Train himself to think backwards by external means as set forth here following.

a. Let him learn to write backwards.

b. Let him learn to walk backwards.

c. Let him listen to phonograph records reversed.

d. Let him practise speaking backwards.

e. Let him learn to read backwards.

- Aleister Crowley Magick: Liber, Aba Book Four

Simply put, satanist Aleister Crowley was one of the most influential occultists in modern history. A practitioner of black magick, ritual sex and an advocate of human sacrifice, he was the founder of a philosophy called "Thelema" and wrote a book called The Book of the Law in Egypt 1904. He was a pioneer in unimaginable perversion in the early 1900s and claimed his writings came from a diving being called Aiwass. Crowley's influence was evident in the decades of the 60s through the 80s with numerous bands professing admiration for him. His most recent admirer is Jay-Z who uses Crowley's infamous quote "Do what thou wilt" as his own mantra.

In the 80s, there was heavy criticism against Rock & Roll bands that were accused of a phenomenon called backmasking. Backmasking is the process of reversing an audio signal (usually a vinyl record or now an MP3 file) and placing it within an audio message meant to be played forwards. You can hear normal lyrics one way but a "hidden" message is revealed when played in reverse. A lot of Evangelical Christians went on to protest these rock bands to prove, albeit unsuccessfully, that these hidden messages affected the subconscious side of the human brain, eventually affecting a person's behavior. Some bands such as The Beatles and Judas Priest admitted to including the hidden messages in their music but science still cannot prove that backmasking affects the mind.

Some believe that our brain has the capability to decode the reverse message and embed it into our subconscious mind. In the November 1985 issue of American Psychologist, John R. Vokey and J. Don Read from the University of Lethbridge found no conclusive evidence after conducting an extensive study on the affects of backmasking. What do I think? I have no idea. I'm not a scientist. There have been plenty studies that suggest otherwise and science cannot prove subliminal messages definitely work. We see commercials all the time that cater to the subconscious mind and none of them have compelled me to buy Papa John's pizza and J.Lo hasn't yet convinced me to put a down payment on a FIAT. Still, the subject of subliminal messages is tricky.

If you play "Another one bites the dust" by Queen in reverse, you'll hear the message, "It's fun to smoke marijuana." The message is there but there hasn't been any solid evidence that a mass wave of disco lovers started lighting up some ganja when the song was released. I'll give you more recent examples:

· Rihanna's "We found love" played backwards, you'll hear "I love you Satan".
· Britney Spears' "Hit me baby one more time," you'll find a segment saying "Sleep with me. I'm not that young."
· Madonna's "Like a prayer." You'll hear "Hear us, save us Satan."
· Jay-Z's track "Lucifer 9" from the Grey Album, you'll hear quite clearly "666 murder murder Jesus 666."
· And I can't even push my fingers to write my last example from Lady Gaga, which is something hair-raisingly blasphemous about Messiah Jesus that made my heart sank when I heard it in her song "Judas."

Much like my last two columns, I don't present any full-blown evidence that leaves without a doubt that you're being systematically conditioned to the tune of the satanic pied piper -- only clues and patterns. These clues and patterns beg the question from me: Why are they there? Backmasking exists. You can deny its effectiveness but you cannot deny its existence. You don't hear any of these songs saying anything positive about God when you play them in reverse. NOTHING! You don't find that weird? But you'll hear plenty of Satan this and Satan that and blasphemies about Jehovah. It cannot be some kind of conspiracy or theoretical coincidence. There are far too many examples such as the aforementioned for me to buy that notion. I'm not fully convinced subliminal messages are affecting my behavior. I've done a lot of research and , so far, I love Jesus Christ. None of the raunchy music I've listened to back in my B.C. (before Christ) days have steered me toward a Marilyn Manson concert. I haven't denied Christ simply because I've blasted Biggie in my headphones. But, that doesn't negate the fact that there are messages implemented in these songs. The issue still stands.

Now that I know the messages exist, am I going to willingly keep Nicki Minaj in my rotation just because I like the beat? Isn't that their goal? That I just lie to myself with, "It's just a song. It's just a beat," and continue to buy their perverted propaganda? I can attest that none of the songs have ever DISCOURAGED me from sleeping with a woman in my bad boy days. In fact, I would put my money on it that all the sex I've seen and heard in movies and music actually helped make the transition to reality a lot easier. Children are having sex at younger ages and pedophilia is widespread. Happenstance? As entertainment goes, so does society and vice versa. It's a cycle more so than one mirroring the other. 

At first listen, reversed messages are really difficult to decipher unless someone points them out to you. I'm impressed with the people that can make sense of the reversed singing. It truly is a gift of discernment much like the individuals that were able to make out the satanic imagery that saturate music videos. If they're making too much of what can sound like "gibberish" at times, then how are they able to interpret the majority of these messages as satanic? You can't make up what's not there. If I say Hell-O, chances are you heard me say "hello" and you would look at me cross-eyed if I told you I said "Good-bye." The sounds don't lie. So, with that said, how come you won't hear any backmasking saying "Bless the Lord" or "Jesus is risen?" You won't hear anything uplifting like that, only negative messages.

In the 70s, the classic rock band The Eagles admitted to having ties to the church of satan. "Coincidentally," you'll hear the message "Satan, he hears this. He had me believe."

Granted, there have been Christian bands such as Petra that have purposely placed positive messages in their music using backmasking to counter the phenomenon, but again, a lot of secular artists are completely unaware what their songs are saying when played backwards. 

But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. - Romans 6:17-18

Aside from the professed followers of satan, do these artists place these messages there deliberately? I doubt it. But here's a question I pose for believers. The Bible says we are either slaves to sin or slaves to righteousness. Slaves to the evil one or slaves of God. If that's the case, then if you're not writing under the influence of the Holy Spirit, then you are writing under the influence of...?

People write from their emotions but what spirit is influencing those emotions? Rapping about making money by any means necessary and raining a stack of bills on strippers may not directly link one to Satan but can you honestly say that these thoughts were inspired by God even though a rapper might pathetically thank God at an awards show for such content? I realize that we certainly can't attribute every single secular song to satanic inspiration but it's interesting to note, considering the scripture. I've reasoned that these hidden messages have to be regarded in the same light as the symbols we see all over videos. They're there for a reason. It's as if satan is taunting God with the mess he's been able to lead the world into. 

In the Old Testament, Daniel prophesied that knowledge would increase in the end times. With the internet introducing us to the world of Google, YouTube and Facebook, that scripture couldn't resonate any louder than it does today. It's getting harder and harder for satan to be subtle and conceal his identity as we learn more and more about his strategies and maneuvers. Maybe that's intentional. He'll soon stop hiding but he won't come out with horns on his head and a pitchfork. He'll appear as an angel of light - a man with a smile and charm that would deceive nations. He's very real and it's not crazy talk. There is a spirit world and war that we cannot see in a physical sense unless you pay attention to the details you didn't look for before. We've been presented with some of those tactics being used in the music industry. Learning satan's and his followers devices have made me realize why Jesus put such an emphasis on prayer. 

Jesus prayed in the mornings. He prayed for his followers. He prayed for Jerusalem. He prayed for his disciple Peter after satan specifically asked permission to sift Peter "like wheat." He prayed before he was crucified. He prayed for us. If the Savior of the world, fully God and fully man, felt it of importance to not just tell us to pray but to actually pray himself, then how much more important should it be to us?

With evil closing us in from every direction in the form of entertainment, drugs, politics, corporate greed, violence and sexual immorality in this world, spiritual warfare becomes a reality. Paul knew about the world behind the blinding curtains of our eyes. He knew about the principalities and the ruler of this world and he urged us to put on God's armor. It's not a pretty first century poem or some recommendation. It was a mandate to "pray without ceasing." So let us pray for the music industry and for the light to break through its dark chains that keep the most innocent of singers bound in ignorance. Let us also pray for the Christians that have a calling to minister in the form of music. Though the world will sing in unison words of hate, let's reveal our very own reverse message: The truth of the Lord endures forever.

The self-proclaimed Zig Ziglar of rap, Billy Delgado, is a Music Producer/Artist and Writer by day and sleeping pillow-drooler by night. He is currently producing the debut album for his band The 288's, a God-inspired Hip Hop/R&B group that combines soul-baring lyricism with an electric innovative sound, breaking from the norm and reaching all cultures & ages (save senior citizens). He still can't believe he's a family man with a beautiful wife Mari & three boys Chris, Nelson and Joshua, so he continues to pinch himself silly to this day.