The "Working Celtic Cross" as developed in 1997 by Crichton Miller. Miller, an experienced seaman used to using such navigational tools as the quadrant and the sextant, saw in the design of the Celtic cross an ancient, simple yet powerful tool that could be used in a variety of ways for both navigation and architecture. Crichton believes that the Celtic cross was originally used by the ancients to build the pyramids and navigate the world's oceans, its design encapsulating God's design of the universe, a knowledge now lost in the haze of time and superstition. Image © Crichton Miller

Many tourists take for granted the enigmatic "Celtic" or "high" crosses that dot the landscapes of Ireland, Scotland and Wales, not knowing their true and very ancient origins. Believed to date from the seventh to ninth centuries AD in these ancient lands of the Celts, conventional wisdom has it that the oldest of the Celtic crosses are the remnants of pagan standing stones from which the stylized cross-and-circle motif of the typical high cross was carved during the early Christian era.

One story of the origin of the Celtic cross has St. Patrick altering the circular symbol of a pagan moon goddess by inscribing a cross over it, thus creating a syncretistic symbol that incorporates the concept of salvation (the cross) with eternity (the circle), denoting the infinite nature of God's love. Other variations on the theory of the origin of the Celtic cross has it that was derived from the ancient chi-ro symbol of the early Christians, or even the Egyptian ankh, both also adapted pagan symbols from earlier times.

In fact, the "wheeled cross" is a very ancient symbol that dates back thousands of years even before the advent of Christianity, appearing in the very first ideographic writing systems of ancient Egypt, China, America, Europe and the Near East, variously symbolizing power, fertility, luck, and order, and was also often used a sun symbol, particularly by the ancient Babylonians. As such, it was probably extant in ancient Ireland and other Celtic countries for many thousands of years before the advent of Christianity, and was simply adopted by the early Christians not only because it was so similar to the Christian cross, but also because of its ubiquitousness, as well as its architectural beauty.

Perhaps the most ancient use of the Celtic cross, however, was not as a symbol of religion, or of astronomy, but as a tool of navigation. Crichton Miller points out in his seminal work, The Golden Thread of Time, that the Celtic cross, with the addition of a plumbline, or a weight at the bottom of the circle on the cross, can be used to measure any angle, and was superior to other known measuring instruments including the astrolabe, the quadrant, and even the sextant. Moroever, as part of a larger, worldwide system of time and navigational tools that some believe may have existed in ancient times, including possibly the enigmatic stone balls found in various parts of the world that may have once been used by astronomer priests to indicate the positions of the planets relative to the sun for use in astronomical computations, the Celtic cross device may have been able to measure both latitude and longitude, an accomplishment not matched again until well into modern times. Could this have been the tool that the famous Irish monk, St. Brendan the Navigator used to discover America in ancient times?

And not only was the Celtic cross usable as a highly effective navigational tool, Crichton argues that it almost certainly was used as a highly effective architectural instrument as well, possibly even used to build the pyramids! Crichton argues very convincingly, based upon the discovery by British Engineer Waynman Dixon in 1872 of several enigmatic artifacts in the northern shaft of the so called "Queen's Chamber" in the Great Pyramid of Giza, that these relics were in fact the remnants of an ancient architectural tool very similar in size and shape to the Celtic cross!

Perhaps most interesting of all are the mysterious references in the Bible to God using a "measuring line" and a "plummet" as the standards by which He judges mankind. As it says in Isaiah 28:17,

And I will make justice the measuring line,
And righteousness the plummet;
Hail will sweep away the refuge of lies,
And waters will overflow the hiding place.

The mystery of the Celtic cross may be very deep indeed, even fundamental to the process of history, of which it, too may be the standard. The measure of justice and the plumbline of righteousness appear particularly prominently in the context of the end times, especially in relation to the building of the third temple. The prominent references include Ezekiel 40, where Ezekiel is shown a future temple, possibly the third temple, by an angel who held a measuring rod and plumbline in his hand; Zechariah 4, where Zerubbabel the high priest appears holding a plumbline, which he would use build the second temple; and Revelation 11, when the third temple will be rebuilt, using a "measuring rod". All together, where mankind is judged by a combination of a "measure" and a "plumbline", along with the cross of Christ as the absolute standard, the theological evidence appears to prove Crichton's theory to be correct!

As such, Jesus' admonition to take the Gospel "to the uttermost parts of the Earth" (Acts 1:8) is now filled with new meaning. In order to fulfil their mandate to be witnesses of the Gospel to the uttermost parts of the Earth, the disciples would have had to literally visit the entire world, including even North America. And in order to do so, they would have had to have had a special navigational tool in order to do so. The Celtic cross is therefore the most likely tool that they would have had access to, as they would have had a very difficult time reaching their destination without such a tool. And of course they would also need a plumbline, and a small stone with which to weight it.

Walker Metalsmiths:
Celtic Cross History and Symbolism
Walker Metalsmiths:
Is the Celtic Cross a Pagan Symbol?
Megalithic Ireland: Irish High Crosses
Wikipedia: High Cross
Ask Yahoo: What Is the History of the Celtic Cross?
Crichton Miller: The Celtic Cross
Mysterious World Journal:
Secret Chamber
The Upuaut Project
ViewZone: The Working Celtic Cross
World Mysteries:
The Cross and the Plumbline
Celtic Cross: The Band
Mysterious World: Ireland
Failte Ireland
Tourism Ireland
All Ireland
Go Ireland
1 2 Travel.com
IrishTourism.com

This detail illustration of a mysterious stone found near an old Indian trail in the American Midwest appears, among other things, to have Hebrew lettering on it. This illustration shows what the author believes to be a combination of the Hebrew/Aramaic letters shin and kaph combined into a single glyph. The author further believes that this "signature" glyph may be the personal mark used by Simon Peter, indicating that his missionary journeys may have taken him as far as the American Midwest.

This is the first of a four-part series about a remarkable discovery in the American Middle West. This unusual find may lead to a reconsideration of the past and, perhaps, the present and future.

Many years ago, a curious object was found near an ancient Indian trail in the Midwest. This object was a small, rounded stone with several unusual markings. The stone was taken to a professional geologist who studied it with a microscope and tested its chemical composition. He found the stone to be calcite, the chief component of limestone, and concluded the stone and its markings were natural formations. The stone was also taken to a professional archaeologist. This individual could not determine whether it was a natural occurrence or a man-made object but did indicate it was unlike anything ever seen. Several other specialists in archaeology and geology were also contacted, but none could provide additional information. As a result, the stone remained a mystery for a number of years.

Then, in the first part of the twenty-first century, a private study of the stone was initiated. Several contexts were considered to see if any offered a basis for interpreting the stone. The one found to offer the most promise was the first century of the Christian Era. Studying the stone in this context produced a number of startling discoveries. For example, the shape of the stone was found to resemble the Sea of Galilee, the scene of much of Jesus' ministry. In addition, marks on the stone were found to resemble alphabetic, numeric and pictographic symbols that existed in the Middle East during the first century AD. One of these marks, which was found on the upper left front of the stone, looked like the Aramic letter kaph (). Aramaic was the language spoken in Palestine during the time of Christ, and kaph was the first letter kinnereth, an ancient name for the Sea of Galilee.

Immediately above the mark resembling kaph was another mark which looked like the Aramaic letter shiyn (). Shiyn was the first letter in Shiloh (Messiah), schachat (slain), shagah (sin), and sow (arise), and kaph was the first letter in kehah (healing) and kaphar (forgive) — all words associated with Jesus Christ.

Shiyn and kaph were also the first letters, respectively, in shimown and keph, which mean "Simon Peter". Moreover, kaph is the first letter in kaphar-nachuwm which means "Village of Nahum" (Capernaum), the place where Peter lived. In addition, the mark resembling kaph appears in a position on the stone that matches the location of Capernaum next to the Sea of Galilee.

Finally, shiyn and kaph were the first letters in key elements of the risen Christ's command to the apostles to be witnesses for Him from Jerusalem "...unto the uttermost part of the earth" (Acts 1:8). For instance, shiyn was the first letter in shama (witness), shelam (deliver), shalam (good), and shemuwah (news); and kaph was the first letter in kanaph (uttermost part of the earth).

The stone brings to mind Jesus Christ, Peter, and Christ's command to witness to all the world, and the discovery of the stone in the Midwest may indicate Peter obeyed that command. Further evidence that Peter journeyed to America in the first century will be presented in Part Two.

The Search for the Twelve Apostles
Nelson's Complete Book of Bible Maps and Charts
Atlas of the Bible
Elmhurst: Trails from Yesterday
The New Strong's Concise Dictionary of Bible Words
Enjoy Illinois: Illinois Bureau of Tourism Official Website
Visit Northern Illinois
SeeAmerica.org: Illinois
GoChicago.com
Illinois.gov: Visiting Illinois

The master presents his new apprentice with a gift, a "magic ring" from New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft (left). Putin arose to power via dubious means, and is in the process of revitalizing the old Soviet-style methods of assassination and military aggression in an attempt to grab the "brass ring" of world domination. His stealing of the ring may be symbolic of his intent to conquer the world through theft and violence, and may indicate he is the "Gog" of the "Gog of the land of Magog" as described in Ezekiel 38-39.

On June 25, 2005, during a meeting with American business executives, Russian Federation President Vladimir Putin apparently stole a very special ring. It was a New England Patriots 2005 Super Bowl ring which the Patriots' owner, American paper magnate and venture capitalist Robert Kraft, had handed to Putin in order to show to him a prime example of American excellence. However Putin, apparently thinking it was a gift, pocketed the ring and walked off, much to the consternation of Kraft, who had no intention of giving away his precious ring. And though later Kraft claimed to have given it to Putin as a gift, those on the scene had gathered a different impression.

Vladimir Putin, the Deputy Prime Minister of Boris Yeltsin, came to power as an interim replacement for Yeltsin after his sudden resignation on December 31, 1999. Putin officially became President of the Russian Federation after winning the presidential elections on March 26, 2000, and from that point has proceeded to slowly but systematically restore the centralized power structure of Russia that had been one of the trademarks of the old Soviet Union. A favorite of the army and of the intelligence services, particularly the KGB, of which he had been a member earlier in his career, Putin's reforms have also included strengthening the secret services and the military, and the adoption of a more aggressive military posture.

Though Putin's reforms have been generally accepted as reasonable, even popular by both the Russian people and the West, his military incursion into Chechnya, in the northern Caucasus, has been described by many as barbaric, and has drawn criticism from many quarters. Since that time, many of Putin's most vocal critics have been the subject of assassination attempts, many of them successful.

The most prominent of these include the Russian journalist and author Anna Politkovskaya, who wrote for the Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta, and who was also the author of several books critical of both Putin and the Russian military, including A Dirty War: A Russian Reporter in Chechnya (2001), Putin's Russia: Life in a Failing Democracy (2004) and (posthumously), A Small Corner of Hell: Dispatches from Chechnya (2008). Another prominent assassination attempt was of the Ukrainian opposition presidential candidate Viktor Yushchenko, whose platform was separation from Russia and from Communism. More recently, Russian ex-spy Alexander Litvinenko was poisoned to death with the very rare poison Polonium-210, an element so radioactive and deadly that whole restaurants and hotels had to be shut down for decontamination due to the polonium trail left behind by the incident. Just before his untimely death Litvinenko, also a critic of Putin, had been investigating the death of his friend Anna Politkovskaya, and on his deathbed, Litvinenko also laid the blame for his death on Putin.

Interestingly, during the time of the writing of this article (March 1, 2008) Paul Joyal, another prominent Russian critic of Putin and the KGB was shot and critically wounded in the groin in his own driveway of his home in suburban Maryland. He had just returned from the International Spy Museum, where he had met with a friend, former KGB general Oleg Kalugin.

By themselves, these facts would appear to merely be an analysis of the dark side of Russian politics. However, as is so often the case, there is much more to this story.

Biblical scholars who study apocalyptic have been looking for a man who could fill the shoes of the infamous "Gog of the land of Magog" mentioned in Ezekiel 38-39. However, the exact identification of this powerful leader to this date has remained a mystery. Some scholars have speculated that the mysterious "Gog" may have been a reference to the Lydian king Gyges, infamous in his time for having usurped the throne of Lydia (a small but prosperous country in the west of what is now modern Turkey), though until now there has been no real linkage between this ancient king of Turkey and the future king of the land of Magog. The land of Magog however is easily identified, being known since ancient times to be the vast area including Russia, the Ukraine, Central Asia and particularly the region around the Caucasus Mountains. Georgia, which lies in the south of the Caucausus region (and whose name may also be related to Gog/Gyges), is considered to be the heartland of the Magogian peoples, and was also the birthplace of Joseph Stalin, one of the most powerful and fearsome leaders in Russian history.

There are several variations of the story of the rise to power of Gyges, but the most famous is the version put forth by Plato in his Dialogues called "The Ring of Gyges". In this version, Gyges was portrayed as a simple Lydian shepherd who, after an earthquake opened a chasm in the ground, found therein the hollow statue of a bronze horse. And within the bronze horse was an ancient corpse that wore nothing but a golden ring. Gyges took the ring and thought nothing more of it until later, while sitting with the other shepherds and twisting the ring around on his finger, he found that when the collet of the ring was turned to the inside of his hand, his friends could no longer see him. Realizing that the ring could make him invisible, he soon formulated a plan wherein he would use the ring to take over the rule of the kingdom — and his plan was successful. Misusing the power of the ring, he seduced the queen and killed the king, taking over the kingship of Lydia for himself.

Commentators on Plato believe that he included this story in his Dialogues to show that even a righteous man, confronted with the ability to transcend social restrictions, would inevitably use that power to do evil. Similarly, commentators on the writings of J.R.R. Tolkien have noted that the ring featured prominently in his magnum opus, The Lord of the Rings was almost certainly influenced by this tale of Gyges' magic ring which made the wearer invisible and (through that power) eventually corrupted them. And it is here where the circle of Gog's ring is completed.

In the popular Harry Potter film, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, there appeared a small, gnomelike character named "Dobby". Many commentators noticed a striking resemblance between the character of Dobby and Russian President Vladimir Putin, including the aforementioned Novaya Gazeta, which was perhaps the first Russian media outlet to draw the comparison. Perhaps more to the point, Dobby also resembled Gollum from the Lord of the Rings films, almost seeming in retrospect to have been intended to be a transitional character between Gollum and Vladimir Putin to help create a psychological link between the two. Interestingly, both the Gollum and Dobby characters were vying for the same MTV award for "best virtual performance", as they both made their screen debut on the same year, 2002. Moreover, in The Lord of the Rings (and The Hobbit) Gollum, like Gyges, was also obsessed with the possession of a magic ring that made its wearer invisible, and gave him great power, but which inevitably corrupted them both.

In our series of articles on Giants, we discussed the origins and destinies of the peoples of Gomer and Magog, whom we identified with the biblical Gog and Magog, the term "Gog" merely being a variant of Gomer shortened for poetic reasons to rhyme with "Magog". We then discovered that the descendants of Gomer, or "Gog", were the Gomerians, or "Germans", and the descendants of Magog were, among others, the Russians. Based upon these facts, one would assume that "Gog", the ruler of the land of Magog (Russia) as described in Ezekiel 38-39 would in fact not be a Russian, but a German. In fact, Germans have been migrating to Russia at least since the 17th century, when King Vasili III imported some German craftsmen to provide necessary technical skills to the capitol region. This immigration increased sharply during the reign of Catherine II ("The Great"), who was herself of primarily of German ancestry. Interestingly, though Putin claims Russian ancestry, his family routinely spoke German in his home while he was growing up, and he himself is highly fluent in the German language as a result. He even sent his two daughters to the German School in Moscow, all together indicating that Putin may indeed be of at least partial German ancestry.

Finally, as we have seen, Vladimir Putin has made one of his main focuses the war in Chechnya, which lies on the border territory between Russia and the Middle East — specifically, Iran. If Putin is indeed the Gog mentioned in Ezekiel 38-39, then control of this region would be vital for an invasion of the Middle East, as prophesied by Ezekiel. However, Gog and his hordes from Russia, Central Asia and the arab nations will not succeed, but will be destroyed by fire from heaven.

All together, the evidence for Vladimir Putin being the infamous "Gog" of Ezekiel 38-39 is fairly strong. As the militant leader of Russia in a period closely resembling the period of the end times described in the Bible, as a man of probable German ancestry, and as a man predisposed to using questionable methods to sieze power, Putin fits the description of the biblical Gog well. But perhaps the binding tie in our analysis of Putin as Gog is the relationship between Putin, Gyges, Gollum, and the "magic ring" that in the darkness binds them. Further analysis in our latest series, The Lord of the Rings Cipher, will shed additional light on how Tolkien's ring cycle may hold the clues to what may be about to happen in our near future.

Wikipedia: Vladimir Putin
WashingtonPost.com: A Ring Wrapped In Mystery
Outside the Beltway: Putin Steals Patriots Owner Kraft�s Ring
Associated Press: Russia's Putin Pockets Super Bowl Ring
BBC News: Anna Politkovskaya: Putin's Russia
Telegraph.co.uk: Putin faces 'murderer' taunt as journalist is buried
CNN: Doctors: Yushchenko was poisoned
BBC News: Radiation found after spy's death
The Spy Who Billed Me: The Spy Who Killed Me: Litvinenko Poisoning Theories
New York Times: Critic of the KGB Is Shot and Wounded Outside His Home
WashingtonPost.com: Intelligence Specialist's Shooting Stirs Speculation
Dateline NBC: The Last Days of a Secret Agent
Wikipedia: Ring of Gyges
Plato and His Dialogues: The Ring of Gyges
Wikipedia: Gyges of Lydia
Livius.org: Gyges of Lydia
Wikipedia: Arnolfini Portrait
Livius.org: Lydia
The History of Armenia
CBBC: Potter lookalikes cause problems in politics
RusNet: Putin, Dobby and the Axis of Weirdness
Wikipedia: Book of Ezekiel
Encyclopedia Britannica (1911): Gog
Catholic Encyclopedia: Gog and Magog
ChristianAnswers.net: Magog
The Preterist Archive: Ezekiel 38:2 Gog and Magog
Wikipedia: History of Germans in Russia and the Soviet Union
Wikipedia: Second Chechen War