Dad
May 23, 2003
DO 1948Comp. 3/85
"HERE'S THE FUTURE"—'82 CALENDAR (GN 158)
1. IF YOU'RE WONDERING ABOUT PIC #9 OF DON QUIXOTE VISITING SPACE CITY, THAT WAS ACTUALLY A SPECIAL TRIP!—AND HE WOULD NOT BE THERE IN ARMOUR! This is something different, somebody else's trip!—In fact it was somebody else's trip, not mine!—Ha! God bless dear Eman! That was a kind of a characteristic way of portraying me in those days, the image being presented for the sake of non-identity, but it kind of loused up our art a little bit for the future. Anyway, it's kind of interesting. You might have to explain it a little bit to the kids, though. Just tell them that those are some people taking a special trip, they weren't residents! I don't think we need to put halos on any of'm, except maybe on the little flower fairies in pic #10 who are sort of like cherubs! Remember all those pictures of cherubs? They always had little ringlets or halos! A big halo is a ring, & the small ones are ringlets! But I don't think the visitors need'm & they'd look funny with'm. It'll show the difference!
2. PIC #12 OF THE GIRL & THE CITY HAS A NICE BEAUTIFUL CONTRAST, BUT I DON'T KNOW WHY IN THE WORLD SHE'S NOT LOOKING AT THAT MARVEL IN THE SKY BEHIND HER! It seems like the City is down on the Earth & you'd certainly think she'd be looking at that! She also looks kind of downcast & sad, so can you cheer her up? It would be nice to see what she's smiling about & have her pointing at the City but we don't want to have to cause too many major changes. What is she looking at, anyhow? Check it out & see what you can do with that one to at least cheer her up with a smile. I don't know whether you could change it that much, but you've done some miracles!
3. YOU'RE BECOMING A REAL WIZARD AT METAMORPHOSES!—Not Mephistopheles, but metamorphoses!—Changing these people into different forms & shapes with different heads & all kinds of things! The wizards & witches used to do that sort of thing, & you're a real wizard at that!
4. I SURE LIKE YOUR PRETTY HAPPY SMILING GIRL THERE IN PIC #12 INSTEAD OF THE ONE THAT WAS THERE BEFORE, BUT SHE LOOKS A LITTLE FLAT-CHESTED. She's got a pretty low neckline so there oughta be a little something showing! I know it may be GP, but good night‚ they show plenty in their stuff!—And look at what we've got in #5 & #8! So why worry about a little bosom line there? We're going to the opposite extreme now in dressing these people up! We're so afraid of everything we ain't got nothin'! As long as we've got the main points covered‚ we can show a few curves. Let's throw'm a few curves!—Otherwise we're really hiding our lights under a bushel! We don't want to hide our brightest lights under a bushel of clothes!
5. I DON'T CARE TOO MUCH FOR HER JUTTING JAW EITHER AS IT GIVES A MASCULINE IMPRESSION. Somebody whose jaw juts out is kind of stubborn & authoritative, assertive. Well, maybe that's good in some women if they're leaders, but I like my women feminine & sweet & demure & petite! So if you'd sort of round it off a little I'd be happy!
JESUS—THE EYES HAVE IT!
6. I THINK IT'S FAR MORE EFFECTIVE WITH ANY PICTURE TO HAVE SOMEBODY LOOKING AT YOU! Frankly, I don't like Jesus' face on Number 12 of the '83 Calendar. I don't like the face or the expression. What about putting the "City" head of Jesus on & have it turned this way? I think it's far more effective with any kind of picture to have somebody looking at you! The eyes have it & He shouldn't be looking away & not at you unless it's something to do with the picture or the content of the story where He has to be looking at something else. I mostly like Him to be looking us straight in the eye! That's my feeling whenever I envisioned Him, is Him looking straight at me, not distracted looking at somebody else. I think it's more convicting!—That loving, searching gaze that really penetrates! And I think He's really got it & you really captured it in that City picture!
SPIRIT OF AARON!
7. I'M VERY PLEASED WITH APOLLOS' TEXTS! I really think sometimes he's got the spirit of Aaron! I really do think he got that anointing for the Word that Aaron had, in a way. Just like some of our musicians got his anointing for the music, Apollos seems to have gotten his anointing for the Word! That ought to cheer him up & encourage him!
A HALO FOR JESUS!
8. WE'VE ALREADY GOT SEVERAL HALOS ON JESUS IN VARIOUS PICTURES, & I GOT TO THINKING, NOW WHAT ABOUT THAT? I wasn't too sure before. I was quite sure that all the City folks should wear halos, but I wasn't sure about Him. I thought, "Well, what does He need one for? After all, He's God's Son!" But on the other hand, remember, He's a lot like us & He may need a little extra protection too! Maybe He's got one of those Archangels protecting Him! So I think it's okay to leave the halo on Him. We've had some pretty ones on Him in several pictures & I'd hate to have to erase them now just because I said that.
9. REALLY‚ I THINK HE PROBABLY WOULD MOST LIKELY HAVE ONE! He said He could call up several legions of Angels if He needed them‚ & of all the people that might need one of the top Angels Up There‚ it might be Him!—Because He'll have the same kind of vehicle as we have, so He'll probably need some pretty good protection. In classical art, of course‚ they've always got Him wearing one.—Especially the Catholic art, from the time He's pictured as a baby in the crib He always wears a halo. So we'd be sort of out-of-keeping with the classicists if we didn't keep a halo on Him, & I think we need to, especially any pictures of Him in Heaven. So let's keep His hat on & keep your shirt on & I think we'll make it!
AIM AT THE CHILDREN!
10. WE HAVE A FIVE-YEAR-OLD, & YOU TALK ABOUT CRITICS, SHE'S ONE! She's very very kind in her criticisms though. She says‚ "I don't really quite understand this word here, couldn't we change it to something else?" Or, "Is this the right direction for this man to be looking?" That's the acid test! The kids are the ones that have got to approve of it. They've got to be able to read it & understand it & like the pictures. They've got to feel that those pictures fit the story. We've gotten a lot of good suggestions out of Techi & she carefully proofreads every one. First she proofreads the rough-ups & then she proofs the finals. She goes over them with a fine-tooth comb. I figure she's the best test because that's the kind of reader we're aiming at. I want to aim our text at the five-year-olds who can read fairly well with maybe a little help, but make it so simple they don't have to have any help!
COMBOS
11. THE COMBO POSTERS MAKE GOOD STORIES! They're like a comic book on a wall Poster, especially the text on the back & all that. But in case they want to put it on the wall & don't get to read the text, then at least we've got the captions on the front, so it still preaches the Message! TYL!
MILL LAKE—"HEAVEN ON EARTH"
12. I WANT TO GET PEOPLE'S MINDS ON THE HAPPY ENDING, PEOPLE'S MINDS UP THERE, PEOPLE'S MINDS OFF THE HORRORS OF THIS WORLD! We've had enough hell on Earth, let's give'm a little Heaven! I want the prettiest picture I can find of the beauty of the Life Hereafter. We want something that's going to strike'm right away with its beauty & that they'll understand immediately!
13. THERE'S ONE PICTURE HERE THAT I DON'T THINK ANYBODY WOULD QUARREL WITH, BECAUSE IT'S JUST A PRETTY PICTURE THAT COULD BE ANYWHERE‚ ANY TIME, BUT YOU COULD SURE TELL A STORY WITH IT ON THE BACK! I call it "Mill Lake" because of the watermill there, & it's gorgeous, beautiful! Apollos could write some beautiful text about what kind of bodies we're going to have & what we'll be able to do with them, having babies & sex in Heaven & all kinds of things like that. It'll get the Message across, they'll get the Message! But even if they don't like the Message, that's still a pretty picture & they can stick it on the wall. I would almost rather try that one next because there's no controversy to speak of except a bare bosom!
14. AFTER ALL, WE'RE NOT TRYING TO REACH CHURCH PEOPLE, WE WANT TO GET OUR MESSAGE TO THE WORLD, PEOPLE OUTSIDE THE CHURCH!—And that little bare bosom & her little grass skirt is not going to offend them at all. I think it's a very tastefully done picture. The bosom is being nursed & nursing babies is getting much more popular again, so I don't see what's wrong with that.
15. I THINK THAT WOULD GO BETTER ON THE STREET BECAUSE ANYBODY WOULD BUY IT, WHETHER THEY READ OR LIKE THE MESSAGE ON THE BACK OR NOT! But that's the kind of a bait on a good hook that's apt to get a lot of people to buy it who otherwise wouldn't be interested, especially in a religious picture like some of these others. A lot of these have too strong religious overtones. You might get a few dear Catholics or church people to buy'm, but the minute they read the back they're probably going to tear'm up!
16. BUT I THINK PEOPLE WOULD BUY MILL LAKE JUST FOR A PRETTY PICTURE! I know I probably would if I was passing down the street. I was always a sucker for those artists in London & Paris, always buying their sketches. Some of them were probably just prints. I always had so much compassion for door-to-door salesmen or street salesmen. They were always bringing around stuff like that in Tenerife & France & I just couldn't help but buy one just to encourage them if nothing else. I know how hard it is & how discouraging it is to go so long without a sale.—In fact, I used to try to buy two or three of them just to really help'm out!
17. THIS MILL LAKE LOOKS LIKE A NATURAL SCENE, THEY WOULDN'T EVEN HAVE TO ASK WHAT IT IS, & I THINK IT WOULD SELL ITSELF RIGHT OFF THE BAT AT SIGHT! So I would really like to try that one. To me, that's one of the prettiest of all. It has no religious overtones & it is not complicated. I must admit the Mansion is crowded & complicated & takes a little study, but Mill Lake doesn't take any study.
18. I THINK WE'RE GOING TO FIND THE BIG SINGLE POSTERS WILL PROBABLY GO BETTER, BECAUSE PEOPLE CAN SEE'M AT A GLANCE!—And you've gotta make your sale just within a few seconds' glance to people passing by on the street. You've got a little more time to explain things & study it if you're going door-to-door, but I want these to go on the street too, wherever they can, & sell at a glance! We may have to design each one for a different use. The tapes, of course‚ are going to go door-to–door, & the old Heaven Poster which requires a little explanation & curiosity & study may also have to be door-to-door. The new Heaven Combo might be able to go on the street, but I have no doubt at all of being able to sell Mill Lake on the street! I like it because it is just really a very pretty picture! It's got people in it & babies, all the things we love, & God's beautiful Creation, a nice, quiet, peaceful agrarian New-Earth World that could fit the Millennium or the Heavenly Earth or whatever.
OUR HEAVENLY HOME!
19. THIS FRONT VIEW OF THE MANSION HAS SO MUCH DETAIL YOU COULD TELL A STORY ABOUT EVERYTHING IN THERE, & that's what the idea is, getting out a Message! That thing tells a story, it shows all kinds of life. I must admit there's only one old folk in there, but that's enough—me! What need we more? Here with our Mansion we've got a picture of our idea of life in Heaven‚ which is pretty radical & revolutionary even with white robes on!—Ha! It's a little sexy even though clothed, lots of babies & everything!
20. ACTUALLY‚ THERE'S NOTHING RELIGIOUS IN IT AT ALL!—Except we were going to put halos on all of the people, & that might change the situation! I told the Artists that from now on we've got to put halos on everybody who's Up There, because if the Saints & Jesus & all them deserve'm, certainly everybody should have one‚ & that's supposed to be your Guardian Angel! This Mansion here is so unusual‚ it's such an action scene & so amazing that they would just probably study that to figure out what in the World it was!—And then of course we tell'm on the back. We can leave the word "Welcome" there & it looks like a friendly place! Saying it's a sky-high mansion doesn't really tell you where it is, they could think it's on top of a mountain somewhere!
21. TECHI SAID TO ME, "GRANDPA, THAT'S MY FAVOURITE PICTURE & I LIKE THAT BETTER THAN ANY OF THEM!" Well, after all, I didn't make it for the big girls, I made it for the little ones. We're designing these to try to help the children understand, & if the adults happen to understand in the bargain, that's fine. But if we can get the little kids to understand & they like it, that's enough for me. One man's meat is another man's poison & not everybody is necessarily going to agree & like the way I live & my house & household. We can't please everybody or we'll wind up like the boy, the donkey & the horse.—I mean the boy, the donkey & the father! Well, I'm an old horse! And I think that Front View is important to depict life There!
AC FACE!
22. I USUALLY LIKE EMAN'S RENDITIONS OF THE AC, PARTICULARLY HIS FACE. They look a lot like his Satans, a much stronger face, & in some ways even a more evil face. I expect him to be handsome, attractive, like those other faces that Eman has drawn. He's going to look confident. He's going to be fierce, but he's going to look like he really knows he's in control of the situation.
"MAGIC RIVER" HALOS!
23. I THINK YOU MUST HAVE MISUNDERSTOOD ME WHEN I SAID THE FOUR HALOS ON THE RIGHT LOOKED LIKE FLYING SAUCERS. Maybe you thought I wanted them to look more like flying saucers! According to the colour print I just received, they look even more like flying saucers, they're almost solid!—In fact the ones on the couple in the boat are solid dinner plates, you can't see a thing through them. They're not a ring or a crown. A crown usually has a hole in it for the head. They're looking more & more like flying saucers all the time & even like dinner plates!—Not saucers but plates!—Until finally on this black-&-white cover of this edition they're absolutely solid.
24. THERE SHOULDN'T BE ANYTHING IN THE MIDDLE, THEY SHOULD NOT BE FILLED IN AT ALL. The ring itself is sufficient. You should be able to see the green trees right through the circle. That's the general conception of a halo in most art that I have seen, including some of the supposed photos that were taken, etc. Actually they don't look exactly like flying saucers, they're not solid dishes or discs or plates, they're circles.
25. THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO BE RINGS, LIKE CROWNS, & I THINK WE HAVE A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF AUTHORITY FOR THAT. He calls them crowns, Crowns of Life, & crowns are not solid, they've got to have a hole for your head! Well, these are not right on the head, don't start doing that either, they hover above. I know you were trying to make them glow more, but remember‚ they're circles! They're not actually flying saucers, much less flying dinner plates! So let's see through the middle of them whatever we should be seeing.
POSTER PRIORITY!
26. I CONSTANTLY THINK‚ "NOW WHAT IF WE NEVER GOT OUT ANOTHER ONE? Wouldn't we be thankful that we got out the right ones? So I want to get out the most important ones first, the ones with not only the most beautiful pictures, but the best Message, subject, backing text, etc.!
CALENDARS—ADDING AUDIO!
27. I WAS JUST LOOKING AT ALL THOSE SPACES & I THOUGHT, "BOY OH BOY, WHY LET THAT BIG SPACE GO TO WASTE?" What is Love?—So I put it there!—And a few little sayings of the different people. Why should we just have video? We ought to have sound as well! We've got the movies, let's add the audio! Isn't that what we do in our Komix? We don't just have silent pictures—why should we just have silent Posters? That just struck me suddenly, "Here's this gorgeous picture & all this hullabaloo going on, it must be kind of noisy!"—But it was absolutely dead silent, not a sound!
TECHNOLOGY!
28. SO FAR THE PRESS PROOFS HAVE BEEN ABSOLUTELY PERFECT, BETTER THAN THE ORIGINALS! The photo process using laser separations can apparently bring out things & actually improve on the originals. It's just amazing what they can do. Thank God for the technology! We prayed that God would help them invent the technology to really do these jobs, so thank the Lord!
ENDTIME NEWSPAPER!
29. I LOVE THIS NEW NEWSPAPER, THE ENDTIME NEWS! IT'S GORGEOUS! This is going to amount to four of our Posters! I think it's so important I'd like to get out about a million of them if we can! Don't you think that would be a good tool?—Teaching tool & information tool‚ the whole story. I think it's really terrific!
30. I WANT TO GET THAT NEWSPAPER OUT! I THINK THAT'S GOING TO BE A REAL HIT ON THE STREETS! I THINK THAT'S GOING TO SOCK IT TO'M! I think they're going to snatch it up, don't you? You've been out there‚ what do you think? Don't you think you could sell'm? Don't you think they'd really sell?—A great big colour thing like that? They could spread it out in full size & hold it up out there & show it! People will be fascinated! I don't think anything like that has ever hit the streets by anybody before, I think it's a first! You know it's a first! Nobody's got that kind of information but us!—And nobody's done anything that big as far as I know. They've got little magazines & pamphlets & some of them have colour covers, but I don't think any of them have gotten out anything like this in the way of Posters, especially that Endtime News! So let's get it out, shall we?
ETN—HEADLINES WITH PUBLIC APPEAL!
31. WHAT DID YOU THINK OF THE HEADLINES I ADDED? I really pray over those finals & look'm over with an eagle eye to see what would be my first impression if I got it on the street or anywhere without somebody there to explain it to me or whatever, & my first impression was that it's one maze of pictures that I don't even understand & a lot of fine print that I don't have time to read! I don't really get the Message. The pictures look interesting, far out, but what if I'm a Buddhist or a Confucianist & I don't know anything about those subjects, I don't know anything about the people in it? What does it mean? What does it say?
32. I THOUGHT ADDING BIG HEADLINES WOULD SORT OF BRING OUT THE ORDER OF EVENTS MORE CLEARLY! Several people sent in suggestions, "Why don't you call this the Millennium, why don't you call that this, that & the other?"—All Biblical terms that only we are familiar with. Well, how many Japanese & Chinese are going to understand what the Millennium is? Even if they translate it into Japanese & Chinese, they still won't know what it is!
33. SO IF YOU THINK THE TITLES ARE A LITTLE FUNNY ON SOME OF THEM, I SPECIFICALLY TRIED TO AVOID BIBLICAL CLICHES & RELIGIOUS TERMS that we're familiar with & the church is familiar with, but complete raw heathen wouldn't know what we're talking about! Big words like Millennium & whatnot, so what? I violated that rule in one thing, "The Mark of the Beast." I thought it would be intriguing. Even if they don't know what it means they'll want to read it: "What in the World is a Beast doing here?" Therefore they'll really want to find out what it is! With the others I tried to make the message simple & clear as much as possible, even one word, & tried to avoid using too many words or words they wouldn't understand. Armageddon is something almost everybody's heard about, it's become a symbolic word for all big wars‚ so I used that. But that was the idea on those titles, to make it short‚ simple & clear.
34. SOMEBODY OBJECTED TO MY USING "JESUS SAVES!" FOR THE RAPTURE. We have gotten in such a habit of using these typical Scriptural terms that mean something specific to us, but don't mean a damn to other people, not a thing! So when somebody's glancing through & they see all these things happening & all of a sudden I say, "Jesus Comes! Jesus Saves!" They said, "Well, you shouldn't say 'Jesus Saves' there, you should put 'Rapture'!" They just can't get out of their rut!
35. WE HAVE TO RECONDITION OUR MINDS NOW & TRY TO PUT OURSELVES IN OTHERS' SHOES & LOOK THROUGH THEIR EYES AS TOTAL STRANGERS‚ TOTAL FOREIGNERS, totally of some other religion that is absolutely totally ignorant, they've hardly even heard of Jesus! It's stretching it a bit to even say, "Jesus Comes! Jesus Saves!" They may not even know Who Jesus is! Well‚ at least they can read it & find out. But to use technical, theological terms like "Rapture," which isn't even found in the Bible, it shows you what a rut our own folks are in. They're not thinking in terms of Buddhists & Shintoists & Muslims & whatnot. Even the Muslims know more about it than most of the Orientals, they've heard of those things. There's an awful lot of Bible right in the Koran.
36. SO WE HAVE TO THINK IN THESE TERMS, THAT SOMEBODY'S GOING TO LOOK AT THAT PICTURE THAT NEVER EVEN HEARD OF SUCH A THING, NEVER SAW SUCH A THING BEFORE & DOESN'T UNDERSTAND A DAMN BIT OF WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT! They don't understand those Biblical, theological terms. And a lot of those aren't even Biblical, they're strictly theological. "Millennium" is a theological term applied to the Thousand Years. "Rapture" is a theological term cooked up by Bible professors for our being saved out of this World. Well, what better words could you use to make that simple? Instead of using "Rapture," what would you say? It looks like a hell of a mess on Earth with all these things going on‚ so He comes & He does what? If we say He saves, it looks like at least He saved us out of the whole mess! What else would you say? What else could you say?
37. TRY TO THINK OF WHAT I WAS UP AGAINST IN MAKING THESE HEADLINES! I was trying in one or two words to explain what's going on in that picture or group of pictures. That's why I didn't put a headline on every single picture, but particularly in that Millennial group where I said "Paradise on Earth." I originally intended just to make that nice & big & apply it to the whole group of about six pictures, the last half of page 3, but then I noticed a few things needed a little something more specific. Then people send in suggestions saying they want titles on every single picture. Somebody suggested for that first one in that row: "Christ's Coming Kingdom!" Now what the Hell is a Buddhist going to get out of that? They don't know who Christ is & they don't know anything about a coming Kingdom. "Well‚ what are you talking about?"
38. SOMEBODY GOT TECHNICAL ABOUT IT BEFORE & SAID, "WE DON'T WANT TO CALL IT HEAVEN ON EARTH DURING THE MILLENNIUM BECAUSE HEAVEN HASN'T LANDED ON THE EARTH YET!" They really come up with some doozies, things I never thought about! I've always called the Millennium, Heaven on Earth. But because we specifically, technically, theologically denote Heaven as the Heavenly City, therefore technically they're correct. But with the World it's a common expression if they had a great time sexually or something, "Oh, it was Heaven on Earth!" It's just an expression, a common expression, so I thought that would be good for the Millennium. But somebody objected to it & said Heaven isn't on Earth yet & it'll get our people confused. Because when we think of Heaven, our folks now specifically think of the City, which is correct. So I finally agreed that maybe that's right, & I thought a good alternative is to use the word Paradise.
39. I ALWAYS KIND OF DISLIKED PICTURE #27 WITH THOSE GUYS LOOKING LIKE THEY'RE THE VICTORIOUS ARMY SURROUNDING US IN THE CITY. That looked a little more like the Battle of Gog & Magog & very negative & I didn't want to throw in that negative picture there with the Millennial pictures. The best thing I could think of there that would fit there is Mill Lake without the City in the background. We're not too prolific on Millennial pictures. We've got oodles of Heavenly pictures, but we just don't have an awful lot of good Millennial pictures.
40. SO WHY NOT JUST TAKE ONE OF THOSE OLD MILL LAKES & STICK IT IN THERE WITHOUT THE CITY. I suppose some of our people are going to object & say, "Well, that's supposed to be the Heavenly Earth," blah blah. But they're going to see we certainly removed the City so it's bound to be Earth before the City came down. If you want to explain how come we've got no City on one & the City on another, tell'm, "Well‚ this one's before the City came down, one of those 'before & after' pictures!" So I still think it's one of our best pictures on that subject!
41. I REALLY PRAY OVER THESE & LOOK AT'M & STUDY THEM & REALLY TRY TO GET SOMETHING!—Not just from my own head, but I try to get something from the Lord! He has a lot better ideas than I have. I study the general look of the whole thing, then I go over it with a finetooth comb, this word, that word‚ text, titles, again on the art, etc., until I'm finally really satisfied!
ETN—MORE MESSAGE TO MORE PEOPLE!
42. THE SIZE WE PRINT THE ENDTIME NEWS IS NOT ONLY JUST UP TO ME, BUT IT'S UP TO THE BOSS & IT'S UP TO FINANCES! If we can get out twice as many of them in a smaller size instead of being a little lavish & luxurious & enjoying it in big size, then I think maybe it might be worth it! If we can get out a million or two million instead of half that many, they could reach twice as many people. I know we spent a lot of time on it & they're beautiful pictures & the small size really doesn't do'm justice, but remember, we're going to put Posters out of those that are really worthwhile. That's why we spent so much time getting the art correct & finished, because some of them are now ready for Posters. So if they want big sizes, they can get the Posters.
43. SO THE THING WE HAVE TO DECIDE IS WHETHER WE WANT TO REACH TWO TO FOUR TIMES AS MANY PEOPLE WITH A SMALL PIECE, OR HALF TO A QUARTER AS MANY PEOPLE WITH A BIG PIECE FOR THE SAME AMOUNT OF MONEY! We've only got so much money allotted to this in our budget, so think about that. In that case, which is more important?—That they get at least some picture & some Message to more people?—Or a big lavish pub to fewer people?
44. THIS HAS GOT SUCH A COMPLETE MESSAGE, IT'S TERRIFIC! It's almost like the little book I was talking about‚ you've got the whole thing there in a terrific, striking vivid form! But if we print it this big size‚ it's going to cost about four times as much as a normal Poster. We can do the art justice in our enlargements later in the Posters, & we were particular in all those little corrections because we were thinking of the Posters of the Future!
45. SO THE POINT IS, DO YOU WANT TO GET MORE BEAUTY TO FEWER PEOPLE‚ OR MORE MESSAGE TO MORE PEOPLE? That's something we had to decide a long time ago between colour & black-&–white, & I don't want to have to go back to black-&-white on these just to get out more of them. I think we're better off to make it a little smaller & keep to colour than have to go to black-&-white in order to print more & lose all this beautiful colour. So if you don't want to tempt me to go to black-&-white & you want to make me stick to colour, then don't tempt me to print it so big! It's beautiful & I thank you for making my first approval that way‚ but I'd like to see the next approval in half-size. I'd rather print more smaller than big, even though big is beautiful!
I PREFER MATT TO GLOSSY
46. I PREFER MATT PAPER EVEN FOR PHOTOS & ALMOST ANYTHING, BECAUSE I DON'T LIKE THAT GLOSSY GLARE, I NEVER DID! I was so happy in the old days when they first started producing that soft-finish paper. I always thought it was beautiful‚ it almost gave it 3-D depth. They were going to start printing the Posters on glossy paper because that's supposed to be nicer, like glossy magazines do theirs in colour & gloss & blah blah, but if you get it under the wrong light you can hardly see it at all because of the glare! So as you notice we're doing our Posters in a soft finish. And besides that, it's a lot lighter & cheaper & we can have more of'm! It's even more beautiful than on glossy paper. Pin'm on the wall & see—if you get in the wrong light you can't see the glossy ones at all!
"WHAT EVERYBODY NEEDS IS LOVE" POSTER
47. THIS POSTER OF THE CHILDREN HOLDING HANDS AROUND THE HEART IS A GREAT BAIT PICTURE & SOMETHING THAT MOST PEOPLE WILL DEFINITELY UNDERSTAND! What about putting a picture of the Earth in the middle of that heart & filling it up as big as you can?—All the way from the crotch at the top. These hearts always look like a lovely woman's hiney to me! I'll betcha that's where they got the idea. I'm always reminded of those beautiful derrieres. So all the way from the anus to the bottom sides, as big a globe as you can put in there! Wouldn't that give a great idea?—In other words, symbolising a World filled with Love or covered with Love or embraced with Love!—And all these little kids of obviously different nationalities circling around.
48. I THINK THAT WOULD MAKE IT REALLY SYMBOLIC THEN, A WORLD OF LOVE!—EVERYBODY IN LOVE WITH EACH OTHER!—A World completely surrounded with Love! It could be even symbolic of the Heart of God, He has the World in His heart: "For God so Loved the World!" That might even make a good title for it!—Of course then it gets a religious flavour. I like it! It's very good!
CASTLES ON THE NEW EARTH
49. WHERE DID WE GET THE IDEA THAT THERE AREN'T GOING TO BE ANY CASTLES EITHER IN THE MILLENNIUM OR ON THE NEW EARTH? There are still going to be nations. If it looks like an antique castle from the Middle Ages, maybe not. But who knows?—Maybe they'll build them then too! I recall I gave a talk on that before ("New Earth Art," ML #1463), but we're learning more all the time, that the New Earth is going to be an awful lot like the old one & they're still going to have to have people, nations, kings & probably castles!—Not for defence, but just something to live in. Kings always have to have something a little bit better than the rest of them to show he's the King! But of course if it looked like an old ruins from the Middle Ages or something, that's different.
50. I'M SORRY I EVER SAID ANYTHING ABOUT THAT, BUT THE MORE WE'RE LEARNING ABOUT THE FUTURE, THE MORE WE KNOW!—ALSO THE MORE WE KNOW WE DON'T KNOW! But if I was one of the Kings of the New Earth, I wouldn't mind having a house like that! It doesn't look too bad to me. Maybe they like that old Middle Ages style. After all, a King ought to live in something that looks a little kingly!
AMMUNITION!
51. WOULDN'T IT BE A THRILL TO TAKE THESE POSTERS OUT ON THE STREETS? I wish I could too! Well‚ I am the best I can! I'm giving you the ammunition, you're going to have to get out there & shoot it!
"PEARLY GATES" DERRIERES!
52. IT LOOKS ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS TO ME & I DON'T SEE HOW ANYBODY COULD FIND FAULT WITH IT IN ANY WAY THAT I KNOW OF! Those derrieres are a little more distinct‚ which I asked you for, & we'll probably get some complaints on that from the distributors. But after all, a derriere is a derriere & a see-through is a see-through & that's the way it is! If they don't like this one they can always use something else. I love it! I think it's great & I love the derrieres too!
"VICTORY IN THE TRIBULATION" POSTER
53. I THINK THIS POSTER IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT FOR OUR OWN FOLKS AS WELL AS THEIR FRIENDS & CONTACTS & STUDENTS, BECAUSE IT'S SOMETHING VERY URGENT THAT'S COMING FIRST THAT THEY NEED TO KNOW ABOUT & BE READY FOR! We don't want to just skip over all the bad news just to give'm only the good news. We've tried to give them the good news first, but we need to throw in a little bad news too as a fair warning. I try to make the bad news sound as positive as possible, especially with that headline & pretty pictures, & I think it does a good job of it!
"HOME SWEET HOME" POSTER
54. OF ALL OF THESE WE HAVE ALREADY ENLARGED TO POSTER SIZE‚ THIS ONE IS THE MOST STRIKING & STANDS OUT THE MOST & IS THE MOST ON THE SUBJECT! Normally it would look like an unusually beautiful mansion on a gorgeous estate & lovely garden, but the thing that really peaks your curiosity are people flying through the air! Guess which one I'm talking about?—The Side View! It's got those flyers real close up where you can really see'm & the beauty of the people themselves. After all, things are one thing, mansions are another, but people are the most interesting! As I used to say, "People are more interesting than anybody!" That's bad grammar but it's a funny way of putting it. People are more interesting than anything, even a Mansion in Heaven‚ & this really gives you a close-up of the people!
55. I THINK IT COULD BE A BAIT PICTURE IF WE TAKE OFF ALL THAT TEXT & GIVE IT A NEW TITLE! The golden Mansion there is gorgeous, the contrast‚ the trees, the garden, the sky, the blue, the gold & especially the flyers really make that a beautiful picture!—And from a distance it really stands out! If we take all the print off the front of the upper righthand corner above the clouds we can even stick a couple more flyers in there zippin' along way off in the distance.
56. ON THE BACK APOLLOS CAN EMPHASISE THE THINGS IN THE PICTURE & THAT KIND OF LIFE, the kind of house that we're actually going to live in, some kind of mansions, & how beautiful it's going to be, how this is inside the City. He can even mention things outside the City, etc., but don't go into too great detail on things that are not in the picture! I think there's enough in that picture to talk about‚ don't you? Considering the place & the people in it, including the mother & child there, he can talk about sex in Heaven, babies in Heaven & all those things! It doesn't matter if he repeats a few things, after all, how much can you say?
57. I'D LIKE HIM TO BRING OUT THE MAJOR ASPECTS, THE KIND OF BODIES WE'LL HAVE, THE KIND OF LIFE WE'LL LIVE UP THERE, the kind of house we'll have & all that sort of thing.—Things that he gets inspired with in looking at the picture. Remember, they're going to be looking at the picture. What if you had that as a slide picture & somebody was just talking, explaining it to you? You wouldn't be talking about things that were not in the picture or they wouldn't even get the point! He's got to mention a few other things to introduce the picture & he's got to give it a net at the end, a hook, etc., but he needs to stick a little more closely to what's in the picture. Because little tiny kids that don't read yet, if their Mamas or Daddies are reading to them about this picture while they're looking at it, the only thing that's going to mean anything to them is what he says about what's in it!
58. HOW DO YOU LIKE "HOME SWEET HOME" FOR A TITLE? All those musical notes are coming out of there & it reminds me of that old song "Home Sweet Home"! We had another view of the same Home, so to make it something different we can just call this one "Home Sweet Home"! I made those walls of the City exactly proportionate to the exact angle of the Pyramid. Thank God I took a little geometry! I figured out the exact angle of the City wall, & that is the angle! That's why I drew these pictures in the first place, just to see if it could be done & what it would look like—even from the description we already have in the Bible—& then just how big it could be & how many it could house, how many tiers, etc.
59. I THINK PEOPLE WILL BE LOOKING FORWARD TO SOMETHING NEW & DIFFERENT ON EACH ONE! We've got enough material that we could fill up all the backs of all these with different subjects, but of course centered around whatever the picture is. Even if he repeats a few ideas, etc., that's okay. This has got the child & the lion very clearly in it, & a pregnant mother on the left‚ so he can talk about having babies There, & there are a couple of lovers on the right‚ so he can talk about love! And the materials that the building's made of are obviously transparent, made of golden glass-like crystal. The colour print will make the wall of the City very distinct, so he can also talk about the City & where it's at, that's why that wall is there, etc.—And talk about the properties of the physical bodies, how they can fly & still make love & all that sort of thing. There are plenty of things! I'll bet I could write something for it! He's got plenty to draw on, shoot the works!
PLEASURES OF PARADISE!
60. I THINK THAT COUPLE IN THE WATER SWIMMING WITH THE LION LOOKING DOWN IS ONE OF THE MOST OUTSTANDING BAIT PICS WE HAVE!—Pic 24 of the Endtime News. We just need to take off "The Glory of the Lord" & give it a new title. It's hard to think up new ways of saying "Heaven on Earth," but that's a very common expression for the whole World. They say, "Oh, it's Heaven on Earth! Oh, he's Heaven on Earth! She's Heaven on Earth! This chocolate malt is Heaven on Earth! This hamburger is Heaven on Earth!" It's an extremely common expression & I'd like to show them what real Heaven is like on Earth. And of course the first thing that comes to me when I look at this is "Heaven on Earth!" But we could change it a little bit & say "Heavenly Pleasures" or even "The Garden of Eden"!
61. REMEMBER, WE'RE TRYING TO APPEAL TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC, & ESPECIALLY IN THE EAST, TO PEOPLE THAT ARE TOTALLY IGNORANT OF THOSE THINGS. What kind of a message will get through to them? What kind of a communication would ring a bell & get a positive response? The picture is gorgeous! I do think I almost liked the old lion better though with the real lion's head. I know we changed it a little bit because some of the children objected that the lion had a fierce expression, but I think this smiling lion almost looks too pleasant. I'm sorry about that but I think I really liked the old one better. The very fact that he's just lying there peacefully is enough. This one is not realistic, he's smiling too much. I'm sorry about that, but you change your mind as you think about pubbing things in a large Poster for the general public, that's a little different. Its effect on our little children is one thing, but if this is going to go on the streets & the stores & the doors, we've got to make it look a little more realistic! What about putting that old lion back on there & let's see how we like it.—Or peel the new one off, I don't know which!
62. TO CHANGE THAT LION'S EXPRESSION ON THE ENDTIME NEWS WOULD DELAY IT A WHOLE DAY—DO YOU THINK THAT'S WORTH IT? One of these days we're going to get to the last day & no matter when it is or what it is, we're going to be sorry we didn't do something sooner! In the light of that‚ what do you think about the lion face? If this didn't get out in time to beat the deadline & beat the Crash & beat whatever's going to happen, I don't think I'd want to hold it back just for that lion's expression!
63. I EVEN THINK THAT TOP PIC OF #27 OF THE ETN WOULD BE A GOOD "BAIT" CANDIDATE! Everything there looks normal except that ship looks a little old-fashioned. It looks like the Nina or the Pinta or the Santa Maria! And then those flyers up there in the air, that really adds mystery! Everything looks so normal & old–fashioned but then, zoom! So that ought to arouse their curiosity & it's a beautiful picture!
64. BUT TO ME, THIS ONE OF THE COUPLE IN THE WATER IS ONE OF THE MOST APPEALING & PARADISIACAL-LOOKING ONES FOR RIGHT NOW! Don't you think that really really says it? It's kind of mysterious with a lion lying right there watching. He doesn't look like he's about to gobble'm up even with the old face. So that's an intriguing scene to arouse their curiosity even if we don't tell'm what it is until they turn it over! We could even call it "The Garden of Eden!" Nearly everybody realises that that was paradisiacal. We need something there on that cloud & it's gotta be a bait title! How about "Heavenly Pleasures"?—Or "Pleasures of Paradise"?—That's an alliteration!
65. "THE PLEASURES OF PARADISE!"—THAT'S A GOOD SUBJECT FOR SOMETHING APOLLOS COULD WRITE! They'll wonder, "What Paradise?" It looks like the Garden of Eden of course. And then he could tell'm that that's not something that's ancient history—it is—but it's going to happen again! We can use that title "The Pleasures of Paradise" temporarily until we think of something better. That'll sort of intrigue'm. At first they'll think it's the Garden of Eden, but the title kind of sounds present tense. Well, it is, it's already there Up Yonder‚ & it's going to be here! We can emphasise the delights & pleasures & all that sort of thing, what life is going to be like then. This picture fits the Garden of Eden, it fits the Millennium, it fits the Magic River, so it's really got it & I think it is beautiful! It was always one of my favourites. It's very sexy too, & you know me! We might as well emphasise that point too: Sex in Heaven!
66. WELL‚ I'VE GOT A GREAT IDEA THAT I THINK WOULD HELP TO MAKE THIS POSTER! You know, our problem was about the lion, whether he was a friend or foe by his expression, & I like this lion face, it looks more natural. But do you know what would give that an absolutely beautiful‚ peaceful impression?—And something that is missing for this time period?—A child sitting right there on that rock on the right side of the lion's head, a pretty little girl with pretty hair, her right arm around the lion's neck & her left arm resting on the lion's back, sitting on the rock smiling & looking beautiful. The lion & child has always been traditional of the Millennial period‚ so don't you think that would really help make this Poster really gorgeous?
67. I'M JUST ABSOLUTELY THRILLED WITH THE LITTLE GIRL, SHE IS GORGEOUS & IN A PERFECT POSITION! I like this lion's head so much better, he has a kinder face & looks more loving! That's really the best yet! It's absolutely gorgeous, just beeeeoootiful! We just need to finish the lion's tail. Actually we don't even have to have a tail there, because lions in repose aren't usually lashing their tails about so much, but he might be shooing off the flies.—Oh, we won't have any flies There! Ha!
68. THAT LION & LITTLE GIRL PIC ALMOST DESERVES A POSTER BY ITSELF! Don't you think that makes a good addition to the picture? And I certainly like this lion head the best of all! Don't you think he has a rather sweet, placid, contented, happy expression?—Just perfect! She looks like she's having the time of her life, just really gorgeous!
69. WHAT WE'RE DOING IS ENLARGING ON EACH POINT & ASPECT OF THESE PERIODS ON THE BACKS OF THE POSTERS! The ETN is a sort of a guide through the whole maze so people can get the beads strung, but each Poster is giving the details of each aspect of this period. So Apollos can bring out the points particularly relating to this scene, the various Pleasures of Paradise! He can throw in a little of our idea about sex & all kinds of things. They won't have to worry about snakes in that river or alligators or poisonous weeds.
70. I WAS FAMILIAR WITH POISON IVY & POISON OAK, BUT I HAD NEVER KNOWN ANYTHING ABOUT POISON MERCURY‚ MERCURY WEEDS THEY WERE CALLED. I was fishing when I was a kid about 10 or 12 in a lake up in Michigan & I must have waded through some on my way. And boy oh boy, my feet & ankles all broke out in these big blisters & itched like mad! And as soon as Fred Shultz saw'm he said, "Oh, that's mercury weed poisoning!" So I've been scared stiff about going in lakes & ponds & even rivers almost ever since, you don't know what you're getting into! So it might be a good idea to bring that out‚ that there won't be any water moccasins or poisonous bugs or weeds or snakes or insects. Everything will be safe, no alligators or crocodiles, because I'll tell you, to be in water like that in some places today would be almost risking your life!
71. SO THAT'S A POINT TO THINK ABOUT WHEN YOU LOOK AT THAT PICTURE, THERE ARE NO MORE POISONOUS SNAKES THERE IN THE WATER! In Texas there were copperheads, water moccasins, rattlers, tarantulas, scorpions, centipedes, black widows, wow! We were almost afraid to go into our tanks or our ponds for fear of some of those things. So that's a good point to bring out, that all those parts of the Curse are eliminated. A lot of those ugly creatures are not even going to be around at that time, but even if they were, they're not going to be poisonous. It says the child can play on the hole of the asp. (Isa.11:8) Some people say that's because the asps aren't going to be poisonous. Well‚ I hope the hole's going to be empty, no asps, no coral snakes‚ no vipers, no poisonous critters of any kind, that's what I believe! When the Curse is removed, all those cursed things will be removed too & it's going to be like the Garden of Eden was.
72. HE CAN BRING OUT ALL ABOUT THE GARDEN OF EDEN, HOW THEY JUST LIVED OFF THE FRUIT ON THE TREES & THEY DIDN'T HAVE TO WEAR CLOTHES! They could sit down on the grass or the ground without getting worms or stung on their bare bottoms, they could lie down on the grass without getting all itchy & probably could sleep on the grass. Where else would they have slept but on the grass under the trees? And there was no rain & no storms, that's another good point. You could even live outdoors if you had to.—No rain, no storms, no floods, no earthquakes, no big fires & stuff like that. Just think how easy it was to live then!
73. IN THOSE DAYS OF THE GARDEN OF EDEN THEY DIDN'T HAVE TO WEAR ANY CLOTHES, so that saved a lot of washing & mending & weaving & spinning & making of clothes & all that sort of thing. And since they ate the fruit off the trees they didn't have to do any cooking or washing dishes. The Curse brought most of the tough, hard tasks of both men & women. It looks to me like there's going to be some tilling & growing of crops like grains, etc.‚ at least Outside‚ & it'll all be Outside during the Millennium! Some people think that that's a Curse, but it's not, it's just part of man's work.
74. DURING THAT FIRST PERIOD THERE WAS A CURSE EVEN ON THE GROUND & IT TALKED ABOUT THE GROUND BRINGING FORTH NOTHING BUT THORNS & THISTLES, ETC. (Gen.3:17‚18) It seems at that time it was even worse cursed than it is today. But anyhow, the thorns & thistles will be gone‚ the weeds will be gone, & just think what a much easier time you'll have growing a garden & growing crops with no thorns, thistles, weeds, insecticides, blights or mildew! There will be no mold on the grains & the crops, no caterpillars to eat'm, no bugs to eat'm, no boll weevils, no Mediterranean fruit flies! You could just go down the list almost by the thousands or maybe millions of things that won't be in the Millennium that are now a curse to the World & a curse to wicked man!
75. BRING OUT HOW SAFE IT WILL BE & HOW YOU CAN WALK INTO THE WATER! You might still get your feet muddy, but that's no big thing, you can always wash'm off without being afraid of some kind of varmints or pests. What's that worm that so many people get in the Tropix just from standing or walking in the water, bathing in still pools, that comes from caterpillars? It's a horrible disease! It's been in the WND recently a couple of times.
76. SO THESE ARE A LOT OF THINGS WE WON'T HAVE IN THE MILLENNIUM, THANK GOD, & I THINK HE COULD SURE THINK OF A FEW MORE!—The changes in the weather, changes in our habitats, differences in our dress. We'll probably dress as scantily as they do in the Tropix, because it'll virtually all be Tropix!
77. SOME SCIENTISTS WHO ARE CHRISTIANS BELIEVE THAT EVEN THE EARTH'S AXIS WILL BE STRAIGHTENED AGAIN! They think that it didn't get that tilt until after one of the cataclysms or the Flood or something like that, the tilt that causes such severe weather in the North‚ etc., & the polar icecaps. The axis of the Earth may be straightened so that it's exactly perpendicular to its orbit around the Sun, which means that most parts of the Earth will receive very similar sunshine & tropical or temperate climates like it used to be. They found mastodons‚ those gigantic elephants, etc., in the most frozen polar parts of the North with fresh green grass still in their mouths, frozen in the ice, a place where grass never grows any more! So there's going to be a change in climate & we won't have to worry so much about clothes like we do here!
78. WELL, DID I TELL YOU ENOUGH ABOUT THE MILLENNIUM? So many things will be changed!—No natural disasters any more unless they're on some bad rebellious people or something, & all those changes in climate & creatures & life & habitat & all the rest! Goodness, I've already given you more than enough to write about, probably more than he'll be able to find space for on the back of that picture!
THRILLED WITH THE POSTERS!
79. I GUESS WE SHOULD BE THANKFUL WE GET THINGS DONE AS FAST AS WE DO. I'LL BET WE DO THINGS FASTER THAN ANYBODY ELSE I KNOW OF! The World spends weeks, months & years on some of their masterpieces. Well, Earth we can do in a day, but Heaven takes 2 or 3 days! They're just gorgeous, I just love'm! I'm just thrilled! I can hardly wait to get'm out! I'd just love to see the people's faces when they get'm, especially the children, & when they read'm too! I'm waiting for the reactions! And I'm certainly waiting to hear the reactions on how they go, on their sales. I think they're beautiful & I'd like to have every single one of them, & I want every one of them! I'm filling my wall! I've got'm grouped according to the way they're comin' out—first four‚ second four, third four, fourth four, etc. I didn't say fourth floor, I said fourth four!—But the way we're going‚ we're going to get up to the 70th floor yet! GBY! I really love'm!
Copyright (c) 1998 by The Family
Copyright (c) 1998 by The Family