Last night, George Noory had a guest on who was discussing the predictions of Nostradamus. I blew it off, as I do all things that deal with predicting the future. However, the last hour of last night is on right now and I can't tear myself away from it. Is it that interesting, you ask? No; the guy is that full of crap.
If you remember, Raymond Burr hosted a documentary about Nostradamus that aired sometime during the second Reagan administration. I remember it vividly because, at the time, it scared the hell out of me. Here were some of the predictions:
1. Ted Kennedy would be elected President in 1988. If memory serves, he didn't even run (I think he was drunk that year).
2. There would be a nuclear war some time in 1997. I don't think this happened; please e-mail me if you have seen some evidence.
3. By now, mankind would basically be living in an earthen hell. I don't know about you, but my cable TV still works. Hubba hubba.
While many put some sort of weird faith in Nostradamus, I believe he was just another crackpot who read more into events than the rest of us do. If you read the direct translation of his quatraines, you will discover that they are so vague as to be laughable. Thinking about this brings me to another list of "predictions": the Book of Revelations. If you are a fundamentalist Christian, you should go to another web page right now.
THE BOOK OF REVELATIONS IS NOT ABOUT PROPHECY FOR OUR TIME. I made the mistake of mentioning this to someone on the radio show one day and his response was, "Of course it is!" When I asked him how he could be so sure, he stated emphatically, "Because it is!" I did not mention that this seems to beg the question because I was afraid that I would lose him in the ensuing argument.
I believe a little history is in order here. As the Book states, it was written by someone named John who was imprisoned on the island of Patmos for spreading the Gospel. Many Christians (Catholics among them) believe that this was John the Apostle. While this is possible, it is fairly unlikely. Anyway, the author is not as important as the message (something we should keep in mind about many things in life).
John was a man of his time. In those first few decades after the death and resurrection of Jesus, the early Church was almost stamped out entirely. The Romans were scared of Christians, for they had zeal and were willing to die for what they believed in. This zeal was aroused in so many Christians because most of them believed that Christ was going to return within their lifetimes and oversee the dismantling of the Roman Empire. This is not to say that they were not good Christians or that they failed to understand the tenets of their faith; they just couldn't imagine the Church continuing for as long as it has.
What John wrote was a letter of encouragement to his fellow Christians. His references to things such as "the mark of the beast" referred to Emporers of the day (the 'beast' in that reference was Caligula). His writings were his way of saying, "Look at what's going on around you; surely Jesus is on his way back!" His writings are not unique in their outlook; this seems to have been a trend in the area of the world that we would come to call Asia Minor.
So if Revelations is about the early Church, why include it in the New Testament? Because it gives us a good idea of how hard the first Christians struggled to survive. It's central theme is one of hope, not of fire and damnation.
It is human nature for every generation to believe that it is living in momentous times. I believe this is the current force behind the End of the World crowd, be they Christians or other. History teaches us that similar hysteria has existed at other times in the Christian Era, most notably in the year 1000AD. Remember the year 2000 and the Y2K bug? To hear many tell it, civilization was going to come to an end. But humans prevailed, and we will continue to prevail for the forseeable future.
I believe there is also a sort of "get even" vibe among some who believe we are living in the end times. It's like saying, "You may have your SUV and your big house, but I've got my Bible and when Jesus gets here he's going to kick your ass!" It's as if they need a reckoning in their lifetimes, something they can witness and derive some satisfaction from. This is worst kind of hypocrisy, in my opinion, because it is asking for vengence against someone for the sins they committed which made you feel uncomfortable or left out. And if you really feel that way, should you call yourself a believer?
Posted by Matthew at December 3, 2003 01:20 AMBravo! If only the majority of Christians knew the history behind the writings we might really have a different image of God. Instead of the very large white haired old man writing our offenses in a very large tome, we might actually invision a loving God. What a novel concept. Do you really think a God like that is going to end this life by some global thunder over earth?
Posted by: ralph at December 3, 2003 09:44 AMThank you. If God was going to smote us all down, I would think that he would have had ample reason by now!
Posted by: Matt at December 3, 2003 05:16 PMWell, well, well. What a good topic for debate. The Book of Revelations is about the end of time, the coming of Christ, the tribulation, the reign of the anti-christ and the false prophet and the Final judgement. Regardless of when, this event will happen. These visions were given to John by an angel sent from Christ. I could go on but reading the entire Revelations is best. Clearly this is how the world as we know it will end. True believers accept this. Those not of the Christian faith have made a different choice.
Posted by: Erik at December 3, 2003 06:25 PMTo answer Ralph: yes. The Bible is either right or wrong. No one has to believe it though. These questions are great Matt because for me they mark the defining line between true believers and all others. I realize "all others" is a diverse side.
Posted by: Erik at December 3, 2003 06:28 PMI found your site searching Google for Nostradamus and the Bam earthquake. Though you started on a tirade against the astrologer you ended up on one against a so called christian prophet so I am assuming that you are generalizing all "unscientific" forms of divination as fraud. I don't know what John's sources were, nor have I read any of the bible, yet as a seeker of enlightenment Nostramus fascinates me. I would not sell Astrology short, just the lens of our history pertaining to it. The Rishi of Tibet and India new the laws of physics as well as they new the planetary forces. Nostradamus apparently had more access to Eastern philosophy and medicine, which are inseperable by the way, along with astrology, as he used it to successfully cure and combat the spread of plague (in many patients). The most powerful oracle can only offer potentialites for future events and perhaps glimpse through cracks in time and space. The Rishis through meditation could see all things, but we are in the age of Kali Yuga, they say.
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