As described in the previous post, the generally accepted explanation of the nature of our universe is the theory of the “Big Bang”.
According to this theory, scientists tell us that all the matter and energy that now fills the universe was flung out from a primordial explosion of quite unimaginable fury that occurred some 14 billion years ago, and that everything we see in the sky today is a consequence of that original explosion.
This theory was not the product of a single human mind. It was the end result of numerous brilliant minds over a span of almost 400 years, with each making their own vital contribution towards the final theory. Furthermore, this theory did not rest upon visual observation alone, but was supported by an elegant mathematical foundation.
As explained in the last instalment, it was the noted scholar and astronomer Edwin Hubble who, in 1929, published his discovery that the velocity of distant galaxies increased with their distance from the earth, and that their velocity was directly linked to the red-shift in their spectral lines of light.
He was also able to show a simple relationship between the distance of a galaxy and the shift in its spectral lines. The farther out each galaxy was from earth, the faster it was travelling, and the greater its red-shift. It was from this discovery that he concluded that the entire universe was expanding, and that everything was moving away from everything else.
Over time this theory had come to be accepted so completely that there no longer seemed to be any room for doubt. So there was considerable consternation when an American astronomer named Halton Arp not only challenged the accepted theory, but went on to list his reasons for believing that the entire theory of the “Big Bang” was fundamentally wrong.
In hindsight, it should have been obvious right from the start that the “Big Bang” theory was a train wreck just waiting to happen. The very idea that all the energy and matter contained in the universe today could have been compacted into an infinitesimally tiny source that somehow exploded into the universe that we see today defies all understanding.
Scientists still cannot explain either the cause of, or the reasons for, the “Big Bang”, but are content to assume that it somehow must have happened, because of the expanding universe that exists today. But what they fail to see is that this entire imbroglio is the result of their initial mistake – which was to interpret the red-shift as a Doppler effect in the first place.
In fact the late astronomer and author Carl Sagan of Cornell University wrote the obituary for the “Big Bang” theory more than a quarter of a century ago when he penned the following lines: “This red shift, observed in the spectral lines of distant galaxies and interpreted as a Doppler effect, is the key to cosmology.”
The basic problem with treating the red-shift as a Doppler effect was that if this interpretation should later be found to be incorrect, then the entire theory of an expanding universe as a consequence of a primordial “Big Bang” would collapse like a pack of cards. And this is exactly what happened.
It all started off innocently enough when Halton Arp published his Atlas of Peculiar Galaxies in 1966. The initial purpose of his book was to show photographs of nearby galaxies that did not fall into any of the classic categories of galaxy shapes, so that it could be used by fellow astronomers to test their theories of galactic formation.
It was only some years later that Arp realized that several of the objects illustrated in his Atlas also appeared on the published list of recognized quasars. As previously explained, although “quasars” (short for Quasi Stellar Radio Sources) looked like stars, the extent of their red-shift showed them to be travelling at speeds of up to nine-tenths of the speed of light, which placed them among the most distant objects in the visible universe.
In some photographs Arp discovered a quasar in the foreground of known galaxies, and in others there appeared to be matter bridging the two objects, implying that they were very close in space. But if they were, and their red-shifts were due to Hubble expansion, then both objects should have similar red-shifts.
However, the problem confronting Arp was that these galaxies were found to have much smaller red-shifts than the quasars associated with them. It was clear to Arp that these differentials could not be explained by the Doppler effect, nor to any physical movement of the objects concerned, but must be the result of a non-cosmological or “intrinsic” origin.
He also noticed that quasars were not evenly spread over the sky, but tended to be more commonly found in positions of small angular separation from certain galaxies, which suggested that they were in some way related to these galaxies. Arp hypothesized that quasars were actually local objects ejected from the core of active galactic nuclei.
So he set to work to publish his findings by submitting a paper to the “Astrophysical Journal”, which was the leading publication in its field. Somewhat naively perhaps, Arp hoped that his unusual discovery might attract the acclaim of his peers. What actually happened, however, was yet another travesty in the long, sad saga of science, in silencing those who challenge entrenched ideas.
The editor of the “Astrophysical Journal” at that time was S. Chandrasekhar, an accomplished Indian-American astrophysicist who subsequently became a co-winner of the Nobel prize for Physics. As Arp was later to find out, Chandrasekhar did not choose to send his paper to a referee, which was the accepted practice for reviewing papers submitted for publication.
Instead, he returned his paper to the Director of the Institute where Arp worked, with the words “This exceeds my imagination” scrawled across the top of the paper. What happened next is best described in Arp’s own words, which can be heard at 3 minutes and 40 seconds of the following video.
As Arp explains in this video, he was asked to change to another line of research, and when he failed to do so, he was denied further access to the Palomar Observatory. He lost his job at the Carnegie Institute and was obliged to move to Germany where he later joined the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics.
There was a not a little irony in this, for Max Planck had himself been the victim of oppression by his peers, who initially rejected his idea that energy was not transmitted in waves, but in tiny packets called “quanta”. And of course it was this discovery by Planck that was to become the basis for the entire science of Quantum Mechanics.
In fact, as a disillusioned Planck noted at the time, new theories do not succeed in science by the brilliance of their ideas, but because the old professors die off, and are replaced by younger men who are more open to new ideas. Arp himself had the last laugh when a new epigram was linked to his name. It was called Arp’s Law, and it stated: “Whenever science is confronted by two competing theories, it invariably chooses the wrong one.”
However, establishment scientists who rely on Government grants for their status and survival, continue to cling to the old idea of the “Big Bang”, and are not about to join the growing group of believers who have joined Arp’s camp. They continue to resort to stratagems like “Dark Energy” and “Dark Matter”, both of which are purely hypothetical, in order to prop up the shortcomings of existing theory.
Another scientist who propounded ideas that were in conflict with the established view of the universe was a Russian-Jewish psychiatrist named Immanuel Velikovsky. He became yet another victim of establishment science when he published his seminal work entitled Worlds in Collision in 1950.
According to Velikovsky, sometime within the last 4,000 years, an enormous convulsion took place on the planet Jupiter. As a result of this convulsion, a proto-planet the size of earth was ejected from Jupiter. And although Velikovsky never said this himself, I am happy to go on record as saying that the most prominent feature associated with the planet Jupiter, its giant red spot, is actually a remnant of that explosion that still persists to this day.
According to the legends that Velikovsky discovered in the course of his research, the object that was ejected from Jupiter ended up as the planet Venus. So, according to Velikovsky, Venus is a very young planet, less than 4,000 years old. And in the course of its erratic orbit around the sun, it began to have close encounters with other planets, particularly Mars and the earth.
In his book Worlds in Collision, Velikovsky provided a vast amount of evidence indicating that Venus had a close encounter with the earth around the 15th century BC, and that it threatened the earth again some 52 years later.
The electromagnetic effects of these encounters forced Venus into a new orbit which then brought it onto a collision path with Mars. These close encounters led to Mars being thrown into a new orbit, where it began to threaten the earth.
A series of disastrous encounters then took place between the earth and Mars, after which Mars settled into its present orbit around the sun. Venus, meanwhile, had become an inner planet with a new orbit between Mercury and the earth. For those interested in learning more about the life and works of Velikovsky, I cover these in greater detail in my Podcast # No 9, Podcast # 10 and Podcast # 11.
As one can imagine, if the response of the scientific establishment was hostile to the works of Max Planck and Halton Arp, their reaction to the revolutionary ideas of Velikovsky was positively apoplectic. They not only succeeded in getting his original publisher (Macmillan Books) to discontinue publication of his work, but he was declared a persona non grata on college and university campuses, and denied access to all scientific journals to answer the scurrilous claims of his critics.
Yet the irony was, as Velikovsky himself sardonically commented, that whereas Darwin’s equally revolutionary book The Origin of Species, which has been hailed by the scientific community as one of the greatest triumphs in all of science, contained not a single scientific reference, his own works by contrast were replete with references so that readers could validate all of his sources for themselves.
Despite the scandalous invectives directed at him and his work, Velikovsky was undaunted. As he explained, his works were based on exhaustive research over a ten year period into the legends and records of ancient cultures around the world, which all told the same basic story of battles in the sky between planetary gods that took place within the recorded history of mankind.
Furthermore, he threw down the gauntlet to his critics by declaring that if the recorded stories of these ancient cultures happened to be in conflict with the accepted theories of the scientists of his day, then the fault lay with scientific theory, and not with the events described by these ancient cultures.
One of the people who were inspired by the works of Velikovsky was an American author by the name of David Talbott. Talbott received his Bachelor of Science degree from Portland State University, where he majored in Education and Political Science. However, it was not long before his interests gravitated towards comparative mythology, and alternative histories of the solar system.
In 1987, Talbott founded the journal Aeon, which allowed him to publish many of his own works. He later became the initial President of the Mind Exploration Corporation, an organization whose mission was “to identify, investigate and market groundbreaking discoveries on the frontiers of science, technology and human understanding”.
It was in the course of these investigations that his life changed as a result of a chance meeting with an Australian physicist by the name of Wallace Thornhill.
Like Talbott, Thornhill had been captivated by the writings of Velikovsky. Having graduated in Physics at Melbourne University in 1964, he began his post-graduate studies doing upper atmospheric research. However, he soon found that anyone professing support for the ideas of Velikovsky could experience first-hand, indifference and even hostility from his superiors. He quickly realized that there is no career for a heretic in academia.
He therefore abandoned his studies and joined IBM Australia. He subsequently worked at the IBM Systems Development Institute in Canberra, helping to develop the first computer graphics system in Australia. He also acted as technical support for the computing facilities in the research schools at the Australian National University, which gave him access to their scientists and libraries.
Now that he had the freedom as well as access to scientific facilities, Thornhill began to undertake his own research in astrophysics, and in particular to question the hitherto established dogma of the “Big Bang”. Paramount among his concerns was the reliance upon gravity in the standard model of the universe, with almost no attention being given to the possible role of electromagnetism.
It was Velikovsky who can be said to have pioneered the science of astrophysics, when he pointed out in 1950 that space was not a vacuum, and that the forces of electromagnetism were the key to understanding the formation of the solar system. He then went on to predict that the sun carried a powerful electric charge, and that the earth possessed a magnetosphere with a geomagnetic tail that stretched as far away as the moon.
When the space age began in October 1957, with the launch of the world’s first artificial satellite, scientists at last had the opportunity to investigate the properties of space and the constitution of the planets. They found that all of the above statements made by Velikovsky were correct. Of course he gained no official credit for this, nor did it help to make his revolutionary works any more palatable to the scientific establishment.
Wallace Thornhill was able to take these ideas of Velikovsky, and with his knowledge of astronomy and plasma physics, use them as a basis for questioning all of the entrenched ideas of astrophysics, such as the “Big Bang” theory, the existence of black holes, and even Einstein’s theory of relativity. It was at this time that he had his chance encounter with David Talbott.
It proved to be a fortuitous event. Despite the gulf that existed between the two men in terms of their academic backgrounds, they were united in their admiration for the work of Velikovsky, and both shared a common conviction that the existing theories of Cosmology and the “Big Bang” were out of touch with the new discoveries that were being made by means of satellites and deep space probes.
They found another bond in the research that had been undertaken by Talbott into ancient forms of art in primitive societies around the globe. When Talbott showed Thornhill pictures showing enigmatic spiky objects that were common to many cultures, Thornhill was immediately struck by their similarity with plasma discharges that he had seen in his laboratory experiments.
It was the start of a productive association that continues to this day. In Talbott, Thornhill found an eager listener to his theories, as well as a forum (via his journal Aeon) in which to publish his ideas. And Talbott found in Thornhill a respected scientist who could attract other scientists to their cause. They agreed to collaborate, and joined forces in an enterprise that came to be known as the Thunderbolts project.
The objective of this project was to attract likeminded individuals with the goal of providing a new theoretical model of the universe, that not only explained the workings of the universe in a fundamentally different way, but at the same time resolved many of the anomalies that continued to baffle astrophysicists still committed to the “Big Bang” theory.
They were aided in their efforts by the timely arrival of the digital age, which allowed them to take advantage of electronic methods of accessing information, and publicizing this to interested parties around the world, via email, DVD’s and videos. Over the years, the Thunderbolts group has sponsored conferences that have attracted many mainstream scientists.
It must have been a considerable source of satisfaction to both men when, in the year 2000, Wallace Thornhill was one of the keynote speakers at a conference in Portland, Oregon, along with Halton Arp from the Max Planck Institute for Physics and Astrophysics. They were also joined by the Plasma Cosmologist Anthony Peratt from the Los Alamos Laboratories, who was the author of the book Physics of the Plasma Universe.
Thornhill was also a keynote speaker at the “Intersect 2001” conference held in Laughlin, Nevada. Among those attending the conference were the well-known Oxford biologist Rupert Sheldrake, the cellular biologist Bruce Lipton, and the psychologist Garry Schwartz of the University of Arizona.
In recent years, Wallace Thornhill and his colleagues at the Thunderbolts group have achieved a broad consensus of ideas which they call the “Electric Universe”. They believe that modern astronomy gives a totally disconnected view of space, filled with isolated galaxies comprised of lonely stars and planets drifting in solitary isolation, governed by the clockwork force of gravity.
The Thunderbolts group contends that all bodies in space are interlinked by an electric force which influences matter at all levels, from subatomic particles to galactic clusters. This synthesis of ideas is explained in two books co-authored by Thornhill and Talbott. The first is called The Electric Sun, and the second is called Thunderbolts of the Gods.
If you were to ask a recognized astronomer to describe the nature of the observable universe today, he or she would say that it is like a giant expanding balloon of intergalactic space, consisting of planets, stars and galaxies, that is roughly 100 billion light years across, and about 14 billion years old.
The prevailing cosmological model that is accepted by most scientists, is that all the matter and energy that now fills the universe was flung out from a primordial explosion of quite unimaginable fury, and that everything we see in the sky today is the consequence of that original explosion. This theory is referred to by astronomers as the “Big Bang”.
But according to a small but influential group of scientists, this theory is not only outdated, it is plumb wrong. And it is their contention that the carefully structured theory of the “Big Bang” has now become the “Big Bust”.
And if that were not shocking enough, they go on to say that the prevailing ideas about space as well as the nature of the planets, stars and galaxies are also wrong, for reasons we will explore in the following instalments.
The edifice that is modern Cosmology stands on the legs – although sceptics might say that it rests on the crutches – of two technological marvels. The first is known by almost everybody. It is the telescope. The second is known by relatively few outside the world of astronomy, yet it’s role in determining science’s view of the universe is critical. It is the spectroscope.
The first rudimentary telescope was constructed in the year 1609 by the Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei, who like his compatriot Dante Alighieri came to be known by his first name only. The telescope was an invention that almost cost Galileo his life.
The late Middle Ages were a dangerous time to be alive in Europe, and men and women who espoused new ideas did so under the threat of agonizing death. The Catholic Church was enthroned as the supreme guardian of thought. Its lieutenants were swift to brand as heretics all those who would sully the infallible word of God.
A firestorm of heretical tribunals swept across Western Europe in an effort to stay the stirrings of people’s minds. Anyone found guilty of heresy would pay a penalty in this world, by burning at the stake, that matched his or her inevitable fate in the next, that of being cast into eternal hell-fire.
At such a time it is hard for us to imagine the courage it must have taken for Galileo to announce in public, the idea that the earth travelled around the sun. In observing the heavens with the magical eye of his telescope, Galileo discovered that the moon had a cratered surface, unlike the smooth, flat surface taught by Aristotle, and that it shone by the reflected light of the sun, and not by virtue of an inner source of light.
He also showed that the planets Venus and Mercury demonstrated phases, just as was required by the Copernican system. Through his telescopic view, Galileo was able to see the four major moons of Jupiter rotating around the Jovian planet, just as the other planets were predicted to revolve around the sun.
Supported by the evidence of his own visual sightings, Galileo became convinced of the truth of the Copernican thesis, and began publicly to expound his views. This thoroughly alarmed the Church in Rome, and in 1616 Galileo was ordered to cease his support for what had come to be known as the “Copernican system”.
Galileo recanted and agreed to remain silent. But he used this period of enforced silence to write a book in which he debated the motions of the heavens from two conflicting points of view – that of Ptolemy, and that of Copernicus. In his final verdict to this dialogue, however, Galileo effectively demolished the old Ptolemaic system of astronomy.
Although he had sought the precaution of getting prior clearance from the authorities in Rome, the publication of his book brought an immediate summons to appear before the Inquisition on a charge of heresy. Galileo had done more than merely challenge a theory of celestial motion, for his book was a frontal attack on the fundamental basis of Catholic theology.
Since theology fixed man as the centre of divine concern, it was clear to the Church that the universe was created to serve the needs of man. The earth was at the centre of this divinely ordained universe, and all of creation was thus made for man’s service.
Man derived his knowledge of the universe from two sources – from human reason and divine revelation. The highest attainments of the human mind were considered by the Church to have been recorded in the works of Aristotle, while the Holy Scriptures contained revelations on all other things which could not directly be understood by the human mind.
Through a synthesis of these two paths, everything could ultimately be known. If it were now possible to prove that it was the earth that moved, rather than the stars around it, man’s very position at the centre of God’s plan would be called into question. Could there be any greater heresy, or one more worthy of the flame?
Galileo argued his own defence by resorting to his telescope. He invited his accusers to look through it and see for themselves the motions of the moons of Jupiter. The cardinals were incensed!
“We will not look through your telescope”, they cried, “because we already know how the universe is ordered. Aristotle, scripture and tradition have pointed the way for centuries. If your telescope were to show us anything different, it would be an instrument of the Devil.”
Galileo was ordered to make a public recantation. Kneeling before them, he was forced to read a statement confessing that he was ready to “curse, abjure and detest” the theory that the earth moved round the sun. Legend has it that at the end of this confession Galileo was heard to mutter under his breath, “But it does move”.
Galileo was lucky. He was spared the rack and the fire. But his fate was to be cut off from the world at his villa at Arcetri in Italy, where visitors were forbidden. In the latter years of his life, his sense of isolation was further deepened when he became completely blind. When he died in 1642 the Pope forbade the erection of any monument on his tomb that would honour his name.
Over the span of nearly four hundred years since Galileo’s death, scientists have refined his original telescope to a degree that would have astonished him. Not only have optical telescopes developed in sophistication and size, but modern telescopes now include radio telescopes, as well as others classified by the wavelengths of light they detect – such as X-rays, ultraviolet and infrared telescopes.
And of course all of earth-based optical telescopes are dwarfed by the capabilities of the Hubble space telescope, which was first lifted into low earth orbit outside the distortion of earth’s atmosphere in 1990, and still continues to send back extremely high-resolution images with almost no background light.
It was not until 1666 that Sir Isaac Newton, who has since come to be regarded as one of the greatest scientists of all time, discovered that sunlight, or white light, was actually a combination of all the colours of the rainbow, and that by shining sunlight through a prism, all of these different colours could be displayed on a screen in the form of a spectrum.
Early in the nineteenth century, a British physicist named William Wollaston noticed an odd feature about this solar spectrum. Its display of multicoloured bands was characterized by a series of dark, vertical lines, as shown in the simplified diagram below.
Then in 1814 a German optician by the name of Joseph Fraunhofer invented a device that was able to disperse, or separate, white light from a star into a much wider spectrum of colours than could be seen through a normal prism. This device came to be known as a spectroscope, or spectrometer.
The invention of the spectroscope, which made it possible to analyse the composition of any spectrum of light, and to determine the characteristics of its source, provided as revolutionary a tool for astronomers as Galileo’s telescope had been initially. For it was now possible to examine the light of the stars, and to determine their chemical composition.
Several years later, Fraunhofer made a spectrograph of sunlight, and counted 574 dark lines appearing against the bright background of the solar spectrum. These dark lines appearing in the spectrum are still referred to as Fraunhofer lines today, as a tribute to his pioneering work in the field of optics.
The cause of these lines remained a mystery until a German physicist named Gustav Kirchhoff announced that they represented an absorption of the specific wavelengths of light emitted by the sun.
He explained that the lines in the solar spectrum were due to certain wavelengths of light that were being absorbed by the gaseous atmosphere of the sun. Because these wavelengths were absorbed, they appeared as gaps in the spectrum which revealed themselves to the observer as dark, vertical lines.
Kirchhoff showed that every element in nature had a distinct and specific signature of lines present in its spectrum. So, for example, if white light was passed through a gas before being shone through a prism onto a screen, the gas would absorb certain wavelengths of that light. The resulting spectrum would show certain black lines appearing in specific places.
It was found that it was possible to identify a gas by its signature of lines. Furthermore, if a gas or any other element was heated and caused to emit light, it would emit only those wavelengths which characterized that particular element or gas.
So instead of a continuous spectrum marked by dark, vertical lines, there would now be certain narrow, vertical slits of light, and these would appear at precisely those places where the dark lines had been in the continuous spectrum.
Yet another crucial breakthrough in the understanding of the heavens derived from a principle that had earlier been explained by the Austrian physicist Christian Doppler. It was known that a moving source of sound changed its pitch as it passed a stationary observer.
As Doppler explained, whenever a source of sound was moving in relation to an observer, a change of frequency occurred. This frequency increased when the source approached the observer, and decreased when they moved apart. This principle came to be known as the Doppler effect.
Because light was also known to be a phenomenon of waves, it was assumed that they travelled through space in a manner similar to sound. The waves of light appeared to increase in frequency when a source of light moved towards an observer, and to decrease in frequency when it moved away. While this effect was not noticeable at low speeds, it became very pronounced when a source of light was moving at a speed that approached the speed of light.
When a source of light approached an observer at high speed, the waves of light shifted in frequency towards the right, or blue end of the spectrum. But if the source was receding at high speed, the waves of light moved towards the left, or red side of the visible spectrum, as shown in the following diagram:
As distant galaxies recede from earth, their light shifts towards the red end of the visible spectrum. The amount of shift shows how fast different galaxies are receding, and how far they are from earth.
In 1912, Vesto Slipher, an astronomer at the Lowell observatory in the United States, made a strange discovery. He found that the spectral lines of a nebula he had been observing were not in their customary positions on the spectrum. Mysteriously, they had shifted towards the red end of the spectrum.
What mystified Slipher was the extent of this red shift. If this shift was to be explained as the motion of the nebula away from the earth, then it would have to be traveling at a speed of about one thousand miles (1600 kilometres) a second. This was far in excess of the speeds which had been calculated for other stars in the firmament.
It was Edwin Hubble, a former Rhodes scholar and astronomer at the Mount Wilson observatory in California, who obtained conclusive evidence that these light sources were unlike the nearby stars. They were in fact conglomerations of stars which lay beyond the galaxy to which the earth belonged.
These island universes roamed the vast reaches of space, and just like our own Milky Way galaxy, were composed of myriads of stars. In 1929, Hubble published his discovery that the velocity of these galaxies increased with distance. He was able to show a simple relationship between the distance of a galaxy and the shift in its spectral lines of light.
The farther out each galaxy was from earth, the faster it was travelling. However, Hubble was surprised to find that all the other galaxies were moving away from the earth. He concluded that the entire universe was expanding, and that everything was moving farther away from everything else.
The British astronomer Sir Arthur Eddington, explained Hubble’s discoveries by likening the universe to a rubber balloon. The galaxies, he pointed out, could then be pictured as being embedded in the surface of this balloon. As it was inflated, so these celestial objects would move farther and farther apart, as a result of the balloon becoming larger.
They would move out farther from each other, but at the same time all galaxies would move farther from the centre of the balloon. As astronomer and author Carl Sagan of Cornell University later wrote:
“This red shift, observed in the spectral lines of distant galaxies and interpreted as a Doppler effect, is the key to cosmology.”
The reason why is that it not only provided the key to understanding the motions of the cosmic travellers, but it led directly to the conclusion that all the matter in the universe could be traced back to a single point of origin. Although the speed of light seems instantaneous to us on earth, its speed is known to be of the order of 186,000 miles (300,000 kilometres) per second.
Because the galaxies which move in the outer reaches of the universe are at almost unimaginably large distances from the earth, the light which leaves each glowing galaxy in the depths of space can take many millions of years to reach us.
And when this light is observed by our astronomers, it does not record the state of the galaxy as it is now, but the state in which the light began its journey. For all we know, it is possible that many visible suns may no longer exist in space and time. The news of their destruction has yet to reach us. And in the case of the most distant objects, the light from these sources has taken many billions of years to reach the earth.
So as astronomers gaze into the farthest reaches of space, they actually peer farther back in time, for the light they see reveals the state of times long past, as far ago as the time it takes to reach us.
The most distant objects seen by astronomers in the heavens are strange cosmic creatures known as “quasars”, derived from their more technical description as “quasi stellar radio sources”.
Although these objects look like stars, they generate quite enormous amounts of energy compared to regular stars. When light from these quasars is examined through a spectrometer, it shows them to be travelling at speeds of up to nine-tenths of the speed of light, which is considered to be the ultimate limit of speed in the universe.
Examinations of their red shifts have placed them at the very outermost regions of the known universe. The latest computations place them some fourteen billion light years from earth.
It is through the interpretation of the red shift as a Doppler effect, as Sagan has indicated, that provides astronomers today with their current explanation of cosmology. It not only gives the vital clue to the motions of nebulae, stars and galaxies, but it also provides the key to unlocking the age of our universe.
As a result of these two factors, if the present motions of observed light sources are reversed back into the past, all the known matter in the universe would have been combined into a single source about fourteen billion years ago.
Based on this premise, scientists have theorised that our universe began with an event that has come to be known as the “Big Bang”.
So according to accepted scientific theory, our universe stands testimony to the results of that primordial fireball. Astronomers also claim that their radio telescopes have even heard the echoes of that original bang, for the weak residue of cosmic radiation remaining from that original explosion has been detected emanating from all parts of our surrounding sky.
All seemed well in the ordered world of Cosmology until an American astronomer by the name of Halton Arp published a book in 1966. The title of the book was the Atlas of Peculiar Galaxies.
Based on the findings of this book, allied to his later research, Arp not only challenged accepted theory, but went on to list his reasons why he believed that the entire theory of the “Big Bang” was fundamentally wrong.
By a strange twist of fate, Hubble’s law, which formed the foundation of the established theory of Cosmology, was now being challenged by the very man who had once served as his assistant, while Edwin Hubble was conducting his research at Mount Wilson Observatory in California.
We may suppose that established scientists of the time would have welcomed this new insight into the true nature of our heavens, and accorded Arp the opportunity to conduct further research into his novel ideas.
But sadly, despite the many centuries that had passed since Galileo had been persecuted for his bold ideas, Arp’s superiors reacted with the same prejudice and scorn displayed by those early cardinals of the Catholic church.
There was no reason to investigate his ideas, they agreed, because they already knew how the universe was ordered. Galileo, Newton, Doppler and Hubble had pointed the way for centuries. If the results of Arp’s research were to show them anything different, they would have to be cast out – just as if they were the work of the Devil.
Halton Arp was shunned by his colleagues, and denied the use of the Palomar Observatory to further his investigation. Despite being a Fellow of the Carnegie Institution of Washington, as well as having been a staff member at Palomar for 29 years, he lost his job and was forced to leave America to practice his profession elsewhere, as we shall see in the next instalment.
In my previous post I indicated that we are living through the death throes of a dying age, and that a new age is dawning that will transform both the earth and the heavens. I went on to say that the transition from our existing world age to the new one will be accompanied by world-wide calamities brought about by a close encounter with a comet.
Shortly before his arrest and crucifixion, as Jesus sat upon the Mount of Olives, he was approached by his disciples who asked him to describe the things that would happen on earth at the time of the ending of this present age.
“And they asked him, saying, Master, but when shall these things be? And what sign will there be when these things shall come to pass?
“And he said, take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them.
“But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified: for these things must first come to pass; but the end is not by and by. Then he said unto them, nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:
“And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.” (Luke 21: 7-11)
In recent years there have been no shortage of sermons, news releases, articles, websites and videos dealing with wars and rumours of wars, as well as topics like global warming allied to earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes and other indications of the recent wrath of nature.
I myself have pointed out that extinction level events in the past have been preceded by climate change (Podcast # 4), and that these changes in climate have been characterized by extreme weather events (Podcast # 12). But up until this point, very little attention has been paid throughout the media to the subject of signs in the sky.
This in itself is surprising, since reference to strange and terrible events in the skies above the earth can be found throughout the Bible, and they were a continuing refrain in the predictions of Old Testament prophets relating to the “latter days”, or the days leading up to the ending of the age.
As we read in the words of the prophet Isaiah, who lived in the 8th century BC:
“Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the Lord of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger.” (Isaiah 13:13)
In the Book of Joel, the prophet writes:
“The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble: the sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining”. (Joel 2:10)
According to the Book of Amos:
“Shall not the day of the Lord be darkness, and not light? even very dark, and no brightness in it?” (Amos 5:20)
The apostles writing in the New Testament of the Bible were even more dramatic, for the apostle Luke writes:
“And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring. Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of the heaven shall be shaken.” (Luke 21:26)
What is significant here is not just the references to changes in the sun, the moon and stars, but the reaction of people on earth who will witness these events at that time, such as the “distress of nations”, and of “men’s hearts failing them for fear”.
Now we are living at a time when the recent discoveries of astronomy, astrophysics and space science have enabled us to understand many of the mysteries of the heavens that so terrified people in ancient times. We are well aware today of the nature and causes of eclipses, supernovae, meteor showers, sunspots and solar flares, as well as of such heavenly interlopers as bolides, meteors, asteroids and comets.
And over the course of the last two thousand years, science has reassured us that nothing has changed in the alignments and motions of the planets, or of earth’s course around the sun. Certainly nothing has happened that would inspire a world-wide sense of dread, panic and despair.
So we have to ask ourselves what event, or events, might the Old and New Testament prophets have been referring to when writing about the “Great and Terrible Day of the Lord”. As we can see from the extracts given below:
“Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it. For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.” (Isaiah 13:9-10)
“And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood and fire and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the LORD comes.” (Joel 2:30-32)
“The great day of the Lord is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the Lord: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly. That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness.” (Zephaniah 1:14-15)
It is clear from the verses quoted above that the prophets were referring to something that would happen in the course of a single day. Furthermore, this event would be so terrible that it would not only cause men’s hearts “to fail them for fear” (Luke), but also to cause “mighty men to cry bitterly”. (Zephaniah)
So what could they have been referring to that would not only create great devastation upon the earth, but darken the sun and the moon and the stars in a way that would cause brave men’s hearts to quake with fear? It seems clear from the verses quoted from the Book of Revelation in my previous post (The New Golden Age), that the events these prophets were referring to was a close encounter between the earth and a comet.
But according to accepted scientific knowledge, astronomers and cosmologists say that not only is such an event extremely unlikely, but even if it did occur, they insist that there is no chance that it would conjure up “distress among nations”, let alone signs in the sky that would cause “mighty men to cry bitterly”.
Comets, scientists assure us, are nothing more than “dirty snowballs”, and despite the presence of thousands of comets in our solar system, none of them have posed a threat to earth over the last two thousand years. Thus prophecies such as those quoted above are invariably dismissed by science as the fantasies of gullible minds.
Comets are generally divided into two categories, based on the time it takes for them to complete their orbits around the sun. Although these orbital periods can range from a few years to thousands of years or more, comets are usually categorised either as short-period comets, or long-period comets.
Short-period comets are considered to be those whose orbital periods are shorter than 200 years, with the rest being grouped as long-period comets. Short-period comets are thought to originate from an area of space called the Kuiper Belt, which is a region of the Solar System located beyond the orbit of the planet Neptune.
Probably the best known example of a short-period comet is Halley’s comet, which returns to orbit the sun every 75-76 years. Comet Halley can be clearly seen with the naked-eye, and is the only naked-eye comet that is likely to be seen twice in the course of a single human lifetime.
Comet Halley had been observed and recorded by Chinese and Babylonian astronomers dating back to the third century before the birth of Christ. However it was not until 1705 that the English astronomer Edmond Halley realized that these recorded sightings were actually recurring appearances of the same comet.
Since Halley was first person to determine with accuracy the periodicity of this comet, he was accorded the honour of having this comet named after him. This began the practice of naming comets after the people who first discover them, which has continued to this day. Comet Halley last appeared in the inner Solar System in 1986, and will not make its reappearance until the year 2061.
Long-period comets on the other hand have highly eccentric orbits, and are believed to come from a hypothetical area of space called the Oort cloud. The Oort cloud is thought to be a spherical cloud of icy comet nuclei that exists nearly one light year away from our sun, or roughly a quarter of the way to the nearest star.
But whether long-period or short, all comets are believed to be similar in content. Every comet has a central nucleus, ranging from a football field in length to more than thirty miles across. They are composed of rock, dust, ice and frozen gases such as carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, methane and ammonia.
But the most distinctive feature of a comet, and what distinguishes it from an asteroid, is that they change their nature as they get closer and closer to the sun. While they are in deep space they are almost impossible to see, partly because of their small size, and partly because their surfaces have a very low reflectivity of light.
But once they approach the sun they begin to glow and to develop the characteristic tail of the comet. The “Coma”, or glowing envelope that forms around the nucleus of the comet, develops as part of the core begins to “sublimate”, which is the process whereby solid matter turns directly into gas without passing through the liquid phase.
As the comet approaches the sun, solar radiation causes the volatile materials within the comet to vaporize and stream out of the nucleus. It is these streams of glowing gas and dust that form the Coma of the comet, and as a result of the forces of radiation pressure and solar wind, cause it to emit an elongated tail which always points away from the sun.
In fact comets generally emit several tails, depending on the constituents of the nucleus. The streams of dust and gas form their own distinctive tails. While streams of ionized (luminous) gases generally point directly away from the sun, dust tails tend to be curved. Some of these tails can extend over a distance of more than a hundred million miles.
While most comets pass around the sun only to vanish from our skies into the depths of space, others have met with dramatic fates. Probably the best example of a comet that astonished astronomers everywhere with its spectacular demise, was the Comet Shoemaker-Levy.
This comet had been discovered in March 1993 by the American geologist Eugene Shoemaker and his wife Carolyn, as well as the Canadian astronomer David Levy. It soon became apparent that this was an unusual type of comet, as orbital studies indicated that instead of travelling around the sun, it was actually orbiting the planet Jupiter.
Just over a year later, in July 1994, this comet was observed to break apart and split into a series of fragments ranging from a few hundred metres up to two kilometres (1.2 miles) in size. These fragments later plunged into the southern hemisphere of Jupiter at speeds of about 216,000 kilometres (134,00 miles) per hour.
These collisions were closely watched by astronomers all over the world. And although they had expected to see some fireballs arising from these impacts, few imagined that they would create the spectacular display that followed. In all, 21 different impacts were recorded.
The plumes generated by these fireballs reached heights of over 3,000 kilometres (1,875 miles) above the surface of the planet, while the impacts themselves created impact marks up to 12,000 kilometres (7,400 miles) across. The largest of these was estimated to have released an energy blast equal to six million megatons of TNT, about 600 times the size of all the nuclear bombs on earth.
But despite this graphic demonstration of the devastation that can be caused by cometary impacts like Shoemaker-Levy, astronomers today still display little concern about the potential harm to the earth from these “flying snowballs”. Yet if the prophets are correct, then our astronomers are about to get a rude awakening.
And the reason why is because they have lulled themselves into a state of complacency, based on a model of the universe that has become totally outdated. For as we shall see in the following instalments, space is not what scientists have long believed it to be, nor are comets the innocent “snowballs” they think they are.
Nostradamus did not always speak in riddles. We still have copies of several of his letters, in which he wrote explicitly in prose about the events he predicted would occur in the “latter days” spoken of in the Bible.
In a letter to his son César, dated March 1st, 1555, Nostradamus wrote:
“But my son, lest I venture too far for your future perception, be aware that men of letters shall make grand and usually boastful claims about the way I interpreted the world, before the worldwide conflagration which is to bring so many catastrophes and such revolutions, that scarcely any lands will not be covered with water, and this will last until all has perished save history and geography themselves.”
“This is why, before and after these revolutions in various countries, the rains will be so diminished and such abundance of fire, and fiery missiles shall fall from the heavens, and nothing shall escape the holocaust. And this will occur before the last conflagration.”
“For before the war ends the century, and in its final stages it will hold the century under its sway. Some countries will be in the grip of revolution for several years, and others ruined for a still longer period. And now that we are in a Republican period, with Almighty God’s aid, and before completing its full cycle, the Monarchy will return, then the Golden Age.”
“For according to the celestial signs, the Golden Age shall return. This will be after the visible judgment of Heaven, before we reach the millennium that shall complete all.”
In the above letter Nostradamus makes reference to the Republic (now that we are in a Republican period). This was his method of referring to rule by the people – as in the days of Rome. This is also characteristic of the democratic ideals of the modern world. He then goes on to refer to the Monarchy (the Monarchy will return).
This is a reference to the return of Christ – the future King of the world during the thousand years of peace. Nostradamus wrote another letter dealing with the events that would lead up to the return of the Christ. This letter was written on 27th June 1558. It was addressed to “Henry, Second King of France”. In this letter he wrote:
“Then the great empire of the Anti-Christ will begin in the Altai Mountains, and at Sevrej, whence he shall descend with innumerable troops, so that the coming of the Holy Spirit that advances along the 48° longitude shall change place, pursued by the Abomination of the Anti-Christ, waging war with the great King who will be the vicar of Jesus Christ at the right and proper time.”
“This event will precede the obscurest and darkest eclipse of the sun seen since the creation of the world, and the passion and death of Jesus Christ until then. Then, in the month of October, there will be a great translatory movement, so much so, that it will be thought the earth has lost its natural motion and is plunged into perpetual darkness. Before this, there shall have been signs in the spring equinox.”
“Thus, there will be a universal peace among men and the Church of Jesus Christ be delivered from all tribulation, and that shall be close to the seventh millennium (the year 2000), so that Jesus Christ’s sanctuary will no longer be trampled by the feet of the unfaithful ones coming from Russia, the world approaching a great conflagration, although my calculations in my prophecies do not cover the whole course of time, – which goes far further.”
Of the days prior to the millennium of peace, Nostradamus writes as follows: “The Old and New Testaments shall be forbidden and burned, after which the Antichrist shall be the infernal prince; and for the last time all the Christian countries shall tremble and also because of the unfaithful ones.”
“For twenty-five years there shall be wars and battles still more ruinous, and towns, villages, castles and other buildings shall be burned, laid waste or destroyed, with a great flood of the blood of young girls, married women, violated widows, suckling infants thrown against the walls of towns, dashed thus and bruised.”
“And so many misfortunes will be provoked by Satan, Prince of Darkness, that almost all the planet will be in chaos and laid waste.”
Return of the Saviour
Finally, writes Nostradamus, the long-awaited moment of salvation will come.
“After this time, which men will find long, the peace of the earth will be renewed through the coming of the Golden Age. God the creator, hearing the affliction of his people, shall order Satan to be bound and cast into the abyss of Hell, into the deepest pit.”
“Thus shall commence a universal peace with God and men, and Satan shall remain bound for about a thousand years, which will bring greater strength to the power of the Church; and then he will once again be released.”
Given Nostradamus’ unique prophetic gift, it is hardly surprising that he forecast that his writings would continue to be published, and would continue to fascinate and tantalize the minds of future generations. In his letter to Henri, he wrote: “After my death my writing will be better known than during my lifetime.”
He also sensed that his prophecies would only come to be understood by the generation that was living through the times that he described. We who are alive today are acutely aware that we live in a world beset with violence and war, and subject to increasingly drastic changes in the weather that threaten the existence of all life on the planet.
Truly, these are apocalyptic times. Perceptive students of history recognize that we have reached a climactic point in the history of the earth. This is how Jean de Fontbrune, one of the great interpreters of the prophecies of Nostradamus in the twentieth century, sums up the present state of the world:
“We are living through the end of a world, not the end of the world, as some exploiters of the morbid are claiming. The death of one civilization among so many others will herald the birth of a new civilization freed from the aberrations of its predecessor. This is what Henry Miller sensed, when he wrote in 1945:
“A new world is being born; a new kind of man is springing up today. The great mass of mankind, destined in our time to suffer more cruelly than ever before, ends by being paralysed with fear, becoming introspective, shaken to the very core, and does not hear, see or feel anything more than everyday physical needs. It is thus that worlds die. First and foremost, the flesh dies. But although few clearly recognize it, the flesh would not have died if the spirit had not been killed already.”
Jean de Fontbrune goes on to add:
“Every civilization thinks itself immortal: I am certain that the Romans of AD 200-250 could not imagine, according to their own prophets, that a few centuries later the ruins of their once immense and brilliant empire would be visited by tourists.”
The purpose of the prophecies of Nostradamus was to bring hope to mankind. Despite the litany of disasters that have already occurred, and the calamities that still await, mankind is on the threshold of the most enlightened age in the history of the earth.
Out of the ruins of the old will arise a shining new beginning filled with peace, prosperity and joy. The words of Nostradamus remain a beacon of hope in the dark days that lie ahead. He speaks to all humanity, and bids them open their eyes to the unfolding glory that is their destiny. His words echo down the centuries.
“The peace of the earth shall be renewed…. For according to the celestial signs the Golden Age shall return…. There will be a universal peace among men and the Church of Jesus Christ be delivered from all tribulation.”
Allan, Nostradamus: His Life and Prophecies, February 22, 2020, 10:00 am
Although the prophetic quatrains written by Nostradamus are frustratingly difficult to understand, especially when the events portrayed in them have not yet occurred, when seen in retrospect, many of his verses have proved to be astonishingly accurate.
Here are some examples of his successful quatrains, with interpretations provided by Erika Cheetham as quoted from her book The Prophecies of Nostradamus. We begin with a verse that was one of the clearest and most accurate prophecies that Nostradamus ever wrote.
Century One: Verse 35
“The young lion will overcome the older one, in a field of combat in single fight: He will pierce his eyes in their golden cage; Two wounds in one, then he dies a cruel death.”
King Henry II of France
(Death of Henri II, 10th July 1559)
Erika Cheetham: “This quatrain was understood in France during Nostradamus’ lifetime, and was one of the verses that caused Catherine de Medici to send for Nostradamus to interpret it. The Italian prophet Luc Gauric had warned Henri II that both the beginning and the end of his reign would be marked by a duel.
“The first took place soon after his accession, so it seems strange that the king did not take more care in the tournaments held in honor of the double marriage of his sister Elizabeth to Philip II of Spain and Marguerite his daughter to the Duke of Savoy in the summer of 1559.
“During the festivities, which lasted for three days, the king joined in the competitions in the lists at the rue St. Antoine. He was victorious for the first two days, but on the third rode against Montgomery, the captain of the Scottish Guard.”
Here we have another verse that refers to the death of Henri II, but this verse was placed by Nostradamus in his third book of Centuries.
Century Three: Verse 55
“In the year that France has a one-eyed king, the Court will be in very great trouble. The great man from Blois will kill his friend, the kingdom put into difficulty and double doubt.”
(The death of Henri II and the reign of Henri III, 1559-1589)
Erika Cheetham: “This famous quatrain was understood by contemporaries of Nostradamus. The one-eyed king was Henry II killed in the duel of 1559, being wounded in the eye by Montgomery and dying after ten days of agony.
“The last two lines describe his son Henry III, who assassinates the de Guise brothers at Blois, and the general civil unrest which followed this action. The words ‘double doubt’ probably refers to the two factions, the Leaguers and the Royalists.
Century Two: Verse 51
“The blood of the just will be demanded of London, Burnt by fire in three times twenty plus six. The ancient lady will fall from her high position, and many of the same denomination will be killed.”
Great Fire of London (1666)
(Great fire of London, 1666)
Erika Cheetham: “The only fire in London occurring in a year ’66 is the great one of 1666. This is one of Nostradamus’ more interesting quatrains where he gets very close to giving an accurate dating that can be checked historically. The “ancient lady” who falls is interpreted as the Cathedral of St. Paul’s, which was destroyed, and the others of the same denomination, either the churches or their occupants.
“Many people did flee from their wooden homes hoping to escape the flames in the stone-built churches, but the heat was so intense that even these buildings did not escape. The blood of the just is understood to mean that the victims of the fire were undeserving of their fate.”
Century Three: Verse 77
“The third climate included under Aries, In the year 1727 in October, the king of Persia captured by those of Egypt: Battle, death, loss: great shame to the cross.”
(October 1727, Persia)
Erika Cheetham: “Here is a quatrain with not only the year, but the actual month and place! Nostradamus must have overlooked it when he went through the quatrains to make them more difficult to interpret. It is quite correct. In October 1727 a peace was concluded between the Turks and the Persians. Egypt belonged to the Ottoman Empire and stands for the Turks.
“The loss to Christianity is explained by the fact that the Shah Ashraf, in return for the recognition of his dynasty, gave the lands of Emvan, Tauris and Hamadan to the Turks and recognized the Sultan as legitimate successor to the Caliph. The Ottoman powers continued in strength until this century, and no more Crusades were ever raised by the Christians.”
Century One: Verse 77
“A promontory stands between two seas: A man who will die later by the bit of a horse; Neptune unfurls a black sail for his man; The fleet near Gibraltar and the Rocheval.”
The Battle of Trafalgar (1805)
(The battle of Trafalgar, 1805)
Erika Cheetham: “The promontory separating the seas is Gibraltar between the Mediterranean and the Atlantic. The French and English fleets fought the battle of Trafalgar between Gibraltar and Cape Roche (Rocheval), Trafalgar itself being a point between two bays.
“The leader of the French fleet, Admiral Villeneuve, was reputedly strangled by one of Napoleon’s Mamelukes with the bridle of a horse at an inn in Rennes in 1806, when he returned to France having been taken prisoner by the English. When Nelson was mortally wounded his ship raised a black sail on its return voyage to England.”
Century One: Verse 23
“In the third month, at sunrise, the Boar and the Leopard meet on the battlefield. The fatigued Leopard looks up to heaven And sees an eagle playing around the sun.”
The Battle of Waterloo (1815)
(The battle of Waterloo, 18th June 1815)
Erika Cheetham: “This is one of Nostradamus’most fascinating quatrains…. Dating from the March solstice, which Nostradamus would have done, we are given the month of June for the date of the battle. This is a typical example of Nostradamus’ convoluted style in which meaning after meaning appears to be contained in one phrase.
“The French troops battered the English Leopard all day from sunrise to evening while Wellington waited for his ally Blücher to turn the French flank. Wellington’s position was facing south so he would have seen Napoleon’s Imperial eagles flying against the sun.
“As the day drew to a close, the British were exhausted. A cloud of dust was seen. Napoleon thought it was Grouchy, but it was Blücher. The end had come. This is a vivid and poetic quatrain of a much higher standard than most. The Imperial eagle is often used in the Centuries as a synonym for Napoleon himself. On this occasion it refers both to the standards and to the man. Napoleon used to call the English heraldic lion the Leopard of England.”
Century One: Verse 25
“The lost thing is discovered hidden for many centuries. Pasteur will be celebrated almost as a god-like figure. This is when the moon completes her great cycle, but by other rumors he shall be dishonored.”
Louis Pasteur (1822-1895)
(Louis Pasteur, 1822-1895)
Erika Cheetham: “Another fascinating quatrain which contains not only the name of Pasteur, but also a very specific dating although not apparent at first. Pasteur’s discovery that germs polluted the atmosphere was one of the most important in medical history, and led to Lister’s theory of sterilization.
“The Encyclopaedia Brittanica says that Pasteur, the ‘demi-God’, was now the acknowledged head of the greatest chemical movement of the time. He founded his Institute Pasteur on 14th November 1889; the cycle of the moon ran from 1535 to 1889.
“The rumors that dishonored him may mean the violent opposition to his methods which were roused among powerful members of the Academy, against the new practices of the Institute such as vaccines against hydrophobia and other diseases.”
Chapter Nine: Verse 16
“From Castille Franco will bring out the assembly, the ambassadors will not agree and cause a schism. The people of Riviera will be in the crowd, and the great man will be denied entry to the Gulf.”
(Franco and de Rivera)
Erika Cheetham: “This is an extraordinary verse with the names of two personages in it. The Dictator Primo de Rivera and also Francisco Franco, who helped depose him, and was exiled to Morocco, returning triumphantly when his party came to power. The last line is held to describe Franco’s exile when he was not allowed to cross the Mediterranean (gulf) to his native Spain.”
Century Two: Verse 24
“Beasts wild with hunger will cross the rivers, the greater part of the battlefield will be against Hister. He will drag the leader in a cage of iron, when the child of Germany observes no law.”
Adolf Hitler (1889-1945)
(Hitler)
Erika Cheetham: “One of Nostradamus’ most remarkable series of quatrains, with the name of Hitler given in an anagram of Hister. There can be little doubt that Hitler is implied; who else could be so well described by the last line, the German who observed no law?
“Commentators before 1930 understood Hister to be the river Danube, from its Latin name Ister. But Hitler recognized himself in these quatrains by the mid 1930s and Goebbels made great propaganda out of them in the pre-war party years.”
Century Four: Verse 68
“At a nearby place not far from Venus, the two greatest ones of Asia and Africa will be said to have come from the Rhine and Hister; Cries and tears at Malta and the Ligurian coast.”
(Tripartite Pact. Hitler and Mussolini)
Erika Cheetham: “The word Venus is the clue to this quatrain. It undoubtedly stands for Venice, thus linking Italy with Hitler. The two dictators met not far from the city at the Brenner Pass to seal the Tripartite Pact with Asia, that is, the Japanese.
“The last line refers to the blockade of Malta by the Italians, and the trouble on the Ligurian coast, to the Allied bombing of Genoa, and to the bombardments by British battleships operating from Gibraltar.”
Century Five: Verse 29
“Liberty will not be regained; It will be occupied by a black, proud, villainous and unjust man. When the matter of the Pope is opened by Hister, the republic of Venice will be vexed.”
(Hitler, the Vatican and Mussolini)
Erika Cheetham: “This quatrain describes Mussolini’s intrigues to secure an alliance with Hitler between the years 1934-1938. Hitler and Mussolini met at Venice – by this time a republic with Mussolini as its dictator. Note how accurate Nostradamus’ details are. The adjective black probably also refers to the Fascisti – the black-shirts.
“The matter of the Pope refers to the Concordat drawn up between Mussolini and the Pope in 1928, which line 4 infers will bring trouble or war to Italy, as indeed it did. We must also consider pope Pius’ extremely ambiguous attitude towards the Nazis and the help that the Vatican gave them to escape at the end of the war. A disgraceful ending to any Papacy.”
The above examples show that despite his deliberate attempts to disguise the true meaning of his quatrains, Nostradamus was successful in identifying the names of historical people who would appear on the world stage many centuries after his death, together with the relevant circumstances of those times.
Yet for all the verses that commentators have successfully identified, many more continue to mystify them. We may assume that most of these verses refer to events that are yet to come. Many of these as yet unrecognized verses refer to a time of great turmoil on the earth, and bear a striking resemblance to the prophecies recorded in the Book of Revelation.
Nostradamus was a dedicated Christian, and was therefore well aware of the various prophecies contained in the Bible, especially those events that were prophesied to occur during the end times, leading up to the return of the Christ and the promised thousand years of peace.
He would also have been aware of the words of Jesus, who when asked about the signs that would occur on the earth during the latter days leading up to his return, replied: “For in those days shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created unto this time, neither shall be.” (Mark 13:19)
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
Nostradamus predicted that a time would come in the future when the world would be embroiled in wars, and the population of the entire planet would undergo extreme misery, hunger, disease and suffering. The suffering that Nostradamus predicted would be so intense and so widespread, that it would certainly seem to bear out the words of Jesus.
But whereas most of Nostradamus’ verses were deliberately couched in mystifying terms, these particular verses seem to make no attempt to hide their meaning. They speak in graphic detail of the horrors that would unfold at some future time. The following are just some of the many verses that deal with this future suffering.
Century One: Verse 67
“The great famine which I sense approaching will often turn (in various areas) then become world wide. It will be so vast and long lasting that they will grab roots from the trees and children from the breast.”
Century Two: Verse 46
“After great misery for mankind an even greater approaches when the great cycle of the centuries is renewed. It will rain blood, milk, famine, war and disease. In the sky will be seen a fire, dragging a trail of sparks.”
Century Two: Verse 62
“Mabus will then soon die and there will come a dreadful destruction of people and animals. Sudden vengeance will be revealed, a hundred hands, thirst and hunger, when the comet will pass.”
Century Two: Verse 91
“At sunrise a great fire will be seen, noise and light extending towards the North. Within the globe death and cries are heard, death awaiting them through weapons, fire and famine.”
Century Four: Verse 67
“In the year that Saturn and Mars are equally fiery, the air is very dry, a long meteor. From hidden fires a great place burns with heat, little rain, a hot wind, wars and raids.”
Century Six: Verse 5
“A very great famine (caused) by a pestilent wave will extend its long rain the length of the Arctic pole. Samarobrin one hundred leagues from the hemisphere; They will live without law, exempt from politics.”
Century Six: Verse 81
“Tears, cries and wailing, howls and terror, an inhuman cruel heart, black and cold. Lake Geneva, the islands, the main people of Genoa; Blood pours, hunger for wheat, mercy to none.”
Century Nine: Verse 55
“The dreadful war which is prepared in the West, the following year the pestilence will come, so very horrible that young, nor old, nor animal (will survive). Blood, fire, Mars, Jupiter in France.”
Although it is not clear exactly what horrors Nostradamus was referring to in the verses quoted above, or when these disasters would occur, one can hardly avoid the sense of gloom and despair at the dark times for humanity that are portrayed in these verses. They do indeed suggest the time of affliction predicted by Jesus.
Continued in Part Three
Allan, Nostradamus: His Life and Prophecies, February 20, 2020, 8:25 am
Before we can hope to understand the quatrains that Nostradamus wrote, we need to understand the circumstances of the times in which he lived, the character of intellectual thought at the time, and the historical background against which these quatrains were composed.
Nostradamus lived his life during that period of European history known as the Reformation. This was a time of great religious ferment. The Catholic Church, which up to then had been the dominant religious force in Western Europe had become increasingly corrupt. The worst evidence of this was its abuse of the practice of granting “Indulgences”.
An “Indulgence” was a special dispensation granted by the Church to sinners who had confessed their sins and received absolution. It was designed to release sinners from the need to undergo Purgatory for their sins on earth. This system of granting indulgences had long been practiced by the Church of Rome.
The traditional teaching of the Catholic Church made it clear that all men and women were sinners in the sight of God. Because of this, when they died, they would be condemned to spend a certain period of time in Purgatory as a result of their misdeeds on earth. How long this period would be would depend upon the severity of their sins.
However, in 1517, Pope Leo X began to offer indulgences to those who gave alms to rebuild St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. This practice of bartering indulgences for money led to the famous couplet attributed to Johann Tetzel: “As soon as the gold in the casket rings, the rescued soul to heaven springs.”
Under this new system of indulgences, anyone who could afford to give money to the Church in this life would be able to ensure their salvation in the next. Naturally, this arrangement proved to be extremely profitable to the Church, and especially to those Popes who personally granted these indulgences.
Martin Luther (1483-1546)
This transparent abuse of the teachings of Christ led to an upsurge of protest against the Catholic Church. This protest movement was led in Germany by Martin Luther, and in France by John Calvin, and resulted in a schism in the Church. This movement of “reformation” led to the creation of the Protestant Church, which split away from the Church of Rome.
The response of the Pope was to denounce both Luther and Calvin as heretics, and to excommunicate them both. And in order to intimidate and oppress any followers who might be persuaded to join this protestant movement, the Popes of the 16th century initiated a counter movement of investigation, torture and death. This movement came to be known as the “Inquisition”.
Any person who was found to be guilty of any act or utterance which the Pope had defined as heresy was subjected to barbaric forms of torture before being burned at the stake. In this way, those who failed to follow the strict teachings of the Catholic Church, as interpreted by the Pope, would experience in this life the agonies of hellfire which surely awaited them in the next.
Although Nostradamus remained a staunch Catholic all his life, he was well aware that his interest in the occult was regarded by many as evidence of an allegiance with the Devil. We have seen how Nostradamus was actually accused of heresy at one time in his life, but escaped from his accusers before he could be brought to trial.
We must also remember that Nostradamus was very much a man of his time and used the images and associations of renaissance symbolism to express his ideas. Although much of what he described related to the 20th century and beyond, we cannot judge Nostradamus according to the scientific concepts of the modern age, as so many of his literary critics have mistakenly chosen to do.
The ancient art of divination
During the 16th century, the practice of prophecy and divination was a completely acceptable activity. This was because the universe was regarded as a living organism that was governed by the patterns of planets moving through the zodiac. These planetary movements were considered to be signatures in the sky, and they indicated God’s will and purpose on earth.
In the 16th century everyone spoke of the existence of Fate, because Fate and Divine Providence were considered to be the same thing. The Judicial Astrology that Nostradamus talked about was a way of establishing the timing of important world events.
At the time that Nostradamus was alive, astrology was not in any way associated with the supernatural or the diabolical. Instead, it was considered to be an acceptable practice based on knowledge and understanding. Every King, Cardinal and Prince had a personal astrologer, without whom he would not have dreamed of starting a war, passing an edict, or undertaking a journey.
Conjunctions of the major planets (such as Mars, Jupiter and Saturn) were believed to herald important upheavals and changes in the world. So if Jupiter and Saturn were in conjunction (as they happened to be when Anwar Sadat was assassinated in Egypt, and as they were again when attempts were made on the lives of Ronald Reagan and Pope John Paul II) then, for the 16th century astrologer, it meant that a King or Head of State was in mortal danger.
If again, Mars and Saturn were in conjunction (as they were when Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands) then, for the 16th century astrologer, it meant that war loomed on the horizon. It was only when the art of divination became associated with ritual magic, that the Church authorities suspected that there might be an association with the Devil.
In determining the predictions that made up his four-lined verses, Nostradamus used a form of divination that had its origin in the days of ancient Egypt. As we have seen, he used as his guide the recently published work called “De Mysteriis Aegyptiorum”. This was the same method that had been used by the Greek scholar Iamblichus. Nostradamus has described for us his system of divination in the first two verses of his book “The Prophecies”.
The translations used below are those of the noted British scholar and author Erika Cheetham, as they appeared in her book entitled The Prophecies of Nostradamus published in 1973 by Neville Spearman.
Century One: Verse 1
“Sitting alone at night in secret study, it is placed on the brass tripod. A light flame comes out of the emptiness and makes successful that which should not be believed in vain.”
Century One: Verse 2
“The wand in the hand is placed in the middle of the tripod’s legs. With water he sprinkles both the hem of his garment and his foot. A voice, fear, he trembles in his robes. Divine splendour – the God sits nearby.”
As Erika Cheetham explains, all the prophetic ingredients used by Nostradamus are contained in these two quatrains.
It is night time. Nostradamus sits alone in his study in front of a brass tripod. A bowl of water is placed on top of the tripod. He moistens his robe and feet with water and then gazes into the bowl. After a while it becomes cloudy, but soon pictures of the future begin to appear. The ‘small flame” he refers to is the Divine light of inspiration which made his prophecies possible.
Because of these Pagan-like trappings, many critics have tended to dismiss Nostradamus as a charlatan who was caught up in medieval superstition passing for science and true knowledge. This is unfortunate because Nostradamus went to great lengths to stress that he considered prophecy to be a Divine gift.
He was also scathing in his criticism of imposters who sought to imitate his results by means of subterfuge and occult practices. According to Nostradamus, a contrite heart and an abiding faith in God were vital requirements for the gift of prophecy to be granted.
As Nostradamus explained in a letter to his son César, he did not wish to be considered an infallible prophet, but only as an accomplished and diligent scholar who strove to acquire insight and understanding into the inscrutable ways of God. As he wrote in this letter dated March 1st, 1555, translated by Jean Charles de Fontbrune:
“On numerous occasions, and over a long period of time, I have predicted specific events far in advance, attributing all to the workings of Divine power and inspiration. Yet I have wished to remain silent and abandon my work, because of the injustice, not only of the present time, (he is referring here to the Inquisition) but also for most of the future.
“Bear in mind also our Saviour’s words. Do not cast anything holy to the dogs, nor throw pearls in front of pigs, lest they trample them with their feet and turn on you and tear you apart. (Matthew 7: 6)
“And so again, my son, I have eschewed the word prophet. I do not wish to attribute to myself such a lofty title at the present time, since a prophet, my son, is properly speaking, one who sees distant things through a natural knowledge of all creatures.
“Perfect knowledge of such things cannot be acquired without Divine inspiration, given that all prophetic inspiration derives its initial origin from God Almighty – then from Chance and Nature.
“For understanding, created by the intellect, cannot be acquired by means of the occult, only by the aid of the Zodiac, bringing forth that small flame by whose light part of the future may be discerned.”
Nostradamus added a stern warning to those unqualified researchers who might try to interpret his words:
“Let all astrologers, fools and barbarians keep away from my work.”
In referring in the above letter to the Inquisition, we must remember that Nostradamus had already had one brush with the Church authorities, and that he did not wish to come under their scrutiny again.
Had he gone ahead and published his predictions in plain language for all to understand, it would not have been long before some cleric would have branded him as a servant of the Devil, and he would no doubt have ended his life at the stake.
Not only would he have lost his life, but his writings would have been declared heretical by the Pope, and every copy of his prophecies would then have been destroyed, making it highly unlikely that we would be aware of them today. He therefore deliberately chose to write his quatrains in an obscure way. As he mentioned in his letter to his son:
“The whole work is thus written in a nebulous, rather than plainly prophetic form.”
In order to avoid being prosecuted as a magician, Nostradamus seldom comes out and states specifically what will happen. Instead, he adopts a devious way of describing future events. He chooses rather to describe the impact which these events will have on the people to whom they occur.
And yet when one thinks of the task that Nostradamus set himself, which was to convert the dramatic images that he saw in the bowl of water into words, and then condense these words into short four-line rhyming verses, it is amazing that any of his verses make any sense at all.
His task was similar to the challenge that would confront someone who might watch the evening news on TV with the sound off, and then try to describe what they had seen in a series of rhyming verses. The fact that Nostradamus was able to interpret images that in some cases portrayed events far into the future, was by itself a remarkable achievement.
The verses of “The Prophecies” – all 4772 lines of them – were written in old Provincial French. This was a language that was still very close to its Latin and Greek roots, and was quite different from the modern French language that is spoken today. This is one of the reasons why so many commentators over the years have struggled to translate his verses.
His verses were also filled with anagrams, confusing names and other linguistic riddles. These stratagems were deliberately chosen by Nostradamus to obscure their meaning, to ensure that they would only be understood after careful analysis and investigation. Their meaning would almost never be obvious to the casual reader.
In an effort to confuse his readers, Nostradamus would also conceal the names of towns destined to become famous, by using small neighbouring towns instead. He would also disguise them by means of popular names or nicknames, and spell them without capital letters.
As if his archaic and convoluted style was not enough, Nostradamus also juggled the order of his verses. Although they were originally written in chronological order, he later scrambled them before they were published, so that very few verses were linked together in time.
Verses of prophecies relating to completely different centuries have ended up next to one another, making it even more difficult for commentators to interpret them. Yet because Nostradamus was so obscure, and because his verses were filled with so many confusing place names and other literary devices designed to make each verse rhyme, many readers have despaired of ever understanding them.
In fact, the response of many critics has been that his verses are so vague that one can read almost anything one likes into them, and that because of this, they have virtually no prophetic value at all.
Let those who wish to interpret the prophecies of Nostradamus be under no illusion. They are extremely difficult to understand. They are deliberately written to confuse the casual reader. But if Nostradamus was successful in hiding the meaning of his prophetic verses from the authorities of the Church in his own time, he was also successful in leaving a literary conundrum for future generations.
If his verses had been easy to interpret, they would undoubtedly have been destroyed by any one of the political and military despots who lived and ruled in succeeding centuries. But by making them obscure and complex he ensured that they would continue to tantalize future generations, and this has proved to be the case.
Despite their complexity and convoluted style, the prophecies of Nostradamus have continued to fascinate people for more than four centuries. In fact, other than the Bible, the prophecies of Nostradamus are the only written works which have been continually in print for the last four hundred years.
Although Nostradamus was deliberately vague about the dating of his verses, he made it clear that he could easily have dated each of his quatrains if he had wanted to. In a letter addressed to “Henry, Second King of France”, he wrote:
“These predictions made with the aid of astronomy and other methods, and even by the Holy Scriptures, cannot not happen. Had I wished, I could have put a calculation of time with each quatrain; but that would not have pleased everyone, and my interpretations still less, unless your Majesty granted me enough protection to do this, so as not to give slanderers pretext for attacking me.”
Continued in Part Two
Allan, Nostradamus: His Life and Prophecies, February 19, 2020, 9:52 am
Michel de Nostradame, or Nostradamus as he chose to be called in later life, was born in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence in the south of France on December 14, 1503. Although his parents were Jewish, they converted to the Catholic faith when Michel was 9 years old, and for the rest of his life he remained a staunch and devoted Catholic.
As a boy, Nostradamus showed early signs of the great intellectual ability he was to display in later years, along with an amazing memory. His education was directed by his grandfather Jean, who taught him the basics of Latin, Greek, Hebrew and Mathematics. He also learned what he later referred to as “Celestial Science”, which is more commonly known today as Astrology.
As a young man Nostradamus was drawn to the Copernican idea that the earth was round, and that it orbited the sun. This caused his parents considerable concern, because it not only conflicted with the dogma of the Church at that time, but it was also the reason why Galileo was later persecuted by the Catholic Inquisition.
At the age of fifteen Nostradamus was sent to Avignon to continue his studies. But after little more than a year he was forced to leave Avignon due to an outbreak of the plague. For the next ten years he practiced as an Apothecary, and learned how to formulate and dispense various forms of medicine.
In 1529, he was accepted at the University of Montpellier, where he studied for his Doctorate in Medicine. But when it was discovered that he had practiced as an Apothecary, a manual trade expressly forbidden to students of medicine, Nostradamus was expelled from the University. He then chose to return to the countryside in order to help victims of the bubonic plague that was sweeping across Europe at that time.
Spread of Bubonic Plague in Europe
Plague was endemic in Southern France during the 16th century, especially a virulent strain known locally as “Le Charbon”, because of the large black pustules that appeared on the bodies of its victims. Although Nostradamus had many detractors throughout his lifetime, no one ever denied his courage in facing this deadly disease.
He was also renowned for his humanity and kindness to the sick, and his generosity towards the poor. Nostradamus became well-known for his innovative medicine and treatment during outbreaks of the plague. In particular, he was famous for creating a “rose pill” which he dispensed to victims of this disease. He was also among the first to stress the importance of personal hygiene, and of the need for maintaining clean dressings.
After nearly four years traveling from town to town treating victims of the plague, his success and renown, coupled with his unorthodox treatments, earned him enemies among the medical fraternity, especially since he adamantly refused to bleed his patients, which was the customary treatment at that time.
But in 1531, his reputation as a physician and a scholar led to an invitation to travel to Agen and stay in the home of Jules-César Scaliger, who was one of the leading philosophers in Europe at the time. It was while he was living in Agen that Nostradamus met and married a young woman who was described as being “of high estate, very beautiful and admirable”.
His wife, whose name is uncertain, bore him a son and a daughter. For Nostradamus, life at that time seemed complete. His practice was profitable, while his fame as an intellectual and as a scholar was spreading throughout France. But fate was to about to inflict on him a series of cruel blows in swift succession.
First of all, he had a falling out with Scaliger, and this led to the permanent loss of his friendship and support. Then the plague returned to Agen with renewed severity, and despite all his medical knowledge and experience, Nostradamus was unable to save the lives of his wife and his two children, who had been stricken with this disease.
The fact that he had been unsuccessful in saving the lives of his own family had a disastrous effect on his medical practice. Then his late wife’s family tried to sue him for the return of her dowry. The final straw came when he was accused by the Church of heresy, as a result of a chance remark which he had made several years earlier.
While watching a workman casting a bronze statue of the Virgin Mary, Nostradamus had casually mentioned to the man that he was making devils. This remark was reported to the authorities. Although he later claimed that he was merely commenting on the lack of aesthetic appeal of the statue, Nostradamus was ordered to face the Inquisitors in Toulouse.
Nostradamus had no desire to stand trial for his beliefs or risk being burnt at the stake, so he immediately set off on his wanderings, again keeping well clear of the Church authorities for many years. By 1545, Nostradamus had settled in Marseille. But in November of that year the area experienced one of the worst floods on record. The plague redoubled in virulence, spread by the waters and the polluted corpses.
Nostradamus worked almost single-handedly throughout this epidemic, curing many and insisting on the need for fresh air and unpolluted water. Finally, in 1547, he moved to Salon-de-Provence. He found this to be such an agreeable town that he decided to settle there for the rest of his days.
Shortly after his arrival he married a rich widow named Anne Ponsard Gemelle, who subsequently bore him six children, three girls and three boys. The house in which they lived has become a museum, can still be visited today off the Place de la Poissonnerie.
It was about this time that Nostradamus was drawn to the study of occult practices. He began researching numerous esoteric works, and from that period onward he began to devote more of his time to his academic studies, and less on the practice of medicine.
He also developed a deep interest in the art of prophecy, and legends about his prophetic ability began to circulate from that time. It was reported that when Nostradamus was in Italy, he had seen a young monk walking down the street towards him. He immediately knelt down in front of the monk and called him “Your Holiness”. In 1585, many years after Nostradamus’ death, this same monk became Pope Sextus V.
Nostradamus converted the upper room of his house in Salon into a study, and it was there (as he later revealed in his book of prophecies) that he spent most of his time, poring over his occult books. One of the major sources of inspiration was a book called “De Magisteriis Aegyptiorum” (Concerning the Mysteries of Egypt), which had been published in Lyons a few years earlier.
It was in 1550 that Nostradamus first published an Almanac containing prophetic information. This Almanac was so well received that for many years it became an annual publication. He subsequently published more generalized predictions under the title of “Prognostications”.
By 1555, Nostradamus completed the first part of his Book of Prophecies, with which his name has ever since been linked. This book contained references to events that he predicted would occur in the future, and that would culminate in the ending of the Piscean Age.
Nostradamus used the word “century” to describe these prophecies. This term had nothing to do with time or the passing of the years. Instead, it was simply the term he gave to his collection of prophecies, because each “century” contained 100 verses.
Each verse of prophecy, called a quatrain, consisted of four lines with alternate rhymes. So the word at the end of line one rhymed with the word at the end of line three, and the word at the end of line two rhymed with that at the end of line four.
Nostradamus had intended to write twelve books of prophecy, each with 100 verses. However, part of the seventh century was incomplete as it only contained 42 verses. The remaining 58 verses, if indeed they were ever written, have not survived. The 11th and 12th centuries are likewise incomplete, as Nostradamus died before he could compose more than a few verses in each.
These prophetic verses were first published in an incomplete form in 1555, under the title “Les Propheties” (The Prophecies). Their impact on French society was sensational. His prophecies quickly became the main topic of debate at the French Court, and his fame soon spread throughout Europe.
One of the people attracted to his writing was Catherine de Médicis, the queen consort of King Henri II of France. She sent for Nostradamus in 1556, in order to discuss the impact of his prophecies on the French throne and the future of her seven sons. This was a matter that called for delicate diplomacy on Nostradamus’ part, as he had already predicted their tragic fates in his book of Centuries.
Soon afterwards, Nostradamus was warned that the Justices of Paris were enquiring about his magic practices. He therefore quickly returned to Salon where he was welcomed home as a man of importance. From this time forward, Nostradamus spent most of his time drawing up horoscopes for distinguished visitors, and continuing work on his prophecies.
Nostradamus had long suffered from arthritis and gout, and this turned in due course to “dropsy”, a condition that led to swelling of soft tissue due to the accumulation of excess water. Realizing that his condition was beyond medical care, he drew up his will on June 17, 1566. In his will, he made provision for the disposal of his estate, which included the sum of 3,444 crowns (About $300,000 US), which was a considerable fortune for the time.
On July 1st, realizing that his end was near, Nostradamus sent for the local priest to deliver the last rites. When his secretary Jean de Chavigny retired for the night, Nostradamus is alleged to have said to him: “You will not find me alive at sunrise”. This proved to be the case, for his body was found on the following morning, exactly as he had predicted, lying on the floor next to his bed. The date was July 2, 1566. He was 62.
Nostradamus was buried in an upright position in one of the walls of the Church of the Cordeliers in Salon, where his wife Anne erected a large marble plaque in his memory. However, this was not to be his final resting place, for his grave was later opened by superstitious soldiers – something that he had also previously predicted would happen.
His remains were reburied in the church of St. Laurent in Salon, where his grave and portrait can still be seen to this day.
Allan, Nostradamus: His Life and Prophecies, February 18, 2020, 10:30 am
The events that occurred over a period of six months near the small community of Fatima in Portugal have been a source of controversy in the Catholic Church ever since they began over ninety years ago.
Portuguese shepherd children Lucia dos Santos, center, and her cousins, Jacinta and Francisco Marto, are seen in a file photo taken around the time of the 1917 apparitions of Mary at Fatima. (CNS photo/EPA) See VATICAN-LETTER-FATIMA March 30, 2017.
It all began on 13th May 1917, when three young shepherd children claimed to have had a vision of a luminous angelic Being “brighter than the sun” whom they considered to be the Virgin Mary. The three children were Lúcia Santos and her two cousins Jacinta and Francisco Marto. Lúcia was just ten years old when these visionary events began.
This same apparition appeared before the three children around noon on the 13th day of each of the next six months. According to Lúcia, this “lady” confided in her and her two cousins and shared three “secrets” with them. These secrets have come to be known as the “Three Secrets of Fatima”.
On 13th July 1917, Lúcia said that the Blessed Mother had told her that her two cousins would die in the near future. This prophecy was fulfilled a short time later when they both succumbed to the Spanish influenza pandemic in 1918, leaving Lúcia as the sole surviving witness to the events that occurred near the town of Fatima.
Not long after the death of her two cousins, Lúcia entered the Convent of St. Dorothy in Tuy, Spain. In March 1948 she left this Convent to join the Carmelite Order of St. Theresa at Coimbra in Portugal, where she continued to live until her death on February 13th, 2005 at the age of 97.
Being a Carmelite Sister, Lúcia Santos was required to observe the customary vow of silence. However, she did write out an account of the events that had occurred to her in 1917, together with a description of the three secrets given to her by the Angelic Being.
The first two secrets were revealed to the world by the Vatican in August 1941. The first secret was said to have been a vision of Hell. The second predicted the end of World War I, and announced that an even greater war would follow unless the people of Russia chose to repent and return to the path of God. Of course, by the time these two secrets were revealed to the public, the Second World War had already begun.
Sister Lucia dos Santos
In September 1943, when Sister Lúcia was confined to her bed with a grave illness, she was visited by the Bishop of Leiria who urged her to write the third secret down so that it would be preserved in the event of her death. After some initial hesitation Lúcia finally agreed to do so, and it was delivered to the Bishop in a sealed envelope on March 1st, 1944.
The Bishop of Leiria kept Lúcia’s handwritten text in its sealed envelope until 1957 when it was delivered to the Vatican. This third and most important secret given to Lúcia was supposed to have been revealed to the world by the Vatican in 1960, supposedly at the direction of the visionary Being herself.
However, when the year 1960 arrived, the Church refused to do so. Not only did the Vatican fail to disclose the third secret, but it ordered Lúcia not to talk about the secrets to anyone, and she was forbidden all visitors except close relatives.
Even her confessor, Father Aparicio, who later moved to Brazil, was prevented from seeing her when he visited Portugal. Only Pope John-Paul II or Cardinal Ratzinger (later to become Pope Benedict XVI) could grant the necessary permission for her to speak openly about these secrets or entertain visitors.
Cardinal Ratzinger (Later Pope Benedict XVI)
Finally, in June 2000, the Vatican released the text of the third secret. Along with this text was a commentary given by Cardinal Ratzinger. It said:
“A careful reading of the text of the so-called third ‘secret’ of Fatima … will probably prove disappointing or surprising after all the speculation it has stirred. No great mystery is revealed; nor is the future unveiled.”
The commentary went on to say:
“The purpose of the vision is not to show a film of an irrevocably fixed future. Its meaning is exactly the opposite: it is meant to mobilize the forces of change in the right direction.
“Therefore we must totally discount fatalistic explanations of the ‘secret’, such as, for example, the claim that the would-be assassin of 13 May 1981 was merely an instrument of the divine plan guided by Providence and could not therefore have acted freely, or other similar ideas in circulation. Rather, the vision speaks of dangers and how we might be saved from them.”
Cardinal Ratzinger concluded by saying:
“The concluding part of the ‘secret’ uses images which Lucia may have seen in devotional books and which draw their inspiration from long-standing intuitions of faith.”
In releasing Sister Lúcia’s long-awaited secret to the world, the Vatican went to great lengths to ensure that it would generate as little sensationalism and controversy as possible. The text that was released to the world read as follows:
“I write in obedience to you, my God, who command me to do so through his Excellency the Bishop of Leiria and through your Most Holy Mother and mine.
“After the two parts which I have already explained, at the left of Our Lady and a little above, we saw an Angel with a flaming sword in his left hand; flashing, it gave out flames that looked as though they would set the world on fire; but they died out in contact with the splendour that Our Lady radiated towards him from her right hand: pointing to the earth with his right hand, the Angel cried out in a loud voice: ‘Penance, Penance, Penance!’.
“And we saw in an immense light that is God: something similar to how people appear in a mirror when they pass in front of it a Bishop dressed in White. We had the impression that it was the Holy Father. Other Bishops, Priests, men and women Religious going up a steep mountain, at the top of which there was a big Cross of rough-hewn trunks as of a cork-tree with the bark;
“Before reaching there the Holy Father passed through a big city half in ruins and half trembling with halting step, afflicted with pain and sorrow, he prayed for the souls of the corpses he met on his way; having reached the top of the mountain, on his knees at the foot of the big Cross he was killed by a group of soldiers who fired bullets and arrows at him.
“And in the same way there died one after another the other Bishops, Priests, men and women Religious, and various lay people of different ranks and positions. Beneath the two arms of the Cross there were two Angels each with a crystal aspersorium in his hand, in which they gathered up the blood of the Martyrs and with it sprinkled the souls that were making their way to God.” (Tuy-3-1-1944).
Despite attempts by the Vatican to convince the public that the above extract was the full text of what Sister Lúcia had written, a growing number of critics, both inside and outside of the Church, have challenged this. These critics contend that the released text does not contain anything of a controversial nature which could bring about a crisis of faith within the Church.
The claim that there is more to the Third Secret of Fatima than has so far been revealed by the Vatican, is also linked to certain comments made by Cardinal Ratzinger (the present Pope) in 1984, many years before the official text was released to the world.
On November 11, 1984, as reported in the Catholic magazine Jesus, Cardinal Ratzinger stated that he had already read the text of the Third Secret of Fatima. When he was asked what it contained, he said that it related to “end times”, and that if published, would cause “sensationalism”. (View Source)
Pope John-Paul II
Yet there was little in the text released by the Vatican in June 2000 that seemed likely to provoke a “sensational” response. However, the words spoken by Pope John-Paul II to a select group of Catholics during a visit to Fulda, Germany in October 1980, confirm that certain predictions made by the Angelic Being were truly sensational.
A verbatim report of this discussion was published in the October 1981 issue of the German magazine Stimme des Glaubins. It reads as follows: “The Holy Father was asked, ‘What about the Third Secret of Fatima? Should it not have already been published by 1960?’
Pope John Paul II replied: “Given the seriousness of the contents, my predecessors in the Office of Peter diplomatically preferred to postpone publication so as not to encourage the world power of Communism to carry out certain moves.
“On the other hand, it should be sufficient for all Christians to know this: if there is a message in which it is written that the oceans will inundate whole areas of the earth, and that from one moment to the next millions of people will perish, truly the publication of such a message is no longer something to be so much desired.”
The Pope continued:
“Many wish to know simply from curiosity and a taste for the sensational, but they forget that knowledge also implies responsibility. They only seek the satisfaction of their curiosity, and that is dangerous if at the same time they are not disposed to do something, and if they are convinced that it is impossible to do anything against evil.”
At this point the Pope grasped a Rosary and said: “Here is the remedy against this evil. Pray, pray, and ask for nothing more. Leave everything else to the Mother of God”.
The Holy Father was then asked: “What is going to happen to the Church?”
He answered: “We must prepare ourselves to suffer great trials before long, such as will demand of us the readiness to cast away even our lives, and a total dedication to Christ and for Christ … With your prayers and mine it is possible to mitigate this tribulation, but it is no longer possible to avert it, because only thus can the Church be effectively renewed.
“How many times has the renewal of the Church sprung from blood! This time, too, it will not be otherwise. We must be strong and prepared, and trust in Christ and His Mother, and be very, very assiduous in praying the Rosary.” (View Source)
Whether the above report is a true record of the words spoken by Pope John-Paul II is left to the reader to decide. What is true, however, is that the cataclysmic events described by the Pope in the above extract are precisely those that are predicted to occur in the near future by the Oracle in the book The Last Days of Tolemac.
In fact, both the vision of St. Malachy and the words of Lúcia bear out what is written in the book. Lúcia speaks of a time when the “Holy Father” will pass through a city “half in ruins”, before being “killed by a group of soldiers”.
St. Malachy predicts that the current Pope (Pope Francis) will be the final Pope, and that he will have to endure a time of “extreme persecution” and that “the city of seven hills will be destroyed”. This will be followed by the return of the “formidable Judge (who) will judge his people.”
The Oracle of Tolemac not only refers to the persecution of Christians and the death of the Pope, but also describes the nature of the Anti-Christ and the events that will lead up to the return of the Christ.
Allan, The Three Secrets of Fatima, February 16, 2020, 10:31 am
Just glancing at the title of this post may cause many to wonder – what has this to do with prophecy? But, as most readers will have realised by now, the contents of this Blog embrace a wide variety of topics ranging from the Bible to Quantum Mechanics.
But the reason why I chose to write about Shakespeare is actually the fulfillment of Bible prophecy. As we read in the gospel of St. Luke: “For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither anything hid, that shall not be known and come abroad”. (Luke 8:17)
Very few people today know the truth about the life of William Shakespeare. And because they do not know, I thought it was time to add this to the public record in order to help correct this misunderstanding before I “shuffle off this mortal coil”! (Hamlet)
So, in response to the question posed in the title of this post, my answer is NO…. and YES.
And the reason for this ambivalence is because most readers do not know that the historical Shakespeare never wrote a single play in his life. And that is because he was totally illiterate. He could neither read nor write.
Because Shakespeare owes his fame to the world of theatre, I thought it only just that the best person to expose him for the person he was, or to be more precise, the person he was not, would be a student of the theatre himself.
That man is the accomplished Canadian actor, writer, director and scholar Keir Cutler. Keir has an M.A. and Ph.D. at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan, and has been performing in theatre since the beginning of the century. He has even taught Shakespeare.
I will let him speak for himself in the following video.
It is worth repeating the verified facts about the life of William Shakespeare outlined in the above video.
He was born in April 1564 in the small town of Stratford on the banks of the Avon river in central England. His parents could not read or write.
No record exists of the first 18 years of Shakespeare’s life.
In November 1582 he took out a marriage certificate for Anne Whateley.
The next day he took out another licence to marry Anne Hathaway.
He married Anne Hathaway and six months later their first child was born.
In 1587, Shakespeare left Stratford for London where his first job was to hold horses outside a theatre.
In 1593, he was listed as an official actor.
In 1610 or so he returned to Stratford. There he was engaged in various pursuits such as lending money and trading in land and houses.
He later made out his will and died on April 23, 1616. Not a single book was mentioned among his possessions that were listed in his will.
Based on the facts outlined above it is clear that Shakespeare was not capable of writing any of the plays linked to his name. Among the notable people who also doubted his authorship were Mark Twain, who wrote a book about it, and many others.
They included Waldo Emerson, Walt Whitman, William and Henry James, Charles Dickens, Sigmund Freud, Charlie Chaplin, Orson Welles, Thomas Hardy, Samuel Coleridge, Otto von Bismarck, Benjamin Disraeli, James Joyce, Helen Keller, John Gielgud and Daphne du Maurier, to name but a few.
As Keir Cutler points out, what is ignored by people in general, and academics in particular, is the breadth of Shakespeare’s knowledge of law, philosophy, classical literature, ancient and modern history, mathematics, music, medicine, art, astronomy, military and naval terminology, English, French and Italian court life, and especially his comprehension of multiple languages.
Shakespeare added hundreds of new words to the English language: all these words culled from other languages, both ancient and modern. And Shakespeare did all this without leaving a single trace of his skill? Nothing? No play, no poem, no letter in his own hand? And no mention of any writing is his long and detailed will? (Source)
The complete works of Shakespeare contain 29,066 different words. So if Shakespeare himself did not write any of his poems and plays, then who did? Among the list of possible contenders, three are considered the most likely candidates. They are Christopher Marlowe, Edward de Vere and Sir Francis Bacon.
Christopher Marlowe – (1564-1593)
As an accomplished playwright, poet and translator, Marlowe was a star of the Tudor age. His intellectual ability saw him gain both a Bachelor as well as a Master’s degree at Cambridge University. Unfortunately, in 1593 at the tender age of 29, he was murdered in a Deptford tavern as a result of a row over “the reckoning” (the bill).
However, this has not daunted members of the Marlowe Society who continue to insist that their playwright was not murdered, but was spirited away to France where, for the next twenty years or so, he wrote plays attributed to Shakespeare and smuggled them back to London.
Edward de Vere – the 17th Earl of Oxford – (1550-1604)
Edward de Vere was a poet, dramatist and patron of the arts, whose wealth and title made him a prominent celebrity in Tudor times. Supporters of his claim to the authorship of his plays, who call themselves the “Oxfordians”, argue that he used the name Shakespeare as a “pen name” in order to protect his identity.
However, the major factor challenging this claim is the fact that de Vere died in 1604. This was before Shakespeare published the following plays: King Lear, Macbeth, Anthony and Cleopatra, Coriolanus, The Tempest, Henry VIII, Othello and All’s Well that Ends Well.
Sir Francis Bacon – (1561-1626)
Francis Bacon was born three years before Shakespeare, and died ten years after his death. At the age of twelve he attended Trinity College at the University of Cambridge, where his studies were conducted mostly in Latin. It was at Cambridge that he first met Queen Elizabeth, who was so impressed with his precocious intellect that she used to refer to him as “the young lord keeper”.
He was the first recipient of the title of Queen’s Counsel at the age of thirty-two, when the Queen retained him as her personal legal advisor. As a lawyer, statesman, philosopher and master of the English tongue, Bacon was recognised for his sharp worldly wisdom and intellectually as a man who claimed “all knowledge as his province”.
He later went on to serve as Attorney General and Lord Chancellor of England under King James I. He was knighted in 1603 and given the title of Baron Verulam in 1618 and Viscount St. Alban in 1621. He had no heirs, and so both titles became extinct when he contracted pneumonia and died at the age of sixty-five.
He left a legacy of written works in both natural philosophy and science that remained influential even in the late stages of the scientific revolution that began with Copernicus in 1543. His written works can be divided into three categories:
Science and scientific methodology
Religious and literary works
Judicial works concerning English law
King James 1
Following the death of Queen Elizabeth I in 1603, James I was crowned King of England. One of the first projects he undertook was to was to create a new translation of the English Bible. In January 1604 he summoned a group of scholars and churchmen to attend a conference at Hampton Court, where he was based at the time to avoid the plague that had afflicted most of London.
Following this conference, a committee was struck under the supervision of the Archbishop of Canterbury. It consisted of 54 translators made up of the most learned men in the country. They were divided into six committees called “companies”. Three companies were responsible for the Old Testament, two for the New Testament and one for the Apocrypha.
The work of these committees was completed in 1608. However, it took another three years before the entire work was published. And although there are no records of the actions taken by King James during this period, it is clear that he needed to turn to someone else for help in completing the task of combining these different sections into one consistent body of work.
In recognition of his past intellectual accomplishments, and the fact that he was already a member of his government, the King turned over the translators’ manuscripts to Francis Bacon, for the purpose of checking, editing and revising them where necessary. But instead of merely revising them, Bacon turned them into a literary triumph that transformed the entire English language.
Now you may be thinking, that may sound like an interesting theory, but where’s the proof?
The King James Bible
One of the most telling factors in determining the true author of the King James Bible can be found in Psalm 46. If you count the words starting at verse one, you find that the 46th word is “SHAKE’. And if you count the words backwards from the last verse, the 46th word is “SPEAR” as can be seen below.
Psalm 46
1] God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
[2] Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
[3] Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains SHAKE with the swelling thereof. Selah.
[4] There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High.
[5] God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early.
[6] The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: he uttered his voice, the earth melted.
[7] The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.
[8] Come, behold the works of the LORD, what desolations he hath made in the earth.
[9] He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the SPEAR in sunder; he burneth the chariot in the fire.
[10] Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.
[11] The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge.
The fact that there should be a reference to William Shakespeare in a work that had nothing to do with him can only be attributed to a coded link between the Bible and the works of Shakespeare. As Dr. H. Spencer Lewis, Imperator of the Rosicrucian Order, wrote in 1930:
“The Bible which all of us read and admire from a literary point of view because of it’s peculiar and beautiful English was written in that form by Bacon who invented and perfected that style of English expression”. (Source)
In reviewing his life, the English poet Alexander Pope wrote: “Lord Bacon is the greatest genius that either England or perhaps any other country ever produced”. And Lord Macaulay said that “he had the most exquisitely constructed intellect that has ever been bestowed on any of the children of men”.
And as gratifying as it is to know that there is a city on the river Avon devoted to the memory of the greatest writer of the English language, where pilgrims can still go to pay homage, it is a sad irony that Sir Francis Bacon is commemorated today only by a small statue in an alcove of a forgotten church in St. Albans, Hertfordshire.
So to clarify the answer that I gave at the beginning of this post, NO, Shakespeare did not write the King James version of the Bible, simply because there is no record of him having written ANYTHING at all.
Yet, ironically, he DID write this because the plays attributed to Shakespeare were actually written by Sir Francis Bacon, and Bacon was the true author of the King James version of the Bible.
Allan, Who Was Shakespeare?, February 1, 2020, 12:57 pm
A: When the true history of the earth is told, there will be some disturbing changes to the traditional ideas held on earth today. These ancient records will reveal:
That the rotation of the earth around the sun has been disturbed within the recorded history of humanity.
That the axis of the earth has changed from time to time.
That the length of the year has not always been the same.
That the sun has not always risen in the east. During some of the past eras on earth it has risen in the west.
That the cause of many of these changes has been the influence of comets and asteroids.
Ancient man was acutely aware of just how fragile life on earth has been, for the memories of past disasters were not only part of their literary record, but some of the events described in their sacred books had occurred within the living memory of those who had written about them.
It is very different today. Modern scientists and historians have been lulled into a false sense of security due to the relative stability of the earth over the last two and a half thousand years. So even though many ancient books speak of these devastating events, they are considered to be mere allegories, and historians do not interpret them in a literal way.
Q: What are some of these ancient books?
A: The ancient books of China (Shu-king Chronicles), India (The Puranas, Vedas, Visuddhi-Magga), Persia (The Zend-Avesta), as well as the inscribed tablets of the Sumerian culture (Epic of Gilgamesh), speak of tumultuous times on earth.
The Popul-Vuh of the Mayas echoes these stories. The Christian Bible is filled with similar descriptions, but they are usually not recognized as being factual descriptions of real events that actually happened on the earth.
In the ancient Chinese encyclopedia (Sing-li-ta-tsiuen-chou), the ending of a world age is described as follows:
“In a general convulsion of nature,
The sea is carried out of its bed,
Rivers change their course,
Human beings and everything are ruined,
And the ancient traces are effaced.”
The Psalms of the Bible tell of past cataclysms that have happened within the living memory of humanity.
“Then the earth shook and trembled;
The foundations also of the hills moved and were shaken, because he was wroth.
There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured: coals were kindled by it.
He bowed the heavens also and came down:
And darkness was under his feet.
And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly:
Yea, he did fly upon the wings of the wind.
He made darkness his secret place;
His pavilion round about him were dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.
At the brightness that was before him his thick clouds passed, hail stones and coals of fire.
The Lord also thundered in the heavens, and the Highest gave his voice; hail stones and coals of fire.
Yea, he sent out his arrows and scattered them;
And he shot out lightnings, and discomfited them.
Then the channels of waters were seen,
And the foundations of the world were discovered at thy rebuke, O Lord, at the blast of the breath of thy nostrils.” (Psalm 18: 7-15)
“God is our refuge and strength,
A very present help in trouble.
Therefore will we not fear,
Though the earth be removed,
And though the mountains be carried into the
midst of the sea;
Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled,
Though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof.” (Psalm 46: 1-3)
“The Lord reigneth; let the earth rejoice;
Let the multitude of isles be glad thereof.
Clouds and darkness are round about him:
Righteousness and judgment are the habitation of his throne.
A fire goeth before him, and burneth up his enemies round about.
His lightnings enlightened the world:
The earth saw, and trembled.
The hills melted like wax at the presence of the Lord.” (Psalm 97: 1-5)
“When Israel went out of Egypt,
The house of Jacob from a people of strange language;
Judah was his sanctuary, and Israel his dominion.
The sea saw it and fled: Jordan was driven back.
The mountains skipped like rams, and the little hills like lambs. (Psalm 114: 1-4)
World-wide catastrophes that cause hills to melt like wax and mountains to skip like rams are not the sort of things that are taught in modern history. Devastation on that scale would require forces far greater than simple earthquakes or volcanic eruptions, fearful though these may be.
Q: Has the earth been affected by comets in the past?
A: According to the wisdom of the ancients, the earth has repeatedly been affected by close encounters with comets. The comets that have appeared in the skies of earth over the last thousand years or more have been small and far off, and have produced little more than night-time illumination. Modern humanity has lost its fear of comets.
But in the centuries before the birth of the Christ, not only were comets much more common in the skies of earth, but some of these comets were extremely large, and some of them passed extremely close to the earth.
These close encounters with comets devastated the landscape of earth. They caused seas to rise and fall, new mountains to form, and entire continents to sink below the waves. One of these encounters became the foundation of the Greek legend of Phaeton.
According to this legend, Phaeton the son of Helios, the Greek god of the sun, asked his father for a favor. In order to prove his manhood the young Phaeton asked if he might be allowed to drive his father’s sun-chariot across the sky for just one day. Helios granted his son this request.
But as the young Phaeton took hold of the reins, he could not control the powerful steeds that pulled the chariot of the sun. The chariot plunged out of control. It came too close to the ground, causing the sun to scorch large parts of the earth. Realizing the danger of the situation, Zeus, ruler of the gods, hurled a thunderbolt at Phaeton killing him instantly. Thus were the people of earth spared.
This story of Phaeton and the chariot of the sun has become one of the favorite legends in Greek mythology. Modern scholars treat the story of Phaeton as a fanciful myth. Few of them grasp the truth that lies behind the legend.
For shortly before the beginning of Greek influence on history, a large comet had a close encounter with the earth. As the orbits of these two bodies passed close together, the tremendous heat generated by the comet scorched the earth, and the electrical forces generated between the earth and the head of the comet caused a mighty thunderbolt to strike the earth.
But to the people who lived shortly after these times, the story of Phaeton and the chariot of the sun was not dismissed as a myth. It was regarded as a real event. As the Latin poet Ovid wrote:
“The earth bursts into flame, the highest parts first, and splits into deep cracks, and its moisture is all dried up. The meadows are burned to white ashes; the trees are consumed, green leaves and all, and the ripe grain furnishes fuel for its own destruction. Great cities perish with their walls, and the vast conflagration reduces whole nations to ashes.” (Metamorphoses, Book II)
While the story of Phaeton may seem like a mythical tale to your modern astronomers, close encounters with comets have occurred not just once but many times in the recent history of the earth. All of these encounters have had devastating effects on the earth. They have changed the axis and the rotation of the planet. They have altered the surface of the land and caused the destruction of entire nations.
Q: How did ancient societies know about these comets?
A: Ancient man knew about comets from their own astronomical observations, and from the records that had been passed down from generation to generation. They knew of the cataclysmic changes that could be caused by fire from the sky. They also knew that these encounters in the past had led to changes in the seasons, and changes in the length of the year. They therefore constantly watched the heavens for signs of any new cosmic intruders.
Anthropologists of today think that ancient societies held rituals at various times of the year, such as at eclipses and solstices, purely for ceremonial purposes. They do not realize that these ceremonies actually provided these societies with vital clues about their future safety and survival.
For if the sun did not follow the expected times of these solstices, this was a clear sign to the ancient astronomers and priests that the orbit of the earth had changed and that devastating events might soon occur on earth. The priests also knew that the seasons and the times for planting crops would be changed as well.
Examples of such rituals were the solstice ceremonies of the Incas. The sun ceremonies of the Incas focused on special carved stones called Intihuatana, which in the local Quechua language meant “the hitching post of the sun”. At the time of each midwinter and midsummer solstice, the path of the sun was tracked across the sky by means of the shadows cast by the sun on these stones.
The purpose of these ceremonies was to ensure that, at the exact moment of solstice, the shadow cast by the sun did not exceed its heavenly limit, and that the sun did indeed remain “hitched to its post”. For if the shadow cast by the sun continued to move beyond the limit marked on the stone, this would indicate to the Inca priests that the rotation of the earth had changed.
When the priests found that the sun continued to follow its predicted path, they knew that the rotation of the earth around the sun had not changed, and that they did not face the threat of imminent disaster from the sky. Although every solstice was approached with a sense of dread, in case the portents in the sun should be unfavorable, a favorable result was cause for great celebrations among the people.
Other societies like the Mayas and the Aztecs held similar ceremonies at the time of the midsummer and midwinter solstice, and for the same reason. However, the Mayans and Aztecs did not worship the sun as a symbol of Inner Light as the Incas did.
Instead, their priests considered the sun to be a war-like deity who needed to be pacified by means of sacrifice. They considered that the way to protect the earth from the ravages of cosmic intruders was to conduct regular human sacrifices.
The tragedy of these gruesome rituals was that once they had been found to be effective on one occasion, they were considered to be necessary for all future occasions. So the Mayan and Aztec ceremonies became bloody rituals of human sacrifice involving virgins or young men of prowess, as well as captives from military campaigns.
Similar solstice rituals took place in many other societies around the world, using stone and wooden circles to observe the movement of the sun. In Europe, these rituals were held at places like Stonehenge and Woodhenge. All of these circles served the same purpose, and that was to plot the path of the sun according to its previously recorded movements, to ensure that there was continued stability in the heavens.
In ancient Egypt, tall stone obelisks were erected in front of their temples and monuments. They were used to track the path of the sun at times of the midsummer and midwinter solstice. The shadows cast by these obelisks were used to check whether there had been any changes in the movement of the sun which might lead to imminent earth changes.
Your scientists believe that the earth has always followed its present course around the sun, and that the length of your year has always been the same since the formation of the earth. They feel secure in their view of the stability of the heavens and the predictability of earth’s orbit around the sun. They would do well to consider the words told to the Greek philosopher Solon by an old Egyptian priest:
“There have been and will be many different calamities to destroy mankind, the greatest of them by fire and water, lesser ones by countless other means.”
“Your own story of how Phaeton, child of the sun, harnessed his father’s chariot, but was unable to guide it along his father’s course and so burnt up things on the earth and was himself destroyed by a thunderbolt, is a mythical version of the truth that there is at long intervals a variation in the course of the heavenly bodies and a consequent widespread destruction by fire of things on the earth.” (Plato: Timaeus 2 b)
Allan, Earth's Hidden Past, January 23, 2020, 6:56 pm
A: Yes they did. But the records of both of these civilizations have been lost, or rather, they have been hidden until the time when you are ready to learn the true history of life on the earth. When this moment comes, you will find that the actual history of humanity is very different from what you have been taught in your schools and universities.
Q: How does the true history of humanity vary from what we know today?
A: Your understanding of history is based on three assumptions. The first assumption is that the solar system has always existed in its present form, and that the number of planets and their orbits around the sun have always been as you see them now.
The second assumption is that the earth has evolved in a uniform way, and that the geological changes that have taken place have done so by means of small changes over vast periods of time. Also, that the forces that have changed the surface of the earth in the past are the same forces that operate on the earth today.
The third assumption is that humanity has evolved on this planet from original cave-dwellers in Africa to the sophisticated culture that exists on earth today in a linear growth from the simple to the complex, and that your modern technological civilization is the highest form of culture that has ever existed on the earth.
Because all of these assumptions are incorrect, the history of humanity that is taught in the schools of the new age will be very different from what is taught today.
Q: Why are these assumptions incorrect?
A: These assumptions are incorrect because your knowledge of history is so short, and because your scholars have allowed their preconceived ideas to blind them from recognizing the evidence of the past that still survives on earth. But mostly it is because they do not know about the earliest people who lived upon the earth and the wonderful civilizations they created.
The records of these ancient civilizations still exist, and they will be rediscovered in the coming age. When they are, they will become the basis for a new understanding of history.
This problem of the ignorance of history is not new. It has affected many civilizations in the past. In fact, this ignorance of the past has served a purpose. It has helped to shield societies from the horrors of the past, and allowed them to develop without the psychological trauma which the memory of previous catastrophes would inevitably have produced.
Q: Why have catastrophes happened in the past?
A: These catastrophes have occurred whenever societies have reached a level of development where they have become a threat to themselves and to other forms of life on the planet. This is what happened to the people of Tolemac, and it has also happened to many other cultures as well.
Q: How have ancient cultures been destroyed?
A: All cultures on the earth develop in similar ways, and go through similar stages of growth, maturity and decay. Some cultures last for relatively long periods of time, while others disappear after just a few centuries. The reasons for these variations depend on the nature of the people and the character of their societies.
Their destruction may be the result of conquest and war or through such circumstances as famine or disease. In other cases, societies may be destroyed by various forces of nature such as hurricanes, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tidal waves and floods. They may even be destroyed by asteroids or comets. In different ways, so many ancient civilizations have met their end.
Your historians know of many ancient civilizations. In Europe and Asia there have been the empires of Rome, Greece, Troy, Persia, Assyria and Chaldea. Africa has witnessed the great dynasties of the Pharaohs. India has seen the Mauryan and Gupta empires. There were the Shang, Zhou and Qin dynasties of China.
In central America there have been the Mayas, Olmecs, Aztecs and the Toltecs. In South America, the Inca empire stretched from Ecuador to Chile. All of these great kingdoms, dynasties and empires have now vanished from the world stage, only to be replaced by the dominant countries that you see on earth today.
But there have been other empires in the distant past that are not known to your historians. These empires have passed away seemingly without trace. They were the empires of Atlantis, located on islands in the Atlantic ocean beyond the Pillars of Hercules, Paititi in central America, and the continent of Lemuria in the Pacific ocean. These lost civilizations had a history that extended back hundreds of thousands of years.
The history and records of these lost civilizations have been secretly hidden in places of safekeeping, and their hiding places will be revealed in the coming age to allow humanity to learn the true history of their past.
Q: Where are these ancient records kept?
A: When the ancient priests of Atlantis and Lemuria knew that their islands were destined to sink beneath the sea, they made elaborate plans to preserve the records of their history, culture and scientific achievements in secret places where they would be saved for future generations in the coming golden age.
Some of these records have been saved in retreats in remote mountain regions. Some have been buried in secret chambers below the ground. Others have been preserved in tunnels deep below the surface of the earth, as was the case with the civilization of Paititi.
Q: Where was the civilization of Paititi?
A: While the lost civilizations of Atlantis and Lemuria live on in legend, little is known today about the civilization of Paititi. Paititi was located in South America in the Amazon basin of Brazil. Although this civilization co-existed with its more famous neighbors in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, it was in some ways even more advanced.
The great cities of Paititi were more imposing, and their system of construction using huge blocks of stone was unequalled in the ancient world. Their sacred science enabled their builders to cut vast blocks of stone by means of rays of light, and then position these stones, some of which weighed hundreds of tons, by means of the harmonic frequencies of sound. It was in this way that they created monuments of gigantic size that can still be seen on earth today.
It was this secret knowledge that was given to the people of Atlantis, who used it in the construction of their own cities. Before the civilization of Paititi was finally overcome by disaster, their scientific knowledge was passed on to a select few. These few became mentors to the peoples of Tolemac, and it was this knowledge that enabled the Tolemac culture to reach unrivalled levels of accomplishment.
The civilization of Paititi differs from those of Atlantis and Lemuria in one significant way. Whereas the islands of Atlantis and Lemuria were both destroyed by earthquakes and sank below the waves, the cities of Paititi have never been under water. Their cities remain relatively intact, while their records are preserved in underground libraries that still survive to this day. They are protected by the dense Amazonian jungle that now shields them from modern eyes.
Tantalizing rumours of lost cities have drawn explorers into the interior of Brazil for centuries. The Spanish conquerors heard of these legends of vast hoards of gold that were said to exist in a lost city of Thirty Citadels that lay hidden somewhere in the impenetrable jungle of the Mato Grosso.
They braved many perils in their quest for these cities, and the blazing crystals of white light that were said to shine within them. They searched the jungle for many years but their efforts were in vain. Modern explorers have been equally unsuccessful.
Until that time when the world is ready to rediscover the lost science of Paititi their secrets will remain protected by the jungle, poisonous reptiles and hostile Indian tribes, who are the modern guardians of this ancient knowledge.
The builders of Paititi also built a system of tunnels that honeycomb the region. These tunnels were not only used for transport and communication, but also for storing their precious objects and artifacts. When the earthquakes that will herald the coming of the new age cause large sections of the earth to be displaced, they will cause these tunnels to be revealed.
Those who venture into these tunnels will find a treasure beyond description. Not only will there be statues, artifacts and objects of solid gold, but examples of the tools that allowed the builders of Paititi to perform their amazing technical feats.
In that day, man will lose his hunger for gold. What awaits him on that morning of discovery will be a treasure more precious than gold or jewels. Hidden within these tunnels will be the keys to an understanding of the deepest secrets of the universe. Mother earth will finally bring forth from her womb the knowledge that she has carefully guarded for thousands of years.
Q: What happened to the ancient knowledge of Atlantis?
A: When it became apparent to the Hierophants of Atlantis that their culture was doomed, and that their islands were about to sink beneath the waves, a mission was undertaken to collect their sacred writings, technology and artifacts, and take them to a place of refuge where they could be preserved on land until the time when humanity would once again be worthy custodians of this knowledge. The refuge they chose was in the land you call Egypt, close to the Nile delta.
Your historians have often wondered how the civilization of Egypt came to flourish at such a high level of accomplishment without any apparent evidence of previous development in the region. It was as if the culture of the Pharaohs appeared suddenly and in full bloom. Few historians today realize that this culture came from Atlantis.
In order to protect the sacred wisdom of Atlantis, these Hierophants used the knowledge of construction gained from Paititi to create a massive stone edifice that would be capable of resisting the ravages of nature for thousands of years. The edifice they built was the Great Pyramid, accompanied by the Sphinx. In terms of how you measure time, this event took place some 12,500 years ago.
The secret records of Atlantis were hidden beneath the Sphinx and also inside the pyramid itself. Although a few of the chambers inside the pyramid are known to your scientists, other secret rooms have not yet been found. They will remain hidden until the Great Day of Telling, at the start of the golden age.
Various seers and prophets have predicted that the ancient records of Atlantis would be found in Egypt. The American seer Edgar Cayce predicted that a “Hall of Records” would be found beneath the Sphinx. Inside this hall of records would be found tablets, artifacts and gold, related to the lost civilization of Atlantis. He predicted that these records would also include a detailed history of human life on earth.
While many people today know about this prophecy, all attempts to find this buried hall of records have so far failed. Once again it will take the intervention of natural disasters in the form of earthquakes before these secret hiding places of Atlantis will be revealed to the world.
Q: What happened to the ancient knowledge of Lemuria?
A: Lemuria was a vast continent in the Pacific Ocean that existed for many hundreds of thousands of years. It was the motherland of human civilization on earth. The culture of Lemuria lasted longer than any other in the history of the earth. But even though this was considered to be a golden age of life on earth, it finally fell victim to the forces of evil, oppression and decay and was destroyed.
The time inevitably came when the people of Lemuria had to face the same consequences of their actions that confront men and women today. In the case of Lemuria, the continent on which they lived broke up over many years into smaller islands. But the destruction continued, and there came a day when the last of these islands was swallowed up by the sea.
Whereas the initial destruction of Lemuria began about 30,000 years ago, the final portion of the land submerged about the same time as the destruction of Atlantis. While Atlantis and Lemuria were breaking up, other catastrophes were taking place all over the earth.
It was at this time that the Andes mountains in South America were being created, as well as the Sierra mountains in North America. Cities that once were located by the sea were suddenly thrust thousands of feet above sea level. One of these was a colonial port of Lemuria which had previously enjoyed a mild tropical climate.
Within the space of a few hours the entire city was lifted to a height of some 12,500 feet, where it survives to this day on a desolate wind-swept plain. Modern historians call the ruins of this city by the name of Tiahuanaco. It is located near Lake Titicaca which was also created at this time.
It was here, high in the Andes mountains near the newly formed lake, that the Guardians of Wisdom from Lemuria brought their records and their treasured scientific instruments. Hidden in a remote mountain valley, they created a retreat where their lost wisdom could be preserved. The centerpiece of this retreat was the legendary golden Sun Disc of Mu.
Back in the motherland, this Sun Disc had been held by ropes of purest gold in a temple dedicated to the Divine Light. This circular golden disc was not made of ordinary gold. It was made of transmuted gold which gave the disc a translucent appearance. It almost seemed as if you could see through it.
Like the Ark of the Covenant that was created many thousands of years later by the Israelites, the Sun Disc of Mu was not just an object of beauty and veneration. It was also a scientific instrument. When this disc was struck, it gave out harmonic vibrations which could be tuned to particular frequencies and used for various purposes such as healing.
These vibrations could also be used to allow trained people to leave their physical bodies and travel in cosmic space. It was in this way that the priests of Lemuria were able to communicate with the inhabitants of the stars. If used in a negative way, the disc was also capable of generating powerful vibrations within the earth which could lead to devastating earthquakes.
The Incas who came to Peru were not descended from the local Quechua Indians, but came from a land across the Pacific. They established an advanced and highly spiritual civilization on top of the ruins of what once had been the great colonial empire of Lemuria. These ruins were scattered across the Andes mountains in the form of fortresses built from giant blocks of stone.
The Incas built their own cities and temples on top of these megalithic ruins, including their capital city Cuzco. They also discovered and rebuilt the ancient network of tunnels that had been built in ancient times to link these fortresses together.
The central focus of the Inca empire was the Temple of the Sun in Cuzco. This was the most important temple in their empire. The Incas called this temple Coricancha, or Garden of Gold. This was because the courtyard of this temple contained life-sized figures of people, plants, animals and flowers that were made of solid gold. The walls and floors of the temple were also covered in sheets of gold.
This Temple of the Sun was dedicated to Inti, the Sun God of the Incas, based on the same system of worship that had been practiced in Lemuria. From their ancient records, the Inca High Priests knew that the great Sun Disc of Mu had been removed from the doomed continent of Lemuria before it was destroyed, and had been brought to a place of safety somewhere in the region of Lake Titicaca. For many years they searched for this lost retreat but were never able to find it.
Once the spiritual evolution of the Incas had progressed to the point where they could use it for the benefit of all their people, as it had originally been used in the motherland of Lemuria, this golden Sun Disc was presented to the ruling Inca by the Guardians.
It was installed in the Temple of the Sun in Cuzco. Once again this disc was hung from golden cords attached to niches in the walls that can still be seen to this day. The great Sun Disc remained at Coricancha in Cuzco for many years until the arrival of the Spanish conquerors.
When it became evident that the invaders were motivated by the lust for gold, the Incas sadly removed the great Sun Disc. It was taken by means of underground tunnels beneath the Coricancha to a place of safety, together with all their other sacred relics.
Although the Spanish invaders heard many stories about the Temple of the Sun and its fabled golden contents, they were never able to find them. They still remain safe in their hiding places until the world is once ready to receive them.
When that day dawns, men and women of earth will once more be able to see this ancient Sun Disc as it reflects the glorious rays of the morning sun. From this disc will emerge a tone of exquisite harmony, and it will once again draw to it all those in search of understanding of the Everlasting Light of true spiritual awareness.
Q: What will these ancient records reveal?
A: When the records of these ancient civilizations are finally revealed, they will tell a very different story of the history of the earth than is understood today by your scientists and historians.
Not only do your historians have no knowledge of Paititi, Atlantis or Lemuria, or of the even older civilizations that preceded them, but your scientists are unaware of the catastrophes that destroyed these civilizations and ravaged the earth in the past.
The students of your schools and universities are taught that the earth is a stable planet that has slowly evolved to the point where it is today over long eons of geological time. They are also taught that the earth has always followed a stable orbit around the sun. These comforting ideas are about to be rudely shattered.
The historical records of the ancients will tell of a history of earth that has been repeatedly devastated by cataclysm. Although these disasters have been caused by such things as tidal waves, floods, earthquakes and hurricanes, the source of many of these catastrophes has been fire in the sky.
Allan, Earth's Hidden Past, January 20, 2020, 6:55 pm
Q: What will happen to the Christian Church at this time?
A: The Anti-Christ will turn on those who believe in Jesus with savage fury. The first to feel his vengeance will be those who live in Rome. Christians everywhere be forced to choose between their faith in Jesus and their allegiance to the Anti-Christ. There will be no way to avoid this decision.
Those who choose Jesus will be martyred for their faith. The priests of the church will be captured and killed. Any form of church service will be banned. The churches themselves will be destroyed. All copies of the Bible and other holy books will be burned. Anyone found in possession of any of these books will be put to death.
As it was in the days of ancient Rome when Christians were ruthlessly hunted down by the authorities and killed in terrible ways, so it will be during the latter days of the reign of the Anti-Christ. The only true believers who will survive this orgy of death will be those who can escape into the mountains and other remote places. They will live in constant fear of capture.
Q: What will happen to the Pope?
A: It will be impossible for the Pope to continue as head of the Catholic Church once the Anti-Christ declares himself to be God Incarnate on the earth. He will have to flee from Rome. The entire Vatican and the Basilica of St Peter will be destroyed. The Pope himself will be captured and killed.
Nostradamus foresaw the destruction of the Church and the death of the Pope in his visions of the last days before the return of the Christ.
“The great star will burn for seven days,
The cloud will cause two suns to appear:
The large mastiff will howl all night
When the great pontiff changes his country.” (Century 2:41)
“In the world there will appear a king
Who will have little peace and a short life.
At this time the ship of the Papacy will be lost,
Governed to its worst detriment.” (Century 1:4)
“There will appear towards the North
Not far from Cancer the bearded star:
Susa, Siena, Boetia, Eretria,
The great one of Rome will die, the night over.” (Century 6:6)
Q: How will the Anti-Christ know who worships him and who does not?
A: The Anti-Christ will force all people to carry a mark on their bodies to prove that they are his followers. According to the Bible he will cause everyone to have an identification mark on their right hand or on their forehead. Anyone who does not have this mark will then be clearly visible to the authorities.
“And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.” (Revelation 13: 16-17)
This identification mark will be a computer chip that will be inserted into the arm or forehead. The authorities will then be able to scan people at a distance and tell who has this chip and who does not. No one will be able to avoid detection.
All businesses will be linked with this system of identification. Anyone who does not have this computer chip will not be allowed to buy or sell. Those who still profess their faith in Jesus will then be faced with an agonizing decision. Do they accept the mark of the Anti-Christ in order to keep on living, or do they refuse and face certain death?
Yet the fate of those who have the mark of the beast will be the same as the fate of the Anti-Christ himself. Those who accept the mark will be doomed to die, while those who remain true to their belief in Jesus will inherit eternal life. According to the Book of Revelation:
“And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, if any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,”
“The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:”
“And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.”
“Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.”
“And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, write, blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.” (Revelation 14: 9-13)
But in spite of these cruel conditions, the drums of war will continue to beat, as the armies of the Anti-Christ march remorselessly on in their campaign for world domination. Then will the prediction that was made over four hundred years earlier by Nostradamus be fulfilled.
“Tears, cries and laments, howls of terror,
A cruel, inhuman heart, black and cold:
Lake Geneva, the Isles, most of Genoa,
Blood pours out, famine, mercy to none.” (Century 6: 81)
Q: Will the Anti-Christ rule the whole world?
A: In the course of his seven-year reign, the Anti-Christ will become the most powerful leader in the western world. His power will be unchallenged and all who stand in his path will be slaughtered. But towards the end of this seven-year period, a new challenge will arise to his power.
While the Anti-Christ will come to wield complete political and military control over the West, a rival to his power will emerge in the East.
Q: Who will this rival be?
A: He will be a military leader who will be considered to be the reincarnation of the great warrior Genghis Khan. Nostradamus called this man “the King of the Mongols”. He will be as ruthless as the Anti-Christ, and he will be driven by the lust for power to conquer many lands.
This man will come from Mongolia. After the disasters caused by the comet China will be in chaos. Its coastal cities will be destroyed by tidal waves and its inland regions devastated by earthquakes. Many millions of people will be displaced. Law and order will disappear, and roving mobs will scour the land looking for food and possessions.
Out of these chaotic conditions will arise a leader who will come to dominate the nation. As more and more people come under his control he will form a mighty army. In terms of numbers it will be the greatest army ever assembled on the earth. According to the Bible this vast army will total 200 million people.
“And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them.” (Revelation 9: 16)
This army will be launched against the countries of the East. One by one they will be overcome. The numbers of people killed in battle by the army of this King of the Mongols will be in the hundreds of millions.
“And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone.”
“By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.” (Revelation 9: 17-18)
This Mongolian army will wield all the weapons of the modern world, including nuclear weapons. There will be nuclear explosions in the lands of India, Pakistan and Afghanistan as the armies of these countries clash together. All of these nationswill be crushed as this vast army sweeps its way towards the Middle East.
By a fortunate circumstance, the last remaining natural barrier that divides the lands of the East from the West will be removed. The waters of the great river of the Euphrates will dry up as a result of the intense heat and drought that will occur at that time. As John recorded in his vision of revelation:
“And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates.”
“And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men.” (Revelation 9: 14-15)
“And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.” (Revelation 16: 12)
With the last barrier to their progress across the land removed, the armies of the “kings of the east” will march towards the land of Israel, where the armies of the Anti-Christ will be waiting.
Q: Where will these armies meet?
A: The armies of the Anti-Christ and those of the King of the Mongols will confront each other on the plain of Jezreel (Jehoshaphat) by the ancient city of Megiddo in central Israel. The final battle between these two armies will begin at a place called Armageddon. This will fulfill the vision of John, and the prediction made by the Hebrew prophet Joel.
“And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.” (Revelation 16: 16)
“For, behold, in those days, and in that time, when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem, I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.” (Joel 3: 1-2)
“Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat: for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about. Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get you down; for the press is full, the fats overflow; for their wickedness is great.”
“Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision.” (Joel 3: 12-14)
Q: What will happen in the valley of decision?
A: When these two armies face each other on the open plains of the valley of Jezreel, they will have been responsible between them for the death of a third of the population of the planet. Natural disasters and plagues will have killed another third.
A fight to the death between the Anti-Christ and his foe could possibly see the end of all human life on earth. The Bible predicts that for the sake of the “elect”, there will finally be an end to this bloodshed before it is too late.
“And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.” (Matthew 24: 22)
It is at this point that the forces of Light will intervene. The Bible says that this will be the moment when the “Son of man” will return to the earth in the company of his angels. He will be seen coming in the clouds with power and great glory to save the “elect”, which will be the remnant that will have endured in faith to the end.
“For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” (Matthew 24: 27)
“And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.”
“And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” (Matthew 24: 30-31)
Q: What will happen to the Anti-Christ?
A: The Anti-Christ and his armies, and all those gathered in the valley of Jezreel, will face the time of judgment when they will be forced to account for their actions. Those who are found worthy will be saved. Those who are not will be cast into the fire. John describes their fate in the following words:
“After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;”
“And cried with a loud voice, saying, salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, saying, Amen: blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.”
“And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, what are these which are arrayed in white robes? And whence came they? And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, these are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”
“Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat.”
“For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.” (Revelation 7: 9-17)
“And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.”
“And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.”
“And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.” (Revelation 19: 19-21)
“And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, and cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled.” (Revelation 20: 2-3)
Then will Jesus return to the earth just as he promised at the end of his earthly life some two thousand years ago. He will be accompanied by his angels and those who are found worthy and spared on the Day of Tribulation at the time of the comet.
They will be joined by all those who suffered under the reign of the Anti-Christ and who gave up their lives in defence of their faith. They will arise from their graves to inherit their promised reward.
“And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.” (Revelation 20: 4)
Allan, The Reign of the Anti-Christ, January 17, 2020, 10:07 am
A: This man will have the ability to influence vast numbers of people. He will be a man of the people and loved by the people. His magnetic personality will attract followers from all walks of life. He will be a leader who will have the ability to inspire confidence in others and convert them to his own ideas.
But by far his greatest strength will be his ability to communicate with others. He will be a superb orator and his words will mesmerize his audiences. He will know exactly what to say in every situation. He will use technology to spread his ideas and he will be the master of every medium of publicity.
Q: Will the Anti-Christ perform miracles?
A: Yes. The Bible makes it clear that the man referred to as “the beast” in the Book of Revelation will have the ability to perform miracles. He will have the power to do the same things that Jesus did during his ministry on the earth. He will have the power to heal the sick and feed the hungry. He will even have the power to raise the dead.
These spectacular miracles will convert millions of people to his cause. They will be convinced that he is a true son of God, as only a divine being would surely be capable of performing such miracles. And because he will talk and act like a divine being, many will be convinced that he actually is the risen Christ who has returned to the earth.
Jesus said that this would be the time when men and women would have to choose between his own words and the words of this false Christ. Many people would make the wrong decision. They are the ones who would be led astray.
“Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.”
“Behold, I have told you before. Wherefore if they shall say unto you, behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.”
“For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” (Matthew 24: 23-26)
Q: Is the Anti-Christ someone who is already well known?
A: No. The man who will be the Anti-Christ is not yet in the public eye. Until the time comes when the world is ready to receive him, he will continue to live in obscurity. Any attempt to try to find out who this person is before his time will be met with failure.
Q: When will the world be ready to receive him?
A: The world will not be ready to receive him until three conditions have been met. The first condition is that the existing political and economic system of the world must be in ruins. The second is that those who are to be taken from the world must have already left. The third condition is that those people who still remain on the earth must be looking for someone to lead the world out of chaos.
The comet that will shortly approach the earth will fulfill all of these conditions. Not only will there be physical and economic devastation on the earth when the “great mountain” strikes the sea, but this will be the moment when those who are worthy will be taken from the planet. And those who are left in the world will be shattered by these changes.
This is the moment in history when the man born to be the Anti-Christ will enter the world stage. But there will be no fanfare, no blaze of publicity to announce his arrival. He will come as an ordinary man, just like so many other ordinary people, who will be struggling to survive the aftermath of these catastrophes.
But this will be the moment when he will begin his appointed mission on the earth. This will be the time that he will begin to display his dazzling talents and his miraculous powers. News of his amazing abilities will travel fast. He will be sought out by the multitudes and followers will gather around him in greatnumbers.
This is the time when he will begin his new world religion. It will be a religion based on love for all human beings. It will be a religion embracing peace among all the nations of the world.
After the chaos and the plagues that will have afflicted humanity at this time, his message will seem like an answer to the prayers of an anguished world. It will seem to those who are left on the earth that he truly is a man of God.
Q: If he is the Anti-Christ, why would he do good things?
A: Humanity has long been misled about the nature of the Anti-Christ. Almost everyone believes that he will start out as a man of evil who will commit unspeakable acts of horror against all those who cross his path. They could not be more wrong. When he first begins his mission on the earth, he will come in the guise of the Prince of Peace. He will seem like Jesus reborn.
That is why he will be able to gather such an adoring throng of followers and why he will be worshipped as a living God. Everything he says or does will seem divine. That is why it will be so difficult for the “elect” to decide whether to follow him or not. He will appear before them as an apostle of the Light rather than an agent of Darkness.
These people will consider him to be a God, because of the way that they feel when they are in his presence. That is why Jesus warned his followers;
“Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.” (Matthew 7: 15)
Jesus told his disciples how to tell the difference between a true prophet and a false prophet:
“A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.” (Matthew 7: 18-20)
This is why the Anti-Christ will deceive so many, because at first, he will “bring forth good fruit”. This is why the Anti-Christ will not be recognized for what he really is and why so many people will make the wrong choice. If he were to appear on the world scene as a “ravening wolf” he would immediately be recognized to be a man of evil, and would quickly be rejected by the people.
But because he will come as a saviour of mankind, who will heal the sick and feed the poor, he will be welcomed by millions of people who will willingly become his followers. And as more people join his cause so other people will feel that they should become his followers as well.
Those who try to speak out publicly against this man will be ridiculed. Anyone who tries to suggest that this apparent man of God is actually a demon in disguise will be attacked. The Anti-Christ will not need to act against anyone himself. His own followerswill do this for him. They will be quick to take vengeance on those who oppose him.
It will take a very bold person to speak out publicly against the Anti-Christ in those times. Those who do will be treated as heretics. They will be scorned and rejected and tortured for their beliefs. They will be hated by all and put to death for daring to challenge his teachings.
This will be the time when families will be split between those who support the Anti-Christ and those who still choose to follow the words and warnings of Jesus. This will be the time when brothers will betray brothers and children will betray their parents, as predicted in the Bible:
“Now the brother shall betray the brother to death, and the father the son; and children shall rise up against their parents, and shall cause them to be put to death.” (Mark 13: 12)
“And ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death. And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake.” (Luke 21: 16-17)
“Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.” (Matthew 24: 9-10)
Q: Will the Anti-Christ be a political leader as well?
A: When the man destined to become the Anti-Christ first appears on the world scene, he will come as a man of God, preaching love and peace among all nations. He will perform miracles. He will heal the sick and feed the hungry. He will be seen as a saviour in mankind’s darkest hour after the destruction caused by the comet.
Only when he has achieved world-wide fame and recognition as a divine being will he become a political leader. In fact he will hardly need to seek it. This leadership will be thrust upon him by his followers and by those who have tired of their leaders in the past. He will become a political leader by acclamation.
Q: Where will his political power be based?
A: The Anti-Christ will establish his worldly throne in Europe. If he is to fulfill the prophecies of the Bible he will be based in the “city of seven mountains”, which is Rome. Because of the devastation caused by the floods that will follow the encounter with the comet, Rome will be the natural center of what is left of Western Europe.
But once he becomes a political leader something will happen that will change his character completely. This event will transform him from an apostle of Light into an agent of Darkness. This will be the time when the world will discover his dark side and his ruthless capacity for evil.
Q: What will this event be?
A: He will be assassinated. He will be mortally wounded in the head. His body will be pronounced dead at the scene. But this will be the moment when he will astound the world, for he will make a miraculous recovery from his fatal injury. His body will be restored to life and he will be completely healed.
Then will be the time when the vision of John, as recorded in the Book of Revelation, will be fulfilled:
“And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded unto death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.”
“And they worshipped the dragon which gave power to the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, who is like unto the beast? Who is able to make war with him?”
“And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.”
“And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.”
“And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.” (Revelation 13: 3-7)
The next forty-two months after this miraculous recovery will be the darkest time in the history of the earth. It will be the time when the Anti-Christ will go forth in an orgy of blood, killing all those who resist him.
Not content with being a religious leader worshipped by millions, and a political leader with vast power at his command, the Anti-Christ will now choose this moment to be crowned as a living God.
Q: Why will the Anti-Christ go to Jerusalem to be crowned?
A: Because the Great Temple will be the focal point of the Jewish religion, this will be the place where the Anti-Christ will come when he is ready to be crowned as a living God. His purpose in coming to Jerusalem will be to destroy the Jewish religion.
This will be the time of the “abomination of desolation” predicted by Daniel. It will also be the time when the Anti-Christ will begin his campaign to kill all those who worship any other God but himself.
When the Anti-Christ travels to Jerusalem, he will no longer come as a man of peace. This time he will come with his conquering armies. They will lay waste to the countryside and devastate the cities of Israel. The only hope that the Jews will have of escaping death will be to escape into the mountains. This will be the time that Jesus warned his followers about.
“When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand.)”
“Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!”
“But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.” (Matthew 24: 15-21)
According to the prophet Zechariah, when the Anti-Christ enters Jerusalem and begins his reign of terror, two thirds of all the Jews alive at that time will be killed. The remaining third of the population will be tried in the fires of the tribulation that will follow.
“Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the Lord of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered: and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones.”
“And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the Lord, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein.”
“And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, it is my people: and they shall say, the Lord is my God.”(Zechariah 13: 7-9)
Those who can survive the trials that will take place over the next forty-two months will be purified. They will be rewarded with eternal life when the Great Redeemer returns to the earth to judge the wicked.
Q: What sort of trials will they have to endure?
A: They will have to face trials of persecution, torture and death. But these will probably seem easy compared to the physical hardship of trying to survive in the mountains, and the challenge of finding food and water in a desert land. But it will not just be the Jews who will have to cope with these calamities. They will affect all the people on the earth.
This period of tribulation will be the time when the Four Horseman of the Apocalypse will ride, bringing with them famine, war, disease and death. The death toll from these plagues will be enormous. As John wrote in his Book of Revelation, one quarter of the entire population left on the earth will fall victim to these plagues.
“And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.” (Revelation 6: 2)
“And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.” (Revelation 6: 4)
“And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.” (Revelation 6: 8)
During this time the earth will be afflicted by periods of extreme heat. This heat will cause streams and riverbeds to dry up and people will desperate to find water to drink. Due to the extended droughts, crops will fail, and famine will spread throughout the world. Unsanitary conditions will lead to the outbreaks of many different kinds of disease.
For many people who are caught up in these hellish conditions, the pain of living will cause them to yearn for death as a way to escape these plagues. Yet the Bible says that even death will elude those who look for a way out. They will be forced to suffer.
“And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them.” (Revelation 9: 6)
Continued in Part Three
Allan, The Reign of the Anti-Christ, January 10, 2020, 1:45 pm
More than 2,500 years ago the Hebrew prophet Daniel predicted that a child would be born in the “latter days” of the earth, before the return of the Christ. This child would grow up to be a mighty King who would rule many nations and cause his enemies to tremble.
“And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up.”
“And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people.”
“And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand.” (Daniel 8: 23-25)
In his vision of the events that would occur shortly before the return of the true Christ, John wrote in chapter thirteen of the Book of Revelation:
“And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.” (Verse 1)
“And the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.” (Verse 2)
“And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, who is like unto the beast? Who is able to make war with him?” (Verse 4)
“And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.” (Verse 7)
As was pointed out in Part Three of The Three Days of Darkness, shortly before he died, St. Francis of Assisi called together his followers and warned them of the coming tribulation, saying:
“The time is fast approaching in which there will be great trials and afflictions; perplexities and dissensions, both spiritual and temporal, will abound; the charity of many will grow cold, and the malice of the wicked will increase.
“At the time of this tribulation a man, not canonically elected, will be raised to the Pontificate, who, by his cunning, will endeavor to draw many into error and death. Then scandals will be multiplied, our Order will be divided, and many others will be entirely destroyed, because they will consent to error instead of opposing it.
“Sanctity of life will be held in derision even by those who outwardly profess it, for in those days JESUS CHRIST WILL SEND THEM NOT A TRUE PASTOR, BUT A DESTROYER”.
So, the man that the Old Testament prophet Daniel called “a king of fierce countenance”, and who was referred to by St John simply as “the beast”, is revealed by St Francis to be the “DESTROYER” of mankind.
Based on what these sources have indicated, it is clear that this coming manifestation of Satan Incarnate will be the agent of greater destruction than any of the other ruthless conquerors in the prior history of the earth.
Yet when he appears on the world scene, he will not be regarded as a tyrant or as a menace to society. Instead, he will be welcomed as a saviour and as a man of peace. In fact, he will rival the Prince of Peace himself.
The Bible makes it clear that the man referred to as “the beast” in the Book of Revelation will have the power to perform miracles. He will have the power to heal the sick and feed the hungry. He will even have the power to raise the dead.
He will be a man of the people and loved by the people. His magnetic personality will attract followers from all walks of life. He will be a leader who will have the ability to inspire confidence in others and convert them to his own ideas.
His greatest talent will be his ability to communicate. He will be a superb orator and his words will mesmerize his audiences. He will know exactly what to say in every situation. He will use technology to spread his ideas, and will be a master of every medium of publicity.
Because millions of people believe that only a divine being can perform miracles, they will be convinced that this man actually is the risen Christ who has returned to the earth as he promised. They will not realise until it is too late that “by peace he shall destroy many”.
We can find an echo of the words of the prophet Daniel in a dream which occurred to a young man in 1980. Pastor Ken Peters of Corona, California, is regarded by many as one of the leading interpreters of end-time prophecy in the world today.
While he was still in his teens, Ken had a vivid dream. At the time, he was not a practising Christian, nor did he have any interest in Bible prophecy. Yet, as a result of this dream, he committed his life to Christ and to spreading the news of his dream.
As he explains in this brief video below, in the aftermath of the three days of darkness causing world-wide destruction, there will arise a man who will come to dominate the world. Ken calls him “the most handsome man I have ever seen”.
The Oracle of Tolemac has much to say about the man who will rule the world for a period of seven years, and “who will destroy wonderfully”. Here are a few excerpts from The Last Days of Tolemac, which are set out in question and answer format.
Q: How do we know that the tribulation will last seven years?
A: In his Book of Revelation, John divides this time of tribulation into two parts. The first part starts from the time that the “great mountain” is cast into the sea, up to the time when the Anti-Christ goes to Jerusalem to crown himself a living God, which is referred to in the Bible as the “abomination of desolation”.
The second part covers the period from the “abomination” up to the time when Jesus returns to the earth on the Day of Judgment. John gives the length of these two periods in chapter eleven of his Book of Revelation.
“But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.”
“And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.” (Revelation 11: 2-3)
From the time that the Anti-Christ begins his mission on the earth after the destruction caused by the comet, up to the time when he travels to Jerusalem, there will be 1,260 days. This amounts to three years and five and a half months.
The period from the “abomination” of the Anti-Christ up to the return of Jesus is recorded as forty-two months, or three and a half years. This is the same time period mentioned by John in chapter thirteen of the Book of Revelation.
“And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.” (Revelation 13: 5)
This seven-year period of tribulation will begin when the comet approaches the earth. It will be followed almost immediately by a series of tidal waves that will devastate coastal cities everywhere. Then will begin the “fiery hail” of meteorites that will set fire to the earth.
The scale of death and destruction caused by this catastrophe will be without parallel in the history of the earth. A third of all the creatures in the sea will die. A third of all the ships in the sea will be destroyed.Hundreds of millions of people in every nation will die on that terrible day that will soon come to pass.
Q: When will this destruction happen?
A: It will come at a time when the country of Israel is in peril. This will be the sign to all the peoples of the world that the “last days” are at hand. The Middle East is the key to the prophecies of the last days and the destruction that is to follow. The secret to understanding the prophecies of the future lie in the history of the past.
Some 3,500 years ago, when Moses was herding sheep, he was attracted to the sight of a burning bush on the side of Mount Horeb. When he approached the bush a voice spoke to him out of the flames, saying:
“I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.”
“And the Lord said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows;”
“And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey.” (Exodus 3: 6-8)
We have already seen how Moses took the Hebrew slaves out of Egypt and after many years of wandering led them to the Promised Land of milk and honey, which is where they live today. But it was the devastation caused by a comet and the plagues that followed that persuaded Pharaoh to allow Moses to leave Egypt. As it was in the past, so will it be in the future.
For just as a comet came to the aid of the people of Israel in their time of affliction in the past, so another comet will come to save them from great danger in the days that lie ahead. And just as happened in the days of Moses, this comet will appear at exactly the right moment in history.
From the point of view of the Jews, the appearance of this comet will seem like a miracle, because it will not only save them from disaster, but it will also cause their enemies to be destroyed.
Q: Why should God save the Jews and kill their enemies?
A: God does not save one group of people and destroy another. But the Jews have a special link with the events that are about to unfold on the earth. For it was out of Israel that Jesus was born to bring his message of hope and light to the world, and it will be to Israel that he will return at the end of the age as the Redeemer of mankind.
The early Hebrew prophets like Ezekiel, Daniel, Joel, Malachi, Zechariah and others, not only predicted events that would occur in their own times, but they also predicted the events that are about to happen in our own times.
It was the prophet Ezekiel who set out in detail what would happen in Israel during the “last days”, and it was Ezekiel who predicted exactly when the comet would return. The divine plan that has been slowly unfolding on the earth for thousands of years is about to reach its appointed climax.
Q: When will the Great Tribulation begin?
A: Many of you will now understand the prophecies recorded in the Bible, and the events that will unfold during the seven-year period leading up to the return of the Christ. As has been prophesied, these “last days” will begin and end in Israel.
You will know that the time of the tribulation is at hand when you see the nation of Israel surrounded by the armies of its enemies. Ezekiel refers to these armies as those belonging to “Gog”, “Persia”, “Ethiopia” and “Libya”, as well as “all his bands”.
“And say, thus saith the Lord God; behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal: Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet:”
“Gomer, and all his bands; the house of Togarmah of the north quarters, and all his bands: and many people with thee.”
“Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands, and many people with thee.” (Ezekiel 38: 3-9)
The nation of “Gog” in the land of “Magog”, refers to the countries of Russia and the allies that will come from the “north parts”. The armies that will march on Israel will be a huge Islamic Confederation that will be drawn from all the Arab countries that surround Israel.
This vast mechanized army will assemble on the borders to the north, south and east of Israel. But before it can move into Israel itself, the entire armed force will be overcome by the natural disasters caused by the comet. Ezekiel writes that only “a sixth part” of the invading armies will survive.
“Therefore, thou son of man, prophesy against Gog, and say, thus saith the Lord God; behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal: And I will turn thee back, and leave but the sixth part of thee, and will cause thee to come up from the north parts, and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel:”
“And I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thine arrows to fall out of thy right hand. Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou, and all thy bands, and the people that is with thee: I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts of the field to be devoured.”
“Thou shalt fall upon the open field: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord God. And I will send a fire on Magog, and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles: and they shall know that I am the Lord.”
“So will I make my holy name known in the midst of my people Israel; and I will not let them pollute my holy name any more: and the heathen shall now that I am the Lord, the Holy One in Israel. Behold, it is come, and it is done, saith the Lord God; this is the day whereof I have spoken.” (Ezekiel 39: 1-8)
After the comet has passed, the countryside will be littered with the wreckage of armaments and the bodies of the dead. So many people will die on the open plains that it will take the Israelis seven months to bury them all. During that time the stench of rotting flesh will fill the air. Wild beasts and birds of prey will feed on the carcasses of the dead.
“And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will give unto Gog a place there of graves in Israel, the valley of the passengers on the east of the sea: and it shall stop the noses of the passengers: and there shall they bury Gog and all his multitude: and they shall call it the valley of Hamongog.”
“And seven months shall the house of Israel be burying of them, that they may cleanse the land.” (Ezekiel 39: 11-12)
“And, thou son of man, thus saith the Lord God; speak unto every feathered fowl, and to every beast of the field, Assemble yourselves, and come; gather yourselves on every side to my sacrifice that I do sacrifice for you, even a great sacrifice upon the mountains of Israel, that ye may eat flesh, and drink blood.” (Ezekiel 39: 17)
Ezekiel writes that when the people of Israel see that their enemies have been destroyed, and that they have been spared from destruction by means of a divine miracle, they will be converted into fervent believers. They will understand that their nation truly is a nation of destiny, and that they have a special Covenant with God.
“And I will set my glory among the heathen, and all the heathen shall see my judgment that I have executed, and my hand that I have laid upon them. So the house of Israel shall know that I am the Lord their God from that day and forward.” (Ezekiel 39: 21-22)
Q: How will this change the nation of Israel?
A: The state of Israel will be completely transformed. Whereas up until this time the nation will be divided by fierce political rivalries, the Jews will now come together with a renewed sense of unity and purpose. They will rebuild their nation according to the teachings of Moses.
They will be assisted in this by another miracle. Because their enemies will have been utterly routed by the disasters caused by the comet, the Jews will be free at last to build a new Temple of Solomon on its traditional site on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem.
Q: What will happen to the Dome of the Rock and the Al Aqsa Mosque?
A: The sacred shrines that now stand on the Temple Mount in the old city of Jerusalem will collapse. The earthquakes and the meteorites will leave both of these holy places in ruins, allowing the Jews to build a third Temple, to replace the one that was destroyed by the Romans.
When this Temple is rebuilt according to the original plans, the Jews will once again restore their practice of sacrificial worship in the Tabernacle of the Temple. The Sanctuary will once again be a place of ritual purity, and it will be the focal point of the Jewish religion.
The Jews will not be prevented from worshipping in this Temple, even though this will be the time when the Anti-Christ will be gathering followers throughout Western Europe. At this time the Anti-Christ will be seducing many with his talk of peace and love. He will not yet show his diabolical side.
This will not come about until he is assassinated, and is then miraculously brought back to life. It is then that he will seek to be recognized as a living God and worshipped by all the peoples of the world. This will be the time when he will go to Jerusalem to be crowned.
Continued in Part Two
Allan, The Reign of the Anti-Christ, January 3, 2020, 11:59 am
In 1987 I wrote a book called “The Cosmic Web”. It began with the following words:
“The central theme of this book is that each of us spins a web of thought which becomes for us our personal reality. This web of thought creates the world we see around us, the creatures that inhabit it, the mountains and the seas, the forces of nature, as well as the vast cosmos of intergalactic space.
“Everything that we experience in this universe is a product of our minds. This cosmic web of thought becomes for us a paradise or a prison. And because we ourselves have spun this web, each one of us is free to change it if we wish. We truly are the gods and creators of our cosmic playground, and the art of living becomes the art of spinning what we want”.
The book consisted of twenty chapters which are summarised below.
Chapter One – The Tangled Web
The chapter begins with a statement of the central theme of the book, which is that each one of us spins a cosmic web of thought, which becomes for us our personal reality.
Because the universe is a subjective phenomenon, and not an objective reality, as we have for so long believed, we are always free to recreate our personal universe in a way which conforms to our desires. Each one of us is free to spin a web of personal belief which then reveals itself as our individual reality.
This theme is not new. It is shown to be an idea that has its roots in the earliest writings of humanity. It has been echoed by spiritual Sages from generation to generation. It is also an idea that has found corroboration in the discoveries of nuclear physics.
The book is an investigation of personal reality, and draws on a richly varied cast, including ancient philosophers and modern scientists. It is illuminated by evidence drawn from an eclectic range of sources. In the investigation of reality, it examines particular anomalies which at present defy conventional scientific explanation. In so doing, it is guided by the maxim of John Herschel, who observed that:
“The occurrences which, according to received theories, ought not to happen, are the facts which serve as clues to new discoveries.”
The chapter concludes with selected anecdotes, each of which details a specific occurrence which, according to accepted scientific thinking, ought not to have happened, yet which clearly has happened. These cases serve to illustrate the tangled web of confusion which surrounds our current perception of reality.
Each of these cases is further analysed in succeeding chapters, in a way which reveals an insight into a new view of the universe.
Chapter Two – An Arc of Light
In this chapter, the medieval concept of the universe is outlined, together with the major historical developments whereby this medieval system of thought gave way, step by step, to the edifice of classical science that existed at the dawn of the nuclear age.
Reality, according to the medieval system of thought, is described within its context of Judaeo-Christian theory, as embellished by Aristotelian philosophy.
This geocentric view of the universe, with man as the centre of creation and the reason for its being, was undermined, first by Copernicus and later by Galileo. Despite the determined efforts of the Church to withstand these onslaughts, a new approach towards an understanding of reality became established in the form of empirical science, whereby speculative theory became subject to observational confirmation.
This new system of analysis reached its zenith in the life and work of Isaac Newton, who was able to link specific features of the natural world together in precise mathematical relationships, which could then be confirmed by physical experiment.
Although Newton deferred to the idea of an omnipotent creator, who was responsible for the harmonious conduct of the universe, this divine role in the workings of nature was opposed by Rene Descartes. His ideas subsequently led to the emergence of a mechanical view of nature, in which the universe was considered to be bound by distinct and inviolable laws of behaviour.
These laws reduced the universe to a phenomenon that was both consistent and predictable. This comfortable world of classical science was shattered by the explosion of the atomic bomb. While this revolutionary development has pitched the world into an age of potential cataclysmic destruction, it also heralds an era of understanding which promises, ultimately, to enable humanity to transcend the apparent limitations of matter, energy, space and time.
Chapter Three – The Embarrassing Menagerie
The discoveries of the inner constituents of the atom provided scientists with revolutionary insights into the nature of reality.
It was only in the twentieth century that scientists acquired the means to delve into the structure of the atom, and to discover its constituents. Initial experiments were conducted by Ernest Rutherford, who used radioactive energy in the form of alpha particles to bombard the atom.
However, these radioactive particles had insufficient strength to penetrate the nucleus. Scientists then began to develop special devices which enabled them to accelerate particles artificially to the point where they had sufficient energy to smash the atomic nucleus.
These collision experiments led to the discovery of numerous hitherto unsuspected particles. Instead of the few elementary particles which scientists had expected to discover inside the atom, they were astonished to find more and more new particles. These particles were not stable in themselves, but broke down spontaneously into yet other particles.
The atom, which had previously been considered to be a dense piece of ultimate matter, was now found to host a menagerie of subsidiary particles, none of which were either fixed or elementary.
The subatomic world came to be recognised as a constant interchange of energy; a cosmic dance of creation and annihilation. Atoms were found to possess no ultimate ingredients. Furthermore, the predictability of the old interpretation of reality depended on the ability to make fixed measurements of the movements of individual particles. Werner Heisenberg demonstrated that this was impossible, because the very act of measurement altered the motions of the particles concerned.
The classical idea of a predictable world had to be abandoned. This unpredictability made the world a more insecure place, but it led scientists to glimpse the possibility that the universe might not actually be the product of fixed laws. It might, in fact, be subject to the manipulation of our minds.
Chapter Four – Creators of the Universe
Classical scientists considered space and time as separate aspects of nature that existed independently of each other. It was the paradox of the consistency of the recorded speed of light which led Albert Einstein to challenge this assumption.
Einstein proved that the speed of light could only be constant if space and time themselves changed, and did so in relation to the observer. The classical concept of space and time thus had to be replaced by a single unified concept of space/time. Any change in the one would inevitable lead to an alteration of the other.
Einstein also showed that matter was equivalent to energy. The energy which existed in matter was not inert, however, for it seemed to display intelligence, as shown in the double-slit experiment of light. John Clauser and Stuart Freedman demonstrated further that one particle was capable of influencing another, even though the two particles were vast distances apart.
This demolished the classical principle of local causes, which required that physical effects must necessarily be the result of directly related causes. Particles seemed, in fact, to know precisely what other particles were doing, and were able to alter their behaviour accordingly.
Because the entire universe is comprised of the same substratum of energy, it is not possible at the subatomic level to separate one object from another. Furthermore, whatever is seen is not independent of the observer, for the observer always interacts with what is observed.
The “observer” of classical science has had to be replaced by the term “participator”. Quantum mechanics has thus shown that there is no such thing as a universe that is separate from the observer. Whatever is seen is inextricably bound up with the mind of the observer.
The universe thus resolves itself into a subjective phenomenon appearing in consciousness. This leads to the revelation that it is we ourselves who hold the key to creativity, and that we are not pawns in a giant, uncaring universe. By changing the contents of our minds, we are free to change the nature of our universe.
Chapter Five – In Search of Reality
In its quest for an understanding of the true nature of the universe, science has been led, gradually but inexorably, to the study of metaphysics.
In order to learn the true nature of reality, it is necessary to investigate the nature of ourselves, the “participators” in this panorama of creation. This investigation has long been the focus of oriental philosophy, which has its roots in the teachings of the ancient Rishis of India.
The discoveries of these early Rishis were at first transmitted orally to chosen disciples. Later, they came to be written down, and have since passed into the literary tradition, under the title of the Vedas. These writings contain the distillation of the teachings of the ancient Rishis.
They taught that there existed one single Reality, which they called “Brahman”, that underlay all transient forms, and which formed the substratum of the universe.
This Reality had a twin aspect. It was the ultimate principle of creation, yet was itself impervious to change. It also existed at the heart of all conscious life in the form of the “I am” sensation. The Rishis laid down four major paths which led to the personal discovery of this Reality. They were the paths of Bhakti, Karma, Jnana and Raja-Yoga.
The teachings of the Indian Rishis were paralleled by the Chinese sage Lao-Tse, who called this primal Reality Tao. The same ideas permeate the teachings of the Buddha and of the Christ, just as they continue to be taught today by the modern Rishis of India.
Each of the paths delineated by the ancient Rishis has yielded exemplars in the twentieth century, in the persons of Sri Ramakrishna, Mahatma Gandhi, Sri Aurobindo, Sri Ramana Maharshi and Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj.
In order to pursue further the true nature of the phenomenal world, it is easier to refer to the words of these modern mystics, who have themselves transcended the limitations of the mind, and are thus able to provide direct insights into the real nature of the world.
Chapter Six – Into the Void
The Reality which underlies the phenomenal universe is hidden by an obscuring veil, which is the creative womb of all life. All manifested forms emerge from this dark cavern which mystics call the Void.
The power which generates the appearance of form is referred to by the Rishis as Maya. Maya manifests in form through energy which the ancients called Prana. This Prana is not an inert form of energy, but is intrinsically intelligent. All created form thus manifests inherent intelligence. This energy is not only intelligent, but conscious.
This consciousness, which is reflected in the individual creature as the “I am” sensation, is the dim glow of primordial Awareness which characterises Supreme Reality. Consciousness emerges as a natural consequence whenever energy coalesces into form.
It is the by-product of form, and cannot exist independently of form. When the form “dies”, the consciousness associated with that form dissolves, and the primal intelligent energy which made up that form reverts to the undifferentiated state of the Void. The same principle animates all created form.
It is the presence in consciousness of the sense “I am”, which gives rise to personality. Images generated by the projecting power of Maya are displayed upon the screen of consciousness. These images are retained by the faculty of memory.
By linking successive images together in memory upon the thread of the “I am”, the illusory personality emerges. This personality has no basis in Reality, but is a consequence of the projection of images in consciousness. Each personality is thus a sequence of images, held together in memory. When consciousness subsides into the primal energy of the Void, the imagined personality vanishes with it.
Just as the personality is an illusory creation arising out of the projections of Maya, so the world is equally illusory. The phenomenal world is simply a series of images projected in consciousness. The personality and the world share similar natures, and are mutually independent.
The appearance of personality is always accompanied by an appearance of the world, and vice-versa. The apparent age of the universe is equally illusory, for it is continually being created, moment by moment, in consciousness.
Chapter Seven – The Eye of the Mind
We have become so conditioned by the evidence of our senses, that we confidently claim that what we sense is a true reflection of an outer world that exists independently of ourselves.
Yet we are surrounded by evidence which demonstrates that what we sense is illusory and is, in fact, a projection of our minds. The most common evidence of this projective process is the phenomenon of hallucination.
Various examples are given of these and other visionary states that are conjured up by psychedelic substances. The experiences of Aldous Huxley are used to describe the nature of these experiences, as well as the sense of reality which they impart.
While hallucinogenic experiences are most frequently prompted by chemical agents, they can equally well be triggered by such states as exertion, stress or emotional shock. Instances of such cases are provided.
Ultimately, however, no outward stimulus at all is needed for the mind to create hallucinogenic effects. They can be experienced merely by stopping the customary flow of images to the brain. Deprived of outer stimulation, the mind cunningly substitutes images, sounds, smells, etc. of its own selection, as experiments in sensory deprivation conducted by John Lilly clearly show.
Further examples of subjective projections are those of religious visions. The experiences recounted by Carl Jung testify to their scope and veridical nature. Finally, there is the universal experience of dreams, which demonstrate the ability of the mind to project images and events which rival, in every respect, those of the “real” world.
All of these examples show vision to be a projective faculty of mind, rather than a simple process of witnessing a real, outer world.
A detailed examination of the accepted process of vision reveals that science is unable to contribute any understanding of the way in which electrical signals in the brain are converted into images in consciousness. The brain, in fact, is actually a creation of the mind, and not the other way around, as sages and mystics have long testified.
Chapter Eight – The Realm of Thought
Every visionary state, including that of the waking world, is characterised by a series of fleeting images registered upon our conscious minds. All these worlds are dependent on consciousness, and vanish when consciousness disappears.
We have imagined our waking images to be products of our physical brains. Yet, as the Sages have confirmed, our brains, as well as our bodies, are themselves images contained in the mind. The mind itself is nothing more than a sequence of thoughts. Our entire universe is simply a collection of thoughts.
Without thought, there can be no universe and no presiding personality. Our personal reality is a creation of thought. Each system of reality is unique to each thinker, and varies from one personality to another. There is no outer universe that is common to all people.
Each one of us creates our own universe, which takes its character from the contents of our minds. As we change the contents of our minds, so the nature of the universe that we experience changes too. Because we are also creatures of thought, if we wish to change our personalities, we have only to change the nature of our thinking. This is the testimony of the Sages.
Not only is the content of our universe shaped by our thoughts, but the experiences which befall us are moulded by our desires. We are free to determine the nature of our experiences in life by choosing the nature of our desires.
The crucial element in the creative process of desire is faith, which is the determination to act on our desires in the confident belief that they will come to pass. The stronger the desire, and the more clearly it is focussed in the mind, the more quickly it is able to manifest in physical form.
The universe is infinitely plastic. It can be moulded into any shape we wish. It responds to any desire that is imprinted upon the mind that projects it. There are no rules, nor are there any laws which limit the potential expression of the universe. We are ever free to spin the cosmic web of our dreams.
Chapter Nine – Shades of the Prison-House
The unborn child lives at first like an enlightened Sage, being a simple witness to events which are reflected on the screen of consciousness. As the child grows, it begins to associate its sense of being, the “I am” within, with the images it witnesses. The images then begin to be held in memory, creating a sequential path of personality.
To the infant, the images that it sees are initially mere reflections in consciousness. As the personality seeks to interact with these images, however, it learns to project these images, and in so doing to create for itself a three-dimensional world filled with objects in space that are subject to events in time.
In the creation of its world, the young child is guided by the thought-forms of its parents, and later by the thinking that is characteristic of its culture. Each child thus learns to create for itself a world that is commonly shared by others in that society. This acquisition of culture is a process of moulding the thinking of the child, so that it successfully learns to create a world of consensus.
Although the child is free to create a world of its own choice, it is condemned to isolation unless it learns to create a world that is consistent with that of its own society. It is in this way that the child comes to share a common universe of experience. It learns to spin a cosmic web of thought that matches the common pattern.
The world which the child comes to inhabit is always a limitation of its potential freedom. The world that it creates serves ultimately to confine the personality within the constraints of its own thinking. In the process of growth the child comes to be imprisoned within the boundaries of belief. Its world is circumscribed by specific rules of behaviour that determine just what can and cannot be done.
These rules are not inherent in the universe. They are simply a reflection of codified beliefs. Yet the boundaries of belief, which effectively limit that personality, only continue to confine it for as long as it chooses to remain bound. It is always free to step beyond the prison walls.
Chapter Ten – Beyond the Grave
The influence of thought reaches beyond the gulf of what is known as death. Just as our beliefs in life influence the experiences of our waking world, so they continue to determine the character of our experiences after death. The play of images in consciousness continues, albeit on a different level.
The influence of belief on experience after death is evidenced by the teachings of the Sages, as well as in such literary works as the Egyptian and Tibetan Books of the Dead.
The evocative worlds of heaven and hell are not eternal verities, but are simply the continued pageant of images projected in consciousness. They have no reality in and of themselves. The sense of identity continues in a different form, and this sequence of experience subsequently gives way to a new cycle of incarnation.
Examples taken from scientific studies of near-death experience, bear out the contention that after-life experience continues within specific confines of belief. The near-death experiences recorded by Western subjects, for example, are entirely different from those recounted by Oriental people.
All after-life experiences, however, are intrinsically illusory, and have no ultimate reality. The soul that believes it has previously died, finds itself born again in new worlds of expression. This sequence of birth and death continues in an unbroken cycle for as long as the soul clings to the idea of personality, and is motivated by the desire for experience.
It is only by voluntarily surrendering its identity, that the individual soul merges into the Universal Reality, in the ultimate state of Enlightenment, as revealed by the Sages.
The chapter ends with a recapitulation of the quest for the meaning of Reality. It retraces the path followed by Western science, and shows how the findings of quantum mechanics have dovetailed with the esoteric teachings of Oriental philosophy. These twin paths of investigation have become united in a common matrix.
This new view of the universe is not mere vacuous philosophy. It is an insight that is pregnant with power.
Chapter Eleven – The Dimensions of Belief
The chapter begins with a review of the Biblical account of how Jesus raised the daughter of the Roman centurion from the dead.
It goes on to illustrate that this incident was not unique to Jesus, as similar resurrections have been performed, both before the time of Jesus, as well as in the modern era. Furthermore, this power is not limited to those of supposed divine origin, but resides in ordinary people as well.
Additional examples are given of other “miraculous” events, in which physical matter has been manipulated by the human mind. Again, this ability has been demonstrated equally by average people as well as by religious saints.
The secret of this ability is shown to lie, not in some form of divine gift given only to righteous devotees of God, but in the logical and precise application of the power of the human mind. The creative potential of the mind is explained, together with those factors which are requisite to successful creation. These factors are also illustrated by means of anecdotal evidence.
The extraordinary events and powers which have come to be termed “miraculous” are generally rejected today, because they conflict with the basic tenets of science. These accepted beliefs of science have effectively reduced the apparent behaviour of the universe to a code of principles or laws.
Quotations from the Sages are used to point out the fallacy of these beliefs. They explain that it is the limiting effect of scientific thought that moulds the universe into functioning as scientists have come to expect.
Being a subjective phenomenon, and not an objective reality, the universe comes to manifest exactly those beliefs which are dominant in the projecting mind.
When limiting beliefs make up the foundation of this projection, limiting results automatically follow. The Sages consistently point to the fact that the universe is the manifestation of a principle that is fundamentally free, and one which can never be reduced to a fixed set of laws.
In order to understand the fallacy of the accepted laws of science, it is necessary to examine more closely the precise way in which these laws have come to be derived.
Chapter Twelve – The Modern Magicians
Western science has its roots in ancient Greece. The Greeks learned to substitute symbols for specific features of the physical world, and then linked these symbols together in the form of mathematical expressions. But whereas the Greeks were satisfied with deductive theory based on analysis alone, modern science has sought to verify its theories by means of empirical experiment.
The basis of all science is observation. Observables are the facts of science. But before observables can become facts, they must first be measured. Something which cannot be measured cannot be admitted as a scientific fact. These facts are valueless, however, unless they can be linked together in a meaningful way. Science has traditionally investigated facts via tentative hypotheses.
Every hypothesis is initially mind-made and subjective. Each hypothesis is at first evaluated by means of carefully controlled experiments. If there is sufficient validating evidence, a hypothesis can now be upgraded to a scientific theory. This theory is then tested further by means of prediction.
If the empirical evidence continues to substantiate the theory, and there is no conflicting evidence, the theory is then elevated to the status of law. All scientific laws have been derived in this fashion.
Quantum mechanics has demonstrated that the central belief of classical science – the idea that it is possible to observe nature “objectively” – is an illusion. Because each observer actively influences the result of each experiment in a unique way, patterned on his or her belief, science can never hope to reduce nature to a series of laws that are binding on all observers.
What science has done, in fact, has been to manipulate the universe, as Thomas Kuhn has pointed out, into a scientific way of thinking. It has slowly beaten nature into behaving according to the requirements of scientific belief. The universe has thus come to manifest those beliefs which are fundamental to scientific thought. This manifestation has then been taken as evidential proof that these scientific laws are true indicators of outer reality.
Science, then, does not expose nature as it “really is”. Rather, it moulds nature according to its own expectations. In so doing, science has come to reveal itself as more akin to magic, and the scientists of today should more properly be viewed as modern magicians.
Chapter Thirteen – The Shifting Paradigm
The mirroring effect, whereby the universe is slowly moulded into a pattern of experience which reflects current thinking, is demonstrated today in the field of paranormal behaviour, where examples of such unexplained behaviour have been christened by the Greek word Psi.
Psi phenomena have, by definition, fallen outside of the scope of traditional science. Yet evidence continues to mount of cases where the mind has been able to influence matter in quite astonishing ways. Numerous examples are quoted of such anomalous phenomena, together with their links to various states of mind.
In the investigation of the paranormal, it is shown why some investigators are successful while others are not, and also why this apparent conflict in nature exists. Other examples are given explaining the significance of the level of humidity in the efficacy of paranormal experiments, as well as the character and level of emotion involved.
As more and more cases of anomalous behaviour occur, it is clear that the existing paradigm of scientific theory has now become ripe for revolutionary change. The need exists for a new insight into nature, which is able to encompass these paranormal dimensions, yet without discounting the validity of what was known before.
The very existence of Psi phenomena serves to prove the limitations of Cartesian dualism, which sought to separate all experience into opposing realms of matter and of mind. The anomalous behaviour which is ever more widely being reported, indicates that a direct link exists between mind and matter. As such, it calls for a new scientific paradigm in which these two opposing realms can be united.
There is evidence to suggest that this new paradigm has already been formulated, in the work of a brilliant, yet hitherto unknown German scientist. The scope of this new paradigm has the potential to open up new vistas of scientific discovery.
It may also reveal the universe to be a far more dazzling place than classical scientists could ever have supposed. The technological marvels which this new paradigm might initiate, could well see mankind’s wildest dreams fulfilled.
Chapter Fourteen – Origins in Upheaval
During medieval times, when the Church of Rome dominated people’s minds, the various species of organic life were considered to be separate and unique creations of an omnipotent God.
It was Charles Darwin who first provided a systematic challenge to this dogma, by suggesting that different species were actually interlinked.
Through a process known as Evolution, which extended over geological spans of time, Darwin proposed that simple forms of life had changed into the more complex, in a linear sequence which culminated in the appearance of man.
The method whereby physical characteristics were transferred from one generation to another, was later found to depend on genes, which determined the precise physical form of every creature. This was the view of creation which had come to dominate the era of classical science.
The discoveries of the twentieth century, however, have done nothing to verify Darwin’s basic theory of evolution. The great problems, which Darwin himself pointed out in his Origin of Species, remain unanswered still.
To a growing body of biologists, not only are there no valid grounds for continuing to support the classical theory of evolution, but they have increasingly come to wonder how such a theory ever came to be accepted as a scientific law.
The legion of flaws now present in the theory of Neo-Darwinism, has led directly to a renewed popularity in Creationism, and an attempt to overthrow science with a return to medieval thinking.
By means of examples and quotations, it is suggested that the new scientific paradigm which now dawns, holds the promise, not only of bridging the Cartesian chasm between matter and mind, but also of resolving the existing crisis between science and the church over the origin of species.
The chapter concludes by pointing to numerous cases which reveal that, because the universe is a subjective phenomenon, and not an objective reality, that has slowly evolved over billions of years, it is always possible to change physical form by the overriding powers of the mind.
Since the entire concept of form is itself mental, there are no ultimate limits to form, nor can physical disabilities limit the potential creativity of the presiding mind.
Chapter Fifteen The Sceptre of Hermes
The chapter begins with a series of anecdotes representative of various forms of healing. It compares aboriginal or shamanistic medicine with that of psychic surgery and faith healing. It points out that each one of these forms of healing has its foundation in a particular framework of belief, which is both necessary and self-serving.
Far from being the products of superstition or gullibility, the efficacy of these systems of healing is shown to be the natural consequence of a new view of healing. This new insight into the healing process, is also a derivative of a new scientific paradigm, which both justifies these methods and validates their techniques. Other illustrations of paranormal behaviour also confirm this conclusion.
By examining the healing arts of ancient China and India, it is possible to see how each traditional form of healing operates within a specific context of belief. These forms of healing continue to be effective only as long as these constellations of belief continue to be held. These examples also serve to show that there is no frame of reference of disease that can be either absolute, or “correct”.
The Western system of healing, based on the pathogenic agency of disease, resolves itself into just another system of belief, among many. While its range of applications may exceed those of primitive societies, the Western approach to disease carries no inherent superiority. Consequently, it can never hope to monopolise the art of healing.
New forms of healing continue to be developed. Each of these relies upon its own framework of belief. Symptoms are diagnosed according to that particular pattern of belief, and treatments are devised accordingly.
Thus the sensation of a particular symptom may be diagnosed as a certain type of disease within one frame of reference, and an altogether different form of malady in another. Neither diagnosis is ultimately “true”. Each is valid within its own context of belief, and a person suffering from that symptom may get relief by either method.
This leads to the conclusion that the true source of all disease operates initially at the level of the mind. Those who recognise this insight, gain the power to heal themselves directly, without resorting to intermediaries in the form of medical practitioners.
Chapter Sixteen – This Manner of Man
Because classical scientists considered the universe to be an objective reality existing in space independently of the observer, they thought that nature operated by means of blind forces over which they had no control.
According to the teachings of the Sages, however, the forces of nature are all subject to the mind. As such, any individual is potentially capable of controlling them. This was illustrated by the “miracle” of Jesus overcoming the wind and waves, and walking on water.
Similar miracles have been performed by numerous other Sages. They have also been demonstrated by ordinary people who, through unusual circumstances, have learned to harness these powers.
Not only do we all possess the power to control the weather, but the weather is at all times a barometer of those thoughts and feelings which create the world. Because of this, the condition of humanity at any particular time may be judged by an evaluation of existing global weather patterns.
Past civilisations which have succumbed to moral decay, have unwittingly brought upon themselves natural disasters on a regional or global scale.
A similar natural catastrophe now seems to be forthcoming, based on the revelations of the Bible and the predictions of such savants as Nostradamus.
Were such a cataclysm to happen in the near future, it would not be the result of chance forces of nature, or the wrath of some divine Creator. It would be the predictable and logical result of those forces which we ourselves have initiated.
The chapter concludes with a review of past anecdotes, pointing out common features in each. It summarises the method whereby we can control the circumstances of our lives, and overcome the limitations of our individual situations. These conclusions are substantiated by references to the actual words of Sages, as well as excerpts from leading spiritual works.
Chapter Seventeen – Creatures of the Mind
This chapter deals with anomalous creatures which defy conventional understanding. Starting with a personal sighting set in the high Himalayas, it includes other representative examples drawn from around the world. It notes the predominance of reports of peculiar lake creatures, which are seen and sometimes photographed, yet are never found or proven to have physical existence.
These strange aquatic creatures have their counterparts on the land, in the form of hairy bipeds, which leave footprints before disappearing, equally mysteriously, into thin air. Accounts are also included of extraordinary flying creatures which defy biological analysis. These mysterious phenomena are shown to have been matched by equally elusive phantoms of the past. Such creatures include fairies, werewolves and vampires.
Drawing upon the ideas developed in the latest theories of science, which parallel the ancient teachings of the Sages, these manifestations are shown to be creations of the mind. They are temporary visitors in our reality from subtler realms of consciousness.
The process whereby these creatures come to manifest is explained, as well as the reason why they soon vanish from sight, back into the planes of mind from which they emerged. These creatures of the mind also point to a deeper truth, which is that all physical matter has its origin in subtler levels of consciousness. Before any form can appear in our physical world, it must first be preceded by its subtle equivalent in a non-physical realm.
It is the recognition of this mental source of physical form that has allowed certain esoteric cultures, in places such as Tibet, to create thought-forms at will. These thought-forms, or Tulpas, have the ability to materialise into our world of flesh and blood. While they manifest, they function just like normal creatures. Reference is made to the French mystic, Alexandra David-Neel, who was able to conjure up a physical being, simply through the powers of her mind.
These materialised thought-forms, or doppelgangers, have been witnessed by people in every culture throughout history. They continue to be witnessed to this day. However, the character and form which these creatures take betrays a particular significance. They serve to reflect the subconscious fears and delusions of humanity.
Chapter Eighteen – The Lure of Reform
We live today in a world of change. Yet we all have to deal with frustrating events that run counter to our desires. If only we could truly mould the world according to our desires, we feel that we would be supremely happy. The problem of our world seems to lie in the fact that we seem powerless to change our worlds as we would like.
This problem, according to the Sages, stems from the fact that we have misunderstood the true nature of our world.
We believe that we are surrounded by an objective world that exists apart from us, and which is subject to forces over which we have no control. Far from being impotent, however, the Sages point out that we have power beyond our imaginings, and that we are free to use this power as we wish.
Though we are easily beguiled by the lure of reform, our attempts at change only seem to increase our frustrations. When confronted by outward difficulties, or the impediments of others, we seek to change our circumstances by imposing our will on others.
But by doing this, we merely add to our difficulties. The secret, according to the Sages, is not to resist our difficulties, or try to change the problems that we see around us.
When we try to compel others to change their ways, we actually increase the force with which they are resisted. Our actions simply add to our sorrows. The paradox of life is that we can only reform our world by reforming ourselves.
Once we recognise this truth, and attend to the challenge of self-reform, social reform follows automatically. A peaceful and harmonious world will only arise when there is peace and harmony in our hearts. Peace can never be imposed from without, no matter how powerful or noble the intent.
The chapter ends with a recent example of how the social reform of an entire community of destitute peasants, living in filth and without hope, was changed by two humble people who chose to reform their hearts. This example illustrates the truth of the age-old refrain of Sages and divinely inspired leaders throughout history.
Chapter Nineteen – The Cosmic Web
This chapter is a recapitulation of the central theme of this book, which is that the world, which appears so real to our senses, is actually an illusion. It is illusory, not because it does not exist, but because what is perceived to exist is not representative of an outer reality.
It draws on the findings of quantum mechanics and the direct experience of mystics, to support the contention that our universe is a projection in consciousness. This projection is created, and recreated, moment by moment. And just as the world cannot exist without an observer, so too the individual observer must be seen to be illusory, and a product of consciousness as well.
Because the universe is not an objective reality, but a subjective projection in consciousness, it follows that the world is influenced by the contents of consciousness, which are thoughts. As thoughts change, so the universe comes to change as well, according to a pattern of belief.
Because experience manifests according to belief, and because belief varies from culture to culture and from age to age, there can be no rules which govern the manifestation of what is taken to be the real world.
Instead of functioning in a predetermined and predictable way, according to the laws that science has formulated, the universe is infinitely flexible, and always responds to any change in the underlying pattern of belief.
The basic plasticity of the world is illustrated by examples, such as “radionics” and dowsing, as developed by such twentieth century innovators as Albert Abrams and Thomas Lethbridge.
The chapter concludes by pointing out that each one of us is free to spin a cosmic web of thought, which then becomes for us our world of personal reality. Yet we remain ever captive within this web, for as long as we choose to spin.
It is only when we attempt, voluntarily, to unravel this web of thought that we have spun, that true freedom can be found. This discovery becomes a revelation of our unlimited potential, and of our ineffable nature.
Chapter Twenty – The Unravelled Web
The final chapter unravels that web of thought with which we have made our personal universe, and reveals that state of supreme freedom which awaits each one of us. This goal is the target of all the religions of this world, and is the ultimate meaning of our lives.
Our universal web of thought is characterised by the ancient symbol of the maze. In order to penetrate to the heart of this labyrinthine web, it is necessary to pursue the thread out of which this entire universe has been constructed, back to its central source. The goal of this endeavour frees us forever from the limitations of the maze.
We are not obliged to spin. Yet for as long as we continue to be prompted by desire, we are bound to spin a universe, which is the theatre in which these desires can be fulfilled. And so, for apparent lifetime after lifetime, we remain caught within the confines of the web.
No matter how refined our web, and no matter how elegant its pattern, we continue to be the captives of our creation. We continue to be bound by the dimensions of matter, energy, space and time.
The secret of the cosmic web is that we are able to transcend these limitations. We can be eternally free. The price of this freedom is the relinquishment of our personal desires. We become free only when we cease to spin. This is the teaching of the Sages.
The nature of this triumph, the transcendence of all limitation, is a joy beyond all telling. This accomplishment is described in the words of the Indian Sage Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj, who reveals it in simple language. Through conversations with various questioners, he allows us to glimpse the nature of this state.
In the attainment of this goal, there is an end to struggle, and an end to sorrow. We are all destined to be free. After long ages of imagined lives, each one of us will finally reach the centre of the maze.
This goal is not remote. It is not something which beckons across the span of time. It is ever within us. It reveals itself as the presence of the “I am”.
The moment of our awakening advances on us NOW.
Finally, for those readers who would like to learn more, a complete digital version of this book is available on Amazon below.
In his Book of Revelation, St John describes a series of disasters that will befall the earth shortly before the return of the Messiah or risen Christ. He divides these disasters into three different categories, each of which is set out in obscure and symbolical language.
The first category consists of the seven seals. Then come the angels with the seven trumpets. The final category consists of the angels with the seven vials (bowls). However, before these disasters begin, there are some who will be spared this tribulation. In chapter seven, John writes:
“And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree.
“And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, saying, hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.
“And I heard the number of them that were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of Israel”. (Revelation 7: 1-4)
As if to emphasize its importance, John goes on to repeat this number two more times in chapter 14:
“And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father’s name written in their foreheads. And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder:
“And I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps: And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth.
“These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the first fruits unto God and to the Lamb.” (Revelation 14: 1-4)
The Rapture
In the two thousand years that have elapsed since these words were written, Christians have come to believe that those who are spared the cataclysms described by St John, will be released from their physical bodies by means of a transcendent experience that has come to be called the “rapture”.
Although the word “rapture” is never mentioned in any of the books of the Bible, it is the word that has come to be used in Christian eschatology when referring to the events that will precede the return of the Christ in the “latter days” spoken of by the prophets.
Shortly before his crucifixion, as Jesus and his disciples were leaving the great temple built by Herod, Jesus prophesied that the entire temple complex would one day be destroyed.
“Verily I say unto you, there shall not be left here one stoneupon another, that shall not be thrown down.” (Matthew 24:2) A short while later, while they were gathered on the Mount of Olives, his disciples asked Jesus to tell them about the events that would occur at the “end of the world”.
Jesus responded by outlining a series of events that would happen upon the earth in those days, as well as in the heavens. He then went on to make an unusual prediction.
“Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.” (Matthew 24:40-41)
St Luke not only refers to this prediction in his own gospel, but he goes on to include something that is of vital importance as the three days of darkness draws near, and that is that this mysterious occurrence will take place at night.
“I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
“Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. And they answered and said unto him, where, Lord? And he said unto them, wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together. (Luke 17: 34-37)
It is this enigmatic prediction by Jesus that has led to widespread controversy within the Church. This confusion has been compounded by the words of St Paul when speaking about the resurrection of the dead. In his first epistle to the Corinthians he writes:
“Behold, I show you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed”. (I Corinthians 15:51-52)
Where will they be taken?
St Paul also referred to this mystery in his first epistle to the Thessalonians when he wrote: “Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air.” (I Thessalonians 4:17)
The actual word used by Paul was the ancient Greek term harpagesometha, meaning “we shall be caught up” or “taken away”. When this passage was subsequently translated into Latin, the word used was rapiemur, also meaning “to catch up” or “take away”.
When the New English version of the Bible was published in 1961, the words used by the translators were “suddenly caught up” or “snatched up”. Because the Greek verb used by Paul implied that what would occur would be “quick or forceful”, they added the word “suddenly” to make this meaning clear.
But if the words used by the translators seemed clear to them when their New Version was published, the event they were describing has subsequently proved to be anything but clear to others. That is because different people have interpreted their words in different ways.
But taken on the face of it, the meaning of this mysterious event seems to be perfectly clear. Those who are taken from their beds, or their fields, will be caught up in the clouds in order to “meet the Lord in the air”. After all, that is where “the eagles gather together”. (Matthew 24: 28)
Jesus assured his disciples that his Father’s house contained “many mansions”, and that he was going to prepare a place for those who followed him so that when the time came, they could be with him.
“Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I goto prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” (John 14: 1-3)
When will the Rapture occur?
One of the questions that has absorbed Biblical scholars over the years is when the prophesied rapture will take place, and who, and how many will be included. Those who have studied this question have differing views about what will happen, but in general they fall into one of three different categories:
Pre-Tribulationists. They believe that all righteous Christians (dead and alive) will be taken up bodily into Heaven before the Tribulation begins
Mid-Tribulationists. They believe that the rapture will take place midway through the Tribulation, or at some point in between
Post-Tribulationists. They believe that Christians will be taken up to Heaven at the end of the Tribulation, where they will join Jesus when he descends to establish his kingdom on earth
But as we have already pointed out, in chapter seven of his Book of Revelation, St John describes how the four angels who have the power to hurt the land and the sea are commanded not to do so until the servants of God (the chosen ones) have been saved.
“And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, saying, hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads”. (Revelation 7: 2-3)
This verse makes it clear that the rapture will precede the onset of the three days of darkness. In fact, if the dreams and visions included in Part Four are to be believed, the rapture will signal the beginning of the seven years of Tribulation. And this is consistent with the past history of the Jews.
When God sees that humanity is corrupt and the earth is filled with violence, as described in the Book of Genesis, he decides to destroy “both man, and beast, and every creeping thing”. But before he does so, he orders Noah to build an ark so he and his family can be saved before the flood begins.
Likewise, when God threatens to rain “fire and brimstone” upon the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19), he first warns Lot and his family so that they can escape before the cities are destroyed. In continuing with this tradition, the faithful will once again be saved before the Tribulation begins.
Pastor Carl Gallups
In confirmation of this point, we need only look at the many dreams and visions of the rapture that have been posted on YouTube. One of the most compelling of these occurred to Pastor Carl Gallups. His video is divided into two parts, as shown below.
Part One
Part Two
Dream Summary
Carl had a dream – yet it was more than dream – when he woke up he could still vividly recall all of the sounds and smells
In his dream he was standing in a field – it was night-time – he was looking up at the stars and the constellations in the sky – behind him he could hear the normal sounds of life from multitudes of people
Then the stars began to take on colours – he saw something that looked like a comet streaking across the sky – then some of the constellations began to move and shift positions
He was filled with awe and wonder – the sounds of life behind him began to express signs of panic – then the stars appeared to fall from heaven – he could hear sounds of terror coming from the people behind him
He became aware of being in the arms of a benevolent presence and then being lifted up – he looked to his left and saw that his wife was with him – they seemed to burst into another dimension
He then saw a scene of incredible beauty – people laughing and a sense of overwhelming peace – he asked if this was paradise – a voice replied saying – welcome home – this is where you will live – then he woke up
Although Carl Gallups was at first reluctant to tell anyone about his dream, several years later he felt the urge to share it with his wife. She sat spellbound while he related the contents of his dream, and then said: “You need to ask your grandson Parker about his rapture dream”.
It so happened that his grandson was due to visit him that very afternoon. When Parker was asked to describe the contents of his dream, which had occurred when he was only three or four years old, he proceeded to tell Carl the exact dream that he had experienced, right down to the smallest detail.
Then about five or six years later, Carl and his son Brandon happened to attend a prophecy conference in Minneapolis. After Carl had finished his speech, he and his son went out into the lobby where they had a table set out with copies of his publications.
Veronica
It was there that Carl saw a woman trying to make her way through the crowd towards him. When she finally reached him, she said that she had heard an inner voice say that Carl would be able to interpret a dream that she had about six months before.
To his utter amazement, the lady, whose name was Veronica, proceeded to describe the same rapture dream that he and his grandson had experienced many years before. There was however one striking difference, and that was in the way that her dream ended.
Instead of rising up into the sky with the angels, as had happened to Carl and his grandson, Veronica said that she had screamed and covered up her face in fear, before waking up. As soon as she started speaking, Carl said that he knew why she had been directed to speak to him.
What is surprising here is that this identical dream occurred to three different people over a span of many years, and yet it served two contrasting purposes. In the case of Carl and his grandson the purpose was to inspire others through their testimony.
In the case of Veronica, its purpose was to warn her that she needed to change her ways. The other remarkable feature about this encounter was that although Veronica was now married and living in Minneapolis, she had grown up in South America in the district of Comas in Lima, Peru.
It was then that Carl explained to her that he had not only heard about this location, but that he had visited it himself on many occasions, because the Baptist Church to which he belonged had been operating a mission school in the district of Comas for many years.
It is worth pointing out that the content of this dream is entirely consistent with Bible prophecy, and that the details described by Pastor Gallups about the rapture bear out the words of Jesus, as well as St Paul, when he wrote:
“Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air.” (I Thessalonians 4:17)
My friend Elise
I am convinced that the dream scenario described by Carl is exactly how the rapture will take place. And the reason I say that is not just because I find his testimony convincing, but because it matches a similar dream that was told to me by my psychic friend Elise, whom I mentioned in Part Six.
On September 30, 2011, Elise called me to say that she had just woken up from a strange dream that seemed to be related to “end times”. In her dream she saw fiery stones (brimstone) falling from the sky. As they struck the earth, they formed pools of burning liquid.
People were rushing everywhere in panic, even ignoring the cries of their own children. In the process of trying to escape, those who stepped into the molten pools died. Elise said that strange plumes of deadly smoke rose up from the ground.
She said that she could also see many tiny points of light that represented souls, and that certain of these souls would be led to safety, even if they happened to be with other people at the time. She was one of those who ran between the smoke and the fires.
Summary
Based on the various prophecies, visions and dreams quoted previously in this series, it is not only possible to explain the meaning of the seven angels with the seven trumpets described in the Book of Revelation, but also to provide a timeline of events that are predicted to unfold upon the earth.
Using the vision of the destruction of Vancouver described by Elise as a guide, as well as the prophecies of the Hopi Indians, it is probable that sometime before October 2026, two comets will appear in the skies above the earth. One of these comets will be coloured blue, and the other red.
According to Hopi prophecy, the Kachina coloured blue is referred to as “the watcher”, while the red Kachina is referred to as “the destroyer”. While it is possible that both of these comets could appear in the sky at the same time, it is more likely that the blue comet will precede the red one.
Since it is referred to as “the watcher”, the blue comet is likely to have a different orbit from the red one. For that reason it will remain visible in the night sky for an extended period, and serve as a warning to humanity of the destruction that is to come.
When the red comet appears, it will soon become apparent that it is on a collision course with the earth. It is then that the various disasters associated with the seven angels and their trumpets will begin, starting with dust particles emanating from the tail of the comet.
Because the nucleus will be composed of significant amounts of iron, it will shower the surface of the earth with enormous quantities of red dust. These red dust particles will contaminate the lakes, rivers and seas, causing them to look like blood.
This contaminated water will not only become thick and muddy, it will prove toxic to anyone who tries to drink it. As the comet draws closer to the earth, the fine dust particles in its tail will give way to larger particles. When these gravel-sized particles reach the outer atmosphere of the earth, they will become white hot with friction and become fiery meteorites that will look like “hail and fire mingled with blood”.
This fiery hail will devastate the entire surface of the planet. It will not only set fire to the grassy plains but also burn up entire forests as well. The damage caused by this shower of incandescent meteorites could easily cause “a third part of them to be burnt up”.
When the nucleus of the comet approaches the earth, a large asteroid will plunge into the sea, causing vast amounts of superheated water, molten rock and other debris to rise high into the upper atmosphere. This will then fall back down to earth in the form of blazing missiles. To those on the ground, it will appear as if “the stars are falling from the sky”.
In part six of “The Day of the Lord”, I described how Efrain Rodriguez had a series of prophetic dreams involving the earth and an asteroid. According to Efrain, this asteroid will hit the Caribbean near the island of Puerto Rico in the middle of the night, just after 2am local time.
As he explained on his website, the impact of this collision will cause a shock wave that will travel around the world at a speed of 300mph (480 kph). It will also cause a world-wide earthquake, as well as a series of gigantic Tsunamis that will spread out in all directions from the point of impact.
And this is where science meets religion. For as St. John has clearly laid out in his Book of Revelation, this will be the time when Bible prophecy will be revealed in the skies above the earth.
This will be the time when the stars will fall from heaven
This will be the time when the Rapture will occur
This will be the time when the three days of darkness will begin
This will be also be the moment when the whole of humanity, including every man, woman and child now living on the planet, will be divided into two groups.
One group will be the few who will be saved when the “stars fall from heaven”. The other will be those left behind to face the “three days of darkness”. And if they can survive that, they will have to endure the seven-year reign of terror conducted by the Anti-Christ.
And each new day that dawns brings us closer to that cold, dark night that will decide our fate.
Allan, The Three Days of Darkness, December 20, 2019, 11:33 am
In chapter six of his Book of Revelation, the apostle John described a time of devastation and destruction that would befall the earth shortly before the return of the Christ. He attributed these disasters to the agency of seven angels with seven trumpets.
According to St John, when the second angel sounded his trumpet, a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea. Then, when the third angel sounded his trumpet, a great star fell from heaven, burning as it were a lamp. As he went on to record, the name of the star is called Wormwood.
Ever since that time, Biblical scholars have penned countless lines speculating about what this “star” might happen to be, and what the “great mountain” was that was burning with fire and cast into the sea.
We know from the Bible that John was the son of a fisherman. He had no formal education, and despite his discipleship with Jesus and his subsequent travels throughout Asia Minor, he was ill-equipped to decipher the sorts of things that he later described in his visions on the island of Patmos.
So it is no surprise that John offered no explanation for the star that fell from heaven, other than to refer to it by the name of Wormwood. The reason he did so was because of its bitter nature, and the fact that it poisoned the waters and rivers where it fell.
Although John had no scientific education on which to base his description of this falling star, he did offer two clues which may help us to interpret his words. The first clue was his reference to the great mountain burning with fire that was cast into the sea.
Astronomers of today would have little difficulty in recognising John’s description as referring to an asteroid, which is an object that becomes incandescent when it enters the earth’s atmosphere, as a result of friction, and appears as a streak of light.
And if an asteroid were to enter the atmosphere and plunge into the ocean, the impact would not only vapourise the asteroid itself, it would penetrate the ocean floor causing vast amounts of superheated water, molten rock and other debris to rise thousands of feet into the sky.
This superheated material would then fall back down to earth in the form of blazing missiles that would set fire to buildings, forests and crops around the entire planet. To those people viewing all this from the ground, it would seem as if “the stars were falling from the sky”.
Furthermore, it is clear from the sequence of events described by St John, that “the great mountain burning with fire” associated with the second angel, is different from the “great star from heaven” associated with the third angel. In other words, these are two different events.
The fact that John refers the great star from heaven as “burning like a lamp”, suggests that it is something that glows in the sky before falling to the earth. And that is certainly indicative of a comet. And although none of the Biblical prophets use the term “comet”, other people have.
The Great Star from Heaven
In Part Two of this series, we quoted verse sixty-two from Nostradamus’ second book of prophecies, which reads as follows:
“Mabus will soon die, then will come a terrible destruction of people and animals: Sudden vengeance will be seen, A hundred hands, thirst, famine, when the comet will pass”.
And St. Hildegard of Bingen, who lived some four hundred years before Nostradamus, included the following passages in her work titled “Scivias”.
“Before the Comet comes, many nations, the good excepted, will be scoured with want and famine. The great nation in the ocean that is inhabited by people of different tribes and descent will be devastated by an earthquake, storm and tidal waves. It will be divided, and in great part submerged.”
“The Comet by its tremendous pressure, will force out much of the ocean and flood many countries, causing much want and many plagues. [After the] great Comet, the great nation will be devastated by earthquakes, storms, and great waves of water, causing much want and plagues”.
The fact that “the great star that fell from heaven” will most likely turn out to be a comet, does not in itself enlighten us as to the cause of the “terrible destruction of people and animals” described by Nostradamus. After all, comets have been around for thousands of years.
Literary historians have pointed out that during the reign of Julius Caesar, the skies were illuminated by dozens of comets. On any given night it would have been possible to see two or three at a time. So, to the disciples of Jesus, they would have been a familiar sight.
Over the centuries however, they have diminished in number to the point where every new comet that appears in the sky today is hailed as a significant event. Besides, they come and go sporadically, so scientists are unable to predict when a new comet will appear.
Given that science is unable to say when “the great star from heaven” will illuminate our skies, it raises the question as to whether there are any other sources we can turn to for greater understanding? The answer to this is yes, for the Hopi Indians of Arizona have a prophetic tradition of their own.
The Hopi Prophecies
Like the Maya, the Hopi believe that there have been previous world ages, each of which ended in a global catastrophe. But whereas the Maya believe that we are now living in the 5th world age, the Hopi consider the 5th age to be the one that is about to unfold on the planet.
The name “Hopi” is short for Hopituh Shi-nu-mu, meaning “Peaceful Ones”. This concept of “peace” is deeply rooted in their culture, morality and ethics. To be Hopi is to strive towards reverence and respect for all living creatures, and to live in peace with all life according to the teachings of Maasaw, their Creator of the Earth.
According to Hopi tradition, Kachinas are the messengers of Maasaw. They are the spirit teachers of nature. The Hopi predict that the new world that is about to dawn upon the Earth will be heralded by the arrival of two of these Kachinas, one coloured blue and the other red.
This prophecy has been repeated by the late Robert Ghost Wolf, an accomplished artist and author who possessed many gifts that earned him recognition with many indigenous tribes in North and South America, both as a Spiritual Healer and Ceremonial Leader. He died on December 21, 2005.
In his book Last Cry, Native American Prophecies, Tales of the End Times, Robert Ghost Wolf writes:
In the final day we will look up in the heavens and we will witness the return of the two brothers who helped to create this world in the birthing time.
This end time prophecy refers to a celestial event when the “two brothers” will be seen “in the heavens”. It also mentions that these two brothers will be the same as those that assisted in the “birthing” of the current world age, which was also a time of great turmoil across the face of the earth.
When the Blue Star Kachina makes its appearance
in the heavens the 5th world will emerge.
This will be the day of purification.
The return of the Blue Kachina will be the forewarning
that tells us there will soon be a new day,
a new way of life and a new world coming.
Not far behind will come the Purifier,
the Red Kachina who will bring the day of purification.
When the Purifier comes, we will see him first as a small red star
which will come very close and sit in our heavens watching us.
Watching to see how well we have remembered
the sacred teachings.
Then one morning we will awaken to a Red Dawn.
The sky will be the colour of blood and many things will begin
to happen that right now we are not sure of their exact nature,
for much of reality will not be as it is now.
The full Hopi prophecy of the two Kachinas can be seen below.
From the above video, it is clear that this Hopi prophecy revolves around the appearance in the skies above earth of two large comets. One will come as a warning to humanity to change their ways, while the second will come as the “Purifier”, to cleanse the earth and make it new.
The Red Dawn
The reference to the morning when we will awaken to a Red Dawn, where the sky will be the colour of blood, bears an uncanny resemblance to the words of Immanuel Velikovsky when he described how a large comet crossed the orbit of the earth at the time of the Biblical Exodus:
“The comet was on its way from its perihelion and touched earth first with its gaseous tail…One of the first signs of this encounter was the reddening of the earth’s surface by a fine dust of rusty pigment. In sea, lake and river this pigment gave a bloody coloring to the water.” (Worlds in Collision)
It is also interesting to note that many people who say they have had dreams and visions about the three days of darkness, also report seeing a blood-red sky. However, none of them are able to say when this will occur. So the tantalising question remains. When will the “Purifier” come?
There are those who believe it is impossible to know in advance when the three days of darkness will begin. They base this view on the words of Jesus, when he said: “Of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only”. (Matthew 24:36)
But while we may not know the day or the hour, we can certainly recognise the season, for Jesus also said:
“Behold the fig tree, and all the trees; when they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now at hand. So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the Kingdom of God is nigh at hand”. (Luke 21: 29-31)
While researching this Blog post, I was reminded of an event that happened to me over thirty-five years ago. Thinking back on it now, it raises the question as to whether I might have unwittingly stumbled upon the date on which the Great Tribulation will begin.
My Hallowe’en Surprise
In 1983, shortly after arriving in Vancouver, I was invited to a Hallowe’en party. At this party I was approached by a vivacious young lady whom I had never seen before, who said that she had an unusual story to tell me.
The story that she told related to an incident that had occurred to her on the night of Monday, October 23, 1978. At that time, she was living on the thirteenth floor of an apartment building in a gated community overlooking the Capilano River in West Vancouver.
The incident began shortly after 11:30 pm. The lady, whom I shall refer to as Elise in order to protect her identity, was in the habit of watching the “Johnny Carson Show”. On this particular night, she found that there was nothing that particularly interested her, so she switched off the TV and walked across to the window.
As she gazed out of the dining room window facing toward the East, the sky suddenly appeared to light up, and the stars seemed to shine with unusual brightness. Astonished at this unexpected sight, she phoned a friend and asked her to look out at the night sky.
Her friend was not interested, however, as she had just retired to bed. She told Elise to forget about the sky and go to bed herself. But returning to the dining room window, Elise was struck by the fact that she could see the texture of the plaster on the outside of the building with incredible clarity.
Then, as she looked out towards the horizon, she saw a series of small clouds begin to drift across the sky, coming from the West. As she continued watching, these clouds began to take shape into recognisable objects. And as she recognised them, so they dissolved and moved off to the East.
The first cloud formed the object of a dove, closely followed by a serpent. Then came an upturned hand, followed by a racing car. Elise said she noticed that the driver’s hair was flowing in the wind. Finally, there came the image of a lamb followed by two little lambs.
As Elise was trying to make sense of it all, she became aware of a voice within herself. The voice spoke in clear English, saying: “You are protected by the hand of God, and driven by the lamb”.
The voice then told Elise to look at the sky and memorise the positions of the stars. When she found it difficult to remember the positions of them all, the voice told her to write them down. So she got a pen and paper and marked down the positions of the visible stars in the northern sky.
Vancouver in Turmoil
The voice then told her to look towards the downtown area of Vancouver. As she did so, a warm, red, misty glow settled over the city. The voice then directed her to look closely at a series of “markers” which now appeared. Elise was told that these “markers” outlined “safety zones”.
Without warning, Elise found herself floating high above the entire Lower Mainland area of Vancouver. As she looked out towards the sea, she became aware of two enormous masses of rock beneath the ocean that were pushing against one another with unbelievable pressure.
Suddenly these two masses of rock split, and she saw a crack in the ocean floor that seemed to curve towards the city of Vancouver. It was then that she saw the entire region being convulsed by a gigantic earthquake. Violent winds sprang up that tore the roofs off buildings.
Elise could see the Lions Gate Bridge shaking and then collapsing completely. In the downtown area, she could see tall buildings begin to crumble under the forces unleashed by the earthquake. She could also hear the cries of people caught up in the mayhem.
It was then that the voice inside her said: “You have twenty minutes to escape to safety”. And as she looked towards the West, she could see a series of gigantic Tsunami waves pounding the cliffs of the University of British Columbia at Point Grey.
These waves then swept around the cliffs, engulfing the low-lying suburbs that flanked the city. In particular, Elise noticed automobiles being swept along the rooftops of houses in Kitsilano, extending down to False Creek and surrounding areas.
She could also see rocks tumbling down the North Shore mountains, as landslides demolished those house that had been built higher up on the mountain slopes.
And everywhere, the damage caused by the waves was compounded by the battering ram effect of all the automobiles, boats and other debris that were being swept along by this horrifying tide of destruction.
Follow up
Elise later told me that she had never previously discussed the events of that night with anyone until she met me at the Hallowe’en party. Yet as soon as she saw me, she said that for some inexplicable reason she felt that she could talk to me about this, and that I would understand.
From my own point of view, no sooner had Elise finished telling me her story, when I realised the significance of the pattern of stars that she had been told to write down, and why they might possibly be a vital clue in predicting when these events might occur.
While there have been numerous people throughout history who have had visionary experiences of future disasters, the problem has always been that these visions never come with a date, so that those who might be affected by these events could be warned in advance.
This case, however, was different, because Elise got to write down the star pattern. I also knew that I might possibly be the only person in Vancouver who could solve the riddle of the stars, because I had recently joined the staff of the Vancouver Museums and Planetarium Association.
The Planetarium
Several weeks later, with the kind help of Jim, the Assistant Director, I was able to arrange for Elise to visit the Planetarium to see if she could recognise the stars that she had seen from her apartment window on the night of her experience. Elise, Jim and I were the only people present.
What made this test so realistic for her was that the skyline projected by the Vancouver Planetarium is an exact replica of what can actually be seen around the city, and includes all of the North Shore mountains. So Elise could easily orientate herself towards the North.
At first, she had difficulty picking out the different constellations, as so many stars were visible on the dome of the Planetarium. But after Jim reduced the luminosity, she was easily able to pick out the major constellations as they appeared in the Northern sky.
I then asked Jim if he would rotate the projector and display the stars as they would appear on a night by night basis. I also asked Elise to tell us to stop the projector as soon as she felt there was an exact match with what she remembered seeing on the night of her experience.
There was hardly a sound for the next ten minutes or so as the stars on the dome continued to rotate. Then Elise suddenly shouted “Stop!”. When I asked her if she was sure, she said she was positive.
The key indicator for her were the positions of the Big Dipper and the constellation of Orion, together with a bright star that was located slightly above a “C-shaped” moon, as she called it.
We were then able to establish that the “C-shaped” moon she was referring to was a waning crescent moon, and that the bright star that caught her attention was actually the planet Jupiter. I then asked Jim if he could tell when this particular alignment had occurred.
I had expected that the star pattern that Elise had been asked to write down referred to some date in the future, in case this was a forewarning when the earthquake and Tsunamis would occur. Instead, it turned out to the exact day on which Elise had her strange experience, in October 1978.
I then asked Jim if he could tell when this same star pattern would come around again. His response was that since it takes the planet Jupiter about twelve years to travel around the sun, this particular alignment would not happen again until October 1990.
Needless to say, as that date approached, I was extremely apprehensive, as Seismologists have been warning for years that the entire Pacific Northwest is in danger of calamitous destruction when the next mega-thrust earthquake occurs. And this could happen at any time.
As it turned out I need not have worried, as nothing threatening happened in October 1990. Nor did anything alarming occur when the next anniversary came around twelve years later in in October 2002, or again on October 17, 2014. But what gives me growing concern is that the next anniversary date falls on
October 15, 2026.
Could it be that the devastation that was witnessed by Elise in her vision is destined to occur on that date? Given the present chaotic state of the world and its downward spiral into crime, corruption, drugs and depravity, this would certainly seem to be a likely possibility.
It is also perhaps worth mentioning, that since her initial vision in 1978, Elise has had a vision of a large comet in the sky above Vancouver on three subsequent occasions. So the key question remains. What will happen in October 2026?
Could this be the date that the Purifier, the red Kachina of the Hopi people, makes his long-awaited appearance in the heavens, removes his mask, and dances in the village square?
Concluded in Part Seven
Allan, The Three Days of Darkness, December 6, 2019, 1:04 pm
We began this series of Blog posts with an account of a dramatic vision which occurred to the disciple John when he was in exile on the island of Patmos. In this vision, he saw a series of events that would occur on the earth shortly before the return of the Christ.
In his description of this vision in chapter eight of his Book of Revelation, he attributed these events to the actions of seven angels, each of whom was given a trumpet. As each angel sounded his trumpet, a particular disaster would befall the earth. These disasters were as follows:
First angel – Hail and fire mingled with blood was cast upon the earth
Second angel – A great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea
Third angel – A great star fell from heaven, burning like a lamp
Fourth angel – Darkness descended upon the sun, the moon and the stars
We then went on to detail the warnings that were given by St Francis of Assisi and Padre Pio about the end times in general, and the three days of darkness in particular, as well as dreams and visions that have happened to ordinary men and women since that time.
It should come as no surprise that all of these dreams, visions and other warnings have been described in religious terms, because they not only fulfil the prophecies of Old Testament prophets, but also the predictions of Jesus and his disciples.
Based on the legacy of Old Testament prophets who wrote in the context of angels and demons and of the wrath of the Lord directed against sinners, modern Christianity continues to view the world as a cosmic battle between God on one side and Satan on the other.
But we no longer live in Biblical times, and humanity no longer views the events of this world solely through the lens of religion. Ever since the Reformation, when Galileo challenged the Church by pointing out that the earth moved around the sun, the dogma of the Church has been replaced by the evidence of science.
If we are to truly understand the prophecies of the ancients and the revelation of St John, we need to examine them through the discoveries of modern science. And science does not deal with angels and demons, but with cold hard facts and scientific law.
it should be clear to most readers by now that what St. John saw in his vision was a close encounter between the earth and a comet. And the reason why he devoted so many chapters to this event in his Book of Revelation, was because it was associated with so many different effects upon the earth.
First of all there were the atmospheric effects associated with the red dust falling upon the earth and making it look like blood. But this dust did not just colour the seas, lakes and rivers. It contaminated them as well, giving them a bitter taste and poisoning anyone who drank from them.
Then there were the incandescent particles in the tail of the comet that fell to the earth like fiery hail, together with electrical discharges between the nucleus of the comet and the earth that would appear as spectacular lightning bolts hurled down from the sky.
Then as the core of the comet drew closer to the earth, it began to shroud the entire planet in inky black dust that obscured portions of the sun, the moon and the stars and made it difficult to breathe, before blotting out all light upon the earth for a period of three days and nights.
Although it is theoretically possible for the head of a comet to collide with the earth, it is much more likely that the nucleus would disintegrate into smaller fragments as a result of electrical charge differentials between the two bodies.
This would account for the asteroid or “great mountain burning with fire” that St. John said would be cast into the sea, which would of course lead to catastrophic consequences all around the earth. The impact might even alter its axis as well as its orbit around the sun.
The Dirty Snowball
As plausible as such an explanation may seem, it does not resonate with astronomers at this time, for the simple reason that modern scientists do not take the threat of a close encounter between the earth and a comet seriously. In fact, they still don’t understand what a comet really is.
Fred Whipple (1906 – 2004)
Most astronomers and astrophysicists continue to believe in the speculative ideas of Fred Whipple, the American astronomer who originally came up with the hypothesis that comets were little more than “dirty snowballs”, consisting primarily of ice and dirt.
Whipple theorised that comets weren’t rocky objects like asteroids or meteors, but instead consisted mainly of ice together with some dust and frozen gases such as carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, methane and ammonia.
Whipple’s hypothesis, which he advanced in the 1950’s, came to be known as the “dirty snowball” model. It soon gained widespread acceptance among the scientific community, and it remains to this day the model that is taught in all the leading colleges and universities of the world.
What distinguishes comets from other space objects like asteroids is that as they draw closer to the Sun, they begin to glow and develop various luminous tails which point away from the sun and stretch for hundreds of millions of miles.
According to the “dirty snowball” model, when a comet approaches the Sun, a “Coma” or glowing envelope forms around the nucleus or head of the comet, as the solid matter of the core is converted directly into a gas through a process known as “sublimation”.
As conventional theory explains, these pockets of ionized gas inside the nucleus of the comet, formed by the radiant heat of the sun and the Solar Wind, then explode to form the jets of material commonly seen emerging from the heads of comets.
Then as the comet approaches its perihelion, or closest approach to the Sun, the ice that makes up the bulk of the nucleus of the comet steadily boils away, causing it to shrink in size with every successive orbit until nothing remains.
However, when scientists began sending probes into space with sophisticated instruments that enabled them to examine the nature of comets more closely, they were startled to find that their results were very different from what the “dirty snowball” model predicted.
In 1999, NASA launched its Stardust Mission to Comet Wild 2 in order to evaluate its dust and formative material, and to return samples of these to the earth. When these samples were later recovered and examined in the laboratory, they revealed a complete absence of water.
And when NASA extended its Deep Space mission (DS1) to include an encounter with Comet Borrelly in 2001, it was also found to be hot and dry, with not a hint of water.
When NASA launched its Deep Impact probe in 2005 to study the surface of Comet Tempel 1, images sent back by the probe portrayed an object that looked surprisingly like an asteroid. It even had numerous impact craters. The only thing it lacked was any evidence of surface ice.
Space probes have now been sent to five different comets. They are the comets Halley, Borrelly, Wild 2, Tempel 1 and Hartley 2. Yet none of these comets have shown any evidence of surface ice, as the “dirty snowball” theory requires.
The final nail in the coffin of the “snowball model” was provided by the Rosetta space probe. Although it had been launched by the European Space Agency in March 2004, it took ten years for the probe to reach its target, which was the comet referred to as 67P.
After orbiting the nucleus for several months, the module called Philae separated itself successfully from the Rosetta spacecraft and landed on the surface of the comet on November 12, 2014. The information relayed back from the spacecraft confirmed what earlier studies had indicated.
Close-up of Comet 67P
There was absolutely no trace of ice or water on the surface of the comet. In fact, it consisted of craggy cliffs and desert sand highlighted by numerous impact craters, as the accompanying picture reveals.
Astronomers and astrophysicists who have been trained to interpret all comet behaviour within the confines of the “dirty snowball” model proposed by Fred Whipple, have been at a complete loss to explain the anomalies outlined above.
In fact many of them have confessed, like Donald Brownlee, principal investigator of NASA’s Stardust Mission: “It’s a mystery to me how comets work at all”. Their confusion is easy to understand.
They have been trying to explain the phenomena of comets in the context of a Cosmological theory that is palpably wrong. However, in recent years a new breed of scientists has come forward to explain the mysteries of comets within a revolutionary new theory which they call the “Electric Universe”.
The Electric Comet
What these scientists have done has been to build on the Cosmology of the past by including an ingredient which had been overlooked by such scientific giants as Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein. That ingredient was electromagnetism.
And it is only when the electromagnetic force is restored to its rightful place as a fundamental building block of the universe, that the mysteries of comets can not only be explained, but predicted in advance.
The theory of the “Electric Universe” is predicated on the thesis that the entire universe is basically electrical in nature. So in terms of this theory, we are electric beings living on an electric earth, which orbits around an electric Sun as it travels through electric space.
And comets are not “dirty snowballs” consisting mainly of dirt and ice. They are actually electrically charged objects travelling through an electrically charged field of space. As plasma physicist Wallace Thornhill, one of the leading proponents of this electrical theory, puts it:
“Comets spend most of their time far from the Sun where the charge density is low. Since comets move slowly, their electric charges reach equilibrium with the weak, radial solar electric field. When a comet falls into the inner Solar System closer to the Sun, however, its nucleus accelerates into regions of increasing charge density and voltage.
“Charge polarization in the nucleus respond to the increasing electrical stress, forming a vast coma (plasma sheath) around the comet. Discharge jets flare up and move across the surface, similar to the plumes on Jupiter’s moon, Io.
“If the internal electrical stress becomes too great, the nucleus may explode like an overcharged capacitor, breaking into fragments or vanishing forever. Similar effects are most likely responsible for meteoric explosions in Earth’s atmosphere, such as the one that occurred over Tunguska in Siberia.” (View Source)
In addition to challenging historians, geologists and physicists with his revolutionary theories of cosmic collisions within the recorded history of mankind, Velikovsky was the first to point out that space was not a vacuum and that the earth was surrounded by an electromagnetic sheath.
This sheath, which has now come to be called the magnetosphere, has a geomagnetic tail which extends beyond the orbit of the moon. The Van Allen radiation belts, which were discovered in 1958, are located within this magnetosphere surrounding the earth.
The well-known phenomena of the auroras, which can be seen in both the northern hemisphere (aurora borealis) and the southern hemisphere (aurora australis), are displays of light that result from disturbances in the magnetosphere caused by the solar wind.
These charged particles emitted by the sun cause changes in the upper atmosphere of the earth which manifest themselves as displays of varying intensity and colour. They can even appear blood-red, as can be seen in the accompanying photograph.
Example of a Red Aurora
What Velikovsky suspected, and what space probes have now confirmed, is that electrically charged comets generate electrical discharges when they come in close proximity to other electrically charged objects like planets. In other words, they generate thunder and lightning.
But if a large comet should approach the earth, the electrical discharges that would be generated between these two bodies would be unlike any localised electrical storm normally experienced on the earth. Lightning and thunder would literally engulf the entire planet.
Humanity would be stunned by the cacophony of noise that would be generated by this phantasmagorical display of light and sound. It would seem like a cosmic battle of the Gods, just as it was portrayed in the myths and legends of ancient societies all over the globe.
And it is this clash of light and sound that those who have experienced the onset of the three days of darkness in dreams or visions, have emphasized the most.
Continued in Part Six
Allan, The Three Days of Darkness, November 22, 2019, 11:04 am
One of the most striking features of the prophecies recorded in the Old Testament, is the repeated reference to the devastation that is predicted to occur at the end of the present age. The prophets referred to these times as the “Latter Days” or “End of Days” leading up to the return of the Messiah.
In referring to this time of destruction, these prophets wrote about one event in particular. They called this event “The Day of the Lord”, or even “The Great and Terrible Day of the Lord”. And this has became a recurring theme of Christian prophecy throughout the centuries.
This is what Joel had to say in chapter two of his book of prophecy:
“Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand;
“A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains: a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations
“The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble: the sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining: And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.
“The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the Lord come”.
In the verses quoted above, Joel describes events that closely parallel the torments that are described by St. John in chapter eight of his book of Revelation.
“The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.
“And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood;
“And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed.
“And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters;
“And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.
“And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise”.
As we have seen in the previous instalment, there have been two saints who have added to the prophecies recorded in the Old and New Testaments. One of these was Saint Francis of Assisi, while the other was the 20th century Italian saint known as Padre Pio.
For easy reference, the predictions made by these two saints may be summarised as follows:
Summary of the Warning of St Francis
The time is approaching when there will be great trials and afflictions
Dissensions, both spiritual and temporal, will abound
The charity of many will grow cold
The malice of the wicked will increase
The devils will have unusual power
Few Christians will remain who have loyal hearts and perfect charity
A false Pontiff will arise who is not canonically elected
He will not be a true pastor, but a DESTROYER
By his cunning, many will be drawn into error and death
Scandals will multiply and the Church will be divided
Those who do not consent to error will suffer injuries and persecution
Those who choose to obey God rather than man will perish
By their death they will purchase for themselves eternal life
Those who are found faithful at the end will receive the crown of life
Summary of Padre Pio’s Warning
The sins of men have multiplied beyond measure: Irreverence in Church, sinful pride committed in sham religious activities, lack of true brotherly love, indecency in dress, especially at summer seasons…The world is filled with iniquity.
The hour of my coming is near. A most dreadful punishment will bear witness to the times. It will begin during a very cold night. The wind will roar. After a time, thunderbolts will be heard.
Soon a more terrible catastrophe shall come upon the entire world, such as never before has been witnessed. This catastrophe shall come upon the earth like a flash of lightning at which moment the light of the morning sun shall be replaced by black darkness!
The wicked shall behold My Divine Heart. There shall be great confusion because of this utter darkness in which the entire earth shall be enveloped, and many, many shall die from fear and despair.
Hurricanes of fire will pour forth from the clouds and spread over the entire earth! Storms, bad weather, thunderbolts and earthquakes will cover the earth for two days. An uninterrupted rain of fire will take place!
Lock all the doors and windows. Let no one go across the yard, even to feed the animals – he who steps outside will perish! Keep your windows well covered. Do not look out. Light a blessed candle, which will suffice for many days. Pray the rosary. Read spiritual books.
Provide yourself with sufficient food. The powers of nature shall be moved, and a rain of fire shall make people tremble with fear. Have courage! I am in the midst of you
Take care of the animals during these days. I am the Creator and Preserver of all animals as well as man. I will preserve the property of the elect, including the animals, for they shall be in need of sustenance afterwards as well.
Do not look during the earthquake, because the anger of God is holy! Jesus does not want us to behold the anger of God, because God’s anger must be contemplated with fear and trembling.
Those who disregard this advice will be killed instantly. The wind will carry with it poisonous gases which will be diffused over the entire earth.
Satan will triumph! But after three nights, the earthquake and fire will cease. On the following day the sun will shine again. angels will descend from Heaven and will spread the spirit of peace over the earth.
Those who shall fight for My cause shall receive grace from My Divine Heart; and the cry: “WHO IS LIKE UNTO GOD!” shall serve as a means of protection to many. However, many shall burn in the open fields like withered grass! The godless shall be annihilated, so that afterwards the just shall be able to stand afresh.
Be courageous soldiers of Christ! At the return of light, let everyone give thanks to the Holy Trinity for Their protection! The devastation shall be very great! But I, Your God, will have purified the earth. I am with you. Have confidence!
The Prophet Joel
Even though the Hebrew prophet Joel lived almost three thousand years ago, he was not content to merely record the events that would happen during the “last days”. He went even further. He predicted that when the time of the end drew near, others would prophesy as well’
“And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit”. (Joel 2:28-29)
One of the remarkable features in this modern age of social media, is the ability of anyone with access to the Internet to upload personal videos on any subject that they wish and share their experiences with others. And this applies to prophecy as well.
If you do a search for “the three days of darkness” on Google, it will generate a response of over five hundred and seventy million results, while a similar search on sources like YouTube will produce page after page of people describing their own dreams and visions.
These testimonials come from ordinary men and women – people young and old, male and female, from locations all around the world – yet they all have a remarkable consistency with the words of the prophets of old, as well as with the warnings given by St. Francis and Padre Pio.
To illustrate what I mean, I am including links below with ten testimonials that I have chosen at random. And just as the prophet Joel predicted, some of these are dreams, and some of them are visions.
Summary – Warned not to look or go outside – need to store water – the weather is crazy – constant rain – deep booming sounds coming out of the earth – do not feel fear or anxiety – spread the message to others
Summary – Cosmic event – huge cloud of darkness covering the stars – terrible images, especially for the unprepared – do not ignore the signs – intense aurora covering the whole sky – mighty earthquake
Summary – Heard a voice asking, “where is your God now?” – then everything just went dark – felt a heavy presence above me – began to pray – woke up – felt like it was a warning – do not doubt God’s presence
Summary – Dreamed he was driving – looked up at the sun – lights shot out from the sun – swirling low dark clouds filled the sky – huge beings hovering close to the earth with lightning coming out of their arms – he wasn’t afraid
Summary – The three days of darkness will begin in the night when an asteroid hits the earth – stay put wherever you are – do not open your doors – do not look outside – people’s hearts will fail them for fear – the true children of God will be protected
Summary – Saw Jesus sitting on a bench overlooking a large city – warned about a “lights-out” event – soon the darkness will be all around – Jesus will send a sign – he will protect those who follow him
Summary – Saw a giant meteor hit the earth sending waves spreading out in all directions – demons will be unleashed for a short time on the earth – many will die in fear – evil will prevail for a little while – but the Light of the Lord Jesus will overcome them all.
Shut and lock your doors – do not open them no matter what voice you hear – I see dead people walking the earth like zombies – they are demonic – the weak and feeble will not make it – during this time of darkness there must be fasting and praying -do not have fear but trust in Jesus
Summary – Sitting in a classroom – everything went completely black – I knew I would die if I stepped outside – wherever you are, if you call upon the Lord you will be protected
Summary – Saw an asteroid hit the earth – huge tsunami and earthquake – then the three days of darkness will begin -this is the time to seek God – repent and pursue the holiness and righteousness
Summary – Disturbances in the sky will be the cause of the darkness – pray to be in the right place at the right time – pray for your family members – do not despair or give up hope – I will lead and guide you – you are loved
No one who watches these videos can fail to recognize the sincerity of those who uploaded them, or their conviction that what they have seen and heard is a message from the Divine, in whatever shape or form they consider the Deity to be.
There are those who will be quick to dismiss these testimonies because they lack consistency, or because they happen to conflict with this or that part of the Bible. But in doing so, they miss the most significant point, and that is – why are these things happening? – and why are they happening NOW?
This raises another question. How did Joel, a little-known Hebrew prophet, become the only Old Testament prophet to predict that so many ordinary men and women would have these dreams and visions at this time – and that almost three thousand years ago?
There is also a common thread running through most of these videos, and that is that during the three days of darkness, demonic entities will roam the earth seeking out those whom they can destroy. For that reason, the faithful are urged to lock their doors and not venture outside.
But it is worth pointing out here that neither St. Francis nor Padre Pio referred to demonic entities in their descriptions of events during the three days of darkness. The reason why Padre Pio warned people to stay inside was because the whole world would be immersed in poisonous gas at that time. As he wrote:
“Those who disregard this advice will be killed instantly. The wind will carry with it poisonous gases which will be diffused over the entire earth.
However, this does not mean that these warnings of demonic attacks should be discounted or ignored, for the Bible does refer to a time when supernatural creatures will be unleashed upon the earth. In chapter nine of his book of Revelation, St. John writes:
“And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the bottomless pit.
“And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads.
“And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man”.
But no matter what might actually happen at the time of the three days of darkness, the Christian faithful are urged not to be afraid, because they will be protected in their hour of need. To quote again from the words of Padre Pio:
“Those who hope in Me, and believe in my words, have nothing to fear because I will not forsake them, nor those who spread My message. No harm will come to those who are in the state of grace and who seek My mother’s protection. Have courage! I am in the midst of you”.
And in the words of the prophet Joel:
“And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the Lord hath said, and in the remnant whom the Lord shall call”. (Joel 2:32)
And finally, as Jesus himself counselled his disciples shortly before his death:
“Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man”. (Luke 21:36)
Continued in Part Five
Allan, The Three Days of Darkness, November 8, 2019, 3:20 pm
The darkness that descended upon Egypt at the time of Moses had several unusual qualities. It not only blotted out the sun and the moon and the stars for a period of three days and three nights, but it was also thick enough to be felt. But there was something else even more sinister.
This darkness had the power to kill, and to do so – SELECTIVELY. According to the Bible, it would single out the firstborn of every man, woman or beast and put them to death. As we read in the eleventh chapter of the Book of Exodus:
“And Moses said: Thus saith the LORD, About midnight will I go out into the midst of Egypt: And all the firstborn of Pharaoh that sitteth upon his throne, even unto the firstborn of the maidservant that is behind the mill; and all the firstborn of beasts.
“And there shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there was none like it, nor shall be like it anymore. But against any of the children of Israel shall not a dog move his tongue, against man or beast: that ye may know how that the LORD doth put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel”.
In order to be spared from this final plague, the LORD instructed Moses to tell the Israelites to sacrifice a lamb or goat and smear its blood on the two side posts and on the upper door post of their houses. As the Bible goes on to explain:
“For the LORD will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the LORD will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you”. (Exodus 12: 23)
This, of course, is the origin of the Jewish word Pesach, meaning Passover, when God “passed over” the houses of the Jews and spared them from the final plague when the “destroyer” killed all the firstborn of the Egyptians. And this brings up an important question.
If a comet was responsible for the plagues that afflicted Egypt at the time of Moses, then how did it choose who to kill and who to save? And if a comet is also responsible for the three days and nights of darkness described in the book of Revelation, could something similar happen at that time as well?
If we are to be guided by the leading champions of the Church, there is every reason to believe that at the time of the end, truly diabolical events will happen on the earth. Out of the more than ten thousand saints who have been recognised by the Catholic church, two in particular stand out.
They stand out for a remarkable reason. Both of them were stigmatic. What that means is that each of them manifested on their bodies the wounds suffered by Jesus on the cross. That is, they had physical wounds, scars and pain in their hands, wrists and feet.
The first of these was the Patron saint of Italy, St. Francis of Assisi (1182 to 1226 AD), who was canonized by Pope Gregory IX in 1228 AD. The other was another Italian, St. Pio of Pietrelcina, better known as Padre Pio (1887 to 1968 AD). He was canonized by Pope John Paul II in 2002 AD.
What makes these two saints so important in this context, is not only their extreme sanctity, but also because each of them left recorded prophecies of events that would occur on the earth at the time of the end, shortly before the return of the Saviour.
St. Francis
St Francis of Assisi (1182 – 1226)
Before he died, St. Francis of Assisi called together his followers and warned them of the coming troubles, saying:
“The time is fast approaching in which there will be great trials and afflictions; perplexities and dissensions, both spiritual and temporal, will abound; the charity of many will grow cold, and the malice of the wicked will increase.
“The devils will have unusual power, the immaculate purity of our Order, and of others, will be so much obscured that there will be very few Christians who will obey the true Sovereign Pontiff and the Roman Church with loyal hearts and perfect charity.
“At the time of this tribulation a man, not canonically elected, will be raised to the Pontificate, who, by his cunning, will endeavor to draw many into error and death. Then scandals will be multiplied, our Order will be divided, and many others will be entirely destroyed, because they will consent to error instead of opposing it.
“There will be such diversity of opinions and schisms among the people, the religious and the clergy, that, except those days were shortened, according to the words of the Gospel, even the elect would be led into error, were they not specially guided, amid such great confusion, by the immense mercy of God.
“Then our Rule and manner of life will be violently opposed by some, and terrible trials will come upon us. Those who are found faithful will receive the crown of life; but woe to those who, trusting solely in their Order, shall fall into tepidity, for they will not be able to support the temptations permitted for the proving of the elect.
“Those who preserve in their fervour and adhere to virtue with love and zeal for the truth, will suffer injuries and persecutions as rebels and schismatics; for their persecutors, urged on by the evil spirits, will say they are rendering a great service to God by destroying such pestilent men from the face of the earth.
“But the Lord will be the refuge of the afflicted and will save all who trust in Him. And in order to be like their Head, [Christ] these, the elect, will act with confidence, and by their death will purchase for themselves eternal life; choosing to obey God rather than man, they will fear nothing, and they will prefer to perish rather than consent to falsehood and perfidy.
“Some preachers will keep silence about the truth, and others will trample it under foot and deny it. Sanctity of life will be held in derision even by those who outwardly profess it, for in those days JESUS CHRIST WILL SEND THEM NOT A TRUE PASTOR, BUT A DESTROYER.” (View Source)
Padre Pio
Padre Pio (1887 – 1968)
In 1950, at the age of sixty-three, Padre Pio wrote a personal letter addressed to the Commission of Heroldsbach, a committee of Catholic experts appointed by the Vatican. In it he testified to the truth and reality of the revelations on the Three Days of Darkness given to him by the Lord.
These revelations not only described what conditions would be like on earth during these days of darkness, they also included specific instructions to the faithful on what to do to survive demonic manifestations that would have the power to kill those who were not protected. This is what he wrote:
“Keep your windows well covered. Do not look out. Light a blessed candle, which will suffice for many days. Pray the rosary. Read spiritual books. Make acts of Spiritual Communion, also acts of love, which are so pleasing to Us.
“Pray with outstretched arms, or prostrate on the ground, in order that many souls may be saved. Do not go outside the house. Provide yourself with sufficient food. The powers of nature shall be moved, and a rain of fire shall make people tremble with fear. Have courage! I am in the midst of you”.
“Take care of the animals during these days. I am the Creator and Preserver of all animals as well as man. I shall give you a few signs beforehand, at which time you should place more food before them. I will preserve the property of the elect, including the animals, for they shall be in need of sustenance afterwards as well.
“Let no one go across the yard, even to feed the animals–he who steps outside will perish! Cover your windows carefully. My elect shall not see My wrath. Have confidence in Me, and I will be your protection. Your confidence obliges Me to come to your aid.
“The hour of My coming is near! But I will show mercy. A most dreadful punishment will bear witness to the times. My angels, who are to be the executioners of this work, are ready with their pointed swords! They will take special care to annihilate all those who mocked Me and would not believe in My revelations.
“Hurricanes of fire will pour forth from the clouds and spread over the entire earth! Storms, bad weather, thunderbolts and earthquakes will cover the earth for two days. An uninterrupted rain of fire will take place!
“It will begin during a very cold night. All this is to prove that God is the Master of Creation. Those who hope in Me, and believe in my words, have nothing to fear because I will not forsake them, nor those who spread My message. No harm will come to those who are in the state of grace and who seek My mother’s protection.
“That you may be prepared for these visitations, I will give you the following signs and instructions:
“The night will be very cold. The wind will roar. After a time, thunderbolts will be heard. Lock all the doors and windows. Talk to no one outside the house. Kneel down before a crucifix, be sorry for your sins, and beg My Mother’s protection.
“Do not look during the earthquake, because the anger of God is holy! Jesus does not want us to behold the anger of God, because God’s anger must be contemplated with fear and trembling.
“Those who disregard this advice will be killed instantly. The wind will carry with it poisonous gases which will be diffused over the entire earth. Those who suffer and die innocently will be martyrs and they will be with Me in My Kingdom.
“Satan will triumph! But after three nights, the earthquake and fire will cease. On the following day the sun will shine again. angels will descend from Heaven and will spread the spirit of peace over the earth.
“A feeling of immeasurable gratitude will take possession of those who survive this terrible ordeal-the impending punishment-with which God has visited the earth since creation.
“I have chosen souls in other countries too, such as Belgium, Switzerland, Spain, who have received these revelations so that other countries also may be prepared. Pray much during this Holy Year of 1950. Pray the Rosary, but pray it well, so that your prayers may reach Heaven.
“Soon a more terrible catastrophe shall come upon the entire world, such as never before has been witnessed, a terrible chastisement never before experienced! The war of 1950 shall be the introduction to these things.
“How unconcerned men are regarding these things which shall so soon come upon them, contrary to all expectations. How indifferent they are in preparing themselves for these unheard-of events, through which they will have to pass so shortly!
“The weight of the Divine balance has reached the earth! The wrath of My Father shall be poured out over the entire world! I am again warning the world through your instrumentality, as I have so often done heretofore.
“The sins of men have multiplied beyond measure: Irreverence in Church, sinful pride committed in sham religious activities, lack of true brotherly love, indecency in dress, especially at summer seasons…The world is filled with iniquity.
“This catastrophe shall come upon the earth like a flash of lightning at which moment the light of the morning sun shall be replaced by black darkness! No one shall leave the house or look out of a window from that moment on. I Myself shall come amidst thunder and lightning.
“The wicked shall behold My Divine Heart. There shall be great confusion because of this utter darkness in which the entire earth shall be enveloped, and many, many shall die from fear and despair.
“Those who shall fight for My cause shall receive grace from My Divine Heart; and the cry: “WHO IS LIKE UNTO GOD!” shall serve as a means of protection to many. However, many shall burn in the open fields like withered grass! The godless shall be annihilated, so that afterwards the just shall be able to stand afresh.
“On the day, as soon as complete darkness has set in, no one shall leave the house or look from out of the window. The darkness shall last a day and a night, followed by another day and a night, and another day–but on the night following, the stars will shine again, and on the next morning the sun shall rise again, and it will be SPRINGTIME!!
“In the days of darkness, my elect shall not sleep, as did the disciples in the garden of olives. They, shall pray incessantly, and they shall not be disappointed in Me. I shall gather My elect. Hell will believe itself to be in possession of the entire earth, but I shall reclaim it!
“Do you, perhaps, think that I would permit My Father to have such terrible chastisements come upon the world, if the world would turn from iniquity to justice?
“But because of My great love, these afflictions shall be permitted to come upon man. Although many shall curse Me, yet thousands of souls shall be saved through them. No human understanding can fathom the depth of My love!
“Pray! Pray! I desire your prayers. My Dear Mother Mary, Saint Joseph, Saint Elizabeth, Saint Conrad, Saint Michael. Saint Peter, the Little Therese, Your Holy Angels, shall be your intercessors. Implore their aid!
“Be courageous soldiers of Christ! At the return of light, let everyone give thanks to the Holy Trinity for Their protection! The devastation shall be very great! But I, Your God, will have purified the earth. I am with you. Have confidence!” (View Source)
Continued in Part Four
Allan, The Three Days of Darkness, October 12, 2019, 12:17 pm
In the course of his research, Velikovsky uncovered written evidence to support a completely new interpretation of Biblical history, as it related to the events that occurred in Egypt at the time of the Exodus. He explained the various plagues that occurred at that time in the following way.
If at the time of Moses, the earth happened to cross the path of a large comet as it headed away from the sun, then the first sign that the people on earth would experience would be a stream of very fine dust particles entering the atmosphere.
And if the nucleus of the comet contained iron, then the dust particles in the tail of the comet would be coloured red. And as these red dust particles fell on the surface of the earth, they would turn the land, the seas, rivers and lakes a blood-red colour.
These particles would also pollute the water, making it unfit to drink. This contaminated water would then cause the fish to die, and their dead carcases would soon begin to decompose, causing the rivers to give off a foul odour.
In order to escape, the frogs would abandon the rivers and make their way into the houses of the Egyptians. As the earth continued to pass through the tail of the comet, the red dust now coating the land would cause an infestation of lice, followed by immense swarms of flies.
This dust would also be likely to cause a variety of skin infections, boils and blisters, that would afflict men and animals alike. The lice and flies would also lead to outbreaks of disease among the livestock of the Egyptians.
As the earth plunged deeper into the tail of the comet, the particles of reddish dust would give way to gravel particles. These superheated particles would then fall to earth in the form of fiery hailstones that would “run along the ground”.
These flaming meteorites would not only strike people and animals caught in the open, but they would set fire to the crops in the field as well. And any crops left standing would likely be destroyed by the vast swarms of locusts that would follow.
Finally, as the comet drew closer still, the entire earth would be enveloped in thick, choking dust that would blacken the skies and lead to days and nights of complete darkness. Truly, this would be a darkness that could be felt, just as was described in Egypt during the plagues of Moses.
Although Velikovsky was not interested in prophecy, or in the book of Revelation, anyone who has read any of his works cannot fail to notice the parallels between the events recorded at the time of the Exodus, and the events prophesied by St. John.
The Book of Revelation
As previously mentioned, in his Book of Revelation, St. John described seven angels associated with seven trumpets, each of which signified a particular scourge or disaster that would afflict the earth.
According to these verses, a “great star from heaven” would appear in the skies above the earth “burning like a lamp”, that would cause men’s hearts to quake with fear. This great star would be characterised by the following features:It would generate “hail and fire mingled with blood”
• It would burn up “the third part of the trees”
• It would burn up “all the green grass”
• “A great mountain burning with fire” would be cast into the sea
• “The third part of the sea would become blood”
• One third of all the creatures living in the sea would die
• One third of all the ships in the sea would be destroyed
• A “great star from heaven” would fall upon one third of the rivers
• One third of the waters would become “wormwood” (bitter)
• Many people would die from drinking these bitter waters
• “A third part of the sun and moon” would be smitten
• “A third part of the stars would be darkened”
• The sun would not shine for three days (a third part of it)
• The night sky would also be dark for three nights
This theme of cosmic catastrophe, causing blood, hailstones, brimstone and fire to rain down upon the earth at the time of the end of the world can be found throughout the Bible. For example, in the Book of Zephaniah:
“The great day of the Lord is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the Lord: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly.
“That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, a day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities, and against the high towers.” (Zephaniah 1: 14-16)
When the disciples asked Jesus about the signs that would precede his return to earth, he replied:
“And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.” (Luke 21:25-26)
The obvious question that arises from these Biblical passages is what sort of event would cause the powers of heaven be shaken, leading to signs in the sun, the moon and the stars. Clearly, this would have to be an astronomical event of gigantic proportions.
“And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets.” (Revelation 8:2)
The First Trumpet
“The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all the green grass was burnt up.” (Revelation 8:7)
Based on the research conducted by Velikovsky, and his interpretation of the events that occurred at the time of the Exodus, it is easy to imagine the following interpretation of the visions described by St. John.
Suppose, for example, a large comet was to emerge from deep space and enter our solar system. It would then be drawn toward the sun by the force of gravity. As it did so, it would develop a trail of dust particles that would travel behind the nucleus of the comet.
However, once it had reached its perihelion or closest approach to the sun, the tail of the comet would now travel in front of the comet, due to the pressure of the solar wind generated by the sun. As any astronomer will confirm, comet tails always point away from the sun.
And if by chance, as it passed around the sun and began its journey back into space, the path of this comet should happen to cross the orbit of the earth, then the earth would first be exposed to the dust particles in the tail of the comet.
And if this comet happened to have a nucleus composed of significant amounts of iron, then the dust particles in the tail of the comet would be coloured red. And as this comet drew closer, it would shower the surface of the earth with enormous quantities of red dust.
These red dust particles would make bodies of water such as lakes, rivers or seas turn red, causing them to look like blood. This contaminated water would not only become thick and muddy, it would prove toxic to anyone who tried to drink it.
As the comet drew closer to the earth, the fine dust particles in its tail would give way to larger particles. When these gravel-sized particles reached the outer atmosphere of the earth, they would become white hot with friction, and become fiery meteorites that would look like “hail and fire mingled with blood”.
This fiery hail would devastate the entire surface of the planet. It would not only set fire to the grassy plains; it would burn up entire forests as well. The damage caused by this shower of incandescent meteorites could easily cause “a third part of them to be burnt up”.
The Second Trumpet
Then, according to St. John, the second trumpet of the Book of Revelation will sound.
“And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood; and the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed.” (Revelation: 8:8-9)
If a large asteroid plunged into the sea, it would penetrate the ocean floor causing huge amounts of superheated water, molten rock and other debris to rise high into the upper atmosphere. This superheated material would then fall back down to earth in the form of blazing missiles.
In addition to setting off a series of mega-quakes around the world, the impact of this asteroid would also cause a rupture of undersea fault lines that would generate colossal tsunamis that would travel around the world, causing immense destruction to coastal cities everywhere.
Volcanoes would suddenly roar back to life, spewing vast clouds of debris into the atmosphere, adding to the hellish conditions. Forest fires would also create enormous noxious fumes that would stain the sky and cause the moon to appear “blood-red” in colour.
The death toll caused by a disaster of this magnitude would be beyond count, as would the damage that would be inflicted on cities, ships and cargo. This devastation could easily kill “a third part of the creatures in the sea”, as well as destroy “a third part” of all the ships in the sea.
The Third Trumpet
Then the third angel will sound his trumpet.
“And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters;
“And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.” (Revelation 8: 10-11)
St. John describes this comet as a “star” that appears in the skies of earth “burning as it were a lamp”. And because the dust from this “star” would poison the water in rivers, lakes and streams, he likens it to a wormwood plant, long known for its bitter qualities. Then followed the fourth angel.
“And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise.” (Revelation 8: 12)
As the nucleus or head of the comet makes its closest approach to the earth, the dust cloud that surrounds it will blot out the sun, the moon and the stars for a period of three days and three nights (a third part).
It is interesting to note here the parallel between the time of darkness predicted by St. John, and the darkness that befell Egypt at the time of Moses, which also lasted for three days and three nights. And in both cases, this was a darkness “that could be felt”.
“And the Lord said unto Moses, stretch out thine hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even darkness which may be felt. And Moses stretched forth his hand toward heaven: and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days.” (Exodus 10:20-22)
The Comet Revealed
Although Velikovsky attributed all the plagues that descended on Egypt to the interaction between the earth and a comet, many writers have since challenged the idea that a comet would be the cause of the disasters described by St. John in his book of Revelation.
For example, followers of the popular writer Erich von Däniken, as well as those of Russian-born author Zechariah Sitchin, believe that these disasters will be caused by the return of a hitherto undiscovered planet, variously referred to as Planet X, Nibiru or the 12th planet.
Others have speculated that they could be the result of a close encounter between the earth and a “brown dwarf”, a celestial object intermediate in size between a giant planet and a small star, believed to emit mainly infrared radiation.
But as I have already pointed out elsewhere, these critics have failed to note the explicit references to the word comet by such people as Nostradamus and the Christian mystic St. Hildegard of Bingen.
Because the appearance of the comet and the events that would follow formed such a critical part of earth’s future, Nostradamus composed nearly sixty quatrains about this event alone. In Century Two, Verse 62 of his prophecies, he wrote:
Mabus will soon die, then will come a terrible destruction of people and animals: Sudden vengeance will be seen, A hundred hands, thirst, famine, when the comet will pass.
When Nostradamus wrote about the comet, he referred to it in a variety of ways. Among the descriptions he used were “bearded star”, “great star”, “fire from the sky”, trail of sparks”, “burning torch”, “flaming torch”, “long meteor”, and “dart from heaven”.
He also made frequent references to “false dust”, “raining blood, milk and stones”, “water coloured by blood”, “great hail”, “red hail” and “hail larger than an egg”.
Many Christians may be surprised to learn that John was not the only Christian saint who had visions of things that would happen in the end times. More than a thousand years after his death, another person had similar visions, and was later recognized as a saint by the Catholic Church.
St Hildegard
St Hildegard of Bingen (1098 – 1179)
That person was the Christian mystic St. Hildegard of Bingen, a town on the river Rhine located not far from the modern city of Frankfurt in Germany. Hildegard was born at the end of 11th century, and from an early age began to experience visions of events that would occur in the future. As she wrote:
“Up to my fifteenth year I saw much, and related some of the things seen to others, who would inquire with astonishment, whence such things might come. … Frequently, in my conversations, I would relate future things which I saw as if present, but, noting the amazement of my listeners, I became more reticent.”
Because of her early visions, Hildegard was drawn towards a life in the Church. She joined a Benedictine monastery where she rose to the position of Abbess. She proved to be a remarkable woman blessed with many talents, and was even consulted by bishops, popes and kings.
At a time when few women became accomplished writers, Hildegard produced major works of theology, as well as botanical and medicinal texts. Then in the year 1141 A.D., Hildegard had a vision of God in which she was instructed to “write down that which you see and hear”.
She subsequently published her first theological text under the title of “Scivias” (“Know the Ways of the Lord”). In this work, which dealt with things that would occur during the days leading up to the return of the Christ, she wrote about a comet and its impact on “the great nation”.
“Before the Comet comes, many nations, the good excepted, will be scoured with want and famine. The great nation in the ocean that is inhabited by people of different tribes and descent will be devastated by an earthquake, storm and tidal waves. It will be divided, and in great part submerged.”
As she went on to record:
“The Comet by its tremendous pressure, will force out much of the ocean and flood many countries, causing much want and many plagues. [After the] great Comet, the great nation will be devastated by earthquakes, storms, and great waves of water, causing much want and plagues.
“The ocean will also flood many other countries, so that all coastal cities will live in fear, with many destroyed. All sea coast cities will be fearful and many of them will be destroyed by tidal waves, and most living creatures will be killed and even those who escape will die from a horrible disease”.
Continued in Part Three
Allan, The Three Days of Darkness, October 11, 2019, 10:24 am
According to Biblical scholars, during the reign of the Roman Emperor Domitian (81AD to 96AD), the apostle John was exiled on the Greek island of Patmos, located just off the west coast of modern Turkey.
As he himself wrote in the first chapter of his book of Revelation: “I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ”.
It was during this time of exile that John had a series of visions in which he was shown the events that would lead up to the return of Jesus. As he explained:
“The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John”.
In his book of Revelation, John details the things that he saw during his visions, and what he was told by the various angels associated with these events. For example, in chapter eight, he describes seven angels with seven trumpets, each of which signified a particular scourge or disaster.
“And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound. The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth; and the third part of the trees was burnt up, and all the green grass burnt up.
“And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood; and the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed.
“And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters; and the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.
“And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise.” (Revelation 8: 6-12)
The question that has challenged eschatologists (those who study “end-time” events) ever since, is this. What exactly was John describing when he wrote the above words? And it is no surprise to find that most Bible scholars disagree as to the nature and timing of these events.
But there is an important clue to interpreting the words of St. John that has been missed by most scholars, and that is that these predictions of end-time events bear an eerie similarity to things that happened some three thousand years ago in Egypt.
In the Days of Moses
The second book of the Bible, known as the book of Exodus, tells the story of Moses, and how he was called upon by God to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt and guide them to a promised land flowing with “milk and honey”.
The Bible relates how Moses confronted Pharaoh and demanded that he let his people go. But Pharaoh was unmoved. As we read in the Bible, the Lord hardened his heart against Moses, and he refused to release the Israelites. In response, God brought upon a series of plagues against the people of Egypt.
The first plague caused the waters and rivers to be turned into blood, killing the fish and polluting the drinking water. This was followed by an outbreak of frogs, lice and flies. Then came the “murrain”, an infectious disease that killed the livestock.
The next plague was a strange dust that caused boils and blisters to break out on the skin of people and animals. Then came thunder and hail, and fire that ran along the ground, destroying the crops in the field.
This was followed by a vast swarm of locusts that destroyed the remainder of the crops that had survived the hail. Then there came a strange darkness that fell over the land of Egypt. This darkness not only blackened the sky. It was a darkness that could be felt as well.
Now most Bible scholars have been educated to interpret the story of the plagues at the time of the Exodus as a series of miracles, performed by Moses and authorised by God as part of his plan to deliver the children of Israel out of bondage in Egypt.
These scholars have probably never considered for a moment the possibility that the plagues that descended on Egypt might not have been divine miracles at all, but rather the predictable consequences of a close encounter between the earth and a large comet. That is until Velikovsky came along.
Immanuel Velikovsky
By any standards, Velikovsky was an unusual man. He learned several European languages while he was still a child. He was educated in Moscow, where he distinguished himself in Russian and Mathematics and graduated with a gold medal.
After graduating he travelled to various countries in Europe, including Palestine. This was before Israel became a nation. When he returned to Russia before the outbreak of the first World War, he enrolled at the University of Moscow where he received a Medical degree at the age of 26.
He then left Russia for Berlin where, with the financial help of his father, he edited and published two volumes of scientific papers in Hebrew. It was while he was in Berlin that he enlisted the aid of Albert Einstein in preparing a volume dealing with Mathematics and Physics.
Shortly after his marriage in 1923, he and his wife moved back to Palestine, where he began a successful practice in psychoanalysis, which he had studied while he was in Vienna. He was also instrumental with Einstein in setting up the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.
With the prospect of another World War looming, Velikovsky travelled with his family to New York, where they remained until the end of the war. It was during this period in New York that Velikovsky began his research into the ideas that were to dominate the rest of his life.
While researching early Jewish history, Velikovsky began to wonder if the Egyptian plagues at the time of Moses might have been the result of an astronomical event that affected the entire planet. If so, he reasoned, there should be records of this event in the ancient works of other cultures.
He therefore set about looking to see if similar stories could be found elsewhere. And the more he looked, the more he found. He found them in ancient documents from pre-Columbian America, from China, India, Persia, Babylon, Iceland, Finland, Greece and Rome.
In fact, over the course of the next ten years, he accumulated enough material to fill three complete books, each of which went on to become a best-seller. They were Worlds in Collision (published in 1950), Ages in Chaos (1952) and Earth in Upheaval (1955).
Worlds in Collision summarised the literary accounts of these disasters as recorded by other cultures around the globe. Ages in Chaos dealt with the problems of ancient chronology as a result of these catastrophes, and Earth in Upheaval dealt with the geological evidence for these global catastrophes that can still be found on the earth today.
He was aided in this task by his brilliant analytical ability, his knowledge of science and his talent for languages, which enabled him to delve into records that were not only written in English, but also in Latin, Greek, Hebrew, German, French, Italian and Spanish.
Historical Evidence
One of the first sources that Velikovsky examined was the Papyrus Ipuwer, an ancient Egyptian hieratic papyrus dating back to the period 1250BC, that he found in the Dutch National Museum of Antiquities in the city of Leiden.
In it he found corroborating evidence of the Biblical events described in the book of Exodus. Ipuwer was an Egyptian eyewitness of these events, and his papyrus was a lament devoted to the catastrophe that overtook Egypt at that time. As Velikovsky noted in his book Worlds in Collision, Ipuwer wrote:
“The river is blood”, compared with the book of Exodus: “All the waters that were in the river were turned to blood” (7:20). The author of the papyrus also wrote: “Plague is throughout the land, blood is everywhere”, corresponding with “there was blood throughout all the land of Egypt”. (Exodus 7:21)
While the book of Exodus describes how “the river stank”, and that “all the Egyptians digged around the river for water to drink; for they could not drink of the water of the river” (Exodus 7:24), the papyrus relates: “Men shrink from tasting; human beings thirst after water”, and “That is our water! That is our happiness! What shall we do in respect thereof? All is ruin”.
The Ipuwer papyrus goes on to record such things as: “Cattle are left to stray, and there is none to gather them together”. “Trees are destroyed”. “No fruits, no herbs are found”. “Grain has perished on every side”. “That has perished which yesterday was seen. The land is left to its weariness like the cutting of flax”.
And when the book of Exodus records: “And the LORD sent thunder and hail, and the fire ran along upon the ground; and the LORD rained hail upon the land of Egypt”, the Ipuver papyrus says: “Gates, columns, and walls are consumed by fire. The sky is in confusion”.
Finally, after the tenth plague, when “Pharaoh rose up in the night, he, and all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt; for there was not a house where there was not one dead”. (Exodus 12:30) the Ipuwer papyrus notes: “The towns are destroyed. Upper Egypt has become a waste”. “All is ruin”.
As Velikovsky suspected, stories of destruction raining down from the skies were not limited to Egypt alone. Similar tales of death and devastation as a result of cosmic catastrophe could be found in the records of other ancient cultures all around the planet.
For example, on the other side of the world, ancient records described how a great cataclysm caused the earth to quake and the waters in the rivers to turn into blood. The devastation caused by this event can be seen in the following excerpts from their sacred books.
“It was ruin and destruction …. the sea was piled up …. it was a great inundation …. people were drowned in a sticky substance raining from the sky …. the face of the earth grew dark and the gloomy rain endured days and nights …. and then there was a great din of fire above their heads.” (Popul-Vuh)
“There descended from the sky a rain of bitumen and of a sticky substance …. the earth was obscured, and it rained day and night. And men ran hither and thither and were as if seized by madness; they tried to climb to the roofs, and the houses crashed down; they tried to climb the trees, and the trees cast them far away; and when they tried to escape in caves and caverns, these were suddenly closed.” (Manuscript Quiche)
Similar accounts of destruction raining from the skies were preserved in the Manuscript Troano of the Maya, as well as the ancient Mexican text of the Annals of Cuautitlan. Theydescribe in vivid detail how a cosmic catastrophe was accompanied by a hail of stones descending from the sky.
They called the agent of this destruction Hurakan, from which our modern word “hurricane” is derived. The Aztecs called the age that ended in a rain of fire from the sky Quiauh-tonatiuh, meaning “the sun of the fire-rain.”
The Kalevala of the Finns told of a time when hailstones of iron fell from the sky, and the sun and the moon were hidden during a period of darkness.
In Babylonia, the Epic of Gilgamesh described a time when the earth was scorched by great heat, and “darkness stretched to heaven; and all that was bright was turned into darkness. Nor could a brother distinguish his brother.”
What Velikovsky discovered as a result of his decade-long period of research, was that what was described by the ancients as “the wrath of God” was actually a historical cosmic event. And this catastrophe had not just happened once, but many times, as recorded by the Egyptians, the Chinese, the Maya and other ancient societies.
Velikovsky confined his research to events that had happened in the past. Although he quoted frequently from the Bible, he displayed no interest in prophecies relating to the future. Had he done so, he might have discovered that what had happened in the past, was predicted to happen again.
And as readers of this Blog will have realised, the events that are now unfolding on the earth suggest that we are living at a climactic period in human history, and that we are the ones who are fated to experience all the horrors of the ending of this age of darkness.
Continued in Part Two
Allan, The Three Days of Darkness, October 9, 2019, 11:13 am
People who report having had near-death experiences all tell of the dramatic sense of reality which characterise their experiences. When they subsequently return to their physical bodies, the waking world seems utterly drab by comparison. These experiences leave deep impressions on their minds, and often lead to dramatic changes from their former style of living.
While it might be supposed that the five stages referred to in the previous instalment are common to all people, there is evidence to suggest that the nature of the near-death-experience varies with the culture of the subject concerned.
In the first investigation of its kind in India, Satwant Pasricha and Ian Stevenson published a preliminary report on several NDE’s which had come to their attention. 17
All the subjects who reported these experiences were Hindu-speaking people, who lived in the states of Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh in northern India. Although the number of cases referred to by Pasricha and Stevenson was not large, comprising eleven males and five females, the stories reported by these subjects showed surprising consistency.
Furthermore, although these cases were consistent among themselves, they showed marked variations from those cases reported in the West. Four cases in particular highlighted the nature of these differences.
Vasudev Pandey was born in 1921 and had a near-death-experience when he almost died of a paratyphoid disease when he was about ten years old. According to the strange tale which Vasudev described to the two investigators, he was abducted by two people and taken before a fierce looking being clothed entirely in black. Vasudev identified this being as Yamraj, the Hindu God of Death.
Having been brought before this fearsome deity, Vasudev was astonished to hear Yamraj curse and rage at the two attendants who had brought him there. “I had asked you to bring Vasudev the gardener,” Yamraj cried. “Our garden is drying up. You have brought Vasudev the student.”
With that, Vasudev remembered nothing more until he regained consciousness. Lying on his sickbed, he was surprised to find that among the crowd assembled at his bedside was another man named Vasudev, who happened to be a gardener by profession. Although this Vsudev appeared to be in excellent health, he died unexpectedly the following day.
Chhajju Bania had his near-death-experience in 1975, when he was about thirty-four years old. At that time he had been stricken with fever, and his condition had deteriorated steadily until all hope of his recovery seemed lost.
Like Vasudev, Chhajju suddenly found himself confronted by several messengers, who captured him and took him before Yamraj. On this occasion Yamraj was seated on a high chair, and wore yellow clothes. At his side sat a clerk with a pile of books in front of him.
Then pointing to Chhajju the clerk said, “We don’t need Chhajju Bania (Trader), we have asked for Chhajju Kunhar (Potter). Push him back and bring the other man.” Again, like Vasudev, this was the last thing Chhajju recalled before regaining consciousness.
Mangal Singh was about seventy-three years old when he had his near-death-experience in 1977. Unlike Vasudev or Chhajju, he had not been ill prior to this experience. In his case he happened to experience a sudden vision while he was lying on his bed.
In this vision Mangal was approached by two people who lifted him from his bed, and took him into the presence of a daunting looking man. This man looked closely at Mangal and then reprimanded the two messengers, saying, “Why have you brought the wrong person? Why have you not brought the man you had been sent for?”
With that the two messengers ran off leaving Mangal alone to face this imperious entity. Then looking sternly at Mangal he said, “You go back”. Mangal meanwhile had noticed that two large pots lay by the side of this man, both containing boiling water. This surprised him, because there was no sign of any fire, nor was there any other source of heat that would account for the boiling water.
It was then that he noticed that heat was coming from the hands of this strange being. “You had better hurry up and go back,” the man repeated and touched Mangal on the arm. When he subsequently regained consciousness, he felt a severe burning sensation on his left arm, which later developed the appearance of a boil. Although it healed within a few days, it left a scar which was still visible when he was interviewed by the two investigators six years later.
The fourth case described by Pasricha and Stevenson involved a man by the name of Durga Jatav, who was born in 1929. When Jatav was about twenty years of age he fell ill for several weeks, suffering from typhoid. When his body “became cold for several hours” his family thought that he had died.
Jatav did not die, but recovered to tell an extraordinary story. He said that he had been abducted by no less than ten people. When he tried to evade them they cut off both his legs at the knees. He was then taken before a gathering of some fifty people who were all unknown to him.
These strangers, who were seated on chairs at various tables, then consulted their papers and said to his captors, “Why have you brought him here? Take him back.” When Durga complained that he was unable to return because he had no feet, he was shown several pairs of legs. He happened to recognise one pair of legs as being his own, and these were somehow re-attached to his knee stumps. He was then sent back with instructions not to “stretch” his knees, so that they could mend properly.
When Jatav later recounted this story, his sister and another neighbour noticed that there were marks on his knees, although neither had been aware of any marks located there before. These marks seemed to be folds, or deep fissures in the skin that covered his knees.
When Jatav was interviewed some thirty years after this incident took place, the folds of skin were still visible. When the investigators conducted X-ray tests of his knees, there was no indication of any abnormality beneath the skin.
Taken on the face of it, these four accounts of near death-experiences in India serve only to confirm one’s worst fears about the nature of the after-life. If these people are to be believed, it would seem that the next world is ruled by a bureaucracy that is as prone to error as any in our waking world of experience.
Furthermore, when mistakes are made, just as happens in this life, no apologies are made or compensation given.
Pasricha and Stevenson noted that these four cases were typical of those NDE cases which they surveyed. They pointed out that Yamraj, the King of the Dead, was a well-known figure in Hindu mythology, and was considered to have various messengers called Yamdoots, and a keeper of records called Chitragupta.
Although the four people whose cases have been quoted here were all from northern India, and would therefore have been well aware of these guardians of the afterlife, the investigators were unable to say whether these NDE’s might be representative of all cases in India.
It is interesting to note however, that in a separate incident reported from southern India, the same basic features occurred, although the nature of the characters conformed to the beliefs of that region.
In this case a Brahmin boy went to sleep and dreamed that he was dying. He felt his Prana or vital energy draining away through his mouth and nostrils. When his body was dead, the boy’s soul was taken to Vaikunta, the traditional abode of the God Vishnu.
The boy was brought before Vishnu, who was surrounded by other Gods and their devotees. All were decorated with the traditional marks of Vishnu (vertical stripes) upon their foreheads. Then Vishnu spoke to the gathered assembly and said, “This man should be brought here at two o’clock tomorrow. Why has he been brought here now?” With that the boy awoke to find himself back in his bed.
The next morning he related his unusual dream to his family. Although he had hitherto been in robust health, the boy died suddenly on the following day at two o’clock in the afternoon. 18
It is clear that the main ingredients of this case parallel those described by Pasricha and Stevenson, but the place of the northern Indian King of Death, Yamraj, was taken by the God Vishnu, who is widely revered in the South.
In their report on NDE’s, the two investigators commented on several other cases which had come to their attention, which also suggested a link between cultural beliefs and after death experiences.
One of their Indian subjects described having had an NDE while he was holidaying in Rome. In this instance, although the event took place in Western Europe, the actual content of the near-death-experience was typical of the Indian mistaken identity cases described previously.
They also came across a case where a Western subject, who had subsequently come to adopt Oriental beliefs, had experienced an NDE of the mistaken identity variety. In this particular case an American devotee of Sai Baba of South India, had an NDE when he became extremely ill while staying in a hotel in Madras.
According to his account, he found himself in a large hall in a “Court of Justice” where he was brought before the presiding judge. Sai Baba was present at this tribunal. As the case of the Westerner was discussed, records of the subject’s previous lives were called for, and “armloads of scrolls” were brought in and read before the judge.
Finally Sai Baba himself intervened, and pleaded with the judge to allow his disciple to continue living under his supervision. To this the judge agreed, and the American returned somewhat reluctantly to his physical body.
An interesting aspect of this incident was that, shortly before regaining consciousness, the subject recalled being able to look down on his physical body, which as we have seen, tends to be a common feature of Western near-death-experiences.
What is of considerable significance in the cases investigated by Pasricha and Stevenson, is that two subjects reported acquiring physical marks on their bodies which seemed to be directly related to circumstances which had occurred to them in their near death-experiences.
In the case of Mangal Singh, he was touched by a man with burning hands. When he awoke, he experienced a burning sensation on his left arm, which later left a permanent scar.
In the case of Durga Jatav, his recollection of having had his legs cut off and subsequently re-attached, was followed by the discovery of deep folds in the skin covering his knees, in the exact place where his severed limbs had been rejoined. These marks were still present many years later, and were personally witnessed by the two investigators.
Now the ability of the mind to produce physical effects in the human body which directly match those circumstances which exist in the subject’s mind, is a phenomenon that is well-known to the Western researcher. The most frequent evidence of this phenomenon is provided by that state of mind known as hypnosis.
Under hypnosis, if a person is given the suggestion that a burning object is being applied to the skin, a blister will form at the exact spot of the imagined burn. The object that was actually applied to the skin may simply have been a pencil, or some other innocuous object, but the hypnotised subject will react as if the object was a branding iron.
The resultant blister will be indistinguishable from any normal blister, and will produce just as much pain and inflammation as any real burn. In contrast to this, if a hypnotised subject is burnt by a cigarette, but is given the suggestion that the cigarette is merely a harmless object, there will be no blister and no accompanying pain or subsequent inflammation. The subject reacts just as if he or she had been touched by a pencil.
Although incidents such as these are commonplace under hypnosis, a person does not have to be hypnotised in order to influence the functioning of the physical body. The suggestion of burning can equally well be given in the waking state.
If a subject who is in a normal state of consciousness truly believes that he or she has been burnt, the attendant blister, pain and inflammation will automatically appear, even though no burn has actually taken place.
In a series of experiments reported in the medical journal Lancet, J. A. Hadfield reported how he had given a suggestion of burning to a patient who was in a normal state of consciousness. Immediately a corresponding blister appeared at the place where the burn had been suggested. Hadfield then bandaged the blister.
It so happened that due to the movement of the bandages, this blister became infected, leading to greater pain and aggravated inflammation. When Hadfield later suggested to this same person, again in a waking condition, that the blister had healed, the pain immediately vanished and the inflammation and hyperaemia quickly disappeared. Hadfield also found that he could resurrect both the pain and the inflammation simply by suggesting to the patient that it had recurred. 19
All that is necessary for physical effects to be induced in the body, is for the subject to believe that what has been suggested has actually taken place. The physical effects then follow automatically.
Whereas in the conscious state this sense of conviction is sometimes difficult to generate, in a state of hypnosis the suggestion given is almost always assimilated immediately and acted upon. Hypnotherapy has therefore proved to be an effective method of inducing desired physical changes.
It has for example been used increasingly in women to achieve successful breast augmentation. In an experiment reported by Staib and Logan, selected women were not only able to increase the size of their breasts by means of hypnotic suggestion, but were able to retain these gains after many months. 20
The key factor in the ability of the mind to influence the physical body is belief. The person must however be totally convinced of the substance of a particular belief in order for it to be effective. When this is the case the necessary physical changes follow, whether or not there is any pathology or physical cause to warrant these changes.
When a person truly believes that a certain set of circumstances exists, then the physical body of that person acts as if thesecircumstances actually do exist. Physical changes or symptoms then appear which can be validated by medical doctors.
Undoubtedly the most extreme application of the power of suggestion over the functioning of the human body is the power of belief to induce death itself. Numerous cases exist on record where individuals have been subject to powerful suggestions, often in the form of voodoo curses, and have simply “willed” themselves to death.
In shamanistic societies these death-induced suggestions have been a time-worn method of combating crime. The subject succumbs even though no physical cause may be found to account for death. The only valid form of treatment for people who have allowed themselves to become victims of this extreme form of suggestion, lies in the form of a counter-suggestion.
For this to be effective, the counter belief has to be powerful enough to overcome the original belief. But because this original belief is usually the product of long years of conditioning, it seldom happens that a counter-belief is able to be induced successfully within the short space of time available to the ailing patient.
One case where this abrupt conversion was achieved successfully involved Doctor You Chan Yang, a physician in Honolulu prior to the outbreak of World War II, and who subsequently became South Korea’s first Ambassador to the United States.
In this case Dr. Yang was called out of bed at two o’clock one morning by a hysterical woman, who claimed that her husband was dying. As Yang did not know the woman or her husband, he recommended that she call their regular physician.
The woman explained that their regular doctor had given up on the case as her husband was the victim of a voodoo curse. She had called upon him as her last hope, as she had heard that Yang had successfully saved another voodoo victim in the past.
Yang finally agreed to examine the woman’s husband, and as she had indicated he found that the terrified man was close to death, even though he was unable to find any contributing physical cause.
Recognising the true nature of the problem, Yang gravely announced to the husband, “There is only one chance in a million that you can be saved but I will do my best. Take these two pills and in a little while you will pass water. If it is the usual colour you will die. But if it is blue, you will be well. The voodoo spell will be broken.”21
The man recovered within a few hours. The pills which Doctor Yang had given him were diuretics containing a harmless blue dye. In healing the man, Yang not only proved himself to be a fine physician, but he also exhibited a deep understanding of the profound impact which the mind can exert over the functioning of the human body.
The efficacy of his treatment hinged on the dramatic change in colour of the patient’s urine. The fact that it changed to blue, in complete contrast to all previous experience, was the clinching evidence which led the man to overcome the deep conditioning of his prior belief, and to replace it with a belief in the superior “magic” of the Western doctor.
Had he not achieved this mental transformation, the patient would almost certainly have died.
References:
17 Satwant Pasricha and Ian Stevenson, “Near-Death Experiences in India – A Preliminary Report“, The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, Vol. 174, No.3, 1986, pp. 165-170.
18“Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi”, recorded by Swami Saraswathi, Sri Ramanasramam, Tiruvannamalai, 1968, p. 435.
19 J. A. Hadfield, “The Influence of Suggestion on Body Temperature”, Lancet, 68-69, 1920.
20 A. R. Staib and D. R. Logan, “Hypnotic Stimulation of Breast Growth”, American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis, Vol.19, 1977, pp. 195-208.
21 Raymond Otto, “Voodoo vanquished”, Fate magazine, January, 1977, p. 66.
Allan, Beyond the Grave, September 25, 2019, 9:25 am
Our experiences in the afterlife continue to be influenced by our thoughts. Whatever beliefs we hold in our waking life about the nature of life after death, will come to manifest themselves, just as certainly as our beliefs dictate our experiences while we are alive.
The more strongly we believe in them, the more dramatically they are likely to manifest. Just as our mental images create our lives on earth, so they determine the nature of our experiences after death. As these mental images vary, so the after-life conditions come to vary as well.
Just as individuals experience vastly different scenarios in life, so they come to experience vastly different conditions after death. These conditions are created by belief.
MAHARAJ: “Mind is the very foundation of your bondage and liberation. The Muslims have the concept that after death the soul is confined to the tomb until the dissolution of the world; therefore they provide for that soul. In the Christian religion also they say that man, once buried in the grave, will be awakened only on doomsday and judgement will be given.
QUESTION: Does that really happen to those people?
MAHARAJ: If they die with that concept it must happen, because the mind creates everything.”9
Again, the images which appear in the after-life state appear devastatingly real to each newly transformed soul. Yet these images are nothing more than the projections of their minds, as we see from this colourful passage from the Advaita Bodha Deepika:
“The jiva (soul) overpowered by the unreal coma before death has different illusions according to his past actions. After death, he believes ‘Here is heaven; it is very lovely; I am in it; I am now a wonderful celestial being; so many charming celestial damsels are at my service; I have nectar for drink’, or, ‘Here is the region of Death; here is the God of Death; these are the messengers of death; Oh! they are so cruel – they pitch me into hell!’ or, ‘Here is the region of the pitris; or of Brahma, or of Vishnu, or of Siva’ and so on.
“Thus according to their nature, the latencies of past karma present themselves before the Self, who remains always the unchanging Ether of Consciousness, as illusions of birth, death, passage to heaven, hell or other regions. They are only delusions of the mind and not real.” 10
The regions of Heaven and Hell will seem absolutely real to those who experience them, just as the world appears so convincingly real now in the waking state of consciousness. These regions will however be projections of those thoughts which characterised their minds. As Ramana Maharshi points out:
“You carry heaven and hell with you. Your lust, anger, etc. produce these regions. They are like dreams.”11
Certain cultures, such as those of ancient Egypt and Tibet, have traditionally placed particular emphasis upon the need for souls to understand the nature of their after-death experiences. In these cultures, the art of living well was not just a matter of conducting their affairs wisely in this world, but of recognising the stages and nature of their experiences in the next.
Individuals were not only encouraged to live well, but also to die well, in the full light of understanding. In the Tibetan culture, death was regarded as the onset of a journey into the vivid world of Bardo, the intermediate world where spirits wander after death, while waiting to be born again.
Instructions for the conduct of affairs in this after-world came to be set down in a lengthy book, which the Tibetans called the Bardo Thodol, or Book of the Dead. The first part of this book deals with the experiences which occur at the moment of death, and describes the various visionary entities that may be encountered by the wandering soul.
The latter portion of this book is concerned with the process of rebirth, and prescribes how a soul may avoid an unfortunate reincarnation. In translating this esoteric work, the English scholar W. Y. Evans-Wentz stressed that whatever took place in the world of Bardo, was nothing more than the illusory projection of the witnessing mind. As he wrote in his introduction to this work:
“Definite psychological significance attaches to each of the deities appearing in the Bardo Thodol; but, in order to grasp it, the student must bear in mind that the apparitional visions seen by the deceased in the Intermediate State are not visions of reality, but nothing more than the hallucinatory embodiments of the thought-forms born of the mental content of the percipient.
“Accordingly the Peaceful Deities are the personified forms of the sublimest human sentiments, which proceed from the psychic heart-centre. The Wrathful Deities are the personifications of the reasonings and proceed from the psychic brain centre. As the Bardo Thodol text makes very clear by repeated assertions, none of all these deities or spiritual beings has any real individual existence any more than have human beings.” 12
To the soul who before death was utterly convinced of the reality and identity of his or her existence, the entities encountered in the world of Bardo will seem absolutely real.
Similarly, those who in their earthly lives had believed implicitly in the existence of Heaven and Hell, find these regions to be just as magnificent or terrifying as they had imagined them. Despite their illusionary nature, there will appear to be nothing wraith-like about them.
The soul will insist that these regions are the true reality, beyond all other experiences. The specific character of these divine or infernal regions will, however, depend on the particular beliefs which motivated that individual soul during its earthly life. As Evans-Wentz explains:
“Accordingly, for a Buddhist of some other School, as for a Hindu, or a Moslem, or a Christian, the Bardo experiences would be appropriately different; the Buddhists’ or the Hindu’s thought-forms, as in a dream state, would give rise to corresponding visions of the deities of the Buddhist or Hindu pantheon; a Moslem’s, to visions of the Moslem Paradise, a Christian’s, to visions of the Christian Heaven, or an American Indian’s to visions of the Happy Hunting Ground.”13
The question arises as to what the after-death state of an atheist would be, who had held no earthly views at all about an after-life, and who had believed that life simply ended at the moment of death.
When Alexandra David-Neel, a French scholar who lived and travelled widely in Tibet at the beginning of the 20th century, asked this question of a Tibetan Lama, he replied:
“Perhaps such a man would see apparitions corresponding to the religious beliefs he held in his childhood, or to those familiar to him held by the people among whom he has lived. According to the degree of his intelligence and post mortem lucidity, he would perhaps, examine and analyse these visions and remember the reasons which, during his life-time made him deny the reality of that which now appears to him.
“He might thus conclude that he is beholding a mirage. A less intelligent man in whom belief in total annihilation was the result of indifference or dullness, rather than of reasoning, will perhaps see no vision at all. However, this will not prevent the energy generated by his past actions from following its course and manifesting itself through new phenomena. In other words, it will not prevent the rebirth of the materialist.”14
In spite of the emphasis which the Bardo Thodol places on the after-death state and the need to ensure an auspicious rebirth, Tibetan Lamas remain perfectly aware that the very idea of an individual soul is itself illusory. For as their orthodox creed proclaims, “All aggregates are impermanent; no ‘ego’ exists in the person, nor in anything.”15
While the nature of the after-death state remains a mystery to most people, there are cases on record of individuals who have apparently approached the portals of death and, after a brief glimpse beyond, have returned to the world of waking consciousness. The anecdotal accounts of their experiences are referred to as “near-death-experiences”, or NDE’s.
It is difficult to draw precise conclusions of the after-death state from NDE’s, partly because the subjects involved find it so difficult to put their experiences into words, but also because there is no guarantee that what occurs in a near death-experience is representative of what actually happens after death.
A sufficient body of experience exists on record however, to suggest that a common thread of circumstance does run through these experiences, and that they do in fact vary according to the culture, and therefore belief of the individuals concerned.
Among the cases of NDE’s that have occurred to western subjects, certain specific features have tended to recur. These features can be grouped into five broad stages which commonly form part of an NDE. These five categories tend to be repeated among people raised in a western culture, and to recur, regardless of the subject’s age or sex.
The first stage of a near-death-experience is reported to be a feeling of extraordinary peace, warmth and comfort. Although the incident responsible for the NDE may have been traumatic, there is seldom reference to any lasting sense of pain. Almost invariably, a momentary flash of pain gives way to a profound sense of peace.
As the experience continues, subjects find themselves separated from their physical body. They find that they are able to look down upon it, and to observe others working on their inert physical form. Often they seem to float in space, and like Jung, find themselves looking down upon the earth from a great height.
In the third stage, subjects frequently report what they call a “tunnel” experience. In this stage they find themselves moving down a dark, horizontal, cylindrical tunnel, often at great speed. In some cases this tunnel experience is accompanied by a rapid review of some or all of the events of the subject’s life.
In the fourth stage of a near-death-experience, western subjects report that they emerge from this tunnel and encounter a brilliant, although not dazzling, white or golden light. This light is not a mere source of illumination, like a lamp, but seems instead to possess an impersonal, though deep and compassionate sense of being. It seems to be alive.
In the fifth and final stage, the subject recalls experiencing a landscape of exquisite beauty, which represents a form of supernatural paradise. The subject witnesses scenes of surpassing beauty, with trees, flowers, mountains and seas lit with a kaleidoscope of living colour which defies description. In cases where this fifth stage is reported, the experience inevitably ends with the subject being drawn back to the physical body. 16
Continued in Part Three
References:
9“Seeds of Consciousness”, The Wisdom of Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj, edited by Jean Dunn, Grove Press, New York, 1982, p. 81.
10“Advaita Bodha Deepika”, translated by Swami Saraswati, Sri Ramanasramam, Tiruvannamalai, 1967, pp. 18-19.
11“Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi”, recorded by Swami Saraswathi, Sri Ramanasramam, Tiruvannamalai, 1968, p. 46.
12 W. Y. Evans-Wentz, “The Tibetan Book of the Dead”, Oxford University Press, London, 1927, pp. 31-32.
13 Ibid, pp. 33-34.
14 Alexandra David-Neel, “Magic and Mystery in Tibet”, Penguin, New York, 1971, pp. 39-40.
15 Ibid, p. 23.
16 Brian Bates and Adrian Stanley, “The Epidemiology and Differential Diagnosis of Near-Death Experience”, American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, Vol.55(4), 1985, pp. 542-549.
Allan, Beyond the Grave, September 24, 2019, 1:41 pm
Our life in the world is an adventure of the mind. Within the limitless realms of our creative capabilities, we project a universe of space and form, which then becomes the playground of our desires. Based on these desires we initiate actions. These actions bear results.
These results, which are the harvest of our actions, are the due rewards of those seeds of desire that we have sown. This principle of cause and effect is the traditional wheel of karma, which brings to each individual the exact return in experience that matches the initiating action.
All experience is revealed within the light of consciousness. Within this realm of consciousness we are free to roam in worlds of our imagination. These worlds may be entirely unstructured and without any form of limitation, as we experience in our worlds of dream, vision and hallucination, or they may appear to be tightly structured and constrained, as we experience in our world of waking consciousness.
Within these different realms of consciousness which we inhabit, we express ourselves in forms which are appropriate to each level of expression. Within the subtle worlds of dream and vision we manifest in forms which are free from oppressive limitations.
In the heavily structured context of our waking world, the body we possess is dense, defined and limited. During our waking mode of consciousness we are bound by the fixed responses of our senses, which operate in rigorously defined ways.
Within the subtle worlds of free expression, our senses are liberated from these worldly bounds. So in open worlds, such as those of psychedelic states, it is possible to “see” sounds and “hear” colours. Our senses operate within an open spectrum of experience.
Here, the bondage of our dense, physical world no longer applies. The forces of gravity, matter, energy and time have no power over us in these ethereal worlds. We are free to fly, to pass through walls, to float in space and to travel at unlimited speeds.
Our experiences in consciousness vacillate between these dense and subtle states of mind. Due to our conditioning, we come to consider ourselves as rooted permanently within this dense world we call “reality”, and to regard all other states of mind as ephemeral and less real.
But as we have already seen, this sense of reality which pervades the waking world is not limited to the world of dense expression. The moment we transcend the physical world and manifest in other states of mind, our sense of reality travels with us.
So our dreams seem real while we are immersed in them, our visions seem real for as long as they are in progress, and hallucinations, derived from whatever stimuli, seem all too real to those who experience them.
The addicted alcoholic, afflicted by the condition known as delirium tremens, or “D.T.’s”, encounters weird and horrifying creatures that are painfully and terrifyingly real. No matter how much we may dismiss the content of these alternate states as illusory, they remain vividly real to all those who experience them.
Although our world of waking consciousness, as well as the worlds of other states of mind, appear to be illuminated by a similar sense of “realness”, this reality is not the attribute of any particular state. The sense of reality with which every state of consciousness seems imbued, is not an intrinsic feature of that level of experience.
The significant essence that we call “reality” is, instead, a characteristic of ourselves. It is dependent upon the Reality that is resplendent within each one of us. It is the presence of this inherent “I” sense, which endows each moment with its intrinsic feeling of reality.
This direct experience of the “I am”, which penetrates every level of consciousness, is rooted in the Reality of Supreme Awareness, which is itself beyond description. This living source of perfection resides at the heart of whatever form we inhabit, as the sensation of “I am”.
Whatever level of consciousness we experience, this “I am” resonates within us as the experiencing being, and endows each experience with that special character of vividness and meaning that we call “reality”. The “I am” exists independently of any state, but it lends its nature to every state that is experienced.
The “I am” is single, unique, indivisible. Within our world of experience however, it appears to be divided into a myriad different personalities, just as the unitary moon comes to be reflected separately by every ripple of the restless sea.
Every state of mind consists of a flow of images in consciousness. It is the presence of the experiencer of these images, in the shape of the “I am”, which gives the sense of reality to these images. The images themselves are projections of the mind. Each mind projects a display of images that is characteristic of that mind.
The contents of dreams, visions and hallucinations are unique to the mind that creates them. In the case of the waking world, this flow of images is not only projected in the form of an outer world, but is linked with that of others by the process of consensus. The flow of images created by each separate mind thus comes to parallel that of others.
By this process of agreement through consensus, each individual comes to share a common world of experience. It is a world structured and shaped by the consensual ideas of the group. In the course of experience, each individual mind learns to compose a common description of the world in accordance with the views of others.
Once this description has become fixed by long association, the individual appears to be part of a synchronous world which appears to unfold equally to all participating minds. This specific mental configuration of conformity is what we call “our waking world of reality”.
The world becomes real in the manner that those who have formed it have come to share. The character of that world is moulded by the shape of the underlying beliefs which gave it birth.
Within the realm of consciousness, each experiencing “I am” moves between different levels of projection. It moves freely and easily from the waking state into that state that is called dream, and reverts equally easily again to that category of imagery called the waking world.
In certain situations, prompted by such stimuli as stress, trauma or psychedelic agents, the “I am” moves into other realms of expression, called alternate states. For as long as the “I am” reverts to that condition which characterises its waking world, it is said to be “alive”.
When it ceases its affiliation with this level, it is considered to be “dead”. From the standpoint of the waking world, “death” represents an awesome gulf. It is a departure from one field of expression into another.
The stage of separation, which the waking world calls death, appears to draw a curtain of finality upon the” I am” that manifested within that physical context. But the” I am” never dies. It merely illuminates another level of expression in consciousness.
When death supervenes upon the level of expression that we call our waking world, the “I am” separates itself from its physical form, and moves on to another state of consciousness. The physical body, with which the “I am” had previously been identified, then dies. As far as this physical body is concerned, it then ceases to exhibit its coordinated character, and returns to its fundamental source of energy.
As Maharaj explains: “It is the change in the living process of a particular body. Integration ends and disintegration sets in.”1
Just as in life, when the “I am” moves from that dense level of consciousness that reflects the waking world to the more subtle level that is called a dream, so in death the “I am” moves to a new level of consciousness.
As Maharaj confirms, “Consciousness can only become subtle and refined, and that is what happens after death.”2
This process of change from one realm of consciousness to another, which takes place so easily and harmoniously between the waking world and the dream, or hallucination, normally takes place equally easily and harmoniously between the “living” state and the next, at the moment of death.
But because the “I am” has in certain cases become so firmly entrenched in its identification with a physical body, this separation can sometimes be difficult and prolonged. The link with the physical body may be so strong, and the fear of the unknown so great, that the “I am” may not easily relinquish its grip on the physical body, which had for so long seemed synonymous with its identity.
This can lead to a protracted struggle at the time of death. Ramana Maharshi describes what may then ensue.
“When a person gasps for breath it indicates that this person is unconscious of this body; another body has been held and the person swings to and fro. While gasping there is a more violent gasp at intervals and that indicates the oscillation between the two bodies due to present attachment not having been completely snapped.” 3
The person who entertains no fear at the thought of dying moves easily from the physical to the more subtle form. Along with this new form, there emerges a new set of images, and the soul then undergoes a new set of experiences.
But just as the nature of experience on the plane of consciousness called the waking world is determined by the actions of the individual concerned, so in the after-death state, the individual continues to be influenced by these actions. As we find recorded in the Brhadaranyaka Upanishad:
“A man acts according to his desires to which he clings. After death he goes to the next world bearing in his mind the subtle impressions of his deeds; and after reaping there the harvest of his deeds, he returns again to the world of action. Thus he who has desire continues subject to rebirth.”
It is this continuing thread of desire that chains the individual to the wheel of life and which draws the individual unerringly back to another form in which to pursue the fruits of desire.
It is only when these bonds of desire are finally broken, that the “I am” merges with its source of Supreme Reality and the cycle of rebirth is at an end. The individual soul then rediscovers its untarnished nature, and revels in eternal bliss.
For as long as the “I am” continues to identify itself with a particular form, and continues to act in accordance with its desires, it remains bound by the strict equation of karma, and is bound by the cycle of rebirth.
The individual soul then becomes associated with a new physical form, which allows it new opportunities for the fulfillment of its desires. It reincarnates in a specific form, and under specific circumstances, which match its former actions and desires.
The cycle of life continues. But this idea of reincarnation of the soul, from one physical body to another, is the product of a commitment to a particular vehicle of expression. As long as the” I am” seeks to express itself through the fulfilment of desire, it continues to be linked with one body after another in an endless cycle of rebirths.
In truth, however, the “I am” remains ever desireless and free, for it is the reflection of the eternal sun of Awareness. The individuality with which it appears to be associated is, in fact, illusory. For this reason the highest teaching of the Sages is that the very idea of reincarnation is itself illusory.
Since there are in reality no individual selves, and never were, there can be no such thing as one self being continually reborn. In responding to questions, the Sages invariably tailor their answers to the level of understanding of the questioner concerned, as we see from the following example.
QUESTION: “Maharaj says that there is no rebirth of the individual – the consciousness is just expressing itself. Then he tells another that his attitude will bring many rebirths.
MAHARAJ: To the ignorant who are obsessed by the ideas of rebirth, etc., I say, ‘You are going to have rebirths’, but to one who is capable of understanding I will give knowledge only.” 4
Those who remain convinced that they exist now as individual souls, will continue to find themselves manifesting in one form after another, in accordance with the dictates of their desires. This round of manifestation will continue as long as the desires themselves continue.
But for those mature souls who can grasp the subtle truth that what passes for individuality is nothing more than a string of images held together in memory, the Sages do not talk of dying and rebirth. For, as Ramana Maharshi reveals:
“Reincarnation can only be as long as there is ignorance. There is no reincarnation either now, nor was there before, nor will be hereafter. This is the truth.” 5
The Bhagavad Gita echoes this same duality of explanation according to the level of understanding of the seeker. In verse five of the Fourth Chapter, Krishna tells Arjuna: “Many births of me are passed, and of thee, 0 Arjuna. I know them all; thou knowest them not, Paramptapa.”6
But in verse twenty-eight of the Second Chapter, Krishna reveals:
“In the beginning, Bharata, are beings unmanifest; their middle state is manifest; their final state, unmanifest; what place therein for lamentation?”7
For the individual soul who is convinced of the idea of independent existence, the experiences which occur to it are derived from its underlying desires and actions. Its experience is determined by belief. The events which occur to each individual are set in train by those thoughts which motivate its actions.
Just as the experiences of the waking world are dependent upon the individual thoughts and beliefs that are held within the waking state, so experiences in the state of the afterlife are similarly affected. Our experiences after death continue to be influenced by our thoughts, and our beliefs continue to dominate our experiences upon the subtle planes of consciousness as well.
As Maharaj explained to the following questioner:
QUESTION: “When an ordinary man dies, what happens to him?
MAHARAJ: According to his belief it happens. As life before that is but imagination, so is life after. The dream continues.”8
Continued in Part Two
References:
1“I Am That”, Conversations with Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj, translated by Maurice Frydman, Book I, Chetana, Bombay, 1973, p. 13.
2 Ibid, Book II, p. 3.
3“Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi”, recorded by Swami Saraswathi, Sri Ramanasramam, Tiruvannamalai, 1968, p. 201.
4“Seeds of Consciousness”, The Wisdom of Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj, edited by Jean Dunn, Grove Press, New York, 1982, p. 205.
5“Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi”, op. cit., p. 330.
6 “The Bhagavad Gita”, translated by W.D.P. Hill, Oxford University Press, London, 1928, p. 103.
7 Ibid, p. 87.
8“I Am That”, Book II, op.cit., p. 1.
Allan, Beyond the Grave, September 22, 2019, 8:54 pm
This selected entry was originally published here on July 15, 2010.
Scott: My name is Scott Paton. I am talking today with Allan Colston. He is the author of the book “The Last Days of Tolemac”. This is a book dealing with prophecy.
For those listeners who may be new to this topic, today’s podcast is the fifteenth in the series, and is titled ” What Should We Do ?”. Hello Allan and welcome to the Podcast.
Thanks Scott. It’s good to talk to you again.
Scott: So Allan, what do you plan to talk about today?
Well Scott, I’d like to wrap up the topic of “The Chosen Ones” by posing the question “What should we do?” And for those folks who may have missed my last Podcast, perhaps I should start off by giving a brief summary of what exactly I am talking about.
As I have mentioned in my book, as well as on my Blog, the ancient prophets predict that our present world age will end in a series of cataclysms brought on by a close encounter with a comet, at which time the earth will also be struck by an asteroid.
Because of the catastrophes that will afflict the earth at that time, and the devastation caused by the global earthquakes and Tsunamis that will follow, the ancient prophets referred to this event as “The Great and Terrible Day of the Lord.”
According to these prophets, this Terrible Day of the Lord will be followed by a seven year period of terror and destruction that will end in the return to earth of the long-awaited Saviour, who will lead the world into a new Golden Age of peace, that is predicted to last for a thousand years.
Although billions of people will die on that Terrible Day of the Lord, the prophets predict that one group of people will be spared. They will be miraculously taken out of their bodies, and will not have to endure the disasters that are coming. These people are what the Bible calls the “Chosen Ones.”
In earlier Podcasts, I explained who these Chosen Ones were, and why they would be chosen. And this brings me to the subject of today’s discussion. If these disasters really are about to happen on the earth, then what SHOULD we do about it?
Notice here that I am not posing the question that most people would no doubt like an answer to, which is the question “What CAN we do about it.” And that is because it is more important right now to learn what we SHOULD do about it.
Scott: Why is that Allan?
The reason is that these two questions deal with diametrically opposite aspects of our lives.
If we ask the question “What CAN we do about it?”, the answer obviously is “Plenty”. For there are literally hundreds of things we could decide to do if a comet was heading our way. And this is something I will definitely deal with closer to the time.
But whatever we did decide to do, these decisions would undoubtedly deal with our outward lives, and would involve things like our physical bodies, our possessions, our jobs, homes, families and the like.
Whereas the question “What SHOULD we do about it” deals with the spiritual aspect of our lives.
For Jesus made it plain that when the events of the Last Days began, it would be our spiritual condition that would matter most, rather than how much money we had, or how many possessions we had acquired, and so on.
In his famous Sermon on the Mount, Jesus is recorded as saying:
“Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in Heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal.”
So based on these words of Jesus, when the events of the Last Days arrive, what we SHOULD be doing is focusing on our Souls, rather than on our physical bodies. And just to emphasize this fact, Jesus goes on to say in that same Sermon on the Mount:
“Therefore I say unto you, take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?”
“But seek ye first the Kingdom of God and of His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow, for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.”
Scott: So Allan, are you saying that there is no point in doing anything practical beforehand, because we are all going to die?
Definitely not Scott. Although I have no doubt that everyone would take action if they knew for certain that a comet was bearing down on the earth, there really would be little point in doing ANYTHING beforehand, if we are all doomed to die anyway.
But that is what this series of Podcasts is all about. We are not ALL doomed. For as I indicated in Part One of The Chosen Ones, some people WILL be spared. They are the people the Bible calls “The Chosen Ones”.
And the reason they will be spared is because of their Spiritual qualities, rather than in how much money they have, or how many possessions, and so on. You will recall that in Part One of this series, Scott, I listed what sort of qualities these people would have.
And here I should clarify what I said earlier about spiritual qualities. I didn’t mean that we’re all going to be judged by a shopping list of items. Instead, the determining factor in deciding who will be saved will be the motivations that people have in their hearts.
So the qualities that will decide who will be saved, and who will not, will be the FRUITS of the spiritual path, rather than the path itself.
Scott: I’m not sure I understand what you mean.
What I mean Scott, is that the qualities that we think of as being spiritual, are the FRUITS of spiritual progress, and they occur naturally, just like the fruit that grows on a tree. In fact, Jesus used this analogy himself when he talked about the Last Days in his Sermon on the Mount.
As St Matthew writes in chapter 7 of his gospel:
“You shall know them by their fruits. Every good tree brings forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree brings forth evil fruit. Every tree that brings evil fruit is cut down, and cast into the fire. Therefore by their fruits shall ye know them.”
So to recap, when the Great and Terrible Day of the Lord arrives, we don’t know who exactly will be saved and who will be doomed. What the Bible tells us is simply that those who will be spared will be the “Chosen Ones”.
Jesus said that at the time of the end, people would be divided into two groups. One group would consist of those who listened to his warning and acted accordingly, while the other group would consist of those who ignored these warnings.
Those who ignored his warnings would simply carry on living as they had before. And, as Jesus pointed out, they would make up the vast majority of people alive at that time. Those who acted on his warnings would be the wise ones.
In fact, Jesus ended his Sermon on the Mount with the following words:
“Therefore, whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him to a wise man, who built his house upon a rock; And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the wind blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not; for it was founded upon a rock.”
Scott: So did Jesus give any explicit advice about what people should do at this time?
Yes Scott, he did. He urged his followers to be watchful, and to be prepared. He also told them to pray that they would be spared from the plagues of the Great Tribulation. In the 21st chapter of the gospel of St Luke, Jesus tells the people:
“And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come on you unawares.”
“For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the son of Man.”
So Scott, his message to us today is to watch – and pray. And I would urge all listeners to take these words of Jesus to their hearts. For there is no limit to the power of prayer in transforming a contrite heart.
So no matter what we may have thought or done in the past, if we are truly sorry for our misdeeds, and are committed to changing our ways, then our prayers will be heard, and we will be saved, even at this late stage.
However, I should also emphasize that not all those who will be saved will be among the Chosen Ones.
Scott: Once again, Allan, I’m not sure I understand what you mean.
According to the Bible, about one third of all the people who are alive on earth at the time of the Great and Terrible Day of the Lord, will die in the disasters that will happen on that day.
And as I have indicated previously, this will be followed by a period of seven years in which the forces of darkness will dominate the earth, leading up to the final battle between Goodness and Evil that will culminate in the return to earth of the Great Redeemer, who will usher in the thousand years of peace.
And according to the Book of Revelation, about one quarter of those who are left upon the earth will be killed by means of what have come to be known as “The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse”. In verse 8 of the 7th chapter, St John writes:
“And I looked and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.”
So Scott, there will still be many people who still be alive on the earth to confront these terrors. But even they are not all doomed, for there will be some who will be purified as a result of their experiences, and they will join the Chosen Ones when the Great Redeemer returns to the earth.
For as we read in the 13th chapter of the Old Testament prophet Zechariah:
“And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the Lord, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein. And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried; they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, it is my people: and they shall say, the Lord is my God“.
And according to the 12th chapter of the book of the prophet Daniel:
“Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried: but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand.”
So I want to emphasize again Scott, that even though they may not be among the Chosen Ones who will be spared these disasters, there will still be many who will triumph in the end, having been purified by their experiences during the seven year period of terror.
Scott: So does this mean that there will be two groups of people who will be saved. The Chosen Ones at the beginning of the seven year period, and others at the end when the Saviour comes?”
Exactly Scott. I couldn’t have put it better myself. But obviously those who are saved at the beginning will be spared the horrors that lie ahead. And that is the reason Jesus warned his followers to be prepared.
And, as the Oracle of Tolemac says in my book:
“Let those who would be saved continue to watch and pray. For no matter how advanced a person may seem to be upon the Path of Returning to Everlasting Light, they do not know if they will be able to withstand the fire of the Great Initiation. Pray that you will be given guidance in the days that are to come.”
And that pretty much sums up the situation Scott. None of us can be sure we will be included among the Chosen Ones. All we can do is to pray that we will be spared, and do the best we can in the meantime to live according to our faith, and our inner guide.
Meanwhile, the other thing we all need to do is to watch out for the signs. And these signs refer to the events that are unfolding in the world today. And that is what I plan to talk about in my next Podcast, which will be another in the series “Signs of the Times”.
And just a reminder for those people who would like to read my book, it can be reached here
Scott: Thanks Allan. You have been listening to Allan Colston, author of the book “The Last Days of Tolemac”. Do join us for our next Podcast, which will be another in the series titled “Signs of the Times”.
This selected entry was originally published here on March 9, 2008.
The prophets of old, particularly those in Biblical times, suggested that in times of crisis, premonitions of future events would come to ordinary people in the form of visions and prophetic dreams. This would especially be the case during the “last days” leading up to the return of the Messiah. This was what the Jewish prophet Joel wrote:
“And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions.” (Joel 2:28)
There can be little doubt that the world today is undergoing a global crisis in which the very future of the earth is threatened. This is no longer a matter of debate. This feeling of impending gloom has penetrated deeply into the psyche of mankind. It has become the “zeitgeist” (spirit of the age) that now impacts the whole of humanity.
So it should come as no surprise to find that there are people today who are experiencing dreams and visions that seem to bear out the words of the Biblical prophet. When the popular North American radio talk show “Coast to Coast AM” recently invited listeners to submit examples of their dreams and visions for 2008 and beyond, these were some of the replies that were received.
Global Firestorm
I have had two very realistic dreams of the end of the world. … In both dreams, I was with my loved ones and we were witnessing a global firestorm that was about to engulf us. … In the first dream, we stood atop a flat-roofed building watching the firestorm approach and I clearly remember feeling at peace and completely comfortable with the circumstances, as if I already knew there was more for me to see as the firestorm approached. I remember standing up and taking a deep breath and feeling a warm calm surround me.
The second dream was a bit more complicated, I remember being at my family home, pressed up against the foundation of the house waiting to see if we were going to survive the firestorm, and in the end I don’t know if we did or not – but the feeling of calm and comfort was not there.
Leigh in Ontario, Canada
Massive Earthquakes in 2010
Circa: 2010. An abrupt ending to Mid-Eastern wars and current global conflicts occurs – due to massive earthquakes as the continental plates shift from their present location. Many nations and islands will be obliterated. Food shortages and lack of fresh water supply will escalate, affecting all people on Earth. (I see the obliquity of Earth’s axis changing due to the melting of polar ice, shifting trillions upon trillions of tons of Earth’s mass towards the equator, which causes the continental plates to shift).
George D. in Vancouver, BC
Apocalypse via Planetoid
Back in 1995 I had this dream. It seemed so real and powerful. I was on vacation at the Sand Banks in Picton, Ontario, Canada. I was sleeping in this old stone house which was part of the hotel. Anyway, the dream was of this big huge planet-like sphere in the night sky and it was pulsing and very bright. We knew it was the end of our world as we know it. It was kind of scary, yet most amazing and we were in awe, and this entity was so huge and powerful that you just accepted it. The whole event was so real. It’s like the whole world came together to look up at this thing and we all realized that there was no stopping this.
Lawrie
Mt. Ranier Blows its Top
I am an intuitive/sensitive…shamanic counselor/teacher with a professional spirit medicine practice, and I live rurally in southwestern Oregon. Two years ago I had what was undoubtedly a prophetic dream that I feel needs sharing…The dream was of Mt. Rainier exploding! literally, exploding!…The top blew off and there was great devastation for many, many miles. It was so explosive that I awakened instantly and KNEW that is was a prophetic dream! I was not aware of when this would happen, but it felt like it was in the not-distant future, anytime really.
Last year, after this dream, I had the occasion to drive north from my home in Southern Oregon to visit friends at the tip of the Olympic Peninsula in Washington. During the drive from Portland north, along the western flank of Mt. Rainier, I could literally FEEL, as an intuitive/sensitive, the instability of the earth over which I was traveling. It was very powerful and a feeling I could not shake. To this day, when I recall this dream, I instantly get chicken skin and a hugely anxious feeling in my body.
Best Blessings from a long-time (12 years) listener.
Kathleen Jones
Comment
Of course there is no guarantee that any of the above visions or dream experiences will actually happen. But the corollary is also true. There is no guarantee that they won’t. Yet the inescapable fact is that intuitive people everywhere are receiving information of a catastrophic nature. The world seems to be headed for some sort of apocalyptic climax that has long been predicted.
There is one final point which those people who have read “The Last Days of Tolemac” will immediately recognize. All of the above situations are circumstances which have already been predicted in the book. But as terrifying as such events may seem, they are not signs that our world is coming to an end. Instead, as the Oracle of Tolemac has pointed out, they are actually the birth pangs of a new and glorious age. The earth itself is in the process of being reborn, and those who inherit this new earth will experience a Golden Age that is more glorious than they could ever have imagined.
This selected entry was originally published here on June 13, 2016.
As shown in previous instalments, the Old Testament of the Bible was filled with references to events that were predicted to occur during the “Latter Days”, which was a term used by ancient prophets to describe the period leading up to the return of the long awaited Messiah.
In particular, these prophets warned about something which they called “the Great and Terrible Day of the Lord”. This would be a day of fire and brimstone descending from the heavens, when God’s wrath would be visited upon all those who had failed to keep his commandments.
Then in the New Testament, we find further references to this theme of blood, hailstones, brimstone and fire raining down upon the earth from the skies. For when the disciples asked Jesus about the signs that would precede his return to the earth, he replied:
“And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken”. (Luke 21:25-26)
The signs spoken of by Jesus were further clarified by St. John, who devoted his entire book of Revelation to the events that would herald both the end of the present era of humanity, and the beginning of a new golden age that would last for a thousand years.
Now many Christians may be surprised to learn that John was not the only Christian saint who had visions of things that would happen in the future. More than a thousand years after his death, another person had similar visions, and was later recognized as a saint by the Catholic Church.
That person was the Christian mystic St. Hildegard of Bingen, a town on the river Rhine located not far from the modern city of Frankfurt in Germany. Hildegard was born at the end of 11th century, and from an early age began to experience visions of events that would occur in the future. As she wrote:
“Up to my fifteenth year I saw much, and related some of the things seen to others, who would inquire with astonishment, whence such things might come. … Frequently, in my conversations, I would relate future things which I saw as if present, but, noting the amazement of my listeners, I became more reticent.”
Perhaps because her early visions, Hildegard was drawn towards a life in the Church. She joined a Benedictine monastery where she rose to the position of Abbess. She proved to be a remarkable woman blessed with many talents, and was even consulted by bishops, popes and kings.
At a time when few women became accomplished writers, Hildegard produced major works of theology, as well as botanical and medicinal texts. Then in the year 1141 A.D., Hildegard had a vision of God in which she was instructed to “write down that which you see and hear“.
She subsequently published her first theological text under the title of “Scivias” (“Know the Ways of the Lord”). In this work, which dealt with things that would occur during the days leading up to the return of the Christ, she wrote about a comet and its impact on “the great nation”.
“Before the Comet comes, many nations, the good excepted, will be scoured with want and famine. The great nation in the ocean that is inhabited by people of different tribes and descent by an earthquake, storm and tidal waves will be devastated. It will be divided, and in great part submerged.”
As she went on to record:
“The Comet by its tremendous pressure, will force much out of the ocean and flood many countries, causing much want and many plagues. [After the] great Comet, the great nation will be devastated by earthquakes, storms, and great waves of water, causing much want and plagues.
“The ocean will also flood many other countries, so that all coastal cities will live in fear, with many destroyed. All sea coast cities will be fearful and many of them will be destroyed by tidal waves, and most living creatures will be killed and even those who escape will die from a horrible disease”. (View Source)
So here we have evidence, written almost a thousand years ago, of a close encounter between the earth and a comet, that described how a “great nation” would be “divided” (split into two parts), and devastated by “earthquakes, storms, and great waves of water”, and “in great part submerged”.
What has made St. Hildegard’s words so significant, is how closely what she saw in her visions matched with the information relayed by the American seer Edgar Cayce in the course of various readings that he gave in the early years of the 20th century.
From time to time Cayce was asked questions about the future of America, and especially about events that were predicted in the Bible to occur during the days leading up to the return of the Christ. For example, in January 1934, when asked about physical changes to the earth, Cayce replied:
“The earth will be broken up in the western portion of America. The greater portion of Japan must go into the sea. The upper portion of Europe will be changed as in the twinkling of an eye. Land will appear off the east coast of America.
“There will be the upheavals in the Arctic and in the Antarctic that will make for the eruption of volcanoes in the Torrid areas, and there will be shifting then of the poles – so that where there has been those of a frigid or the semi-tropical will become the more tropical, and moss and fern will grow.” (Reading 3976-15)
It is clear from this reply that the continent of North America would be the “great nation” that would undergo dramatic geological changes at the time of the end. This was confirmed in another famous reading in which he was asked: What is the shape of the world to come? Part of his reply is quoted below:
“And what is the coast line now of many a land will be the bed of the ocean. Even many of the battle fields of the present will be ocean, will be seas, the bays, the lands over which the new order will carry on their trade as one with another.
“Portions of the now east coast of New York, or New York City itself, will in the main disappear. This will be another generation, though, here, while the southern portions of Carolina, Georgia – these will disappear. This will be much sooner.
“The waters of the lakes will empty into the Gulf, rather than the waterway over which such discussions have been recently made. It would be well if the waterway were prepared, but not for that purpose for which it is at present being considered.
“Then the area where the entity is now located (Virginia Beach) will be among the safety lands, as will the portions of what is now Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, and much of the southern portion of Canada and the eastern portion of Canada; while the western land – much of that is to be disturbed – in this land – as, of course, much in other lands.” (Reading 1152-11)
And this is where a second American possessing unusual talents enters the scene. His name is Gordon-Michael Scallion. And just as in the case of Edgar Cayce, Scallion’s unusual ability manifested itself unexpectedly in his life as a result of a health crisis affecting his throat.
In 1979, while he was is the middle of delivering a public lecture, he suddenly lost his voice completely “in a split second”. He was taken to hospital where doctors conducted a series of comprehensive tests on his vocal chords, larynx and throat. Because they were unable to find anything wrong, they dismissed his symptoms as psychosomatic.
Yet within a few hours of being discharged from the hospital, Scallion found that his physical vision had changed. He now began to see colours and lights around animals, plants, trees and people. He had no idea what these colours represented, and concluded that it was his vision that was to blame.
It was only later that he realised that what he was seeing were the “auras” of people, plants and animals. And like Cayce before him, he discovered that he had the ability to look into people and see what was wrong with their physical, mental or spiritual bodies.
Then in 1991, Scallion found that he was able to sense what was wrong with the earth itself. He began to experience nightmares in which it appeared as if the earth was a sentient being, just like a human, and that it was in great pain.
He also began to get visions of changes that would take place to the existing continents of the earth in future times and, in particular, changes that would take place on the North American continent. As he later wrote:
“Since 1979 I have had ongoing visions concerning the Earth, sometimes as many as ten or more in a day, lasting from a few seconds to minutes. In 1982, I began to sketch a map based on the visions, and I updated it through the years as new information was presented to me.”
In the June 1996 Issue of “The Earth Changes Report”, Scallion described for the reader a series of dramatic visions that had occurred to him at that time that appeared to show changes to the earth as a result of a collision between the earth and an asteroid.
“..I am now shown the Earth, and as a result of the shockwave, the Earth shudders everywhere. There are winds. I am watching large landmasses that appear to be the North American Plate and the Pacific Plate. They are moving, perhaps half the plate structure of the Earth, shift as if in a single movement.
“They do not go up or down, but rather they slip. The movement from my perspective doesn’t seem far, but it might be something akin to twenty-five or thirty degrees of slippage. I watch certain land masses that were warm become instantly cold.
“I see animals, grazing animals that look like herds of cattle, frozen in their paths. I watch other areas that are mile-high with snow, melting. I realize that it is the Antarctic. As I am watching there is a time lapse which I would assume would be weeks or months.
“I watch Greenland; the ice is melting so fast that water levels are rising. The water is moving in so fast that new seaways are made.
“I can see inland seas in the United States. I can see a river running from the Great Lakes to Phoenix. I can see that the St. Lawrence Seaway has become a large inland sea. The Mississippi divides the United States in two.
“Europe has become a series of larger islands and most of Northern Europe is under water.
“At the same time I am seeing other land masses thrust up from the ocean bottom as a result of the shift. I see huge land masses in the Atlantic and the Pacific thrust up, even though the melting has raised the water level. Are there still twelve tectonic plates? I move round to see how many there are. After counting I find there are twenty-four.”
Based on the visions which Scallion experienced at that time, he created a revised map of the world that illustrated all the changes that he had witnessed in his visions. These changes in sea level in all the different regions of the world can briefly be summarised as follows:
What will happen in North America
The damage caused by the comet will completely change the outline of the entire North American continent. After these changes have taken place the United States will be totally different from the way it looks today. While some of these changes will occur when the comet passes close to the earth, others will happen over the following months.
Not only will the coastlines on both the east and west coasts of America be devastated by enormous tidal waves, but these coastal states will themselves be swallowed up by the ocean. More than half the existing population of the United States will be lost in these catastrophes.
In addition, the waters of the Great Lakes will no longer drain through the St Lawrence Seaway into the Atlantic Ocean, but will instead empty into the Gulf of Mexico. The Mississippi River will be greatly expanded as the ground sinks as a result of earthquake activity in the region.
It will no longer be possible to travel by land across the country because of the water that will flood the central states of America.
When the asteroid hits the ocean, the tidal waves generated by this impact will swamp the cities along both the east and west coasts of North America. These will be followed by enormous movements in the crust of the earth that will cause large sections of the western United States to sink below the sea.
This submergence of the land will extend far inland and only the highest peaks of the mountains will remain as isolated islands. Almost all of the western states of America will disappear beneath the waves. The new coastline of the west will be moved inland as far as Wyoming, Colorado and Arizona.
Similar changes will take place on the east coast and most of the coastal areas will sink beneath the sea. The sea will inundate the land all the way from Maine down to Florida. The same will apply to the coastal states along the Gulf of Mexico.
The coastal areas of Mexico will also be covered by the sea, especially around the Yucatan, while the Baja Peninsula will be submerged. The low lying lands of Central America will also sink beneath the sea, leaving the higher areas as separate islands.
All the major lands of the Caribbean will disappear beneath the waves, including the islands of Cuba, Haiti, Jamaica, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic. The Panama Canal will no longer be needed as a new waterway will open up linking the Gulf of Mexico with the Pacific.
In Canada, the Hudson Bay will expand to form a large inland sea. Other parts of the north will be inundated as well as the islands of the eastern seaboard. The St Lawrence River will expand to flood parts of Quebec and the Maritime Provinces.
In the west there will be widespread damage on the coast and on Vancouver Island, which will bear the full force of the incoming waves. Severe earthquake activity will also cause parts of south eastern British Columbia to sink beneath the sea.
The central regions of Canada from the Alberta border to the western portion of Quebec, will be spared from most of the destruction that will be taking place elsewhere in North America. They will become places of refuge for people displaced from other regions.
What will happen in South America
South America will be greatly changed as a result of the undersea changes taking place in the region. Parts of the Amazon Basin will be reclaimed by the sea, as will low lying areas of Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil.
On the west coast, earthquakes and volcanic activity will transform the land. Some parts of the west coast will sink below the waves, while others will find themselves lifted to higher elevations.
What will happen in Europe
Because Europe has long been the centre of western civilization, and because it has also been the focus of some of the worst wars fought in the history of humanity, much of Europe will sink beneath the waves, so that the negativity that has accumulated over many thousands of years can be washed away.
Due to the sudden change in the axis of the earth, Europe will go through some of the most severe changes that will be taking place on earth at this time. Most of Northern Europe will be completely submerged. All that will be left of Finland, Denmark, Norway and Sweden will be isolated islands that once were lofty mountains.
Much of France will be claimed by the waves, as will most of Germany and Poland, especially those areas involved in the major battles of the two world wars. The sea will also inundate the lowlands of Holland and Belgium.
The higher regions of Spain and Portugal will be spared and will be sought out as refuges from the floods. Switzerland and Austria will be surrounded by the waters of an inland sea.
In Eastern Europe, most of the Balkan countries will be submerged as will Bulgaria, Romania, and parts of western Turkey. Amongst the Mediterranean countries, the coastal areas of Greece and Italy will be most affected, and earthquakes in the region will also claim many lives.
Most of the United Kingdom will once again disappear beneath the waves as other land masses arise in the Atlantic Ocean. Only a few small islands will remain, including areas around London and the Midlands. In Ireland many places will be deluged and only the higher elevations will be spared.
What will happen in Africa
The continent of Africa will be split into three different parts. The valley of the Nile will widen and a rift will form that will extend through the middle of the continent all the way down to southern Africa. Another inland sea will form in northern Africa that will extend from Algeria through Mali and Nigeria down to the Congo.
On the east coast the Red Sea will widen and engulf the coastal areas of Egypt and Sudan. The Great Rift Valley of eastern Africa will fill with water and Lake Victoria will merge with Lake Nyasa and drain into the Indian Ocean.
What will happen in Australia and New Zealand
Australia will shrink in size as most of the coastal areas are engulfed by the surrounding sea. In the south the sea will intrude upon the land and an inland sea will push its way north into the Murray Darling valley.
In contrast with most of the other places in the world, New Zealand will actually grow many times in size as changes in the earth take place in the coming age.
New land will emerge from the sea causing the existing land to grow until it is larger than Australia, and its new coastline will stretch for many thousands of miles. It will also be joined to Australia by a narrow strip of land.
What will happen in Asia
When the meteor plunges into the Atlantic Ocean, the same tidal waves that will devastate the coasts of North America, Africa and Europe will destroy the coastal regions of Asia. The coast of China will be inundated by water which will surge inland in many places.
The islands of the Philippines and Taiwan will be severely damaged by floods and earthquakes. The islands of Japan will be completely swamped by water and will sink beneath the waves.
The lands of Asia will suffer from earthquake, fire and drought. Apart from the Red Sea which will expand to submerge the coastal regions of Arabia, there will also be floods in many inland regions that are affected by the breaking up of the land.
New lands will rise up out of the sea
Just as many lands now inhabited by people will be engulfed by the sea, so new land masses will rise to take their place. These new lands will become major population centers in the coming age.
As Edgar Cayce has predicted, new lands will rise out of the ocean as other countries around the world sink below the waves. Cayce spoke of new land appearing in the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans.
The sunken lands of Atlantis and Lemuria will rise up out of the ocean, cleansed and ready for life in the new age that will unfold on the earth. Atlantis will reappear just where Plato said it once existed, across from the Pillars of Hercules, or the Straits of Gibraltar.
Atlantis will be an enormous island, the size of Western Europe today. Lemuria will rise up out of the southern Pacific Ocean. It will be a new continent more than twice the size of Australia.
Other lands will rise out of the ocean in different parts of the world. New islands will emerge off the east and west coasts of America. One of these will be west of what is now Oregon, while another large island will appear in the region of the Bahamas.
The island of Tasmania to the south of Australia will grow to many times the size it is today. New lands will also emerge off the coast of Chile in South America, and off the west coast of Southern Africa.
Because these new lands will be cleansed from the destructive thought patterns of the past, many people will choose to move to Atlantis, Lemuria and Antarctica, or Lumania as it was once called.
Of the existing countries in the world there will be three in particular that will achieve great accomplishments in the coming age. Canada will become a vast commercial, cultural and scientific center in the new age. Because of its mild semi-tropical climate it will attract new settlers from all over the earth.
Australia and New Zealand will also become important spiritual centers in the coming years. The sandy deserts that exist in Australia today will be transformed into fertile lands.
Finally, for those readers who would like to get a closer look at those land masses that will be most affected, as well as what those regions in which they live today will look like in the coming age, a link is provided here with different segments of Scallion’s new world map.
There is, however, one cautionary reminder that all readers should bear in mind, and that is that although the future world map that Scallion has outlined here represents the final outcome of future world changes that appeared to him in visions, the actual timing of these changes will vary.
Although many of these changes will undoubtedly happen on the “Day of the Lord” when the asteroid plunges in the ocean, others will only occur later as a result of subsequent shifts in the tectonic plates in different parts of the world.
And, as always when dealing with matters of a spiritual nature, no one should move from their present location unless they feel compelled to do so by a strong inner impulse, for the Lord knows how to protect all those who are his true followers.
This selected entry was originally published here on July 2, 2013.
Readers of this Blog will by now have realised that the central message of my book The Last Days ofTolemac, is that we are currently living through the death throes of the present world age, and that the new age that is dawning will exceed everything we can imagine.
In the penultimate chapter of the last book of the Bible, the book of Revelation, we find the following words:
“And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” (Revelation 21:4)
However, the transition from our existing world age to the new one that is coming, will be accompanied by world-wide calamities brought on by a close encounter with a comet, that will totally transform the surface of the earth. As St John goes on to explain:
“And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away.” (Revelation 21:1)
The world that we know today with its continents and countries will be completely changed. Many landmasses that are presently above the sea will sink below the waves, while new lands will arise where previously there was only ocean. The earth will appear to have been made new.
And because this close encounter with a comet will cause a change in the axis of the earth, the stars that previously inhabited the night sky will now be seen in different parts of the heavens. To those who will inherit this new earth, it will appear as if the stars themselves have moved. The old heaven will have passed away.
Now the idea of the earth undergoing cataclysmic changes leading to successive world ages is not new. In fact it is as old as time itself, and stories of similar past events can be found in the sacred writings of all the ancient cultures of the world.
When Immanuel Velikovsky was researching the global legends of mankind in the course of developing his revolutionary cosmological ideas that led up to the publication of his book Worlds in Collision, he was struck by the fact that so many societies retained in legend, dim memories of cataclysmic changes which had destroyed entire societies and changed the face of the earth.
Velikovsky found that these legends were common to many societies which otherwise were remote in time and geography from one another. According to these legends, the planet appeared to have enjoyed periods of physical stability interrupted by recurring cataclysms of overwhelming ferocity.
In many cases which Velikovsky documented, the earth appeared to have been shaken in its course, altering not only its polar alignment, but also its orbit around the sun. According to these legends, the history of the earth was reckoned by successive ages.
Each age was a period of relative stability between cataclysms, and was in turn characterized by a particular “sun”, which represented the path traversed by the sun through the heavens during that particular age.
Among the peoples of Meso-America, persistent traditions of cosmic catastrophes can be found among the Incas, the Aztecs and the Maya. The Maya referred to these past ages by the names of their “suns”, such as Water Sun, Earthquake Sun, Hurricane Sun and Fire Sun. They substituted the word “sun” for ”world age” in order to define a time characterised by a specific orbit of the earth around the Sun.
As H. B. Alexander wrote in his epic Latin American Mythology published in 1920:
“The Water Sun (or Sun of Waters) was the first age, terminated by a deluge in which almost all creatures perished; the Earthquake Sun or age perished in a terrific earthquake when the earth broke in many places and mountains fell. The world age of the Hurricane Sun came to its destruction in a cosmic hurricane. The Fire Sun was the world age that went down in a rain of fire.”
The idea that the earth has undergone a succession of catastrophic upheavals associated with cosmic encounters did not originate with the Maya. Legends, myths and stories of these devastating events can also be found throughout the ancient world. They tell of times when dwellings were destroyed and the earth was convulsed by natural disasters which had their source in space.
While these stories vary in the number of ages that have come and gone, they all agree that there have been at periodic intervals, various disasters that have assailed the earth causing widespread destruction. The agents of this destruction have been earthquake, fire, wind and flood.
The Chinese called these vanished ages Kis, and recorded that ten ages had passed from the beginning of the world up to the time of Confucius. The ancient Chinese encyclopedia Sing-li-ta-tsiuen-chou described these past eras in the following words: “In a general convulsion of nature, the sea is carried out of its bed, mountains spring out of the ground, rivers change their course, human beings and everything are ruined, and the ancient traces effaced.”
The sacred Hindu book Bhagavata Purana called these past ages Kalpas or Yugas, and referred to four previous ages that had terminated through different catastrophes. The Buddhist scripture Visuddhi-Magga, written about 430 BC, contains a chapter on “World Cycles” declaring that: “There are three destructions: the destruction by water, the destruction by fire, the destruction by wind”. Each of these ages is separated from its previous one by a world catastrophe.
Similar references can be found in the Zend-Avesta, the sacred book of the Persians. The Pahlavi Texts quote the prophet Zarathustra referring to “the signs, wonders, and perplexity which are manifested in the world at the end of each millennium.” One of the books of the Avesta, the Bahman Yast, numbers seven world ages or millennia that have preceded the present age.
The Greek philosophers Anaximenes and Anaximander both referred to past world ages in their writings, as did Diogenes of Apollonia in the fifth century BC. Heraclitus (540-475 BC) taught that the world was destroyed by fire at regular intervals, while Aristarchus of Samos claimed that in every period of 2,484 years, the earth underwent various destructions, some by flood and some by fire.
In his work Theogony, the Greek poet Hesiod described the end of one of these ages:
“The life-giving earth crashed around in burning . . . all the land seethed, and the Ocean’s streams . . . it seemed even as if earth and wide Heaven above came together; for such a mighty crash would have arisen if Earth were being hurled to ruin, and Heaven from on high were hurling her down.”
Another famous Greek by the name of Herodotus (484-425 BC), who has been called the “Father of History” because he was the first Greek historian to collect his materials systematically, test their accuracy, and then reduce them to a written narrative, had an opportunity to visit Egypt. In his Second Book of History, Herodotus referred to his own meeting with various Egyptian priests, and recorded his conversation with them. As he wrote:
“The priests asserted that within historical ages and since Egypt became a kingdom, four times in this period (so they told me) the sun rose contrary to his wont; twice he rose where he now sets, and twice he set where he now rises.”
The Greek philosopher Plato recorded in his essay Timaeus, that the renowned Athenian statesman Solon (638-558 BC) also undertook a visit to ancient Egypt. While he was there he was confronted by an elderly priest who told him:
“Oh Solon, Solon, you Greeks are all children, and there is no such thing as an old Greek. You are all young in mind. You have no belief rooted in old tradition and no knowledge hoary with age. And the reason is this.”
“There have been and will be many different calamities to destroy mankind, the greatest of them by fire and water, lesser ones by countless other means. Your own story of how Phaeton, child of the sun, harnessed his father’s chariot, but was unable to guide it along his father’s course and so burnt up things on earth and was himself destroyed by a thunderbolt, is a mythical version of the truth that there is at long intervals a variation in the course of the heavenly bodies and a consequent widespread destruction by fire of things on the earth.”
Jesus predicted that there would come a future time on earth when nations would rise up against other nations, as well as kingdom against kingdom. These wars would be compounded by other troubles such as famines, pestilences and earthquakes in different parts of the world. (Matthew 24:7)
This affliction and tribulation throughout the earth would culminate in a cataclysmic event that would bring an end to the current cycle of civilisation. In his book of Revelation, St John described the disasters that would herald this event.
“The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of the trees was burnt up, and all the green grass was burnt up.
“And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood; and the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed.
“And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters; and the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters because they were made bitter.
“And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and a third of the day shone not, and the night likewise.” (Revelation 8: 7-12)
“And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth; and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit.” (Revelation 9:1-2)
At the time these words were written, these enigmatic predictions by the favoured disciple of Jesus could have held little meaning for those living in past centuries. Today however, their meaning stands revealed as the clear imprint of a heavenly harbinger of doom. The tribulations predicted by John are a vivid illustration of just those disasters that would befall the earth if it were to have a close encounter with a large comet.
Suppose a large comet was to pass in orbit around the sun. As it sped away on its outward path heading back into the dark void of space, its luminous tail of particles would travel ahead of it, blown by the force of solar radiation. If the earth should happen to lie in the path of this comet after its perihelion, or closest approach to the sun, it would first come in contact with this extended tail.
If the dust particles in the comet’s tail were ferruginous (containing iron), the earth would be showered by particles of fine, red dust. The presence of these fine particles in the atmosphere would then spawn torrential downpours of rain, which would be characterized by a rusty-red colour.
As the earth continued to be showered by poisonous dust, this rusty rain would soon contaminate the rivers and the seas, causing them to become blood-red in appearance. Those who drank from these toxic waters would die.
As the nucleus of the comet drew closer to the earth, larger particles in the comet’s tail would fall as blazing meteorites. This torment of fiery hail would set fire to large portions of the land. Should a part of the comet, or even the nucleus itself, plunge into the sea, this flaming asteroid would create appalling havoc, not just to those creatures within the sea, but also to those craft which happened to be travelling upon it.
Coastal cities all around the globe would be ravaged by tumultuous tidal waves. Hundreds of millions of people would die in a matter of minutes.
The resulting collision would devastate the land and decimate all forms of life on the planet. A cloud of dust and debris would soon circle the earth, blotting out the light of the sun, moon and stars. The impact of this asteroid would severely jolt the earth, causing it to tilt on its axis and change the alignment of its poles.
Such a scenario may seem farfetched in terms of astronomical probabilities. Yet it is entirely possible that a long-period comet, hitherto unknown to science, could at any time sweep into the solar skies. Now if such a catastrophe were to afflict the earth, the existing topography of the land would undoubtedly be dramatically changed by the fury of water, wind and flame.
The earth would appear to have been made new, with the old earth having been transformed. And if the poles themselves were tilted into a new alignment, the sun would appear to traverse a new path through the constellations. The heavens themselves would appear to have been changed. A new age would then begin on earth, just as had occurred many times before in our half-forgotten past.
But whereas in ages past, those few who managed somehow to survive these disasters would have been forced to start anew amid the wreckage of a devastated planet, by reverting to living in caves and assuming a hunter-gatherer existence, the prophets of old have assured us that this time will be different.
For according to all the ancient prophecies, as well as the recorded words of sages and the founders of all the major religions of the world, this coming age will be a golden age of wonder that will dwarf even the greatest achievements of past civilizations.
It will be an age of peace, freedom and justice, as well as an age of scientific accomplishment that will beggar the mind. It will not only be an age free of all pain and suffering, but of spiritual insight and understanding where all beings will live in harmony with one another.
This selected entry was originally published here on June 4, 2011.
Those Western writers and other prognosticators who have attached a special significance to the year 2012, believing it to be a date that has prophetic meaning to the Maya, have fallen into the same trap that has ensnared the whole of modern science. The scientists of today have disregarded the written testimony of ancient societies, preferring instead to believe that the solar system has remained unchanged since its formation many billions of years ago.
But because the length of our year has changed, the Long Count calendar of the Maya now has an inherent discrepancy of five-and-a quarter days in every solar year. And any calendar that has a built-in error of over 52 days in every decade has clearly lost its ability to predict anything of significance in the future. And unfortunately, those authors who have incorporated the year 2012 into their apocalyptic predictions, have merely compounded the errors of others and added to the confusion of everyone.
These writers might have spared themselves, and their readers, this confusion had they conducted more rigorous research, and investigated what ancient cultures actually had to say on the subject. And what these ancient societies recorded was that the earth had undergone numerous cataclysms in the past, and had changed its orbit, as well as its axis, many times. These stories can be found among the writings of all ancient peoples.
As Plato recorded in his essay Timaeus, the renowned Athenian statesman Solon (638-558 BC) visited Egypt. While he was there he was confronted by an elderly priest who said to him: “Oh Solon, Solon, you Greeks are all children, and there is no such thing as an old Greek. You are all young in mind. You have no belief rooted in old tradition and no knowledge hoary with age. And the reason is this.”
“There have been and will be many different calamities to destroy mankind, the greatest of them by fire and water, lesser ones by countless other means. Your own story of how Phaeton, child of the sun, harnessed his father’s chariot, but was unable to guide it along his father’s course and so burnt up things on earth and was himself destroyed by a thunderbolt, is a mythical version of the truth that there is at long intervals a variation in the course of the heavenly bodies and a consequent widespread destruction by fire of things on the earth.”
Another famous Greek, this time Herodotus (484-425 BC), who has been called the “Father of History” because he was the first Greek historian to collect his materials systematically, test their accuracy, and then reduce them to a written narrative, also had an opportunity to visit Egypt. In his Second Book of History, Herodotus referred to his own meeting with various Egyptian priests, and recorded his conversation with them. As he wrote:
“The priests asserted that within historical ages and since Egypt became a kingdom, four times in this period (so they told me) the sun rose contrary to his wont; twice he rose where he now sets, and twice he set where he now rises.” Obviously, such an event would cause catastrophic effects throughout the earth. Commenting on this Plato wrote in his book Politicus: “There is at that time great destruction of animals in general, and only a small part of the human race survives”.
Early scholars of Mexican hieroglyphics noted that the Sun (Tonatiuh) was considered to have four motions. “The sun that moves towards the east, contrary to the present sun, is called by the Indians Teotl Lexco. The people of Mexico symbolized the changing direction of the sun’s movement as a heavenly ball game, accompanied by upheavals and earthquakes on the earth.” (Seler: Gesammelte Abhandlungen)
Different nations had differing traditions about past world ages. Each of these ages was associated with a particular “sun”, since the sun charted a different course across the heavens in each succeeding age. And as has happened in the past, so these nations believe that similar events will occur in the future.
And we shall see how the prophecies of the Maya pose a modern warning to the world.
The idea that the earth has undergone a succession of catastrophic upheavals associated with cosmic encounters did not originate with the Maya. Legends, myths and stories of these devastating events can also be found throughout the ancient world. They tell of times when dwellings were destroyed and the earth was convulsed by natural disasters which had their source in space.
While these stories vary in the number of ages that have come and gone, they agree that there have been, at periodic intervals, various disasters that have assailed the earth causing widespread destruction. The agents of this destruction have been earthquake, fire, wind and flood. But these stories go further. They claim that as a result of these encounters, our world has repeatedly changed its axis, as well as its orbit around the sun.
The Chinese called these vanished ages Kis, and recorded that ten ages had passed from the beginning of the world up to the time of Confucius.The ancient Chinese encyclopaedia Sing-li-ta-tsiuen-chou described these past eras in the following words: “In a general convulsion of nature, the sea is carried out of its bed, mountains spring out of the ground, rivers change their course, human beings and everything are ruined, and the ancient traces effaced.”
The sacred Hindu book Bhagavata Purana called these past ages Kalpas or Yugas, and referred to four previous ages that had terminated through different catastrophes. The Buddhist scripture Visuddhi-Magga, written about 430 BC, contains a chapter on “World Cycles” declaring that: “There are three destructions: the destruction by water, the destruction by fire, the destruction by wind”. Each of these ages is separated from its previous one by a world catastrophe.
Similar references can be found in the Zend-Avesta, the sacred book of the Persians. The Pahlavi Texts quote the prophet Zarathustra referring to “the signs, wonders, and perplexity which are manifested in the world at the end of each millennium.” One of the books of the Avesta, the Bahman Yast, numbers seven world ages or millennia that have preceded the present age.
The Greek philosophers Anaximenes and Anaximander both referred to past world ages in their writings, as did Diogenes of Apollonia in the fifth century BC. Heraclitus (540-475 BC) taught that the world was destroyed by fire at regular intervals, while Aristarchus of Samos claimed that in every period of 2,484 years, the earth underwent various destructions, some by flood and some by fire.
In his work Theogony, the Greek poet Hesiod described the end of one of these ages. “The life-giving earth crashed around in burning . . . all the land seethed, and the Ocean’s streams . . . it seemed even as if earth and wide Heaven above came together; for such a mighty crash would have arisen if Earth were being hurled to ruin, and Heaven from on high were hurling her down.”
Among the peoples of Meso-America, persistent traditions of cosmic catastrophes can be found among the Incas, the Aztecs and the Maya. The Maya referred to these past ages by the names of their “suns”, such as Water Sun, Earthquake Sun, Hurricane Sun and Fire Sun. They substituted the word “sun” for “world age” in order to define a time characterised by a specific orbit of the earth around the Sun.
As H. B. Alexander wrote in his epic Latin American Mythology published in 1920: “The Water Sun (or Sun of Waters) was the first age, terminated by a deluge in which almost all creatures perished; the Earthquake Sun or age perished in a terrific earthquake when the earth broke in many places and mountains fell. The world age of the Hurricane Sun came to its destruction in a cosmic hurricane. The Fire Sun was the world age that went down in a rain of fire.”
The Maya did not record the date of the last cosmic disturbance that led to a change in the orbit of the earth. They did however alter their calendar to match this change, by putting aside the former Long Count calendar, and instituting in its place the 52 year cycle known as the Calendar Round. However another nation, also known for its meticulous record of historical events, has left us with a written record of this event.
When the Assyrians descended on the Jews like “the wolf on the fold”, the Old Testament prophet Isaiah predicted that Jerusalem would not fall into the hands of the enemy, and that their leader Sennacherib who had blasphemed against the Lord would be killed by a “blast” sent by the Lord. (Isaiah 37:7) Isaiah went on to tell king Hezekiah that the Lord would send a sign of this deliverance. As we read:
“And I will defend thee and this city out of the hand of Assyria; and I will defend this city. And this shall be a sign unto thee from the Lord, that the Lord will do this thing that he hath spoken; Behold, I will bring again the shadow of the degrees, which is gone down in the sun dial of Ahaz, ten degrees backward. So the sun returned ten degrees, by which degrees it was gone down.” (Isaiah 38:6-8)
“And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the Lord went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred four-score and five thousand; and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses.” (II Kings 19:35) In his book Worlds in Collision, Immanuel Velikovsky writes: “The rabbinical sources state in a definite manner that the disturbance in the movement of the sun happened on the evening of the destruction of Sennacherib’s army by a devouring blast.”
Velikovsky also quotes from the work of French scholar Edouard Biot: “The year 687 BC, in the summer, in the fourth moon, in the day sin mao (23rd of March) during the night, the fixed stars did not appear, though the night was clear (cloudless). In the middle of the night stars fell like a rain.”
The End of the Cosmic Cycle and the Dawn of the New Age
Although the Maya of today emphatically deny that our world will end on December 21, 2012, they do believe that the existing world age will shortly come to an end.
And just like the other world ages that have come and gone in the past, they believe that our current age will also end in a series of cosmic disasters. These disasters will devastate the planet, and lead to the destruction of our existing way of life. However, according to the Mayan prophetic tradition, the new world age that is coming will see a return of peace and harmony.
The chief spokesman for this ancient tradition is Don Alejandro Cirilo Oxlaj. Oxlaj, or “Wandering Wolf” as he prefers to be called, is President of the National Mayan Council of Elders. This is a body of 440 elders of wisdom who represent various Mayan ethnic groups of Guatemala. He is also an international lecturer on Mayan culture, and he travels the world sharing the message and the prophecies of the Mayan people.
In September 1999, speaking in Santa Fe, New Mexico, “Wandering Wolf” described the prophetic purpose of his world-wide mission.
“We are all here because it is our destiny, our mission. Spirit has called each of you here. You are special. I am no more special than you are. You are more than me. I am a poor Mayan. We do not have schools and universities like you do. We live in the poor countryside. What I have is given to me by my father. The Cosmos is the source of our knowledge. We study the Cosmos.”
“Our books are the Mayan Codices. For us, this is our writing. The hand is a book. We have 5000 codices. We study these. We communicate with the invisible ones, the star people, who gave me my name,”Wandering Wolf.” I come in fulfillment of the prophesies of the Mayan and Hopi, which says: “Those of the center will unite the eagle of the north and the condor of the south, because we are one, like the fingers of the hand.”
“This means that the elders of Central America will unite with those of North and South America. This is a fulfillment of our prophesies, that is why I am here. Our elder astronomers are watching over time and when it will be fulfilled. It shall be fulfilled in Twelve Baktun and it began on August 17, 1987, the Harmonic Convergence. It was then that I began my walk all over the world.”
“The Harmonic Convergence began the Twelve Baktun, Thirteen Bahaou and will end in 2012 or 2013 by your calendar. This will end the fifth period of the sun by our calendar. There will be huge problems. Catastrophes and cataclysms will befall us.”
When Alvaro Colom was inaugurated as President of Guatemala on January 14, 2008, “Wandering Wolf” was invited to address the gathered throng of dignitaries. In his address he expanded on the theme he had announced some twenty-one years before.
“According to the Maya Long Count calendar, we are finalizing the 13 Baktun and 13 Ahau, thus approaching the Year Zero. We are at the doorsteps of the ending of another period of the Sun, a period that lasts 5,200 years and ends with several hours of darkness. After this period of darkness there comes a new period of the Sun; it will be the sixth one. In each period of the Sun there is an adjustment for the planet and it brings changes in the weather conditions and in social and political life as well.”
“The world is transformed and we enter a period of understanding and harmonious coexistence where there is social justice and equality for all. It is a new way of life. With a new social order there comes a time of freedom where we can move like the clouds, without limitations, without borders. We will travel like the birds, without the need for passports. We will travel like the rivers, all heading towards the same point . . . the same objective.”
“The Mayan prophecies are announcing a time of change. The Pop Wuj (Popul-Vuh), the book of the Counsel, tells us, ‘It is time for dawn; let the dawn come, for the task to be finished.” In subsequent talks, “Wandering Wolf” has clarified his teachings on the events leading up to the end of the current world age, and of the sixth world age that lies ahead.
“You and I may meet again in another dimension after the Year Zero. The Year Zero is the word of the Maya. At that time the sun will be hidden for a period of 60-70 hours and this is when we shall enter the period of the Sixth Sun. Then you will realize that what the Mayans speak are facts and not false preachings. We are not saying the world will end in 2012. There are false ones who say these things to frighten and threaten the world without awakening.”
“But the Mayan priests and astronomers know what is happening and see what shall happen in the future. This is my only message. I do not come to intimidate you. I come to say that we should love one another. We are all children and we pray that our Father be with us. Thank you.”
Another scientist who propounded ideas that were in conflict with the established view of the universe was a Russian-Jewish psychiatrist named Immanuel Velikovsky. He became yet another victim of establishment science when he published his seminal work entitled Worlds in Collision in 1950.
In my previous post I indicated that we are living through the death throes of a dying age, and that a new age is dawning that will transform both the earth and the heavens. I went on to say that the transition from our existing world age to the new one will be accompanied by world-wide calamities brought about by a close encounter with a comet.
As Nostradamus explained in a letter to his son César, he did not wish to be considered an infallible prophet, but only as an accomplished and diligent scholar who strove to acquire insight and understanding into the inscrutable ways of God. As he wrote in this letter dated March 1st, 1555, translated by Jean Charles de Fontbrune:
Nostradamus converted the upper room of his house in Salon into a study, and it was there (as he later revealed in his book of prophecies) that he spent most of his time, poring over his occult books. One of the major sources of inspiration was a book called “De Magisteriis Aegyptiorum” (Concerning the Mysteries of Egypt), which had been published in Lyons a few years earlier.
Although Velikovsky attributed all the plagues that descended on Egypt to the interaction between the earth and a comet, many writers have since challenged the idea that a comet would be the cause of the disasters described by St. John in his book of Revelation.
