words that describe Satan in Greek. They are “poneros” (our word used here) and “diabolos.” Where the word “diabolos” means “accuser,” the word “poneros” actually indicates an individual or being that is essentially evil or personifies evil.[4] We find this old serpent referenced twice in these passages (verses 18 and 19).

Does the old serpent lose all power over us when we are saved? Are we no longer susceptible to sin when we receive Christ? We just studied verses 16 and 17–and talked about believers sinning. What is this we read now that believers do not sin?

A. Sinlessness

If there ever were a group of verses in scripture that can be completely misconstrued and misunderstood it has to be these by John. Folks, if John in one sentence says that believers can sin, and in the very next sentence seems to say that our spirit knows that those people cannot have really sinned (after all, they are saved), then there is something we are missing. This should bring us back to 1 John 3:6 & 9. Our spirit, the Holy Spirit within us gives us the capability of sinlessness, this is true. However, we still have a carnal heart. If we were to take this passage as license to sin, we fail God miserably and seek no further sanctification. We know that we face these doubts and temptations though. When we give in to them–which we all do at times–we sin. However, this section of scripture is dealing with the overall condition of the individual. It is not a recipe for living life in the moment. When we are born in Christ Jesus and saved from our sins, we are seen as sinless before God . When we are saved and Christ’s righteousness is credited to our account, we are sinless before God the Father. John is reviewing chapter 1 verse 7-9 here. We are supposed to be walking in the light of Christ, not in the darkness of the world.  If we  are truly Christians, if we truly want God to save our souls, if we really respect His salvation, then, when we accept Christ as Savior, we will begin a  new life (2 Cor 5:17). The world is darkness; we are supposed to walk in the light of Christ Jesus when we accept Him as our Savior. Being clothed in His righteousness, we are sinless before God.

Are you exhibiting a life that is sinless before God? Does your daily life show that the Son of God has given Himself for your eternal life? Do you exhibit the salvation of Christ in all you are and all you do?

We also have a protector in our salvation. Our lives are being filled by a new spirit, our bodies are being occupied by a sinless Spirit, and our salvation is being maintained by a sinless Person.

B. Keeping sinlessness

If we turn to Jude 21, we find essentially this same phrase. The one who is saved and in a sinless state before the Father, then, is encouraged to keep himself that way. Unfortunately, for man this is an impossible task and therefore we have one who can maintain Himself sinless before the Father, for our salvation. We work to maintain the relationship that protects our eternal life; but our only hope is to have Christ who needs nothing to maintain His sinless perfection before the Father. Just as Jesus, therefore, did not act as the Pharisees, we are commanded to not act as the worldly, but act as a child of God. There is a term for those individuals who act and look like worldly individuals. They are worldly. We find evidence of Christ’s efforts to guard our sinless state in John 17:12, where He guarded them and not one perished. We also look to 1 Peter 1:5, where those in Christ are protected by the power of God, and Jude 24, where Christ is able to keep you from stumbling. Jesus is the one keeping us from sin. Common-sensically, if we then walk in the world and only give God what we choose to give Him; simultaneously we actually know He is doing everything in His power to work on our sin-filled state. What we do then is take salvation and His sacrifice for granted.  We claim the light but walk in darkness (1 Jn 1:6).

Therefore, we should not endeavor to look or be like the people of the world. We should endeavor to be godly, to be Christlike. Since 1 John 2:6 tells us that if we say we live in God, then we should walk in the same way God walks. 1 John 2:15 and 16 tells us that we are not supposed to love the things of this world. God does not love the  things of the flesh, the lust we have for those things, or the boastful  pride we can have in ourselves.  If we strive to look like the world and the things of the world, we love the world. If we strive to have all the things of the world we can have, we love the world. If we strive to only please the people in the world and care not for the Father and His desires, we love the world. 1 John 2:15 says that, “if anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”

We are commanded in Jude 21, to keep ourselves in His love and wait with excitement for Jesus to return. This is a glorious position to be in. We should always live in expectation of His return. In John, since he focuses upon salvific assurance through testimony, we find Him stating evidences of our salvation and asking us if we are doing the things that testify of our expecting to meet Jesus at any moment. When we are born of God, we are kept by Him through our relationship in Christ Jesus. We are kept through our testimony. We should be stricken when we know we are rebelling against the Savior and not testifying of Him in all we are and all we do.

God, who keeps Himself sinless for us, keeps us sinless in this process. Being mindful of our relationship with God in Christ Jesus, and striving to honor this gift, is how we focus upon improving our lives in Him. When we take His salvation for granted, when we choose to adopt worldly behavior and sinful activity in our lives, we step out of this protection.

If  we, then, work through Christ to maintain our relationship with God, if we  seek His counsel and His salvation, and walk in His light–then Satan also has no effect upon us.

C. Untouchable

The word translated here as “touch” has a much stronger connotation that what appears. It actually indicates grasping or taking hold of someone with the intent to do harm. The issue, as it is so often, is not physical but spiritual. Satan may be given permission to affect your body, your family, your job, or any other thing in your life; however, your soul belongs to God. Satan is unable to touch your soul; he has no control over your eternal destiny. By being born of God in Christ Jesus, you have taken upon yourself the only Person who has ever defeated Satan:  the Son of God, Jesus Christ of Nazareth. You are untouchable; you are free from the sting of death (Hosea 13:14; 1 Cor 15:55-56). You are no longer a subject of the Law in conviction; now you are a subject of Christ the Son of God in His Kingdom, set free of the bondage of sin. Satan has no further power over you.  Under the law the accuser can no longer speak reproach against you. As he stands against you, Christ stands between Satan and the Father. The relationship is complete, now Christ only asks that you recognize this gift in your everyday activity.

If you are free, if you are untouchable, if you are given purity that you can keep, why are you so focused upon destroying everything about God in your life? You are untouchable concerning your eternal life, why do you act as though this world then means so much to you?

We should be acting as though we know other things in our spirit too. We should understand and recognize that without Christ, we would never have had this opportunity.

II. Vulnerable without Him (verse 19)

We know that we are from God; we know that the whole world is opposed to us and is within the power of Satan. Why then are you so focused upon pleasing these people by becoming more like them? Why do you commit the sins they do? Why do you have to fit into their lifestyles? Why do you have to endeavor to be more like them if they are tools of Satan? Why would you, a Christian, want to  appear to be a tool of Satan in any fashion?  If you know that you are of God, and that the world is opposed to all that God is, why would you participate in the things of Satan’s world?

Do not permit yourself to be used as a tool of Satan. Every activity you endeavor, every reaction of your life, every thing you choose to wear or do for and with your family should speak directly against Satan and the things of this world.

Let us break this down some. We should get some specific applications out of this verse.

A. Believers

Ladies and gentlemen, we have the most perfect and excellent proof that we are of God – because we do not do the things that are in this world. If we react to situations like worldly people, we are worldly. We should react as Christ might react, then, to the situations that are presented to us. Instead of anger at someone or something that insults our intelligence or our ego, we should submit and humble ourselves to the moment and individual involved. Arrogance is for fools who consider themselves the authority (Prov 14:3). These people speak as though they know, yet they are no more knowledgeable than any other, and many times less so. Believers are first humble, admitting they cannot get to eternity without assistance. They should also admit they cannot exist without Christ’s assistance on this earth. The God Who permits you eternal life with Him also provides for your every breath in His thoughts (Col 1:17). The believer then takes every opportunity to show their love of Him by not being part of this world, and instead separating from this world as completely as possible. We seek to look different, act different, and be different. We do not seek to blend in, but to be noticed for the Christian that we are. We do not talk to people using foul language–not only is it specifically demanded in scripture, it is worldly in nature Ephesians 4:29. Believers need to communicate in the language of scripture, talking scripture, speaking the words of God to others (2 Cor 12:19 & 1 Thess 5:11). We should not use the world’s language, which involves spiteful, corrupt, prideful, and hateful communication. We should run from this, deny our ears to even hear such language, and not condone use of this language wherever we are. Believers are supposed to be light shining a lamp upon the dark evil corrupted activities of the world.

Folks, you, in many ways, are supposed to be the “goody two-shoes.”  Do people change when you enter the room because you are recognized as an individual who does not appreciate the talk around the water fountain? On the other hand, do people treat you just as if they treat anyone else in the world, talking foully around you, discussing inappropriate things with you, asking you to perform or do inappropriate, or unlawful things? If people treat you as a worldly person, it is because they see you as one, folks; and it is not just because they are that way – it is you and your lack of testimony.

What of these unbelievers then? How are we to understand them, and what are we to do with them?

B. Unbelievers

The second part of this verse plainly states that this whole world, as Clark puts it, “is embraced in the arms of the devil, where it lies fast asleep and carnally secure, deriving it’s heat and power from it’s infernal fosterer.”[5] Every unbelieving heart on the planet therefore, is under the specific control of Satan who teaches them to care for their own hearts and care not for others. Look at today’s egocentric society. The divorce rate climbs regularly because people are concerned with their own happiness instead of taking happiness from serving another person.

Abortion is one of Satan’s greatest deceptions in personal attention. We have a world today that cares more about an individual who can think for themselves (but chooses not to) than an individual who is unable to even be heard, but would clearly not want to die. Women seek abortions because of embarrassment, inconvenience, and convenience. Some find killing another a way to avoid being embarrassed by their own promiscuity. Others see the child as an inconvenience in their lives, their career, or their lifestyle. Yet others find this the easy answer to rectify a “mistake” or just in order to maintain their reprehensible personal habits, ambitions, and promiscuities. Whatever the reason, Satan has these folks focused upon, “it is all about what I want,” and that is just where Satan wants them.

A great form of self-absorption is the “fame” spotlight. Every person is vying for his or her 15 minutes of fame, regardless of the cost. They will begin shows about themselves and put cameras into their own homes because their other careers are failing. They love the spotlight; therefore, they will do anything they can to get in front of the camera. The amazing thing to me is that people actually watch these shows. If you were to watch any of these shows, the longer they are on, the more racy they get because life in general is boring. It is rather ironic that some people have such boring lives that they would be entertained to watch others go through their boring life. These “reality” shows are also in competition with other programs to get better ratings. Writers regularly chance the risqué to get just one more point in the Neilson ratings. Anyone who does  anything to have themselves specifically noticed in the world falls into this  category:  children who seek attention from other classmates at school, others who seek to fit in, or look for ways to “not look weird” or “not  look boring.”  Extreme sports competitions that unsafely stretch the physical limits of the body (playing chicken as adults) are another example. These attitudes all fit in these categories too. Once again, any efforts we make to be specifically noticed are worldly because that is exactly what everyone in the world tries to do every day – get noticed – it is all about “ME.”

John is essentially saying, though you live here in the world, you are of God, from God, and should be living for God. Your life should reflect these simple truths in all you do. You should not look, act, think, play, sing, or in any way resemble the world. You are a child of God.

Why do we know that we are supposed to act this way, be this way, change to live this way? Because the truth is in Him.

III. The truth of Him (verse 20)

First, we know that Jesus Christ has come and when He was here, He was different from everyone else. He treated people differently; He did not operate as a man, but as the Godman. Though we are not God, we are called to be Christlike, love as Christ loved, change to His image, receive one another as Christ received us (Rom 6:4; 12:2; 15:7). We are supposed to imitate God (Eph 5:1). We are not supposed to be imitators of Satan. He gave us this understanding, and the understanding of Himself. Whatever Satan would do, in other words whatever the world would do, we are not supposed to be doing. This is the truth in Him and the truth in His word. This is what we know through the Son of God who gave us this understanding. He gave us these great differences so that we could know that it is true. Just as Jesus did and acted and was the Father (John 14:9), children of God do not act like children of Satan.  It is that simple. Can each one of you say that the truth of God is so much in you that if anyone sees you they see the Father? That, folks, is being Christlike. The truth then is that Christ is in you, and you have His salvation, which provides eternal life. This truth is in you because it permeates from your very being, it is seen in all that splendor that is your life. Your life, like Christ’s, is bent upon servitude, humility, submission, and love. Can people, therefore, say that they see Jesus in you? This is how we know we have Him and eternal life.

Does the world see Christ in you – really?

What idols are being discussed here then? If all this is about our testimony, if all this is about our not being worldly, what idols are we to avoid.

IV. The strength in Him (verse 21)

Tell me, whom would you like to be when you grow up? I know a young man who wanted to be Alan Trammel. Alan Trammel was a very famous Detroit Tiger. This young man very much wanted to be like him. He loved baseball, and the Tigers, and he wanted to be like the famous Alan Trammel. This young man had a great Dad, a great Mom; but he wanted to be like Alan Trammel. He played like him, he studied him, he looked at all the moves Trammel made, and attempted to be like him. This is an idolization folks. Whom in this world do you want to be like? Is there some person on this earth you are striving to imitate? “If I could only be like such and such.”  “If I could only do this like that person.”  “If I could only…” idolize another person on earth. This is what John is warning against. Do not covet the things of Satan’s domain folks. Do not covet other Christian’s testimonies. The definition of this word “idol” is an object, person, animal, or another god. It can be anything from a specific dollar amount to the latest hairstyle or keeping up with the Joneses. The word “keep” here is different from our other word. While the word “keep” in verse 18 is a matter of guarding something as in protection, in verse 21 this term means to guard against, to attempt to prevent, to place things in order so that you actively make this idolatry impossible. Make specific and distinct efforts to keep yourself away from this activity.[6]

Once again then, looking at the focus of the message, and considering the environment that people who received this letter are confronted with, we find another answer. People naturally flock to success; we are  drawn to people who appear smart, assuming they know best. We want to find leadership, we seek people to guide us, and smart people normally know best. These Gnostics were intellectuals. They studied Plato, Socrates, and Aristotle, which means they were perceived as being wise people.  Simple people normally want to see this guidance in life. John is saying do not idolize these people, because, regardless of what they appear to be, regardless of how smart they may seem, they are lost, worldly, and under the control of Satan. Do not idolize them.

Actively take part in separating from ungodly idolism and move to only emulate one Person:  Christ Jesus.

Let me conclude by summarizing this lesson for today.  We first learned that we know in our hearts that we are secure in Christ, in His salvation. We also learned that to God we are sinless because of this existence within Christ. We are charged, therefore, to be mindful of our responsibility to honor Christ’s sacrifice and focus upon Him every day giving thanks in all we say and do. When we operate, therefore, within this Christian state we find that we are untouchable spiritually (Jam 4:7). Conversely, as we seek to be more like the world we are increasingly susceptible to the temptations of Satan. Believers display a godlike appearance; unbelievers display a worldly, self-centered appearance. You have to ask yourself, “Do I live, therefore, in the truth that I know in my heart about Christ and His salvation of my soul? Alternatively, do I try to live in the world, continually seeking to look like the people of the world to be accepted?” You are encouraged, therefore, not to be like the people of the world and not to seek to be like them or idolize them in such a way that the things of the world replace God in importance.

What is your choice? Do you submit to being different, to look as though you do not belong and therefore accept any persecution that may come your way? On the other hand, do you want to have an easy life and just do and look like everyone else around you? Will you make a brave stand as Stephen did? Or will you go along to get along, and take on some of the worldly attributes regardless of how it affects the way people see your relationship with God? Which will it be? Stand for God and look to be more like Jesus–or look like every other peer you have in the world? What would God have you do?

[2] Hiebert, D. Edmond, The Epistles of John, BJU Press: Greenville 1991, p. 264.

[3] Ibid, 265.

[4] Johannes P. Louw and Eugene A. Nida, Editors, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament Based on Semantic Domains, United Bible Societies: New York 1989 2nd ed. Electronic text hypertexted and prepared by OakTree Software, Inc.ver. 3.6 – can also be translated ‘the Evil One, He who is evil.’

[5] Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Whole Bible, Public Domain, Derived from an electronic text from the Christian Classics Ethereal Library http://www.ccel.org, Formatted and corrected by OakTree Software, Inc., Version 1.0

[6] Louw & Nida – 13.154.

So, I’ve abandoned my life in Bastok, not in the present, no never in the present; the past only. I had to because I wanted gear from the windy list of choices. The first thing I did was obtain my Cobra Unit Hat, which is freaking amazing and hot; and compliments my purple sash. Currently I am a level 71 Puppetmaster, aspiring to be 75 very soon. Since my last post, I have also completed Minotaur, Ouryu, Diabolos, Mammets, and the first half of Sacrarium. So, CoP is coming along nicely.

Let me discuss more in depth some of my Diabolos drama; so thankfully Tigerfury offers to lead the run, I don’t know what I would do with out you man!  So we all go to Xarca then to Beaucidine and I put RR up as regular and then we go red portal, black portal, then red portal, then to that elevator thing, so I play on that elevator thing for a bit, it was kinda fun going up and down and up and down.  But anyways this Samurai in my group needs sneak so I think nothing of casting it on him, but of course I manage to magic agro, and they were all like just run to the zone Ed!!! But the elevator was its way up and I had no way off, and I died with the Samurai right next to me doing nothing.  If he would have pulled hate off me for just a second I could have got off a repose but of course he did not, and you know that RR I had up, well, no more because buffs reset upon entering level capped zones.  Thus leaving me RR-less, sad, and very very bitter a certain samurai.   And of course I was the only one with raise so I had to home point and rush back through the portals (putting RR up EVERYTIME!)  And I made it to the Fighting zone.  The fight is interesting because you have to stand a specific platforms to not fall to your untimely death.  Now what is frustrating about the diabolos fight the most is that you get this bio / sleep affect known as the infamous Nightmare.  So you are like just a sleep dieing to this horrible damage.  A damage that can eat through a full stoneskin and bring you down to Zero health with full HP.  So it is horrible!  The first two times we wiped to this and we never would have the third time if Diabolos didn’t draw me in and attack me, the best thing that could have happened because all of a sudden I was awake and spamming the Benediction macro I had.  Then everyone was awake and we were victorious!  Go go 2-hours!

For Ouryu, BSphilar lead this run, /bow!  And we decided to try something a bit different.  Instead of using the 15k item to keep Ouryu on the ground we just decided to Manaburn the thing down.  So I went with RDM, BLM, SMNx2, WHM (me), and PLD.   The paladin kept the mobs attention and I healed him.  The BLM, SMNers, and RDM just went crazy nuking and astral flowing it was so easy.  The Paladin did an excellent job of Invincibling when I was low on MP and things were good.  One of the more interesting aspects of this run, is that we didn’t actually farm the scales to go through the unstable portals instead we just kinda hijacked someone else’s scale.  As immortalized by the quote by Megazero, “thats y we gotta click fast.”  After we made it through the unstable portal I kinda got lost and died but thanks to RR and FFXI Atlas I found my way to where I was supposed to be.

I have also been working on some campaign-age sometimes it gets really, really boring.  So I don’t do it for ages, and other times I just can’t stop.  To be honest I went from 3k into 69 all the way to 70 strictly in campaign.  It took a really long time, but I was having a very stressful school week, so I was glad that I was allowed to get anything done.  Because without features like Campaign, Fields of Valor, and Level Sync; my progress much like many other people’s would be quite slow.  Also I have made a resolve to start leveling Ninja via Campaign OPs.  I go talk to the mithra and she is blah blah these are the missions you have available to you.  And I choose Crystal Fist and then I talk to the taru and he is like “what is your highest craft” basically, and I am like lol goldsmithing with a staggering level 3 skill.  He asks me how I make a specific type of items and I tell him the crystal and the material, he gives me 200 exp and I go back to the Mithra she gives me 450 allied notes and I Rinse/Repeat that once a week, 7 times each.  So it is great for notes and it helps slowly build up that ninja that for some reason I do not want to level.

I have been yelled at many a times now to level my warrior to 37 for Puppetmaster, of course this is mainly from Bsphilar and bandwagon Jesterking (even though Nahual says /DNC is a perfectly acceptable sub).  So I have thus far managed to take war from 1 to 15.  A feet that I think is pretty decent.  I am not going to lie and say I am leveling it full time, because I am not.  I am just trying to bring it into my leveling rotation.  I want to do a little with Pup and when I get bored of that, well not really bored, just want to do something different I will go level my WAR solo only until 20, no exceptions.  It just isn’t worth being in a party when I can solo much more efficiently alone.  And PLs are cheap so I am just dealing with it.  I also want to level DRG as a sub for PUP, I hear it is actually better for lower levels, but I am quite interested to see what jump and accuracy bonus can do for my pup at 75.  I am sure Bsphilar would mention my lack of DD output as a reason not to do this.  But I just want to try it.  I am sorry I don’t always want to be cookie cutter all the time, even if it isn’t the best.  Now to ponder my lack luster WHM; I have pretty decent gear for WHM, all very acceptable, none of it amazing, but acceptable.  I would like to actually have more than one sub for it.  I always go WHM/BLM to everything, because I <3 warp, but there are some situations where warp isn’t an issue like endgame stuff. Either there is a mog house right there (dynamis) or Nashmau just a short walk away (einherjar) or I can tele back to an acceptable place (sky).    So I really, really should get SCH, RDM, and SMN up to 37 so I have more options.  But for some reason everytime I try I get distracted with my passion for PUP, perhaps after I get that to 75, I will be able to focus more attention on some of my neglected necessary subs.  I would like to thank Jesterking for reminding me of my blog, it is was actually quite fun to start writing again, look forward to more updates in the future!

Getting caught up on the past days….

Wednesday was Matt’s last day of the conference.  It closed around 3pm and then we ventured into Downtown Disney for the 6pm Cirque du Soleil.  In Orlando they offer the La Nouba.  We had both been waiting for this show during the week, as this was the only event Matt was willing to plan.  We rode the Disney transportation along with some other Solidworks folks and their families.  It is nice to know that the other guys have real lives too.

The show was fantasic.  The time just flew by.  I wish I had photos to show you but once you enter the building the cameras are shut off.  So here is the approach. 

There were clowns tightrope and trapeze artists, bike stunts, silk artists and so much more.  I think the show stealer’s were these little Chinese girls with the Diabolos – kinda like a top and a string.  But what they could do with those little wooden looking diabolos was amazing.  They all looked so cool too. 

All the costumes were exagurated and colorful.  There were so many different characters that interacted throughout the performance.  If you go expect to be completely engulfed in beauty, wonder and delight.  We both highly recommend it.

After the show we wondered through Downtown Disney with dinner at Bongos and visits in a few very crowded shops (recession? what recession? doesn’t seem to be one here).  We even mingled a bit around the LEGO store.

After the Downtwon Disney we made it back to the Dolphin and just wanted to get a little ice cream.  After a few more Solidworks meet and greets. Eventually we made it to the ice cream and called it a night.

DIABOLOS
Álbum
2005/09/21

*Yesasia

*CD Japan

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Tracklist

1. Misty
2. Farewell
3. Noesis
4. Ash
5. Metamorphoze
6. Dispar
7. Future
8. BLACK STONE
9. Storm
10. Road
11. 届カナイ愛ト知ッテイタノニ、抑エキレズニ愛シ続ケタ・・・ [Todokanai ai to shitteita noni osaekirezuni aishitsuzuketa…]

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Mediafire

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]]> http://tirodeportivo.wordpress.com/2008/12/26/conceptos-basicos-pellet-o-diabolo/ Fri, 26 Dec 2008 07:45:43 +0000 xxleopardoxx http://tirodeportivo.wordpress.com/2008/12/26/conceptos-basicos-pellet-o-diabolo/

Calculadora de Energía/Velocidad en Sistema Metrico Decimal y Sistema Inglés

Existe una aplicacion que permite hacer calculos de la velocidad y energia de un rifle (sea de CO2, Resorte o PCP) en funcion del peso del diabolo empleado y otra variable (si se ingresa peso del diabolo y velocidad se obtiene energia; si se ingresa peso del diabolo y energia se obtiene velocidad), de click aqui

Espero se haya logrado comprender, en cualquier caso, este articulo tal como todos los demas tiene una seccion para comentarios donde podran ingresar sus preguntas y las ire respondiendo a la brevedad, saludos!

Debido a las circunstancias (?) debería ser el del RR… pero ba, DIABOLOS x3

El crédito de los scans es de A.M-san de marshmellorobot.

Pueden pasar por el Livejournal de A.M-san~ si quieren los scans más grandes y también las imágenes que están partidas en 2 en una sola.

Descargar

Track List

1 “Misty”
2 “Farewell”
3 “Noesis”
4 “Ash”
5 “Metamorphoze” (メタモルフォーゼ)
6 “Dispar”
7 “Future”
8 “Black Stone”
9 “Storm”
10 “Road”
11 “届カナイ愛ト知ッテイタノニ 抑エキレズニ愛シ続ケタ･･･ (Todokanai Ai to Shitteita no ni Osaekirezu ni Aishitsuzuketa…)

Diabolos was released on 21st September 2005 by Nippon Crown. Though the European version shown here was released on 26th October 2007 by Gan-shin. This version contains two booklets. One in Japanese, like in the standard Japanese version, and one in English which is included in the CD Jewel case.

This isn’t my favorite album, but it is definatley a great album. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I highly reccomend “Farewell,” “Metamorphoze” and “Black Stone” those three tracks are amazing and make the album worth buying. If you’re looking for and album to buy, this is pretty great. Again, I wouldn’t rate it the best album of Gackt’s, but thats my opinion. But it is an amazing album

Arena 37

Septiembre 2005

Parte 1

Entrevistador: I
Gackt: G

[Número] Más explicación de la frase/palabra anterior.
(XXX) = Otros significados de la palabra o traducción literal o palabras perdidas/palabras no específicamente mencionadas.

~

Han sido seis meses desde la última sesión de fotos y entrevista de Gackt. Nosotros lo entrevistamos periódicamente basados en el calendario de los lanzamientos consecutivos de “ありたけの愛で” (Arittake no Ai de); el álbum “Love Letter”; “BLACK STONE”; y “Metamorphoze ～メタモルフォーゼ～” desde el comienzo del año. ¿Cuál es la razón de este súbito rompimiento?, si, decir que esto se sentía como la soledad de una relación amorosa a distancia no está tan alejado de la realidad.

Por supuesto, nosotros sabemos que Gackt está inmerso en la producción de su siguiente álbum. Gackt menciono en la (anterior) entrevista que el single lanzado después de “Love Letter” había sido grabado basado en el concepto del siguiente álbum. Entonces, allí está la cuestión del título del álbum. “DIABOLOS”, que lleva el significado de diablo en latín. Y de alguna manera, como nos muestran el material dado por la compañía discográfica, el álbum está relacionado con el mundo de “MOON” que se nos presento durante el periodo del año 2001 al año 2003.

¿“MOON” no concluyo con el lanzamiento del álbum Crescent? ¿Cuál es el vinculo entre este álbum que lleva el significado de diablo y la historia profundamente triste de un grupo de hombres como se vio en “MOON CHILD”, la película con el tema de un vampiro y que establece el futuro próximo como escenario? Dejando atrás (lit. dispersar/dispersando) sólo pistas, Gackt se aisló completamente en el estudio. La única canción que recibimos que no fue lanzada como single y que se incluirá en el álbum fue “Future”.

Y por fin, ¡nos reunimos de nuevo!

“¡Ha pasado un tiempo~! ¿Fue hace seis meses? El tiempo vuela (risas)”

Puedes encontrar al Gackt habitual en el estudio. No, habitual… no es completamente cierto decir eso. Por el peinado, se puede ver. Su cabello que usualmente deja suelto y (estilizado) con mousse o cera para el cabello está ahora reunido cuidadosamente y firmemente trenzado. Es completamente una nueva imagen. Cuando preguntamos si este peinado tenía algún significado, Gackt respondió con una sonrisa secreta.

“A ha ha ha ha, ¿conveniente? (risas). Esto está hecho basado en el peinado de uno de los personajes en esta historia. Estuve pensando en llegar a la parte tribal. Es totalmente inconveniente para la ropa normal, aunque, tengo entendido que es aterrador (risas). Sin embargo, se ajusta a esta visión del mundo en el escenario. Aunque es bastante corto ahora, vamos a añadir extensiones para el escenario [1].”

Si, así es. Él mismo se convirtió en una parte del mundo de “DIABOLOS”.

Y a continuación, la entrevista. Vamos a conectar sus palabras una por una de las diversas piezas que Gackt nos ha lanzado, y sus grandes visiones (lit. sueños) y esta historia que va más allá de nuestra imaginación será aclarada aquí…

La leyenda del vampiro que data del 700 a.C. repartida en cuatro capítulos.

I: Lo que nos es más curioso de esto es la reapertura del mundo de “MOON” con este álbum “DIABOLOS”. ¿Por qué regresar a “MOON” de nuevo?
G: Bueno, la historia de “MOON” por sí misma es básicamente muy larga. Está separada en cuatro capítulos en total. En realidad, el concepto mostrado a través de los tours “Kagen no Tsuki” y “Jyougen no Tsuki” fue del capítulo cuatro, y el primero, segundo y tercer capítulo antes a ese no han sido mostrados aún. Y el tour de esta vez, “DIABOLOS ~哀婉の詩~”, está entre el segundo y tercer capítulo.

I: ¡Ya veo! Porque es como el episodio I de “Star Wars”, ¡la historia se mueve hacia atrás! Me pregunto por qué ellos eran vampiros después de ver “MOON CHILD”.
G: Y esta vez la historia es del año 1600 si lo vez desde el calendario occidental de la historia. La historia completa inicia desde el año 700.

I: ¡Incluso el periodo de tiempo se sabe claramente! Los antecedentes fueron creados en la mente de Gackt-san (también), ¿verdad?
G: Del año 700 al 1300 es el primer capítulo; 1300 a 1600 es el segundo; y 1600 al tiempo actual es el tercero. Entonces, del tiempo actual a un futuro cercano es el cuarto capítulo, y este fue el que hice bajo el anterior tema de “MOON”.

I: Ya veo, por fin lo entiendo.
G: Esta vez, “DIABOLOS” toma lugar en el intervalo entre el segundo y tercer capítulo, y el foco principal es el origen de los vampiros. Entonces los personajes aún no son llamados vampiros en este punto. Y ahora regresaré a la razón de porque en particular es acerca de vampiros, ¿está bien?

I: Eso es algo que nos gustaría mucho escuchar también.
G: Lo que quiero expresar es más “humano”. La maldad que existe en el humano, la existencia del humano, etc. Quiero dibujar esta parte del humano. Pero pienso que eso es algo muy vago [1], y si intentas transmitirlo más directamente, se vuelve más difícil de transmitir. Esa es la razón de porque pasa a ser como un espejo, la manera en que miramos a los humanos a través de esta raza llamada vampiros. Eso es lo que pienso. Es como podemos ver claramente a los seres humanos mediante la creación (lit. dibujo) de estos vampiros… Este clan llamado vampiros, aunque son similares a los humanos en apariencia, ellos existen como una especie diferente. Y mientras los humanos temen la “muerte” y viven rechazándola, este grupo de vampiros, por otra parte, la anhelan. Porque ellos no son capaces de morir. En ese sentido,  pienso que es fácil convertirlo en un reflejo de los humanos. Es una forma de expresión fácil de transmitir para mí. Definitivamente no es porque quería presentar vampiros, sino porque esta forma de expresar a los humanos a través de vampiros hace que sea fácil de entender y también puede transmitirse sin dificultad. Además, su existencia es fugaz, intensa, y triste [2] y como una historia es fácil de contar. En términos de expresión a través de música en un escenario, es muy fácil de presentar a la audiencia.

I: Los que están viendo pueden también entrar fácilmente al mundo de la historia. Por cierto, ¿los vampiros son de un clan?
G: En esta historia, los vampiros eran algo que fue creado. Es un clan creado no naturalmente y el origen de todo es mostrado aquí en esta historia. Pero eso es algo que no puedes expresar completamente en música; y es por eso que creo que serás capaz de verlo en una película, o una novela, o una forma de juego en una fase posterior.

I: Aunque no es “Phoenix” de Osamu Tezuka [1], la historia de cómo los humanos buscan la inmortalidad es un tema filosófico, ¿no es así?

G: Los humanos que buscan la inmortalidad y los vampiros que buscan una pacífica muerte son extremos opuestos, ¿no? Los humanos que buscan la inmortalidad piensan que ser capaces de vivir por siempre es una cosa maravillosa. Pero los vampiros saben lo dolorosa que es una existencia así. Es un tema interesante porque puedes presentar los dos lados, el del dolor por no obtenerla, y el dolor de cargar con ella. Y como los vampiros son un conocido tema en todo el mundo, puede ser comprendido fácilmente.

I: Este mundo tiene su propia única estética también.
G: En esta historia, este grupo que es el origen de los vampiros fue creado para matar a otros. Pero eso no significa que ellos mismos persigan esa vida. A pesar de eso, ellos cargan con el destino de vivir en medio de ese conflicto. Ellos están incompletos porque no pueden permanecer bajo la luz del sol; y son odiados t temidos por los humanos. ¿Quién los creo? ¿Por qué propósito ellos existen? Ellos son un clan que vive constantemente en medio de conflictos. Y tienen que vivir mientras son perseguidos porque son una minoría superior. ¿No crees que se asemeja estrechamente a la minoría en el mundo actual? Esos quienes tienen gran poder representan la justicia (lit. se convierten en la rectitud/justicia), pero ¿realmente es así? Como una discusión, ¿verdad? Pienso que eso no es verdad. Porque la justicia es algo que tú creas, porque la justicia no es algo que (simplemente) existe.

Crear usando un método que sólo yo puedo usar, eso es difícil…

I: Pero incluso si las canciones fueron creadas bajo ese gran tema, cada canción puede ser aplicada a diferentes escenas separadas. Por ejemplo, incluso como canciones de intervención… [1]

G: ¡Por supuesto! Esto es porque no tengo la intención de hacer canciones que no puedas entender sin que explique la historia. Esto es por lo que encuentro dificultades cuando hago canciones. Porque no tiene sentido si no sientes que la canción es independiente de las demás, incluso cuando las escuchas por separado. Ese es el problema básico. Y después de aclarar eso, cómo la historia fluye cuando arreglas las canciones como un álbum es otro punto. Si no consideras esto al mismo tiempo, no funcionará. Es difícil (risas).

I: Eso es, porque tú no piensas muy normal (risas).
G: Si, es difícil. Como tu trabajo, puedes crear cada canción por separado (lit. independientemente), ¿verdad? Porque es mejor de esa manera. Pero para mí, (lo consideraría), “¿Cuál es el método que sólo yo puedo usar?” y así se convirtió en esta manera.

I: Eso es porque nadie (más) crea un single tomándolo del concepto del álbum. Especialmente “Metamorphoze” que se convirtió en el tema para “Zガンダム” (Z Gundam). La historia de Z Gundam también se entrelaza a la propia historia de Gackt.
G: En casos de intervenciones, definitivamente voy a decir esto a los productores. Si hay algo en común entre los temas de mi propio trabajo (y suyo) y corresponde con los demás, claro que lo presentaré. Entonces el autor de Z Gundam, Tomino-san, entiende esto también. Si nos fijamos en la totalidad de la canción, ¿por qué estamos aquí en este momento? ¿Por qué razones peleamos? Ese es el tema de “Metamorphoze”. Al igual que los conflictos enfrentados por los vampiros que mencioné antes, los personajes de “Z Gundam” también poseen esas ideas, ¿no? Esto es por lo que esa parte corresponde con la otra. Incluso si no creas (las canciones específicamente) para ello, siempre y cuando tengamos un tema en común, seremos capaces de impulsar la imaginación del espectador. Eso es lo que pienso.

Las canciones para el siguiente álbum después de este realmente fueron terminadas primero.

I: Pero la grabación está tomando mucho tiempo esta vez.
G: En cuanto a las canciones que no han escuchado en este momento, están tomando tanto tiempo porque tenemos que corregir una y otra vez el método que hemos utilizado para crear la música. Lo que llamas nuestra especialidad y lo nuevo (métodos) que usamos está mesclado en este álbum. No es que hayamos cambiado a algo totalmente nuevo, pero estamos añadiendo nuevos elementos para hacerlo progresivamente, con mi música como base. Si hay un género para esta forma final que estamos creando, pienso que probablemente será “Nueva mezcla de Rock”. Pero estamos teniendo un momento difícil estableciendo eso. Por ejemplo, el método que usamos para canciones como “Ash” es básicamente la continuación del álbum anterior. “Metamorphoze” también, ya habíamos comenzado las grabaciones para esa a la mitad de la producción de “Crescent”. Entonces esas partes, las que son continuación del álbum anterior y las más nuevas que estamos buscando en este álbum, son diferentes. Pero están mezcladas juntas. Hemos sido capaces de completar lo que hemos seguido desde el anterior trabajo, pero hemos tenido que rehacerlo una y otra vez al momento de añadir nuevos elementos en él y eso tomó mucho tiempo. Me siento realmente mal por eso.

I: No, está bien porque no haces canciones para encajar en (la fecha de) las entrevistas. Lo que más importa es hacerlo a tiempo para la fecha del lanzamiento (risas).
G: ¡Por supuesto! Lo haré a tiempo para la fecha del lanzamiento (risas). Y la mayoría podría pensar que ese nombre llamado Gackt es mi nombre de solista, pero yo veo a Gackt como el nombre del proyecto global. Es por eso que tenemos el nombre de Gacktjob. También hemos estado buscando en la composición no sólo de este álbum, sino en el siguiente también durante la grabación de este. Entonces durante la grabación, hicimos las canciones que serán incluidas en el siguiente álbum (después de “DIABOLOS”) primero. Pienso que (el staff) será capaz de entender mejor la dirección a la que se supone debemos avanzar si los dejo escuchar esas canciones primero. Porque esas se terminaron primero (risas).

I: ¿Eso por qué…?
G: Bueno, es el orden de la grabación (risas). Está en su conveniencia…[1] (risas). Realmente, esas canciones están más completas, y normalmente, se habrían lanzado (ya). Pero (no lo hice) porque las canciones no son para este álbum, sino para el siguiente en su lugar.

I: ¿La compañía discográfica no te pide que hagas las canciones para este álbum primero? (risas).
G: Bueno…… (risas). Pero con el fin de crear la vista del mundo (de DIABOLOS), necesitábamos hacer las siguientes primero. Esto es porque es importante para nosotros. Pero la compañía discográfica sólo puede ver lo que está frente a sus ojos. Ahí es donde está la diferencia. Porque por supuesto, nuestra música no sería buena si la hiciéramos de esta manera. Entonces nosotros lo hacemos porque es necesario. Creo que logran entender que dejándolos escuchar las canciones para los próximos singles primero es la manera más rápida para completar la producción de este álbum. Sólo que no serán incluidas esas canciones en este álbum (risas).

I: ¡Podría ser! (risas). [1]

G: ¡Ellos son geniales! ¡Realmente buenos! (risas).

I: Ah, ¡ya veo! (risas)
G: Incluso yo estaba sorprendido. “¡Maravilloso!” pensé. Estaba sorprendido. Ellos son increíbles.

I: Pero nosotros no podemos escucharlo aún.
G: Hmmm, alrededor de seis a ocho meses después como singles………tal vez (risas). Si por lo menos no tenemos tal plan listo en nuestra mente, perderemos la diversidad (lit. propagación, duración) de nuestra propia música. Tú sólo podrás ser capaz de ver lo que está frente a ti y que sólo será un trabajo que haces porque estás al final de tu ingenio. No tiene sentido hacer eso. Realmente yo quiero hacer algo que tenga un significado para ello, y no sólo (producir) un trabajo que puedas digerir fácilmente. Piensa que las canciones que no has escuchado, que se incluirán en este álbum, serán muy interesantes. Es un nuevo (método), y creo que no hay duda de que soy el único en Japón que puede crear este tipo de música. No por (la mención del) tema de la confusión de la parte humana, o incluso la forma ambigua de expresarlo, no por eso, sino por la manera en que siempre lo presento como algo hermoso, intenso, y fugaz…… Como una balanza esa es la razón por la que yo soy “el único”. Eso es lo que creo.

Con el fin de establecer el destino, uno puede mirar a la historia (lit. arqueológica manera de pensar).

I: Pero mientras allí está el tú que está analizando estas cosas por un largo periodo de tiempo, allí también está el tú que vive día a día en el tiempo real [1]. ¿Una desconexión surge entre estas dos partes? Entre la persona que se está moviendo, y la persona que está reflexionando durante un largo periodo de tiempo.

G: Por supuesto pienso que sucede. Hay muchas veces cuando realmente eso sucede. Pero si no estableces el blanco y la dirección primero, no serás capaz de moverte ¿cierto? En corto, no serás capaz de visualizar el proceso sin determinar el resultado. Pero allí también encontraras muchas cosas mientras estás haciéndolo. La meta está establecida. Pero mientras vas caminando hacia el logro de ese objetivo, con las nuevas emociones y sentidos que adquieres a lo largo del camino, está la posibilidad de que cambiarás el destino, y la forma en que progresas. También es una manera de pensarlo ¿no? Y en mi caso, eso no es definitivamente “NO”.

I: Bueno, el tema que llevas no es (en relación con) ningún periodo de tiempo o algo por el estilo, pero es el tema universal de la verdadera naturaleza humana, por lo que es algo que no puede ser fácilmente influido.
G: Eso es verdad. No es como que canto acerca de un tiempo (especifico). Por lo tanto, para mí, la forma en que mi mente trabaja es muy similar a la de un arqueólogo. Hay gente que dice que no tiene sentido mirar hacia atrás en el pasado, pero haciéndolo, podemos entender la locura de nuestras propias acciones. Y sabremos el camino que necesitamos tomar desde este punto. Pienso que las personas que sólo pueden ver las cosas al frente son las que no pueden ver su futuro claramente. Es exactamente porque vemos al pasado que podemos sentir el futuro. Pero eso definitivamente no se mueve hacia atrás; está entendiéndose la verdadera naturaleza del hombre y pensando claramente en el futuro. Porque puedes ver, nuestra historia es una historia de pecados, ¿no es así? Probablemente es una creación creativa, pero eso también es una historia de destrucción. La historia de la masacre continúa repitiéndose. Eso es una verdad que no puedes negar.

I: Hay avances en la tecnología precisamente porque hay guerras.
G: ¡Exactamente! ¿Pero es realmente avanzar en la dirección correcta o no? Si no estudiamos el pasado, avanzaremos en la dirección equivocada.

I: Parece que incluye un mensaje real dentro.
G: Esto es porque las cosas que quiero expresar están ocultas (lit. vago; no claro). Pero si lo expreso directamente, llevará demasiado de un sentido de realidad, y no llegara a los corazones de la gente. Porque nadie quiere que le digan eso. Por lo tanto expreso eso a través de alguna clase de historia que lo hace mucho más fácil de entender. Mis trabajos están creados de esta manera. Tal vez es muy similar a la manera en que una película transmite (el tema). Por lo tanto, considerándolo todo, puede ser algo que no puedas comprender inmediatamente; los temas filosóficos y de nuestra existencia se incluyen también. Pero creo que con el paso del tiempo, serás capaz de sentirlo de alguna manera y de entenderlo. Escuchando cada canción por separado y siendo capaz de fusionar tus sentimientos en ese momento contigo mismo. Una diferencia surgirá entre lo que sientes en el “tiempo real” y lo que sientes un poco más tarde después de que algo de tiempo haya pasado. Eso es lo que quiero transmitir. No como una revista oportuna, sino como una novela que puede quedarse en los corazones de la gente. Lo hago con esos pensamientos en mente.

¡El escenario esta vez es impresionante!

I: ¿Desde qué edad comenzaste queriendo expresar la naturaleza humana a través de la música?
G: Creo que fue cuando tenía unos 20 años, alrededor de ese tiempo comencé tocando en bandas. Fue también durante ese tiempo que comencé a pensar acerca de tocar en Asia, desde ese tiempo comencé a querer dejarles saber a los otros que yo soy asiático.

I: Hiciste un álbum de baladas, “Love Letter”, después “Crescent”. ¿Cómo te sientes al haber sido ayudado en este álbum?
G: El tema de “Love Letter”, estaba haciendo canciones usando sonidos simples, fue como una clase de preparación para nosotros. Como una tarea. No es sólo mezclar sonidos al azar, sino pienso que fue un trabajo que nos recuerda la importancia de las melodías. Mientras hacíamos el trabajo de “Crescent”, hubo una preocupación de que nuestra música quedara fija como este (estilo). Si pasamos al siguiente trabajo de inmediato, está el miedo de que tenga el mismo fluido que ese álbum. Es por eso que lo ponemos de lado por un tiempo e intentamos algo nuevo. Y por eso, el deseo de mezclar los sonidos de nuevo se hizo más fuerte. Si eso no se quiere, uno se acostumbrará (a la manera en que las cosas son) Creo que lo que más temía era que mis compañeros y familia, que estaban haciendo esto conmigo, comenzaran a relajarse si continuábamos usando los mismos métodos. Esto porque si no puedes sentir un cierto grado de estrés, definitivamente no serás capaz de crear algo nuevo. Pienso que hay un gran significado en hacer nosotros mismo este estresante trabajo como una tarea. Y pienso que este álbum va a salir con grandes resultados de eso.

I: Gackt-san tu mismo también, es como si tu voz tuviera un poder persuasivo ahora, como resultado de empujarte a ti mismo como vocalista.
G: Eso es cierto. Creo que lo vocal para una canción como “Future” fue muy bueno.

I: El tour finalmente comienza en septiembre, parece que va a ser impresionante esta vez.

G: Si, ¡va a ser impresionante!

I: ¡No puedo esperar para verlo!
G: Pero es realmente terrible esta vez. Fuimos totalmente sobre el presupuesto.

I: Aunque eso siempre sucede (risas).
G: ¡Pero es realmente horrible esta vez! Los gastos son demasiado altos. Puede haber gente que piensa que pueden obtener beneficios mediante la realización de tours, ¡Pero no hay tal cosa en absoluto! Siempre se sobrepasa el presupuesto y los números están en rojo (risa amarga). Pero quiero hacer algo que deje atrás una forma, algo que permanezca en sus memorias. Yo definitivamente no estoy tratando de sacar beneficios porque creo que puedes recuperar lo perdido de otros lugares. Para recuperar los beneficios de otra cosa que no sea la música, y centrarse en la música. Perseguimos la parte del entretenimiento en la música como un trabajo y es por eso que podemos tener etapas locas. Sin embargo es difícil.

I: Gackt-san tú mismo tienes que hacer la grabación y todavía tienes que pensar en el diseño de la gira. ¿No es duro?
G: …… Si…… duro…… (risas).

I: ¿Cuál es el punto culminante del concierto esta vez?
G: ¡No voy a decirte eso! (risas). Pero realmente es genial. Te sorprenderás incluso desde la apertura. ¡Espéralo con ansias!

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*Primero… gracias a Aru!, que aunque tenía tarea me anduvo ayudando cuando x3

*Em pues vuelvo a decir algo que seguro debe notarse, mis habilidades de traducción aún son tan… malas. Espero que sea entendible ^^u

Y bueno, en esta entrevista vemos lo que es la división de capítulos y el tema de la existencia y los vampiros de DIABOLOS.

Me encanto lo que dijo en esta entrevista *_*

Y sin duda el tipo es único.. y aquí lo dice. Podrían decir “que humilde”… pero ba, pensé sobre eso pero ya fue demasiado xD

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La traducción al ingles de esta entrevista es originalmente de Eien no Yume y fue traducida por Sweiled.

El permiso de traducirla y postearla me lo dió Gekka